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Macasaurus posted:looking like a dumbass, oh boy do I have the thing for you 
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Apr 24, 2014 07:02
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Swords are legit camping / hiking gear as demonstrated below by this hiker tending her 
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Apr 24, 2014 12:35
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belt posted:I haven't tried trekking poles, but I'd be open to them to continue using minimalist footwear if refocusing on my stride doesn't work. Trekking poles are currently at the very top of my "why didn't I use these sooner" list. They are awesome.
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Apr 24, 2014 16:16
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belt posted:I haven't tried trekking poles, but I'd be open to them to continue using minimalist footwear if refocusing on my stride doesn't work. Might be worth a shot to pick some up and see if it works for you. Cheaper pairs can be found on many sites or discount sporting goods stores. However, a good lightweight carbon fiber or aluminum pair can be amazing.
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Apr 24, 2014 16:48
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Verman posted:These are getting ridiculous. I dunno, a sheathed katana might double as a pretty decent trekking pole. Multitasking!
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Apr 24, 2014 19:37
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Mr. Despair posted:I dunno, a sheathed katana might double as a pretty decent trekking pole. It's important to multi-purpose items when going ultralight. In this case use duct tape and attach a machete to your existing trekking poles to create your own light weight Katana!
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Apr 24, 2014 19:49
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Back to hiking chat I'm currently in charge of planning a 5 day trip with a few friends this summer. Two of the guys have been on our trips prior, and we might have another person or two coming with after seeing our photos and videos of our prior trips. For anyone burdened as being the trip organizer, I found it really to share a google calendar, everyone can mark their days they absolutely cant do it. Once everyone inputs their days, look for clear periods or with the fewest overlaps. Made picking a date pretty quick. We should have a date solidified by this weekend and are looking at July/August. We're looking into the pacific northwest as we've done Colorado (RMNP) several times in a row and we would like a change of scenery. We didn't get anything in the enchantments lottery and I don't want to gamble with "day of" permits so I'm completely content with avoiding it. We like solitude and awesome scenery but its summer and I expect the trails to be busy regardless. I was thinking the Olympic NP or North Cascades NP hoping they aren't already filled up with permit requests for the year. We're looking for mountains/forest, not really so much coast line backpacking at all. We don't mind scrambling but nothing technical enough to require any sort of climbing gear. I imagine Rainier NP gets pretty busy Anyone have any suggestions? I've got a few books in the mail but I figured I would ask here to see if anyone had anything to offer.
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Apr 24, 2014 20:34
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I need some gear advices, in june I'll be going Hiking in Iceland for a few days, think rocky Volcano and Glacier (it might be too warm for that). I'm confused about what kind of shoes to get as I'm not into hiking at all (more into running/cycling), I've heard a lot of good things about Meindl but can't figure out the difference about their different models, a lot of them looks similar. As the ground seems very unstable i'd like something with good support so I don't ruin my ankle. I've got a gore tex hardshell and it's pretty cool so I figured out I want some gore tex shoes. For example, is there a major difference between these models ? they're all GTX so they must go fast ! http://www.meindl.co.uk/products/softline-top-gtx http://www.meindl.co.uk/products/kansas-new-gtx http://www.meindl.co.uk/products/toronto-gtx http://www.meindl.co.uk/products/softline-top-gtx They are all at a kinda similar pricepoint, are all advertised as "Mountain walking". Also are Vibram outsoles really that cool or are they overhyped ? Krogort fucked around with this message at 21:20 on Apr 24, 2014 |
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Apr 24, 2014 21:17
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Vibram is really good. Depends on who you're comparing them to, bit they're better than most, if not all, of the in-house rubbers used in footwear.
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Apr 24, 2014 23:56
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Verman: Look into doing a hike in the Pasayten wilderness / cathedral lakes if you are willing to go to WA.
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Apr 25, 2014 02:21
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n8r posted:Verman: Look into doing a hike in the Pasayten wilderness / cathedral lakes if you are willing to go to WA. I was going to suggest this, it's directly east of North Cascades NP. If you go for a multiday trip you can be pretty much alone in parts of the Pasayten and it's really beautiful. The rain can dump, but that can be said for anywhere in the Cascades or Olympics.
