|
I've only ever used the Mini on backpacking trips and now I'm wondering what I was missing. Usually I filter 3 liters at a time with a gravity setup which takes like 10 minutes. I guess I'd rather not wait though.
|
#
?
May 11, 2021 22:52
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 18:22 |
|
|
My Sawyer Mini mostly lives in the bottom of my day hike bag, in case I run low on water during an all day hike. Although I've been strongly considering getting a BeFree because it's not much fun to manually get a liter out of the Mini. For backpacking I generally use a Platypus Gravityworks. I don't backpack super light, so the convenience is worth the little bit of extra weight.
|
|
#
?
May 11, 2021 22:57
|
|
|
Thanks all for the practical advice. I was considering both of the two mentioned, so it looks like that's an easy decision.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2021 00:10
|
|
|
Had a great time hiking the last 39 miles of the San Diego Trans-County Trail! The SDTCT is a ~150 mile semi-developed route stitched together from half a dozen trail systems, dozens of different land managements, and a lot of bushwhacking and cross-country travel. It starts at the western edge of the Salton Sea, trucks west through the low desert, up the backside of the Peninsular Range to the high(er) elevation pine-oak forests, then down (and up and down) through chaparral, sage scrub, grasslands, riparian valley, and salt marsh habitats to end up at the Pacific Ocean. If you want more detailed routes, water cache spots, etc., I recommend joining the Facebook group, since this is not a developed trail and a lot of the important info is passed by word of mouth. I only hiked the chaparral-to-beach portion, since that was 90% on developed trail and there were no sketchy people with guns whose land I would need to trespass on. It's the longest distance I've ever continuously hiked, and also the lightest load I've ever carried (base weight ~15.6lb). It took me three days. I got shuttled to and from the endpoints, which is great, because both are only 20 minutes away from the city.  Coming down the fire evacuation road from Muth Valley.  A not insignificant amount of gross roadwalking like this. Plus, jaywalking across a two-lane 50mph+ mountain highway.  Yeah, ENNISS.  The nature trail in this preserve has some of the best birdwatching in the area. Unfortunately, it was fire roads for me again. At least they were decomposed granite and not asphalt, and lined with deerweed and laurel sumac instead of busted-out armchairs and empty cigarette boxes.  I wanted to sleep here real bad, but 4 more miles to go.  Morning 2 was blissfully overcast, and I got a lot of miles in before the sun turned on and the mountain bikers came out.  You'd think there's water here, but you'd be wrong...!  Passing under the 15 freeway.  Sycamores in Peñasquitos Canyon.  Last-minute taqueria before the final push for your victory burrito/anticipated beach chowdown.  Marsh trail. It was flooded in multiple places, and previous hikers had picked out alternative routes over the saltwort and saltmarsh rushes.  One last jaywalk before the ocean!!! If I could change anything about the trip, I would have left behind all warm clothes (never touched em and would have saved me almost 2lb), carried less water (my water fear repeatedly got the better of me and I refilled at two separate 7-11s), and packed less loving trailmix. Still have never eaten 100% of the trailmix I pack on any hike. Overall, I would recommend this trail. 
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2021 00:37
|
|
|
Vivian Darkbloom posted:I've only ever used the Mini on backpacking trips and now I'm wondering what I was missing. Usually I filter 3 liters at a time with a gravity setup which takes like 10 minutes. I guess I'd rather not wait though. The mini works fine for one person, the squeeze is just notably faster and not that much bigger/heavier.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2021 01:10
|
|
|
armorer posted:The mini works fine for one person, the squeeze is just notably faster and not that much bigger/heavier. This is my experience with it a well, but it seems to be the minority opinion.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2021 03:00
|
|
|
Yeah I mean I have both, and have used both on alpine climbing trips. I had the mini first and never really had a problem with it so I don't get the hate.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2021 13:56
|
|
|
snailshell posted:Had a great time hiking the last 39 miles of the San Diego Trans-County Trail! Thanks for the trip report and pics! Hiking through developed areas seems less cool on the surface, but this seems like it was a pretty solid experience while being a lot more accessible/convenient than back country stuff.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2021 15:14
|
|
|
WoodrowSkillson posted:the bags work fine and take up less space when empty. Oh heck yeah. I was looking for this exact kind of setup. In the past I always had a pump type filter but took the Squeeze on our trip a couple weeks ago. We had a lot of spring fed ponds, but nothing was flowing to get a decent amount of water in the bags that come with. I ended up sacrificing my nalgene to scoop and pour into the bags in order to filter.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2021 18:05
|
|
|
Casu Marzu posted:Oh heck yeah. I was looking for this exact kind of setup. In the past I always had a pump type filter but took the Squeeze on our trip a couple weeks ago. We had a lot of spring fed ponds, but nothing was flowing to get a decent amount of water in the bags that come with. I ended up sacrificing my nalgene to scoop and pour into the bags in order to filter. yeah, its surprising how often you end up filling from a lakeside or something that would require you to actually get your feet wet to fill up quickly, which on cold mornings or whatever can be less than ideal.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2021 18:26
|
|
|
The CNOC is so nice for filtering water. Saves a lot of work. Headed out to the Boundary Waters tomorrow for 5 days. Cant hardly wait!
