|
My parents got me this "pocket chainsaw" for my birthday.  The only actual use case I can imagine is cutting through blowdown across a remote forest road that is blocking your car. But we already keep a bow-saw in our car for such things. I suppose you could cut big firewood with it too, but sawing firewood to length is kind of a rare situation for backpacking (I usually just burn long pieces in half), and there's no way I'm spending the weight bringing that along on a backpacking trip anyway. And if I'm car camping I already have the bow-saw. Has anyone had one of these and is it useful at all? Seems kinda gimmicky. Like a gift you'd get for a backpacker (me) if you don't know much about backpacking (my parents). Just wondering if I should return it or if it's more useful than I realize.
|
#
¿
Nov 18, 2021 18:27
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 10, 2024 21:30 |
|
|
I don't think they were asking about with a mask
|
|
#
¿
Nov 21, 2021 18:54
|
|
|
How old is the youngest? We did our first post-kid backpacking trip this summer with our 2.5 year old. Also with us were: a friend of ours and her 6 and 9 year old. Two other friends of ours and their 2.5 year old. Having other kids along helped a lot with the kids having fun. It also helped that all the kids were very used to camping - in our case we've been camping with her since she was 6 months old. We did take the occasion to upgrade our 2p backpacking tent we had been cramming into, to a 3p backpacking tent though. Our trip was a pretty chill 5 mile loop, camping on a spur halfway. Not a lot of elevation gain or loss. You don't have to go far to really feel deep in the wilderness. The hike itself was nothing the kids hadn't done before, and camping was also nothing hte kids hadn't done before. Combining the two was more an exercise in stuff-arrangement than anything else. For the toddlers: each set of parents put toddler into a kid backpack (osprey poco), which they were also already used to. I strapped our tent and sleeping pads to the outside of the poco - plenty of space under the foot-bar. Stuffed toddler supplies (diapers etc) into the pouch of the poco. My wife carried everything else in a regular backpack in a lighter overall load. The other couple had a similar setup but mom was carrying the kid and less additional stuff, and dad, being bigger, had a ton of stuff strapped to the outside of his pack. For the 6 and 9 year olds - remember they are a separate family and they were with their mom. But each kid carried basically a school backpack, with their own sleeping bag, a bottle of water, and one change of clothes. Mom carried everything else. Not sure where the kids' pads were, maybe they carried those too. The hike itself, just be patient and plan extra time. Remember we had 6 and 9 year olds actually hiking the whole way. The toddlers also typically don't last an entire 2.5 miles in the backpack, they want to get down and hike for a bit (slowly), or play around, and then eventually they're down to get back in the pack. So the 2.5 miles took us like, 2-3 hours? lol Entertainment wise, first of all kids are great at entertaining each other, so there was a lot of just kids playing and being imaginative. We brought 5 or 6 books and some little rubber dinosaurs/animals for our little one. The little dinos had a great time digging in the dirt. The older kids were pretty good at entertaining themselves most of the time, though everyone joined us for storytimes too. The 9 year old had also brought her own  chapter book and read it on her own a bit.There was a fire ban, but I imagine a campfire alone would have been enough to pass the entire evening. Camp chores are a lot of fun for kids to help out with and can pass a lot of time. Help gather firewood, help pump water, etc. They got a good half hour of entertainment watching me try to hang a bear line lol Also just like, enjoying exploring. Look at the cool critters in the stream. Look for animal poop. Check out that mountain and the different layers in it. See how the trees thin out near the top. We did an evening dinner hike after setting up camp, up to an alpine meadow. It was beautiful and the kids really enjoyed the hike itself, it passed plenty of time. Weeks later the 9 year old was still telling me how cool she thought it was to go camp in the real wilderness and how cool she felt carrying her stuff on her back  e: I guess that post was more how-to, but given that this is the gear thread... gear-wise I'm going to assume you already have camped with the kids? Are your tent(s) backpacking tents? Food wise we did backpacker meals and brought lots of extra calorie-dense snacks for the kids. Kid appetite is very unpredictable as you know, so be prepared to overpack food 
