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Rip verrman, the last person in the Midwest who goes camping 
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Dec 23, 2015 14:55
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For a camper/hauler this was pretty interesting. http://www.sylvansport.com/camper/subaru-outback-camper/ Lots of stuff like this. http://www.autoanything.com/truck-tents/Subaru/Outback/110A50603A0A0A28A239A1.aspx Plus tons creative indiviual solutions coming up on Google. To be honest my wife and I just had this discussion the other day. We are in the Knoxville, TN area which means most of our camping is in East to Central Tennessee, Western North Carolina, and Southwest Virginia. While nothing like Texas is also means miserable camping in the hot summer months (nothing worse than a rainstorm in summer and having to suffer to breathe under a rainfly). Car camping in theory would allow us camping adventures in the winter.
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Dec 23, 2015 15:02
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My leather hiking boots that I originally bought ~15 years ago at EMS just lost their soles. I was walking along and all of a sudden the entire rubber sole starts flopping around. By the time I got home, my other boot was doing the same thing and the soles were almost entirely off down to the leather boot. I really like these boots and am considering resoling them, but am unsure if it is worth it and whether a resoling would be durable enough for continued back country use. On the other hand, I feel most new boots today are cheaply made with a lot of sticking and fabric. My old boots were Gore-Tex, but due to their age they may not be as waterproof as a new pair as well. I am also somewhat emotionally attached to my boots. Anyone have experience with this dilemma?
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Dec 23, 2015 21:07
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The gore-tex lining has probably degraded after 15 years, but well cared for leather that old is probably going to keep your feet dry anyway. As long as the rest of the boot is in good condition and the price of resoling isn't the same as a new pair of leathers boots, I say go for it. If they're meant to be resolable boots, the result should be as durable as when they were new.
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Dec 23, 2015 21:31
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nate fisher posted:For a camper/hauler this was pretty interesting. Those Sylvan campers are pretty sweet. When I was doing my WFA course, one of my fellow students was a writer for a big East Coast outdoor magazine and her publication bought her one of those to live out of as she traveled and filed stories. They're pretty pricy, but drat they're cool and useful.
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Dec 24, 2015 01:24
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I'm looking for an "in-between" sized pack that is smaller than my 48L weekend pack and larger than my 11L running vest. I was looking primarily at something in the 20-30L range, preferably 30-ish with a roll-top to use as an ultralight overnight pack for hiking and some longer trail running. I came across Gossamer Gear's Murmur 36 hyperlight, which is a little larger than I initially intended, but hell, at 12.3oz and $150, I might as well consider it. The only downside is that it's clearly a hiking pack and not built for run/hike like Ultimate Direction's Fastpack series is. But Gossamer's is cheaper, bigger, and lighter, so I'm not writing it off. What do you guys think? Also, do you know of any other packs that hit my criteria pretty close? I looked at HMG's packs and while they are good, I didn't find anything that really matched what I was after.
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Dec 24, 2015 16:49
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Got the gossamer gorilla for Xmas and a hexamid solo plus tent. I can't believe how light the pack is and the tent is absurdly tiny. So psyched to head out into the wilds come March.
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Dec 25, 2015 16:43
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i opted to hoarde money for that jan 2 christmas-returns rei garage sale. do they have any decent hammock stuff? i can't even think of what i need, but that's usually how it goes.
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Dec 25, 2015 19:32
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I will suck a dick for a decently priced Beta AR.
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Dec 25, 2015 19:35
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its worth checking the garage sale, at least at the bigger locations i've seen a bunch of unused arctyrex stuff. and they usually will do another 50% off 1 item if you wait around until 12pm, so you could get one for like $50. helps a lot if you're a common size like large though, i don't have much luck with men's small but i always see stuff in large.
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Dec 25, 2015 20:03
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REI garage sales are an absolute crap shoot IMO but if you have one nearby it's worth checking out. I got a new dog jacket that normally sells for $80 for $30 once. On the other hand sometimes you just end up with a bunch of useless crap or stuff that has obviously been worn out and returned, or huge crowds that storm through grabbing up everything .2 seconds after the store opens
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Dec 25, 2015 20:38
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People camp out for the REI near me. I'm not going to do that so by the time I get in everything is picked over. Don't they usually have a big January sale too? A relative is looking for a raincoat and I can't recall how often the Precip drops to $70.
