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Here are some pictures from my PCT trip this past spring/summer. All of them are from the Sierra's. I had them handy. Click for big.   
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Jan 2, 2013 07:57
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Jalumibnkrayal posted:HTC 4G Android Phone (7 ounces) + charger (2 ounces) Smartphone Yes. Take it. I use mine for music, gps, camera and my book. I know a lot of people are like, I don't want music I'm going to commune with nature. But let me tell you, nature gets loving old and you want to jam out going up some hills. Google is handy for finding stuff in town. Keeping in touch with other hikers via facebook etc whenever you want is super nice. Facebook is like a central hiker register now days. You can get a lot of good info quickly by being in your classes Facebook group. Also, you can put all sorts of phones on Straight Talk plans now days if you don't want a contract. I kept my phone in my front shirt pocket with my headphones 100% of my hike. With it on airplane mode and no apps running, the battery drain is actually less than if you turn it on and off. I'd wake up in the morning, pack up and turn on my phone for the day. This leaves it accessible for quick pictures, checking my location, checking the time, or turning on some tunes. Kindle My girlfriend's kindle lost a fight with her bear can in the Sierras this year. Mine broke a month ago by tossing it onto the couch at home. I wouldn't carry one backpacking, they're kinda fragile and its another battery powered device you have to worry about. I do enjoy having a book on my phone. You can read a chapter in bed on your phone each night for hardly any battery. Camera Eh, I carry one, but I use my phone almost as much. I'm not sure if a camera will make it into my pack this spring. Still on the fence. I still use an old Canon A590 that takes AA's. One set of lithium will last me all summer. Solar Charger Don't bother. They're finicky and expensive for what you get. It won't replace your charger. Grab an extra battery or a battery pack. You don't always charge your phone in the motel or hostel. I've charged my phone at the supermarket, in a public restroom, at the bar, in a restaurant, convenience store etc etc. After awhile you start to get like a sixth sense for sniffing out those outlets. Everyone should attempt a thru hike. It will change how you think about life for the better
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Jan 6, 2013 05:14
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Elijya posted:How many SA posters will be out there this year? Possibly. Might be on the cdt or I might be on the at. Just depends on a few things that are still up in the air.
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Jan 11, 2013 17:26
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Saddamnit posted:REI Expedition -20 bag looks pretty good: http://www.rei.com/product/801839/rei-expedition-20-sleeping-bag I personally wouldn't spend 500+ dollars on a REI bag, especially one that still used 700 fill power down. If I were in your position, I would put a little money with it and buy a nice 5 or 0 degree bag from Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends and wear my puff coat to sleep in. I don't think that REI bag is going to be very true to its rating. Sadly, WM just raised their prices again. 
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Feb 4, 2013 02:16
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BeefofAges posted:These guys make some tempting looking sleeping bags, though I've never actually seen anyone using one: http://www.nunatakusa.com/ I have a custom specialist. You need to get a little bit of an overfill to make them comfortable at their advertised ratings imo. Not that its a bad product or anything, just a warning. Maybe they changed? The two big go to, cottage industry quilt makers right now are http://www.enlightenedequipment.com/ and http://katabaticgear.com/ I personally wouldn't buy a quilt for 20 below trips.
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Feb 4, 2013 07:32
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Fat Twitter Man posted:There's usually grazing leases on whatever state, BLM, or Forest Service land butts up against wilderness and NRAs, whether they're active or not. Barbed wire fences don't really control wildlife at all, except maybe really big animals like elk and bison. This would be mostly the reason. Also, elks give exactly zero fucks about fences. They just run right into and then through them.
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Feb 13, 2013 06:42
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Akion posted:
You should post a gear list. I developed an aversion to aquamira after about 1100 miles last year and switched to a sawyer squeeze after that.
