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taqueso posted:two friends of mine have taken to carrying tiny little cast iron pans with them One of my inspectors a few years ago, 60 year old grizzled old USFS dude. He used one, he can't do heavyweight backpacking anymore so he usually runs with stock and used one. It keeps you just a few inches off the ground but he said it was a lifesaver, his hips couldn't take the abuse and a regular packing mattress wasn't enough. I remember lifting it up and it weighed probably half what a standard thermarest does, although he used both. I don't remember the brand.
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Jul 31, 2020 05:22
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I use this guy, the Alps Mountaineering Ready Lite Cot. 5 pounds, so there’s no deluding yourself it’s an even trade for a pad, but my knees and hips are perpetually miserable, and this thing is not only a lifesaver, it also takes the abuse of a dog with boundary issues on cold nights being along for the ride.
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Jul 31, 2020 05:33
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MustardFacial posted:MEC is rich man camping. I'm not made of money. It's really sad to see what MEC has become these days. Their in-house brand wasn't the absolute best money could buy, but it used to be stuff that had an excellent cost:performance ratio. Looking at the planning from my first bike tour in 2009, my Tarn 2 was $182 CAD and I'm still using it today, and I know other people with the same tent but even older that are still using it. Their cheapest two-person tent now is $400, which seems like a huge jump up even taking inflation into account. When I look at all my other MEC equipment it's the same story, so it's no wonder they're not doing too well right now.  I hope I can keep using this thing forever.
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Jul 31, 2020 06:12
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I've never understood camping cots, they seem so uncomfortable compared to sleeping pads. And if the weight doesnt bother you just get a camping hammock. That said I'm jealous your dog will sleep with you like that. My dog is restless all through the night unless I pack her kennel to sleep in.
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Jul 31, 2020 17:38
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I got a cot recently but haven't camped with it yet. If you put a sleeping pad on top of the cot it becomes a pretty serviceable bed
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Jul 31, 2020 17:43
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BaseballPCHiker posted:I've never understood camping cots, they seem so uncomfortable compared to sleeping pads. You'll notice they have a sleeping pad and the cot. Where I tend to camp there are usually a lot of rocks so I can see the benefit. Not quite sure it is worth 5lbs but it might be worth 2 or 3
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Jul 31, 2020 17:54
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Just search amazon for backpacking cot. Here's a random one at 2.8 pounds. https://www.amazon.com/DESERT-WALKE...2dDbGljaz10cnVl
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Jul 31, 2020 22:56
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I actually don't bother with a pad, haven't noticed the benefit. I went with the model I've got due to it being recommended for weight considerations (I'm big boned damnit, plus, well, dog), though plenty of the alternatives claim to even have higher capacity, so  There are also lots of options to explore, my parents picked up some from a random local Denver outfitter who'd make them out of recycled plastic and whathaveyou.
Thaddius the Large fucked around with this message at 21:08 on Aug 1, 2020 |
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Aug 1, 2020 21:05
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Page 56 someone mentioned a generic "How To Camp" thread, which I would also be down for to collect some resources. Is there an Australian-focused thread floating around at all? On to actual gear - a local business in Melbourne does cheap af woollen stuff, with 100% merino wool socks etc. https://www.aust-woollenmills.com/ Will probably grab a few pairs for hiking and some for riding (motorcycle) and some for general Winter activities and still come out ahead.
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Aug 3, 2020 23:03
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I love hammock camping, but I really hate having a separate bug net, and having to run an extra, dedicated ridgeline for it (my rainfly just has anchor ropes from the six corners with tensioners) Anyone got any good recs on a hammock with a built-in bugnet?
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Aug 4, 2020 03:13
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Sockser posted:I love hammock camping, but I really hate having a separate bug net, and having to run an extra, dedicated ridgeline for it (my rainfly just has anchor ropes from the six corners with tensioners) I have a Warbonnet El Dorado with zipped-on bugnet and love it. Zippers on both sides so you can enter or exit on either side, and you can swap the bugnet for other things like a winter topcover or the XLC bugnet which adds some storage to the hammock. There’s lots of other makers/models with integrated bugnets, come post in the hammock thread and I’m sure you’ll get lots of reccomendations.
