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Levitate
Sep 30, 2005

randy newman voice

YOU'VE GOT A LAFRENIÈRE IN ME
No they're definitely sold as outdoor water treatment devices. As mentioned they're really just good for cold clear mountain water or so.

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meselfs
Sep 26, 2015

The body may die, but the soul is always rotten

ASSTASTIC posted:

Also, gently caress the haters, I always use hiking poles. I don't care if I look like a loving grandpa at 35 while using them, I'm saving my knees and ankles because I'm getting another stability point.

wha? I thought they made you look smart and young. I hate them because of that.

Sorry for calling you a wussy btw, Picnic. I was just trying to start a discussion, I thought I was screwing up but not in that way.

thatguy
Feb 5, 2003

Suspect Bucket posted:

Does anyone have swamp camping advice? The trick is outfitting for hot, wet, HUMID conditions. A hundred degrees ain't nothing when it's breezy and dry and evaporation is a thing that happens, but 90°/90℅ is miserable. And that will be in October sometimes. Does anyone have suggestions for surviving a florida expidition without getting malaria (besides 'go in winter')?

I don't know where you're at exactly in Florida in October but it should be rare to get that hot. I live in the lowcountry of SC off and on and a standard summer day will be 80 @100% in the mornings then 60%@100 degrees. early to mid-October it turns into 70s and 80s during the day, and far lower humidity. The further south you go the more tropical it'll get and poo poo like line drying clothes will be hard so w/e but you shouldn't be that bad off.

We did hurricane cleanup from matthew last year starting early in October around Charleston and we just slept in tents, and other than the first week it was never absurd.

Terminus
May 6, 2008
My crappy Chinese brand popup tent just got destroyed during my last trip* and I'm looking for something a little more sturdy. The Kelty Trail Ridge is catching my eye for my car camping and maybe light backpacking needs.
Any thoughts on the brand in general? It looks solid and I like the stargazing rain fly feature but I figured I'd get some opinions from here.

*I went camping during the little bits of hurricane Matthew we got last fall and the tent seemed ok enough, but when I unpacked it this year it stands up but even the most mild breeze knocks it back down. Popup tents... :shrug:

thatguy
Feb 5, 2003
I use a kelly Gunnison 4.3 and their outfitter pro 3-man exclusively for our trail work for the larger tents. The Gunnison lasts a solid 2 years of use (maybe 180 nights a year we're in it), and the outfitter pro is even more durable with a heavier duty zipper and waterproofing.

Neither one should ever need a separate ground tarp. They're cheap enough and very durable.

I like the brand a lot but I also bought one of their 2-man tents and it didn't work out at all. It might have been a trail ridge actually, and I found it dimensionally way too small for 2 actual people and lengthwise I'd want to be at most 5'10 to fit in it.

Right now for a 2-man I bought REI's 2 plus whatever the model is named. It's kind of stupidly designed for the rain fly and and setup. Less than 3 months of actual use from the last one and I returned it from the ground and tarp both showing micro holes via wear but it's roomy enough for 2 people and a dog. I went ahead and rebought it at the beginning of work season, will probably end up returning it again but we'll see.

Terminus
May 6, 2008
I was mostly interested in the durability which seems to be good. As for the size I was planning on getting the 3 person version just so it's a bit more roomy, plus I'm 5'6 so I usually have plenty of leg room anyway.

How are they in a storm? That previous tent in the hurricane conditions ended up with me waking up with part of my sleeping bag wet on a 55 degree morning, which I'll like to never repeat if I can help it.

Catatron Prime
Aug 23, 2010

IT ME



Toilet Rascal

Terminus posted:

The Kelty Trail Ridge is catching my eye for my car camping and maybe light backpacking needs.
Any thoughts on the brand in general?

Kelty makes excellent external frame packs, never tried their tents but I would expect it to be decent, if not a bit on the heavy side.

Picnic Princess posted:

I'm "backpacking" next Saturday! The campsite is only 2km from the road so it's considered backcountry. But that means we're shopping for a new tent, because our MEC Tarn 3 has a torn fly, bent poles, and broken zipper. The last few car camping trips were interesting to say the least. The poles actually bent in Canyonlands during really intense sustained winds over 3 nights. So at least the story behind that is interesting.

Has anyone ever used:

North Face Talus
MSR Elixer
Mountain Hardwear Optics
MEC Volt
Marmot Catalyst
Marmot Tungsten

I'm comparing them but I can't quite make a decision.