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Dec 25, 2015 21:11
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Look Sir Droids posted:Don't they usually have a big January sale too? A relative is looking for a raincoat and I can't recall how often the Precip drops to $70. If you subscribe to email alerts from the usual online discount places, you'll find they get that low a few times a year. I forgot about the post-Christmas REI sale, but I'm actually getting to a point where I don't strictly need anything they sell. Camping-wise, all I need is specialized hammock stuff they don't carry, and I think at this point I have a solid 4-season hiking outfit. I also just got a fancy pants fishing kayak and despite being a plastic boat it is somehow sucking up all of my money.
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Dec 25, 2015 21:17
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Josh Lyman posted:I will suck a dick for a decently priced Beta AR. I used my annual 25% off REI coupon to pick up my Theta AR. That way I don't have to worry about a warranty issue on a returned product or whatever. Although Arc'teryx would cover it even if REI didn't I'm sure. Look Sir Droids posted:People camp out for the REI near me. I'm not going to do that so by the time I get in everything is picked over. Every year I've gone I've showed up like an hour or two after it's opened and still found things I wanted. I picked up crosscountry skis a few years back that looked completely unused and were like 1/3 of retail price. This year I'm going to go down early to look for snowshoes. I won't camp but I may get there a few hours before doors open.
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Dec 25, 2015 21:42
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bongwizzard posted:If you subscribe to email alerts from the usual online discount places, you'll find they get that low a few times a year. I do. I just figured she would prefer to shop at a store and see the items. I recommended the Precip but she also liked my cheap Columbia rain jacket.
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Dec 25, 2015 22:37
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I got one of those sweet new Patagonia Merino Air shirts just in time for my 84 degree Christmas morning. Haha just kidding, I'm going to use it in a week in Arkansas backpacking with highs in the low 40s and low in the mid 20s.Tashan Dorrsett posted:i opted to hoarde money for that jan 2 christmas-returns rei garage sale. do they have any decent hammock stuff? i can't even think of what i need, but that's usually how it goes. I'm a regular at the Houston REI garage sale. My buddy got a whole ENO set there for a song and of course I've already told the story about buying my own $350 tent for $150, which I swear wasn't planned. Speaking of hammocks, I just bought the Dutch whoopie sling set, which will let me leave my straps at home and will lower the overall weight of the hammock altogether. Josh Lyman posted:I will suck a dick for a decently priced Beta AR. I bought my wife an Alpha SV earlier this fall and I just got myself a Westcomb Apoc instead of the Arcteryx I would have otherwise gotten myself. They won me over with their Polartec Neoshell fabric. Arcteryx is top-notch, but I felt like I got more bang for the same price with the Westcomb. For what it's worth, the next Houston garage sale will have a "worn once" women's Arcteryx Alpha SV in XL that my wife returned to get a large instead. It's a $500 jacket that will probably list for $199 or less.
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Dec 26, 2015 02:31
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Look Sir Droids posted:People camp out for the REI near me. I'm not going to do that so by the time I get in everything is picked over. january garage sale is a lot less hit or miss because it's mostly christmas wrong-size wrong-color whatever returns. also a lot more big ticket items in new condition than usual because Christmas. the cheapest precips are when sierratradingpost puts them on sale and also has a sitewide, you might not be able to cherry pick your favorite color but you can get em for like $40. Look Sir Droids posted:People camp out for the REI near me. I'm not going to do that so by the time I get in everything is picked over. people camp out for the ones around me too. granted they're major locations, i show up an hour after the doors open and always find poo poo.
