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Menschsein
Sep 15, 2007

Ne carne ne pesce

I need some hivemind help, goons. I haven't trawled the thread for analogous problems, apologies if this was recently discussed.

I have an amazing Osprey Crescent 85 backpack, I've used it every week for five years, but now one aluminium side rod has snapped in half, making the backpack unusable. The thing is, I'm in Europe, land of not-so-amazing-service-guarantees, and the UK Osprey customer service claims they don't have replacement rods, as it's an old (2007?) model. I tried asking them for rods from the Argon series, that replaced the Crescent series, but no go.

What the hell do I do? I'm not throwing the whole bacpack away because of one missing part.

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Business of Ferrets
Mar 2, 2008

Good to see that everything is back to normal.

Menschsein posted:

I need some hivemind help, goons. I haven't trawled the thread for analogous problems, apologies if this was recently discussed.

I have an amazing Osprey Crescent 85 backpack, I've used it every week for five years, but now one aluminium side rod has snapped in half, making the backpack unusable. The thing is, I'm in Europe, land of not-so-amazing-service-guarantees, and the UK Osprey customer service claims they don't have replacement rods, as it's an old (2007?) model. I tried asking them for rods from the Argon series, that replaced the Crescent series, but no go.

What the hell do I do? I'm not throwing the whole bacpack away because of one missing part.

Um, send it back to Osprey and let them either repair it or give you something better? I would try the US headquarters if the European one doesn't give you the right answer.

Cancelbot
Nov 22, 2006

Canceling spam since 1928

Incredibly jealous of the US goons with your gigantic wilderness areas and proper mountains. England's highest peak is 3,209ft but dammit i'm going to climb that thing so incredibly hard.

But I get to use incredibly light packs and can run up and down around 10 of our mightiest "mountains" in a day :smug:

Speleothing
May 6, 2008

Spare batteries are pretty key.

Menschsein posted:

I need some hivemind help, goons. I haven't trawled the thread for analogous problems, apologies if this was recently discussed.

I have an amazing Osprey Crescent 85 backpack, I've used it every week for five years, but now one aluminium side rod has snapped in half, making the backpack unusable. The thing is, I'm in Europe, land of not-so-amazing-service-guarantees, and the UK Osprey customer service claims they don't have replacement rods, as it's an old (2007?) model. I tried asking them for rods from the Argon series, that replaced the Crescent series, but no go.

What the hell do I do? I'm not throwing the whole bacpack away because of one missing part.

Osprey warranty will cover repair or replacement. This seems like a replacement case, given the age of the pack.

BeefofAges
Jun 5, 2004

Cry 'Havoc!', and let slip the cows of war.

If you can't get Osprey to repair it, see if you can just buy an aluminum rod at a hardware store and bend it into the correct shape.

Hypnolobster
Apr 12, 2007

What this sausage party needs is a big dollop of ketchup! Too bad I didn't make any. :(

Osprey gave me a new pack when I slid down a hill mountain and tore my Aether 70 to shreds.
Osprey will absolutely just give you a new pack if they can't replace the stay, unless the international service sucks, or the service rep sucks.

http://www.ospreypacks.com/en/web/all_mighty_guarantee

alnilam
Nov 10, 2009


Holy poo poo, I had not heard about that yet. Awesome.
I've been backpacking with my osprey kestrel 45 on way longer trips than 45 L is supposed to take you. And it just barely fits in an overhead bin. Highly recommend it.

stupid puma
Apr 25, 2005

For those of you looking for a camera case, a properly sized Pelican case works well depending on what you'll be doing and how rough you'll be with your camera. I'll be heading into the boundary waters next weekend and one of the smaller cases works perfectly for my Sony NEX. It's a lot of weight, but obviously with the canoeing factored in it needs to be waterproof and I'll only really notice the weight on portages.