As much mountaineering and heavy duty use as you do, you should check out Tentlab's moonlight tent:

http://thetentlab.com/MoonLightTents/MoonLightIntro.html

It's designed to withstand heavy sustained winds, can be pitched rainfly first, and has a spare backup zipper built in. Never used one, but I stumbled across it when I bought my deuce of spades and it looks pretty skookum!

Suspect Bucket posted:

Does anyone have swamp camping advice? The trick is outfitting for hot, wet, HUMID conditions. A hundred degrees ain't nothing when it's breezy and dry and evaporation is a thing that happens, but 90°/90℅ is miserable. And that will be in October sometimes. Does anyone have suggestions for surviving a florida expidition without getting malaria (besides 'go in winter')?

Here in a month I'll be kayaking down the Roanoke and camping out on swamp platforms, so I'll be in the same boat (pun intended). I'm treating everything with permethrin and wearing long sleeves, and bringing lots of water. I can't think of anything more specific though.

ASSTASTIC posted:


Also, gently caress the haters, I always use hiking poles. I don't care if I look like a loving grandpa at 35 while using them, I'm saving my knees and ankles because I'm getting another stability point.


:FistBump:

Hiking poles are the best, especially of you want to move fast, have stability in lovely muddy conditions, or go downhill and take it easy on your knees. I'll never go backpacking without my Costco carbon fiber poles again.

Catatron Prime
Aug 23, 2010

IT ME



Toilet Rascal
So, I finally pulled the trigger... I bought the Blackbird XLC hammock AND a ZPacks Arc Blast!

Between the two, I'll be losing three pounds off my back, and the hammock should be more comfortable than the one I made several years ago.

Mainly I didn't want to have to gently caress with sewing the mosquito netting on mine and I never finished trimming it down for the hammock, so it'll be nice to have a finished product. Plus I recently went backpacking with a guy that has the Zpack, and it's a pretty skookum looking pack. Plus I love the big hip belt pockets and organization of the pack, it just looks awesome. It's just crazy that it weighs less than half of my Osprey pack and honestly costs about the same.

I'm really stoked for both!

Catatron Prime fucked around with this message at 15:19 on Jun 6, 2017

Levitate
Sep 30, 2005

randy newman voice

YOU'VE GOT A LAFRENIÈRE IN ME
Heard good things about the Arc Blast though I feel like it used to be cheaper...

re: hiking poles...I really like using one pole, don't like 2, my legs and knees are strong enough on their own I haven't had any trouble. your mileage may vary

extra stout
Feb 24, 2005

ISILDUR's ERR

Pennywise the Frown posted:

I have not. I know I've heard that name before and they are pretty freaking cheap on Amazon. Any recommendations?

This Morakniv Companion Fixed Blade Was the first to pull up on Amazon. The reviews are insanely good.

That's a great knife and about half off for some reason. Bongwizzard is right that the sheaths are plastic for most moraknivs now, but they functionally have been fine with me, including even the plastic belt clip.

If you want to be able to make tent posts, clean a large fish, and do most bushcraft things other than fine carvings that's a great knife. I would only recommend the Mora 106 or 120 if you don't need a big knife but do want to do a lot of carving. You could probably use a Mora 106/120 to clean small fish, but really at that price having a separate knife for fillets (usually serrated) and woodcarving is a good idea so you don't have to learn how to properly sharpen it for a good while.

TLDR: It'd be hard for anyone to name another full tang knife that ships sharp and holds an edge for a year at the 30 dollar range, let alone 13.

extra stout fucked around with this message at 22:03 on Jun 6, 2017

bongwizzard
May 19, 2005

Then one day I meet a man,
He came to me and said,
"Hard work good and hard work fine,
but first take care of head"
Grimey Drawer
My issue with the sheath is that it relies upon friction of a little plastic nubbin to retain the knife and it wears down very very quickly. I had mine on my day pack and after maybe one year of very occasional use the sheath will no longer retain the knife except via gravity.

Suspect Bucket
Jan 15, 2012

SHRIMPDOR WAS A MAN
I mean, HE WAS A SHRIMP MAN
er, maybe also A DRAGON
or possibly
A MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL TEAM
BUT HE WAS STILL
SHRIMPDOR
Btw, Gander Mountain is closing for good, lots of sales in-store.