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Aug 4, 2020 03:43
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I use a Dutchware Chameleon, which you can install and leave the bug net on. It's built around versatility and modularity and I have gotten my most comfortable nights sleeping in it. I believe it's comparable to most of the Warbonnet stuff, I hear both are very good.
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Aug 4, 2020 04:02
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crowtribe posted:On to actual gear - a local business in Melbourne does cheap af woollen stuff, with 100% merino wool socks etc. https://www.aust-woollenmills.com/ Thanks for this, I'm from Melbourne and I'll check this out. I miss hiking this lockdown sucks (but is needed)
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Aug 4, 2020 08:49
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We have a dedicated hammock thread here now! I'll second anything by Warbonnet. I have a El Dorado and a Blackbird XLC both with integrated bug nets and ridgelines. Both are incredibly comfortable. They come up for sale every once in a while at /r/geartrade. I think I paid about $100-150 for mine.
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Aug 4, 2020 15:58
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N’thing warbonnet, it’s just so drat good. Only problem I’ve had is with standard underquilts that just want to slide to one side due to the footshelf. I recently just splurge on the wookie underquilt, so we’ll see if that fixes things. Best hammock and suspension I’ve tried otherwise though, imho.taqueso posted:two friends of mine have taken to carrying tiny little cast iron pans with them
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Aug 5, 2020 06:10
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Pennywise the Frown posted:So I've been thinking. All I do is car camping (so far, I REALLY want to backpack) but all I have is backpacking gear. Every time I camp I say it's to "test" out the backpacking gear that I never use for backpacking. I think it's time I buy stuff to camp in the most comfortable way I can. That'll get me outside more. Pennywise the Frown posted:I'm in Kenosha. Have you checked out any of the Kettle Moraine stuff? There's plenty of rustic sites along the Ice Age trail through there, the trails are pretty easy going, so it's a good first step towards getting the gently caress into middle of nowhere. There's also cell coverage through pretty much the entire area, which is nice. Also, as others have said, there's nothing wrong with car camping. Getting outdoors owns, regardless of how far from other people you're sleeping and pooping. Another option for an inbetween level are all the hike back sites in the state parks. I can't think of any in the southeast near you, but places like Point Beach, Buckhorn, and a pile of them up north have sites maybe a mile or two from the parking lot. ---- I currently have a hefty discount for Osprey through work, so I'm looking to pick up a new backpacking bag. This year, I'm only planning a couple 1-2 night hikes, but want to do Painted Rocks on Lake Superior next year, and that's 5-6 nights. The Aether AG looks like a good fit for me, but any suggestions for 60L vs 70L vs 80L? Also, anyone have hands on time with a Farpoint 75L? I don't think I've seen that pack before, and the style looks more like a travel pack rather than a backpacking pack. Edit: would a 50-55L pack be too small? Casu Marzu fucked around with this message at 15:46 on Aug 5, 2020 |
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Aug 5, 2020 15:44
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Casu Marzu posted:Edit: would a 50-55L pack be too small? Totally depends on the rest of your gear. Thats my pack size and I can go roughly 5-6 days with all my food and gear in that size pack. If water isnt a concern and you dont have to bring a big bear canister you should be able to fit everything in that size pack. What sort of tent, sleeping system, and stove setup would you be using out of curiosity?
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Aug 5, 2020 16:50
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BaseballPCHiker posted:Totally depends on the rest of your gear. Thats my pack size and I can go roughly 5-6 days with all my food and gear in that size pack. If water isnt a concern and you dont have to bring a big bear canister you should be able to fit everything in that size pack. I believe my girlfriend has an REI half dome 2 person, which I guess brings up another point I need to consider. Hiking with two people that can share a tent means we can distribute things we don't need doubles of between packs. Current sleeping bag is an old synthetic 35F bag which has been fine for the time of the year we camp. It's something like 2.5lb and 11L compressed. Stove will just be a MSR pocket rocket and fuel. Talking this through, I feel like a lot of our stuff isn't super heavy, but isn't the most streamlined, so maybe a 60L pack and trying to pack as minimal as possible might be best.
