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turevidar posted:Does anyone have any experience with OR's Alpine bivvy or Advanced bivvy? From what I see on their site, the construction is similar and uses the same materials, but the advanced has an extra pole and more options for propping it open. Is there anything else going on that would make one better than the other? I've been looking at their advanced Bivvy and their Helium Bivvy... I own their Ultralight rain shell, and some thermals and base layers from them that are absolutely top notch, so I can't imagine they'd be terrible. I really like OR's gear, A lot. I'd kill to be a tester for them. I got the Osprey Volt 75 pack for my bday ($142 after sale) this year. Going from straight up ALICE gear to this pack is like going from a 3 wheeler eastern euro commie car to 2015 Caddy. I can't say enough good poo poo about the pack. I'm in love. Now I need a good Bivvy and sleeping bag. :/
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Feb 13, 2015 00:48
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I just got my fancy pants evernew titanium alcohol stove and stand/screen and cook wear, holy schnikes my old stove weighed more than all of this, including these fancy Ti utensils and knife.  I got a retarded amount of Amazon gift credits and deals, otherwise going all titanium would have been stupid expensive when I can just use a can stove or trangia.. But I paid roughly $49 out of my pocket to go all Ti for stove/cookware/utensils/ and of weighs a fraction of my old setup and is durable as poo poo.. Unlike soda can stoves.. I cannot say that dollar for dollar an all Ti evernew camp setup beats a trangia and similar non-Ti equipment. The cost increase is just retarded, but if you can do it on the cheap it's an awesome little upgrade... saved a good deal of weight and greatly increased the compactness and durability of my cooking/eating setup. (It's practically indestructible and won't rust ever) Now I'm waiting on Survive Outdoors Longer Escape Bivvy Breathable Respirant, OD Green, 0.593 Pound to come in, looking to combine it with the Suisse Sport Adventurer Mummy Ultra-Compactable Sleeping Bag, Left Zipper and Cocoon Silk MummyLiner (Natural, 95-Inch x 35/22-Inch) and my new much lighter sleep / shelter system will be complete. I already got a set of ultralight 7.5x10 foot aquaquest nysil waterproof tarps.. Still trying to figure out my sleeping pad.
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Feb 15, 2015 20:26
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HEY VAPER posted:So my windshirt either fell apart or was attacked by a cat, so I had to replace my now-discontinued verto pro with a houdini. Not going to lie I'm pretty disappointed. For a 2oz difference, I really liked having the waterproof and abrasion resistant sleeves/hood, and on the houdini I have to partially unzip to fit the hood around my head while wearing a beanie. Was in some ~40mph ish winds today though, and the hood stayed put so there is that. At least I can wear the houdini around town without looking like a tool, since it actually gets p windy here. Don't get me wrong, the houdini is p nice and I think everyone should own a windshirt, but the verto was some pimp poo poo. RIP verto pro wind shirt you will be missed Outdoor Research Helium II rain shell if the thing is just gonna sit in your pocket waiting for rain. Mine fits in the breast pocket of my Outdoor Research radiant pullovers breast pocket, weighs nothing, and continently cushions the chest strap on my pack and keeps your rear end 100% dry. It's like a retarded good piece of kit for ultralight. $150 for a rainshell may be too much for some budget types, but I've never found anything that touches the OR Helium II man. Just my personal opinion though, I don't run more than 3 feet ever though 'cuz I've got a poo poo back and knees so I'm not sure how it'd do for trail running. For us snail types it gets my wholehearted endorsement.
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Feb 16, 2015 05:16
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HEY VAPER posted:Edit: quick question: would a helium 2 packed fit inside a houdini pocket? if so I know which one I'm buying. Dunno man, I walk, no running. Bad knees and back. And I'm following a trail partner and his dog with all their non ultralight gear so my speed on hikes is glacial compared to the aerobic poo poo you do. But the jacket is durable. OR makes legit gear, that Bivvy and that sleeping bag I bought are kinda questionable brands I guess that I've never really used (cheap and right weight though, rolling the dice) but OR is 100% as described in their specifications, and typically carry a lifetime warranty... Specific to you and this running silliness (  )It breathes in the goretex range, imho- but is way f'ing lighter and thinner. I don't know if it breathes enough to handle straight up running with tons of moisture from on both sides bc I don't go nearly that aerobic but yeah that hood is water proof as poo poo- older helium a don't have the elastic to cover a hats bill tho, if your shopping cheap FYI. It seems to be a fave in the NW with runners and backpackers which is where I saw them first years ago. 