MMD3
May 16, 2006

Montmartre -> Portland

stupid puma posted:

For those of you looking for a camera case, a properly sized Pelican case works well depending on what you'll be doing and how rough you'll be with your camera. I'll be heading into the boundary waters next weekend and one of the smaller cases works perfectly for my Sony NEX. It's a lot of weight, but obviously with the canoeing factored in it needs to be waterproof and I'll only really notice the weight on portages.

yeah, I'd say that's a VERY different use-case from normal daytrips or backpacking trips. Pelican cases are very bulky and add a ton of unnecessary weight if you don't absolutely need it to be waterproof and be bounced around a ton.

stupid puma
Apr 25, 2005

That's definitely true. I would never take it on a hike. But with the modular foam inside those things and the waterproofness there really is no better case if you can spare the room and weight.

Marta Velasquez
Mar 9, 2013

Good thing I was feeling suicidal this morning...
Fallen Rib
So, I'm torn between two packs at REI. Their current sale is much better than LL Bean with more variety. The sale is good enough that I'm going to risk buying it online before trying it on.

http://www.rei.com/product/849062/sierra-designs-herald-30-pack-2012-closeout

http://www.rei.com/product/852971/kelty-courser-40-pack-2012-closeout

The Herald looks like it shares the main compartment space with the hydration pack, so it will be smaller than 30L. The front access might be nice, but isn't a deal-breaker for me.

The Herald costs more than the Courser, but the Courser seems to be comparable to the Herald except larger. Does Kelty have a worse reputation that I don't know about?

I'm going to order one of them sometime today. I can use my LL Bean credit to buy the hydration system and the other odds and ends I still need to put together.

MMD3
May 16, 2006

Montmartre -> Portland

contrapants posted:

So, I'm torn between two packs at REI. Their current sale is much better than LL Bean with more variety. The sale is good enough that I'm going to risk buying it online before trying it on.

http://www.rei.com/product/849062/sierra-designs-herald-30-pack-2012-closeout

http://www.rei.com/product/852971/kelty-courser-40-pack-2012-closeout

The Herald looks like it shares the main compartment space with the hydration pack, so it will be smaller than 30L. The front access might be nice, but isn't a deal-breaker for me.

The Herald costs more than the Courser, but the Courser seems to be comparable to the Herald except larger. Does Kelty have a worse reputation that I don't know about?

I'm going to order one of them sometime today. I can use my LL Bean credit to buy the hydration system and the other odds and ends I still need to put together.

honestly I'd go even smaller... and you can grab a pack that has the hydration system already in it to ensure it's a secure fit and then just save the LL Bean credit for duckboots or whatever other hiking gear you may need down the road. Both of those packs look much larger than what you'd need for a day hike.

Check out these ones: http://www.rei.com/outlet/search?cat=22000016&cat=29354105&hist=cat%2C22000016%3ABackpacks%5Ecat%2C29354105%3AHydration+Packs

Any of the larger hydration packs should be able to hold a DSLR and all of the food you'd need for the day as well as a first aid kit or whatever.

Are you near the LL Bean in Freeport?

Menschsein
Sep 15, 2007

Ne carne ne pesce

Hypnolobster posted:

Osprey gave me a new pack when I slid down a hill mountain and tore my Aether 70 to shreds.
Osprey will absolutely just give you a new pack if they can't replace the stay, unless the international service sucks, or the service rep sucks.

http://www.ospreypacks.com/en/web/all_mighty_guarantee

Thanks for the replies. I wrote to the US customer service and they were very quick and forthcoming, they'll cut new parts and send them. Just have to ask whether they'd be able to send the parts to Europe, if not, I'll see if they can send it to a friend in the US, who'll pass it forward. It'll still be cheaper than a new backpack.

Getting the rods into place will be another (hilarious) issue, though.

Menschsein fucked around with this message at 20:05 on Jun 7, 2013

a foolish pianist
May 6, 2007

(bi)cyclic mutation

I'd also recommend going smaller for a day pack. My absolute favorite is this one:

http://www.rei.com/product/796730/osprey-stratos-24-pack

It's plenty of space for just a day, and it's easy to stash whatever size hydration bladder you happen to need. The mesh back is also really awesome - keeps you much cooler. I've had mine for about four years now, and it's been up 14ers, down to the beach, all over the place, and it still looks pretty good.