Suspect Bucket fucked around with this message at 19:30 on Jun 7, 2017

Landsknecht
Oct 27, 2009
I hope this person is trolling, nobody can be so unfunny and dumb
so I need some poo poo weather pants that I can wear all day (not take on and off)

arcteryx alpha ar or theta sv bib?

Pennywise the Frown
May 10, 2010

Upset Trowel
Yay, I'm going camping today for the first time this season. Just car camping with my nephew at Bong State Recreation Area :2bong: I'll be testing some new gear and finally going to try out my Cannondale Quick CX 3 bike, my Pelican Trailblazer, and the Challenger K1 inflatable kayak. I might take pics, I might not. The terrain is poo poo around here so it's not very pretty. Just light forest and rolling plains/farmland. When I go up north more the terrain gets cooler.

That's my pre-camping story!

Morbus
May 18, 2004

Landsknecht posted:

so I need some poo poo weather pants that I can wear all day (not take on and off)

arcteryx alpha ar or theta sv bib?

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.

What kind of weather are you expecting and what will you be doing? Spending $300-600 on arcteryx hardshell pants would be exceptionally poo poo value if all you need are all-day waterproof pants for rain/snow while hiking/backpacking.

Pennywise the Frown
May 10, 2010

Upset Trowel
Frogg Toggs?

Epitope
Nov 27, 2006

Grimey Drawer

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.

What kind of weather are you expecting and what will you be doing? Spending $300-600 on arcteryx hardshell pants would be exceptionally poo poo value if all you need are all-day waterproof pants for rain/snow while hiking/backpacking.

This is my experience as well, and I don't think I'll ever go foo foo pants since 1) legs get less direct water and 2) pants regularly get shredded by glissading/bushwhackin/crampons/ice ax/bike chain

Dukket
Apr 28, 2007
So I says to her, I says “LADY, that ain't OIL, its DIRT!!”

Pennywise the Frown posted:

I'm one of those retards who buys tons of gear but never uses it because I never do anything. Like, ever. I always want to go backpacking but I missed some opportunities when I lived by Seattle (just did day hikes) and now I'm back in Wisconsin which I'm not so happy about. In fact, I've never been backpacking despite have a pack that is used to put on my back. I've always just done car camping. None of my friends here have time to go on a trip, nor are they active enough to want to or anything, and I'm determined to get out this year so I guess I'm going to have to go solo.

I know I'm reaching back on this one, but depending on where you and how far you want to go - Someone mention the Ice Age Trail, but there is also the North Country Trail, Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest and more. Pop up to Superior National Forest in MN. In the UP Pictured Rocks and the Porkies. Its more involved to make it happen, but Isle Royal once you gone on a few trips.

If you want to find someone to hike with check out the Ice Age Trail volunteer chapters, you are more or less guaranteed to live near one since its a 1000 mile trail wholly located in WI. If you live further north or don't mind the drive check out some of the North Country Trail groups.


For thread relevant chat: Do silk bag liners help much with temp? I'm naturally pretty greasy so it would be good for my bag, but would also like it if my bag was a bit warmer ( and didn't have to buy a new bag).

SulfurMonoxideCute
Feb 9, 2008

I was under direct orders not to die
🐵❌💀

Dukket posted:

For thread relevant chat: Do silk bag liners help much with temp? I'm naturally pretty greasy so it would be good for my bag, but would also like it if my bag was a bit warmer ( and didn't have to buy a new bag).

I remember asking this a little while back elsewhere when I was planning on doing a bit of winter camping and wilderness survival and was worried I'd freeze. I think the consensus was: a little bit but not significant.

Dukket
Apr 28, 2007
So I says to her, I says “LADY, that ain't OIL, its DIRT!!”

Picnic Princess posted:

I remember asking this a little while back elsewhere when I was planning on doing a bit of winter camping and wilderness survival and was worried I'd freeze. I think the consensus was: a little bit but not significant.

Thats more or less what i figured the answer was.

I assume by your phrasing that you either didn't get one or haven't had a chance to try it out?

taqueso
Mar 8, 2004


:911:
:wookie: :thermidor: :wookie:
:dehumanize:

:pirate::hf::tinfoil:

I have one and I'd agree with that assessment. I still use it to help keep the sleeping bag clean but I wouldn't count on it for warmth.

