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Ihmemies posted:Tube 85g, bladder 115g. My nalgene is 180g and it's 1/3 of the capacity. I also carry both, always. 1L SmartWater bottle is about 45g. I carry two of those all the time. If I need even more capacity, a 2L Evernew soft bottle is another 45g. I find it easier to fill and refill and carry the Smartwater bottles. Nalgene is unnecessarily heavy for carrying water in the backcountry. Like everything else in hiking and life, do what you're comfortable with and what makes it easier for you to do what you enjoy.
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Nov 20, 2017 22:39
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I know. I have tried all kinds of bottles and this is what I like. Sometimes the gear you like and are comfortable with is not the lightest ones available. For example I'm not going anywhere with my Thermarest xtherm. I've tried lighter alternatives, ccf pads etc. and I just hate to carry those instead of xtherm. Ihmemies fucked around with this message at 23:10 on Nov 20, 2017 |
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Nov 20, 2017 23:05
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I'm the same way. I have no hate for water bladders, but unless I'm going somewhere that I need to carry a lot of water on me, I just use a 20oz coke bottle or two and drink stream water straight through my Sawyer Mini.
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Nov 20, 2017 23:06
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Maybe the problem is that Finland has no mountains so streams are uh... Usually from some swamp or full of runoff from agriculture. So when you find drinkable water (usually only after filtering+tablets), you just have to carry it. Despite even all that I've drank from random not so good looking brown swamp lakes enough times.. Best bet is to find a clean enough looking lake and hope it's not full of crap. Those are pretty rare though unless I drive 1000+km away from home, to far north.
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Nov 20, 2017 23:12
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Hi thread, east coast goon making plans to explore the Tetons and Yellow Stone December 1 through 10. After googling what to do at both destinations there's an overwhelming number of options. What's the best thing to hike for a day trip in the Tetons in winter? What's the best thing to see at Yellowstone in the winter?
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Nov 21, 2017 01:21
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th3t00t posted:Hi thread, east coast goon making plans to explore the Tetons and Yellow Stone December 1 through 10. After googling what to do at both destinations there's an overwhelming number of options. What's the best thing to hike for a day trip in the Tetons in winter? What's the best thing to see at Yellowstone in the winter? I wouldn't be expecting much in the way of "hiking" at either park seeing as it will likely be full on winter conditions, maybe more along the lines of snowshoeing or cross country skiing. Much of the steep mountainous slopes will start getting avalanche prone. Also, most of the roads through yellowstone (pretty much everything in the park) and the inner roads of Teton are closed come november and only accessible by cross country skiing, snowshoes or snowmobiles. A lot of places like lodges, restaurants and such are closed until mid december (15th is listed on their site). I would give the parks a call and tell them you're interested in visiting on the dates you said above. They know the park better than anybody and will give you a good idea of how to go about planning a trip that time of year and what to do. Both parks look absolutely incredible in the winter time and will be so much more enjoyable without the summer crowds but you might have to plan a bit more to get to where you want and see the things you want to see.
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Nov 21, 2017 02:01
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2L Platy with hose: 120g 500mL Nalgene, wide mouth: 90g 2L Platy self-standing: 50g I seem to recall carrying the tall smaertwater bottles on some previous hikes years ago, perhaps when it was exceptionally hot and guests were on the trip and I wanted to have extra water available without filtration. Otherwise the 5--10g extra for a rollable, flattenable, abusable 2L Platypus is worth it, particularly on a week-long trip where water availability and conditions are highly variable. Everything will eventually mold and turn icky without washing, scrubbing, and a good combination of toothpicks, qtips, whatever. Have you looked at the quick-drink top on the Smartwater bottle lately? How about taking apart and cleaning your bite valve? And the threads of your Nalgene bottles? Have you checked those? That sticky karap inside those Gatorade bottles? Yeah, good times. If it's a short span between hikes, I refrigerate non-empty bladders. The empties get drained, "spun dry", and thrown in the freezer. Platy+hose is seven years old. If a bottle or bladder turns green in one's apartment during a standard work day, I would seriously consider drastic changes to your daily water source and get some reasonable aftermarket filtration going (a la Brita, etc.).
