|
So I've been going through my gear this weekend and looking at reorganizing stuff and getting rid of things I haven't used in awhile. How do you guys store and organize all your gear? What do you do with your old stuff?
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2017 14:28
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 3, 2024 00:17 |
|
|
I have a basement with a workbench, utility sink, washer/dryer and lots of cabinet storage. I like plastic totes for storing gear because they usually stack well and you can grab them and go in a hurry. The ones from home depot/costco with the black tote and yellow lids are really nice. For old stuff, sell it on craigslist/offer up or consider donating it to goodwill or possibly a local scouts group. A lot of people want to get outdoors but don't always want or have the means to gear up in order to do so. Out here there are actually used gear stores but I know thats rare in other parts of the country.
|
|
#
?
Jul 24, 2017 18:20
|
|
|
ASSTASTIC posted: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. REI took them back, after that it's not my responsibility. I don't return poo poo to companies directly unless it's so egregious that I'll never buy stuff from them again, outdoor companies have been getting shittier and shittier since I started backpacking 25 years ago. Their margins are so tight that it's generally accidental if they make a solid product. I'm annoyed with cascade because MSR has always treated us well. I end up having to return maybe 30% of my poo poo back within a year due to general hosed upedness. For instance, I used to be a total pussy about something gross like boots going back until they started getting huge defects too. In absolutely basic poo poo like "no lumps on the foot platform". Patagonia is about the only clothing company I'll buy poo poo from and never return. What failed was the valve seal, where you'd blow it up to hold air and it'd be fine, then you lay on it and around 4 hours later lose all compression. It's a commonplace return reason according to the dude I talked to, and if REI knows anything it's returns
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2017 03:26
|
|
|
I want to get some cheap-ish trekking poles to use for water crossings and general wading use. I want them to be sturdy and with ambidextrous grips. I don't care too too much about weight as I will only be carrying a single one most of the time, but would like something that is easy to expand/collapse as I am usually going to be carrying a fishing rod in my other hand. Can anyone recommend something?
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2017 20:42
|
|
|
Get Costco poles. They sell a pair by cascade designs for $30 that are carbon fiber with cork grips, carbide tips and have interchangeable baskets. On Amazon they are $40. You can't find a better deal on decent poles. I've had my pair for a few years and they are still 100%. Get the lever lock versus the twist. Amazon has the aluminum version for $20 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L2HYPNW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Lf6DzbPYRR1CR Or the carbon for $40 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00XM0YGW8/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_lh6DzbKZ6XVM9 Verman fucked around with this message at 20:56 on Jul 25, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2017 20:50
|
|
|
Verman posted:Get Costco poles. They sell a pair by cascade designs for $30 that are carbon fiber with cork grips, carbide tips and have interchangeable baskets. On Amazon they are $40. Nthing this times a million. I've had mine for three years now, still running strong. The cork is starting to wear, but that's it. Verman is also absolutely right that lever lock is where it's at
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2017 21:58
|
|
|
Verman posted:Or the carbon for $40 I've only had these since the spring but they're great.
|
|
#
?
