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Smoove J posted:I've got a tent, but in what event would I use a bivy instead? This is from a couple pages back, but I wanted to chime in here. Bivys are great for when you aren't going to be spending much time in your tent. This might be because you're hiking with a purpose and are spending all of your waking moments on the trail or in a blind, or it might be because it's good weather with friends and you'll be spending your evenings around a campfire. Bivys are also very light and compact, and deal with rain and wind better than most other light-weight options. So long as there aren't too many bugs and you're not claustrophobic, bivys can be very comfortable - I quite enjoy sleeping underneath the stars. I've also brought my bivy along when I'm camping with a group of folks who have tents that I don't trust. That way if the tent leaks or something, I'm not really affected. And I find that people tend to be more comfortable with bivys when they become more familiar with them. Think of it more like a super-sleeping bag. Kaal fucked around with this message at 23:47 on Aug 14, 2013 |
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Aug 14, 2013 23:44
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Dread Head posted:Has anyone ever flown internationally with a camp stove? In particular one that has used white gas. You can bring the stove but you can't bring the fuel canister (even if it's empty).
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Aug 17, 2013 22:33
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Dread Head posted:Really? What I read on the TSA sight was you can bring both but must not have any fuel or vapours. Mostly concerned about the stove, if I have to replace the fuel bottle I am not that worried. If you can actually get the fuel vapors out then you're fine, but realistically they're going to detect the vapors and pull you aside.
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Aug 19, 2013 02:27
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i_heart_ponies posted:An easy way to fly with a liquid fuel canister in your checked luggage with absolutely zero hassle is to fill it with white vinegar and label it as such with a piece of masking tape on the outside. Wow, that's such an excellent solution.
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Aug 19, 2013 05:56
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Using a cached GPS map on a phone is great for traveling into the backcountry in your car, but it'll die pretty quickly in the field. You could pick up a solar battery recharger, but it'd still be pretty inefficient.
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Aug 26, 2013 21:00
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A Kpro posted:Story of the year for me as well. On my latest adventure I decided to not follow the suggested route and after 4.5 hours and only 7 miles covered, this was as close as I got to my goal Going off-trail is a great way to realize how loving badass the early pioneers were. Also to realize how much it must have sucked.
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Sep 1, 2013 20:28
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alnilam posted:Anyway, thanks for the lightning advice all! Anything on the flash flood and the high wind stuff? You really want local knowledge on the flash flood and high wind risks. An arroyo in the Southwest looks totally different from a Northwestern watershed creek, and the weather that causes them to flood can be totally different as well. It's hard to come up with general risk mitigation strategies. Keep your head up when you're hiking, and pay attention to the weather on the horizon. Be willing and able to change your plans (i.e. avoid putting yourself into the position where you have no alternative but to tramp through weather in order to reach food/shelter/responsibilities). Don't camp right next to water or a creekbed - give yourself a 20 foot minimum distance (also to avoid trampling the riparian areas). Heavily forested areas can protect you from high winds, but lightly forested areas can be blown away and introduce a flying object risk - that depends on the type of trees as well. Similarly, a draw or small valley can protect you from a storm, or it can channel a mountain's worth of wind and water down the center of it. It just depends on the local geography. I could tell you all about how to make a brush windshield out of material here in the Northwest, or how to tell the difference between a seasonal creekbed and a game trail, but it'd be pretty useless for other areas. The best solution is to find an experienced local hiker and pick their brain. Also, carry some rope and a decent hiking knife if you're going off-trail - between the two you can generally mitigate any risks you come across through jerry-rigging (i.e. tie your tent down, build a rain-shelter, secure your gear, etc.). Oh and your thoughts about lightning are absolutely spot-on - don't stand under trees. Kaal fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Oct 9, 2013 |
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Oct 9, 2013 22:53
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pizzadog posted:Anybody having luck/experience accessing national forests right now? I don't want to trek out to the sierra to find a locked gate in front of the fresh powder They're closed nationwide. You could probably hop a gate and trek out anyway, but it seems like a bit of a disservice to the Park Rangers who are furloughed or are having to work for free. I have a feeling that my forest service buddies would kick my rear end if they heard I went wandering around in their woods while they're struggling to put bread on the table. Considering how much I love those forests and know that they need to be managed, I'd show a little solidarity and find a state park instead.