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Nov 21, 2017 07:39
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Loucks posted:I’m a giant nerd who lovingly roasts his own beans every few days, and I’ve found that even just portioned and shoved into a sandwich bag with the air squeezed out coffee doesn’t get too stale for a few days. It definitely stays better than anything you’re going to get outside of a speciality coffee shop. Quoting you specifically, but there were a bunch of coffee goons a few pages back. Have you heard of/considered the Minipresso by Wacaco?  Looking at the website, it's pretty compact and lightweight and I guess the only thing you need to do is add hot water. Comes in pod and ground configuration. https://www.wacaco.com/ Seconding the opinion about it being more the experience of drinking a coffee in the morning than needing the caffeine hit. I like to take my time packing up while having a brew and listening to the bush waking up. Real zen time. underage at the vape shop posted:Do you guys have any recomendations for small tents I could take hiking? I live in Queensland Australia, so it doesn't need to be able to withstand snow, but it does need to be able to survive a tropical thunderstorm (strong wind, keeps me dry in torrential rain). I've used a bivy (Snugpak Stratosphere) and tarp combo during heavy rainfall/lightning storms and it worked out pretty well for me. The crappy thing about a bivy is if you're stuck inside because of the downpour, you're kind of confined to a space the size of your aura. I still have the bivy and plan to use it a bunch more, but I've since upgraded to a Big Agnes Copper Spur UL2. I think they've just released the updated version which is even lighter now? It worked out as being slightly heavier than my bivy/tarp combo and had way more room. Awesome amount of living space for one person, keeps it an option if you're with others and packed down pretty small too. One thing to remember to do if you think you'll be in for rain is to dig/score out drainage channels around your tent. Somehow manages to slow down the wet through the ground. Setting up in a sheltered spot where possible will help keep everything upright and intact. OSU_Matthew posted:I used to be all about the boots, but about the last dozen or so backpacking trips I've been on since my ten year old Lowas blew out in Grayson Highlands earlier this year, have been with my trail runners, and I've gotta say, I really love em. I haven't done any winter camping yet and might stick with boots for that, but I haven't worn them for awhile now, even after getting them back after being resoled in Germany. bongwizzard posted:Trail runners are fine for trips when I 100% accept my feet are gonna get wet, the heavy boots are fine for snow or with a heavy pack. The goldilocks boots want to be far lighter then the leather boots but will give me wet grass/1" of waterproofing the trail runners lack. I've mentioned them before way back in the thread, but have you considered Altai boots? They're made with waterproof but highly breathable "super fabric" and are about. Their website is a bit weird looking https://www.altaigear.com/shop/waterproof-tactical-boot/ but I took a chance and ordered these blind. I can't rate them enough because they're exactly as described. I've stood in creeks and stayed dry and my feet air out real quick once I've stopped moving. The only issue I've had is my feet getting chilly at night while wearing them due to their breathability. Once my current pair die, I'll definitely get another. Platystemon posted:Hydration bladders are just so convenient. So are soft water battles. I like to carry a couple of those rolled up at the start of the journey.  The latest offering from MSR. Looks like it works by squeezing the main part with your hand and lets you drink from the source, or fill a bottle. I thought it had the same filter as the Guardian, but this doesn't remove viruses so you would still need to treat for those. Still, at 5oz it seems pretty good and would save time and fuel. Your method is more along the lines of "bushcraft" which seems to be the outdoors equivalent of wet shaving. Ihmemies posted:I don't really get bivys. You can get double walled tents for under 1kg. It is worth every gram to haul a lightweight tent with you. Kinda looped back again here, but this is what made me want to reply in the first place. I know there's two camps (mhm) regarding tents and hammocks, but I'm having trouble working out if one actually has an advantage over the other. The only major one I can think of is that hammocks can set up on jagged ground but need something of height to do it. It just seems like a swings and roundabouts situation where a hammock needs more cordage and possibly an underquilt and a tent needs a groundsheet and and and Is there an actual advantage, or is it just user preference these days considering that tents, tarps and pads are getting lighter while being as effective? I'm interested in giving hammocks a try but not if my tents are as good.
