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evil_bunnY posted:That looks way, way too warm for cycling.  Still not the bike thread despite the occurrence of the keyword "cycle".
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Nov 11, 2013 21:18
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 22:54 |
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evil_bunnY posted:That looks way, way too warm for cycling. Hah! Yeah that wasn't very descriptive. I'm bipolar and tend to buy lots of stupid poo poo when I get on a high.
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Nov 11, 2013 22:03
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So I need to get new socks and I'm kind of overwhelmed by the Smartwool product range. I want to get a couple pairs of nice winter socks that I can wear under regular hiking boots and then as long as I'm shopping get whatever ones are best for summer hiking. Can someone tell me what socks they'd recommend?
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Nov 12, 2013 00:27
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Pennywise the Frown posted:Hah! Yeah that wasn't very descriptive. I'm bipolar and tend to buy lots of stupid poo poo when I get on a high.  (That's not true, don't be like me)
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Nov 12, 2013 01:29
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Fat Twitter Man posted:So I need to get new socks and I'm kind of overwhelmed by the Smartwool product range. I want to get a couple pairs of nice winter socks that I can wear under regular hiking boots and then as long as I'm shopping get whatever ones are best for summer hiking. Can someone tell me what socks they'd recommend? Buy Darn Tough, not smartwool. They are better-constructed and have a lifetime warranty. "Cusion" is probably what you want for winter. Unless you are skiing, in which case go ultralight. "Full Cushion" and "Extra Cushion" are usually overkill. Go no-cushion or mesh for the summer. Get a height that works for your shoes. Unless you are worried about ticks. Then go for over-the-calf. Speleothing fucked around with this message at 02:46 on Nov 12, 2013 |
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Nov 12, 2013 02:43
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I definitely wouldn't get thin smartwool socks for summer use; they develop holes really quickly. Other brands may be better. Personally I wouldn't bother with wool for summer use unless you're going to be bacpacking for a while and don't smelly socks.
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Nov 12, 2013 02:46
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I have smartwool socks that have lasted two years and 250+ miles As long as we're posting anecdotes. I also have some Darn Tough socks that are thicker. They are also nice.
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Nov 12, 2013 03:04
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Icebreaker likes to say their socks are the best. They also have a lifetime warranty. But I like Darn Tough better because they're made in 'merica.
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Nov 12, 2013 03:46
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JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:I have smartwool socks that have lasted two years and 250+ miles Among my smartwools is the pair I used to walk across England (Irish Sea to North Sea) back in 2003. Still going strong many years and hikes later. I'll have to look into Darn Tough though.
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Nov 12, 2013 04:08
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250 miles doesn't really seem like that much for a pair of socks. My best socks lasted a thousand miles! Good old coolmax injinjis. By the end of that thousand miles they were more hole than sock, though.
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Nov 12, 2013 04:54
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All my smartwool socks have held up fine. I usually just get lighter socks and when winter rolls around I double up.
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Nov 12, 2013 05:31
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TerminalSaint posted:double up. This is a terrible idea.
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Nov 12, 2013 06:12
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If you insist.
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Nov 12, 2013 06:18
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I'm a fan of the Smartwool PhD Outdoor Medium Crew, which I wear year-round. Wool really is an amazing material.
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Nov 12, 2013 11:06
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Speleothing posted:This is a terrible idea. What's so bad about doubling up? I double up always, regardless of whether I am walking in summer or winter. I've never had a blister when I've doubled up and have only ever got them when I only wore one pair. It could be coincidence but then it would be a huge 8 year, many hundreds of kilometers coincidence.
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Nov 12, 2013 17:46
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I want socks that I don't have to wash over multi-day trips, so definitely wool. One of my hiking partners wears smartwool and brought three pairs of socks to my seven for a week long trip. I was using those Army cushion sole boot socks because they're comfortable when new and pretty cheap.