SulfurMonoxideCute
Feb 9, 2008

I was under direct orders not to die
🐵❌💀

Dukket posted:

Thats more or less what i figured the answer was.

I assume by your phrasing that you either didn't get one or haven't had a chance to try it out?

I didn't get one. Just slept in my snowpants and parka which were plenty warm.

FogHelmut
Dec 18, 2003

Hopefullly I'm going to be doing some car camping in the Southern California area. I'm looking for a tent, and/or other gear. Weight isn't much of a concern, though I'm not really looking for anything larger than in the 4-6 person range. Breaking the bank, however, is a concern. I've been looking at Alps Mountaineering and CORE Equipment - something a step up from Coleman stuff, but not anything super high end. Although I read somewhere recently that Coleman was making an effort to improve their quality?

I don't know how much of a difference it makes, its pretty dry here most of the time. Most of my camping experience is in the East Coast, generally with high humidity and dense mosquitos. I don't think those concerns come into play around here.

Any suggestions? Most of the internet seems to think "you can't possibly camp without $1000 worth of gear." But I'm car camping, not hiking.

ASSTASTIC
Apr 27, 2003

Hey Gusy!

Dukket posted:

For thread relevant chat: Do silk bag liners help much with temp? I'm naturally pretty greasy so it would be good for my bag, but would also like it if my bag was a bit warmer ( and didn't have to buy a new bag).

Silk liners help a little with warmth and help with keeping your bag clean from your body. I wouldn't say it raises the temp rating of your bag a certain amount, but will help. One thing to consider is your sleeping pad situation if you are looking for warmth. You lose a huge percentage of your body heat from the ground alone as the ground acts like a heat sink. Consider your environment and where/how you are sleeping and put the sleeping pad into the equation.

Here's a quick breakdown of sleeping bags & pads material

Down:
Pro: Light, packs down VERY small, very good temp bags
Con, if you get it wet, you are screwed, needs to be "fluffy" for it to work, might need to store in a dry bag, usually expensive

Synthetic:
Pro: Will not lose temp value when wet, doesn't need, depending on the bag, can be a LOT cheaper than down, but it depends on the bag and the usage.
Con: Bulky, heavy, takes a lot of space.

Foam Pads
Pro: No inflating needed, Do not need to worry about being punctured, cheap
Con: Bulky, needs to be strapped on the outside of the pack usually, usually not a super great R value

Inflatable Pads
Pro: Packs down VERY small, not super expensive
Con: Can be punctured leaving you without a pad (bad idea), need to carry around a repair kit, usually not a great r-value, need to be inflated.

Hybrid Foam/inflatable Pads
Pro: Can be more puncture resistant than inflatable pads, middle of the road bulkyness, usually great r-value
Con: Can be bulky due to foam, depends on pad, but might not need to be strapped on the outside, expensive, still need to carry around repair kit. Usually self inflating, but you might need to inflate it a little yourself.


FogHelmut posted:

Hopefullly I'm going to be doing some car camping in the Southern California area. I'm looking for a tent, and/or other gear. Weight isn't much of a concern, though I'm not really looking for anything larger than in the 4-6 person range. Breaking the bank, however, is a concern. I've been looking at Alps Mountaineering and CORE Equipment - something a step up from Coleman stuff, but not anything super high end. Although I read somewhere recently that Coleman was making an effort to improve their quality?

I don't know how much of a difference it makes, its pretty dry here most of the time. Most of my camping experience is in the East Coast, generally with high humidity and dense mosquitos. I don't think those concerns come into play around here.

Any suggestions? Most of the internet seems to think "you can't possibly camp without $1000 worth of gear." But I'm car camping, not hiking.

COSTCO. Seriously.

I got a awesome 5 person coleman tent that is set up in probably 5 minutes. fits perfect in my roof box. If it loving sucks or if it breaks, return it. I loving love costco for car camping gear. You can't go wrong.

ASSTASTIC fucked around with this message at 00:00 on Jun 13, 2017

Levitate
Sep 30, 2005

randy newman voice

YOU'VE GOT A LAFRENIÈRE IN ME
Check out stuff on sale from places like REI, Backcountry.com, etc, see if anything looks good. Really kind of depends on whether you're looking for "palatial tent that you can stand up in and have a chair or two as well" or just "big enough for 4 people to sleep in comfortably.

Bogan King
Jan 21, 2013

I'm not racist, I'm mates with Bangladesh, the guy who sells me kebabs. No, I don't know his real name.