alnilam fucked around with this message at 18:01 on Nov 22, 2021 |
|
#
¿
Nov 22, 2021 17:56
|
|
|
DapperDraculaDeer posted:I did give it a shot and found myself post holing like crazy. It got to the point that my ACL or some other similar bit in the back of my leg was starting to ache each time I fell into the snow which was a pretty big concern for me since I am not a young person any more. Even after I rented a pair of snow shoes I would occasionally post hole into the snow in the area I was hunting. Of course, I have no clue what I am doing in that kind of environment so I expect someone with more experience could probably manage ok. For me though I view having a set on hand as cheap insurance for future hunts in the snow so I dont have to spend a day heading back into town to call around in search of a rental. Did you try some light over-the-shoe crampons? That sounds a lot more appropriate to your use case (patchy snow) than snowshoes. Something like yaktrax.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 29, 2021 03:04
|
|
|
incogneato posted:That's unfortunate to hear. We are perhaps a bit grunge but we always did fine with an extra full-zip sweater/mid-layer of some kind to lay over breastfeeding baby.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 29, 2021 04:25
|
|
|
I prefer pumps to squeeze-style ones for various reasons, but there are perfectly good sub-$100 pumps too. MSR Sweetwater and Katadyn Hiker are both fine.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 3, 2021 18:39
|
|
|
I will never do anything but a pump, after one trip where to my surprise the stream was the tiniest trickle of all time and I had to hunt for a spot where even my inlet hose could pick it up. In the end though I was able to pump liters and liters just fine, once I found a good spot. That water scare was a wake-up call for me to always check water conditions when backpacking out west. Anyway if I had been doing squeeze, gravity, or chemical treatment, I would have been screwed.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 3, 2021 20:40
|
|
|
incogneato posted:The Yaktrax diamond grip, which are a bunch of spiky metal beads that can spin around a metal cable, have been great for me. We've used them on tons of winter hikes, including hiking on sheets of ice in Zion in winter. They're only so-so on snow, though, as they can't really dig in deep. Yeah I've been pretty happy with the yaktrax diamond grips. I got them originally for icy urban walking while carrying a baby, but I've used them for some hilly hikes through icy snow too. They have served me well in both. Importantly for urban use, they can also be stuffed into a bag while inside, without damaging anything. For legit mountaineering though obviously only real crampons will do
|
|
#
¿
Feb 7, 2022 21:37
|
|
|
I know when I worked in retail my favorite thing was for customers to hover near me and loudly talk about politics obviously directed at me.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 3, 2022 21:52
|
|
|
I don't think it's a good idea to use propane with an isobutane stove. I'd get either a liquid stove or a cheap coleman propane one, both fuels are super ubiquitous. I used my liquid fuel stove for car camping for a long time for that reason, saved my iso stove for serious backpacking trips. Recently bought a beefy coleman one now that I car camp a bit more often than I used to and it's been a nice thing to have.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 10, 2022 02:35
|
|
|
Do sleeping bags wear out over time? I just had a crazy cold night with temps in the lower 30s, in a 25F REI synthetic bag I've used down to the lower 20s in the past. But it's about 12 years old at this point and has seen an especially high amount of use in the past year and a half since I moved out west.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 13, 2022 06:11
|
|
|
Yeah i store it in the bag it came in, which is still sort of stuffed but not a compression sack. I've never washed it but it might indeed be time for a new bag, especially now that I can afford a step up from the basic REI synthetic one. I think I can even donate my old one to a group that gives them to unhoused people, so I'll look up how to wash it properly.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 13, 2022 18:00
|
|
|
Okay I posted earlier about my ailing 13 year old synthetic sleeping bag. I think I'm gonna replace / upgrade to down with my REI coupon. Any general advice, or is it just get the lightest/packable-est down bag at my size and desired temperature that I care to afford?