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Feb 16, 2015 08:47
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The real reason I want all my hiking gear ultralight is so I can justify carrying a good sized external battery that'll recharge a smart phone / kindle a dozen or more times between power outlet stops.... and a decent USB chargeable weatherproof Bluetooth speaker as well. Those three items are useless weight in a lot of ways, but infinite entertainment/uses when needed/used Anyone ever use an electric portable showering system on hikes? I'm thinking of trying it out since I like before bed showers and not smelling of rear end. Ivation Battery-Powered Handheld Portable Shower - Turns Water From Bucket/Basin/Sink Into... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IFHFJXI/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_a0J4ub1WXZ7V6 1.8 pounds, but quick showers behind some privacy tarps (warm water even if I choose too I guess) before bed after a long day hike sounds awesome,
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Feb 16, 2015 21:58
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Hahaha yesssssssssssssssss. Goons horrified of weight to get a shower setup going when base weight is in the teens haha. loving  , I like those Coleman solar shower setups that you can just fill and hang as well.. I used to use this sorta setup on hunting trips: Coleman 5-Gallon PVC Camp Shower https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009PUT20/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_fUN4ub0H29E63It's only 1/2 the weight, but like I said I'm deep in the teens on pack weight already, my pack out includes a large lightweight collapsible bucket I can fill with hot water, and for some retarded seeming luxury I'm hauling a little extra weight and bathing on the trail, every few days, if not every day. As far as the electric shower goes It's gadgety looking as gently caress, so I'm super wary on it, trust me it'd have to be a lightening sale / test piece but I like that it filters and that the pump is USB rechargeable. Odds are its a heavy hunk of poo poo, but sometimes there's diamonds in the rough. I dunno, it's mostly a  highdea on the electric shower thing, but I'm definitely getting either a shower attachment for my water bladder, or just a solar shower bag. Showering regularly is  and stank is not, though understandable and mostly tolerable for folks. I just like the added luxury of a shower. Lots of folks wear stank like their badge of honor when hiking, just not my thing. Bluetooth speaker was kind of a joke, I do need good headphones though and I hate earbuds with a passion. How else will I listen to my 9/11 conspiracy podcasts on the AT? And with a speaker we can all realize that jet fuel doesn't burn hot enough to melt steel girders.
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Feb 17, 2015 00:43
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LITERALLY SHAKING posted:/\ not quite the intent, I think. But definitely a better option than the banjo music no one ever wants to hear in the woods. Haha not that heavy rear end Bose speaker man. They have some waterproof lightweight marine speakers that are pretty good. You know me l.. IDGAF about ruining the serenity of nature with podcasts and music, but I think headphones are gonna be best just because I'm cheap and they're light.. But then nobody else can listen to weird euro pop electronica with me mashed up against coast to coast on the AM frequencies.
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Feb 17, 2015 00:48
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Keldoclock posted:Well, I use a small handheld shortwave radio. I'm sure that if I wanted to spend the battery connecting to someone else with a car or home radio I could easily find someone who wanted to discuss conspiracy theories with me, but so far I have just used it to tune into 162.550 for weather information. I pack it along whenever the trip is longer than a weekend. Maaaaaaybe it could be useful as a rescue tool if I can't get a cell signal, but I won't rely on it. I can't afford a satellite phone. Actually you just made me realize that I already own an awesome grundig SW set that is easy on batteries and light on weight.  How do you like your tarp shelter setup? I'm trying it this year, with lightweight stuff I got on the cheap to test out.. I got an Aqua-Quest "The Guide" Waterproof & Ultra Lightweight Silicone Sil Tarp - 10 x 7 Medium to make a tarp shelter with this year, I'm actually thinking of getting a second tarp to make it a very nice tarp shelter setup with more protection. ~30 ounces for the tarps if I have 2, negligible additional weight in the rope and Ti stakes (I really gotta weigh these), combine with a bug net SOL's Escape Breathable Bivvy, and my Suisse Sport Adventurer Mummy Ultra-Compactable Sleeping Bag lined with a silk sleeping bag liner and on top of my Big Agnes Q-Core SL Insulated Sleeping Pad (Large/Long) and I'm hoping to be 3 season comfortable and dry, but most importantly lightweight. I get to experiment a lot as its backup solution anyway as my trail partner is lugging a 4 person tent I intend to use primarily as we figure out how the gently caress to make this tarp shelter living poo poo as comfortable and waterproof as we can, and see if it manages to come out lighter as well. Any suggestions or thoughts on how to achieve this are welcome.
