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This is I guess more of a day hiking gear question rather than camping, but I'm thinking of switching out my rain jacket and pants I normally pack along with the bag cover and emergency tarp (in case I get stranded over night) for a single poncho with grommets that can pull triple duty as rain protection for me, my bag, and as emergency shelter. Anyone done something like this? Looking at it, it seems like it could save me like 3 pounds of weight.
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Aug 12, 2020 17:33
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| # ¿ Apr 20, 2024 00:57 |
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Thanks for the name of what they're called. Your suggestion there is way outside of my price range but I did find this much more affordable one on Amazon with like 2000 good reviews so I'm going to give this one a shot. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07539S9G3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_gOdnFbDF04RX6
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Aug 12, 2020 20:41
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I finally got a proper day hiking / backpacking backpack with a waist belt and chest strap and loaded it up with all the normal gear I would usually bring. I feel like I'm carrying like half the weight I was before. This is amazing.
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Aug 13, 2020 19:18
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Which hammock did you get?
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Aug 13, 2020 21:27
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There are 12 volt freezers/fridges now that you can hook up to your car's cigarette lighter that will keep themselves cold indefinitely as long as they have a power source. Something like this. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073WYS3TR/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_hzioFbZB7ZYTH
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Aug 16, 2020 02:05
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xzzy posted:Thermoelectic is definitely worth looking at, but are dependent on the air around them so keep that in mind.. they can only cool about 40F below ambient. But they can also warm to about 40F above ambient, so that's a cool trick. You want a traditional compressor based heat pump for your 12v fridge freezer. It'll be far more efficient
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Aug 16, 2020 02:28
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Yeah, I didn't do a deep dive or anything into finding the best 12-volt fridge. So the one I posted there may be hot garbage I don't know. definitely do your research before you go and buy something. Most of the ones I saw run the $300 range so the fact that this one was like $150 is probably a good indication it's a lower quality one.
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Aug 16, 2020 02:52
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Has anyone used decathlon puffy jackets? I see they have both a synthetic and a down version with an 800 fill for the down and the synthetic rated down to upper 20s Fahrenheit. Both of them are $80 or less which is a astounding price for something with that fill level or temperature rating. Are they good purchases and is the synthetic and okay buy? It is a good $30 cheaper than the down version.
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Aug 17, 2020 02:51
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I would also highly recommend getting a wool base layer as well as wool socks. Cotton just loves to absorb water so if you sweat at all while hiking you just get a layer of water that you're trying to heat up in addition to your body. Wool doesn't retain water nearly as well and it also doesn't stink up like cotton does. Make sure to get Marino wool as it is not itchy and about as soft as cotton. It's more expensive though so it may not be the sort of thing you wear everyday when driving to work, but I would definitely recommend it for hiking as a one time a week thing. A windbreaker as your outer layer, or a rain jacket, will also go a long way to keeping you nice and warm. Especially if you get a down puffy jacket you want to be super sure that that doesn't get wet in a winter rain storm or it will become completely useless.
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Aug 17, 2020 14:47
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xzzy posted:Merino is great but it's not the only option. It's the most expensive and not terribly durable, so if either of those are a concern some internet detective work is in order. Synthetics like polyester or nylon can also work as a base layer, but if you're doing hiking you probably want to get ones that are treated to not stink. They may not be as warm as wool but they will wick away the water about as well. They also work well in the summer. I believe there are also Marino wool pieces of clothing that have a small amount of synthetics worked into their weave to make them significantly stronger. I know smartwool does this. There may be other makers as well. Something as well that may not be immediately obvious, but you can wash a down jacket. As you wear it over time your oils will get caught up in the feathers and caused them to start clumping together reducing the loft that it provides. If you wash it with regular detergent but no softener and obviously no bleach in a cool or cold load then it should get rid of all the oils that are causing them to stick together. Then you can throw it in the dryer by itself or with some tennis balls and it should fluff right back up like new.
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Aug 17, 2020 15:50
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What is the go-to compass to pick as a backup navigation tool? I do have a tiny compass that's included in an emergency whistle but it's just hot trash and half the time it is pointing the wrong direction.
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Aug 18, 2020 13:18
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Keep you warm and keep you warm.
