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Verman posted:Its sort of personal although most people tend to go with goretex pro jackets which yes, all go for like $500+. I dont think you need that to get started but the material is great and more robust than most lightweight goretex stuff which helps when you're dealing with ropes, ice axes, ice, and other tools. Got it, I'll peek around used and possibly hold off this season. I am eyeing Adams and the Worm Flow route up St. Helens for that purpose, though despite being non technical they're apparently harder than baker, which I guess would be good because it'd guarantee I'd be physically ready.
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Jan 10, 2024 00:59
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BaseballPCHiker posted:Do it! I had one years ago and it's a fun little tent. I did it! I'm happy to see how small this is packed up. It should be able to be strapped to my Escape's handlebars without any issue. Now, I just have to figure out what else I'll need for a short proof-of-concept bikepacking trip. When I was a kid, I could easily sleep on the ground with naught but a sleeping bag, even when the ground was frozen. I doubt that's going to happen now.
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Jan 15, 2024 00:58
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Anything you could do as a kid in terms of comfort is absolutely not possible as an adult. You sleep on the ground with no pad and you're either going to get cold, not sleep well, or hurt in the morning.
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Jan 15, 2024 06:52
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Lhet posted:Been looking at doing some light mountaineering this summer (Muir, St. Helens, maaaybe Baker if things line up), and currently looking at outer layers - where there seems to be the least consensus on what's needed. I have all the basic layers multiple times over, but am a bit confused on hardshell needs - some of these seem to easily reach $500+ and it's hard to find consensus on what I'm even shopping for. Am I just looking for something heavy-duty-ish and waterproof with ventilation options? Something more specific? Over the summer I don't think you'll need anything like a hardshell. You really want to focus on just packing light since Mt St Helens and Adams are just long hikes. So I would recommend a properly sized lightweight ice axe, trekking poles, and microspikes. The main technical challenge on those mountains is just traversing snow safely, but there should be a very solid bootpack wherever you go. The ice axe and spikes will help you out on those sections, and the ice axe is great for glissading, which you should definitely do. For layers, your normal hiking clothes are fine, but throw in a wind jacket and a down jacket for keeping warm on the move and at the summit respectively. Fleece liner gloves are very nice too. Most of your pack weight on the hike up should be 3L of water. Also bring lots of sunscreen, and wear sunglasses and long sleeves, it is easy to get sunburned above treeline. If you can go early enough for an alpine start (and you should try) then bring a headlamp too. Also take a look at South Sister. That is also one of the hikeable volcanoes, the views there are spectacular with the other volcanoes in close proximity. I need to get out there again this year since it was quite smoky when I went up last summer.
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Jan 15, 2024 18:40
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South Sister is fantastic, and totally non technical (at least in late summer), although the last mile is kind of a slog up switchbacks in pumice dust. Besides the incredible views of nearby stratovolcanoes, you also get to see a huge glacial waterfall pouring into the middle of the crater bowl, like into the mountain.
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Jan 15, 2024 19:27
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cerious posted:Over the summer I don't think you'll need anything like a hardshell. You really want to focus on just packing light since Mt St Helens and Adams are just long hikes. So I would recommend a properly sized lightweight ice axe, trekking poles, and microspikes. The main technical challenge on those mountains is just traversing snow safely, but there should be a very solid bootpack wherever you go. The ice axe and spikes will help you out on those sections, and the ice axe is great for glissading, which you should definitely do. This is very timely, because I am also looking to try some easy mountains for the first time, such as Helens and Adams. You mention microspikes, which I have. I was wondering if I needed crampons (and maybe heavier mountaineering boots). I'd prefer to just stick with my microspikes, but they're honestly only so-so in actual snow.
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Jan 15, 2024 22:52
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incogneato posted:This is very timely, because I am also looking to try some easy mountains for the first time, such as Helens and Adams. Microspikes are fine for the lower angle snowpack you will see on those mountains. There will be a very solid bootpack by the time you go, the main routes are heavily trafficked. Just check trip reports before you go on somewhere like Alltrails and there will be plenty of people reporting if the bootpack is there or not. You mostly just need some traction within those bootpack holes and on moderate snow, and the ice axe helps you stay planted and is a precaution against sliding. Crampons would be useful if you were going up higher angle stuff and having to kick in steps, but you won't really be doing that over the summer on those mountains.