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Aug 5, 2020 17:08
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Casu Marzu posted:
Farpoint was my first Osprey backpack. I wouldn't recommend it for backpacking. Other models just have more QoL features for specifically backpacking. It's decent for traveling though, and the newer model looks like it has more crossover. I use a 50l pack that I've been happy with for a week on the trail. Like the previous poster said it depends on the size of your gear. You can always secure a particularly big item to the outside of your pack as well. I have the Atmos AG, and the AG side of things is a delight. Very comfortable. Highly recommended. That being said I'm currently looking at million dollar ultra light backpacks because I have a problem.
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Aug 5, 2020 17:12
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Casu Marzu posted:I believe my girlfriend has an REI half dome 2 person, which I guess brings up another point I need to consider. Hiking with two people that can share a tent means we can distribute things we don't need doubles of between packs. My wife and I use the same tent when we backpack together. Usually she'll take the poles and stakes and I take the tent body and fly, it ends up being about 2.5 pounds a piece. That sleeping bag sounds about average, should be totally fine. I used an old North Face 35 cats meow bag for close to a decade that was around that size and weight. Between two people you only need one stove and one filter, so that'll save some weight and bulk as well. The biggest thing for you will be smartly packing your food. Making sure you dont bring a ton extra, that you bring calorie dense small foods, and you dont do stupid but delicious things like packing a whole jar of peanut butter or nutella or something.
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Aug 5, 2020 17:27
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Casu Marzu posted:I currently have a hefty discount for Osprey through work, so I'm looking to pick up a new backpacking bag. This year, I'm only planning a couple 1-2 night hikes, but want to do Painted Rocks on Lake Superior next year, and that's 5-6 nights. The Aether AG looks like a good fit for me, but any suggestions for 60L vs 70L vs 80L? Also, anyone have hands on time with a Farpoint 75L? I don't think I've seen that pack before, and the style looks more like a travel pack rather than a backpacking pack. i've been using the Aether 70 for a few years now and overall its a pretty great pack, very comfortable. the 70L includes the detachable daypack/brain which i never bother to bring, but even without it there is ample room for 5+ day trip, especially if you strap things to the outside. i'd estimate the 'base' pack to be 60-65L. cons: its on the heavy side and has a lot of 'nice' features that honestly i would rather trade out for a lighter baseweight. the side water bottle pockets also loving suck to use while carrying the pack, unless they have redesigned them
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Aug 5, 2020 18:37
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On the other end of the spectrum I constantly overpack and wind up completely filling my 60 liter pack for a 3 day trip, so I expect beyond gear it’s how you like to travel, how minimalist you are and food choices and water accessibility and everything else.
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Aug 5, 2020 18:42
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BaseballPCHiker posted:My wife dont do stupid but delicious things like packing a whole jar of peanut butter or nutella or something. That was only the one time. I was working, GPS survey, lots of random stuff in my pack that I usually leave alone, dont pack/unpack. Got to the top of Mt. Mutherfucker and was digging around for a snack bar. Found a 5lb Costco jar of peanut butter.
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Aug 5, 2020 23:58
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I see I'm late to cast iron talk. I've ditched the cast iron pan. A carbon steel skillet, on the other hand, half the weight, just as good. At least, that's what my back tells me.
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Aug 6, 2020 00:12
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Carbon steel is great to cook on and exactly the same to care for as cast iron, it just is a bit more expensive.
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Aug 6, 2020 00:15
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pumped up for school posted:That was only the one time. Props on eating 5 lbs of peanut butter at the summit though
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Aug 6, 2020 00:17
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Thanks for talking me through a new pack. Just grabbed an Osprey Atmos 65. Also 5 pairs of Osprey branded wigwam wool socks that were on close out and $6 a pair after my discount. 
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Aug 6, 2020 17:08
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Casu Marzu posted:Thanks for talking me through a new pack. Just grabbed an Osprey Atmos 65. Also 5 pairs of Osprey branded wigwam wool socks that were on close out and $6 a pair after my discount. Forgot to post this last night but seeing as you bought the pack I was going to recommended ... It's still applicable. I think a 60-65l pack is the sweet spot for anybody not doing ultralight stuff. You should be able to fit a 1-2p tent, stove, food, sleeping bag and pad with room for clothes etc for 5 days. 50 can get overfilled very quickly especially if you don't have the lightest tent or a very compressible sleeping bag. As said earlier, food for longer trips can really take it's toll. The osprey Atmos is the pack I see the most on the trails. It's the pack I'm likely going to upgrade to from my current Gregory. Osprey does tend to over do it on the features where they could probably lose a little weight but one thing I've realized is how a pack carries weight changes everything. A pack designed for 40 lbs will carry 40lbs comfortably vs a pack designed for 25 carrying 40 would be miserable. An extra pound of pack weight might actually make the overall weight easier to carry for longer.