FogHelmut posted:

Hopefullly I'm going to be doing some car camping in the Southern California area. I'm looking for a tent, and/or other gear. Weight isn't much of a concern, though I'm not really looking for anything larger than in the 4-6 person range. Breaking the bank, however, is a concern. I've been looking at Alps Mountaineering and CORE Equipment - something a step up from Coleman stuff, but not anything super high end. Although I read somewhere recently that Coleman was making an effort to improve their quality?

I don't know how much of a difference it makes, its pretty dry here most of the time. Most of my camping experience is in the East Coast, generally with high humidity and dense mosquitos. I don't think those concerns come into play around here.

Any suggestions? Most of the internet seems to think "you can't possibly camp without $1000 worth of gear." But I'm car camping, not hiking.

If bugs aren't a problem you can get by with just a tarp, it's what I use most of the year in a similar climate to SoCal (although I have a fancy expensive cuban fibre one so spending money can definitely be done). You really aren't going to get cheaper than that, in fact you can probably find one free on craigslist or something. Tents are really only needed when you want either a bit more privacy or the bugs / weather are a problem. Given that you have a car it could work just sleeping in that if the weather gets too garbage.

Dukket
Apr 28, 2007
So I says to her, I says “LADY, that ain't OIL, its DIRT!!”
[quote="ASSTASTIC" post="473323984"]
Silk liners help a little with warmth and help with keeping your bag clean from your body. I would say it raises a certain temp rating of your bag, by a certain amount, but will help. One thing to consider is your sleeping pad situation if you are looking for warmth. You lose a huge percentage of your body heat from the ground alone as the ground acts like a heat sink. Consider your environment and where/how you are sleeping and put the sleeping pad into the equation.

--------------------------

Bag and Pad I've got covered. Ultimately I think I should have gone with a different bag, but thats another story. Neoair xlite for sleeping pad and my only complaint is how load it is.

ASSTASTIC
Apr 27, 2003

Hey Gusy!

Dukket posted:

[quote="ASSTASTIC" post="473323984"]
Silk liners help a little with warmth and help with keeping your bag clean from your body. I would say it raises a certain temp rating of your bag, by a certain amount, but will help. One thing to consider is your sleeping pad situation if you are looking for warmth. You lose a huge percentage of your body heat from the ground alone as the ground acts like a heat sink. Consider your environment and where/how you are sleeping and put the sleeping pad into the equation.

--------------------------

Bag and Pad I've got covered. Ultimately I think I should have gone with a different bag, but thats another story. Neoair xlite for sleeping pad and my only complaint is how load it is.

Ah, so were you only looking to see if the liner will keep your bag less greasy?

Dukket
Apr 28, 2007
So I says to her, I says “LADY, that ain't OIL, its DIRT!!”

ASSTASTIC posted:

Ah, so were you only looking to see if the liner will keep your bag less greasy?

No, sorry - just curious if anyone found them to a noticeably help with temps - A few of them claim as much as 5 or more degrees. The reviews I've seen have been

"yeah, it helped a little I guess",

"Its petty nice, helps some in the fall/spring and I can use it as my summer bag"

"it made no difference whatsoever!!!!! thoselyingbastards!"

I can't really handle heat/my job is busiest in the spring/summer so we do most of our camping in the fall for the last few years. We're in the midwest, so mostly MI, MN, WI, IL, IN, but we go further a field sometimes. A few times we've had some 30ish degree nights and I'm sure we'll have more - I wasn't as warm as I'd like.

I think I'm going to get one anyway to keep my bag clean, but if I could get a few more degrees as well that would be icing on the cake. The other options are wear more close to bed, always have a warm bottle at the foot of my bag, sometimes I get lazy about that.

I generally shove extra stuff to the foot of my bag.

Chard
Aug 24, 2010




FogHelmut posted:

Hopefullly I'm going to be doing some car camping in the Southern California area. I'm looking for a tent, and/or other gear. Weight isn't much of a concern, though I'm not really looking for anything larger than in the 4-6 person range. Breaking the bank, however, is a concern. I've been looking at Alps Mountaineering and CORE Equipment - something a step up from Coleman stuff, but not anything super high end. Although I read somewhere recently that Coleman was making an effort to improve their quality?

I don't know how much of a difference it makes, its pretty dry here most of the time. Most of my camping experience is in the East Coast, generally with high humidity and dense mosquitos. I don't think those concerns come into play around here.

