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You can stuff any jacket in its sleeve.
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Mar 15, 2015 14:07
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Feathered Friends also makes high quality down products, though you'll pay for the quality. As for down getting wet, unless you're in a place where it's likely to rain long and heavy, your'e really probably fine with it if you have a good rain shell. If you just get some occasional showers where you are and your rain shell is up to snuff then there's no need to jump to synthetic
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Mar 15, 2015 15:03
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Thanks for the advice, all. I'm in wet and relatively warm Western WA so synthetic is probably the right trade-off. I have heard good things about the Patagonia Nano Air in other contexts so I'll take a look at that, but I believe my local REI also has the Atom LT in stock so I'll go and try them both on and see what clicks. Looks like either would also be a good jacket for living daily life or for being a versatile option to have in the pack on a warm summer day where rain isn't expected and you're hiking in a t-shirt. Normally I wear Patagonia Capilene for base layer, the 1 or the 3 or both depending on temperature, and then I have an REI rain shell that's very light and has pit zips and everything, which is important since I get warm fast when moving around. We've had a warm winter in the west so I haven't had any temperature issues while moving around yet.
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Mar 15, 2015 19:13
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I'm trying to get permits to hike the John Muir trail this summer, and it might be iffy with the lottery system they have. PCT trail permits are free if you are doing > 500 miles, so what if I just got one of those and hiked southbound from Yosemite on it, and then left the trail "early" at Whitney Portal?
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Mar 15, 2015 22:20
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Ordered two ULA Circuits for the wife and I this afternoon. Getting an email back from the owner on a Sunday cemented my commitment to their gear. Next up will be a couple of bags - probably sticking with the zpacks, unless someone can point to something else that is close to their weight / warmth ratio.
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Mar 16, 2015 00:21
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A down jacket with a down hood is the single best piece of outdoor clothing. Like wool I find down to work in in a wider range of temps when compared to poly stuff. Most decent jackets have fairly good dwr treatments for light precip.
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Mar 16, 2015 00:31
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Levitate posted:Hey Saint Fu, you hiked the High Sierra Trail heading away from Whitney, right? Did you exit out on the west side of the mountains? How was that stretch from Junction Meadow to (what I assume is) the other side of the Divide? Yeah, we went out via Crescent Meadow in Sequoia NP. I'd characterize the HST as the JMT lite. There aren't really any major passes, it's actually a fair bit of downhill from Junction Meadow. At that point you're already on the West wide of the divide and it's about a day and a half hike all down hill from Junction Meadow, altho there is still some significant climbing to be done the next day. First up is the Kern river which has hot springs and is the most amazing thing ever (especially if your last shower was at Red's).  You'll follow the Kern for about a day, we camped near the hot springs. The next day starts with a tough climb up along Funston Creek onto a shoulder between the Kern River and Big Arroyo.  There's a few hours hiking on the shoulder with some views into lower Big Arroyo canyon.  After that you drop down into upper Big Arroyo and it's a magical place. I could have hung out there an extra day if we had time.  Then it's up over Kaweah Gap which is the only pass on the HST but it's more like a saddle with very little elevation gain from the Big Arroyo canyon. Just over the pass is an incredible lake where we spent half a day despite being within a day and a half of beer.  The rest of the HST down to Crescent Meadow has some cool trails cut into the side of the cliff. Pretty good views as you descend into tree coverage and more and more shrubbery.     The last morning getting into Crescent Meadow was the worst 3 hours of the trail for me. The mosquitoes were out of control, it was dusty, and there were increasingly more and more people on the trail. But the free shuttle to Lodgepole and the food to be had there was fantastic. The first pizza after 28 days was heavenly. Overall, it was a nice way to wind down the JMT. The upper Big Arroyo canyon was fantastic. It does feel a little less extreme than the JMT though. No nights at super high elevations, no huge passes. I can post some more photos if it'd help you decide. spf3million fucked around with this message at 01:04 on Mar 16, 2015 |
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Mar 16, 2015 01:02
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Nah, that's ok, that's more than I expected anyways  Looks neat, I'm just not sure I'd have the time to hit those areas with the itinerary I have, will just have to sit down and work it out. Might look at doing that stretch going towards Whitney at some point though. I'm really looking hard at some cross country stuff in that area but I'm not sure my wife would be up for some of the passes you have to cross. Then again she might not be able to go...hard to say when September is a ways out. Thanks!