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Feb 22, 2015 08:58
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LITERALLY SHAKING posted:I've got an older spring-loaded gerber I'll be taking out this year, and a gerber knife that's rigged to my pack strap. the blade on the multitool is pretty useless at 2" and non-serrated, probably barely capable of cutting a waffle house steak. But the rest of the poo poo on it make it worth carrying. probably a bit of overkill but the dumb army vet in me says better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. I weighed my pack without sleeping pad or food / water today. Almost 12 pounds total, with the Anker backup battery and a full fuel load.. and I'm under 200lbs with it on me now- that camp sink/bucket I'm getting is ~8 ounces and about the same for the little foot pump shower thing I found, I'm gonna be able to field shower man and not carry heavy extra heavy poo poo for my trouble.  I'm far too excited about the prospects of being marginally less dirty and smelly on the hike, but after a week or two I really dislike not bathing more than every other day or two. Less if I'm not wiping off with a baby wipe or two at night during Warmer months. loving field shower. Gonna be much happier. So much happier.
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Feb 23, 2015 20:59
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Look Sir Droids posted:Not an experienced hiker at all, but I'd like to get in to it (and climbing) so I can get out more. Looking for somebody to keep me honest. Anybody here in the Middle TN area? I'm not interested in getting started until this rear end in a top hat cold weather goes away. Spongebob and I are TN folk - we do local training hikes, but are heading out for an AT thru hike attempt bearish the end of March. I haven't hiked in 2 or 3 days but we'd been keeping honest at 3-5 day hikes a week prepping for the trail thus far this winter. It's a fun hobby, we've been having a fun time this winter so far, even if it's a bit dull and overcast at times.
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Feb 24, 2015 00:23
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LITERALLY SHAKING posted:oh, the 4 person tent is going mainly because I can't find something reasonable that weighs less than the 4.odd pounds my tent already does. Plus I'm taking up a slot, so two men and a dog and our gear will be snug in the 4 person.
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Feb 24, 2015 02:59
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Look Sir Droids posted:Nice. Where are you guys located? East Memphrika, essentially.
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Feb 24, 2015 06:50
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Look Sir Droids posted:I went to law school at UM. Where do you hike around there? Just wear out Shelby Farms? And the germantown trails Snd the ones near Wolf River. It's not nature, but it's miles- and miles are more important fir training than scenery.
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Feb 24, 2015 23:50
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After getting rid of (losing through moves and separations) almost all my gear I spent the last few months refitting my hiking gear. This year is gonna be my first attempt at a really long multi-week hike, so I tried to lightweight were possible but if quality/durability/price greatly outweighed weight savings I went for non-ultralight gear. Honestly though I came through fairly light. 2015 Gear List: Osprey Men's Volt 75 Backpack, Fern Green, One Size Osprey posted:About this item: My review:  I loving love this pack. They claim 2.8 pounds but I consistently get 2.5 pounds, and it feels like 0. I've never had a more adjustable pack before. The hydration pouch can carry any 100 oz system of your choice easy, and the padded hip belt and back make carrying this thing heaven. I upgraded from a medium ALICE pack, and I will never go back. Ever. My wife paid $199 for the pack on my birthday. Best birthday present ever. Sleep System: SOL Escape Bivvy Tactical Gear Survival Sleeping Bag/shelter- Od Olive Drab SOL posted:About this item My Review: This is a water resistant heat reflective Bivvy that really does breathe and not become a condensation nightmare . No idea on durability yet, will report back later but it's as advertised in all other respects. It's also light as hell at 8.5 ounces. I got 2 of these, one for me and my trail partner for the current price of $49.99. These seemed like an amazing steal at $25 or less if they're at all durable. I dunno about $50. Fits over my sleeping bag perfectly which brings us to... Sleeping bag: Suisse Sport Adult Adventurer Mummy Ultra-Compactable Sleeping Bag (Right Zipper) Blue Suisse Sport posted:The Suisse Sport Adventure extra-small sleeping bag is ideal for long treks when a few inches or pounds can make the difference between a pleasant hike and an unbearable slog. The mummy bag is ultra-compact, compressing down to 12 by 7 by 7 inches when in the stuff sack. How