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Nov 12, 2013 17:59
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For multi day trips under a week I bring a pair per day. Anything longer than a week and I bring a pair for every 2 days. Wool sock liners are fantastic, many times I just hike in those and then a thicker wool sock if the temps get really low. Wool is pretty much the best way to go.
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Nov 12, 2013 18:20
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I've always hiked in pretty thick socks, like the extra heavy smart wool mountaineering socks. I never thought to hike in anything much lighter because I never get blisters in them. I suppose I should try out some lighter hikers. I do have a bunch of pairs of darn tough socks that I wear for just sort of general purpose every-day wear and a few pairs for snowboarding that are a lighter-weight than my smart wools.
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Nov 12, 2013 18:50
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Chroisman posted:What's so bad about doubling up? I double up always, regardless of whether I am walking in summer or winter. I've never had a blister when I've doubled up and have only ever got them when I only wore one pair. It could be coincidence but then it would be a huge 8 year, many hundreds of kilometers coincidence. The problem isn't with doubling up itself - I like to use liner socks for blister prevention. The problem is with wearing two pairs of regular socks instead of a liner and a hiker. When you double up on regular socks, you're going to run into circulation problems, and probably boot-fit problems.
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Nov 12, 2013 20:44
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That's more of a personal boot fit/sock thickness/lacing issue, though. Wearing two pairs of light socks with a thickness equal to a heavy pair plus liners isn't going to be any worse, provided you're not squashing your feet in and lacing too tight.
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Nov 13, 2013 00:17
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Fat Twitter Man posted:I want socks that I don't have to wash over multi-day trips, so definitely wool. One of my hiking partners wears smartwool and brought three pairs of socks to my seven for a week long trip. I was using those Army cushion sole boot socks because they're comfortable when new and pretty cheap. Dude, you're hiking, who cares if your socks are dirty or smelly? One pair or two pairs of socks should be all you need for a week, regardless of what kind of socks you're wearing.
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Nov 13, 2013 03:46
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MMD3 posted:I've always hiked in pretty thick socks, like the extra heavy smart wool mountaineering socks. These are also pretty much the best socks ever to wear just because. When they get worn out I retire them for pajama socks.
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Nov 13, 2013 04:24
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Oxford Comma posted:Do the cargo pants from 5.11 work well for hiking? Specifically, these? All I know about 5.11 is its the apparel of choice of mall ninjas throughout America. I've got a pair of these I use for work, including some hiking. They're well built, there's a poo poo ton of pockets, and they're made of that rip-stop fabric - y'know, the little reinforced squares. The waist is stretchy and they give you a lot of flexibility. I could see using them in places where you're going to be hiking through brush or other scratchy terrain. I really like the back pockets on them. They're slash pockets? And very deep. Plus. Y'know. Tactical.
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Nov 13, 2013 10:53
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I always bring three pairs of smartwool hiking socks and rotate them out with overnight washes so i'm always wearing a clean pair. If you don't have access to a means of washing socks, you won't be washing yourself either and in that case smelly socks are a moot point.
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Nov 13, 2013 12:48
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REI is 25%ing off Smartwool this weekend. Also, Icebreaker socks are awesome, but I've never A/B'd them to Smartwool. Icebreaker baselayers are fantastic though, if spendy.
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Nov 14, 2013 10:08
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I build trails everyday and wear wool socks and boots everyday. I was a diehard Smartwool fan for a couple years but eventually I started wearing holes in all of them. Switched to Darn Tough and I haven't had any problem at all. Plus when those start to develop holes I can just send them back to Darn Tough and get new ones!
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Nov 14, 2013 10:35
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Has anyone here hiked the Pumpelly Trail up Monadnock in NH, or climbed Stratton Mountain in VT? How are they? I'm looking for one or two big (but not too grueling) dayhikes to do in New England next year, ideally not much more than five hours' drive from the middle of Long Island.
