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Chard posted:i dunno, as a side sleeper who also thrashes from side to side all night, being locked into one side seems worse than finagling a traditional mummy bag around me I watched the video, and apparently the idea is that you get in and then just roll over with the bag? Not sure I get how it works in practice, but watching them roll around like inchworms was kinda funny.
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Mar 12, 2021 22:20
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The atmos 65 is so common you'll want to customize your bag somehow (ribbons, stitches, anything colorful) so it's visually distinct from all the others. If you ever end up in a spot where hikers congregate for a while it's important to do what you can to make sure no one heads off into the hills with the wrong bag. Probably a smart move for any bag but Osprey bags are so common it seems doubly important. I guess it's smartest to just never let the bag outside arms reach but in my experience that doesn't happen, people descend on shelters after a rain and explode out of their bags trying to dry everything out.
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Mar 12, 2021 22:35
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I have four Osprey packs and am pretty happy with all of them. My Exos 58 is great. I do want to try other brands though just to see what I'm missing.
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Mar 12, 2021 23:22
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Wow, okay. Sounds like a Osprey is the way to go!
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Mar 12, 2021 23:31
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xzzy posted:The atmos 65 is so common you'll want to customize your bag somehow (ribbons, stitches, anything colorful) so it's visually distinct from all the others. If you ever end up in a spot where hikers congregate for a while it's important to do what you can to make sure no one heads off into the hills with the wrong bag. I had to leave my pack behind while trying to summit mt whitney because my buddies said that I needed to lose the weight. Turns out that marmots got in the pack and ate everything. I should have taken the pack with me... it would have actually been much easier because I would have had more hands to hold trekking poles and water. Well... hard earned experience, I guess.
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Mar 12, 2021 23:38
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sb hermit posted:I had to leave my pack behind while trying to summit mt whitney because my buddies said that I needed to lose the weight. I had a packrat or something chew up the straps and cork grips on my trekking poles last year... it left my pack alone, but it's definitely something I worry about. That particular night I had hung the pack on a branch stub about 6 feet up a tree; is that enough to deter a lot of gnawing rodents, or will they just climb up the tree if they feel like getting a nibble of sweaty fabric?
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Mar 12, 2021 23:53
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I like Gregory packs. My Paragon is a pound lighter than the Atmos and seems pretty comfortable.
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Mar 13, 2021 00:08
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I've got a gregory savant 50 that I use for my quicker trips and winter stuff but I don't like the straps that much, it has limited adjustability so they angle inward and put pressure on my arm pits/shoulder after a long day. It's fitted properly to have the weight in my hips, it's just the design of the straps doesn't evenly distribute the load across the whole width of the strap. I've thought about sewing different straps in it's place but 
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Mar 13, 2021 01:34
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Fitzy Fitz posted:I have four Osprey packs and am pretty happy with all of them. My Exos 58 is great. The Exos was my main driver for years and I loved it. I love Osprey packs and stuck with them for awhile, but after the Exos redesign (ruined the hip belts) I decided to try a few other packs. I ended up trying several packs from Osprey, REI, Gregory, and others by buying and returning, or walking around REI with a full pack. What did I end up with? - Based on it being the top choice from Backpacker and Outdoorgearlab I purchased the Granite Gear Blaze 60 (a company I haven’t heard of until I started researching) without trying it on. The pack is very comfortable and adjustable while giving you tons of bells and whistles at a low weight (it slightly heavier than the Exos at 3 pounds). A+ pack (currently on sale for $188). - For my shorter trips and day hiking I also picked up the HMG 2400 Southwest. I love this pack, but it is hard to recommend due to initial cost and the additional cost of all the accessories I have purchased from HMG to round out the pack. Still I would do it all over again. If I was going to go for a great deal I think I would go with the Granite Gear Crown2 (comes in either 38 or 60). The 60 currently only $139 and has several of the same features of the Blaze at a lower weight (even lower than the Exos), but it also has a lower load rating (Blaze is 50 while the Crown is 35 pounds). Also nice about Granite Gear (at least here my neck of the woods) is few people have them in comparison to Osprey or even HMG (I am starting to see HMG a lot more). So you will always know which pack is yours. FCKGW posted:I like Gregory packs. My Paragon is a pound lighter than the Atmos and seems pretty comfortable. My wife has this pack and loves it.
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Mar 13, 2021 14:24
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One of my work partners has a Crown 2 and that's a steal of a pack at that price. Didn't realize the price point. We've overloaded it many times, and it definitely isn't as comfortable over 40lbs but it isn't horrid.
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Mar 13, 2021 15:43
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Chard posted:i dunno, as a side sleeper who also thrashes from side to side all night, being locked into one side seems worse than finagling a traditional mummy bag around me Agreed 100%. It just looks like a mummy bag with the hood on the side and a curved leg area. The Nemo Disco has an enlarged leg area so you can thrash around freely.
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Mar 14, 2021 05:26
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Pennywise the Frown posted:Agreed 100%. It just looks like a mummy bag with the hood on the side and a curved leg area. The Nemo Disco has an enlarged leg area so you can thrash around freely. One other thing I like about the Disco is that I can sit up without contorting my legs.
