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Hiking and backpacking are two heads of the same coin. Hiking is taking a long walk in the natural world. Throw a long, planned nap in there (or even real sleep if you're lucky), and you got yourself a backpacking trip. It has existed long before our soft and pale modern world had a term for it or even recognized it as recreation, but people continue to do it. The original Hiking & Backpacking megathread from 2008 can be found here. Much of the content still applies, but some things I have learned as a guide, instructor and working in the outdoor industry for almost 5 years (first in retail and now for a gear manufacturer), have allowed me to add a bunch of additional detail and insights. Section 1: Hiking & Backpacking Basics Why should I hike/backpack? There are as many answers as there are people doing it, but most can be boiled down to 'it's an awesome way to do something physical, see really cool poo poo and have a ton of fun". Hiking and backpacking are amazingly good exercise with even better scenery. Based on some rough calculations, a 175lb person keeping a steady, but manageable pace over rolling hills carrying a daypack with water, snacks and a jacket is burning 500-600 Calories per hour. Throw a tent, sleeping bag, stove and food into that pack and you just raised it another 75-100 Calories an hour. I've personally lost over 100 lbs since starting to hike & backpack "seriously", and since then I've been able to push myself further and further into the realm of hiking for sport, rather than simply recreation - and I still enjoy it. Hiking also has an extremely low barrier to entry, both physically and financially. Backpacking, less so. If you can walk* you can hike. It's a safe bet that a novice hiker will have everything they need in their closet to start hitting the trail if they don't want to mortgage their house or resort to a life of crime in order to buy a coordinated hiking outfit and a backpack made from discarded space shuttles. Backpacking costs a little bit to get into it, but luckily many folks who are really into it keep a spare set of gear (or four) to loan to newcomers. When it comes time to get your own gear, there are a ton of deals around if you know where to look. *You really don't even need to walk, as evidenced by a guy I saw WITH NO ARMS OR LEGS six miles back on a really steep and rocky trail, shuffling along the ground on his stumps with a bandana over his face to keep out the dust. Man, did I ever feel like a pussy that day. The biggest drive for me to get out, though, is the awesome experiences and sense of community you find on the trail. Hikers and backpackers, for the most part, are some of the friendliest, most generous and relaxed people I know. I've seen people pop strangers blisters, give up their coats to someone headed in the opposite direction, and shared more amazing impromptu collaborative meals with my fellow outdoor weirdos than I can count. You just don't see that living in the city.  Spearhead Lake, Margaret Lake & Mount Goode, John Muir Wilderness, CA  Devil's Cornfield, Death Valley NP, CA  Zion NP, UT  James Peak Wilderness, CO Or even this…  Grizzly Peak in February, Sawatch Range, CO How do I get started? First, find a trip that interests you. Every bookstore I've ever been in has at least one guide to the local area, and most of those contain trips someone else has done and broken down like a recipe with mileage, elevation gain, (subjective) difficulty and a description. Be careful when looking at guidebooks though, and make sure they actually apply to you. I would assume that the hikes rated "difficult" in the book "60 Hikes For Small Children" aren't really what I would consider difficult. If you're allergic to books, the web has some great resources both in the form of online guidebooks and people's own trip reports. Forums like 14ers.com (dedicated to 14,000ft+ peaks in Colorado) are a wealth of knowledge as well, especially since you can get relatively up to date info on conditions, road closures or recent goon-eating bear sightings. There are links to some of the more popular web resources down below. Social organizations like the Sierra Club, the Colorado Mountain Club, Meetup.com groups, and even your local college's 'outdoor club' are also great resources to network and find out about cool places to go. GEAR Gear is so subjective that it's almost impossible to put together a definitive list of stuff you need. Hopefully the gear discussion below will give you enough information to start figuring out what works for you. I presently work for a gear company, so I can totally nerd out on this stuff; however, I'll try to keep it as succinct as possible. Footwear Arguably the most important piece of gear, proper footwear can make the difference between a great trip or blistered agony. The most popular styles can be broken down into the following categories: Trail Runners: One of the most comfortable and lightest forms of footwear is the trail running sneaker. However, what it gains in comfort, it loses in stability. Built like a traditional running shoe, these typically incorporate a more aggressive tread on the outsole and a thin, hard plastic 'rock plate' sandwiched between the mid- and outsole to protect from underfoot hazards. Fancier models may have features like a gusseted tongue to keep debris from working down into the shoe.  Hiking Boots: The most broadly defined (and most common) of the outdoor footwear types, hiking boots run the range of light hikers built off a beefed up trail runner all the way to a heavyweight full leather trekking boot. Most people when asked "why boots?" reply that they want the additional ankle stability and foot protection that a boot provides. Good things to look for in a stable boot are a solid polyurethane/TPU midsole (increases the durability and stability of the boot and, in better boots, allows for a resole) and at minimum a 1/2 length nylon shank (a rigid piece that runs along the boot lengthwise, between the last and the midsole, adding stability). If the boots you're considering don't have at least one of the above features, you're essentially buying high top sneakers that aren't going to offer the support of a true boot.  Hiking Sandals: Unless you're a river guide who is looking for something quick-draining and luggy for the occasional portage, don't bother. You'll be picking poo poo out of your feet all day.  Mountaineering Boots: These are the big boys. They look cool and you totally look like a badass in them, but they're really meant for climbing and not trail travel. Unless you're mountaineering, you really don't have a need for them. Most are fully shanked (and therefore very stiff soles), able to be resoled, fully waterproof and compatible with step-in or fully automatic crampons for ice & glacier travel. Many are insulated or have some kind of integrated gaiter. They are also insanely uncomfortable and even cheap ones for summer climbing will run you $300+. If you do need a pair and don't have access to industry deals, the best way to pick them up is from REIs used gear / garage sale. Lots of people buy them because they look cool and are SERIOUS BOOTS, wear them on one hike and say "gently caress this noise" and bring them back.  Minimalist Shoes: My feet have been so much happier since I discovered these. A good minimalist trail shoe fits like a foot glove and gives you just enough protection underfoot without interfering with the way your feet naturally work. More and more manufacturers have been making these (Vibram, VivoBarefoot, Altra, New Balance, Merrell) since they've gotten a bit 'trendy' lately. My New Balance MT10s have gotten the most use out of any of my footwear this year, including a number of 14ers on notoriously rocky trails. Personally I don't find Five Fingers comfortable for anything longer than 9 miles or so, but then again I've been using the Classics with a 3mm sole on rocky trails instead of their dedicated outdoor models (Spyridon, Trek, etc.) with a 5mm sole so YMMV.  