small is that? Well, it's petite enough to hold in the palm of your hand. That means you can easily fit the bag in your hiking pack without using up a third of your pack space. At the same time, the bag is warm and comfortable, with a 100-percent polyester ripstop outer and inner lining, a double-layer construction, and a 700-gram Micro Tekk.7 high-performance microfiber insulation. The construction materials ad up to a 30-degree F temperature rating, making the bag a good choice for summer, spring, and fall camping trips. Other details include a full chest baffle, a draft tube, and a utility pocket. The Adventure sleeping bag measures 29.5 by 84.5 inches (W x L) when open and weighs 2.9 pounds in the stuff sack. The bag is also machine-washable for continence. My review: $30 and compacts down to nothing. Not the warmest bag on earth for late March / Early April on the AT but when combined with my Bivvy, sleeping pad, and my bag liner, I feel like I'll be perfectly fine even if the weather gets retarded. Sleeping Bag Liner: TETON Sports Sleeping Bag Liner (XL, 87"x 36", 12 oz) Teton Sports posted:About this item My review: weighs more than the drat Bivvy but feels almost as good as a silk liner with way better durability/price/thermal properties. I like it, it's very comfy and not terribly heavy. Sleeping Pad: Big Agnes Q-Core SL Insulated Sleeping Pad - Wide Long Big Agnes posted:About this item My review:  That Price for my Wide/Long was the single most expensive item I bought for myself.  I haven't slept out on it yet but it's comfortable as poo poo, and I got the optional carry sack / inflation sack for it, which is nice but not even close to $19 nice. Others love it, I hope to be one if them. If it's half as good as claimed and reviewed I'll feel less stupid for buying this. I'll feel really dumb if it doesn't fit inside my tent at 25 inches wide and 78 inches long. Find out tomorrow!Tent: Eureka! Spitfire - Tent (sleeps 1) [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000EQ8VIS/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_rsw9ub0A0QWCN] Eureka! posted:About This Item: My review: this isn't a freestanding tent, it requires staking to stand up, and I just got it tonight so I haven't played with it much. It weighs as advertised, less with my MSR mini groundhog stakes actually.. Will wrote more after I've spent more time with it. Hydration: Platypus water bladder system. It's a water bladder with a tube. Inexpensive, durable, and supposedly works. Not much to say here, the more thee things are on the market the more similar they all are to me. Water Treatment: Sawyer Squeeze Filtration System, Aqua Mira Drops, and backup Iodine tablets. Stove / cookware: Evernew Titanium Alcohol Stove W/ Titanium crosstand and DX stand and 3 Healthpro titanium pots / a pan. 1.2l, 600ml, and 200ml respectively. I didn't pay for this nor did I import it from Japan, but someone with a lot more money did for me. My sleeping bag liner outweighs my cook system with cookware and utensils and fuel as a result. I would never be able to afford this kinda light rear end all Ti setup but I'm loving how light this stuff is. Plus I can use Alcohol, Solid Fuel Esbit type tabs, or even wood with this setup. It's pretty great. Boils 1.2 liters of water in a snow storm without a wind screen and only its cross stand on ISO alcohol. Just buy a trangia if you want an alcohol burner, but if you want to have a practically weightless space age indestructible setup that burns money as fast as alcohol go hog wild and get evernew everything. They make their own pots to but titanium is titanium as far as I can tell and the Healthpro pots look identical with a different logo. I do like this Evernew stove though. They're from glorious Nippon, and make ungodly nice (and expensive) titanium stuff. In the electronics dry bag: Anker E6 20k MaH battery Anker E3 5k MaH battery 6 port 50W 10A USB wall charger Ultralight USB chargeable portable AM/FM/Shortwave Radio USB rechargeable LED headlamp / tent lamp iPhone 5S with 4000MaH battery case Kindle w/ 3G (working this bags weight down, probably just taking one battery and ditching the iPhone's battery case which does add quite a bit of weight, and ditching the radio. But I do love late night paranoid talk radio on the shortwave )Odds and ends: First Aid Kit Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles 2015 AT trail guide by AWOL Thermarest Compressible Pillow 5 gallon Collapsible Packable Camp Sink CampSuds Liquid Camping Soap 2 ultralight self cleaning Nylon Washclothes 1 large microfiber ultralight drying towel Ivation Portable Electric Shower w/ 2200MaH USB rechargeable battery Small camp knife (Need to weigh) I'm still dialing in my clothing, but I was bored and decided to share. 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Mar 3, 2015 09:19
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Also: Any other goons thru hiking or section hiking the AT this year? A few of us from GiP are gonna be out there at various points, and a couple of us are attempting a northbound thru hike.