Jul 25, 2017 22:36
|
|
|
bongwizzard posted:I want to get some cheap-ish trekking poles to use for water crossings and general wading use. I want them to be sturdy and with ambidextrous grips. I don't care too too much about weight as I will only be carrying a single one most of the time, but would like something that is easy to expand/collapse as I am usually going to be carrying a fishing rod in my other hand. Can anyone recommend something? Not cheap, but my favorite are my black diamond CF poles because I don't have to gently caress around with a twist lock.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2017 00:24
|
|
|
Hi backpacking goons. My wife and I are heading up to the Mt Jefferson Wilderness area and/or the surrounding national forests in mid-August (to see the eclipse from a campsite) and "dispersal camping" meaning off-trail, find a spot as you can, because it's gonna be a total madhouse with every hotel room in Oregon booked for months past and people charging hundreds of dollars on air BNB etc. etc. Anyway there seems to be plenty of water typically available so instead of packing in 2.5 days of water for drinking and cooking, I'm planning on bringing maybe half that and using a filter. The last time I bought a filter was like 20 years ago and the tech seems to have radically improved. I just picked something with good reviews on Amazon, so, is this OK? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MPH1LEU I understand what we'd need is a "dirty water" bottle or bag or whatever to scoop up water from a ground source and then force it through the filter either by squeezing a bag, or by just sucking on it like a straw. I want light weight due to off-trail backpacking and I want reliability so we don't run out of water or something, but longevity probably isn't that important because we are not frequent backpackers (as in, we've been going fewer than once a year the last few years). tl:dr; recommend me a good lightweight water filter for two people for backpacking.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2017 01:44
|
|
|
That's a good choice. My favorite method is gravity filters (dirty bag with an inline filter) with the hose going to the clean container. You can carry extra dirty water to your camp versus having to filter everything at the water source. Your also don't need to do anything other than fill the bladder. Sawyer, platypus, msr all have similar systems. I've used my platypus system for a few years now and it's been great for group trips or solo. Probably should replace the filter soon now that I think about it. Pumps are good too but often more expensive but they are a tried and true option.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2017 03:02
|
|
|
Can vouch for platypus gravity filter bags, I was on a trip a year ago with a group that used those to filter massive amounts in short order. No pumping, carry extra dirty water as mentioned, dead simple. I use a katadyn vario pump, but it is a bit heavy and fiddly.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2017 03:20
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:Hi backpacking goons. My wife and I are heading up to the Mt Jefferson Wilderness area and/or the surrounding national forests in mid-August (to see the eclipse from a campsite) and "dispersal camping" meaning off-trail, find a spot as you can, because it's gonna be a total madhouse with every hotel room in Oregon booked for months past and people charging hundreds of dollars on air BNB etc. etc. Sawyer is great, it's lightweight, lasts ages, and it does work. The downside is the effort you have to put into squeezing the bag to get water out, which is why I'm nthing having switched to gravity filters. Trade-off is a bit heavier and pricier, but way faster and much easier to filter water. I think you'll like the Sawyer though, and if you don't go very often, it's perfect especially at that price point  FYI, those bags can be a pain to fill. I'd grab an aquafina type water bottle, cut off the base, and use that as a scoop to fill the Sawyer bag, and then filter that into your water bottles. I usually like to bring minimum 2L on a trip to start with, and I actually have several empty clan Sawyer bags I can fill with extra water if need be on a trip.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2017 03:22
|
|
|
I have a sawyer mini and have used it to filter water for 2 people on several short (2-4 day) climbing trips. It works great. I carry a few chlorine or iodine tablets as a backup in the extremely off chance that my filtration system breaks, but I've never needed them. Squeezing the bag isn't that big of a deal, but I wouldn't want to use a sawyer mini if I were filtering for a larger group. For one or two people it's fine.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2017 03:27
|
|
|
I just use chlorine tablets if it's running water. Put it in your reservoir and hike for a bit and it's ready to go. Easy peasy.
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2017 06:54
|
|
|
Looks like the platypus gravityworks is a hundred bucks which is a bit steep for me given how often I'll be using it. I'm gonna go with the sawyer and upgrade later if I find the squeezing etc. to be too much of a hassle. Thanks guys!
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2017 08:07
|
|
|
Verman posted:Get Costco poles. They sell a pair by cascade designs for $30 that are carbon fiber with cork grips, carbide tips and have interchangeable baskets. On Amazon they are $40. $20 is hard to beat, thanks!