Clothing The most important concept in outdoor apparel is creating a layering system that works for the conditions you will be in. By altering your layers throughout the day, you can vary your comfort to match the climate and conditions without carrying a lot of extraneous materials. A basic layering system breaks down like this: Naked Body --> Base Layer --> Insulating Layer(s) --> Shell A base layer's purpose is moisture management. As the layer next to your skin, it transfers your sweat away from your skin keeping your skin from getting macerated (soft and "pruned" from excess moisture, allowing it to be more easily damaged and susceptible to friction) and avoiding the chill from rapid evaporative cooling ("evaporative flash-off") to aid in effective thermal regulation. On a warm day, this may be the only layer you have on. As temperatures fall, you'll want one or more insulating layers. Insulation works by trapping a layer of air warmed by the body in the tiny air pockets in the loft of the insulating material. Insulation can be broken down further into natural and synthetic insulation, each with it's own benefits and drawbacks. Down is the go-to natural insulator and, to this day, the most effective insulating material for it's warmth to weight ratio. Down is not feathers; it is the soft plumules found underneath the outer layer of a bird's feathers (almost like the bird's own base layer). Most down used as insulating material is goose down, sourced as a by-product of the food industry. While most responsible manufacturers use down that is not live-plucked, much of the food that it is sourced from is fois gras which has it's own set of ethical issues. The quality of down is rated in 'fill power', which is the volume in cubic inches of one ounce sample of down measured in a cylinder compressed with a standardized weight (the US and Europe use different preparation of the samples and different sized cylinders and weights for testing, depending on the spec used). Put more simply, a 1oz sample of 650 fill power down has a volume of 650 cubic inches when tested. The higher the rating, the less feather and quill content of the down and the more of the fluffy plumules containing the insulating air pockets. This is different from fill weight, which is the mass of down in the garment. While down is the most effective insulator and breathes well, allowing it greater thermoregulation and a wider range of comfortable wearing temperatures, it does not like moisture at all. When down gets wet, either from sweat or rain, the plumules clump and lose the insulating air pockets within them and therefore all of it's insulating properties. This makes down a poor choice during active exercise, but great to throw on to trap your warmth when you stop moving. A few companies are beginning to experiment with "DriDown" which is down with a polymer coating to make it more resistant to water, but this is still new technology and very expensive. A good rule of thumb for wearing down is, if it's warm enough to sweat, it's too warm for down. Synthetic insulation comes in many forms, from fleece to 'down-like' lofted synthetic insulation like Primaloft One (which has the closest insulating value [R-value] to down at present, and is used to insulate the space shuttles). Since they're non-absorbent, synthetics retain most of their insulating value even when wet. Plus they are often less expensive than their down counterparts. The downside to synthetic insulation is that it's heavier for the relative insulating value and tends to trap moisture from sweat. Additionally the fibers in a lofted synthetic insulating material tend to get brittle and break over time, giving the piece a shorter effective life span than a comparable down garment (properly cared for down can literally last a lifetime). The final piece to the layering system is the shell layer, which is to protect you from the elements (wind & precipitation). Shells can be a "hard shell" which get their protective capabilities from a physical barrier layer (i.e., PTFE, Polyurethane, etc. ) or a "soft shell" which tends to be stretchier, more breathable and less waterproof (though in most conditions a soft shell is still ample protection). Shell layers are typically not designed to offer insulating properties, although the thickness of soft shells and vapor barrier characteristics of hard shells do add a negligible amount of additional warmth. Backpacks Packs, like footwear, is another area where a good fit is critical to your comfort on a trip. For day hikes, most any pack 35L or smaller will do. Find one you like and go for it. A perennial favorite for a super lightweight, no-frills day pack is the REI Flash 18 ($35 / 11oz). For loads over about 25lbs, you should start considering a framed pack which use either an external frame of tubular aluminum or an internal frame with a plastic frame sheet and one or more anatomically curved internal aluminium stays. In a well fitting framed pack, the frame works in conjunction with the waist belt to transfer the load from your shoulders and back to the hips where you can utilize the large, powerful muscles of the legs to take most of the weight. Until you get comfortable with how a good pack should fit, you should have someone who knows what they are doing fit you. The key things to look for in a well fitting pack are: - The hip belt should be positioned on the iliac crest (uppermost part of the top of the hip) NOT around the waist. A good way to cheat the belt into position is to snap the closure right on top of your bellybutton. - Shoulder straps should wrap cleanly around the top of the shoulders with minimal, if any, lifting in the back. - Buckles on the shoulder straps should be 2-3" below the armpit. With the pack fitted to you and loaded with 30ish pounds, wear it around the store for 15-30 minutes and check the comfort. If something is out of place or not fitting right, it should make itself know in that time. Buy the size of pack that you need for what you are doing and no larger. Large packs are hard to pack well since your load seems to shift around in the empty space, and if there's extra space you will always find that you want to bring something else because "hey, it fits!". This leads to you wanting to huck that poo poo off the nearest cliff top as the extra weight wears on you. STILL TO DO: - Shelters (tents, hammocks, etc.) - Sleeping bags - Add more pics - FAQ i_heart_ponies fucked around with this message at 19:00 on Dec 8, 2012 |
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Dec 7, 2012 18:55
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Hike With a Goon: Let me know if you want to be a part of this list and I'll add you! Username (Click for PMs), Location Western US
Midwestern US
Eastern US
i_heart_ponies fucked around with this message at 21:32 on Jul 2, 2014 |
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Dec 7, 2012 18:57
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EvilElmo posted:Where can I find out more information about hiking in the snow/mountaineering? It's something I would like to get in to. The book 'Mountaineering: The Freedom Of The Hills' is pretty much recognized as the gold standard textbook and you may be able to find a course in your area that uses it. That's the course you want to be in, at least to start. My mountaineering education started with the Wilderness Travel Course through the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club which includes a 3-day snow camp. After that, I took the 'snow travel school' through Sierra Mountaineering International where you learn the basics of ice axe self-arrest, crampon technique, glacier travel and crevasse rescue. I then got my Wilderness First Responder through NOLS / WMI and built up a decent climbing resume through the connections I made in the WTC & SMI courses, so that I could take the AMGA Alpine Guide course followed by two seasons as an 'associate guide' doing rope gunning and other bitch work for top-tier IFMGA / AMGA certified guides in the Eastern Sierras. If you're interested in taking it to the same level, remember that mountaineering is a relatively small community of really weird people that enjoy suffering. Keep yourself in great shape, be eager to learn, willing to work brutally hard in nasty conditions without complaining and most of all BE HUMBLE and recognize that you don't know poo poo. The other half is all about meeting the right people. Here's a pic from the trailhead of a mellow training climb I did with a friend last January (I'm on the left):  And this is how much mountaineering is a part of me. It's truly the love of my life. 