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Aug 19, 2020 16:50
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You could try dragging sleds instead of carrying all of that on your back.
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Aug 20, 2020 15:30
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Pictured: Thatguy going out to do trail maintence
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Aug 20, 2020 19:02
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Fanny pack for carrying snacks, phone, charger, navigation stuff in addition to a day pack for hiking? Y/N?
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Aug 20, 2020 20:53
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PokeJoe posted:get a day pack w a waist belt that has a snack/weed compartment Alas, My current day pack does have a waste belt but no pouches for weed.
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Aug 20, 2020 22:12
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Sawyer has a $10 quick disconnect kit for I think all water bladder brands so you can fill it up without taking it out of your pack. It also has the bonus of preventing you from accidentally getting some contaminated water in there while filling it up.
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Aug 21, 2020 19:01
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MMD3 posted:Yeah, the camelbak I have is new enough that is has a quick disconnect as well. It seems like it's pretty standard on their bladders these days. I personally would not use a bladder for any sort of electrolyte or sugary drink. with all the nooks and crannies in it that's just asking for stuff to start growing in there off the sugar. I would stick with a traditional water bottle for that even if you still take along the water bladder for plain water.
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Aug 21, 2020 19:41
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Clayton Bigsby posted:Well, I got a piece of gear home that I've really been looking forward to. Going to test it proper this coming weekend, but couldn't resist checking it out at home. If you skip the base wouldn't that work as a quilt as well? I'm not sure what temperature it will be rated for then though. I ended up getting a $65 hammock on Amazon to test out before making any commitment to hammocks or tents in general. And this is pretty comfortable. I probably need to get a few carabiners to make setting up the bug net a little easier. But otherwise it's a very comfortable setup. I almost fell asleep when I was testing it out so that's a thumbs up.
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Aug 22, 2020 22:24
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I'm trying to get a sleep system set up. I have the hammock but was missing the sleeping bag/quilt and the under sleeping system whether that's another quilt or a pad. All of the cottage quilt makers seem to have a 9-week lead time on orders even though those seem to be the best rated from what I've been able to find. So I've just taken to watching their discounted pages for the orders that people cancel or minor imperfections. Hammock gear posted something this evening and I ended up picking it -17c top quilt that had no flaws. Got about $15 or $20 off too. I believe it was just from a canceled order so it should have no issues with it. Should be delivered in about a week assuming the USPS doesn't gobble it up. So way better than ordering a custom-made one as long as you can find one that you want. Still need the sleeping base however. Doesn't look like the offerings they had for the imperfection underquilts were well suited for what I was looking for so I'll have to keep looking or just pick up a sleeping pad. Nitrousoxide fucked around with this message at 14:23 on Aug 26, 2020 |
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Aug 26, 2020 05:21
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BaseballPCHiker posted:Check out Arrowhead Equipment for cheap good Apex synthetic underquilts. I have two and have been pleased with both. Thanks, I'll keep them in mind. Does anyone have any experience with three quarter length under quilts? Arrowhead seems to have a very reasonable price on those.
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Aug 26, 2020 21:17
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I got a Silva Ranger 2.0 compass and I really like this thing. It's got scales for 1 to 24k, 25k, and 50k built in as well as rulers for both millimeters and inches and a slope finder. I personally try to print out metric maps whenever possible and usually use 1 to 25k scales to make the math a hell of a lot easier, but since any map I purchase here in the US is going to be in miles and probably 1 to 24k it's nice to have that as well. I believe Canada tends to use 1 to 50k so it's really nice to have that there as well in case I ever go up there. They even use the lanyard to add an extra four rulers for a different scales. Those lets you measure out distances up to 12in on the map. They also include a card that you can put in your wallet for measuring the slope on a map, all for like half the price of a Suunto compass. The only thing that's kind of a bummer is that the degrees don't glow in the dark. Just the magnetic bar and then a couple of points around the red arrow on the rotating dial as well as a point facing the top of the compass. So it would not be ideal trying to determine an entirely new bearing without any light whatsoever. But if you've already figured out what bearing you need to do, you could just rotate the dial to the correct bearing since the red arrow has glow in dark bars around it and then use that to point at the direction you should be going. I would highly recommend this compass for anyone who's looking into them.