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Dec 26, 2015 05:40
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I'm not sure what your baseline is for hammock gear, but if you're starting from scratch, I notice REI has the ENO hammock system at 30% off right now. $150 down from $215
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Dec 26, 2015 13:59
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Look Sir Droids posted:I do. I just figured she would prefer to shop at a store and see the items. I recommended the Precip but she also liked my cheap Columbia rain jacket. I got a second Precip on sale for $59 plus another 20% off with a coupon on Backcountry.com. Everything I get I usually have to do 4 of (me, wife, and two teenagers) so I'm always looking for good deals. Rarely do I find them at the local REI, but I love their return policy. The Mast General Store sometimes has great sales (I scored great deals on a North Face jacket for my daughter and Mountain Hardware jacket for my wife during a sidewalk sale earlier this year), but online is the way to go when looking for deals.
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Dec 26, 2015 17:29
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Since I'm always hunting for practical bargains, I noticed that Costco has 32 degrees poly-blend base layers on sale right now for men and women. $6.99 after instant rebate.    I saw black, purple, dark grey, and light grey. Maybe other colors as well, but I didn't see white, which would have been my first choice. The large size weighs 4.75oz and it feels pretty warm.
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Dec 26, 2015 17:30
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Hungryjack posted:I'm not sure what your baseline is for hammock gear, but if you're starting from scratch, I notice REI has the ENO hammock system at 30% off right now. $150 down from $215 I have no hammock gear, trying to get into it. With a kit like that, I would only really need quilts right? I guess it's a moot point though, since one of my relatives cars broke down and I had to lend them like 2 grand and they're paying me back the day after the rei garage sale and probably this hammock being on sale RIP backpacking fund. Hungryjack posted:Since I'm always hunting for practical bargains, I noticed that Costco has 32 degrees poly-blend base layers on sale right now for men and women. $6.99 after instant rebate. Those are a pretty good deal, I bought like 10 of them and use them as disposable-ish winter baselayers while i do exterior construction in the winter. Very similar to heattech material but a different weave. Costco's outdoor hiking socks are a really good deal too, its 4 pairs of thick crew merino/nylon core socks for $12 i think. They aren't as nice as Darn Tough, but 1 pack lasts me a year of almost daily wear before I wear out the heels. Tashan Dorrsett fucked around with this message at 22:21 on Dec 26, 2015 |
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Dec 26, 2015 22:17
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Got a bunch of money for Christmas so I filled in some gaps on my hammock camping setup (tarp, but netting, top quilt- no underquilt yet) and also some small elements of my forthcoming bikepacking setup. Considering going to the Garage Sale next Saturday to see what else I can come away with. I'm really looking forward to the CEO of REI inviting me over to party at his house after he retires. I mean, it'd be rude not to considering how much money I've dropped there this year alone; I feel like I built at least one room of his house.
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Dec 27, 2015 05:04
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I'm a Field Agent for a small outdoor clothing brand and have a coupon for 55% though the 30th that I'd love to share with you goons as long as you click my link so I make that sweet, sweet commission. Is this the place to post that kinda thing? I have four pieces by them and love each, but I am a living, walking ad now so take my words as you feel you should.
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Dec 27, 2015 05:43
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Anyone here experienced with dehydrating food? Just eating gorp, prepackaged jerky/fruit, Snickers bars and Mountain House chili mac gets demoralizing pretty quickly. I've been reading through backpackingchef.com but am curious if anyone has any direct experience with recipes or equipment. In fact, any backpacking food advice would be welcome, because I'm just barely competant at the sustenance aspect of food planning, let alone packing meals that are consistantly palatable.
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Dec 27, 2015 07:31
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its no big deal posted:I'm a Field Agent for a small outdoor clothing brand and have a coupon for 55% though the 30th that I'd love to share with you goons as long as you click my link so I make that sweet, sweet commission. Is this the place to post that kinda thing? PM a mod and ask before you do that kind of thing.