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Oct 11, 2013 05:48
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i_heart_ponies posted:When I was packing my bag I found the FlipCam I forgot I owned. I brought it to play with yesterday and edited this thing together in about 20 minutes. That was a great watch. What's the name of the band? edit: Thanks evil_bunnY! Kaal fucked around with this message at 21:55 on Oct 31, 2013 |
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Oct 31, 2013 20:04
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evil_bunnY posted:You can make do with any waterproof (not water resistant) coat and pullovers. Hiking boots you need, but what did you expect? Yeah, the boots are the most important thing. Buy them ASAP and start breaking them in if you're going backpacking with new ones. Everything else is kind of catch as catch can. I've been camping and backpacking in the Northwest for a decade and I only bought a true rainshell a couple months ago. Don't let the gear get you down - people have been enjoying the woods for a long time without lightweight space-age equipment. Speaking of boots, I bought a pair of the trendy new low-top hiking boots that basically mix trail runners with a firm sole. They were great for trail-work but I missed the protection of my old army high-tops when I was going down scree and through brush. If I were to do it all again, I'd pick up a pair of sensible mid-tops.
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Nov 1, 2013 01:57
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PRADA SLUT posted:Does Nike make any minimalist shoes? Yeah, check out the Nike Free line. http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pw/mens-barefoot-running-shoes/7puZbhyZbrkZ8yz
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Dec 26, 2013 00:12
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Oxford Comma posted:Depends. Up in Oregon I was more worried about running into HIDDEN METH LAB than bears. To be fair, it's a real issue in the back country out here, and not just for backpackers. I've got a bunch of firefighter buddies who have some good stories about bumping into guarded weed farms while trying to get to a fire. Not fun! On the other hand, realistically they're going to outnumber you and will probably have rifles or shotguns, so you're more likely to provoke them than scare them off with a pistol.
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Jan 17, 2014 19:25
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Oxford Comma posted:I'm not sure how it is now, but in Oregon in the 1980s, random pot farms on BLM land weren't uncommon. My best friend's dad was a game warden and would occasionally tell us the spooky poo poo he ran into in the forests of Oregon. But that's just me. They're still around, particularly in Southern Oregon, only they're loving massive now and run by the Mexican cartels. They have guys who will trek out all sorts of agricultural water piping and set up a semi-permanent camp, and if they see you heading in their direction then they'll send some guy out to meet you and tell you to turn around. Trimming season has become a relatively common source of high-school income for local kids of the suitable disposition. It's loving dangerous really, and it really makes me wish that marijuana was legalized, but they also know that few of the folks who are wandering around out there really pose much of a threat to their organization.
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Jan 18, 2014 03:13
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Scottw330 posted:drat I'm jealous, 18lbs is crazy light. Every time I try to load my pack up light as possible it always ends up at ~50lbs. Next time I'm going to weigh everything to figure out where you guys are saving so much weight. He doesn't have any food, water or clothes, which is where the majority of a pack's weight should come from.
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Jan 22, 2014 06:04
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TouchyMcFeely posted:Did anybody else catch the article in the March issue of Backpacker about the young woman who disappeared while hiking in Nepal? I hadn't heard about it so I tracked down a news story about her and another woman in a similar event. Sad stuff. Looks like Nepal's backpacking association TAAN tried to ban solo trekking as a result of the murders, but was unsuccessful in getting it passed through the political system.
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Feb 12, 2014 19:01
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I've had the same issue at altitude, but I don't have any advice at all besides try changing out your sleeping gear and bring along any sleep aids you can think of since they're worth every pound. A week of hiking on four hours a night is misery in a handbasket though.
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Feb 26, 2014 20:13
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Levitate posted:I could be completely wrong but I thought trazadone was a pretty hefty drug It is, that's a depression medication. Though apparently it's sometimes prescribed as a sedative. Don't rely on that person's medical advice unless they're a doctor, Oxford Comma. Canna Happy posted:Camping or backpacking? If you have problems when backpacking, you're not doing enough miles. I've hiked myself stupid and still had problems staying asleep when at altitude. Sleep disturbance is one of the most common symptoms of mild altitude sickness. Kaal fucked around with this message at 00:10 on Feb 27, 2014 |
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Feb 27, 2014 00:08
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In a similar vein, if you're a weakling and get blisters then maybe backpacking just isn't for you.