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Jan 15, 2024 23:47
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So I did Adams south climb in August of 2017. Actual crampons are definitely recommended from me. They work better with stiff mountaineering boots but can work with stiff hiking boots so long as you're not standing on your toes. If you want to try, just rent first. Unless you're really sure footted on snow, the slope up is pretty steep and you try to go up early when the ice is harder. Crampons make you feel much more secure. An ice axe is mandatory and you want to learn how to self arrest before you go all the way up. For layers, I wore standard hiking layers but at the false summit it was 20-30°F. I had a 800 fill down jacket under my goretex shell with a hat on and winter gloves. It was cold and very, very windy. It's a high altitude exposed mountain. Weather can vary even in the heat of summer.
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Jan 16, 2024 04:55
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I would recommend a flexible 10 pt strap-on crampon like G10s or similar. You can put them on any boots (or even trail runners, though that isn't really recommended). and they will provide a lot more security than microspikes. The problem with microspikes is that there is a limited range of slope angles and snow conditions where they are effective, and they become mostly useless when you go beyond those. A hard rule of mine is if I need to take an ice ax, I take real crampons; in any situation where the former is warranted, the latter is going to be, in practice, far more useful. Conversely if the condition of the boot pack, the mildness of the slope angle, the snow conditions, and your ability to stay on-trail are so assured as to obviate the need for crampons, what is the ax for?
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Jan 16, 2024 19:24
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Obviously not good for all situations but man microspikes are magical. I've done 45 degree slopes with them (packed, slightly moist snow) and it was like walking on a sidewalk in summer. Except for the keeping balance part. But my feet stuck! Not suggesting anyone go mountaineering with them though. For me it was navigating trails along Minnesota's north shore where they got a lot of slopes.
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Jan 16, 2024 19:30
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xzzy posted:Not suggesting anyone go mountaineering with them though. For me it was navigating trails along Minnesota's north shore where they got a lot of slopes. Can confirm. Micro spikes rule! I use them all the time when Im winter hiking in the BWCA or on the Superior Trail. One thing I found from sectionhiker is that if you ever lose the storage sack for those, the bubble mailers that amazon uses work pretty well and will hold up for about a seasons worth of use.
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Jan 16, 2024 19:49
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Awesome, thanks everybody on that extremely valuable information! Was hoping I wasn't gonna need to spend $2k on clothing that'd be too warm to use 99% of the time. Already have a solid general outdoor lineup from backpacking, but will add on an ice axe, some crampons, maybe sunglasses and snow gloves. Hadn't even really considered South Sister but will add it to the list of options. For prep I've been reading The Freedom of the Hills and gym training 2-3x a week (should be 3-4x when it gets lighter and I can do local hikes every weekend or even after work sometimes), so should hopefully be overprepared for these.
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Jan 17, 2024 23:26
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BaseballPCHiker posted:Join the dark side and start hammock camping. Then you could look down smugly at all of the ground dwellers and their pads.  withak posted:Having a 3d printer means you solve every problem by printing a widget. I've been scratching my head on that very thing... when you have a hammer, every problem starts to look like a nail, and this is no exception. I see a lot of hinges, clips, chair parts, and other easily broken parts on thingiverse and co for camping gear, but haven't found a ton of super useful stuff outside of that yet. Anyone have any good car camping gear or organizers they've printed? I feel like kitchen organizer stuff would be especially good candidates for printing.
