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we've been using these teabag-like steeped coffee things (e.g. https://www.olympiacoffee.com/collections/coffee/products/steeped-big-truck-organic) when backpacking / camping lately and they're quite nice
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# ? Dec 7, 2022 23:13 |
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# ? Jun 10, 2024 11:32 |
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I've had to warranty 2 newer Smartwool 150/all season base layer shirts this year. I have multiple 150 weight ones from years ago that are holding up fine, so I'm assuming a manufacturing change that isn't working out well. What are everyone's favorite mostly-merino base layers with ethical merino certifications?
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# ? Dec 8, 2022 16:16 |
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I've worn my smartwool 150 about 30-40 days and washed ~20 times this year. I'm just starting to see some pilling and wear in the back. I would say slightly less durable than icebreaker, but the fits work better for my gargoyle body.
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# ? Dec 9, 2022 02:07 |
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That's been my experience with all things smart wool. They pill up and seem less durable than other brands, especially socks when compared to darn tough.
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# ? Dec 9, 2022 09:05 |
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effika posted:I've had to warranty 2 newer Smartwool 150/all season base layer shirts this year. I have multiple 150 weight ones from years ago that are holding up fine, so I'm assuming a manufacturing change that isn't working out well. I hear great things about Icebreaker - anyone corroborate?
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# ? Dec 9, 2022 15:09 |
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COPE 27 posted:I've worn my smartwool 150 about 30-40 days and washed ~20 times this year. I'm just starting to see some pilling and wear in the back. Verman posted:That's been my experience with all things smart wool. They pill up and seem less durable than other brands, especially socks when compared to darn tough. I've had real good luck using a fabric shaver to get the pills off my Darn Tough shocks as well as a wool Patagonia zip-up. It seemed like a frivolous purchase but I find myself using it quite a bit! https://www.conair.com/en/battery-operated-fabric-shaver/CLS1X.html?lang=en_US
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# ? Dec 9, 2022 15:59 |
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Icebreaker is fine but you have to baby it more than Smartwool based on the care instructions (eg line dry vs tumble low, respectively). DO NOT accidentally tumble dry Icebreaker. Re: socks. Darn Tough also feel more durable than Smartwool, but at the cost of comfort. Some of their socks wear slightly…weird…to me. Not bad, per se, but they don’t conform to my foot as well as Smartwool. TBH you can’t really go wrong with any of the three.
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# ? Dec 9, 2022 16:46 |
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waffle enthusiast posted:Re: socks. Darn Tough also feel more durable than Smartwool, but at the cost of comfort. Some of their socks wear slightly…weird…to me. Not bad, per se, but they don’t conform to my foot as well as Smartwool. I found some of darn tough's socks run small for me. Like their size guide says I should wear a L but I actually need an XL. it's only their basic mid cushion hiker though, the boot sock and ski sock and dress sock all are normal and I wear an L in those. Very weird. They are absolutely the best socks though with the best warranty.
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# ? Dec 9, 2022 18:41 |
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I'm never buying smartwool stuff again, it's paper thin and I shred the stuff after a season (sometimes less). I went back to synthetics and accept the fact I'm gonna smell like death after a few days.
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# ? Dec 9, 2022 18:45 |
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Bought a Six Moon Designs Haven Bundle and took it on a 3 day trip to the Chattooga River Trail that borders GA/SC. It was great; it rained the first night and the next morning and I stayed completely dry. The ventilation is fantastic and at ~34oz the shelter is a joy to lug around for 10 miles. My buddy, who had never been backpacking before, had a cheap WalMart dome tent and didn't fare as well. He liked the experience enough that he'll do it again, so that's good. My only complaint about the tent is that the floor is very slick, and my Sea To Summit ultralight mattress slid around, even with an old (circa 1994) ridge rest beneath it. Anyone got any ideas to mitigate the sliding around? Maybe some kind of slightly sticky substance I could put on the bottom of the mattress- like surfboard wax.
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# ? Dec 9, 2022 19:14 |
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Chattooga River Trail is one of my favorites. This is the only time of year I can stand it though. It's low and wet, so it turns into a jungle in warmer weather.