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2017 19:37
|
|
|
quote:I have a Sawyer Mini and have used it to filter water for 2 people on several short (2-4 day) [backpacking] trips. It works great. I carry a few [AquaMira] drops as a backup in the extremely off chance that my filtration system breaks, but I've never needed them. Get these
|
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2017 22:29
|
|
|
I can bring some tablets as backup #2, but my backup #1 is to boil water. The tabs would be if not only my filter broke, but also we needed emergency water with no time or ability to boil it first. e. The tablets say you have to wait 4 hours. I'm struggling to think of a scenario where I have four hours to wait for my water to purify, but cannot make a fire and boil some water in substantially less time. I guess if my arm was trapped under a boulder, but within arm's reach of a stream? Leperflesh fucked around with this message at 22:40 on Jul 26, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jul 26, 2017 22:34
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:I'm struggling to think of a scenario where I have four hours to wait for my water to purify, but cannot make a fire and boil some water in substantially less time. It's raining and you're tired. Put tablet in bottle, go to sleep. Or you have a bottle of clean water still, but you're passing a stream. Finish off the last of another bottle, refill it and add tablet, proceed on your way. armorer fucked around with this message at 03:30 on Jul 27, 2017 |
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2017 03:27
|
|
|
Are you boiling over a campfire? Using a stove can take up a lot of fuel
|
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2017 15:12
|
|
|
Leperflesh posted:The tablets say you have to wait 4 hours. I'm struggling to think of a scenario where I have four hours to wait for my water to purify, but cannot make a fire and boil some water in substantially less time. Water tablets key benefits aren't their speed. They are small, effective, simple to use, take up zero space and weigh nothing. A weeks worth of clean water is about the size of a small pack of gum. If you just keep them in your first aid kit you will always have a reliable backup. If you can't wait 4 hours for water tabs to do their magic, you need to consider changing how you manage your water. You shouldn't be following a system of run out, refill, run out refill. You should likely have 2 bottles or a bladder and a bottle. Fill both, when you come to a water source, use that as a place to take a break and top off. Never let your water go empty unless you can guarantee the next water source exists and is enough to get water from. Sometimes you might be out hiking somewhere and the source has dried up. Now you're without water and have a choice to backtrack with no water to known sources, or gamble pushing on to the unknown and risking another dried up source. While this isn't a huge deal in places with very reliable water sources, I know out here in the western states it happens all the time. A snow melt stream thats flowing hard in June might not be there in August. Another thing, boiling water takes longer than you think. With a stove it is much quicker but even the fastest stoves take 5 minutes for less than a liter. With increased elevation you need to increase that time. Now consider how many liters you need to refill your groups water. Usually 2-4 liters per person. That stove will be running for nearly an hour just for filtering water. If you're doing it over a fire, consider the time to find wood and get the fire going enough to boil over it. Then you're only doing one small pot at a time. A few scenarios where they would be handy filter problems your filter freezes you drop and damage your filter you lose/forget it (I guarantee its happened to someone) it stops working (though you likely wouldn't know or show symptoms until you got home) stove problems your stove breaks you run out of fuel you lose your lighter your lighter runs out of fuel If building a fire to boil its raining its wet and you can't find dry tinder if you're in an area fires are prohibited if you're in an area with literally no tinder/wood its really windy you just can't get a fire started you're stuck inside your tent (rain/snow) For me, I don't bring water tabs as a primary source of purification but because they are tiny I carry them in my first aid kit as a last resort if something seriously bad happened. Most people bring filters and stoves which create a redundant system (several methods of filtration) so water tabs are just another level of redundancy to ensure you don't go without clean water.
|
|
#
?
Jul 27, 2017 17:05
|
|
|
Yeah, I appreciate all that, some good pints. I didn't intend to say the tablets are useless; just, probably plan C for me in an emergency where I've already lost the use of my filter, and then also for some reason boiling water (stove or campfire) will be slower or impractical. I was a boy scout, I'm fully up on Be Prepared, I'm just a little less inclined to want my second option to be a four hour treatment I guess. I'll still get some of those pills.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2017 07:48
|
|
|
My tablets take 30 mins for a litre, pretty sure. An hour max. I carry a bladder and a bottle and just have some clean water at all times.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2017 09:40
|
|
|
Andrew Skurka posted on reddit and said there are many times he doesn't treat water at all (in CO and the CA Sierra). I never knew people did this... I guess it's probably safe most of the time? Still seems like a silly risk. How do you decide whether or not to treat water?