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Dec 27, 2015 08:04
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talktapes posted:Anyone here experienced with dehydrating food? Just eating gorp, prepackaged jerky/fruit, Snickers bars and Mountain House chili mac gets demoralizing pretty quickly. I've been reading through backpackingchef.com but am curious if anyone has any direct experience with recipes or equipment. In fact, any backpacking food advice would be welcome, because I'm just barely competant at the sustenance aspect of food planning, let alone packing meals that are consistantly palatable. I have a Nesco FD-60 with some extra trays added. You can really make some interesting stuff -- I've had best results with dried veggies and beef or chicken jerky. Dehydrated food also works well for some kinds of food you cook ahead of time; a friend makes spaghetti sauce and dries it into a leather, to reheat on the trail. I want to get a vacuum sealer for dehydrated stuff though, since it can still go bad in storage. Overall I think it can help a lot in getting some fresher and better food on the trail, as long as you're willing to spend the time preparing and dehydrating.
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Dec 27, 2015 08:27
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You can also buy pre dehydrated ingredients, REI usually has a big box of a variety of things but I can't remember the company name of it...usually can just find it in the food area. Freeze dried chicken also works better than dehydrated IMO. Thin pasta like spaghetti doesn't really need to be dehydrated first but thicker stuff probably should be unless you like it chewy. Just cook as normal and then dehydrate and it will soften up a lot faster. I usually bring the proper amount of water to a boil then add pasta or anything else that needs rehydrating, return to boil then turn off and cover for 10 minutes.
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Dec 27, 2015 13:31
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its no big deal posted:I'm a Field Agent for a small outdoor clothing brand and have a coupon for 55% though the 30th that I'd love to share with you goons as long as you click my link so I make that sweet, sweet commission. Is this the place to post that kinda thing? Feel free to PM it to me in the meantime. I'll click your link.
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Dec 27, 2015 17:29
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I will click any link as well. I also tried to make my own hiking food and boy was it bad. Trying to season individual portions without being able to taste as I go hosed me hard. So so so much paprika I was just doing instant rice and mashed potato type stuff. I think next time I will spring for some freeze dried beans and beef to make some horrid chili type thing.
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Dec 27, 2015 17:55
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I've done chili Mac with just some macaroni pasta, TVP for protein (blends in after spicing and is servicable replacement for ground beef which is a pain to de and re hydrate) dehydrated beans and a packet off chili spice off the shelf. Throw in some cheese of sorts if you have it (I have a bunch of freeze dried shredded cheddar ) and olive oil and it works well. I did 1 seasoning packet for about 4oz of pasta with reasonable amounts of other stuff and ecru ally come out around 1k calories I think If you have a dehydrator you can also just literally dehydrate a can or homemade chili on a tray and add hot water later I need to do more recipe figuring out at home. No reason you can't do it all at any time to figure out spices and amount of water etc
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Dec 27, 2015 18:20
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talktapes posted:Anyone here experienced with dehydrating food? Just eating gorp, prepackaged jerky/fruit, Snickers bars and Mountain House chili mac gets demoralizing pretty quickly. I've been reading through backpackingchef.com but am curious if anyone has any direct experience with recipes or equipment. In fact, any backpacking food advice would be welcome, because I'm just barely competant at the sustenance aspect of food planning, let alone packing meals that are consistantly palatable. ok, so this is something I've been looking at a bit lately as well. In fact, I went shopping at the grocery store yesterday to pick up some stuff to experiment with. Now I know you're asking about dehydrating food, but I'm too lazy for that so after reading some folks' blogs and talking to my friends, I'm looking at mostly pre-dehydrated stuff and a little bit of packaged meat in containers that work easily with backpacks. I was trying to maximize calories per ounce while still providing a decent variety of tastes to help fend off flavor fatigue.  These are my old standbys. At 85 cents each, they are super cheap and probably the easiest thing to make. Stir in two cups of hot water and within seconds, you have a pretty tasty and filling hot meal. If you're going to use the whole container at once, you'll probably want a 32oz bowl or pot to prepare it in. These are just about perfect for the squishy silicone dog bowl I use for camping. Weight: 4oz Calories: 400-440 per packet. Calories/ounce: 100-110  I haven't tried these yet, but I'm going to experiment this week. The serving instructions suggest adding water, milk, and margarine. I have powdered milk and powdered butter, so I expect I'll pre-mix all of that stuff into a Ziploc, then pour in some water, seal it, then squish it around for five minutes or so. I've done that before and it works well enough. These are also pretty high in sodium, which might be a good thing or a bad thing depending on your needs and your health situation. Weight: 4.2-5.5oz Calories: 620-650 calories Calories/ounce: ~120-150  I like throwing in these add-ins for bonus calories and some extra flavor. These weigh a little more, so I'll use them sparingly. Packaged chicken and tuna and hard salamis taste good and need no/minimal refrigeration, at least until you open them so eat it all in one sitting. Also, if you get the tuna/salmon packed in olive oil instead of spring water, there's a good chunk of bonus calories right there. Throw in some Baby Bell cheese discs or Laughing Cow wedges and you can top 1000 calories in a meal pretty easily. So, there's that and also some recipes on Freezer Bag Cooking. They pulled all their recipes so they can sell a book so if you like these, then consider buying the book. This is something I'm really interested in so I'd love to hear what other people are doing for lightweight food on the trail.