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Feb 17, 2024 05:26
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I use a little "backpacking" cot and it's like a hammock for your tent. good for my old person body
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Mar 4, 2024 21:40
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Crap. I just had an emergency femoral neck repair, 3 pins into the left leg. Fortunately the fracture was not all the way across the bone, there was no displacement and the blood supply to the ball is still intact. Otherwise, it would have been a partial hip replacement at 55 years old. I am still not quite sure what caused all of this. I first noticed the pain at the end of a treadmill session 3 weeks ago, and it just kept getting worse over the course of 2 weeks despite staying off of the leg as much as possible. It became a 7 out of 10 on the pain scale while walking, but no pain at all if sitting or lying down. Thinking back, I took a hard fall with a full pack while going down the Bluewater Trail in the Cleveland National Forrest. I'm betting something micro fractured, and just kept growing over the next 2 months. Why am I posting here? Because all of my spring backpacking is now on hold and I am feeling sorry for myself. But I know it could have been way worse. I could have require a heli rescue after my initial fall, or the bone could have broke fully when I was out visiting my brother in Seattle, any number of things. Meh. Here's to being healthy and getting out in a couple of months. Edit: Oops, wrong thread. But I'll leave it since there ae already comments. Cat Ass Trophy fucked around with this message at 02:16 on Mar 5, 2024 |
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Mar 5, 2024 01:00
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Cat rear end Trophy posted:Crap. I just had an emergency femoral neck repair, 3 pins into the left leg. Fortunately the fracture was not all the way across the bone, there was no displacement and the blood supply to the ball is still intact. Otherwise, it would have been a partial hip replacement at 55 years old. I am still not quite sure what caused all of this. I first noticed the pain at the end of a treadmill session 3 weeks ago, and it just kept getting worse over the course of 2 weeks despite staying off of the leg as much as possible. It became a 7 out of 10 on the pain scale while walking, but no pain at all if sitting or lying down. Thinking back, I took a hard fall with a full pack while going down the Bluewater Trail in the Cleveland National Forrest. I'm betting something micro fractured, and just kept growing over the next 2 months. drat that sucks. Just relax and heal, do whatever PT you're assigned and don't try to push it on recovery. Your body will thank you. I herniated two of my lumbar discs a few times, with the last time being a few years ago now and it was excruciating. I couldn't walk for at least a week, and it was months before I could stand up straight or walk more than a quarter mile. My injury was in august of 2021 and I didn't hike again until July 2022 after months of physical therapy. It absolutely sucked and I gained 15 lbs. Muscles atrophied and I felt weak. I had numbness and nerve damage in my right leg/achilles/calf which is still there 3 years later. I hiked every week and walked as soon as I could and just kept gaining distance day after day. I went on my first backpacking trip almost a year later with success. I was cautious and stretched every day. I also streamlined my pack to weigh less. Sorry you're injured but with time it will hopefully get better.
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Mar 5, 2024 01:18
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Do we have a road trip / overlanding / boondocking type thread anywhere on the forums? I'm refining a road trip for late May with stops related to doing a bunch of hiking so it kind of fits in here but there's also a lot of BLM car camping on the schedule and I'm not sure I should poo poo up this thread with that stuff. It would be interesting (to me) to swap places to explore that are easy to get to with a car because I'm sure there's lots of people that have been through areas I'm going or have local expertise.
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Mar 5, 2024 03:59
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I think the National Parks thread would be the logical place for you to start
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Mar 5, 2024 04:08
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Cat rear end Trophy posted:Crap. I just had an emergency femoral neck repair, 3 pins into the left leg. Oh gently caress, that sucks rear end... I'm glad you at least were someplace you could get treatment at least. Hopeful you can rest and focus on getting healed up to get back outside here soon! xzzy posted:Do we have a road trip / overlanding / boondocking type thread anywhere on the forums? There's the RV thread in TGO with a few folks who do that, but it's pretty quiet right now. I just picked up a small camper last year and planned a cross country road trip around picking it up, but we largely stayed at campgrounds and KOAs because we were trying to cover something like 5,000 miles in three weeks and we had a ton of stuff to see planned out. Where you looking at heading?
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Mar 5, 2024 04:22
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Cat rear end Trophy posted:Crap. I just had an emergency femoral neck repair, 3 pins into the left leg. Fortunately the fracture was not all the way across the bone, there was no displacement and the blood supply to the ball is still intact. Otherwise, it would have been a partial hip replacement at 55 years old. I am still not quite sure what caused all of this. I first noticed the pain at the end of a treadmill session 3 weeks ago, and it just kept getting worse over the course of 2 weeks despite staying off of the leg as much as possible. It became a 7 out of 10 on the pain scale while walking, but no pain at all if sitting or lying down. Thinking back, I took a hard fall with a full pack while going down the Bluewater Trail in the Cleveland National Forrest. I'm betting something micro fractured, and just kept growing over the next 2 months. wtf did you fall off a mountain????