Any suggestions? Most of the internet seems to think "you can't possibly camp without $1000 worth of gear." But I'm car camping, not hiking.

If you want to try it out without buying, tent rentals are a thing. Try your nearby colleges and outdoor stores.

Morbus
May 18, 2004

A bag liner offers barely any insulation and won't help you sleep much warmer. If you have drafts a liner can mitigate them..but just sorting things so you don't have drafts will help a lot more. If your bag has a more or less appropriate temperature rating, I think your pad might be the culprit. A neoair xlite is probably not be enough to keep you comfortable at 30F. It has an r-value of around 3.

Things vary a lot depending on your sleeping metabolism, personal comfort threshold, presence of any drafts, etc., but in general a person with a 98.6 F core temperature in a ~32F environment needs a total r-value of around 6 to be thermally neutral. This is including clothes, etc. Note that high loft compressible insulation like your sleeping bag and a puffy jacket don't contribute that much to your effective body-to-ground r-value since they insulate much less when compressed. This plot is a decent rough guide (for reference 1 r-value is approx 1.13 clo):



I think a good rule of thumb for comfortable sleeping in near freezing temperatures is to have a pad r value of at least 4-5. Less than this it's more or less inevitable that your core temperature will drop a bit below normal, which may or may not be comfortable to you. Personally I had a lot of cold nights in the 20-30 degree range until I switched from a 2.8 pad to a 5.6 pad. I would say it has to get to around -10F before I get as cold as I used to at +30F.

Maybe try the xtherm instead of the xlite? It's only slightly heavier, packs down about the same, is significantly warmer, and is less loud too.

FogHelmut
Dec 18, 2003

ASSTASTIC posted:


COSTCO. Seriously.

I got a awesome 5 person coleman tent that is set up in probably 5 minutes. fits perfect in my roof box. If it loving sucks or if it breaks, return it. I loving love costco for car camping gear. You can't go wrong.

Hell yeah Costco. Gonna check out the CORE 6 person instant cabin tent tonight, which I think I saw in the store last time. And get a 1/4 lb all beef Kirkland Signature hot dog

I think I'm settled between that and the CORE 6 person dome tent that's going for $99. Same size, different shape, a little more work to set up. CORE is doing 10% off your entire purchase right now on their website with code SUMMER10. And free shipping. And "Father’s Day BOGO! Buy a 750 Lumen Lantern and Get a FREE Mini Lantern for Your Mini Me."

Their stuff seems to be pretty decent for the price.

ASSTASTIC
Apr 27, 2003

Hey Gusy!
^^^^^^ Also, Costco has a better return policy than REI now when it comes to their camping gear. REI still does offer lifetime warranty on defective products, but the "I don't like it anymore" return policy is limited to 1 year. ^^^^^^^


Moras on sale: https://smile.amazon.com/s/browse/r...KRAFXD5WWCHBC68

For those that do not know, Mora knives are regarded as the best bang for buck knives ever. My favorite is not on sale, which is the Mora 2000, but any of those listed are fantastic knives, even the 8.99 one. I plan on buying a few and tossing them into trunks of my vehicles for utilitarian purposes. Cheap enough to lose and not cry about, good enough to baton wood with if need be.

ASSTASTIC fucked around with this message at 18:57 on Jun 13, 2017

FogHelmut
Dec 18, 2003

ASSTASTIC posted:

Moras on sale: https://smile.amazon.com/s/browse/r...KRAFXD5WWCHBC68

For those that do not know, Mora knives are regarded as the best bang for buck knives ever. My favorite is not on sale, which is the Mora 2000, but any of those listed are fantastic knives, even the 8.99 one. I plan on buying a few and tossing them into trunks of my vehicles for utilitarian purposes. Cheap enough to lose and not cry about, good enough to baton wood with if need be.

I got a basic carbon one, its great. Been meaning to get a stainless one or five.

ASSTASTIC
Apr 27, 2003

Hey Gusy!

Is there a bigger image of this? Its hard to read, but looks really interesting.

Dukket
Apr 28, 2007
So I says to her, I says “LADY, that ain't OIL, its DIRT!!”