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Dec 27, 2015 20:25
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Of course oats, minute rice, dried mash taters, cured meat, canned seafood, cheese, nuts. Less obvious cheap good fast cooking dried food-  The unlabeled is seaweed Also butter or coconut oil is easier to pack than olive etc
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Dec 27, 2015 21:19
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Harmony House was the company I was thinking of that sells a "backpackers mix" of stuff that you can find at REI or order online for like $45. If you can get a dehydrator and don't mind spending some time, it's probably going to be cheaper and more efficient to make your own though. http://www.harmonyhousefoods.com/Backpacking-Kit-18-ZIP-Pouches_p_1866.html Another good one is some couscous, olive oil, your selection of vegetables and spices, and a protein source (I use freeze dried chicken). Again I usually shoot for 4-500 calories through the pasta and work up the rest through the other ingredients (pasta is probably the most solid "base" for a meal in terms of calories but it isn't quite as dense as I'd like...ramen has more calories if you don't mind using that for everything). Speaking of ramen, I also like doing a pad thai with ramen noodles as the base, a packet or so of kikkomen pad thai dried seasoning (probably should experiment to find the amount and flavor you like), olive oil as usual, chicken for protein, a packet of peanut butter (you can buy the Justin's peanut butter packets for like a buck each), whatever vegetables sound good with that, and I actually have some powdered lime for some citrus flavor on top of that. As people mentioned previous you can also dehydrate spaghetti sauce if you have a dehydrator, or use a toaster oven that has a convection bake option, and it just turns into a kind of leather that you can then either pack like that or freeze for a bit and put in a blender to turn it into more of a powder (makes it a bit easier to pack and rehydrate). Throw in spaghetti, olive oil again, maybe some parm, and dehydrate some turkey meatballs or something else you'd want to add in, and you're good. I intend to experiment with some channa masala recipe...can't be hard to dehydrate chick peas and mix them with rice or orzo (instead of rice, has more calories) and spices. For something real simple and junk foody I think you can find dehydrated re-fried beans, get a tortilla, a handful of doritos, cheese, etc, and you have a sloppy bean burrito. Just doing straight up mashed potatos with cheese and some jerky or something and a bunch of olive oil and some salt is suprisingly good. Actually, i think we did mashed potatos, bacon bits, powdered eggs, salt and pepper, and olive oil and it was tasty. Lots of stuff you can do. As mentioned above lots of people also use those foil packets of tuna or chicken but I"m a whiny bitch who thinks that adds too much weight and tend to use freeze dried chicken. Have to buy that stuff though. You can dehydrate your own chicken but it always tends to be quite chewy. I should experiment with those pasta sides since that'd be easy to add to some spaghetti and something for some different flavors. I think my wife always complains they have lactose in them though so we don't use them much. e: olive oil isn't hard to pack, just get a small bottle from REI (size depending on how long you're out, I think I have some 6 oz bottles) and pour that poo poo in there and use it. Not sure how butter or coconut oil would be easier just because it's more solid. Levitate fucked around with this message at 21:25 on Dec 27, 2015 |
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Dec 27, 2015 21:22
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Levitate posted:e: olive oil isn't hard to pack, just get a small bottle from REI (size depending on how long you're out, I think I have some 6 oz bottles) and pour that poo poo in there and use it. Not sure how butter or coconut oil would be easier just because it's more solid. "Without spending money at REI" is a key component of any trip planning in my book, but probably a 3 dollar bottle is acceptable. Couscous is a good one for sure. We got really excited about the bulk dehydrated refried beans one time, but they're actually pretty pricey and not that good. The hummus mix was a hit tho
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Dec 27, 2015 21:36