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Feb 18, 2013 23:34
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I'm doing a national park loop because all the snow was depressing me. I spent a week in big bend and three days in guadalupe. Im in carlsbad for the night because I'm really dirty. You know you smell like a bum when all the daywalkers you pass smell like soap and perfume. Anyways, I'm going to carlsbad and then back to guadalupe for another day or so. Then its off to Arizona. I'm going to check out saguaro for a few days, head to Tempe for some spring training games, rim to rim to rim at the canyon if weather and permits plays nice and then north to utah. If anyone would like to join up for whatever just send me a pm.
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Mar 7, 2013 18:59
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Tarptents are swell. I still have my old contrail kicking around. My friend used it for about 1800 miles last year. He borrowed it after my zpacks caught up to me. Some of my friends used a double rainbow on their pct thru. Maybe take a look at zpacks also?
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Mar 11, 2013 16:49
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I own a fly creek 2 and I don't reccomend it. Way too heavy as a shelter for one person and too cramped for people 6'1 and up. The walls are sloped heavily and with two people you will be right on them soaking all the condensation/moisture up. The materials are flimsy, including the poles. These thoughts and opinions are from long term use.
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Mar 12, 2013 00:27
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hobbez posted:Popping in to ask if anyone has a recommendation for a good overnight (2-3 nights) trail in the grand canyon area that we could still book in late may? I'm sure there are a lot. My crew is in pretty good shape, we've got all our gear, and we can do just about anything that isn't straight rock climbing. I just did a rim2rim2rim. I went in and got a walk up permit no probs, you just have to be flexible. We have some friends that work for the nps in the backcountry, so we got hang out where others might not after we came back down from the north side. We did a nice day hike down the Tonto trail. Honestly, I thought the ~15 miles we did on the Tonto had better views than everything on the r2r2r and that includes South Kaibab, North Kaibab and the Bright Angel. Also, the Grand Canyon has the rudest hikers in the world as far as I'm concerned. Worse than dirty southbound JMT'ers. mystes posted:Of course, the trend is also toward carrying less stuff Less gear, more beer. Canna Happy fucked around with this message at 21:36 on Apr 9, 2013 |
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Apr 9, 2013 21:33
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Chroisman posted:More hiking gear questions: Could anyone please recommend some relatively cheap but high quality brands of moisture wicking shirts and pants? Got some extended periods of wet conditions ahead of me and if I bring my normal cotton stuff I will never get dry. Thanks in advance. Go to your local thrift stores/st vinnys/goodwill etc and check the racks. Any poly dress/western shirt will work fine and will be super cheap. Pants will be a touch harder. Try the thrift stores first and then move on to the REI/local outfitters sale racks and pick through them. As far as actual outdoorsy brands, I really really like Outdoor Research's line of button up short sleeve shirts. They don't stink as soon and they dry super fast.
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Apr 14, 2013 21:45
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Compression and elevation!
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Apr 19, 2013 02:36
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Kinkajou posted:Should I be taping/mole skinning it during the day or just leave it be? Run some thread through with a needle to let it drain. Afer that, leave it to dry up and form a callous. I never tape anymore. Just thread to help the blister wick the moisture. Canna Happy fucked around with this message at 07:09 on May 16, 2013 |
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May 16, 2013 07:04
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PRADA SLUT posted:I have a Swiss Army Knife that I keep in my pack when day hiking. You only need one knife. I personally carry a derma safe as my knife on all my hikes. I think the swiss army will be perfectly fine.
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May 18, 2013 06:33
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Marshmallow Mayhem posted:should I seam seal it? Yup, for sure.
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May 19, 2013 09:45
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My contrail has a pct thru hike (plus other use) on it, and while its slightly beat up, it is still serviceable. I would recommend adding guylines to the sides at the very least. They make the tent much more storm worthy. The front beak guy and the rear guy in the middle of the footbox help, but are not as crucial. The stock guyline tensioners are also kind of iffy after a lot of use. When your guyline gets old, smashed up, slick, they won't hold as well. I switched all of mine to the Clam cleat style of line locs. I also just got some Altra Lone Peaks. Pretty stoked about them, but I'm still not sure I like them more than my Tevas. Anyone have some miles on their Lone Peaks? Canna Happy fucked around with this message at 15:00 on Jun 3, 2013 |
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Jun 3, 2013 14:58
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If you end up with overflow, just sleep with it.