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Aug 6, 2020 17:14
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Casu Marzu posted:Thanks for talking me through a new pack. Just grabbed an Osprey Atmos 65. Also 5 pairs of Osprey branded wigwam wool socks that were on close out and $6 a pair after my discount. I bought an Atmos 65 as well and backwoods sent me 2 tracking numbers 
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Aug 7, 2020 23:49
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FAUXTON posted:I bought an Atmos 65 as well and backwoods sent me 2 tracking numbers Woo free stuff. That reminds me, we just ordered a new soft top for the jeep and the company sent us two. One with a tracking number and one that just randomly showed up two days later. They are adamant they did not send a second one so I guess we're just gonna sell it and recoup most of the cost on the one we did actually buy. 
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Aug 8, 2020 03:50
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Casu Marzu posted:Woo free stuff. Uhhhhh what kind of jeep? 
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Aug 8, 2020 14:56
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Thaddius the Large posted:I use this guy, the Alps Mountaineering Ready Lite Cot. 5 pounds, so there’s no deluding yourself it’s an even trade for a pad, but my knees and hips are perpetually miserable, and this thing is not only a lifesaver, it also takes the abuse of a dog with boundary issues on cold nights being along for the ride. I’m gonna need to see more camp dog pics and that goes for the rest of you. See you in the pics thread.
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Aug 8, 2020 15:47
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Pham Nuwen posted:Uhhhhh what kind of jeep? Uhhh, it's my girlfriend's so I'm not 100% sure, but I believe it's a TJ
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Aug 8, 2020 17:46
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Hi everyone!  This year has shon me that I loving love spending time outdoors. I've mentioned that to my partner and we agreed on trying out camping. I've only been camping twice in my life, and both times were alcohol- and drug-fuelled messes. She's never been. So we thought we'd try it out next month when it's still warm and I might get a few days off work. There's a nice, natury camp ground nearby, so when things go wrong or we notice we forgot things, it's just a 15 minute drive home. This is the bad boy we got, along with basic sleeping and cooking gear:  I'm also proud owner of an Aeropress, so there'll even be real good coffee during our stay:  It's supposed to be easy to set up, lots of room for us and our small pupper, and relatively resistant against bugs and bad weather. We got it for a very reasonable price (less than 250E), so the loss won't hurt too much if we have to sell. But I'm super super stoked for next month!
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Aug 8, 2020 20:13
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Lord Stimperor posted:It's supposed to be easy to set up, lots of room for us and our small pupper, and relatively resistant against bugs and bad weather. We got it for a very reasonable price (less than 250E), so the loss won't hurt too much if we have to sell. But I'm super super stoked for next month! Per previous post, don't forget to post pix of the camp dog.
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Aug 8, 2020 20:36
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Posting camping dogs itt: 
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Aug 8, 2020 21:15
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Casu Marzu posted:Uhhh, it's my girlfriend's so I'm not 100% sure, but I believe it's a TJ Ah  , I've got a CJ-7, been thinking about getting a top but dang they're pricey. I'm just sort of watching for sales at this point.
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Aug 8, 2020 23:14
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Freaquency posted:Posting camping dogs itt: Camp doggo 
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Aug 9, 2020 04:56
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So I am thinking about getting The North Face One Bag to replace a couple of sleeping bags and a hammock quilt. Currently using the Snugpak quilt which is fine, but it looks like the down layer of the One Bag would work as a quilt and provide similar or better performance. It would also work as a system to replace my cold sleeping bag (very rarely used) and summer bag. Seems like a decent way to simplify things a bit. Or am I wrong?
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Aug 9, 2020 10:36
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Freaquency posted:Posting camping dogs itt: Gladly! 
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Aug 9, 2020 11:06
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