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Dec 9, 2012 22:20
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You could always get this thing and use it during the summer for Mortal Kombat cosplay, too.
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Dec 10, 2012 06:50
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Tyger41 posted:All these pictures are very inspiring. Also, like a level 10 nerd, I went and saw The Hobbit this morning at the first showing and now I really want to go find some "cliff trail" type hikes like the one where they filmed the movie, where they were on cliff edges and on ridges. The Sawtooth Ridge between Mount Evans and Mount Bierstadt has a couple classic routes across it with varying degrees of exposure that would fit the bill quite nicely.  The Mount Evans massif is also responsible for much of Denver's weather systems, so during the summer you can get some really dramatic storms. When I headed up in August 2011 to backpack at Abyss Lake, there was a phenomenal storm that built directly over the ridge and blasted us with grape-sized hail for the better part of 3 hours. It was especially fun being above tree line and having to take shelter under the scattered boulders since the hail was pounding with such force that it was shedding any exposed skin. 
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Dec 16, 2012 23:33
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a foolish pianist posted:Evans is awesome. I thought the Sawtooth was a fourth class scramble, though? It can be as spicy as you want it to be, but it goes at solid Class 3 along the west side. The pictures I posted are from Abyss Lake on the eastern side of the ridge, which is a lot more dramatic looking. The route is pretty well worn and the cairns are usually pretty logical and well maintained. Here's a pretty good video of the route, complete with lovely hippie music and afternoon hail bombardment.
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Dec 16, 2012 23:55
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amethystbliss posted:I'm moving to New Zealand next month and plan to do most of the big treks (http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/great-walks/) plus a lot of day hikes. I'm very new to hiking and have pretty much only done day hikes as a tourist. The biggest hike I've done was in the Atlas Mountains during a holiday to Morocco, and it wasn't all that intensive. Those look like they'll be just fine for a basic all-around boot. They're reasonably light and built on a solid and comfy platform. The GTX designation means they have a Gore-Tex membrane, which I find to be uncomfortable in anything but a 'cool weather' boot for the mountains, but it depends on your comfort. I don't mind my feet getting wet, as long as they dry quickly.
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Dec 27, 2012 21:41
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Nope, those are pretty solidly hiking boots and not climbing boots. They have a general-purpose Vibram sole. Climbing boots usually have a dedicated sole, like the Vibram Mulaz, with a flat 'climbing zone' on the bottom of the toe and some way to quickly put on semi-auto crampons - at least a heel bail notch, if not a toe welt too. I'm guessing it's only a 3/4 shank in the midsole. Is there any toe flex at all? It's kind of rare to find that kind of boot with a metal shank, since most manufacturers have switched to nylon for weight savings.
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Dec 31, 2012 20:42
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Hot drat EPICAC, that is pretty much my favorite way for trees to look. I'm still eagerly awaiting some sort of consistent snowpack here in CO - I can still see patches of dirt up high on some 14ers on my drive into work in the morning and it makes me sad.
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Jan 7, 2013 18:59
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JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:Any other ideas? How is Rocky Mountain accessibility this time of year? I can't handle any real ice or anything, just snowshoes, and probably not terribly far, maybe ten miles in max? I can only speak to the east side of the park, since that's where I've spent the past few weekends. Fall River Road and Trail Ridge Road are both closed until Spring, but the Beaver Meadows Entrance is accessible and all the fire closures that were hopping in December along around the Moraine Park and Bear Lake Road have been lifted. There is some construction on Bear Lake Road where the road is graded dirt / gravel for about 10-15 minutes before Glacier Gorge, but the only even moderately sketchy part of that road (the final switchbacks up to the Bear Lake trailhead) is still paved. The entire thing is passable to any car. As far as trail conditions, it's been a lean year and the super deep snow is only up high in wind loaded areas and in the trees. Most of the commonly used winter trails are pretty well tracked out for the first 3 miles or so. I didn't even bother putting my snowshoes on last weekend until about 10k feet. I'm headed up to RMNP again tomorrow for more snowshoeing so I'll have a better idea how this dump we got over the past two days has affected things. If you have any questions about particular areas in the park let me know and I can either check em out or talk to a ranger while I'm there. If you do end up making it over this way and want some company let me know; I just renewed my annual pass and am out there as much as I can be this time of year since once you get past the blue jean clad Nebraskans sucking air 3 miles in, you get pretty much free reign for the rest of the day. MMD3 posted:please tell me there's a way to load google topos/routes onto my garmin 450, that'd be rad. I'm not sure how'd you get the topos on there (doesnt the 450 come pre-loaded with topos?), but getting the routes on is pretty easy to do without extra software. Export your route as a KML / KMZ file and use GPS Visualizer to convert the file to GPX for transfer to your device. There may be easier ways with your fancy modern GPS, but that's how I do it with my old eTrex Vista HCx w/ Micro-SD map cards.