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Nov 14, 2013 18:14
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So I typically have only done 1-2 night trips in familiar places so I would just carry dry food and enough water. In the spring, I'm looking at longer trips and I need a stove and water filtration system. I'm looking at Jetboil, but I've heard the fuel is pretty expensive. I have no idea about water filtration, so if someone could make a suggestion, that would be awesome. Thanks!
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Nov 14, 2013 19:09
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I don't find Jetboil fuel to be that expensive. It's more expensive than the big bottles of Coleman fuel, but it's not prohibitive. It's a hell of a lot cheaper than the food you make with it.
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Nov 14, 2013 19:12
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I mean, unless you're doing a LOT of camping and burning through fuel like crazy it's not that expensive. A 4oz canister for like $5 will last you 5 days or so if you ration it well (though I'm not as familiar with Jet Boil systems and how much fuel their stoves tend to use)
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Nov 14, 2013 19:30
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Yea, a JetBoil fuel canister typically lasts me 5 days' worth of breakfasts/dinners, boiling 2 cups of water each meal. I'm not cooking pasta over it.
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Nov 14, 2013 20:42
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Stove For a stove, I use an MSR whisperlite which is a separate stove. I feel like the camping fuel/white gas is easier to find and much cheaper than the threaded prepackaged fuel cans. A quart (32oz) can of white gas/camping fuel is usually only around $8 and can be found in gas stations, grocery stores, bait shops you name it. Having a separate fuel can means that you can open it up and check the remaining fuel levels rather than just shaking it or guessing. I find that I burn a lot less fuel than I ever bring. I have a 20oz fuel bottle. On my last 5 day trip with 2 other guys, we burned less than 15 ounces of fuel, probably closer to 10. On my trip before that, 4 days with one other person, we burned less than 10 with boiling water to purify. Less packaging is involved and not having to carry empty cans back is nice. For what its worth, we mainly use the stove for dinner, sometimes breakfast if we need something warm and hearty, but we almost never use it for lunch. I've also realized that my friends and I have really started to lean away from freeze dried foods and more towards raw ingredients and just hodgepodging things on the spot. Lots of jerky, peanut butter, nuts, dried fruit, tortillas, cheese, instant potatoes, rice sides and our new favorite on the trail ... stovetop stuffing. We still bring a few freeze dried meals for whatever reason but some of them taste/rehydrate like rear end and so we only bring the ones we like. Water As far as water purification goes, the platypus gravity system has changed my life. No more pumping, packs super light and minimal, and doesn't require any effort beyond collecting. You don't have to pump, boil, or wait for tablets to do their job. my 4L dirty reservoir will filter in less than 2 minites. The best part is that you can filter everyones water at the source, and then fill the dirty bag again and bring full to camp so that you have extra water for cooking/cleaning. We fill it before getting to camp, then hang the bag with the filter on the hose from a tree and use it as camp water. It flows quickly and filters very well. I like the idea of no moving parts and simple function with minimal effort. Verman fucked around with this message at 22:14 on Nov 14, 2013 |
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Nov 14, 2013 21:59
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Time Cowboy posted:Has anyone here hiked the Pumpelly Trail up Monadnock in NH, or climbed Stratton Mountain in VT? How are they? I'm looking for one or two big (but not too grueling) dayhikes to do in New England next year, ideally not much more than five hours' drive from the middle of Long Island. I'm a ranger at Mondnock. The Pumpelly Trail has a pretty From there on it's one of the coolest trails on the mountain. It's a lot of bare rock and dips back into trees here and there. It definitely gives you that big mountain feel with krummholz and mountain bogs. The mountain's isolation results in weather and vegetation usually only seen on bigger mountains, and you'll find alpine features that don't occur anywhere else in New Hampshire south of the Whites. Here's a photo that hardly does it justice that I had hanging around:  Also a heads-up if you're coming soon: we do have patches of ice up the mountain. Things are warming up so they may not hang around long, but be ready for the possibility. Also be warned that the Pumpelly trailhead is roadside parking. The trail can be hard to spot if no one else is already parked there. It's on Lake Road which runs around Dublin Lake off of 101. The trailhead is on the south side of the lake. To find it I look for the house on the lake side which has siding made out sliced evergreen trunks, bark and all. The trail is across the street, look for a sign a few feet in the woods. It's the longest trail from base to summit and you're probably looking at 5-6ish hours for the round trip, though that will obviously vary with your speed. Keep sunset time in mind. Don't skimp on water and food. Also keep in mind you'll be pretty exposed, so check the weather to see if it's going to be a windy one. Sorry if any of this comes off like I'm talking to someone who doesn't know their rear end from a hiking boot, I can slip into work mode when I get talking about it.