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Nov 22, 2017 13:46
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Hammocks are fantastically relaxing to sleep in but a whole load of hassle otherwise, mine only gets set up at the beach these days. Just throw your poo poo under a tarp if rain or wind is forecast, and throw it on the ground without a covering if it isn't. Thank me when you wake up at 4am and see the milky way for the first time in your lives instead of huffing condensed farts off your unnecessary shelter, and can hike for 4 days with a pack under 40lbs.  
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Nov 23, 2017 06:26
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Fall Dog posted:Your method is more along the lines of "bushcraft" which seems to be the outdoors equivalent of wet shaving. I thought that was “filter your piss through a sock and drink it”.
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Nov 23, 2017 07:34
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Rime posted:Hammocks are fantastically relaxing to sleep in but a whole load of hassle otherwise, mine only gets set up at the beach these days. what is this magical land without biting insects
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Nov 23, 2017 16:02
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Electoral Surgery posted:what is this magical land without biting insects I wish I knew. Here in north it's a bug country when not frozen, and anyways it will rain every time you want to go hiking. I'm a bit envious to those guys who can just go cowboy camping in a desert and not have a single worry in the world.
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Nov 23, 2017 16:48
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People use bivies with big nets in those cases. Could probably also just get away with a headnet if you didn’t want to use a bivy
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Nov 23, 2017 18:27
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Platystemon posted:I thought that was “filter your piss through a sock and drink it”. "Neckbeard survivalist" There's nothing wrong with boiling water to make it drinkable. It's an outdated method but it works. I think it only becomes weird when it's done for any other reason than nostalgia for the sake of nostalgia.
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Nov 23, 2017 22:04
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I think boiling is the only way to be sure you've killed off a few kinds of virus. In north america it's not necessary.
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Nov 23, 2017 23:43
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Electoral Surgery posted:what is this magical land without biting insects Bathe in DEET, cover up your extremities, and they vanish after the sun goes down anyways. 
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Nov 24, 2017 01:29
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Fall Dog posted:"Neckbeard survivalist" It seems to me like most of the hiking discourse here and pretty much everywhere assumes that everyone is doing some ultra light thing above the tree line where fuel is not plentiful. Where I live and camp you would end up clearing enough fuel to boil 100 gallons of water just prepping a spot to pitch a tent without 1 billion sticks poking through the bottom.
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Nov 24, 2017 01:33
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bongwizzard posted:It seems to me like most of the hiking discourse here and pretty much everywhere assumes that everyone is doing some ultra light thing above the tree line where fuel is not plentiful. Where I live and camp you would end up clearing enough fuel to boil 100 gallons of water just prepping a spot to pitch a tent without 1 billion sticks poking through the bottom. Perhaps, but my point was that there are better ways of doing a primary treatment than a rolling boil. Doing it ultralight or not didn't factor into it when I was typing my answer I'll try to have a campfire whenever I can, but it's to make me feel like a man and not to save me from dysentery. My pump filter can make 2.5 liters of clean, drinkable water a minute and I can spend the rest of my time throwing everything I can find into the flames of my fire. Like I said before, primary treatment of water by boiling is still A-OK so long as it's done for nostalgia.
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Nov 24, 2017 04:37
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I can see a Sawyer Squeeze or Katadyn BeFree being straight superior to boiling, but a pump filter? Isn’t that MSR TrailShot like first one that doesn’t weigh at least three hundred grams? You can bring a lot of cold water to a boil with three hundred grams of fuel, and there’s a good deal of sitting around pumping with the ones I’ve used (TrailShot not among them). I would rather put on a pot and start setting up my shelter or whatever. Chemical treatment is lighter and less effort but has the same drawback of not providing drinkable water instantly.