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Apr 25, 2014 03:58
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Krogort posted:I need some gear advices, in june I'll be going Hiking in Iceland for a few days, think rocky Volcano and Glacier (it might be too warm for that). I'm also in Iceland in June and apparently the average June temperature is 11 Celsius/54 Farenheit, so, I wouldn't worry about it being too hot.
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Apr 25, 2014 05:30
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freebooter posted:I'm also in Iceland in June and apparently the average June temperature is 11 Celsius/54 Farenheit, so, I wouldn't worry about it being too hot. I was there last "summer" and at least for the 3 weeks I was there (late august/early september) it was VERY windy and often wet. I would not be too concerned about being too hot. If you are camping I would strongly suggest a 4 season tent, my 3 season MSR tent was defiantly worse for wear and made sleeping tough a few nights...
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Apr 25, 2014 08:09
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Officer Sandvich posted:I was going to suggest this, it's directly east of North Cascades NP. If you go for a multiday trip you can be pretty much alone in parts of the Pasayten and it's really beautiful. The rain can dump, but that can be said for anywhere in the Cascades or Olympics. n8r posted:Verman: Look into doing a hike in the Pasayten wilderness / cathedral lakes if you are willing to go to WA. Awesome, those spots look incredible. I'll have to look them up further and see if its doable. The drive looks like it could be long but so far it looks worth it. We would be trying to hit the trail the day we land in Seattle so that could be tricky. Landing at 8am, rental car, food, fuel, permits ... I've never backpacked in a NF before, just national parks so I'll have to look up the differences with permits etc. The last time we went to Rocky Mountain NP, the park was nearly full and we barely got a decent arrangement of sites.
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Apr 25, 2014 16:17
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Verman, I'm usually in the same boat as you flying out of Chicago. What I usually do though is get a flight after work and stay the first night a few hours from the airport, then finish the drive the next day. It's just too tight trying to do same day I think. It's too bad there's nowhere drivable from herefor a quick weekend. Even the up is too far if you hit traffic.
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Apr 25, 2014 16:23
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mastershakeman posted:It's too bad there's nowhere drivable from herefor a quick weekend. Even the up is too far if you hit traffic.
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Apr 25, 2014 16:58
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Yeah heading to Devils Lake (by Madison, so almost 200 miles) on a Friday after work is going to take about the same time as flying to Seattle.
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Apr 25, 2014 17:30
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I'm going to be in Lake Tahoe in August, and I've been toying with the idea of hiking part of the PCT from Tahoe to Yosemite. Does anyone have any thoughts on that stretch of trail?
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Apr 25, 2014 23:03
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This may be a dumb question, but is there an easy way to obtain paper BLM maps and/or a simple website that will mark all the BLM land out for you? Everything I Google wants me to select some specific piece of land and have a custom map printed and shipped. I'm asking purely because, as I understand it, dispersed camping is permitted anywhere on BLM land, and I'm about to undertake a cross-country motorcycle camping trip. I haven't actually bought any road maps yet, so maybe I'm a dummy and the first store I check will have plenty. It would just be nice even on the internet to be able to see all the BLM land.
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Apr 26, 2014 03:28
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it's not strcitly a BLM map but.... http://caltopo.com/ you can download custom maps for free from the usgs too http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/usgs/maplocator/(xcm=r3standardpitrex_prd&layout=6_1_61_48&uiarea=2&ctype=areaDetails&carea=%24ROOT)/.do the website is a little cumbersome but has everything you need.
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Apr 26, 2014 03:39
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Depending on where you are, you may be able to find something on gpsfiledepot and view it in Garmin basecamp. The maps I have for montana show all that stuff.
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Apr 26, 2014 03:45
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Verman posted:Awesome, those spots look incredible. I'll have to look them up further and see if its doable. The drive looks like it could be long but so far it looks worth it. We would be trying to hit the trail the day we land in Seattle so that could be tricky. Landing at 8am, rental car, food, fuel, permits ... If you're considering the Olympics then maybe consider LaCrosse Basin or Glacier Meadows. Royal Basin is nice too.