EDIT:

Menschsein posted:

Thanks for the replies. I wrote to the US customer service and they were very quick and forthcoming, they'll cut the new pieces and send them. Just have to ask whether they'd be able to send the parts to Europe, if not, I'll see if they can send it to a friend in the US, who'll pass it forward. It'll still be cheaper than a new backpack.

Getting the rods into place will be another (hilarious) issue, though.


While you're at it, maybe you can get them to yell at the European customer service people, too?

Marta Velasquez
Mar 9, 2013

Good thing I was feeling suicidal this morning...
Fallen Rib

MMD3 posted:

honestly I'd go even smaller... and you can grab a pack that has the hydration system already in it to ensure it's a secure fit and then just save the LL Bean credit for duckboots or whatever other hiking gear you may need down the road. Both of those packs look much larger than what you'd need for a day hike.

Check out these ones: http://www.rei.com/outlet/search?cat=22000016&cat=29354105&hist=cat%2C22000016%3ABackpacks%5Ecat%2C29354105%3AHydration+Packs

Any of the larger hydration packs should be able to hold a DSLR and all of the food you'd need for the day as well as a first aid kit or whatever.

They're a little bigger then I need. I was hoping that if I ever did get to go on an overnight trip, I wouldn't need to get a different bag. I thought that 20-30L would probably be a good compromise. The 40L caught my eye, but it's gigantic for my needs. The pricing just threw me off.

MMD3 posted:

Are you near the LL Bean in Freeport?

I wish. I'm in New Jersey.


a foolish pianist posted:

I'd also recommend going smaller for a day pack. My absolute favorite is this one:

http://www.rei.com/product/796730/osprey-stratos-24-pack

It's plenty of space for just a day, and it's easy to stash whatever size hydration bladder you happen to need. The mesh back is also really awesome - keeps you much cooler. I've had mine for about four years now, and it's been up

This seems like it would be a pretty good fit for me.

e: Looking at the specs, I may be too fat for it, but it's definitely in the direction I'm looking for.

Marta Velasquez fucked around with this message at 20:18 on Jun 7, 2013

stealie72
Jan 10, 2007

Their eyes locked and suddenly there was the sound of breaking glass.
\

contrapants posted:

They're a little bigger then I need. I was hoping that if I ever did get to go on an overnight trip, I wouldn't need to get a different bag. I thought that 20-30L would probably be a good compromise. The 40L caught my eye, but it's gigantic for my needs. The pricing just threw me off.

That's not really going to be realistic unless you're planning on doing an insane ultralight overnight.

20-25 liters is perfect for a day pack.

You really can't walk a middle road on this one and not have it suck. :)

MMD3
May 16, 2006

Montmartre -> Portland
yeah, going to agree on this one.... don't try to get some kind of crossover size backpack or you'll regret it. It'll be far too large and cumbersome to be comfortable for short light dayhikes and it'll be too small to hold a tent, sleeping bag, and cookware for overnight trips.

Focus on getting a nice daypack first if that's what you're intending to do the most of and then worry about a fullsized pack down the road. You'll probably also want to spend a little bit more to ensure that whichever fullsized backpack you get is going to fit you perfectly and last you a long time, that's considerably less important w/ a daypack when you're carrying under 5-10lb.

Marta Velasquez
Mar 9, 2013

Good thing I was feeling suicidal this morning...
Fallen Rib

stealie72 posted:

That's not really going to be realistic unless you're planning on doing an insane ultralight overnight.

20-25 liters is perfect for a day pack.

You really can't walk a middle road on this one and not have it suck. :)

MMD3 posted:

yeah, going to agree on this one.... don't try to get some kind of crossover size backpack or you'll regret it. It'll be far too large and cumbersome to be comfortable for short light dayhikes and it'll be too small to hold a tent, sleeping bag, and cookware for overnight trips.

Focus on getting a nice daypack first if that's what you're intending to do the most of and then worry about a fullsized pack down the road. You'll probably also want to spend a little bit more to ensure that whichever fullsized backpack you get is going to fit you perfectly and last you a long time, that's considerably less important w/ a daypack when you're carrying under 5-10lb.