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Aug 29, 2020 23:34
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I personally just got a fishing hoodie for warm weather SPF protection. It's super duper light, made out of synthetics so it dries extremely quickly, and it's pretty loose to let a lot of air into circulate underneath.
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Aug 29, 2020 23:44
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Quilts are much better suited for hammocks than sleeping bags.
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Sep 6, 2020 04:11
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Rob Rockley posted:What's the latest word in women's daypacks? I got my wife a super cheap little pack off Amazon but it's not great and the chest strap sits rather uncomfortably with any load. We've been interested in picking up a better pack to hold a few liters of water and some food and maybe a jacket for our day hikes, but with Covid we haven't exactly been window shopping a lot. Any specific recommendations to look into brand or model wise? I'm a guy, but I have this and really like it: https://www.decathlon.com/collectio...roduct-features Same capacity as the Tempest and pretty much all the same bells and whistles as it.
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Oct 21, 2020 22:57
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I mean, if you're looking at disaster proofing your house I would much rather suggest that you get a generator and an induction cooktop and something like a moka pot or just some instant coffee. A generator and a electric cooktop of some sort (induction being the more efficient option) gives you a lot of flexibility to use non-shelf stable foodstuffs or to power your fridge and be able to keep your non-stable food stuffs good longer.
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Nov 1, 2020 01:57
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poeticoddity posted:Propane and butane also store indefinitely (assuming the canisters don't rust) where as fuel for a generator has a finite life span even with additives. For this reason actually I would recommend getting the dual fuel generators. They will work with both gasoline and propane allowing you to have a fuel source on hand indefinitely that you can use for both electricity generation and for grilling or a stove. They tend to be more powerful when you use gasoline with them so it would probably still be beneficial to keep a tank of gasoline around but if it does go bad you will still have another backup fuel supply that has a variety of uses. In my opinion the key to a successful emergency plan is to get survival tools that are multi-purpose and which have at least one or two backups in case they fail. If you have a survival water filter, a dual fuel generator, a propane stove, a propane supply, and small gas canister then you have the tools to purify water at least three ways, two fuel sources for cooking, two fuel sources to power your electricity, and one backup power generation device (which can power your electric cooktop and your fridge/freezer), and a small backup gasoline supply in case you need to move your car some distance. Those handful of tools and supplies provide you a lot of utility Edit: to avoid taking this thread off on too big of a tangent I'll also plug the emergency preparedness thread which is better suited for this talk. https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3941131&pagenumber=1&perpage=40 Nitrousoxide fucked around with this message at 15:50 on Nov 1, 2020 |
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Nov 1, 2020 15:45
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I personally get most of my stuff from Decathalon. They don’t have much of a physical store presence in the US but they do have an online shop. It’s basically the IKEA of camping gear. Pretty much everything there is their house brand. It’s significantly cheaper than most everything else out there.
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Mar 2, 2021 04:38
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As long as you cleaned it and let it dry before putting it into storage it should be okay.
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Mar 4, 2021 15:43
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Wool socks also don't feel like they get gross as quickly as cotton socks. I can comfortably wear a pair of wool socks two days in a row with no grodiness, but I would never do that with cotton socks. That cuts down the cost of getting them by half.
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Mar 17, 2021 19:47
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Make sure you have some means to contact folks even if you don’t have cell access.
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Mar 19, 2021 01:44
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A Personal Locater Beacon or Satellite messenger. The former doesn't require a subscription but you can't use it for anything except an emergency. You basically blast out a reserved frequency that the US government watches for people in distress. The latter will have you contacting private satellites which you can use to text people or use pre-recorded messages or send your location. You can also use them to signal for distress as well. https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/personal-locator-beacons.html Keeping a handheld ham radio on you is also helpful as well. Especially if you go for the former, that will let you contact the rescuers and communicate with them when they start getting closer.
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Mar 19, 2021 02:07
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The Wiggly Wizard posted:You don’t need a beacon for a day hike lol. Depends on the day hike's location. If you're somewhere frequently traveled where you'll bump into someone every 30 minutes or so, sure, you could probably skip it. But if you're out in the boonies, even if it's "only" a dayhike, and you roll your ankle or break a leg, even a half hour or hour long walk back to cell phone access or where people are staying could leave you stranded.