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Jun 13, 2013 05:06
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Injuryprone posted:Does anyone with PCT experience have books they'd recommend? I'm just starting to prepare for it next year. Yogis books for planning Halfmiles maps/gps waypoints for the whole trail The water report for the first 700 miles and then Yogis pages for water sources after that. I've got logged a few thousand miles on the pct with multiple failed thru attempts if you want any adivce/tips.
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Jul 17, 2013 16:46
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Where do you go in the states for snow free long distance backpacking in January and February? Oh yeah.
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Nov 28, 2013 06:27
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EightBit posted:Big Bend in Texas is snow free and will actually have some elevation changes and not just trees. I spent two weeks in Big Bend this past spring. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but I love to act like I'm a crazy desert person. I was trying to imply that I will be thru hiking the FT starting just after the first of the year. 
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Nov 28, 2013 09:16
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Honestly, Big Bend isn't really a giant backpacker destination in my opinion. The only real backpacking trip is the Loop trail, which is just a two night trip. You can do an over nighter and make your own little loop up in the mountain area if you don't want to do the loop. I did a lot of camping in the campgrounds at Big Bend and just doing day hikes, enjoying the sunshine.
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Nov 30, 2013 22:06
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I think big bend is your go to spot in that area. I would just go there if you haven't yet and fill your extra days doing some of the fun day/short hikes. The hot springs were great for an early am soak, and the hikes near the river are pretty. I had my car so I wasn't willing to do some of the primitive drive to camping, but that could be an option to get away from the people at the three main campgrounds. I also went to the southern part Guadalupe Mountains NP on my trip. It was a neat park with a lot less people and some options for overnight trips. As a bonus, you can bag the highest point in Texas while there.
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Nov 30, 2013 22:54
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agarjogger posted:Best source for used outdoor apparel? backpackinglight.com forums
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Dec 4, 2013 06:03
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Maybe read some people's trailjournals/postholer/blogs? Oh that Craig had one of the better pct journals this year Imo.
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Jan 5, 2014 00:30
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It looks to be another super low snow year in the sierras, so keep that in mind. So, if they don't get dumped on with tons of late season, I would go late June.
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Jan 7, 2014 18:17
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Oxford Comma posted:Anyone ever get insomnia while camping? Camping or backpacking? If you have problems when backpacking, you're not doing enough miles.
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Feb 26, 2014 23:12
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Levitate posted:Got my campground reservations in for Tuolumne Meadows this morning so got all my travel logistics all sorted out for the JMT. Next step is figuring out an itinerary on the trial and resupplies and that's about it! Pretty psyched I think you will end up not wanting to go off trail much, but that has just been my experience. There are tons of spots to camp away from people. I will say, resupplying over Kearsarge is worth it if you're into checking things out. I went out via the lower bullfrog trail and came back to the jmt/pct using the high trail. That whole basin is filled with killer lakes/ponds and the pass is fairly easy as far as sierra passes go. Just double check where you can and cannot camp, because I know there are restrictions in the bullfrog lake area. Going down the east side has great views down into Independence/Hwy 395. It can take a minute or two to hitch, but there is a campground right there at onion valley so the road sees a decent amount of traffic. Once in Independnce, you have a few options. The PO/Subway/Gas station are right next to each other and there is a bus that you can catch that runs up and down 395 so Bishop and Lone Pine are just a short ride away. Also, I just finished my Florida Trail thru hike on the 13th, so if anyone wants to know anything about that I've got time to type. 
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Mar 15, 2014 21:37
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If you want a conventional sleeping bag, get a Western Mountaineering. Yes they're spendy, but you get what you pay for.
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May 19, 2014 00:53
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Ropes4u posted:Thank you for the suggestions, I think I paid 260ish for my Wm megalite off geartrade.com. If you watch, backcountry will put their returned but unused western bags up there with a nice discount, but you have to be willing to wait.