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Nov 24, 2017 10:48
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Boiling water still has merit other than nostalgia- I boil to filter when I’m in alpine areas and the only source of water is snow. Since I’m melting snow, I just bring it to a full boil. I usually leave the filter at home on these trips.
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Nov 24, 2017 17:26
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Has anyone tried the Patagonia RPS rock pants for hiking?
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Nov 24, 2017 18:50
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Braincloud posted:Boiling water still has merit other than nostalgia- I boil to filter when I’m in alpine areas and the only source of water is snow. Since I’m melting snow, I just bring it to a full boil. I usually leave the filter at home on these trips. I do my fair share of snow camping but I still melt snow then filter it rather than boil. Especially at altitude, boiling takes so much longer than melting and pouring into a filter bag.
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Nov 24, 2017 20:46
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I prefer to haul a gas powered generator on the trail and a simple electric kettle. Fast and easy way to boil and purify water.
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Nov 24, 2017 21:31
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lol if you don’t use your generator for reverse osmosis
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Nov 24, 2017 22:12
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Platystemon posted:lol if you don’t use your generator for reverse osmosis My undersink RO system runs on water pressure, so you could run it with a waterfall.
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Nov 25, 2017 01:42
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Boiling will kikl everything. Filtering won't filter all bad things like viruses. I always boil or double treat my drinking water, but I'm a big pussy anyways. I don't even eat sushi because I'm afraid I'll get sick.
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Nov 25, 2017 02:02
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Dangerous Mind posted:Thanks for the advice. I was actually recently in West Virginia for river rafting with a few friends a couple weeks ago so I don't really want to go that direction. For this trip I've decided on the Southwest, specifically Utah and Arizona, maybe western Colorado since I've explored most of eastern Colorado already. I've never been to the Grand Canyon or Bryce Canyon or Petrified Forest, etc. Most friends have already been there and loved it. Right now I'm in Peoria, IL. A friend and I have been hitting up all the hiking trails around here but we've all but exhausted all our options since we moved here three months ago. So just thought I'd follow up on my trip. I ended up inviting a friend last second the day before since I knew he was unemployed at the time (and not exactly in a hurry to return to the workforce). He came and we had a decent time (albeit getting pretty pissed at each other a couple times since we've definitely changed as people since we last hung out haha). We drove out Wednesday afternoon Nov 15th. We stopped at the Breckenridge Brewery for some grub before arriving in Moab, UT around 10pm on the 16th. First day (Friday) we checked out the Arches and Dead Horse. Second day (Saturday) we checked out Canyonlands (Island in the Sky), Goblin Valley and Capitol Reef. Third day (Sunday) we spent all day at Bryce Canyon. Fourth day (Monday) at Zion. Started with Angel's Landing then hung out at some other part of the park. Fifth day (Tuesday) at the Grand Canyon South Rim and sunset at Horseshoe Bend. Sixth day midday (Wednesday) at Monument Valley, stopped at Glenwood, CO for the hot springs before driving out to Eagle, CO for the night. Seventh day (Thursday) drove 1050 miles back home. poo poo sucked. Slept for only ~2-3 hours total before arriving back home at Friday 5am. Did laundry. Then drove another 3 hours to see my family since we're also seeing a concert tonight (Saturday). Then I will drive another 3 hours Sunday morning to get back home and prepare for work Monday. Our favorites were Arches, Dead Horse, Canyonlands and Horseshoe Bend because of all the poo poo we could climb on. Angel's Landing was also legit. Grand Canyon sucked because the entire village was overrun by tourists and all the "trails" were paved with asphalt. Monument Valley was more like pothole valley because the road there was awful. But the views were nice. It was worth checking out. Like 60/40 if you have a sedan/hatchback like me. But totally worth it if you've got an SUV. So in total the trip cost