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Mar 3, 2015 09:30
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suboptimal posted:These look cool as hell, but they are way more expensive than they're worth IMHO. Their three person tent is 19 loving pounds 15 pounds for the 2 person. Those tents weigh around what my fully loaded pack minus water and food weighs. Those aren't... Light or cheap. What is their upside?
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Mar 4, 2015 02:45
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Terrifying Effigies posted:"This portable treehouse deploys between three trees via three included 2.5 ton webbing straps equipped with heavy duty locking ratchets for a secure set up." Jesus tap dancing butt loving Christ that's insane for a tent. I just can't wrap my head around where this products niche lays other than separating folks from their money and adding retarded weight to their pack. It'd be nice for ATV or Car Camping I guess, at 1/3rd the price and half the weight but... Uh, seriously who the gently caress can justify needing any of those tents? You can more or less completely outfit yourself for the cost of some of those tents, and still come out lighter than their 3 person tent alone. That's goddamn insane. If people sincerely buy these tebra I'm gonna start my own brand of high end expensive heavy impractical camping gear and sell it to dumb rich people. drat.
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Mar 4, 2015 06:18
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Tigren posted:Ya, I can't believe any rich rear end in a top hat would ever buy some stupid rich idiot product like that! I don't own a $500 anything for camping, and I certainly don't own a zpacks tent, dipshit. Anyone buying one of those tents is either stupid and rich or stupid with credit card debt. I have no doubts whatsoever that there are people who would love to buy those- and in fact do, I'm asserting that they're full blown idiots. Even if they're happy idiots with their purchase. This being SA though and not GiP I forgot there was a tier one black belt autist waiting in the tall grass somewhere to make sure those retards' besmirched honor is being properly e-defended. Edit: 20 loving pounds. Im sure it's fun at the annual boys scout jamboree if you can find the right trees but nobody should ever hike a 20 pound tent unless there was a bet involved. Even for ATV camping these are insanely heavy. Though I'd imagine they're drat near indestructible for the cost and weight. Still fully retarded though. OMFG PTSD LOL PBUH fucked around with this message at 22:58 on Mar 4, 2015 |
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Mar 4, 2015 22:50
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Tigren posted:Now your name calling and general demeanor makes much more sense. Thanks for clarifying. 
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Mar 4, 2015 22:59
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Shine posted:Please knock off the "Forum Rebel Raging Against The Forum Hivemind" bit and stupid slapfighting, please. I'd like to apologize to the dude who voluntarily moderates the Somethingawful subforum dedicated to discussion of the fitness and fashion of goons for my disruption of this very special slice of the Internet. I'm sorry, Shine. My bad, I'll keep it classy, respectful, and on topic. 
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Mar 5, 2015 00:41
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On the topic of backpacking.. I'm trying to plan out a good meals/food plan that's ideally not insanely expensive, but still tasty, filling, and light. I've seen the whole generic brand Grapenuts+Brown Sugar+Powdered Milk+protein powder+Water in a ziplock baggy makes for an easy 350-400 calorie breakfast that's really light and not terrible tasting. Do any of you guys dig mountain house or other stuff like backpackers pantry? There's some clearances items out there I'm interested in- though if anyone has experience making all their food cheaply before trips I'd totally love to hear how you did it. I've got a foodsaver vacuum sealer and can get a dehydrator easy. Anyone ever played home food scientist and cooked up really good lightweight backpacking foods? Also, anyone else using the sawyer squeeze system? Is it worthwhile to get a couple extra squeeze pouches? I read at a minimum a second squeeze pouch instead of the syringe was more useful for back washing. Anyone have experience on this? The syringe seems sturdy enough to me..