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Jun 12, 2014 00:49
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Discomancer posted:
Agreed. A good night's rest is a big part of being happy in the woods. I feel like you should spend the cash on a good bag/quilt, a neo air, a light weight backpack from one of the cottage gear makers (I like ula) and a large sil tarp. Everything else can be had for cheap, but those big four will make your trip much more enjoyable.
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Aug 22, 2014 20:39
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Sleeping pads 7 Dollar blue pad from Wal-Mart Stoves .50 cent Cat Can stove, 5 dollar Grease Pot and a 1 dollar bottle of yellow Heet and a plastic spoon from Taco Bell/Wendys/In n Out. That's what I would do to save some cash. My cook setup is exactly the same and has several thousand miles on it, including my spoon from In-n-Out. Frog toggs/Dri Ducks for rain/wind jacket purposes. Trash compactor/garbage bag for a pack liner (Don't spend 50 bucks on a pack cover). If you have time, I would buy a used bag/shelter/backpack off of the backpackinglight forums. Make sure you spend some of that money on socks/footwear. Canna Happy fucked around with this message at 08:14 on Sep 15, 2014 |
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Sep 15, 2014 08:10
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Boris Galerkin posted:Now I feel like I want to start doing this more often and I like the idea of going ultralight I think, that way I could also do some bike packing too.  http://www.tarptent.com/ http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/ http://www.zpacks.com/ Those are my three favorite shelter makers. http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/index.html The bpl forums are a little stale these days, but there is a ton of good info on them. The for sale section is also a nice place to pick up lightly used gear for a good price.
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Sep 21, 2014 08:07
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Big Cypress is the poo poo, but I don't think I would take my dog on the Florida trail there (do they have any other overnight trails there?). The visitor Centre to ten mile camp is OK, with some sections of swamp and some dry land, but after that it gets a little nuts. I remember one area I walked for a few hours with no dry land, shin+ deep water for miles. That being said, I think big cypress was my 3rd favorite section, and one of the few I would enjoy doing again. Ocala was kinda meh.
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Dec 19, 2014 09:01
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I'm the opposite of you on water treatment. I used aqua Mira from the border to Donner pass. I developed a really bad taste aversion to the drops, so when we went in to trash up reno (tattoos were had etc etc) I got a sawyer from rei. I felt like I drank more water at sources also because I didn't have to wait for 5 min to mix and then 15 to purify, I could squeeze a liter and down it (less weight carried). I also used a squeeze on the Florida trail. I'm a big fan. also lol at zip ties and wire.
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Feb 18, 2015 01:46
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I think everyone in this thread has cabin fever.
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Mar 18, 2015 04:05
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I finished my Arizona trail thru hike on wednesday and I'm now totally bored at home. I'm more than willing to answer questions if anyone is interested.
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May 18, 2015 22:58
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Speleothing posted:How often did you fart? AceRimmer posted:Is the Mazatzal Divide/Passage #23 area looking better? It was pretty crappy and impossible to follow due to wildfire damage last I heard. edit: Keep them coming. I will talk about anything (gear, chafe, water, poops, pink blazing, trail towns, etc)
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May 19, 2015 03:34
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:You did it solo? Ever worry about having stuff stolen when you're in a store, or while camping? Yeah I was solo. I had some trail friends that I camped with about 80% of the time and split motels with. Nope, no worries about that. In town I take my pack with me everywhere unless it's locked in a motel. So for example when im resupplying I just put my pack in the cart and push it around. If they have a problem they will say something. When I'm camping, I'm asleep and using most of the contents of my pack. My biggest worry is mice eating my food, which I sleep with right next to my head.
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May 20, 2015 15:18
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| # ¿ Apr 19, 2024 10:46 |
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Hopefully you bought a Western Mountaineering or a Feathered Friends if you went the traditional bag route.
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May 26, 2015 04:02
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