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Feb 15, 2013 23:24
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stupid puma posted:People on an outdoor forum I post on recommend Motion-x GPS. I haven't tried it on a trip yet, but from the little I've messed around with it it seems legit. Not sure where it pulls its maps from. It's a little hard to figure out how to use at first but I think it's free so you can try it out and just delete it if you don't like it. MotionX is really sweet and for the $2 or whatever it costs, it's more than worth it. It pulls maps from the following: MotionX Maps: - Road (Data from OpenStreetMap) - Terrain (Data from OpenCycleMap) Bing Maps: - Road - Satellite - Hybrid - Terrain Apple Maps: - Road - Satellite - Hybrid NOAA Marine For offline map downloads you're limited to using the MotionX maps or NOAA Marine map. I've also been using "Offline Topo Maps" by TrailBehind which is a nifty little app that downloads USGS topo quads and overlays GPS data. Last I checked it was $10, but it occasionally goes on promotion for free which is how I got it. If you have any of those app sniping programs / services that alert you of price changes it may be worthwhile to add it to your wishlist.
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Feb 19, 2013 21:59
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It's been a good week to get out and sample the environments close to me. I spent most of the work week in and around Moab for business, which included a couple nice hikes through Arches National Park. You forget just how drat cold it gets in the desert. It was just under 30°F when this picture was taken.  Then on Saturday I spent the day enjoying the recent addition to the Colorado snowpack up in Rocky Mountain National Park. It was a gorgeous bluebird day and we only encountered a little wind up at the high lakes. Snowshoes were unnecessary for most of the day as the trails are packed pretty well. They definitely helped though on the push up the hill to Loch Vale where we stopped for lunch. 
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Mar 4, 2013 01:03
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^^^ Nice! My buddy and I were talking yesterday about coming back in the summer. The lake looks a lot bigger when your vantage point isn't from the middle of its frozen surface. The entire area in the foreground of your photo was the most stunning bright blue color and the wind had sculpted and polished the surface into really cool shapes. If you can get back there now do it!Dread Head posted:I am going to be doing my first real winter camping next weekend, pretty excited. Only thing I am not sure what I am unsure about is what I am going to do for food. For other trips I have done freeze dried back packers pantry stuff but after my last trip I don't really want to do that again. Any suggestions on alternatives? I can't stand freeze dried "camping food" and refuse to eat it. It's way too expensive for what's essentially a substandard meal with a multivitamin mixed in. Many freeze dried soup / noodle / pasta mixes from the regular old supermarket work great. Personally I like bringing the Knorr Pasta Sides from the "Rice-A-Roni Aisle" with me. They definitely cook better with a stove that has flame control (not JetBoils, where they pretty much scorch instantly on the bottom) and for about $1.50 they work great. Bring some extra protein to throw in there. Also Fritos are pretty great in the backcountry since they're pretty much just fat and salt; I can't stand them otherwise. Tasty Bite Indian food pouches work really well, although they're much heavier than a freeze-dried alternative. I mix those with some instant boil-in-bag brown rice for a really hearty meal. Oatmeal is a good standby for breakfast since it's so hearty and you can add fruit and honey along with a non-dairy creamer packet for extra flavor (and sugar) for a minimal weight penalty. Pop-Tarts are great as long as you take care to pack them well since they smash easily. Most Whole Foods also have a huge display dedicated to the "Just Veggies / Just Fruit" dehydrated foods which, while somewhat expensive, make it a bit easier to put together your own soups and other favorite foods without owning a dehydrator of your own. This veggie mix along with some Soba noodles and a bouillion cube in a ziplock bag is really tasty, healthy and easy to make. My favorite thing to bring winter camping however are those cookie dough tubes you can get in the refrigerator case. When it's cold it freezes to the consistency of cookie dough ice cream and it's really easy to eat on the trail. I eat super healthy at home but my diet goes to poo poo in the name of ensuring I am getting enough calories every day at altitude. It's kinda fun to cheat like that. i_heart_ponies fucked around with this message at 01:54 on Mar 4, 2013 |
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Mar 4, 2013 01:24
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Hell, if conditions call for it I bring my stove on cold enough hikes. Sitting on a frozen lake drinking tea in the wind and spindrift is wonderful.