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# ? Dec 9, 2022 19:25 |
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Fitzy Fitz posted:Chattooga River Trail is one of my favorites. This is the only time of year I can stand it though. It's low and wet, so it turns into a jungle in warmer weather. Same. I wanted to take my buddy up to the Conasauga River Trail in the Cohutta Wilderness, but he definitely wasn't up for that especially this time of year. But drat, that area is freaking beautiful and I want him to see it. Too many river crossings for the winter months, though.
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# ? Dec 9, 2022 19:31 |
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Oh yeah, I was just up at Lake Conasauga a few weeks ago. There were great leaves this fall.
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# ? Dec 9, 2022 20:13 |
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xzzy posted:I'm never buying smartwool stuff again, it's paper thin and I shred the stuff after a season (sometimes less). I only have smartwool bootsocks but they've been absolutely bombproof tbh
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# ? Dec 9, 2022 23:41 |
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I used to be fond of Costco's bargain packs of wool socks but the last time I saw them they had been completely changed and seemed way thinner. I got them anyway but I suspect they aren't gonna hold up as well, bummer.
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# ? Dec 9, 2022 23:52 |
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alnilam posted:I found some of darn tough's socks run small for me. Like their size guide says I should wear a L but I actually need an XL. it's only their basic mid cushion hiker though, the boot sock and ski sock and dress sock all are normal and I wear an L in those. Very weird. They do fit small but I've also never had a blister with the recommended size so I was assuming this is intentional
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# ? Dec 10, 2022 00:47 |
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COPE 27 posted:They do fit small but I've also never had a blister with the recommended size so I was assuming this is intentional I dunno, the grey thing where your heel should be sits well under my foot. It's pretty drastic. And it's only that one type, the rest are fine.
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# ? Dec 10, 2022 01:22 |
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isaboo posted:Bought My only complaint about the tent is that the floor is very slick, and my Sea To Summit ultralight mattress slid around, even with an old (circa 1994) ridge rest beneath it. Anyone got any ideas to mitigate the sliding around? Maybe some kind of slightly sticky substance I could put on the bottom of the mattress- like surfboard wax. I’ve heard of people putting strips or dots of silicone sealant down on the floor when they’re sealing their tent’s seams. I haven’t tried this myself
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# ? Dec 10, 2022 02:27 |
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Surf wax will make a HORRIBLE mess. As a surfer I rarely even use the stuff anymore.
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# ? Dec 10, 2022 06:31 |
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Clark Nova posted:I’ve heard of people putting strips or dots of silicone sealant down on the floor when they’re sealing their tent’s seams. I haven’t tried this myself You could also just add a few dots of shoe goo to the bottom of your sleeping pad. As for wool socks, the Costco stocks are/were great. They get really fuzzy after a while and pill up but they work great.They're warm but a little bulky but yeah they changed them up and they're a much thinner sock now which I should try regardless. Too many merino socks/garments are never a bad thing if you can do wool and you like the outdoors.
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# ? Dec 10, 2022 08:01 |
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For merino, my dollars go as follows: Socks - Darn Tough Base layers - Icebreaker Anitomica T-shirts - Tracksmith Tracksmith is a running company out of Boston, but I wear their merino t-shirts for climbing and they have held up really well over many, many wears without any babying. That said, I wash them all cold and hang dry them so no idea how any hold up in a dryer.
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# ? Dec 10, 2022 08:50 |
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What about men’s underwear? Doesn’t need to be merino, just comfortable to wear over a few miles.
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# ? Dec 10, 2022 17:20 |
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My favorite underwear is Patagonia, but don't buy it if it's not on sale. ExOfficio is good for active stuff too. Neither is merino though.
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# ? Dec 10, 2022 17:31 |
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I have a couple pairs of ex officios that have always impressed me with their funk-resistance.
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# ? Dec 10, 2022 18:06 |
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Dr. Lunchables posted:What about men’s underwear? Doesn’t need to be merino, just comfortable to wear over a few miles. Runderwear's merino line is good so far.
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# ? Dec 10, 2022 18:31 |
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Oh, and my #lifehack for wool socks is to learn how to darn them, no matter the brand. When a toe or heel goes, you can make a pair good-as-new in 10 minutes with a darning needle, wool thread, and a small tennis-sized ball. (If you use a tennis ball just don't accidentally stitch it into the sock, and no that's totally a hypothetical thing that has never happened to me why do you ask?)