|
|
#
¿
Mar 19, 2022 23:16
|
|
|
guppy posted:We started taking our 3-year old daughter camping last year. Nothing serious, we've just taken her camping in my in-laws' backyard one (1) time, and that's probably what we'll be doing for a bit, though eventually we would like to take her on "real" camping trips. We were thinking of getting her her own sleeping bag as a present. I don't think we need anything heavy duty, not like she's going to be doing cold-weather camping in the near future, probably spring and summer and maybe very early fall. Anything in particular to recommend? Should I just get her a light sleeping bag with a favorite TV show character? Something from REI's Kindercamp line, or similar from other manufacturers? The KinderCone has been amazing for our kid, 1.5 when we got it but now 3, including her first backpacking trip (for which it is quite big, but it works) and nights with 25 degree lows. We use our old spare sleeping pad underneath it. Before she was 1.5 we would shove her into our bags with us. E: some of you may recall my recent rough cold night, my kid was fine that same night in the kindercone. To be sure i put my jacket on her too. Pad wise just get a cheap small thermarest z-lite, imo. alnilam fucked around with this message at 03:14 on Mar 28, 2022 |
|
#
¿
Mar 28, 2022 03:05
|
|
|
I am not a fan of squeeze filters personally. I know they're popular but they don't work when the water source is some tiny pathetic poo poo, which has happened to me. Pumps all the way.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 30, 2022 19:32
|
|
|
The Wiggly Wizard posted:The cost to replace the filter in my Katadyn pump was nearly as much as buying a new unit. I think that was the old charcoal filters though. Have they gotten cheaper/less changing needed? IME they need changing very rarely. The filter area is so much larger that it takes a lot longer to gum up completely, plus you can brush it out. It's still an expensive replacement but I've only done it once, compared to squeezy people I feel like are talking about replacing theirs on a somewhat regular basis.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 31, 2022 04:37
|
|
|
Backpacking and Camping Gear Megathread: Still nervous around bears
|
|
#
¿
Apr 5, 2022 18:54
|
|
|
Demon_Corsair posted:Must be nice camping places without horrific amounts of mosquitos. I looked through an entire page of google image search results for "dining fly" and not a single one has a bug net so I don't know what you're talking about here. Googling them also suggests that they are a scouts thing, which explains why I've never heard of them before now. OP I think you will be fine without one
|
|
#
¿
Apr 15, 2022 21:30
|
|
|
Yeah we finally got two chairs and a table and it feels so glamp, highly recommend for dispersed car camping
|
|
#
¿
Apr 16, 2022 00:00
|
|
|
In outdoorsy/everyday pants realm, I have really loved my Kuhl Travrse pants for slightly wetter or cooler weather than what I wear my prana zion/brions in. Since moving to the PNW those are basically my 3 pants. All of them work okay for most PNW weather but the Kuhl ones are a bit more suited to the cooler days of PNW winter. In the much colder and snowier winters I grew up in, they would have been perfect with some long underwear underneath.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 30, 2022 04:39
|
|
|
The benchmade mini griptillian is a fantastic camping knife, i have done tons of field cooking with it and also butchered an entire deer with it, and it's like $120... you don't need to spend $350 on a knife There are many other good options too I'm just saying don't assume benchmade = $350 e: I'm sure a $40 opinel knife will also be fine for camping alnilam fucked around with this message at 04:25 on May 12, 2022 |
|
#
¿
May 12, 2022 04:23
|
|
|
The 2nd 2 showed as invalid for me, so I guess people snagged them. Oh well. Thanks for posting them!
|
|
#
¿
May 16, 2022 19:40
|
|
|
Been thinking for a long time about getting an inreach or similar. What's a good option that has simple (or even preset) texts + an oh poo poo button?
|
|
#
¿
May 26, 2022 17:41
|
|
|
Verman posted:I was just out this weekend and when the group started hanging tarps, they couldn't figure out how to get them tight. As someone who doesn't know a lot of traditional knots, I've found that the tautline hitch is probably one of the most useful knots to know while camping/backpacking. I recalled the taut line hitch that my step dads hunting buddies taught me years ago and you would have thought I did a magic trick. The tarps were tight, flat and didn't hold any water when it rained. This is one of my favorite knots, although i learned that this is called the "adjustable grip hitch" and the tautline hitch is the same thing but a bit weaker, with one turn instead of two before passing the end through.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 2, 2022 04:25
|
|
|
Personally I'd put the essential knots for non specialty uses (i.e. for people who are not climbers or sailors) as, in roughly this order, Bowline Square knot Adjustable grip hitch Sheet bend (or alternatively double fishermans bend) Trucker's hitch Clove hitch Those are basically the only knots I find myself using in non climbing/sailing contexts, and knowing them offers massive improvements over the basic half hitches, overhands, and (often mistied) square knots that most people are limited to. Plenty of great knots not on that list, but if you know those 6 you can cover nearly any situation in camping, hiking, tying poo poo around your house or vehicle, etc.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 2, 2022 18:19
|
|
|