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Feb 27, 2014 00:13
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I've completely hosed up a down sleeping bag while washing/drying it even while trying to obey directions. Be extremely gentle with them and don't just use your old home washer/dryer thinking "What's the worst that could happen?" Here's some good advice: http://www.dickssportinggoods.com/info/index.jsp?categoryId=400039
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Mar 13, 2014 05:00
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jb7 posted:Looks like someone has never stumbled upon a meth lab or a grow op in the great outdoors. Realistically a pistol won't help you there, as they either will simply show up and tell you to turn around, or you'll surprise them and they'll completely outgun you. Also, if every story about a hiker bumping into a meth lab or grow-op in the forest was real, there'd be no room for the trees. I don't have a problem with a responsible gun owner* hiking around with a gun, but don't kid yourself that it'll be any more useful than a katana. *A heck of a loaded term, since every owner thinks they're responsible
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Mar 21, 2014 07:54
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Saint Fu posted:I went to patch my thermarest today and in addition to the one relatively large hole which I knew about, I found not one, not two, but eleven additional pin prick holes. Every time I think about replacing my old army foam pad with something new, I bump into a thermarest owner complaining about their bed deflating.
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Mar 30, 2014 00:48
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belt posted:I didn't think I was. I've been fine running and doing everything else. I'll give it another shot and try to pay more attention when I'm going downhill, because I definitely wasn't focusing on it. Thanks! It takes a little while for your leg muscles to adapt to minimalist shoes. A common complaint about them is that people will put them on and then resume their previous level of activity - and end up really sore as a result. You just have to take it slower. Doing a 10 mile 3000 ft elevation gain/loss hike on your first trip out with minimalist shoes sounds like a recipe for disaster. Kaal fucked around with this message at 18:24 on Apr 22, 2014 |
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Apr 22, 2014 18:22
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Vivian Darkbloom posted:Anyone been hiking in the Lost Coast area of Humboldt County? I really love the California coast and I'm hoping to do the 3-day hike through this summer with friends from the JMT. I know that you need tide tables to pass some areas, and there's a a lot of hiking on sand, anything else I ought to know? That sounds like an awesome trail, I'd also like to know more.
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May 1, 2014 02:13
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For your first day out on the trail, a cucumber is a delicious and very packable meal for lunch. Get those fresh veggies while you can!
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May 2, 2014 07:28
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poisonpill posted:Has anyone done a few days through the Grand Canyon? I'm gearing up for early fall but I'd like to buy my new tent/sleeping bags while the REI sale is on. I want to cut weight but not have to fear rain, sudden cold, and all the other horrors of nature out there. Recommendations between the Double Rainbow mentioned above, the REI lightweight Tent, or the MSR Hubba Hubba (or even Mother Hubba? How bad do those extra pounds get going down and up again?)? I bought a 3-person tent a little while ago, and I have to say that if I were to do it all again I'd get a 2-person instead. Sure the weight divvies up well if you fill it up, and it makes sense if you're in a relationship and have a kid or a dog and you know that you're going to use the room. But otherwise I've found that people often prefer pairing up or going solo - and so the extra room gets wasted.
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May 20, 2014 09:17
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Unoriginal Name posted:Anyone got anything to tell me about going to Crater Lake, probably for the weekend? Sites to see, etc. The Crater Lake main campgrounds are actually several miles from the lake, and have a big mosquito problem during the summer so bring your insect repellent. There's a second, smaller set of campgrounds that are farther down the road, but I never went there. The lake itself is gorgeous and definitely worth walking down to. The water is extremely cold, and it's fun to go watch bikini-clad Californians levitate out of the water shortly after entry. Cell phone service is spotty, and really the only place with reliable service is the old lodge at the Crater Rim (which is miles from the campground).
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Jun 18, 2014 07:00
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Ropes4u posted:I have a MSR international white gas stove, but I have been debating using an alcohol stove (V8 or supercat) and was wondering if anyone here has experience with alcohol stoves IRL? I have a white fuel Jetboil that I love, but I've got a couple of friends that have alcohol stoves and they really like them. They say they're very lightweight and reliable. They are very barebones, so you want to practice with it before heading out into the woods with friends (one buddy of mine scared the crap out of me trying to light his stove and the entire woods on fire). Their main drawback is poor cold weather performance, but most recreational campers don't go out in winter anyway.