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Mar 5, 2013 16:13
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For snowshoes: Unless you live in some place completely devoid of hills, MSR is the way to go. The lateral rails on even their entry level models make it so side-hilling is an option and you don't have to charge every trail straight up like you're from New England. In the mountaineering course I taught, the MSR Denalis were the student snowshoe of choice since they're so durable, reliable and perform well. April - June is when you will typically find the best deals, although my girlfriend picked up some Denali Evo Ascents at the beginning of the season for $65-. I'm using the MSR Lightning Axis and they're just about perfect for me @ 6' / 175lbs in the Rockies - I managed to pick them up two seasons ago for $110- new from REI. Heading up to RMNP a few weekends ago really highlighted the difference between MSRs and other brands; my buddy on his Atlas snowshoes had to slide down a few hills from lack of traction while I was just fine. I also had the chance to experiment with a new trail meal this weekend in the form of Thai Peanut Noodles. Reconstitute 2 tbsp PB2 with soy sauce packets (1 packet per tbsp of PB2), 1/2 tbsp sesame oil and 1 tbsp Sriracha (premix in a screw top mini Nalgene container) then add to 4oz of flat rice noodle that only take 4-6 minutes to cook. If the sauce is too thick, a dab of water will thin it out for easy mixing. I topped mine with dehydrated smoked tofu, nutritional yeast (extra protein, aminos & b-vitamins) and sesame seeds, but you can use whatever other protein you like if you're not a smelly hippie. All in all it took under 10 minutes to make and it was so warm and spicy and hearty. I think I'm going to start making it for normal dinner at home, too. i_heart_ponies fucked around with this message at 05:26 on Mar 18, 2013 |
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Mar 11, 2013 18:46
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Chroisman posted:What are people's opinions on shock absorption in hiking poles? I've only ever walked with stuff that doesn't have shock absorption and I like that I can immediately put weight on the pole without any further downward travel after contact with the ground, however I need to buy new poles and the ones that I've found at a great price are the Black Diamond Contour Elliptic Shocks. I'm just wondering if I get them, if the shocks will be so great that it will rock my world, if I won't notice them, or if I'll hate the extra movement of the poles. I'm aware the Contour Elliptic Shocks have that weird non-spring shock installed just under the grip. I've used those really, really cheap poles with lovely springs in the bottoms before and I hated those. If you're skeptical of shock absorption, the elastomer dampers in the BD poles will give you the least issues of any of the varieties out there. There really isn't anywhere for them to go wrong without catastrophic failure of the pole itself. I had a pair of BD Trail Shocks that I used when I was a fat guy basically until I lost one of them off a cliff somewhere in the Sierras. If anything I feel that they extended the life of the poles, since my weight had somewhere to go aside from directly into the pole shaft itself. I'm using Leki Super Makalu Corklite Aergon poles now which also have shock absorption, but spring-based in the lower section. After 3 years of hard use year-round, I have never experienced a failure or anything even minorly annoying. Frankly most time I forget they're even there until I have to borrow someone else's poles, and then I miss them. I also have pretty bad tendinosis throughout my right arm from climbing and ice axe self arrests which gets aggravated from overuse and repeatedly bashing poles into uneven terrain so YMMV. Basically, on a well made pole (Read: NOT Komperdell or REI brand) they're not a gimmick and not anything you should feel like you have to avoid due to liability. If you can get a great deal on 'em go for it. Black Diamond is having their winter clearance right now, so they have a bunch of discounted poles from last season including the Alpine Carbon and Ultra Distance Z-Poles (also Carbon Fiber) for $105 and Distance FLs for $84 - none of which have shock absorption.
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Mar 19, 2013 06:07
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BeefofAges posted:Dinosaurs!, I suggest you get some trail runners. Hiking boots are overkill, but minimalist shoes take some getting used to if you want to hike in them without really wearing out your feet. I've done a lot of hiking in both Vibram Five Fingers and in Salomon trail runners, and I think trail runners are better for general purpose hiking. Agreed 1000%. Minimalist shoes take a while to adapt to before you will want to do any kind of distance in them. Don't miss out on a season of hiking and backpacking because you bought the wrong shoes. Get a pair of trail runners and a minimalist second pair when you have the chance.
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Mar 21, 2013 18:33
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For a while all the Marines at Camp Pendleton were coming into my shop for the Lowa Desert Zephyrs before they went overseas. They got approved by their commanders or whatever (I have no idea how the military works) and apparently they're much better than the boots they had been issued. They don't meet your requirements (since they're a desert boot), but i think back to that every time I see someone dressed like Rocky Mountain Rambo on the trail and wonder how uncomfortable they must be to keep up that image.
i_heart_ponies fucked around with this message at 21:25 on Apr 8, 2013 |
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Apr 8, 2013 00:11
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Yes, take the "dirty" hose off each time and store it in the zip-top plastic bag to keep it separate. I've been using a Hiker Pro heavily since 2007 (group trips with students) and am still using my same hoses, so you don't need to worry about wear and tear. The hoses break in after a half dozen attempts which make putting them on easier, but they are a little tight at first to ensure a snug fit.
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Apr 18, 2013 23:12
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The most miserable I have ever been was on a 4 day trip along the crest of the Inyo Mountains, a desert range east of the Sierra Nevada (across the Owens Valley). There was absolutely zero water sources along the trail so we started with 15L per person... 33lbs of just water. I ended up having a hydration bladder failure on the second day and lost 3 liters down the back of my legs which, combined with the fact that I had jumped to 11k+ feet from my apartment at 700 ft, caused me to run out on day three and have to fill my 10L MSR Dromedary with the only patch of snow I could find (after I scraped the rat poo poo off the top) and sleep with it under my shirt in order to melt enough for the next day. GOOD TIMES! Now that I;ve lost a lot of weight I don't burn through water like I used to, but that trip left a bad taste in my mouth (not just the vegetal taste of the melted poo poo-snow either) for hydration bladders. I find that if I don't have a floppy tube there to tempt me with readily available slurps I can ration my water a lot better, as well as being forced to see just how much water I have left in my bottles. For short hikes I like the 1L Platypus bags with sport tops, for longer hikes where weight is a concern I use repurposed 32oz Gatorade bottles I stole out of my apartment's recycling - they're a few grams lighter than Platypus bottles and surprisingly durable. For winter trips I use the HDPE (cloudy plastic) Nalgenes with bottle jackets so I can throw some near-boiling water in there and use them as heat packs in my sleeping bag at night. Since most of my trips now are in the Rockies where streams and creeks are plentiful, my usual summer limit is 1Liter in my pack as a 'backup' and I carry one of these $12 AquaMira filter-straws to carry in my pocket and drink straight from the water sources as I go. i_heart_ponies fucked around with this message at 19:58 on Apr 28, 2013 |
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Apr 28, 2013 19:48
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Load up a pack to your usual weight. Throw on some normal trainers and walk up and down a few flights of stairs. Repeat that a couple times. Did your ankles feel OK? Congrats you can hike in a less supportive shoe like a trail runner. Did you feel wobbly or like your ankles would roll out at any given minute? You should probably stick with boots. The problem with shoe recommendations in this thread is that they are so subjective; what works for your body type and foot structure and build and load and hiking style and terrain is going to be different than mine. I like doing rocky 14ers in minimalist trainers; would I suggest that to pretty much anyone else on the face of the earth? No. While you're experimenting with what works for you, shop a place with a good return policy and try some stuff out on increasingly more strenuous hikes. That being said, if you're getting blood blisters under your toes (especially in the Moab) there is pretty clearly something wrong with the fit of your boots. Either they're too short or too narrow in the toebox. Even the mid-height of the Moabs don't offer much ankle support, so if you're not rolling ankles or feeling wobbly on the trail you could probably get away with a trail runner. I have Morton's Toe, so both length and width of the toebox is critical to my comfort and I've found the Merrell MIx Master 2s to be nice and supportive underfoot (a great cushy midsole and a good rock plate), low drop, aggressively treaded and HUGE in the forefoot. So much so that I actually had to size down half a size from what I wear in my NB Minimus MT10s.