us $1200, which included gas, hotels, entrance fees and sometimes food. I put everything on my card. Split between the two of us it was $600. We also probably shelled out another $150-300 each for food and gifts. I also put another 4000 miles on my car (which I got brand new in July and have since put 13000 miles on it). Overall totally worth it. Next time we go out to the Southwest it'll be for more active activities, like riding horses, ATVs, rock climbing, camping, kayaking, etc. It's nice to get the sightseeing/touristy stuff out of the way. Next trip idea will be shorter trips, like a weekend in St Louis, Indianapolis, Upper Peninsula in Michigan or something relatively close-by. I'll have all of last week of December off. I'm also going back out to Breckenridge the second week of January for snowboarding. Can't wait. Dangerous Mind fucked around with this message at 22:56 on Nov 25, 2017 |
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Nov 25, 2017 22:48
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This seems tangentially related to my current bout of analysis paralysis  A local outdoors store has a black friday special on the Jetboil flash - 70 USD (not in US). It's a good deal but is a weight penalty of half a pound and I lose the versatility of doing anything other than boiling water fast. On the flip side, it won't take half an hour to collect biomass, start a fire, and wait for poo poo to boil. I like the idea of my firebox nano but it's enough of a pain in the rear end to use that I'll probably never just make a coffee with it. Does goon corporate knowledge have any hot takes or or things to consider? e. OK I ended up buying a GSI halulite cook set for about 60 USD. It's sortof a compromise between a jetboil set and a pocket rocket and the versatility won me over. Guest2553 fucked around with this message at 21:03 on Nov 26, 2017 |
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Nov 26, 2017 01:56
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Hiked out to Pictured Rocks yesterday. Trail was pretty decent, a bit soggy in spots, no real snow yet.  I could hear the waves about half a mile away from the lake. The spray was flying up on top of the cliffs themselves, probably about 30 feet right there. Further down the beach was pretty much gone. You can see what's left of the "steps" heading to the lake. Note the pine trees laying in the water.  The impact of the waves on the cliffs shook everything. It was pretty wild. Ran into one pack of woefully unprepared folks with a bag of beef jerky and a cube of Busch Light. They were cool, shared a beer, but were cold.  Dog did not like dogcicles.
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Nov 27, 2017 00:12
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Those waves look huge. Also it looks incredibly cold.
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Nov 27, 2017 04:19
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Verman posted:Those waves look huge. Also it looks incredibly cold. The waves were pretty monstrous. I'd say 12 feet coming in and bouncing up to maybe 25 feet. The cliffs at that point are all about 40 foot tall. Not so cold, about 28F, though the wind in the open areas was brutal.
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Nov 27, 2017 13:58
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Ropes4u posted:Has anyone tried the Patagonia RPS rock pants for hiking? They're great, I love mine on all but the hottest days.
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Nov 27, 2017 22:43
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I finally caved in and bought a proper 3layer "gore-tex" jacket. Ponchos were just way too fiddly and soggy for me. The jacket and I stayed dry during an one hour walk in wind and rain. I wonder how it works during one day.. or a week. I wish I was there experiencing the waves They look very cool and very big.. not the best time to go to swimming!
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Nov 28, 2017 01:30
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A Mountain Hardwear down jacket, apparently identical to the Ghost Whisperer? $129 shipped. https://slickdeals.net/f/10890259-mountain-hardwear-men-s-and-women-s-metatherm-down-jacket-128-79-plus-free-shipping-w-elevated-rewards
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Nov 28, 2017 15:22
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Anyone in the Denver/Colorado area want to help with a specific question: what degree bag/quilt you'd recommend for most 3-season camping in the broad Denver area? I'm interested in keeping pack weight down and sleep pretty warm, so I'm thinking something in the 20-30 range. But if half the year isn't that cold, I could potentially go warmer? I'm guessing mountains make a huge difference.