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Nov 15, 2013 01:56
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Verman posted:
This. A thousand times this.
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Nov 15, 2013 06:49
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A buddy of mine has a jetboil, which has been hugely convenient on our camping trips (mostly car and festival camping). Having easy hot water spoiled me a bit. Another buddy of mine had been taking me on backpacking trips and he had a similar stove, and waking up on a cold morning, plopping out of the hammock and drinking some hot tea was awesome. I'm starting to put together equip for overnights, and not wanting to miss out on hot water I've needed a stove. But I haven't really had the money to dump into a jet boil, been prioritizing other gear. I looked into some DIY stoves and really liked the penny stove thats out there, especially since you're joining the cans without tape or glue. I made one tonight and just finished the first test burn. It took me a little bit to figure out how to get the jets going properly, once they did I got really excited. I'm going to test it out this weekend at Pedernales Falls, which will hopefully be nice since Austin got a ton of rain earlier this month. Yiggy fucked around with this message at 09:54 on Nov 15, 2013 |
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Nov 15, 2013 09:31
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TerminalSaint posted:I'm a ranger at Mondnock. That's awesome! And thank you very much for the info. That's in essence what my old NH guidebook said, but it's nice to get more recent confirmation. (I had a bad time once in PA because a trail described in an old guidebook was no longer there, and I didn't think to research that ahead of my trip.) As pretty as winter hiking can be, this trip won't be until late spring or summer. I don't have the gear or the fitness to deal with ice and snow. When is your favorite season for hiking there?
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Nov 15, 2013 17:23
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Fall is great since you avoid the mosquitos and black flies, but it's also the busiest season (which really means something on the most hiked mountain in the hemisphere). The Pumpelly doesn't get a whole lot of use even on the busiest days, but when you hit the summit it can be a zoo. Mid-week is usually fine if your schedule can accommodate it. Late summer is pretty nice. September is good since it's cooler and drier, but you beat the leaf peepers. Spring and mid-summer can get buggy; just as black fly season ends the mosquitoes and deer flies come out. July and August can also get muggy as hell, we had one poor guy die of heat stroke toward the end of June this year.
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Nov 15, 2013 21:18
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Time Cowboy posted:As pretty as winter hiking can be, this trip won't be until late spring or summer. I don't have the gear or the fitness to deal with ice and snow. When is your favorite season for hiking there? For what it's worth, I'm in Utah and I find hiking in the fall/winter to be much easier and more enjoyable than spring/summer. I can hike a lot further and feel a lot better since the cold temperatures help to regulate body heat. The only extra piece of equipment I use that I bought specifically for winter hiking were a pair of yak trax. Obviously you'll want to make sure if you're doing a winter hike that you know what the weather is going to do and you're not doing something you're not geared for (snowshoes, ice climbing, etc). But if you're doing a popular trail there's a good chance it's pretty well groomed from other hikers.
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Nov 15, 2013 23:35
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If anyone is interested in buying a Hennessy Hammock, please buy mine.
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Nov 15, 2013 23:36
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| # ? Apr 23, 2024 22:54 |
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Check yo' thread.
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Nov 16, 2013 04:27
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