Hiking & Backpacking Megathread II: Still nervous around bears

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Great Outdoors > Hiking & Backpacking Megathread II: Still nervous around bears

Mary Fucking Poppins: Aug 1, 2002

Has anybody ever been to Siuslaw National Forest? I'm trying to plan a multi-day camping trip to either Oregon or Washington and I'd like to do it in a rainforest-like environment. When is the earliest you could expect to swim in the creeks? And what kind of weather can you expect in spring compared to summer?

# ¿ Nov 28, 2013 18:53

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 14:28

Mary Fucking Poppins: Aug 1, 2002

Any recommendations on a gravity filter? I have an REI gift card that I'd like to use up. The Platypus systems have good reviews, but there seems to be an unusually high number saying that the filter gets clogged quickly and requires backflushing after every use.

# ¿ Jan 2, 2014 15:07

Mary Fucking Poppins: Aug 1, 2002

Mercury Ballistic posted:

It does require constant back flushing in my experience. Also, it is better when shared in a large group. For one guy, it makes a lot of water, you could be better served by aqua Mira drops.

Are your water sources seeps or streams? Slow and shallow sources are better accessed with a pump where the gravity ones work better with fast deep clear water. If using a pump, rubber band a coffee filter to the suction bell and it will preserve the filter much better.

I own aqua Mira, a katadyn hiker and the platapus gravity as well as a free steripen I found. They all have their strengths.

Most of my use would probably be lake water. So maybe I would be best served by a pump? I've always gotten by on Polar Pure iodine crystals in the past, but I'm looking for something that produces better tasting water but doesn't require a ton of maintenance. I would always bring the iodine as a backup, though.

# ¿ Jan 3, 2014 14:40

Mary Fucking Poppins: Aug 1, 2002

Saint Fu posted:

Just throwing this out there, I recently bought two lightweight down jackets from Uniqlo. I ordered a parka and a vest and they were delivered today. They are pretty warm despite being extremely light weight and very packable. I bought them to wear under a wind jacket or at night to add some warmth to my bag or to use as a pillow. They're on sale and pretty cheap for a nice down jacket you can toss in any pack for unplanned cold weather on a trip.

I'm curious - what is the coldest temperature you've worn the parka in and how warm did it keep you? I just bought one of these as well and I'm skeptical that it will be warm enough. Maybe I had too high of expectations, though - I was hoping to use this underneath a light rain jacket down to 25 or 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

# ¿ Feb 20, 2014 03:40

Mary Fucking Poppins: Aug 1, 2002

Saint Fu posted:

I haven't used it on the trail yet but I have been wearing it on my public transportation commute the last few weeks under a medium thickness softshell with a hat, mittens, and snow/wind pants. The high in Chicago has been between 10-25*F with some solid wind on top of that and I've been pretty warm. Definitely warmer than I was with the soft shell and a hoodie, but I don't think it would be warm enough with just the parka and a thin wind/rain jacket in the weather we've been having. Maybe 30*F would be fine if you're active and moving around.

Thanks for the feedback. I think I'll keep it still (mostly because I can't justify $150+ for something I'll use a couple times a year), but my expectations were elevated due to the reviews on Uniqlo's website. This one in particular:

Uniqlo posted:

This is a very nice parka. It is warm for the weight as other reviewers have mentioned. I went for a walk using only a long-sleeve shirt underneath and I felt very comfortable despite the fact that temperature was about 5 F (wind chill was -7 F). [...]

I'm guessing as long as I bring a sweatshirt to layer underneath, I should be prepared for the weather I typically encounter. My biggest problem is usually just when sleeping, but I probably need a new bag - I have a Marmot Aspen synthetic bag that is supposedly rated to 20F, but it's been rough even in mid-20's while wearing multiple layers.

# ¿ Feb 21, 2014 16:50

Mary Fucking Poppins: Aug 1, 2002

Pryor on Fire posted:

I'm not trying to be a dick or anything I just think that being unable to sleep sounds after a long day of hiking sounds miserable and if it's a problem for you then backpacking would probably be really unfun. There's plenty of other fun hobbies and outsidey things you can do besides poorly sleeping in a tent while on drugs that give people horrific nightmares. It's supposed to be fun!

Yeah it's miserable, but we could also be productive and offer suggestions that might help people in that situation.

Verman posted:

I am going to start looking at new sleeping pads because as a side sleeper it's hard on my shoulder/hip to sleep on my thin thermarest. Any suggestions specifically for a side sleeper?

I'm a side sleeper, too. I started off using a Therm-a-Rest Ridge Rest but that obviously didn't work too well for me. I bought a Therm-A-Rest Trail Lite and loved it until it developed a leak. But I was treating it a little too recklessly (propping it up against trees to use as a seat), so as long as you treat it with respect I think you'll like it. I haven't bought a replacement yet, so the last time I went out I used the Ridge Rest on top of the 3 life jackets we had and that worked out well.

# ¿ Feb 27, 2014 23:28

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ¿ Apr 27, 2024 14:28

Mary Fucking Poppins: Aug 1, 2002

alnilam posted:

Question for the "I backpack in light trail runners that aren't waterproof at all and they dry real fast" people:

If something has leather in the upper, like this Teva Kimtah shoe, will it dry quickly-ish if I walk through a stream?

I know some of you hike in super light shoes and obviously this won't dry as fast as those. I'm just working on moving away from GTX cause it inevitably gets wet and dries slow as gently caress. And as I posted before, I'm trying to find a shoe that fits this bill that is also at least halfway not-weird looking in a city/casual work environment. These Tevas look pretty good for all this except for the leather in the upper, so I'm wondering if anyone has any thoughts about it.

edit: gently caress, just noticed it has "waterproof membranes" involved that are probably just off-brand goretex. Nevermind.

edit2:
but I'd ask the same question for a shoe like this or this, basically a shoe without goretex but that has leather involved

I had a similar concern when I took a backpacking trip and wanted to hang out in a big city afterward with friends that lived there. I brought the shoes I wear canoe-camping and while they dried quickly, they smelled pretty rank and were unpleasant to wear in public. I would suggest just bringing a pair of Chucks or something collapsible if you're concerned about having footwear for city use on a trip where you're also hiking.

EDIT: To be fair, I do a lot of canoe-camping and I always bring separate footwear for portaging and for camp, so it's easy for me to make that suggestion.

Mary Fucking Poppins fucked around with this message at 13:52 on Mar 13, 2014

# ¿ Mar 13, 2014 13:49

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > The Great Outdoors > Hiking & Backpacking Megathread II: Still nervous around bears