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2021 19:47
|
|
|
I bought that CNOC set up the last time they were linked and in stock. It's drat fine equipment.
highme fucked around with this message at 20:45 on May 12, 2021 |
|
#
?
May 12, 2021 20:38
|
|
|
Injury chat. Has anybody dealt with herniated disc issues and backpacking/hiking before? Any specific exercises or treatment that worked for you? Long story short I herniated a disc 2 years ago falling on my tailbone during hockey. Got an x-ray and they found degeneration between L4-5 and L5/S1 so I went to PT and it made things slightly better but it never went away. Daily pain in my lower back. It caused some sciatica in a leg but I've kept up with PT exercises and have tried to increase my flexibility. Lately its really flared up and gotten worse and I'm actually worried it might inhibit my hiking and especially carrying a weighted pack unless I take excessive amounts of ibuprofen. When I'm active and the muscles are warm I can manage through but then things seize up pretty bad after. I've been working on building more core strength and loosening up my tight hamstrings and hip flexors. I'm making an appointment with my doc in the next few days/weeks to have another look. I'm getting tingling and numbness in my foot and calf so I am going to bring up getting an MRI, possibly seeing a spine specialist and from there discussing treatment options. I'm not looking for anybody to play internet doctor or anything, but if anybody has experience dealing with disc issues especially as a hiker/backpacker it would be nice to hear if anything specific worked for you or if you just deal with it.
|
|
#
?
May 12, 2021 21:34
|
|
|
I've had my Sawyer Mini for nearly five years now I suppose and I'm still using the single original bag. I filter into two 2L Platypi when backpacking, usually one is doctored water and the other is clear for cooking and such. The trick is to realize that you're dunking the bag neck down so of course air will get trapped in there. If you hold it in the lake flat, not with the seams up/down, namely the way it would land if you threw it on the ground, less air will get trapped. Meanwhile my hiking buddy had his big super powered Squeeze, and an extra nalgene to scoop and pour water... and the squeeze was just as slow because he hadn't backflushed it.  Complained that it had been getting slower.And this notion of being cold getting water from a lake in the morning, why would you not fill up the night before so you can get up and start hiking?
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2021 04:17
|
|
|
Because I got thirsty and drank it
|
|
#
?
May 16, 2021 22:03
|
|
|
I leave on Wednesday to thru hike the Superior Hiking Trail to warm up for a PCT thru in June. Target is 12+ mpd for 20 days. My base weight is 15.75 pounds  Edit to continue the thread: I bought 2x 2L Cnoc Vectos. One leaked at the fold-over closure on the first shakedown hike, the other failed in the same place on the second hike. They're being very nice about replacing them, but its a bad taste in my mouth to start with. I'm bringing one Vecto and 2x 64 oz. Sawyer bags on the SHT so that I can shake down one of the replacements. Also, Cnoc's warranty is kind of lovely - 'we will only replace this if it fails on the first hike, you can cause pinhole leaks just by placing it on the ground (not covered), also we expect it to only have a lifetime of 100 days'. Granted, I've busted Sawyer bags in less than 100 days, but they're less expensive and lighter. 75 grams for 2x 64 oz Sawyer bags + 80 grams for a Sea to Summit 10L bucket is 155 grams for ~4L of water and 230 grams for ~8L (which I will need most of for long water carries in the desert). Each 2L Vecto is 80 grams, so as many as 320 grams for 8L, plus something like an extra $20 bucks. Some gram weenie-ing to be sure, but I'm not yet sold on the Vectos. Happiness Commando fucked around with this message at 00:00 on May 17, 2021 |
|
#
?