The Wiggly Wizard posted:IIRC from boy scouts that's "two half hitches". A tautline hitch is adjustable and won't slide as much (thus creating a 'taut' line) No... although I was also wrong. The pictured knot that I quoted, which I thought was mislabeled, is in fact the tautline hitch (e: or possibly the midshipman's hitch... seeing online now that there is some hubbub among knot geeks about the boy scouts misnaming it or something), which I never learned very well because I was taught that the adjustable grip hitch is a bit better for the same purposes (though both are fine for guying something). I didn't look closely enough at the image. The adjustable grip hitch's final loop goes around the standing part and working part. The tautline hitch's final loop goes only around the standing part. Anyway the point is everyone should know a decent sliding friction hitch  
alnilam fucked around with this message at 18:52 on Jun 2, 2022 |
|
#
¿
Jun 2, 2022 18:49
|
|
|
I spent 3 nights on a boat sharing a cheap woven double hammock with my then-sweetheart. It wasn't that bad  but it was also in the tropics so we didn't need to finagle any pads or quilts around us, could leave a leg hanging out, etc
|
|
#
¿
Jun 3, 2022 17:47
|
|
|
Wife wants to try to convince her mom to come camping this weekend. She's a pretty tough and active lady so I think most of the situation will be fine with her, it's just the sleeping part we're worried about. We need a sleeping pad that will be thick and comfy for a not usual camper. It needs to fit in our older 2p backpacking tent, so, not just an air mattress... but otherwise bulk and weight are no problem. Something cheap since it will only see rare use. Any suggestions?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 12, 2022 23:03
|
|
|
Yeah there are enough situations that are like "I'm not dying, but I'm stuck" that make texting worthwhile, imo.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 7, 2022 16:23
|
|
|
Wait it's too warm for merino wool but cold enough for a sweatshirt? imo anything calling for long sleeves is appropriate for merino of some weight or another.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 12, 2022 01:53
|
|
|
Ah okay. Yeah billowy, well-vented synthetic stuff is good for that.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 12, 2022 02:18
|
|
|
The flash 18 crumples up so small and weighs so little, I've used it as a daypack stuffed inside my larger pack, as well as as a food-containment-and-hanging bag, for a very long time.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 17, 2022 18:13
|
|
|
The hydroflask handle is much sturdier than the nalgene lid thingy, but I agree that the molded plastic finger hole in a kleen kanteen lid is probably the most secure for carabinering to something. As you mentioned, yeah please don't climb with it like that. But it's fine for walking around. Nalgene lid tethers suck, mine broke years ago and I wasn't even hanging it. I've been wanting to replace that nalgene for years but can't justify it cause it still holds water just fine... someone please steal it from me or stab it with a knife or something so I can finally bring myself to replace it
|
|
#
¿
Aug 3, 2022 19:48
|
|
|
Marmot has a fantastic warranty iirc
|
|
#
¿
Aug 15, 2022 04:27
|
|
|
I will never forget my night camping without pads because I thought dirt was plenty soft for me. I mean, it was, but it was also very cold.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 21, 2022 05:25
|
|
|
Yeah even mediocre instant coffee is godly on a cold mountain backcountry morning, but you better believe that once i get home that stuff stays in the cabinet until the next camping trip
|
|
#
¿
Aug 23, 2022 04:38
|
|
|
The Wiggly Wizard posted:Genuine curiosity, is there anywhere in the US that has bears and hanging food is okay? It’s always been lockers or canisters wherever I’ve gone It's generally standard practice out east IME. Some established campsites even have metal poles for it so you don't have to mess with a tree. I never even heard of bear canisters until camping out west.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 26, 2022 20:11
|
|
|
xzzy posted:Isn't that because a couple bears in that area have figured out how to open canisters? No I don't think it became popular and then stopped, IME very few people in the east use or have even heard of bear cans, with the exception of maybe the Adirondacks. If I had to come up with an armchair theory, I'd guess it has to do with the much more dispersed human population and more fractured nature of public land out east. You're not as likely to teach entire populations of bears to obsess over campers when they can go 3 miles down the road and raid some rural trash cans instead. Plus there are way fewer campers to begin with. So bears in the east just never became as big a problem to campers as they did in the west, where popular camping spots are often 50+ miles from the nearest house and far more people are camping. If they never became a particularly big problem, then people would not be motivated to change the way they do things and just keep hanging bear bags the way they always did even if it's been found to be ineffective. I'm not saying people shouldn't use bear cans in the east, just speculating why perhaps it never became as much of a thing there as it did in the mountain west.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 26, 2022 20:46
|
|
|
Morbus posted:Bathtub curve is real. Good thread title / post combo
|
|
#
¿
Aug 29, 2022 20:39
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 10, 2024 21:30 |
|
|
I slowly made the transition to all darn tough a while ago, and I use their warranty to replace about half the pairs annually for just a few bucks of shipping, it's good
|
|
#
¿
Sep 9, 2022 17:42
|
|