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2017 19:40
|
|
|
khysanth posted:How do you decide whether or not to treat water? Just treat.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2017 19:52
|
|
|
khysanth posted:How do you decide whether or not to treat water? In less developed countries replace 'terrible shits for a week' with cholera.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2017 19:54
|
|
|
My dog has had giardia several times (thanks dog parks) and its nothing I ever want to get.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2017 20:14
|
|
|
Giardia and cryptosporidium are all over the place. They're even found in streams super close to glacial runoff. Just treat your water, it really isn't that hard.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2017 20:18
|
|
|
khysanth posted:Andrew Skurka posted on reddit and said there are many times he doesn't treat water at all (in CO and the CA Sierra). I never knew people did this... I guess it's probably safe most of the time? Still seems like a silly risk. I grew up in California, was a boy scout, and did a lot of backpacking and camping during the 1980s and 90s. Everyone even then knew there was giardia in the water. BUT. The truth is, if you pick a clear-running alpine water source that has little or no sign of human activity, you're what like well under 1% chance of getting sick. The other factor is that the most likely case where you don't bother to treat is the one where you're already in some kind of trouble... and that's when getting sick poses the maximum risk. If you're stranded or injured or lost, getting diarrhea can be a death sentence. This is partly why I'm more thinking of emergency scenarios for how to treat water. In a normal situation if my pump breaks, well, I'm smart so I already have at least a liter per person of safe drinking water, and I'm very likely on a well-trafficked trail where I can find someone else or, if the trail is randomly empty that day, I've never been so far out on a trail that I couldn't get back to the trailhead within like one day of hard hiking. So if my pump is gone or hosed or whatever, I have a lot of options. Having a backup treatment plan gives me more options, and mostly those are about extending my water supply long enough to safely and calmly exit the situation without taking additional risks. The edge case is where I feel you need to be absolutely 100% sure of your water, and that's where you're off-trail or days away from help and get seriously injured or trapped by severe weather or seriously lost. Under those conditions, Do Not gently caress Around with untreated water until you have no choice but to drink it or risk death. These water pills seem like a great lightweight well-preseved option to have under those conditions, to the extent that I'd probably include them in my "always on my body" list for wilderness trekking (along with a knife, compass, light, and firestarter). So... yeah. You could probably drink from water seeping directly out of rock for your whole life and never get sick, and you could probably drink from most mountain streams in the Sierra and also never get sick (but you'd be taking a higher risk). But treating all of your water is not that hard and there are definitely still people who do get sick every year, so it's not a pointless precaution either. That's my opinion. As an aside: Verman posted:stove problems Do you guys commonly use a fuel-based lighter for your stove? I never have - I don't like plastic lighters as backpacking kit for several reasons (easily broken, cheaply made, can leak, limited use, and I've found far too many discarded at camp sites instead of packed out so I am kind of biased against them). I always bring: 1) for general use, a water-sealed container of safety matches. 2) for harsh conditions, a water-sealed container of "wind and water proof" matches - you know, the expensive, super match kind of match. 3) for general use, a magnesium fire starter, which is what I prefer to use whenever it will work. 4) since I always have something that uses batteries and it's useful for camp cleanup, I bring fine steel wool. This works best with a 9v battery, so I prefer 9v powered items where practical. 5) not to brag or anything but I can and have started fires using friction methods, so even if I lose all of the above, I'm not helpless. Also in california, chert is very common, so flint & steel sparking is usually an option. Sound reasonable?