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Mar 5, 2015 05:11
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Koivunen posted:The longest we've gone is fifteen days without resupply, that was in Yosemite. Lots of jerky, protein bars, dried fruits (mango, apricot, raisins), oatmeal, pancakes, Tang, and instant stuff like mashed potatoes or rice sides. Our packs were heavy for the first few days but it got better. This is what it looked like before we opened up all the packages and transferred everything to Ziploc bags... I'm thinking more along the lines of buying a large variety of mountain house / backpackers pantry freeze dried meals in 10# cans and keeping the cans in my bounce box I mail forward to my next re supply point ahead, and store them in some TIGHTVAC containers and baggies in my pack. Supplement with snickers/powerbars/protein/fiber bars and I figure I can supplement freeze dried meals with stuff like freeze dried onions, salt, pepper, Tabasco sauce, chili powder maybe etc.. Bringing out tortillas and bagels and hard cheeses and dried fruits and nuts that won't spoil quickly also stretches stuff I figure, along with stuff like cured/aged/smoked meat you don't have to refrigerate like some sausages, And honestly I'm hoping pack out some fresh foods to eat in the first day / two, from each re supply as well. Is that an impractical plan? Calorie deficits are practical impossible to prevent healthily during long hikes, but I'm I like the price and the calories / grams / convenience on the freeze dried meals, and I like that I can pack them as small and compact and convenient as zip locks or use these silly vac tight containers too. Planning out food for hiking when your stoned is probably not a good strategy though,
OMFG PTSD LOL PBUH fucked around with this message at 08:23 on Mar 5, 2015 |
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Mar 5, 2015 08:21
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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. I'm with you dude. gently caress the pearl clutching dipshits that somehow make hike planning into a false ethical problem. The only unethical thing w/r/t hiking is any government or agency limiting access to public land. Particularly our wonderful national parks and trails. It's not against the law, your gaming the system. People who are mad at others for gaming the system are either too stupid to do it themselves or too stupid to even think gaming the system is ok in the first place. Either way stupidity is the one common denominator.
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Mar 17, 2015 22:40
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TerminalSaint posted: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. Welp. Sucks for them. If you boys aren't clever enough to make a system that can't be gamed then it sucks for you guys. Game the system dude, gently caress it man. Besides, your an American taxpayer- your entitled to use the land within the laws. And it's legal to loophole dipshit rangers parks rules and quotas. So that's within the law. Go nuts. Just, ya know, LNT or whatever.
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Mar 17, 2015 22:45
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 gently caress you, got my hiking.
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Mar 17, 2015 23:35
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Canna Happy posted:I think everyone in this thread has cabin fever.
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Mar 18, 2015 06:17
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DholmbladRU posted:Can anyone recommend a sleeping pad for someone who is both heavy(210lbs), and has wide shoulders? Im not a big fan of air pads, as they take a long time to inflated/deflate.. I'm 6'0 and 178. But I got some severe back problems, so I go for the biggest widest most cushioning sleeping pad I can get. Your right, it can be slow to inflate but you at least want one of those pumps they make if your gonna use it a lot. The Big Agnes Insulatef Q Core SL in the Long/Wide variety gets my full endorsement. 5-10 minutes of extra work each time I pack out or in for a good nights sleep is worth it to me though.. HYOH and what have you. There's all kinds ultralight pumps to make inflating easier. And deflation ain't so bad.
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Mar 25, 2015 21:48
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DholmbladRU posted:I filled up a q core sl by myself and it took a lonngggg time. I cant imagine doing that everyday on a thruhike. For a weekend trip it may be okay. Not to long at all. I have a basic thermarest closed cell backup as well, since I have one of those camp chairs that are basically covers for sleeping pads with latches and straps that make a very nice chair to sit in. Weighs very little and if I'm not feeling inflating the pad one evening I just lay my camp chair flat and sleep on that. I did originally get the big Agnes brand pump to speed things up, since I knew it would work with the pad at a minimum bought sight unseen, It was alright, but I found a larger implementation of their stuff sack pump solution that works MUCH better. Essentially the pumps are just nysil stuff sacks with an opening acting as an output at the bottom with a pull cord to tighten the output around the airpads fill valve. They all work the same as any stuff sack.. Fold it 2-3 times down then clip the clips together. Squeeze for output. The big Agnes one is essentially a 5l version.. I found a 40L version that fills the wide/long Qcore super duper quickly. I think the one I'm using was made for ultralight pack rafts or some poo poo, but works perfectly here in this as well. Like I said, I got a poo poo back so I'm traveling with a super light chair and an inflating sleep pad. They're light as poo poo however, honestly. The closed cell pad/chair combo lashes to my pack and weighs as much as a closed cell pad, and a nylon twin sheet and some nylon webbing. I.E. Very little. I'll at least be sitting comfortably in that dumb chair while inflating my stupid air pad though I also bucked up and upgraded from that Eureka Solitaire! To the MSR Hubba NX one person tent. I needed much faster setup times, and that goddamn solitaire was claustrophobic ontop of taking more effort than I like to setup, and being questionable in severe weather according to reviews.. My trail partner SB's tent us setup and good to go in 10 seconds. Jealous of poo poo if that. And the price. Not jealous of the weight though. That dude is a pack mule. We'll see how it goes. I'm positive some poo poo is getting changed or chucked along the way of AT 2015, I just hope I didn't completely biff my gear load out. With the wife fully on board doing the meal dehydrating thing and ensuring I eat well on the trail with re supplies I'm officially excited. Eating junk food or super processed food for 5-6 months wasnt high on my "Yay!" List. Update: We start in the upcoming days. I Hope to see any fellow goons hiking along the AT and say hi. Look for the odd couple and their border collie. We'll be obvious. You'll be able to spot us easily. I'm Shim by the way, since OMG LOL PTSD PBUH might be a bit lengthy. OMFG PTSD LOL PBUH fucked around with this message at 23:25 on Mar 27, 2015 |
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Mar 27, 2015 23:20
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Noah posted:I'm going to Zion for 5 days tomorrow. I'm so excited! Pictures on Thursday. Sweet dude, Utah and Zion are on my list for next summer. Can't wait to see the pictures.