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Apr 30, 2013 17:37
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LogisticEarth posted:Yeah, boots. I own a pair of the Merrel Trail Glove 2's, but they're more for running and strength training than hiking. I'm sure it would be ok on a relatively developed trail for a shorter hike, but those things have next to zero padding, no shank, and are low. For your first backpacking trip I just have a feeling that your feet would be destroyed. The Trail Glove 2's have a rock plate as well as 4mm of EVA in the midsole, so they're a bit more beefed up than your average VFF (the only Five Fingers with a rock plate to my knowledge is the Spyridon). One of the big changes to the Trail Glove 2's over the original Trail Gloves posted above is the DWR treatment to the mesh, so they won't wet out as quickly in soggy conditions. You'll still get wet in either of them, but less so in the 2s. If wetness is what you're trying to avoid definitely go for the boots, but if it's a short-ish hike your feet are made out of leather and are waterproof themselves so it's not like you'll be getting trench foot. It will probably just be uncomfortable. The Vapor Gloves are 2mm of floppy EVA and no rock plate so they're going to going to match up to VFFs a lot better as far as foot protection goes (meaning there is none). I still consider the Vapor Gloves to be my favorite trail running shoe, even more than my beloved New Balance MT10s, but I'm also a pretty dedicated and experienced un-shod runner / hiker. I like the Vapor Gloves for camp shoes too because they pretty much weigh next to nothing, roll up tiny and feel like a slipper made from a T-shirt and an old bike tire on your swollen feet at the end of the day. LogisticEarth, check out the new Ascend Gloves when you get a chance... they're more of a beefed up Trail Glove with 6mm of EVA and a Trail Protect pad in the forefoot and heel (like a slightly softer rock plate for protection w/o sacrificing ground feel) and still a zero drop package. I love them so much. i_heart_ponies fucked around with this message at 03:45 on Jun 14, 2013 |
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Jun 14, 2013 03:33
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All the backcountry sites require permits so while I can recommend a bunch of stuff, not knowing what sites will be actually available to you as a walk-up makes my recommendations moot. Check out stuff in the Glacier Gorge area, it's relatively easily accessible from the park entrance without too much driving, there are a ton of designated backcountry sites in the area and it puts you in striking distance of a lot of cool peaks on the divide (Flattop, Otis, Hallett. etc.) for high day hikes. Also, it may be June, but there is still plenty of snow up there so be prepared. Also, currently active wildfires closed a bunch of stuff near Grand Lake so check out the conditions of the "Big Meadows Fire" before planning anything in that area. It was 75% contained as of yesterday (Sunday). i_heart_ponies fucked around with this message at 00:30 on Jun 18, 2013 |
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Jun 18, 2013 00:28
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I really like Arc'teryx stuff, but they used to be much much more worth it when they still made their stuff in Canada. They moved their production to China around 2009 and their quality did take a hit, at least in their finishing details (you never used to see adhesive over-runs on seam tape and the like). I've been working in the outdoor apparel & footwear market for much too long though, so I'm a nerd about that stuff. Their climbing harnesses are still tits though. I'm kind of sad I got too skinny to use my R320a and I'm back to a climbing in a BD Momentum. Also, you'll notice that they are one of the last remaining manufacturers to still use real Gore-Tex instead of using an in-house ePTFE membrane. Doing anything with W.L. Gore and Associates costs a pretty penny in R&D and manufacturing because you have to license the Gore-Tex name, buy all your materials from WL Gore & Assoc., make pre-release samples to have signed off by QC at WL Gore & Assoc. (who also warranty your purchase to be waterproof), etc... Take a look at the Patagonia Super Alpine Jacket, which is on par with an Arc'teryx Theta SV. It MSRPs at $599 compared to "only" $550 for the comparable Arc'teryx piece. So is it worth it? For the right people, definitely. I would say that most people who are dropping that kind of coin at REI on an Arc'teryx piece are doing it because it looks cool (aw man that skeleton bird is siiiiiiiiiiiiiick) and they figure that it's the "best" because it costs so much - even though they will never use it to it's full potential. Much like most BMW M-Series you end up seeing are doing 30MPH in rush hour just like the guy in the clapped out 1992 Accord in the next lane.