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2017 20:26
|
|
|
Re: fire starting - I used to carry all that stuff. Now I just carry several (3 or so) bog standard Bic lighters, typically in the small snack bag ziplocks, tucked into various pockets in things.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2017 20:31
|
|
|
armorer posted:Re: fire starting - I used to carry all that stuff. Now I just carry several (3 or so) bog standard Bic lighters, typically in the small snack bag ziplocks, tucked into various pockets in things. yea, I have the tiny size bic lighters stashed all over the place. Even if they get fully submerged they will dry quickly and still function. I also have like a half dozen esbit tabs double bagged in little weed baggies and stuffed in an small tin. A half of one stuck in a split small stick works great as a huge match to get a fire lit.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2017 21:02
|
|
|
The "4 hour" contact time requirement for chlorine dioxide needs some clarification. -Bacteria and viruses will be nuked in < 30m. (Though it's almost impossible to get a virus from backcountry water) -For Giardia cysts, ~1hr contact time is fine even for near freezing water -Cryptosporidium cysts are notoriously tough and it is here where longer contact times are needed. Since cyrpto is pretty prevalent even in "clean" water sources this poses a problem for chlorine dioxide. You can kind of get around this by increasing the dose, but that is inadvisable especially for "stabilized" tablet forms where high doses may result in large amounts of leftover precursor that is not good for you. You can also just refill more frequently and carry a reasonable "buffer" so that you never run out of clean water. But this is impractical in situations where you are drinking lots of water, and even when you aren't it can mean carrying more water weight than you otherwise would need to. For example, if I am somewhere with plentiful water and just drink and fill as I go, I never really need to carry more than 1 liter. If I add another liter to hold me over for the 2+ hours I am waiting for disinfectant to work, I've just added a kilo of weight to my pack to save 100-300g on a filter. That said, for trips where there are not plentiful water resupply points or where they are of uncertain quality, you need to carry some kind of buffer anyway so this is less of an issue. Since I'm a big dumb idiot gram counter and don't like water filters, what I usually do is just rely on chlorine dioxide and use a contact time of at most two hours, probably closer to 90 minutes. This is not enough to achieve the EPA standard 3-log (1/1000) reduction of cyrpto , but my idiot reasoning is that in the overwhelming likelihood that my water had only 0-10 cysts to begin with, I have still substantially reduced my risk of getting sick and I don't have to wait forever to take a drink or fuss with filters. Being a moron t I will continue doing this unless the fateful day comes where I get turbo diarrhea. I should add that I went a long time never treating water in the high sierra, so even this was a big step forward for me.
|
|
#
?
Jul 28, 2017 21:17
|
|
|
So LifeStraws are big and heavy?
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2017 01:15
|
|
|
I'm so glad all my water sources are headwaters, I can just get away with aquatabs and never worry about anything.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2017 11:44
|
|
|
Think I hosed up and bought a pack too small. Didn't do enough research and the employee at the camping store that 55L would be enough for a 5lb tent and sleeping bag plus three days of clothing, food etc. Can't take it back because it was on clearance. Pictured is the tent and sleeping bag + the pack. Is there any way to make this work 
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2017 20:00
|
|
|
How is your pack on gear loops? You can strap/clip a lot of gear to the outside of some packs, bungie cords or just string. Are you going solo? Maybe you can spread some of the bulkier things out if you have partners. How far are you hiking?
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2017 20:10
|
|
|
Looks like there's four loops on the bottom and two more higher up (one on each side). There's going to be about a dozen people going, but I don't know most of them. Don't know how far we're hiking yet, but we're staying three days. I only got invited because someone dropped out of the group at the last minute, so I'm short on information. Jumped at the opportunity because I've always wanted to do 'real' camping.
|
|
#
?
Jul 29, 2017 20:21
|
|
|
peach moonshine posted:Think I hosed up and bought a pack too small. Didn't do enough research and the employee at the camping store that 55L would be enough for a 5lb tent and sleeping bag plus three days of clothing, food etc. Can't take it back because it was on clearance. Tent goes on the outside of the bottom of your pack through the straps. You may have to loosen them a bit to make room. Sleeping bag goes inside the pack on the bottom. Stuff everything else on top. Your sleeping bag would benefit from a proper compression sack to remove the air and take up less space (likely about half the size). For three days you can wear the same clothes with a change of socks and underwear for each day. Maybe bring an extra shirt. For food, remove everything from bulky packaging. Boxes are a no go. Baggies are your friend. In general only bring things you think you will need. I'm not sure how remote you will be but this sounds like hike in car camping.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2017 07:58
|
|
|
peach moonshine posted:Think I hosed up and bought a pack too small. Didn't do enough research and the employee at the camping store that 55L would be enough for a 5lb tent and sleeping bag plus three days of clothing, food etc. Can't take it back because it was on clearance. I use a 55l for up to week long trips, just so you don't lose hope.
|
|
#
?
Jul 30, 2017 09:42
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 3, 2024 00:17 |
|
|
I know a guy who thru-hiked the AT with an Osprey Exos 48L. So anything is possible. I would ask someone that you know going if they want to share a tent, so maybe they might share part of the load.
|
|
#
?
Jul 31, 2017 00:06
|
|