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Mar 28, 2015 04:05
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gohuskies posted:For what it's worth I have a pair of those Salomons and I really like them. With two sock layers I really have no problem with my feet getting wet even in all-day rain or light snow, they keep the feet warm, the inner sock layer can stick wick away sweat, and I feel like they grip well and are solid on rocks or scrambling terrain. If someone prefers something else, that's fine, but I really cannot complain. I wish I had something more useful to add but I don't. This is my same experience, though they're not exactly dirt cheap. Which was my only real complaint, big they fit my feet nicely. I wear a wicking liner sock and cushioned Darn Tough merino wool socks with mine and they felt like heaven on my feet even after all day uphill stuff. I'm curious to see how they do once it's hot outside, however. But I have good luck and nothing but good things to say about goretex in my footwear.
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Apr 18, 2015 02:13
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All the knife talk reminds me: There were more Katanas on the AT than I had mentally prepared myself for. I saw two loving Katanas being carried. I don't think one left Springer Mountain. One is def up in the smokies right now. You just know that there are more. If it ever turns out that Autism is contagious I'm never using a shelter on the AT again, because there was also a lot of that on the trail, too. Come to think of it I saw more Katanas than African Americans from Amicola Falls to Neels Gap. I saw even fewer Bears. It looks like your far more likely to encounter Autism, Katanas, and even a minority, than Bears on the AT. And yet nobody talks about Autism Shelters or Katana Canisters or whatever. Always fear of Bears and not Adam Lanza Jr. Humping N. Georgia mountains clinging onto his Genzeku like there's no tomorrow. You can use bear cables for your food all you want but bear cables won't stop autistic ninjas. Especially if they're conditioned to human encounters already or if they think you might have pocky.
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Apr 18, 2015 15:13
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Saint Fu posted:Another +1 to this. I found scissors much more useful than pliers. Moleskin and finger nails are tough to cut with knife. Leukotape > Moleskin Amazon posted:Leukotape; P Combo Pack
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Apr 18, 2015 15:42
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Levitate posted:I used Leukotape for the first time on my last hike and it protected my heals pretty great after I started getting some hot spots. Would recommend. I was handing that poo poo out like an Aid Worker on my recent hike and it was universally praised as better than moleskin. Then again I'm fortunate and anal retentive and rarely get feet issues, but I was more of a jogger / runner before I ever did hiking recreationally (with years of fat assery and weed induced couch lock in between for transition) The book "Fixing your feet" was given to me as a rec a while back, and the preventative measures have worked miracles, and the book def thumbs up Leukotape. In the event of feet issues I'll go for lekotape before moleskin every time. I only carried moleskin bc you'll find some people who swear they get no benefit from anything but moleskin so.. Also hydropel type gels and creams are miracle worker levels of amazing if you haven't already shredded your feet with wounds. But by the time most folks think to use those kind of products they're already blistered or cut or have open wounds of some kind on their feet. Then it's really a bad idea to use that sort of stuff. A lot of advice for running footcare is directly translatable to hiking, just different conditions and what not. I did notice that a lot of people don't care for their feet at all, and they pay for it. If only knees were so easily remedied at home by ones own self as feet can be.  My right knee is so beyond hosed. So, so, hosed.