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Mar 19, 2021 14:42
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h3r0n posted:Did I read correctly in this thread (I think so) that Decathlon USA stuff is generally ok? I'm referring to their 70L pack FWIW. I have their MH500 20 L Hiking Backpack and I'm very happy with it for day hikes. I can't personally vouch for the 70L as I've never bought it. I have a ton of Decathlon USA stuff in general and it's all been pretty good to me.
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Mar 19, 2021 19:59
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Pennywise the Frown posted:Holy poo poo. That MH500 20L is $30. Out of stock but wow. Not sure what one you're looking at but I got this one. It was on sale for $40 at the time when I got it. I'm showing this available for $60 and not out of stock. https://www.decathlon.com/collections/camp-hike-day-packs/products/quechua-mh500-hiking-backpack-20l-310057  It supports a water bladder, tubing for it, and has pretty beefy padded waist strap and a light plastic frame and mesh back to keep the actual pack off your back and let your back get plenty of air. It also has loops for trekking poles and an included rain cover in the bottom. I really like it. Nitrousoxide fucked around with this message at 21:00 on Mar 19, 2021 |
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Mar 19, 2021 20:57
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OSU_Matthew posted:I really like the Satcom PLB one of the guys in my hiking group has. He bought it for the AT and has several preprogrammed messages on a subscription service he can send to his SO with it, basically along the lines of “I made it to camp”, “I’m fine but running late”, or “Send a ranger” if he needs help, but is stable enough that he can hunker down and doesn’t need SAR and a medevac. Still has the PLB to send in the cavalry, but he has options before breaking that out. I’m pretty sure it’s the Garmin InReach, I’ll have to ask next time I see him. I have a Garmin InReach Mini and I like it. You can probably get by with the pre-programmed messages 90% of the time. Set one for the start of your hike/camping, one that you can blast out that you're still OK, and then one that you're done. Set them all to give your location and then you've got almost every update ping you'd generally want to send to people. You get to send an unlimited number of these too. Then if you actually need help you can send a real message that uses one of your allowed messages. I also append "don't reply to this message unless it's urgent" to my pre-programmed messages since if someone replies to it it uses up one of your precious free messages. You can set all of your pre-programmed messages (or just some of them) to also report your location too. No added cost. It links to your phone too via bluetooth so you can do more involved texting using your phone's touch interface rather than trying to struggle with the tiny little device. You have to send the pre-programmed messages from the Mini though, can't send them through the app. Comes with a carabiner and a velcro strap so you can attach it to your backpack's arm strap to keep it in easy reach. At ~$20-30 yearly activation cost and then $11-15 per month (yearly commitment vs. monthly commitment) I think it's a good deal to have access to communication literally anywhere. Also doubles as a lifeline in the event of a hurricane or something like that.
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Mar 20, 2021 22:48
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FCKGW posted:Yeah you can’t use them on Garmin stuff I got mine on sale at Costco this last Christmas season.
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Mar 22, 2021 15:32
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You don't need to find mountains or even hills to use trekking poles. You can use them on flat ground just fine. There's actually a technique to trekking poles. You're supposed to use them something like you would cross country ski poles. You want them slightly angled towards your rear and to push off of them so that you propel yourself forward. Set their length so that your forearm is parallel with the ground when you're holding it. if you are expecting to climb a hill for a while then you can shorten them slightly so that your forearm remains parallel. If you're descending hill you can extend them slightly. You don't need to adjust them constantly though. Just if you're going to be ascending or descending a pretty substantial elevation. I use them for my hikes and I have plantar fasciitis. I'm able to go probably about twice as long as I would be able to otherwise thanks to how much easier it is on my feet when I use them even on flat ground.
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Mar 23, 2021 03:56
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When I'm out on the trail I use the carbide tips. when I come back home I pop the rubber tips back on so I don't scratch up my floors.
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Mar 23, 2021 13:16
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| # ¿ Apr 20, 2024 00:57 |
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AKZ posted:*Imagines a hiking goon furiously striding from room to room in their house using trekking poles* Nah, I just leave them attached to my bag so if I'm putting the bag down they'd scratch up the floor without the rubber bottoms.
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Mar 23, 2021 14:17
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