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# ? Dec 10, 2022 18:46 |
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Men's underwear, exofficio are the gold standard for me. I've also tried other synthetics but I don't know what it is about exofficio but they do stay fresher longer. I've tried the Costco 32° brand and they're okay especially for the price, they're really thin and light which is nice for hot weather.
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# ? Dec 10, 2022 21:18 |
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Mrs. Trophy and I just got back from a planned 3 day, 2 night trip to Chanel Islands National Park on Santa Cruz Island. We did unfortunately have to cut it short by 1 night, as all of the Sunday boats would most likely be cancelled due to the "storm" that is hitting SoCal right now. Boats normally don't run on Monday, so we would have been there until Tuesday morning. I would have been OK with that, as we had extra food and fuel, but The Mrs. just started a new job and grandma who is watching our kids has to head home Monday morning. Anyway, the piece of new to us equipment we used on the trip was a Zpacks Triplex tent. All I can say it that it was fantastic. So light and small on the pack, and it went up super easy. We had practiced a few times in the yard but I was still a bit nervous using it in the wild for the first time. There was no wind at all during the night, but early in the morning some rain rolled in for a few hours. It was very relaxing just sleeping in a bit while listening to the rain. Condensation was not a problem, the inside walls remained dry. Part of this was we did not set the tent edge low to the ground as recommended for stronger storms, and also the relative humidity was pretty low all night. We used the optional carbon poles that have a fixed height. If we wanted to set the tent lower you have to dig down a bit and then set the pole. I was a bit sad to be leaving the island early. On the boat back to the mainland there was a park ranger, and as we were making the crossing she said we made the right choice. This was the last boat off and one would not be going back until at least Tuesday. We will for sure head back some time in the spring and try for the route we had planned.
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# ? Dec 12, 2022 02:16 |
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I love the Duluth Trading Co long boxers. Have worked extremely well for me.
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# ? Dec 13, 2022 22:11 |
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Do none of y’all live near a TJMaxx or similar? Buy your chonies there. You can 9-10 pairs of your preferred cut of undergarment (made out of a decent tech fabric) for the cost of a pair of ExOfficios. My entire boxer drawer is Quiksilver, Volcom or Stance all at less than $3* a pair. * aside from the fancy Star Wars pairs my wife gave me for Christmas
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# ? Dec 14, 2022 18:05 |
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You’re wearing boxers while hiking? That’s crazy to me, a guy on the internet.
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# ? Dec 15, 2022 02:51 |
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Boxer briefs.
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# ? Dec 15, 2022 17:12 |
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I wear boxer briefs. I currently have a few pairs of Saxx. They were comfortable at first, but after a while started to run up my leg and become annoying/uncomfortable. Definitely looking at some of the brands mentioned above.
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# ? Dec 17, 2022 15:39 |
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Yeah honestly it seems like underwear is solved at this point. Miraculous to see the transition from nut squeezers to loose chafe inviting boxers, and our final destination of snug fitting boxer briefs with nutt pouches.. all within my lifetime. I don't see how anyone could possibly favour another style.
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# ? Dec 17, 2022 22:09 |
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I can’t stand the feeling of clothing/jewelry that slightly squeezes me all day long (e.g. elastic bands in compression shorts, etc), so no boxer briefs for me. Personally, I prefer Exofficio 2.0 boxers in the summer and Smartwool boxers in the winter.
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# ? Dec 17, 2022 22:23 |
My jewels need the support. Like a bra for my voluptuous balls
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# ? Dec 17, 2022 22:38 |
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PokeJoe posted:My jewels need the support. Like a bra for my voluptuous balls yeah you just drop your balls into a little pouch right there *pop*
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# ? Dec 17, 2022 23:44 |
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A lil hammock for the fellas.
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# ? Dec 18, 2022 00:19 |
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Is a quilt just a mummy bag without a zipper? Or should I stick with the old rectangle bag? I can't do a mummy bag, I feel like I'm tied up and triggers claustrophobia that I didn't know I had.
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# ? Dec 21, 2022 18:59 |
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# ? Jun 10, 2024 11:32 |
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A quilt is basically a mummy bag without a zipper, and the open side goes underneath you.
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# ? Dec 21, 2022 19:11 |