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Mar 16, 2015 01:39
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Yeah I hear you. I'm trying to organize a week in August, probably in northern Yosemite this year. Might have up to 8-9 people going, mostly family. It's tough to coordinate all of those schedules but we all have a great time hiking together as a group so it's worth it. We'll be sticking to trails though, I've found that going off trail needs about double the time you think it should to cover the same miles. It's a different experience for me, I'm perfectly happy to stick to the trails. Looking forward to some photos of your trip though, I'd love to spend more time in SEKI sometime in the future.
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Mar 16, 2015 02:16
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African AIDS cum posted:I'm trying to get permits to hike the John Muir trail this summer, and it might be iffy with the lottery system they have. You'd be a jerk, I guess?
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Mar 16, 2015 03:47
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gohuskies posted:Thanks for the advice, all. I'm in wet and relatively warm Western WA so synthetic is probably the right trade-off. I have heard good things about the Patagonia Nano Air in other contexts so I'll take a look at that, but I believe my local REI also has the Atom LT in stock so I'll go and try them both on and see what clicks. Looks like either would also be a good jacket for living daily life or for being a versatile option to have in the pack on a warm summer day where rain isn't expected and you're hiking in a t-shirt. Western wa too  synthetic really is superior for this climate, so good choice.
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Mar 16, 2015 10:13
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Picnic Princess posted:Some fanastic news from Do like. I told about 3 people, friends, clients etc who were visiting Canada this year to try and make it there, with the caveat that I pretty much lucked out to get there myself. Stupid gorgeous Canada and its mountains and lakes. Having said that, we are lucky here in Aus that we this whole "booking to go hiking anywhere" thing isn't really a problem with the exception of the Overland Track in Tas. Guess it makes a difference when you've only got 20,000,000 people competing to visit places... Anyone here done the Milford Track in NZ? I'm thinking of doing it next Feb, and talking my wife into coming along. Huts with beds that already have mattresses and guaranteed spots is a fairly "soft" option.
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Mar 16, 2015 10:55
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Can anyone testify to the greatness of an enlightened equipment quilt? I am a sleeping bag kind of person but the savings (weight and $$$) of the EE quilt are enticing.
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Mar 16, 2015 22:37
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Ropes4u posted:Can anyone testify to the greatness of an enlightened equipment quilt? I am a sleeping bag kind of person but the savings (weight and $$$) of the EE quilt are enticing. I have a 10 degree version of the Revelation (the old X version). I've found it well made, lofts well, kept me warm on my trip in the Sierra. Downsides are that I have the drawstring closure for the footbox so on cold nights I'd really need to probably draw it closed around something like an unused sock maybe to really make sure no air gets in, but that's more precautionary...I never really felt a draft coming in and I usually sleep with cold feet anyways. I think you can get them with sewn footboxes now. Quilts are also highly dependent on your sleeping pad and I found my REI Flash was a little chilly in temps approaching low 30's. Those blow-up pads seem to not really have enough insulation to avoid getting a bit cold in their air cavity. In the future I'd probably supplement with a CCF pad on top (trying out just a torso length pad from Gossamer Gear). If you already have a warm pad then it shouldn't be an issue. Also, no hood so you'll have to carry something to keep your head warm. I have a 2oz fleece balaclava that works fine and felt fine with just throwing my down jacket over my head if it got colder. It cinches around your shoulders/neck to seal up that part but if you move around a lot you might get drafts from there. Overall I like it a lot and it's good in a range of temps from 50 down pretty much (since you can spread it out like a blanket on warmer nights. If I was doing a ton of cold night camping, like in the 20's, I"d probably stick with a bag though. I was never uncomfortable but drafts can happen from moving around.
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Mar 16, 2015 22:56
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Ropes4u posted:Can anyone testify to the greatness of an enlightened equipment quilt? I am a sleeping bag kind of person but the savings (weight and $$$) of the EE quilt are enticing. I've got the 20* Revelation. It is extremely well made, lofts well, and is very flexible in terms of coverage. I'm a relatively warm sleeper and I love that I can cover myself as little or as much as I want. The EE Enigma comes with a pre-sewn footbox which cuts the weight a little bit, but I really enjoy the ability to fully open or close the footbox. I pair my quilt with a Thermarest Neoair X-lite and I don't use the mattress straps that come with the quilt. When it's chilly out, I just use the quilt like a blanket and pull it around my body and I don't find I have any issues with draft. Also, when it's cold out, I pair the quilt with a down jacket and beanie if needed. I've used this system down to about 30* very comfortably. I think I'd be willing to say that my quilt is the second best backpacking investment I've made, second only to trekking poles.