May 16, 2021 23:50
|
|
|
Verman posted:[Back Injury Chat] I've dealt with it on and off for years, but I had a really bad back spasm flare up a year and half out so ago after chopping wood. It escalated steadily for a few weeks and eventually incapacitated me for a few days. I actually had to cancel a backpacking trip into NH's White Mountains because of it. Physical therapy wasn't really doing much for me. A friend of mine who is a sports medicine doctor noticed I was really struggling and scheduled me for a dry needling session with her. I had always been skeptical of dry needling, but I was convinced after a single session. In about 30 minutes of needling I went from needing my wife to put my shoes on me, to being able to almost touch my toes. In total I had 3 or 4 sessions over the next month or so and my spasms were almost completely eliminated. This alleviated a lot of the pressure on my lumbar vertebrae which led to long term sustainment of low to no pain, and also allowed the PT balancing/strengthening exercises to actually work. Minus endurance losses due to a new job and quarantine, I'm basically where I was before that share up with respect to hiking and climbing. I'm back to feeling confident that my back can handle it. I'm not sure what your health care situation is, but even if you have a hard time getting a referral a lot of PT places have a licensed dry needler you can schedule for reasonable rate. In my experience even a couple of sessions will go a long way to relieving pain and restoring body confidence. I hope that helps.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2021 00:05
|
|
|
ManMythLegend posted:I've dealt with it on and off for years, but I had a really bad back spasm flare up a year and half out so ago after chopping wood. It escalated steadily for a few weeks and eventually incapacitated me for a few days. I actually had to cancel a backpacking trip into NH's White Mountains because of it. Cool I'll have to check it out. Same here with the quarantine/lack of cardio/sitting a lot. I did the PT thing for a few months and continued to do the exercises but I didn't have much success. Obviously continuous exercise keeps me loose which feels good but its not lasting relief, and the moment I stop everything hurts like hell. Every morning feels like I'm starting back at zero. I'm very skeptical about a lot of "treatments" but I'm at the point that I'll try anything with an open mind if there's even a remote chance it could help. My wife has commented on my groans and whatnot and she said the change in my posture was noticeable. I'm compensating to either alleviate the pain which has caused a pretty noticeable shift in my hips when I look straight into a mirror. I've got good health insurance so Ill probably give it a try. Before I was willing to do what my doc suggested and be patient but now I'm desperate.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2021 00:53
|
|
|
Verman posted:Cool I'll have to check it out. Same here with the quarantine/lack of cardio/sitting a lot. I hope it works out for you, I really do. I was pretty depressed about the overall loss of quality of life I was facing at the time. I couldn't shake the feeling that my active days were behind me. It was rough few months for me, physically and emotionally. When I first injured my back in my mid 20s PT didn't work for me at all. I basically just had to take it easy for a long, long, time until my spasms subsided but it took years before I felt confident in my back again. I still had, "bad days" though and had just learned to deal with it and "play through the pain." This latest time I was in my late 30s and was pretty certain my body's ability to naturally recover like it did before was limited. However, the physical therapy just wasn't helping while my spasms were in force. Getting them to release, even a little, really helped the exercises to be effective. The improvement was relatively rapid after that actually. Now, pushing 40, I actually feel like my back is in better condition then it was in my 20s. I'm still very wary of a lot of shear on my lumbar (like deadlifting), but otherwise I'm unrestricted. If the needling doesn't help release your back then the best advice I can offer is to do your best to deal with the pain until this episode subsides a bit and then continue your PT regimen. If you asked me a decade ago I would have told you that it didn't help, but this time around I think it really did work once my back was loosened up enough to be worked out evenly. Good luck.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2021 05:50
|
|
|
Speaking of PT, how good would you rate the exercise training from REI https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/hiking-training.html ?