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Jun 19, 2013 02:41
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Business of Ferrets posted:What is it with the graph-paper motif of all the UL stuff? It looks like pants I had in the 80s. Or contact paper from my mom's pantry. Does the fabric only come in one style? Or is it visual branding so that everyone knows it's ultra light? The ULA Circuit is made with a Dyneema (ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene) reinforced nylon ripstop fabric. Dyneema is so dense that it can not absorb dye which gives it the "graph-paper motif". Because it is 15 times stronger than steel by weight it allows you to use a much lighter nylon base fabric without compromising strength, which is why you see it on ultralight stuff all the time. Comes in all kinds of colors, but the Dyneema will always be white.   JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted:Cram tent/fly into a compression bag, lash the stakes/poles to the outside of your pack. Run your poles vertically inside your pack in the hydration sleeve pocket rather than lashing them (or really anything you don't want to lose or get damaged) to the outside of your pack. i_heart_ponies fucked around with this message at 02:31 on Jul 3, 2013 |
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Jul 3, 2013 02:23
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TerminalSaint posted:A (spergy) pet peeve of mine, but vibram is a kind of boot sole, or more specifically, a company that manufactures said boot soles. The toe shoes are FiveFingers. A (spergy) pet peeve of mine: it's pronounced "veebram" not "viberam". EDIT FOR RADNESS: Oh hey I went on a very pretty backpack a couple of weeks ago. My girlfriend and I had the same days off for once, so we got to do a quick and easy overnighter up to Helms Lake in the Mount Evans Wilderness. She hadn't been out for a while, so we decided to go pretty heavy (well for me anyway, I was grumpy) and bring the big tent and wine and stuff. A snowshoe hare stole my trekking poles from underneath my sleeping body and gnawed up the handles during the night. I went home and ate a pizza. All in all, a very good trip. Here are picture.  You head up through alternating forests of aspens and pines,  and cross Scott Gomer creek a bunch of times.   There's a nice open area with good campsites just before Helms Lake at 11,730'  The views are alright. That's Epaulet Mtn in the background. You've also got a view of Mt. Evans and Mt. Bierstadt, along with Bierstadt's east ridge.  The pines were getting frisky in the breeze on our way down. We were covered in pollen, especially from brushing through the pines with our packs / bodies.  There were a number of perfect looking Colorado Blue Columbines (the state flower) just off the side of the trail too. i_heart_ponies fucked around with this message at 08:05 on Jul 7, 2013 |
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Jul 7, 2013 07:40
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With hiking footwear there is almost no instance in which the shoe is too loose in the toebox unless you are sloppy in the heel (sliding forward / slipping out) or tripping over the length. You want it to fit snug in the heel, secure around the instep but have plenty of room up front. Hiking is hard on your feet, even more so when you have a pack. You need the room to not only accomodate the foot swell reasons mentioned above, but also to allow the toes to splay out for stability via proprioception and to allow the transverse and longitudinal arches of the foot to flatten out under load like a leaf spring to absorb shock. If you restrict the foot's ability to get wider to absorb impact forces, the force still has to go somewhere and ends up leading to additional fatigue and soreness of the feet, legs, hips and back.
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Jul 9, 2013 05:49
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An easy way to fly with a liquid fuel canister in your checked luggage with absolutely zero hassle is to fill it with white vinegar and label it as such with a piece of masking tape on the outside.
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Aug 19, 2013 04:21
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Speleothing posted:Call them Five Fingers. Vibram is a rubber company. And it's pronounced "Veeb-ram", not "Vibe-ram" (though unless you work in footwear you probably say it the wrong way and it won't affect your life in the slightest.) tofes posted:Does anyone have a recommendation for an iOS app that reads .gpx files? Motion-X GPS - it's only a couple bucks, can cache maps for offline use, read and create GPX files and even offers realtime google maps-based tracking for friends / family (like you find on the SPOT beacons) as long as you have a cell signal. It's one of the best and most used apps I have ever purchased.
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Aug 26, 2013 16:44
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Levitate posted:What if I need to wear my fleece Buy a down sweater and use the weight savings to justify carrying a travel pillow. Lava Lamp Goddess posted:So my feet sweat. A lot. As JAY ZERO SUM GAME posted above, ditch the waterproof boots / shoes. You don't need them. Seriously. Your feet are made of leather and inherently waterproof. You might also want to move to a shoe with a lower drop from heel to toe (doesn't stretch the fat pad out as much across the pad of your feet, giving you a bit more natural cushioning) or try a lacing trick to hold your heel more securely back into the heel cup to eliminate any kind of front to back sliding motion. Post your boots and I can give you specific suggestions. Since we talking 'bout shoes: the shoes below have been magic for my feet this summer. I call them my "hiking slippers". Between both pair I have been up seven 14ers and logged well over 400 trail miles in all kinds of terrain (rocks, mud, willows, pine duff, scree, etc.) without so much as a hotspot. The mesh is so light and breathable that I can come back from a trail run, take my shoes off and walk on concrete without leaving a sweaty footprint. I'm pulling the trigger on my third pair this Friday - not that the others are even close to being retired; I just love them that much. Zero drop, 6mm midsole, full length rock pad, a Vibram outsole with a braking heel and they only weigh 8oz each.   BONUS PHOTOS: (It's been a fun summer)  Mt. Democrat's summit, just after sunrise - Alma, CO  Kite Lake Campground, Alma, CO  The summit of Mt. Lincoln.  Scouting the 3rd class east ridge of Bierstadt, the hardest route up Colorado's wimpiest 14er.  A better look at the full east ridge.  Guanella Pass Trailhead at 11am. This is why you start your 14ers at 6am folks. We passed sooooo many people just getting started when we were almost back to the parking lot. They were hiking into that... which included thunder so violent that it was setting off car alarms. i_heart_ponies fucked around with this message at 03:49 on Sep 10, 2013 |
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Sep 10, 2013 02:55
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SpitztheGreat posted:Just did Hadley Mountain in the Adirondacks. The description that I read had it labeled as a "moderate" hike- and that's bullshit; there's nothing "moderate" about it. While it's a rather short hike (five miles round trip) it is one of the most intense climbs I've done. There are great views at the top, and a fire tower which gives you a spectacular 360 view of the Adirondacks. It's a three or four mile round trip / 1600 foot ascent hike of a mountain that has a cabin up top for the "summit steward", not an ascent of Cerro Torre. Kick back, enjoy your hike and don't get so upset with the folks that HAVE NO BUSINESS ON SUCH A SERIOUS CLIMB. PS - No matter how steep it gets (unless you actually start scrambling with exposure / technical rock climbing) it's a maintained trail that's 2 miles long. It's moderate (possibly). Harden up son.
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Oct 1, 2013 04:39
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Awesome. Not only is RMNP opened up again, but it seems most of the trail & road closures on the eastern side of the park from the floods last month have been lifted. Highway 36 from Lyons to Estes is still closed until early December I think, since much of the pavement is sitting in the St. Vrain River, but access is reportedly good via the Peak to Peak Highway. I'm hoping to bring my camera up there next week to see how much the landscape has changed.