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Apr 18, 2015 16:20
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BRAKE FOR MOOSE posted:Let's be real, you might not be an autistic ninja, but you're still thru-hiking the AT. You've been "that guy on the trail" more than a few times, or you wouldn't be up for the attempt. More like section hiking now, but oh hell yes I was "that guy" a few times. Everyone is at least a few times. I try to leave no trace but someone always catches up to me and has something from the campsite prior. Not limited to: a Single sandal, my headlamp, and once: my spork. Thank god other hikers are kind, as I'm an organizational clown act and turn to Corky come camp time. We also did the approach trail 1.5 times and stayed at the Max Epperson shelter thanks to "That guy" syndrome being so severe early on. gently caress the approach trail 4 life though. Never again will I walk that many steps with anything approaching my retard starting weight. If I ever make it to Katahdin I'm still going to be miffed about the approach trail, I suspect.
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Apr 18, 2015 16:36
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Knife people are the worst. Well, the worst after snake people. Though that particular Venn diagram is rather.. circular.
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Apr 18, 2015 18:28
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Levitate posted:I usually just eat out of the cook pot I'm always jealous of super organized fucks who just have to boil water, throw said water in a freezer bag meal, toss it in a cozy, eat it outta the bag and then pack out the trash w/o having to clean any GD cookware. I seriously hate cleaning out my Ti cookware, and it's as non stick as my hairy fuzzy jewish rear end crack, unfortunately. If you can master the freezer bag meal then hot meals are a treat with almost no asspain instead of a chore with a treat then more chores. I just keep telling myself that ISOButane and methanol can't melt titanium, even if mild grade structural steels providence in such mild dalliances as a JP-8 fire is somewhat sketchy, and god knows what those organized pricks get eating boiled rubber maid bag meals for 6 months while I'm pissily using anything granular near the water source trying to unstick knoor rice from the bottom of my space age wonderfuck pot. God loving drat you, titanium!  
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Apr 20, 2015 00:07
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mastershakeman posted:I'll believe something is completely waterproof when it guarantees it can be submerged for a period of time, which my Sea to summit dry bags (that use event material) don't. I couldn't get my feet to like them, but I found legit completely waterproof boots a while back: http://www.altaigear.com sells some leather/super fabric combat boots that aren't bad at all. If they work with your feet they're pretty drat remarkable boots, I just have particularly wide feet and those boots are korean as gently caress. But their poo poo is legit water proof. Like stand in a bath tub, for hours, still waterproof. And ice doesn't like forming on that super fabric poo poo so they handle slosh in winter without becoming as ice caked and nasty as other, similar, boots. Also those boots are surprisingly light for how goddamn tough and durable they are. I'd have to check to be sure but I think my Saloman 4D GTX's weigh more.. Shame they wouldn't work with my feet though. They were pretty cool boots, otherwise.
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Apr 20, 2015 16:57
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Also I bought my Altai boots through Amazon for the exact same price as through their site, but when I wanted to change sizes it was way easier doing Amazon prime returns than wading through the engrish filled hell of Altai's phone support last year. They may have improved by now, but back then their store took your CC but wasn't an https://site just a plain unencrypted web form, or a paypal link. So if their site skeeves you, just hit Amazon. They're a legit company with legit products, their marketing and online / retail presence just seems to be super janky and Korean as all gently caress. Great boots, if your feet like 'em, though.
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Apr 20, 2015 17:05
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mastershakeman posted:Those look interesting. I wear vasque summits that are super heavy, so not only are those lighter but they're better it seems. Weird that the toe is leather yet still waterproof somehow? That's a polishible and extremely thick leather toe, and the vibram outsole is sort of outsized over the lip and what have you. It'd make sense of you were to hold them- the tongue is a simple single non-perforated piece of super fabric stuff.. The speed lacing system doesn't have any holes in the tongue for water to leak through. Water literally has to come in from over the top, which is pretty high being combat boots and all. I really can't overstate how light these things were, despite being full length waterproof combat boots and not $200 f'ing dollars. They're pretty worthy if your feet take to them.
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Apr 20, 2015 19:04
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That toe is seriously a tough rear end thick hunk of waterproofed and polishible leather. You can high shine those fuckers with kiwi wax and get a true goose stepping backcountry alpine experience if that's how you hike. Plus you can keep the kiwi wax to do black face in camp like me.
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Apr 20, 2015 19:10
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