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Apr 26, 2014 04:02
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JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:it's not strcitly a BLM map but.... http://caltopo.com/ Cheers. I think I may have underestimated the USA though, reading stuff like this: http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/news/cover/article_92b0071c-9969-5b5f-bdbc-20bbd92c72d4.html  Maybe I was wrong to assume America would be as uncrowded as Australia (at least in the West) when Australia has only 22 million people spread out across the same area.
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Apr 26, 2014 06:06
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freebooter posted:Cheers. I think I may have underestimated the USA though, reading stuff like this: http://www.montereycountyweekly.com/news/cover/article_92b0071c-9969-5b5f-bdbc-20bbd92c72d4.html The US has enormous unpopulated regions, especially west of the Mississippi. I don't think you should be too worried. Anywhere that you don't see many people around, you should be able to camp. Worst case is that someone tells you to leave. You're very unlikely to actually get in trouble if you accidentally camp on private property.
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Apr 26, 2014 06:25
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OK. Cool. I guess I have this unreasonable concern that we might very well find a great, secluded spot to camp, but unbeknownst to us there's an amazing place next to a waterfall in a redwood forest just twenty minutes down the track. And of course that is bound to happen, but no amount of maps or apps or whatever are going to help you. Sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't.
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Apr 26, 2014 06:50
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Can anyone recommend a good headlamp? Maybe on Amazon? I want one as bright as possible, and a red light as well would be nice. It doesn't have to be super high quality, as I don't abuse them too hard. Thanks! Just at the stores I've gone too, they have either no selection, or a bunch that I don't know about.
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Apr 26, 2014 07:16
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The three big brands are Petzl, Black Diamond, and Princeton Tech. I'm a huge fan of the ReVolt, since I've had one for almost a year now, and never needed to change the batteries.
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Apr 26, 2014 07:43
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Sierra Nevadan posted:Can anyone recommend a good headlamp? Maybe on Amazon? I really like my Black Diamond Spot. It has several light settings including a red light, a long battery life, and it feels solid.
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Apr 26, 2014 10:28
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Based on my excellent experience with the Petzl Tikka Improved Lumen Output Xp 2 Headlamp, I recently added a second to our kit. Light, water resistant, great burn time. I also like the simple flip-up diffuser screen. Has two brightness settings and a red light. I looked at some of Petzl's newer rechargeable adaptive lighting headlamps, which looked cool, but it was the battery life that sent me back to this one. That said, any decent model from one of the big producers should do fine. I've also heard good things about Led lenser. If you're focused (heh) on brightness, look for a model made for trail running.
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Apr 26, 2014 12:08
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I'm going backpacking with some friends in the Cascades in September and I'm afraid of getting eaten by a bear like Grizzly Man. We don't have predators where I come from. They have cougars too! We got a pass for the enchantments which is apparently a fancy thing.
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Apr 26, 2014 15:14
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Sierra Nevadan posted:Can anyone recommend a good headlamp? Princeton Tec remix. Regular bulb and leds and multiple modes with 100+ lumens. Some come with red leds. Takes aaa batteries that I never had to change in over a year. Usually around $30-40. Insanely bright. All my buddies have swapped their lights for the same one after seeing mine. Wingless posted:I'm afraid of getting eaten by a bear like Grizzly Man. We don't have predators where I come from. They have cougars too! Treadwil was an idiot who let his guard down around one of the most dangerous wild animals. Also there are no brown bears in the cascades except the very far north cascades and far north east Washington. The cascades are home to black bears and are way different than brown/grizzlies. They're mostly scavengers and avoid confrontation. They can be scared off easily with loud noises and groups. The way to avoid them is to take care of your food and scented items. Pack out all your food and don't drop scraps. Keep it all in a bear bin and away from camp. Don't cook or eat in camp if you're really worried about bears. To be honest it's something that everyone has in their mind but rarely encounters. Don't worry about cougars. You will never see one until it's too late and they rarely attack people let alone groups. Verman fucked around with this message at 17:36 on Apr 26, 2014 |
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Apr 26, 2014 16:12
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Verman posted:Don't worry about cougars. You will never see one until it's too late This is less reassuring that you might think... 