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Nov 29, 2017 22:44
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Fall Dog posted:Kinda looped back again here, but this is what made me want to reply in the first place. I know there's two camps (mhm) regarding tents and hammocks, but I'm having trouble working out if one actually has an advantage over the other. The only major one I can think of is that hammocks can set up on jagged ground but need something of height to do it. It just seems like a swings and roundabouts situation where a hammock needs more cordage and possibly an underquilt and a tent needs a groundsheet and and and I went hammock camping for the first time this past August in RMNP. It took a bit of getting used to, but I enjoyed it. I have a tarp and underquilt, and I was very warm and comfortable when it dipped down into the 30s overnight. Hammocks can theoretically be set up over jagged ground... this is true. On the other hand, the idea of waking up with a broken back or skull isn't all that appealing to me. I'd say the actual advantage to hammocks is that they can easily be set up on uneven ground or on a grade. I went on another (car) camping trip in September, shortly after my backpacking trip in the Rockies. I camped pretty much in the middle of the drat forest on the Olympic Peninsula and couldn't find a good place to set up my hammock. The only ideally spaced trees in our giant group campsite were positioned on either side of a bunch of jagged rocks, or there was an obstacle between the trees. I definitely could have hung the hammock had it been strictly necessary (even between two cars), but there was plenty of space to crash in my buddy's condo-sized tent. So, why bother? I will definitely use my hammock again, but I always have this fear in the back of my mind that I'll be unable to find a place to hang. tl;dr: it's a preference unless you know you're going to the desert or somewhere with sparse trees. Then you want a tent.
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Nov 29, 2017 23:46
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ShaneB posted:Anyone in the Denver/Colorado area want to help with a specific question: what degree bag/quilt you'd recommend for most 3-season camping in the broad Denver area? I'm interested in keeping pack weight down and sleep pretty warm, so I'm thinking something in the 20-30 range. But if half the year isn't that cold, I could potentially go warmer? I'm guessing mountains make a huge difference. My wife and I used to live there and still backpack there yearly. We sleep in zpack 30 degree bags that are overstuffed. But we are wusses and you might want a bag designed for warmer weather. If we get cold we sleep in long John’s or our hiking clothes like dirty hippies.
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Nov 30, 2017 01:46
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ShaneB posted:Anyone in the Denver/Colorado area want to help with a specific question: what degree bag/quilt you'd recommend for most 3-season camping in the broad Denver area? I'm interested in keeping pack weight down and sleep pretty warm, so I'm thinking something in the 20-30 range. But if half the year isn't that cold, I could potentially go warmer? I'm guessing mountains make a huge difference. 15 its the ideal three season bag in my opinion especially if you live in a high elevation/mountainous location where weather can vary greatly in any season. Most 15 degree bags will be comfortable just below freezing (20-30 degrees) most 20-30 degree bags will likely be comfortable around 30-40 which is fairly warm weather for spring and fall nights in the mountains. I've been in sub freezing temps in the middle of summer on multiple occasions at lower elevations (8k) than much of the Rockies. I've had snow in two of my three summer trips in the Rockies. I would rather have a bag that weighs an extra half a pound and keep me warm through all three seasons than have to buy two separate bags for spring/fall and summer to save less than a pound.
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Nov 30, 2017 03:58
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ShaneB posted:Anyone in the Denver/Colorado area want to help with a specific question: what degree bag/quilt you'd recommend for most 3-season camping in the broad Denver area? I'm interested in keeping pack weight down and sleep pretty warm, so I'm thinking something in the 20-30 range. But if half the year isn't that cold, I could potentially go warmer? I'm guessing mountains make a huge difference. I use a Big Agnes Fish Hawk 30* bag paired with an older REI Flash pad and it works for me most of the year. I've slept in it during a light snow and it was ok.
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Nov 30, 2017 17:29
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My wife is allergic to down so that means we don't get to have good sleeping bags. 
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Nov 30, 2017 20:30
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