Yeah. I thought as much. I had a sliver of hope that if that perfect bag existed, I should get it during the sale. Then again, if it existed, I probably would have read about it already when I read the rest of the thread.

I found something similar to the Osprey Stratos that a foolish piantist wrote about. http://www.rei.com/product/853143/platypus-origin-22-hydration-pack-20-2012-closeout It is cheaper right now because of the sale and already comes with a nice reservoir. The other points in the description make it look like this would be a good deal.

stealie72
Jan 10, 2007

Their eyes locked and suddenly there was the sound of breaking glass.
\

contrapants posted:

I found something similar to the Osprey Stratos that a foolish piantist wrote about. http://www.rei.com/product/853143/platypus-origin-22-hydration-pack-20-2012-closeout It is cheaper right now because of the sale and already comes with a nice reservoir. The other points in the description make it look like this would be a good deal.
Negatives are lack of any variety of an outside pocket (in my experience, ones on the hip belt are useless), but the way it's designed so that you can crush the pack way down with the straps is pretty sweet. It'll probably serve you well.

pissboy
Aug 21, 2004
Yeah for Twinkies!
Are any Charlotte area goons going to be at the REI garage sale tomorrow?

I'll be looking for some hiking pants, picked up most of the other things I wanted at their anniversary sale. :)

pissboy fucked around with this message at 22:25 on Jun 7, 2013

snappo
Jun 18, 2006

contrapants posted:

One more thing: I'd like to bring my DSLR with me on the trail. Are there any packs that are good for that? I've seen padded camera cases to put in any pack and I've seen packs that are made to only hold tons of camera equipment. I haven't seen anything in between the two extremes, so I don't think they exist.

I wear a regular strap diagonally across my chest, with the camera pointed towards me when I put it on, so that the lens ends up flat against my body. I only put it in the pack for rain or river crossings (Ziploc bag), or for rock scrambling on all fours, bundled in a towel or jacket for padding. Keep it handy, otherwise you'll miss fleeting wildlife/lighting photo ops, or you'll see cool shots and think, "almost worth taking off the pack, but not quite".

a foolish pianist
May 6, 2007

(bi)cyclic mutation

snappo posted:

I wear a regular strap diagonally across my chest, with the camera pointed towards me when I put it on, so that the lens ends up flat against my body. I only put it in the pack for rain or river crossings (Ziploc bag), or for rock scrambling on all fours, bundled in a towel or jacket for padding. Keep it handy, otherwise you'll miss fleeting wildlife/lighting photo ops, or you'll see cool shots and think, "almost worth taking off the pack, but not quite".

For my DSLR, I've got this thing:




It's got space for the body and a medium-length lens - I know a 50 will fit just fine, and an 85 would probably work. I attach it to the waistbelt of my pack, so I don't have to take the pack off to get to the camera, but it's protected in case I need to do any scrambling or banging about.

slartibartfast
Nov 13, 2002
:toot:

a foolish pianist posted:

For my DSLR, I've got this thing:




It's got space for the body and a medium-length lens - I know a 50 will fit just fine, and an 85 would probably work. I attach it to the waistbelt of my pack, so I don't have to take the pack off to get to the camera, but it's protected in case I need to do any scrambling or banging about.

I was gonna suggest this, too. This holster-type camera case works great for hiking. I keep it on my belt, and I've got it adjusted so that the hip belt from the backpack doesn't interfere with it. I can pull the camera out, snap a pic, and get it back in the holster in about 3 seconds flat. If I knew how to sew, I'd just attach it to the backpack's hip belt somehow. But I don't trust my sewing skills well enough to hang a couple thousand dollars of delicate electronics and glass off it and subject it to extended periods of bouncing and bumping.

If you don't mind looking like a complete idiot, they also make a chest harness for it. This would likely interfere more with a pack, though, and I can't imagine it'd be too comfortable for the ladies to hike in, either.