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Apr 26, 2014 19:02
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Krogort fucked around with this message at 21:35 on Apr 26, 2014 |
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Apr 26, 2014 21:31
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Wingless posted:I'm going backpacking with some friends in the Cascades in September and I'm afraid of getting eaten by a bear like Grizzly Man. We don't have predators where I come from. They have cougars too! They also have Moose, Boars and Wolverines. Moose might be more dangerous than Bears.
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Apr 26, 2014 21:36
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Krogort posted:They also have Moose, Boars and Wolverines. In the black hills area we have a fair number of mountain lions, and they've even been spotted in the middle of Rapid City (a town of ~80k people at the base of the hills), but I've never heard of them attacking anyone. Buffalo on the other hand. Buffalo you should be afraid of (and do hurt way more people than bears/mountain lions do).
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Apr 26, 2014 23:35
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Krogort posted:They also have Moose, Boars and Wolverines. Wolverines only attack communists I thought? 
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Apr 27, 2014 00:10
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Yeah basically don't gently caress with wildlife (unless it's fish, then catch them and fry them up, but only if you have a permit) Even deer can kick your rear end if you somehow manage to piss one off. Thankfully just about everything is afraid of humans and won't bother you unless you do some really stupid poo poo (which generally consists of being careless with your food or getting too close to the wildlife). Maybe surprisingly, your biggest worry should be rodents. Squirrels and mice and chipmunks loving looooove to chew their way into tents and backpacks looking for food, so basically it's a good idea to never leave your pack unattended unless it's completely emptied out of everything that might attract the little fuckers, and that includes empty wrappers. Out of curiosity, has anyone who's been backpacking in areas with wolves ever seen or heard them? I think back in 2006 in Idaho was the last time I was backpacking where there are wolves and didn't hear anything
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Apr 27, 2014 00:48
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Verman posted:Also there are no brown bears in the cascades except the very far north cascades and far north east Washington. This is all good advice. The average weight of cougar is approximately the same as the average weight of a human male. Lots of people fight them off, not that they can't kill you really good. The majority of all deaths from cougars has been to kids and women. Just be aware of your surroundings in cougar territory. They obviously prefer to stalk their prey and attack from behind before they are noticed. It's very very rare you'll have an issue with them, and if you're not travelling alone then the chances are infinitesimal.
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Apr 27, 2014 00:58
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Wingless posted:I'm going backpacking with some friends in the Cascades in September and I'm afraid of getting eaten by a bear like Grizzly Man. We don't have predators where I come from. They have cougars too! Since you're in a group you'll be just fine. I go out in the Canadian Rockies all the time where we have every potentially dangerous North American animal and I've never had a negative encounter. About cougars though: if you do happen to spot one, stand tall, stay facing it, and don't crouch, it makes you look smaller and more appetizing. But if you're in a group, they should just leave you alone unless you encounter a young idiot cat. But they're also easy to fight off because they're idiots.
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Apr 27, 2014 03:01
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Picnic Princess posted:Since you're in a group you'll be just fine. I go out in the Canadian Rockies all the time where we have every potentially dangerous North American animal and I've never had a negative encounter. Same goes for a black bear. Stand your ground and get big. Open your jacket to seem bigger. They are usually 150-300 lbs and should be fought against if they attack. If there are cubs just back away slowly facing the bear and never get in between them. If you spot a bear instantly look for cubs. Seriously though moose will kill you before anything else will. And you have Better odds of getting killed in an accident driving there than being an animal attack victim. Just go enjoy the woods and sleep with earplugs if every stuck crackle is going to keep you up. Levitate posted:Out of curiosity, has anyone who's been backpacking in areas with wolves ever seen or heard them? I think back in 2006 in Idaho was the last time I was backpacking where there are wolves and didn't hear anything In the UP of Michigan for my bachelor party we were camping and heard wolves really close (~1/4 mile?) to the north chasing then celebrating a kill. The same night we heard a separate pack of coyotes yipping to the south of us at an equal distance. The wolves were so loud and so close that we could hear then rustling through the forest. I'm never really nervous about coyote but wolves ... yeah I won't want to gently caress around with them. We built the fire up high after that. Verman fucked around with this message at 04:58 on Apr 27, 2014 |
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Apr 27, 2014 04:50
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