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2021 06:49
|
|
|
Esdesu posted:Speaking of PT, how good would you rate the exercise training from REI https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/hiking-training.html ? That looks like pretty decent range of motion and light body weight based stuff, but I could also see it being too much for many people to just dive into depending on reps. Some of those more specific movements especially. If you're doing it for PT be very light and ease into it. But for conditioning purposes, that all looks helpful for hiking as long as you're still getting real time on your feet. Most people getting into hiking are going to have foot issues (blisters, etc) far before they blow out their quads or anything.
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2021 07:29
|
|
|
Yeh thanks, I've worn my shoes in but a mate of mine wants to build up to a 3d2n trip and i wanted to send some info her way. I've already got a few day hikes planned, first one with no pack but in her shoes (to break them in a bit), then a day hike with the pack (smallish weight in it) then possibly a day hike with the pack fully loaded. Hopefully those are small enough bites to wear the shoes in and let us know if her gear has any issues
|
|
#
?
May 20, 2021 07:38
|
|
|
I had a lady come in on Tuesday to buy hiking boots for a backpacking trip in Glacier she was leaving for the next day 
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2021 01:33
|
|
|
Casu Marzu posted:I had a lady come in on Tuesday to buy hiking boots for a backpacking trip in Glacier she was leaving for the next day My wife did that for a trip to Denali, luckily everything worked out for her
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2021 01:38
|
|
|
Casu Marzu posted:I had a lady come in on Tuesday to buy hiking boots for a backpacking trip in Glacier she was leaving for the next day Pouring one out for her feet
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2021 01:46
|
|
|
When we did GNP about 10 years ago we were touristing around the many glaciers area, I watched some lady look more miserable than anyone I've ever seen in my life. It took about two seconds for her to complete each step and on each one she visibly flinched. She was wearing a pair of oversized workboots with the laces completely undone that I assume were her partner's because her feet were so hosed she couldn't force them into her own footwear. I wonder how many days into their loop they got before things got bad, hopefully it was past the halfway mark.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2021 02:03
|
|
|
I got nasty blisters on Isle Royale since a big chunk of the Greenstone Trail in one section is at an angle and I did not listen to my body enough. Never again.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2021 03:55
|
|
|
The blisters on both my pinky toes (perennial whenever I hike 12+ mpd) are finally degloving! It's really cool because they have healed up and don't hurt anymore, but extend all the way up both sides and up to the nailbed in front, so it looks like my toe is being divested of a tiny opaque white socklet, or maybe some painted-on whiteout!  My hypebeast solution is Injinji lightweight toe socks and $50 Brooks Cascadias from the clearance rack at the discount running store! I've heard that people with soggy feet like these brands!
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2021 05:31
|
|
|
I've been lucky in that I've never really had major problems with joint pain or blisters hiking. I would get a minor blister in between my big and index toe if I was hiking 3+ days in a really hilly area. The injini toe sock liners completely solved that problem for me. I only have one pair and will be buying another soon. They're fantastic, cant recommend highly enough. They dont cause my feet to unusually sweat or anything either.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2021 15:50
|
|
|
I had a number of minor blisters and aches my first time out after turning into a hermit for covid, WFH for 9 months made my feet really soft. So general advice I guess: if you've lived like that for a year and are gearing up for a summer of freedom, to some multi-mile test walks.
|
|
#
?
May 21, 2021 16:06
|
|
|
Speaking of feet. As someone who has no joint pain or foot issues but who just listened to a Freakanomics podcast on shoes, is there any benefit to hiking in something like Lems, moccasins, or just 0 drop shoes in general?
