|
Even when I was living off the grid in Belize I wore the same thing every day and only did my laundry once a week by tossing my clothes in a bucket of well water with a drop of shampoo and agitating it with my foot for a few minutes. I'm sure I stunk but everyone else did the same thing and they probably did too, our noses probably just tuned out the stench. In certain situations you just kind of let things slide.
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2017 09:08
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 14:37 |
|
|
 Greatest bushwalking shoes I've ever used. But given the fact that my entire continent is basically flat and the need for ankle protection non-existent, having light shoes that you don't need to take off every time you hit a creek is great. Combine that with the fact that they're about the cheapest shoes you can buy it was a no brainer.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2017 09:53
|
|
|
You can totally do your laundry in a bucket. Socks, undies, and t-shirts are easiest to do. Pants and outerwear are a pain. If you don't have a bucket, make one with a hole in the ground and a tarp. A light (very light, or you will be rinsing forever) scrub with whatever bar soap you got, jooj everything in your laundry bucket, then dump (not directly into the water source). Fill again, rinse cycle. Dump and fill again, second rinse cycle. All the soap and a majority of the dirt and body smells will be gone if you used a light touch on the soap. The un-fun part is wringing and drying. Wring out as much water as possible by twisting and flapping, which takes awhile, then hang in a sunny, breezy place to dry. Depending on the ambient humidity and how well you wrung out, this can take minutes, or all drat day. Black and brown underclothes are best because they dry quicker in the sun and show stains much less easy. Fresh blood stains on underthings can be easily treated by soaking in plain cool or cold water for several minutes, then rinsed and wrung out. Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 18:14 on Jun 24, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2017 13:08
|
|
|
FCKGW posted:You're in OC right? I was looking in Idlywild but most sites were full up. We ended up at Heart Bar Campground, near Big Bear. Real nice spot, had a rad meadow just behind us. Closest trails were closed due to fire though. Yeah, I think camping in Big Bear would be great, but my in-laws have a house there, so the feeling of "I could be in a real bed and using a real toilet" is pretty big. I was looking at Dripping Springs campground outside of Temecula, or maybe somewhere around Mt. San Jacinto. Anza-Borrego sounds too hot this time of year, but I'm not sure. Private campgrounds seem to be mostly available even on short notice. Any tips for state/national parks? Book 6 months in advance, I imagine?
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2017 14:57
|
|
|
Idyllwild is near Mt. San Jacinto and supposed to have some of the nicer campgrounds around. The reservations spots fill up fast for weekends but if you're doing weekday camping you can get spots pretty easily it seems. I really liked Indian Cove campground just outside of Joshua Tree too. I'm just starting my camping life now that my kids are old enough so I don't have much advice to give, unfortunately.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2017 16:14
|
|
|
CopperHound posted:What do backpackers do about washing clothes? I'm assuming it is bad form to wash in/near a fresh water source, but I can't recall ever seeing any sort of wash basin on gear lists. Most backpackers don't wash their clothes and you wear the same stuff more or less the entire time. The only duplicate items I bring along are socks and underwear. I bring 2 pairs of socks to hike in during the day and 1 pair of socks to keep clean and sleep in at night. I bring 2 pair of underwear and alternate each day. At the end of a day, especially if the weather is nice, I'll wash a pair of socks and underwear to have a clean pair if I need them. If its raining out, your laundry will likely not dry so its not really even of any use to try doing laundry. Just soaking them in water is usually good enough to feel cleaner than before but if you need something more, here's my laundry method. Use a nylon stuff sack, mine is a 10-12 liter which holds all my clothes and stuff I want to keep dry. Fill it with water and bring it back to camp. Insert a drop of soap into the water along with the clothes. Agitate enough to get the clothes soaked, soapy and knock some dirt loose. Remove the clothes, hang on a laundry line and then dump the soapy water out spreading it over a wide area of land. DONT put dirty soap water back into the water source. Soap of any kind isn't good to put into the water, especially if people are using it for drinking. Fill the stuff sack up with clean water and then rinse the soap out of your clothes. Hang dry and enjoy your clean clothes. Verman fucked around with this message at 18:51 on Jun 16, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2017 18:19