PRADA SLUT
Mar 14, 2006

Inexperienced,
heartless,
but even so
I'm late on daypackchat but I love my Osprey Talon 22

Hotel Kpro
Feb 24, 2011

owls don't go to school
Dinosaur Gum
Ladybugs really like the cold rocky summits.

mastershakeman
Oct 28, 2008

by vyelkin
I bet those are the evil fake ladybugs.

What's the best time of year for Zion Narrows?

Chessna
Dec 24, 2008
Boot question: I got a summer internship where I'm hiking equipment around the Lake Tahoe area all day, and last week was my first week. I wore my USMC boots which I haven't worn in 6 years but used to love and they completely tore up my feet. They're fairly unused (maybe 6 months?), so do I need to just give them time to readjust to my changed feet or should I throw in the towel and just get new boots? I have to walk through a lot of rough terrain so they're perfect for that and I'd rather not spend the money on new ones but I also can't go through 3 months of bloody feet.

These are the boots I currently have: http://www.armynavyboots.com/Belleville-590-p/bel-590.htm?1=1&CartID=0

Keyser_Soze
May 5, 2009

Pillbug
I think you'd be someone that would really like the Merrell Sawtooth. They are around $120 new though....very sturdy and apparently are apparently one of the favorites for soldiers. I have had some for a few years now and they are great for rocks since they are stiff but still very comfortable.

Here's some that may be only $20 (size 10), used.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Merrell-Sawtooth-Mens-10-hiking-boots-/200931525707?pt=US_Men_s_Shoes&hash=item2ec873c44b

Zahi
Jun 4, 2009

bent

JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:

First aid is pretty much: small bandages (good ones that can handle sweat), maybe a gauze pad and small amount of tape, ibuprofen, maybe tiny tweezers, antibiotic, antiseptic wipes, unlubricated condom, moleskin.

I cut the poo poo out of my finger 2 weeks ago, skin flayed off down to the bone and the one thing I really wish I had were those gauze pads that allowed blood to clot without getting stuck to them. Obviously I had to pack up and walk back out (in the dark) for an injury that bad but the worst part was getting to the hospital and having them remove the red gauze that clotted with the blood, reopening the whole wound again and it was not a great experience!

remote control carnivore
May 7, 2009
Some truly outstanding glissading to be had on Mt. Sherman today:

IMG_2943 by WestslopeBruin, on Flickr

Had a crew of 12 - all summitted; three bagged their first 14er. Season is ON!

snappo
Jun 18, 2006

Chessna posted:

Boot question: I got a summer internship where I'm hiking equipment around the Lake Tahoe area all day, and last week was my first week. I wore my USMC boots which I haven't worn in 6 years but used to love and they completely tore up my feet. They're fairly unused (maybe 6 months?), so do I need to just give them time to readjust to my changed feet or should I throw in the towel and just get new boots? I have to walk through a lot of rough terrain so they're perfect for that and I'd rather not spend the money on new ones but I also can't go through 3 months of bloody feet.

These are the boots I currently have: http://www.armynavyboots.com/Belleville-590-p/bel-590.htm?1=1&CartID=0

Do they otherwise fit well, and by "torn up" do you mean you got a few blisters? If so, it's probably worth trying to break them in again, which also lets your foot grow manly callouses over the spots that encounter pressure. Just take them on frequent shorter walks and preemptively put band-aids or hockey tape on areas at the first sign of discomfort. Wool hiking socks help, too.

On the other hand, if they're ill-fitting and stabbing your feet the minute you lace them up, then yeah, get some new boots.

Levitate
Sep 30, 2005

randy newman voice

YOU'VE GOT A LAFRENIÈRE IN ME
Went on an overnight backpack this weekend on the AT, just a short section headed north outside of the Shenendoahs. Basically jumped on the trail near Front Royal and went 7-something miles to a shelter. Was kind of a shakedown trip and testing out some equipment, etc, and also seeing how our dog would handle an overnight trip.