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Jun 26, 2014 17:03
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I prefer to use my inflatable moat.
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Jul 4, 2014 06:40
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Mederlock posted:Do you guys find that poles make a big difference when doing 4 day(3 night) backpacking trips in steeper mountainous terrain? I have a walking stick I carved myself as a fallback but if hiking poles are worth their weight and expense, I'll definitely take a look around for a pair. Poles certainly help your joints, particularly going down-hill, but I personally wouldn't use them unless I was going off-trail. They're best at preventing injury, in my opinion.
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Jul 30, 2014 08:28
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On a more serious note, a friend of my family and long-time runner and outdoorsman slipped from a peak in Colorado and fell to his death the other day. Be careful out there folks. They're holding his memorial service this Saturday, kindly think of him if you head out on the trail that day.Durango Herald posted:The body of a man from Ashland, Oregon, was found July 22 in the Ice Lake Basin vicinity by San Miguel County Search and Rescue. Kaal fucked around with this message at 17:16 on Aug 4, 2014 |
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Aug 4, 2014 17:14
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Nateron posted:She seemed to think we were actively trying to push her out but when I explained that we've been burnt before by others on trips she just pushed it aside and said we weren't flexible. And I thought perhaps we aren't being flexible enough, but then all I could think about was not meeting our goals for the trip. But you know what, at my age with our group having kids, marriages, jobs, and bills I'm not willing to compromise (I mean we do to some degree to get the trip going, trying to plan around life is bad enough). Perhaps this makes us hard asses? But at this stage these trips are becoming a luxury and we don't seem to care, but we are willing to accommodate. Perhaps this makes us terrible people, I don't know. Nah, a 9-day backcountry trip is a pretty significant hike for a completely unknown quantity. If she's a natural backpacker, great, but if not then it makes the whole thing into a strain. I've been on trips like that, with neophytes who don't know how to pace themselves, or simply can't keep up with any reasonable pace, or take absurd risks and end up with twisted ankles miles from any road, or people who just can't get into the backwoods mentality. Usually it's not so bad for a weekend hike, but there's no way I'd want to have that stress on a week-long adventure. Doing a couple short trial hikes ahead of time was a reasonable compromise, and I think that if she wasn't chomping at the bit to do those then I'd be doubtful that she'd succeed at the full-length one. It seems to me that you were being flexible by offering her a way of joining the group, and she was being inflexible by demanding that you'd accommodate her every wish. Crisis averted I'd say. Kaal fucked around with this message at 03:40 on Oct 12, 2014 |
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Oct 12, 2014 03:29
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Levitate posted:at least she's probably about to be hit with a very large fine and jailtime (I don't know what felony vandalism usually brings but hey). People can be pretty self centered Hopefully, it's hard to say. Those boy scout leaders who knocked over those 170 million year-old boulders in Utah last year came away with nothing more than $2000 in fines. That's barely more than the court fees. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ex-scouts-leaders-who-knocked-over-ancient-rock-get-probation-n56596
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Oct 24, 2014 19:08
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jadeddrifter posted:My wife, 2 dogs, and I are going to start backpacking this summer. Rad! That's super exciting for you. I'd recommend you just head on down to the nearest REI or similar outfitter and talk to a clerk who will help you pick up what you think you'll need. Buying stuff online is great, but if you don't have anything then it's difficult to know what you want. Also they can help you with all the regional weather concerns, as well as tell you about good trail systems that would be appropriate for your skill level and fitness. Kaal fucked around with this message at 08:47 on Dec 28, 2014 |
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Dec 28, 2014 08:44
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bunnielab posted:Doesn't the wind dry it out into dust? Admittedly, I am only familiar with muggy rear end mid Atlantic forests where your socks start rotting before you turn around to head home, but I cannot think of any where I would like to walk enough to be worth carrying my own poop. Unless I had a dog and made him carry it as some weird reversal of fortune thing. Eventually it does, but often there's not enough microbes to do it quickly while at altitude, and so it doesn't take that much usage for the excrement to become pretty noticeable. A good intermediary solution is for the poop to be smeared on rocks exposed to the sun, which allows them to be baked clean fairly quickly.