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Mar 17, 2015 00:03
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Thanks for the helpful input. I need to think about it now as the quilt and neoair xlite sound like a winner. Can the quilt wrap all the way around you, or are you always sleeping on the pad?
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Mar 17, 2015 01:28
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Ropes4u posted:Thanks for the helpful input. I need to think about it now as the quilt and neoair xlite sound like a winner. Always on the pad. If I had the quilt completely surrounding me, I'd be pretty mummified. With it closed just enough to keep drafts out, I can still move around and I don't feel so enclosed.
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Mar 17, 2015 01:45
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If you have wide shoulders, get the x-wide enlightened equipment.
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Mar 17, 2015 01:54
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:You'd be a jerk, I guess? How so?
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Mar 17, 2015 05:07
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African AIDS cum posted:How so? Because you would be exploiting a program intended to reduce one of the many hassles and expenses faced by thru-hikers in order to circumvent a program intended to fairly distribute access to the thing you are trying to do, thus contributing in a small way to ruining things for everyone. It's not exactly a complicated ethical question.
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Mar 17, 2015 06:10
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I think the permit system is an unnecessary, byzantine system that keeps many from enjoying the beautiful nature that God endowed us with.
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Mar 17, 2015 06:28
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So write your loving congressperson. Lying about your plans to evade the quota makes things a little worse for everyone using the trail.
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Mar 17, 2015 06:37
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Lets not get contentious, no need for cuss words. I'm speaking purely in the abstract.
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Mar 17, 2015 06:38
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African AIDS cum posted:I think the permit system is an unnecessary, byzantine system that keeps many from enjoying the beautiful nature that God endowed us with. A lot of people over the years have felt that not being allowed to cut pine boughs for bedding, have fires wherever they pleased, or camp in sensitive areas kept them from enjoying the beautiful nature that God endowed us with, too. After more than a decade working at heavily overused parks without quota systems I can assure you that inventing loopholes to bypass usage limits is not cute or clever, and any enjoyment you may derive from doing so comes at the expense of others.
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Mar 17, 2015 07:32
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Why do you have to hike the JMT? It's going to be crazy crowded this summer (and presumably all summers from now on). There are so many other places you can go without the crowds and without the restrictive permitting.
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Mar 17, 2015 08:49
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Officer Sandvich posted:Why do you have to hike the JMT? It's going to be crazy crowded this summer (and presumably all summers from now on). There are so many other places you can go without the crowds and without the restrictive permitting. It won't be any more crowded than any other year since the amount of permits given is the same?
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Mar 17, 2015 08:54
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There are more PCT hikers than ever before. The new PCTA permit system is an attempt to spread people out but it still means there's going to be more and more people on the JMT for longer periods of the summer.
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Mar 17, 2015 09:15
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Ah, how much does the JMT match the PCT anyway? Tried to find maps but nothing with both. And ive done lots of hiking in the sierras and a 3 week trip with handy resupplies fits my needs. Plus I went to John Muir College so I should get a free permit imo.
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Mar 17, 2015 09:41
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African AIDS cum posted:Ah, how much does the JMT match the PCT anyway? Tried to find maps but nothing with both. And ive done lots of hiking in the sierras and a 3 week trip with handy resupplies fits my needs. Plus I went to John Muir College so I should get a free permit imo.
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Mar 17, 2015 11:53
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if you want everything on the trail to literally be covered in feces sure go ahead and ignore the permit systems and call it dumb and say everyone should do whatever they want. Things get a lot less special when human poo poo and garbage is everywhere
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Mar 17, 2015 12:01
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Levitate posted:if you want everything on the trail to literally be covered in feces sure go ahead and ignore the permit systems and call it dumb and say everyone should do whatever they want. Things get a lot less special when human poo poo and garbage is everywhere Some rangers, not all seem to think nature was ever pristine and in balance, the reality is probably different. Native tribes used to live in these areas in big numbers and shaped them as they saw fit. I think actually as long as you bury your excrement or smear it on a rock like hummus if above the treeline these areas are good to have the fertilizer as formerly Grizzly Bears were the provider of this type of regeneration of nutrients but are now extirpated from the area and marmots alone can't pick up the slack. I think the majority of people are honest and good. More people experiencing these areas is a good thing.