We were worried that she would be a pain during the night, barking at stuff, etc, but she did really well. She started the night here (at the foot of the tent):



By the time morning came around, this is about where she was:



Bit of a tight fit in a small tent but it worked out

Also, dog on the move:



And a newt we saw



Our dog also saw her first big snake and it freaked her the hell out. A big rat snake was crossing the trail and she had no idea what it was and barked her head off at it, then spent the next hour jumping backwards at every stick that seemed suspicious. It was pretty hilarious

Met a couple of people at the shelter and had a pretty good time, will have to get out some more but it's already warm and muggy around here, makes for a day just dripping with sweat

megazord
Jul 16, 2001

Scored hiking boots for my wife and I at the REI garage sale this weekend. Also picked up a 65L pack for her and a kid carrier. Ready for our trip to Big Sur in a week. I don't care how heavy your pack is, I've got a 2-year old in mine and he moves around a lot.


Here's a picture from our trip to Sequoia a few weeks ago. Mostly easy trail to Tokopah falls, kids and grandmas were doing it. It was Memorial Day weekend and crowded everywhere else. It's amazing how many people shy away from a 2 mile walk and some rocky ledges.

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krispykremessuck
Jul 22, 2005

unlike most veterans and SA members $10 is not a meaningful expenditure for me

I'm gonna have me a swag Bar-B-Q

Save me jeebus posted:

Some truly outstanding glissading to be had on Mt. Sherman today:

IMG_2943 by WestslopeBruin, on Flickr

Had a crew of 12 - all summitted; three bagged their first 14er. Season is ON!

I'm super jealous. I did some glissading yesterday but nothing that fun!

pizzadog
Oct 9, 2009

megazord posted:

Scored hiking boots for my wife and I at the REI garage sale this weekend. Also picked up a 65L pack for her and a kid carrier. Ready for our trip to Big Sur in a week. I don't care how heavy your pack is, I've got a 2-year old in mine and he moves around a lot.


Here's a picture from our trip to Sequoia a few weeks ago. Mostly easy trail to Tokopah falls, kids and grandmas were doing it. It was Memorial Day weekend and crowded everywhere else. It's amazing how many people shy away from a 2 mile walk and some rocky ledges.



Hey I was there that weekend too! Lovely weather though it was COLD at night!
But I went to Sequoia NF cuz the campsites in the NP were all full, and we hiked Alta Peak (and Big Baldy and Panther Peaks!)

Panther Gap


Alta




We saw multiple mule deer very close and the closest to a beer I've ever been right on the Alta Trail

pizzadog fucked around with this message at 20:00 on Jun 10, 2013

Levitate
Sep 30, 2005

randy newman voice

YOU'VE GOT A LAFRENIÈRE IN ME

Marshmallow Mayhem posted:

We saw multiple mule deer very close and the closest to a beer I've ever been right on the Alta Trail

Man that's not even vaguely as close to a beer as you should be :colbert:

Speleothing
May 6, 2008

Spare batteries are pretty key.
I usually keep mine about 1.5 inches from my back, but I guess some people do it differently.

pizzadog
Oct 9, 2009

Levitate posted:

Man that's not even vaguely as close to a beer as you should be :colbert:

Haha well that's a freudian slip if I ever saw one, I haven't had a drink for a couple months leading up to my birthday this weekend I must really be wanting one :sweatdrop:

Business of Ferrets
Mar 2, 2008

Good to see that everything is back to normal.

Levitate posted:

Went on an overnight backpack this weekend on the AT, just a short section headed north outside of the Shenendoahs.




Just wanted to give a shout out to the Sea-to-Summit E-vent Drybag; great little piece of equipment! (I pack one with my down quilt and/or jacket, and another, larger one for the rest of my clothes. Works wonderfully.)

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Chroisman
Mar 27, 2010

Business of Ferrets posted:

Just wanted to give a shout out to the Sea-to-Summit E-vent Drybag; great little piece of equipment! (I pack one with my down quilt and/or jacket, and another, larger one for the rest of my clothes. Works wonderfully.)

Have you found any issues with the durability of the dry bags? I was looking at getting the E-vent compression bags but some people said they tear easily.

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