Morbus posted:

A bag liner offers barely any insulation and won't help you sleep much warmer. If you have drafts a liner can mitigate them..but just sorting things so you don't have drafts will help a lot more. If your bag has a more or less appropriate temperature rating, I think your pad might be the culprit. A neoair xlite is probably not be enough to keep you comfortable at 30F. It has an r-value of around 3.

Things vary a lot depending on your sleeping metabolism, personal comfort threshold, presence of any drafts, etc., but in general a person with a 98.6 F core temperature in a ~32F environment needs a total r-value of around 6 to be thermally neutral. This is including clothes, etc. Note that high loft compressible insulation like your sleeping bag and a puffy jacket don't contribute that much to your effective body-to-ground r-value since they insulate much less when compressed. This plot is a decent rough guide (for reference 1 r-value is approx 1.13 clo):



I think a good rule of thumb for comfortable sleeping in near freezing temperatures is to have a pad r value of at least 4-5. Less than this it's more or less inevitable that your core temperature will drop a bit below normal, which may or may not be comfortable to you. Personally I had a lot of cold nights in the 20-30 degree range until I switched from a 2.8 pad to a 5.6 pad. I would say it has to get to around -10F before I get as cold as I used to at +30F.

Maybe try the xtherm instead of the xlite? It's only slightly heavier, packs down about the same, is significantly warmer, and is less loud too.


Thanks for the responses.

I did a lot of research, but possibly not enough. I think I may not have placed enough weight on the R value, though the xlite was a big step up from my last one. My main consideration when picking out the xlite was comfort (I'm a side sleeper). I'll have to think about this, and do a bit more reading, my current sleep system is basically brand new - Two weeks in Yellowstone last fall.

Out of curiosity, what is your 5.6 pad?

Catatron Prime
Aug 23, 2010

IT ME



Toilet Rascal

FogHelmut posted:

Hopefullly I'm going to be doing some car camping in the Southern California area. I'm looking for a tent, and/or other gear. Weight isn't much of a concern, though I'm not really looking for anything larger than in the 4-6 person range. Breaking the bank, however, is a concern. I've been looking at Alps Mountaineering and CORE Equipment - something a step up from Coleman stuff, but not anything super high end. Although I read somewhere recently that Coleman was making an effort to improve their quality?

I don't know how much of a difference it makes, its pretty dry here most of the time. Most of my camping experience is in the East Coast, generally with high humidity and dense mosquitos. I don't think those concerns come into play around here.

Any suggestions? Most of the internet seems to think "you can't possibly camp without $1000 worth of gear." But I'm car camping, not hiking.

Asstastic posted a really good primer on materials below you, but to answer your question, if you're car camping, you can throw all the rules out. The biggest reason nice gear costs so much is because it weighs a lot less and it's just designed for better durability. But if you're not particularly concerned about weight, you could go to walmart and buy a 30$ tent and 20$ sleeping bag/9$ foam pad on amazon and you're all set to sleep outdoors. Coleman/Guandong Province's finest will be perfectly adequate for car camping, because your life does not depend on nice gear, merely your comfort. Hell, for that matter, just get a 10$ inflatable air mattress. That plus a sleeping bag will be perfectly adequate for SoCal summer camping. Bring your cooler for food, and grab a couple folding chairs for the campsite. Heck, grab a cord of firewood for a few bucks from places near your campsite, and a duraflame log for good measure. And don't forget a few cases of beer, though you should always make sure you're bringing cans while camping and never glass. Also bring stuff like frisbees, footballs, and other activities for around the campsite so people aren't sitting there on their phones. A few gallon jugs of water in your trunk would also be a great idea, and a backpack and some water bottles would be great if you wanna do some hiking.

And don't forget the smores either... yeah it seems lame, but it really does hit the spot when you're outdoors next to a nice fire. Do your neighbors a favor and leave the portable bluetooth speaker at home though.

Morbus
May 18, 2004

It's an xtherm.

meselfs
Sep 26, 2015

The body may die, but the soul is always rotten
Quick chime in: I own Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Xlite and love it. I have camped on snow with it without trouble. I've had it punctured once, and the repair kit weighs nothing and is very easy to use (unless you're dying of altitude sickness, which I was).

I use liners for cleanliness, but I doubt they improve heat measurably. Better off wearing more things.

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Morbus
May 18, 2004

ASSTASTIC posted:

Is there a bigger image of this? Its hard to read, but looks really interesting.

I'm sure i've seen one, but all I can find is the original post on BPL forums and that's the size posted in the forum.

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