|
|
|
CopperHound posted:What do backpackers do about washing clothes? I'm assuming it is bad form to wash in/near a fresh water source, but I can't recall ever seeing any sort of wash basin on gear lists. I mean I do sometimes just rinse stuff out in a lake if we're just talking dust and sweat. I don't use soap or anything. I have been considering trying to be nicer about that and just using the water from my 3 liter camp platy to do the washing instead, but since I often try to go swimming in the lakes as well it's not like I'm saving everyone from some of my sweat getting into the water... re: trail runners, I've been just fine with them doing cross country stuff in the Sierras as well. Just depends on what you like/how your body works with your shoes (I've found I don't really need ankle support) and probably how much weight you're carrying.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2017 18:34
|
|
|
FogHelmut posted:Private campgrounds seem to be mostly available even on short notice. Any tips for state/national parks? Book 6 months in advance, I imagine? Definitely. We go to Sequoia every Labor Day (admittedly a popular weekend for booking) and we book our site within minutes of it opening up online ~6 months ahead of time. For local SoCal camping, you should consider heading up to LA then taking the 2 North up the Angeles Crest Highway into the Angeles National Forest/San Gabriel National Monument. None of the campgrounds have reservations so they are all first-come. Most weekends you can find a spot if you get up there early on Saturday, but it's safer if you go Friday night. Wife and I prefer Chilao Campground or Buckhorn (fills up more quickly than Chilao). Horse Flats is good too but there is no water so bring plenty with you. I have a friend that lives in Murrieta and likes to camp at Palomar Mountain as well. khysanth fucked around with this message at 19:33 on Jun 16, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2017 19:31
|
|
|
khysanth posted:Definitely. We go to Sequoia every Labor Day (admittedly a popular weekend for booking) and we book our site within minutes of it opening up online ~6 months ahead of time. That first come -first serve sounds scary when you're driving 2.5+ hours to get there.
|
|
#
?
Jun 16, 2017 20:48
|
|
|
Some parks are easier to get into than others. I've been able to get campsites at Lassen Volcanic National Park in the middle of August just a couple weeks in advance, for example, but that's a long drive from OC. FogHelmet, depending on how long you are willing to drive, there is a lot of in eastern Sierra Nevada accessible along I-395, and it's about as far from your as Sequoia NP (3.5 - 5.5 hours depending on how far north you go on I-395). SoCal traffic on
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2017 00:43
|
|
|
I have to patch a hole in the mesh of my tent. Best to apply patch inside, outside, or both? I got extras.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2017 02:14
|
|
|
Just about every campground is going to have some kind of weekday availability even at the height of the season. Weekends, especially popular ones, you need to be making reservations. For big weekends like Memorial Independance Labor Day, you need reservations 3 months out.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2017 03:53
|
|
|
Morbus posted:Some parks are easier to get into than others. I've been able to get campsites at Lassen Volcanic National Park in the middle of August just a couple weeks in advance, for example, but that's a long drive from OC.
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2017 07:14
|
|
|
Were you on a bicycle? (I know your pain, I spent 6 hours getting from LAX to I-15 once on a trip to Death Valley because I was a genius and decided to make that drive Friday evening on Valentine's Day weekend)
|
|
#
?