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Mar 5, 2024 04:40
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xzzy posted:Do we have a road trip / overlanding / boondocking type thread anywhere on the forums? If you’re going to be in the southwest at all I’d recommend checking out SUV RVing. He posts on YouTube once a week and camps pretty much exclusively out of his RAV4 or Land Cruiser. We’ve used his videos as a jumping off point for trips in the past to great success.
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Mar 5, 2024 07:39
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xzzy posted:Do we have a road trip / overlanding / boondocking type thread anywhere on the forums? I scoured AI and didn't find much. Though there was this thread about getting outside in a landcruiser in Utah. I feel like we had such a thread years ago in this subforum but no idea where it would be now
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Mar 5, 2024 14:00
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Theres an RV thread that may be the closest fit.
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Mar 5, 2024 16:34
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Double post because its top of mind. I am taking my first few backpacking trips with my soon to be 3 year old this summer. I am going UL for us so I can carry more gear for my daughter. Most of the gear I've already got will work fine except for my tents. I primarily hammock camp now so my only tents are an old Eureka Timberline, an REI HalfDome 2, or big car camping tents. The HalfDome is the smallest I have and its 5+ pounds and bulky. So I'm looking for something that first and foremost packs down small. I can lug around an extra pound or two, but I need it to pack down small. I also want it to be durable, because..... kids. And finally I'm in the upper midwest so I expect it to be humid, hot and buggy this summer. With that in mind I have to think a double wall tent is in order. So far my leading contender is a TarpTent Double Rainbow, but would love to hear any other suggestions.
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Mar 5, 2024 16:38
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I will relentlessly shill the Durston x-mid 2p if you’re a poles user
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Mar 5, 2024 17:22
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Catatron Prime posted:Where you looking at heading? Denver to the California Redwoods and back in late May. My biggest question is road conditions in central Nevada and western Utah, I like to get off the asphalt and have no experience with the quality of gravel roads out there. I'm perfectly willing to turn around if it looks bad but it'd be nice to know beforehand if an area is "generally driveable" at a given time of year. Freaquency posted:If you’re going to be in the southwest at all I’d recommend checking out SUV RVing. He posts on YouTube once a week and camps pretty much exclusively out of his RAV4 or Land Cruiser. We’ve used his videos as a jumping off point for trips in the past to great success. I actually have watched a ton of his stuff, the hard part is he uses clickbait titles and you have to watch the video to figure out where the hell he's going. I get that he's trying to shill a paid website but it really limits the ability to use the channel for research. At least he puts GPS coords in the description. Hotel Kpro posted:I scoured AI and didn't find much. Though there was this thread about getting outside in a landcruiser in Utah. I feel like we had such a thread years ago in this subforum but no idea where it would be now Thanks for the sleuthing. Maybe I should make a thread but it's nice to look around first.
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Mar 5, 2024 17:28
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Can someone explain to me why "overlanding" is different from "car camping" aside from "car camping has a bad rap of being the lame way to camp, so I want to rebrand my hobby with a cooler name"? Not-so-fake edit: and no, the emphasis on tarting up your vehicle is not a meaningful distinction. That's just car camping while also being an off-road weirdo. Dick Burglar fucked around with this message at 17:34 on Mar 5, 2024 |
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Mar 5, 2024 17:31
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Bloody posted:I will relentlessly shill the Durston x-mid 2p if you’re a poles user I got the 1p version last year and love the hell out of it. It even kept me dry with improper guylines in a downpour. (unfortunately I got soaked when I had to tear down in the morning because the bathtub had a puddle I missed so I'm not sure it was a total win)
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Mar 5, 2024 17:32
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Dick Burglar posted:Can someone explain to me why "overlanding" is different from "car camping" aside from "car camping has a bad rap of being the lame way to camp, so I want to rebrand my hobby with a cooler name"? It's a pretentious term, yes. It just means driving on lovely roads to get to a dispersed campsite, no hiking required. All the money that would otherwise get dumped on ultralight gear gets dumped into vehicle upgrades.