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Epitope posted:"Without spending money at REI" is a key component of any trip planning in my book, but probably a 3 dollar bottle is acceptable. True, I actually got the bottles given to me so no money spent  Lunches are my biggest problem...I don't like just eating more trailmix or snacks like that but I don't want to cook for lunch either. Triscuits, cheese, and salami or something is real good but I think it kind of upsets my stomach. If people have some god ideas for lunch stuff that doesn't require cooking and is more than just "eat some pro bars" I'd love to hear it. I really need to get a cheap dehydrator though, it'd be a lot more efficient than buying stuff I think. I don't want to spend a lot of money on that stuff but a $35 simple dehydrator probably pays for itself
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Dec 27, 2015 21:43
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I do ultralight (so calories/ounce is important to me), and freezer bag cooking. My absolute top priority for backpacking food is that it's ridiculously easy and fatty/carby/salty as hell. I only cook for dinner, and generally not at camp so I prefer it to be fast and easy. I prefer fewer meals over tons of variety for simplicity and always knowing exactly what to expect. My staples are -Rice/beans/fritos/cheese (my modifications/thoughts on this) -Pesto noodles (less basil, throw in Knorr vegetable mix) -Pad Thai (pretty great as-is) -Peanut noodles (you can use Taste of Thai peanut sauce mix, as well as powdered peanut butter for convenience) Any meal I want to try out for the first time I'll usually cook at home a few times to nail down a version I really like and see how it adapts to freezer bags. Throw in the standard bars, blocks of cheese, summer sausage, chips, PB&J tortillas, misc junk food, etc and I've never felt a need to expand beyond those. The rice and beans is by far my most common meal because it's tasty as hell and I never get bored of it. The other Andrew Skurka meals are good too, but none are quite as great as the rice and beans. I messed around dehydrating for a while, but it's sort of inconvenient. If I had more of an urge for a big variety I'd do it on a regular basis. Hypnolobster fucked around with this message at 22:05 on Dec 27, 2015 |
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Dec 27, 2015 21:54
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oh yeah tortillas good call. I remember doing a calorie survey on Chipotle burritos and realizing that the drat tortilla was like 330 calories by itself. Huge calories/ounce benefit there. Also, wheat tortillas are high glycemic index which means they metabolize to sugar quickly rather than sitting in your gut. This is a good thing when you're out on the trail and you need quick calories.
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Dec 27, 2015 22:15
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Hypnolobster posted:I messed around dehydrating for a while, but it's sort of inconvenient. If I had more of an urge for a big variety I'd do it on a regular basis. It's mainly useful for mixing things up or getting more variety in your meals but if you don't feel like you need that then yeah why bother.
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Dec 27, 2015 22:27
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Levitate posted:Harmony House was the company I was thinking of that sells a "backpackers mix" of stuff that you can find at REI or order online for like $45. If you can get a dehydrator and don't mind spending some time, it's probably going to be cheaper and more efficient to make your own though. I picked this up and was pleasantly surprised with the variety in the pack. Took my wife on her first backpacking trip and every meal was pretty awesome. We did strictly freezer bag meals with flat bagels, tortillas, etc, and I was very impressed. The meatish bits are actually meatish. Just don't let them sit too long otherwise they get rather spongish.
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Dec 27, 2015 22:28
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| # ? May 13, 2024 22:29 |
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My friend in Buffalo made the drive to the outlets on the Canadian side of Niagra Falls. The Arc'Teryx store had Beta LT seconds for $199 after Boxing Day sale + exchange rate, but I declined on account of it not having pit zips like the Beta AR. I hope I do not regret the decision forever.
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Dec 27, 2015 23:51
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