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Mar 21, 2015 20:32
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There's also a number of areas at altitude where bears are known to roam but there aren't many trees. Bear canisters are pretty critical for those sorts of spots. The rangers will sometimes bring up bear boxes and just leave them at likely camping spots to help supplement hiker safety - but people are often pretty lazy about it nonetheless.
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Mar 29, 2015 16:53
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A Kpro posted:Would trailrunners hold up in long scree fields? I feel like they'd get torn apart. Scree and thorn brush will certainly tear up running shoes, but honestly I think the idea these days is to just buy another pair when the first ones die. The bigger problem with scree-fields is that low-top shoes will quickly fill with rocks unless you've got some gaiters on, and they may have traction and comfort issues with walking on the larger rocks unless you have rock plates. But unless you're going to be spending most of your time in scree, you probably don't need special shoes for that sort of hiking. Boots are fantastic for lots of things, but they're total overkill for hiking along a trail during good weather for a short period with a light pack, which is what most people are looking to do when setting out hiking. Kaal fucked around with this message at 03:18 on Apr 15, 2015 |
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Apr 15, 2015 03:13
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bunnielab posted:I got an old old REI external frame pack with the intention of making a rig so I could carry a 5 gallon bucket on it full of ice so that a I could catch and keep fish. The idea being that most guys will not walk more than a mile from their car so by hiking two to three miles in I could find some really low pressured spots. Five gallons of ice is about 45 lbs of awkward and shifting weight, fyi. That does sound like a huge load of unfun. In the future, bring camping gear and just laze around catching fish and eating them. Alternatively you could try smoking the fish to bring them back, but that takes quite a while and takes practice to achieve in the field. I've certainly never tried. Kaal fucked around with this message at 04:45 on Apr 15, 2015 |
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Apr 15, 2015 04:38
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cheese posted:This might be a dumb question, but when you travel with a group, does everyone bring everything? It seems redundant for everyone to have a stove, a medical kit, water filtration, etc. Maybe this is one of the cardinal rules of backpacking and I'm exposing myself as a noob by asking If you're able to split things up, then it's generally a good idea. Typically you'll see those three items in particular be divided up amongst the group to save on weight. Often this will also extend to tents and other camp supplies, or even food and water (particularly if group meals are planned). That said, it takes coordination and trust to do this sort of thing, so it depends on the group. At bare minimum, everyone should have the gear they'd need if they were separated from the group - some basic food and water, and the equipment they'd need to ride out a night in poor weather. That might just be a couple trail bars, a water bottle, and a warm jacket, or it might be much more. Spreading out supplies and having some redundancy will often be worth a bit of extra weight, but it's a personal call. I've been on treks where everything was tightly organized, and trips where everyone just carried whatever they were planning on using. The conversations before a regimented trip can be rather daunting, but they also can take 5-10 pounds of unneeded supplies out of your pack. Kaal fucked around with this message at 03:23 on Apr 16, 2015 |
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Apr 16, 2015 03:12
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Frankly I think that if it gets to the point where there's enough hiking popularity that trails are getting crowded when away from the parking lots, then the solution is just to build new trail systems. While there has been some mild expansion in terms of historical sites, we're still functionally using the nature and recreation parks that were built by the Roosevelts at the beginning of the 20th century. Beyond that though, I think that expecting the public at large to embrace cold camps and poo bags is a pretty hopeless endeavour. Particularly when 99% of the time the average American is being far more destructive to the environment than feeding squirrels and burning fallen branches in fire rings. I'm pretty good about it myself, but personally I'm just not willing to have those sorts of conversations with my friends. Kaal fucked around with this message at 20:17 on Apr 21, 2015 |
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Apr 21, 2015 20:09
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OMFG PTSD LOL PBUH posted:My wife wants me to find some kind of Kayak training for us to do together in the future and to get into kayaking. Open water kayaking is lots of fun, and there should be lessons available at any shop that sells kayaks. I took a class a while back, and 90% of the class were nice mid-40s ladies who just wanted to float around and gossip with a canteen of wine.
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Apr 28, 2015 04:16
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