Jun 17, 2017 20:12
|
|
|
Morbus posted:My girlfriend just got through 3 days of scrambling in north wales in complete poo poo weather using $8 superlight rain pants she got on ebay. She stayed as dry as the rest of us who were using expensive foofoo pantaloons. glaciated mountaineering I went with the alpha AR pant, it's p good, sadly doesnt have full sidezips, but was fine while I used it the past weekend on days that are like 0c and blowy weather I'll just wear them all day and undo the sides if I get a bit warm (when it's -10c at the summit in July I'm generally happy in hardshell stuff)
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 04:54
|
|
|
Chard posted:I have to patch a hole in the mesh of my tent. Best to apply patch inside, outside, or both? I got extras. If it's mesh, it shouldn't make a difference which side you apply the patch. Are you sewing the patch on there, or is it an adhesive?
|
|
#
?
Jun 19, 2017 15:39
|
|
|
https://smile.amazon.com/s/browse/r...BGCGCSRD3KWX845 deal of day is some stuff
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2017 16:18
|
|
|
A while ago I ordered a toaks 850 ml mug in titanium to replace an older bulkier heavy pot/handle combo. It's surprisingly light and an added bonus was that my stove, burner and windshield all fit inside it! I'm pretty stoked Forgive the low quality cell phone pics shot in my dimly lit storage slash workshop:    The whole stove, burner and pot set up is way less bulky now! I'm pretty happy with it.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2017 20:23
|
|
|
If you shove some of your gear up your rear end it's technically not pack weight. Good way to shed some ounces.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2017 20:38
|
|
|
But where will I keep my watch then?
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2017 22:42
|
|
|
Tsyni posted:If you shove some of your gear up your rear end it's technically not pack weight. Good way to shed some ounces. Bro, I think we already talked about how to carry weed with you while hiking.
|
|
#
?
Jun 21, 2017 23:47
|
|
|
Mixed feelings about Toaks. It's cheap but the sandblasted finish absorbs yucky things and stinks. I polished mine on a lathe, but it was a lot of effort. No idea if other brands are better.Tsyni posted:If you shove some of your gear up your rear end it's technically not pack weight. Good way to shed some ounces. But how then would I show off my gear and act all holier than thou? Oh, right, gay
|
|
#
?
Jun 22, 2017 05:57
|
|
|
Sleeping bags for car camping with an air mattress?
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2017 19:33
|
|
|
FogHelmut posted:Sleeping bags for car camping with an air mattress?
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2017 19:43
|
|
|
Is that a question or gear recommendation request?
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2017 19:56
|
|
|
Its a question - like should I bother? Is there any advantage over bedding I already have since I'll be using an inflatable bed.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2017 20:01
|
|
|
FogHelmut posted:Its a question - like should I bother? Is there any advantage over bedding I already have since I'll be using an inflatable bed. Nah, not on a nice summer or fall night. If it's going to around freezing, yeah, you'll definitely want a good mummy bag and something that'll insulate your backside better than an air mattress, but for car camping, just grab your air mattress, some old sheets and pillows, and a blanket from home
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2017 20:08
|
|
|
For car camping you can literally bring whatever you want so long as the weather is decent. Its all dependent on the weather and temps. If its typical summer weather (warm and dry) and the lowest it would get would be in the 50s/60s, I would just bring regular sheets/bedding. If its going to get any colder than that I would bring sleeping bags as they're more effective keeping you warm at night. The other thing is that if its raining or humid, cotton sheets will feel damp. You can also always lay on top of the sleeping bags if its warm and not close them. Maybe bring a sheet if its really warm. I prefer to sleep in colder weather and I can tolerate much lower temps, but my wife would freeze at the same temps so plan accordingly.
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2017 20:39
|
|
|
My third prolite thermarest has failed in the past 2.5 years, all at the same weak spot, with the valve starting to leak and then get worse until 3-4 hours in it becomes flaccid. REI rep said the REI branded stuff has at least not been a manufacturing problem. It may not matter for you weekend warrior types, but for 120 dollars I'd think cascade would do a better job of QC
|
|
#
?