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Mar 14, 2021 16:06
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I got rid of my osprey pack because I couldn't get the frame to stop squeaking extremely loudly. I got a gregory pack instead and it's been good
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Mar 14, 2021 22:55
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its all nice on rice posted:Thanks. Been eyeing the Ospreys. Any opinions on the Alps Mountaineering packs? I had a tent of theirs for years that held up really well. Ospreys are great. I'd shoot for one in the ~50L range. The REI Flash packs are another solid option.
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Mar 15, 2021 18:11
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Fitzy Fitz posted:I have four Osprey packs and am pretty happy with all of them. My Exos 58 is great. I really like my Osprey Volt 70L pack, but I only use it for winter camping now, where the extra capacity is nice. For regular trips I’ve switched to a Zpacks Arc Haul. The pack is made of reinforced Dyneema (cuben) so it weighs almost nothing, and I save 3-4 pounds every trip with it. I personally like the fit much better, and the hipbelt fits me better. 100% personal preference though. The hipbelt pockets are also much nicer, as they’re further forward and much bigger and easier to access. I also like the mesh back pocket better. I’ve had it for... going on for years now? Granted I only used it a handful of times last year and not as much the year before because I was on a stupid work schedule. But I’ve had it packed to the brim with 50 pounds of water and gear in the Grand Canyon and it’s still going strong. I did initially have an issue with a poorly fitted carbon fiber bar in the frame where the sewn pocket wasn’t quite right and it kept popping out. Customer service fixed that for me and it’s been perfect since. I’ve heard their customer service has slipped the last few years though, so YMMV. It’s also watertight, as I found out two years ago when I forgot to seal it shut after grabbing my rainjacket out during a heavy rain. We got into camp and I went to start unpacking only to find out my pack had turned into a fishbowl I paid ~180 for the Osprey, and ~330 for the Arc Haul with the pockets. If you can swing the price I’d recommend looking at Cuben Fiber packs if you can. Buy once cry once. Most of the cottage vendors make cuben packs that are just as good or better, such as Mountain Laurel Designs, and they honestly look a lot cheaper now too. Otherwise, Osprey or Gregory’s ripstop nylon packs are excellent choices and will give you many years of good service at the expense of a few extra pounds. Definitely a light-cheap-durable, pick two item.
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Mar 15, 2021 20:10
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OSU_Matthew posted:If you can swing the price I’d recommend looking at Cuben Fiber packs if you can. My hangup with the UL packs is stupid simple: I like to overpack (I think OP mentioned that too) and they aren't meant to handle the weight by design. But some of my friends have them and I love handling them empty because they feel like... nothing. When I can find an excuse I'm still wanting to try a ULA Camino because I miss a panel loader.
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Mar 15, 2021 20:44
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Got my 20% REI coupons and a $17 dividend. What should I buy?
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Mar 15, 2021 20:49
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My dividend was over $100 😬 I need a new 3-person tent, but I rarely see good ones on sale.
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Mar 15, 2021 20:54
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I ended up with $300+, but I cheated by using the REI credit card. While I did have some big purchases at REI to get the 15% back, I also bought a lot of groceries using that card. This is only a good philosophy if you pay your credit cards off at least monthly (I actually pay my mine off weekly, unless it is a no interest plan). This year I have stopped using the REI CC for dividends and I am going for cash back on another card. Also my wife used most of this year's dividend on Vuori stuff. nate fisher fucked around with this message at 22:27 on Mar 15, 2021 |
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Mar 15, 2021 22:24
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3$ dividend on $700+ purchases. I only buy stuff on sale I guess
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Mar 15, 2021 22:42
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I only had like $25 from last year. I dont spend much at REI anymore since I have most all the gear I need so at this point I'm upgrading stuff thats getting worn out which is every other year or so and its only like one piece. I did however buy ski touring boots and bindings which were well over $1k so that should be a nice dividend next year.
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Mar 15, 2021 22:43
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FogHelmut posted:Got my 20% REI coupons and a $17 dividend. What should I buy? How did you get your coupons already? What have I missed!? And buy some new socks. Darn Tough or Wrightsocks.
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Mar 16, 2021 01:40
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I love Darn Tough socks. The smartwool socks I bought for the same price seem to pull apart so much more than my darn toughs do. Any outdoor sock I have is being slowly replaced with DT because they're that good.
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Mar 16, 2021 02:13
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I just get a TON of wool socks from Costco. They're cheap, comfortable, and super durable. I even wear them in the summer. I literally have about 20 pairs.
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Mar 16, 2021 02:41
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Pennywise the Frown posted:I just get a TON of wool socks from Costco. They're cheap, comfortable, and super durable. I even wear them in the summer. I literally have about 20 pairs. Agreed, Costco wool socks are great for the price but they're higher than I typically like for summer and too short for ski socks so I use them for shoulder season a lot.
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Mar 16, 2021 02:50
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Costco wool socks are very thick, which is either good or bad. I bought these last time and am very happy with them. Much better than my old REI merino socks. https://www.rei.com/product/178064/...=15286429&ev11= I have 4 pairs of Darn Tough, they're great.