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Mar 17, 2015 17:33
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Any of you dude bros in Denver, Co wanna take a man into the mountains and show him around( GF might tag along too)? I'm traveling there for the first time Tomorrow 3-18 to 3-22.
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Mar 17, 2015 17:39
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African AIDS cum posted:Some rangers, not all seem to think nature was ever pristine and in balance, the reality is probably different. Native tribes used to live in these areas in big numbers and shaped them as they saw fit. I think actually as long as you bury your excrement or smear it on a rock like hummus if above the treeline these areas are good to have the fertilizer as formerly Grizzly Bears were the provider of this type of regeneration of nutrients but are now extirpated from the area and marmots alone can't pick up the slack. I think the majority of people are honest and good. More people experiencing these areas is a good thing. wilderness and the american mind posted:A 1940 study divided the number of users into trail miles to show that in the White Mountains of New Hampshire a backpacker could expect to encounter one other person every four and one-half miles. In the early 1970's that figure had shrunk to seventy-three yards. It was not much better in highly publicized parts of the once-wild West. One hiker described a trip to California's Mount Whitney with his father on August 6, 1949. Proudly they signed the register on the summit of the highest peak in the forty eight states, the sixth and seventh persons to do so that year. Twenty three years later to the day, the hiker took his son to Mount Whitney. When they signed in they noticed they were the 259th and 260th persons to do so that day. Fortunately, they avoided the Labor Day weekend when an estimated two thousand enthusiasts jammed the mountain. "You literally can't find a square yard of ground without human feces on it," a Forest service officer declared after an inspection of Mirror Lake midway through the climb. "The smell is just horrible."
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Mar 17, 2015 18:50
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That's why they built solar toilets on Mt Whitney, then later some Rangers imo stupidly burnt them down, now there is poo poo everywhere again or people carting their poo poo with them in a plastic bag. Progress? Not in my book.
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Mar 17, 2015 18:58
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Not sure why you're trolling just because people didn't give you the answer you wanted. No one here is gonna be able to stop you from using a PCT permit if you want and at most you're probably just risking a ticket. Don't ask a question if you don't want answers other than the one you're looking for.
Levitate fucked around with this message at 19:27 on Mar 17, 2015 |
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Mar 17, 2015 19:25
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Anyone have suggestions/experience on what to do living in NYC, no car, and needing to get out? I moved here last year after being used to jumping in the car and just going. The way I see it, my options are: 1) rent car and do the same thing, 2) fly and do the same thing, 3) fly to somewhere with great access via some sort of shuttle/public transport/etc., or 4) use public transport from the city to a destination I'm not aware of. I'm used to NM/CO/WY/MT... the only thing I can think of out that way is flying into Jackson or Kalispell and taking shuttles to the parks during summer season. Is there access to the Whites or Presidentials or whatever via a method other than renting a car? I'm not seeing one.
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Mar 17, 2015 20:34
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JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:Anyone have suggestions/experience on what to do living in NYC, no car, and needing to get out? I moved here last year after being used to jumping in the car and just going.
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Mar 17, 2015 20:39
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There is no transit that I know of that will take you to the Whites. The train lines up from Boston don't cover that part of NH. You can get to the Catskills pretty easily (train to Poughkeepsie, rental car or carpool to the trailhead). The same line runs to Albany, you could rental car to the Adirondacks or the Green mountains from there. There is also the Long Path that starts at a NYC bridge and runs north through the Hudson Valley. Some of its sections are nice, but there are no camping areas in the first 100 miles or so, you have to arrange to stay on private property. You might be able to pick up the AT southbound and find a transit stop in NJ that will return you to the city.
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Mar 17, 2015 20:45
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JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:Anyone have suggestions/experience on what to do living in NYC, no car, and needing to get out? I moved here last year after being used to jumping in the car and just going. I don't know how "out" you want to get but there are some nice places to get by public transportation. Day or overnight. http://www.nynjtc.org/content/where-you-can-go-bus-or-train
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Mar 17, 2015 20:57
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African AIDS cum posted:I think the majority of people are honest and good. More people experiencing these areas is a good thing. Come visit Johnston Canyon. There's piles of garbage under the walkways, which you need rock climbing gear to cleanup. You can see almost anything there. Best I've seen was a ceramic soup bowl from the restaraunt at the trail head. I go to a place like that, I think most people are lazy stupid fucktards and wish they'd just stay home.
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Mar 17, 2015 21:07
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