Jul 11, 2017 23:11
|
|
|
thatguy posted:My third prolite thermarest has failed in the past 2.5 years, all at the same weak spot, with the valve starting to leak and then get worse until 3-4 hours in it becomes flaccid. drat... That blows (no pun intended) Were you able to get any warranty replacement on those? That seems like such a lovely lifespan
|
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2017 20:16
|
|
|
thatguy posted:My third prolite thermarest has failed in the past 2.5 years, all at the same weak spot, with the valve starting to leak and then get worse until 3-4 hours in it becomes flaccid. Cascade designs should stand by their poo poo if you keep getting a leak in the same spot. If you got the mattress from REI, just return to them. If you got it from somewhere else, try to contact CD directly and get them to fix the problem.
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2017 23:53
|
|
|
Double post.
|
|
#
?
Jul 21, 2017 00:05
|
|
|
This feels like a dumb question but what do y'all wear for day hikes w/ some light scrambling in the god forsaken 90+ temps? Shorts+long socks? Pants? Fancy skin tight leggings for mobility? I live in lyme disease country and need to get some new gear because it's been a long time since I lived anywhere close to spots for day hiking.
|
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2017 04:16
|
|
|
Master Stur posted:This feels like a dumb question but what do y'all wear for day hikes w/ some light scrambling in the god forsaken 90+ temps? Shorts+long socks? Pants? Fancy skin tight leggings for mobility? I live in lyme disease country and need to get some new gear because it's been a long time since I lived anywhere close to spots for day hiking. In my youth, I was a paintball referee at a field in the NJ Pine Barrens. Eight hours a day in the woods and brush - never got one tick. I wore shorts and a t-shirt and certainly unhealthy amounts of DEET based insect repellent.
|
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2017 04:24
|
|
|
Master Stur posted:This feels like a dumb question but what do y'all wear for day hikes w/ some light scrambling in the god forsaken 90+ temps? Shorts+long socks? Pants? Fancy skin tight leggings for mobility? I live in lyme disease country and need to get some new gear because it's been a long time since I lived anywhere close to spots for day hiking. I always wear my prana stretch zions regardless of weather. They keep cool just fine and I can see ticks on them really easily.
|
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2017 04:34
|
|
|
FogHelmut posted:In my youth, I was a paintball referee at a field in the NJ Pine Barrens. Eight hours a day in the woods and brush - never got one tick. I wore shorts and a t-shirt and certainly unhealthy amounts of DEET based insect repellent. That's what I've been doing but ended up picking a few off me yesterday and the tick population is supposedly really bad this year in PA. Friend of mine was hospitalized over it but I think that had a bit more to do with some unrelated factors 
|
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2017 04:37
|
|
|
bonds0097 posted:I always wear my prana stretch zions regardless of weather. They keep cool just fine and I can see ticks on them really easily. Yeah, this is my thought as well.
|
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2017 05:51
|
|
|
Thanks those pants look like exactly what I was looking for
|
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2017 06:57
|
|
|
Master Stur posted:This feels like a dumb question but what do y'all wear for day hikes w/ some light scrambling in the god forsaken 90+ temps? Shorts+long socks? Pants? Fancy skin tight leggings for mobility? I live in lyme disease country and need to get some new gear because it's been a long time since I lived anywhere close to spots for day hiking. I wear the shortest shorts I could find for sale, and either boots or trail runners depending on where I am going. If I know I'm going to be hiking through high grass I wear long socks pulled up, otherwise, and especially with the trail runners, I just wear a little ankle high lightweight ones. I use a picardian based spray and treat my booty shorts with permethrin. I live in central Maryland so I am also in the thick of Lyme disease country. I have accepted it as an inevitability at this point and just plan on starting to get myself tested every six months.
|
|
#
?
Jul 22, 2017 09:57
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 19, 2024 14:37 |
|
|
Ticks are only a major issue here in spring so during the blasted heat of the summer I tend to wear light shorts and bring pants in case the weather turns. Having been in hot sun one moment then a blizzard a couple hours later in July I always bring layers on anything more than a half-day hike.
|
|
#
?
Jul 23, 2017 05:25
|
|