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Mar 16, 2021 03:16
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I just had ankle surgery and my left foot is gigantic. I normally wear XL Darn Tough socks, but they're uncomfortably tight on my left foot. I'd love to go one size up, but they don't make one size up. What are some good extremely large socks?
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Mar 16, 2021 03:50
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Unless you got cosmetic ankle enlargement surgery I would just get cheap socks to wear until the swelling goes down.
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Mar 16, 2021 03:56
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Safety Dance posted:I just had ankle surgery and my left foot is gigantic. I normally wear XL Darn Tough socks, but they're uncomfortably tight on my left foot. I'd love to go one size up, but they don't make one size up. What are some good extremely large socks? Look for diabetic socks. They won't be performance fabric, and they won't be pretty, they will have room for your ankle. Signed, a forums poster with a chronically-injured ankle.
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Mar 16, 2021 04:39
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Safety Dance posted:I just had ankle surgery and my left foot is gigantic. I normally wear XL Darn Tough socks, but they're uncomfortably tight on my left foot. I'd love to go one size up, but they don't make one size up. What are some good extremely large socks? I wear 16 6E shoes. Gold Toe makes socks listed as "shoe size 12-16" that are my go-to. If you're specifically looking for wool socks, Realtree makes some ("XXL") that I can get on my feet but they're definitely cold-weather socks.
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Mar 16, 2021 05:16
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I accidentally threw away one of my waterproof gloves when taking the trash out the other day. Does anyone have a recommendation for something that's warm + waterproof? Ideally I'd like to use them when playing in the snow with my son + when snowshoeing/hiking in the snow.
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Mar 16, 2021 16:08
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I don't have a recommendation, but I bought a pair of gloves from EMS (northeast US regional REI type store) in 2003 and they are still great. Also a pair of snow bibs that have seen many years of snowboarding. I guess with modern gloves you'd probably want something that's touchscreen compatible as well.
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Mar 16, 2021 18:16
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Slimy Hog posted:I accidentally threw away one of my waterproof gloves when taking the trash out the other day. Does anyone have a recommendation for something that's warm + waterproof? Ideally I'd like to use them when playing in the snow with my son + when snowshoeing/hiking in the snow. My favorite gloves are the outdoor research storm tracker but they're not super waterproof. Maybe consider a pair of leather kynco and wax/oil them up pretty good, they're a legendary ski worker glove.
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Mar 16, 2021 18:29
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Verman posted:I love Darn Tough socks. The smartwool socks I bought for the same price seem to pull apart so much more than my darn toughs do. Any outdoor sock I have is being slowly replaced with DT because they're that good. Same, I've got like 7 pairs of them now. I got my job to expense me a few pairs under our "wellness" plan lol
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Mar 17, 2021 00:04
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PokeJoe posted:Same, I've got like 7 pairs of them now. I got my job to expense me a few pairs under our "wellness" plan lol Don't forget to warranty them when they eventually get holes. I got six new pairs in the mail this summer and all it cost was an envelope and postage.
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Mar 17, 2021 01:44
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I don't have any holes, but I have some thin spots where the cushion is gone.
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Mar 17, 2021 01:55
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FogHelmut posted:Got my 20% REI coupons and a $17 dividend. What should I buy? Piggybacking off of this, I have a $20 dividend and a $25 gift card but I don't have any strong ideas on what to pick up. Got all of my car camping setup last year (tent, bags, pads, lantern, other stuff I'm probably forgetttin). I was thinking maybe a wide brimmed hat or some cooking supplies but I'm open to any suggestions more broadly if there's cool stuff you think I could use.
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Mar 17, 2021 02:06
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PokeJoe posted:Same, I've got like 7 pairs of them now. I got my job to expense me a few pairs under our "wellness" plan lol What's the rationale for expensive socks being a required component of wellness? Asking for a friend.
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Mar 17, 2021 03:44
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My "wellness" plan usually gives us $300 yearly to spend on fitness classes, gym memberships, sports leagues, etc. They specifically call out gear or clothing not being eligible, ie nothing you could sell or return to get money back. BUT you can use it towards ski season passes like Ikon/Epic or national parks/state parks passes. I normally use it for my hockey league fees but since there's been no hockey this last year I used it to buy my America the Beautiful pass, washington state land pass, and some other exercise poo poo. During covid they were more lenient towards exercise gear so my wife got a new yoga mat and some weights. The other thing to keep in mind, super feet are often covered by insurance as orthotic devices so you might want to look into that if you need them for ski boots, ice skates, etc. They were also allowed under HSA/FSA (dont remember which). Good way of getting cheap/free premium insoles.
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Mar 17, 2021 04:06
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My wellness plan is extremely permissive, when I first started they told me someone got their entire PCT gear loadout covered under it. I can get massages, outdoor gear, fitness classes, spa treatments, anything that I can reasonably describe as improving my "wellness." I mostly tag it as exercise/outdoor gear.
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Mar 17, 2021 08:43
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