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2021 00:58
|
|
|
BaseballPCHiker posted:Speaking of feet. As someone who has no joint pain or foot issues but who just listened to a Freakanomics podcast on shoes, is there any benefit to hiking in something like Lems, moccasins, or just 0 drop shoes in general? It probably depends on the individual. I would suggest if your current setup is working for you, why change it and risk discomfort other than just tickling your curiosity. Some people swear by zero drop shoes etc, others prefer cushion and support. A lot of people like Altra shoes for their fit but dislike the flat nature of them. On the other end of the spectrum, Hoka shoes look like those ugly 90s shoes with crazy amount of platform and cushion. You can always try something out and see how you like it. The only thing with flat/zero shoes is they usually require an adjustment period since you'll be changing your stride and using new muscles in your feet and legs.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2021 06:44
|
|
|
There are some zero drop shoes that do have good cushion (Altra Olympus for example is as cushioned as any Hoka). I have tried several zero drop shoes over the years for both running and hiking, and found zero drop are not for me despite preferring lower drop shoes (4 to 6mm). I thought the Altra Timp and Olympus were really good for hiking (I hated the Lone Peak I tried a few years ago). I just don’t like running in zero drop at all, so I no longer buy them. Myself I avoided Hokas for years due to the way they looked. Then one day I got sick of how beat my legs were after trail running (Saucony Peregrines were no longer cutting it), so I went to REI looking for a more cushion shoe. That is where I saw my first pair of Hoka Speedgoats. Nice colorway and on my first test trail run of a 5 mile loop I broke my PR of that loop. So I have become a big Hoka fan over the last few years. I love how stable they are and the bathtub like design your foot sits in. To have much that security with that much cushion is a pretty amazing design. Also I’m a big fan of many of the Brooks trail shoes. Edit: My top shoe buying hack is buy from where you can return them, even if they are used. Yesterday I just got the new Nike Terra Kiger 7 trail shoes up to 50 miles, and I am going to send them back to Nike for a full refund (bad weight to comfort ratio) due to their 60 day return policy. Hoka on their website tells you to buy their shoes and test them for 30 days. You don’t like them, return them for a full refund. Of course REI still has the best return policy of them all. In the last 2 years I bet have returned around 10 pairs of shoes. I spend 30 to 40 miles a week on trails, so what is on my feet is important. I have to protect my 48 year old body with that weekly mileage nate fisher fucked around with this message at 14:34 on May 22, 2021 |
|
#
?
May 22, 2021 14:22
|
|
|
I bought the Alta Timps to backpack for the toe box and fit at the arch. The drop didn’t take much to get used to but I don’t know that it really ‘did anything’ for me. I run those on the trail and recently got some Hokas for pavement because I wanted more cushion there. I can feel the difference between the two but I couldn’t tell you if one was better than the other. I actually kinda like alternating between them (about 20 mi/wk) because it engages different muscles which means some also get a rest. I agree on the return policy point. I just got a pair of the la sportiva gtx4 approach shoes and I’m really uncertain on sizing. The 12.5 fit great, but I don’t know if they have room to accommodate expected swelling. I took home some size 13 to try. Which is really just blowing my mind. Do they run small? I am actually a size 11 (L) and 11.5 (R). The 12.5 Altra Timps are perfect. The Hoka Rincons are fine at 11.5 since they’re only for running. The number shouldn’t matter if the fit is right but it just feels weird to be buying shoes that size. I’m glad I have a chance to really try them out.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2021 19:03
|
|
|
A lot of European brands always seem to fit really small and often times narrow as well. I too have questioned the sizing of wearing an 11.5 when I usually wear a 9.5-10 but it's what fit my feet. I have a pretty narrow foot so I've never run into shoes being too narrow until I tried on some euro brands. The human foot is odd in just how many variations can exist and yet we have an entire industry built around it.
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2021 19:22
|
|
|
When I worked at REI part of the training I got was to expect any European brand to have a much narrower foot model than American brands, and La Sportiva was singled out as the worst of them
|
|
#
?
May 22, 2021 19:29
|
|
|
I’m on my 2nd pair of La Sportiva WildCats and definitely had to go with a bigger wider size. I purchased them through REI so returned them once until I got the fit just right. Now that they are sized right though I love them. They’ve been fantastic over 7 years now.
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2021 02:16
|
|
|
chiming in as a fellow wildcat 2.0 fan here. primarily they help fix my weird rear end pronation, and also have just enough stiffness for me to do long day hikes or carry an overnight kit comfortably
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2021 02:26
|
|
|
I went on a hike yesterday!
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2021 20:32
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 25, 2024 18:22 |
|
|
Nooner posted:I went on a hike yesterday! 
|
|
#
?
May 23, 2021 21:02
|
|