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Mar 5, 2024 17:35
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Dick Burglar posted:Can someone explain to me why "overlanding" is different from "car camping" aside from "car camping has a bad rap of being the lame way to camp, so I want to rebrand my hobby with a cooler name"? Car Camping is driving somewhere, and then sleeping in a tent with your car right there next to you. It generally conjures up images of family oriented campsites with nice little fire rings, bathrooms, etc. Also typically Car Camping means drive to one place, stay there for a while, drive home. Overlanding certainly is camping somewhere with your car right there with you, but often people are sleeping in their vehicle, or a rooftop tent, and they are sleeping in undeveloped locations. Getting to those locations may require off-roading, it may not. Also there is often an assumption that the person is changing locations from night to night. There are a ton of common concerns, but there are a whole set of concerns that fall into Overlanding that don't really matter for the more general Car Camping.
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Mar 5, 2024 17:42
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armorer posted:Car Camping is driving somewhere, and then sleeping in a tent with your car right there next to you. It generally conjures up images of family oriented campsites with nice little fire rings, bathrooms, etc. Also typically Car Camping means drive to one place, stay there for a while, drive home. All I'm reading is "car camping sounds fuckin' gay and I'm a MAN, god damnit!" Edit: yes I recognize I'm being uncharitable, but also lol Dick Burglar fucked around with this message at 18:47 on Mar 5, 2024 |
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Mar 5, 2024 18:44
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There is a tribal component to anything offroading adjacent and it's gross but it's also really not that bad once you get out there and start having fun. Most of the anger seems to be caused by the internet rage machine trying to decide which vehicle and upgrades are the best and talking trash about anyone outside that narrow cone. However whenever I'm out in the sticks everyone I encounter is insanely friendly and welcoming.
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Mar 5, 2024 18:55
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If I'm honest, there probably is enough of a difference for the distinction to be worthwhile. I don't necessarily agree that car camping has to be using pre-made campsites with amenities, but it is undeniably fair to say that that is what most people picture when you talk about it. But you're right--the nice thing is, most people are just happy to be out doing the thing.
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Mar 5, 2024 19:02
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Catatron Prime posted:Oh gently caress, that sucks rear end... I'm glad you at least were someplace you could get treatment at least. Hopeful you can rest and focus on getting healed up to get back outside here soon! I was very lucky in that the bone never full fractured and the repair was easy. No pain killers required after surgery, and I still have full range of motion. There is just a bite of soreness at the incission point and where they had to push some muscle out of the way to get to the bone. I just have to keep weight off of it until my follow up in 10 days. Hopefully I can do some non weight bearing stuff at that time. Before I got into backpacking 2 years ago, I did a lot of cycling. But 2 years of battling afib caused me to take on a less cardio intensive activity. The funny thing is, my third cardiac ablation procedure seems to have finally fixed the afib problem and I was getting set to ramp up the biking a little bit. Fate intervened. The fall probably could have been prevented if I had been given my Christmas present early. The in laws bought me a Zpacks carbon staff. I have used it a few times but I am not so sure of the design. It is four segments of carbon, and they are held together by the tension of some lightweight paracord. The cord is tied to segment 1, and the you run the cord through the other 3 segments. There is a knot at the end of the cord, and you pull the cord tight and put the knot in a notch at the top of segment 1. It seems like the cord is now resting on a sharp edge of carbon and under tension. I don't see how this is going to hold up. Also, the tip has been stuck in the ground a few times, and the only way to free it is to pull up. But all you have holding the pieces together is the cord. Anyway, I will see how this lasts.
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Mar 5, 2024 19:16
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Man I just want to keep buying backpacks.
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Mar 5, 2024 19:42
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But what about backpacks.. for CARS? Sky's the limit!
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Mar 5, 2024 19:58
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xzzy posted:But what about backpacks.. for CARS? Sky's the limit! I have one of those too 
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Mar 5, 2024 20:13
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FogHelmut posted:Man I just want to keep buying backpacks. my new backpack should be here in a few weeks and i am getting excited
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Mar 5, 2024 21:36
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I got a Superior Wilderness Designs Rugged Long Haul last fall and its been the best pack I've had so far. Love that thing, so nice and light and cool looking.
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Mar 5, 2024 22:32
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FogHelmut posted:Man I just want to keep buying backpacks. Join us in the backpack thread where we all have that problem
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