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Oct 12, 2013 17:22
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My work schedule has been crazy, so I haven't had a chance to get out for a few weeks. Yesterday I planned on doing the Sawtooth between Bierstadt & Evans, based on a trip report and photos from the 27th indicating next to no snow on the route. Welp, with Colorado being as crazy as it is, this was not the case when I went up yesterday. Substantially more snow had fallen and the winds had done an excellent job of loading it up to waist-high in areas. I picked a more direct, scramble-y route up from the standard summer trail so I could stay on dry rock as much as possible and avoid a repeat of the postholing nightmare from last year. I decided I wasn't up for risking the exposure on the Sawtooth solo with the recent snow and Bierstadt would have to be enough. It was the right call though, as just making it to the summit took me 4 hours - I usually do the entire round trip in 2.5-3 hours in summer conditions. The summit was cold and windy - my thermometer showed 5°F and the wind was easily a steady 15MPH dropping it well below 0°F with wind chill. Still, I had the summit to myself (which is super rare on what is probably CO's busiest 14,000+ foot peak) so I hung out, had a shot of Yukon Jack and enjoyed my solitude until my fingers and toes had enough of the cold. When I was packing my bag I found the FlipCam I forgot I owned. I brought it to play with yesterday and edited this thing together in about 20 minutes. https://vimeo.com/78230931 i_heart_ponies fucked around with this message at 19:48 on Oct 31, 2013 |
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Oct 31, 2013 19:09
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Pennywise the Frown posted:I don't really post in here but I hope this thread doesn't die throughout the winter. I just picked up some of these to remedy that: It's rapidly coming up on snowshoe season for me here in Colorado, too. Winter is honestly my favorite time for hiking, climbing and backpacking and since I don't ski, I need another way to not spend my days miserably post-holing through the forest. I'm running some 25" MSR Lightning Axis snowshoes and have snow baskets for my trekking poles (Leki Super Makalu Corklite Aergons with custom marmot-chewed handle & strap mod). Last season's weird avalanche timebomb snowpack kept me inside for too much of the time, especially since I was the only person in my group without avvy gear (beacon, shovel and probe) so I made the plunge this year and picked that crap up last month. If the little taste of winter I got up in the high country last week was any indication, it's going to be a biiiiiiiiig year. The new toys I am most excited about playing with this season are this bad boys:  Old style Black Diamond Cobra carbon fiber ice tools. Bought used at the end of last season with new picks. I'm extra pumped after the AAC posted this picture of "All Mixed Up" on Thatchtop in RMNP this morning: 
i_heart_ponies fucked around with this message at 22:59 on Nov 6, 2013 |
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Nov 6, 2013 22:52
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even though it's 40F and raining.
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Oxford Comma posted:Suggestions for a decent skillet? Ideally something I can store a plate in. Do you have a specific size you are looking for? This one is 7", and is compatible with MSRs cook sets. Most of the time I just use the mini-skillet / fry pan off the top of my Primus LiTech pot and eat directly out of it rather than carrying the weight of an extra plate so I can eat like a civilized human.
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Nov 23, 2013 01:27
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Mercury Ballistic posted:Merino's dirty little secret. Merino is quite delicate if it's 100% - I've been gobbling up 60/40 merino synthetic blends since the blends tend to hold up better to rugged use, especially in socks. SmartWool's quality has really gone to poo poo since they got bought out by Vanity Fair. I still justify buying their stuff since I live super close to their HQ and restock on socks once a year at their sample sale in Boulder. $5 for any socks they make kinda sells me on them, even if I do only get maybe 6 months out of a pair now.
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Dec 21, 2013 19:43
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If you're not in combat, you don't need a combat knife. If you're not hunting (and thereby field dressing game) you don't need a hunting knife. Think about what you're going to be using the knife for. Nine times out of ten, my knife is going to help me slice some cheese, pick out a splinter and maybe cut some accessory cord. This is the biggest knife I carry on a basic hike / backpacking trip - High quality 2oz folding knife with a 2" drop point straight blade. If I am going mountaineering, I'll bring a Leatherman Skeletool multi-tool, so I can fix malfunctioning stoves and snowshoes. If I'm being an uber weight weenie I'll bring a single straight safety razor blade. Really though, sometimes you want to bring the Rambo knife along to play with. As long as you're honest with yourself that you're bringing it along as a toy and not as a practical tool, it's all good. I mean poo poo, I bring a kite along with me when I do 14ers (I want to fly a kite from the summit of all of em, eventually) and my friends give me a hard time since I am so fussy about pack weight, but sometimes that extra weight helps just make the trip that much more fun.
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Jan 16, 2014 20:23
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I like the cut of your jib.
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May 7, 2014 02:56
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While I love my ultralight backpacking gear, I usually invest the pounds that I carry in camera gear. Right now I'm taking a Canon T3i w/ kit lens or a 50mm prime on a knock-off BlackRapid strap and a neoprene body cover to save it from whacks through the bush. I also got a knock-off Gorillapod on Amazon for like $6 that's tits and saves me from having to carry a full-size tripod. Not the most pro setup in the world, but it's a nice tradeoff between weight, affordability and image quality.
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Jun 14, 2014 00:59
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evil_bunnY posted:The membrane has nothing to do with the face fabric. When you are dealing with WL Gore it does. When you work with them you're not just buying the membrane to slap into whatever, you are buying the waterproof fabric and seam tape and developing your product to WL Gore's specification of waterproof. Part of the reason people are willing to drop so much coin on Gore stuff even though it's no longer patented as a waterproof/breathable membrane is that they guarantee the waterproofness for the life of the product. WL Gore & Associates gets all up in your business when you use their materials, which is one of the reasons that as soon as there was a viable alternative to the Gore monopoly, most of the big names either jumped ship to stuff like eVent or developed their own membranes (or at least remarketed an existing alternative PTFE membrane). Anyway, GoreTex Pro shell fabric is significantly more durable than the others, especially Paclite, and that's why it's used by professionals (guides, SAR, law enforcement, military, etc.) in heavy use environments. This is due to the face fabric and the lining since it's the same drat PTFE membrane inside all of them.
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Jul 2, 2014 22:42
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