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Lots of  coming, sorry!My 18 year old son wants to do a thru-hike of the American Discovery Trail (yeah, I know) in 2023 before he goes off to college in 2024. If he's serious about it - which he is right now, but that will likely change - I will go with him. Do I expect it to happen? Nah. I am supporting his idea, though. I want him to experience some adversity before we go so I'm planning some weekend and week-long trips this winter and spring, and a month long trip in the summer. Even if his ADT plans fall apart, I want to spend some time with him outdoors so this is a win-win for me- and it's an excuse to buy new toys. We live in Georgia (US) so in February we're going to the Cohutta Wilderness in N GA, and Big Frog in Tennessee. We'll be going no matter the weather forecast (within reason, safety wise) as long as the trails are open and accessible. I've done hiking all over the US and in SE Asia, and growing up I spent a lot of time in the GA mountains so I'm comfortable being outside. He has done some extended weekend backpacking up there too, but only in the spring and summer. I've told him it gets colder in the winter than he would expect - single digit nights are not uncommon in some parts of the Cohutta. So anyway, I need to upgrade his Wal-Mart tier gear and replace some of my own. My stuff averages mid to high tier but is 20 years old at least (I still have my first Nalgene bottle that's 35 years old. Yay toxic plastics!), but the gear is all still usable. I'm going to have to buy two of some items, but only one of others. I've read through some of the thread to get a general idea of the new hotness in tech (I haven't been backpacking much in the past decade), but I've got some specific things I need solid recs on. Budget wise, I want to go ultralight for most things. I'm 50 and don't wanna lug around a bunch of weight more than I need to. He's 18 so gently caress him, I'll let him carry whatever he wants until he learns better  Pack I have a McGregor 55L, and a Lowe Contour 90L. The latter is a big mofo but I don't have a problem lugging it around. We'll use these for now but later this year I might replace them. I'd prefer to haul all my stuff in something like the McGregor 55L, but that capacity might be a tad too small... maybe a 75ish? I'll need two of these. Tent I have an old 4 season Marmot dome of some kind, a heavy fucker, so I want to ditch that. I also have a Hennessy Hammock Expedition A-Sym that I used the last few times I was outside, but I think I want to go back to a tent. Isaboo Jr. hasn't tried the hammock but he is fine sleeping on the ground. I'm 6'4" and he's 6'1"; I'd like something that allows us to sit upgright and not be hunched over. Also would like a bathtub floor. This is one item I want to go ultralight with. So what's a good 3 season 2P UL? I'm gonna need two of 'em and the budget is ~$500 for each. Let me know if I need a ground sheet, too. I like this tarp/tent bundle, but I've never had a shelter system that uses trekking poles (I have a good pair of poles)- https://www.sixmoondesigns.com/products/haven-bundle. Maybe a standard 3 pole system would be better. I dunno. Sleeping Bag/Quilt I've got an REI 20degree down bag that's fine for now but it's pretty bulky and I need something more compressible. He has a Marmot 20 synthetic that's fine. I think I want to try a quilt, so help me out. Sleeping Pad I've got an old SlumberJack self-inflating pad that's coming apart at the seams, but still serviceable with well applied gorilla tape. I definitely want to replace it now. He has my old RidgeRest so I'm gonna need two ultralight pads. I think I like this guy but I don't see a size long enough for me- https://klymit.com/products/insulated-static-v-sleeping-pad?variant=31778110734426 Footwear My old Lowa boots finally came apart. I think I'm gonna go back to trail runners though. I've had Merrell Moabs and liked them, but both pairs developed the same problem over time- a spot worn out right above my heel that rubbed me raw. So I need a rec for something like those, but not those. My son has Vasque boots that are better than anything I've ever had so he's fine there. I love REI and Darn Tough wool socks so I'll get a bunch of those. Aside from Crocs, what camp shoes might work for us? Stove I have a Trangia alcohol stove and I love that little fucker. I also have my ~25 year old MSR RapidFire stove. It's the kind that has a hose from the burner to the fuel can. It still burns like new but the stiff hose has always been a minor annoyance. I see the PocketRocket 2 mentioned a lot so I think I'll get one of those for him. I'll use my alcohol stove til the day I die, so I'm good. The fuel canisters have changed since I last used the RF- they were the drink can style. How many minutes do the new pocketrocket style canisters provide? For an extended trip/thru hike, how do y'all manage fuel? Clothes We're good with the basic mid-layer stuff- most are the Kuhl and Prana brands. We both have Patagonia rain shells. I have REI rain pants I'm not sure I've ever used. A rain skirt might be cool to try. Are capilene base layers still good/appropriate? I prefer wool in most cases, though. What's a good all purpose, general use insulating outer layer for, let's say temperatures in the teens fahrenheit? GPS Thinking of a Garmin InReach Mini to replace my old Garmin Treksomething - What subscription services would y'all recommend for it? Headlamp I lost the old BlackDiamond one I had but loved it. What's the popular BD lamp these days? Watch What's a good watch that has a few bells and whistles for backpacking? altimeter, etc. I don't need something that's overkill. I just want a cool toy/instrument. Analog vs digital doesn't matter. Eyeglasses I didn't wear corrective lenses the last time I was out. The pair I have now are sorta delicate. I know there are companies that specialize in eyewear for active people but I know nothing about them. What would y'all recommend for something sturdier? My son has got me watching this dude's ADT videos, and I've been noting the gear he uses. His original tent flooded with what looked like 2 inches of water in his first couple of weeks, so that was a good lol. Out of maybe 6 random videos I've watched, I've counted 3 different tents and at least 2 different packs. I've told my son that if the ADT trip does work out, we'll be replacing some of our gear at least once so his bank account needs to be prepared for that. I'm buying his tent for him but he's paying for the other stuff he needs. Thanks in advance for whatever advice y'all come up with! isaboo fucked around with this message at 20:30 on Jan 7, 2022 |
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Jan 7, 2022 19:42
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| # ¿ May 19, 2024 09:05 |
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Bought a Six Moon Designs Haven Bundle and took it on a 3 day trip to the Chattooga River Trail that borders GA/SC. It was great; it rained the first night and the next morning and I stayed completely dry. The ventilation is fantastic and at ~34oz the shelter is a joy to lug around for 10 miles. My buddy, who had never been backpacking before, had a cheap WalMart dome tent and didn't fare as well. He liked the experience enough that he'll do it again, so that's good. My only complaint about the tent is that the floor is very slick, and my Sea To Summit ultralight mattress slid around, even with an old (circa 1994) ridge rest beneath it. Anyone got any ideas to mitigate the sliding around? Maybe some kind of slightly sticky substance I could put on the bottom of the mattress- like surfboard wax.
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Dec 9, 2022 19:14
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Fitzy Fitz posted:Chattooga River Trail is one of my favorites. This is the only time of year I can stand it though. It's low and wet, so it turns into a jungle in warmer weather. Same. I wanted to take my buddy up to the Conasauga River Trail in the Cohutta Wilderness, but he definitely wasn't up for that especially this time of year. But drat, that area is freaking beautiful and I want him to see it. Too many river crossings for the winter months, though.
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Dec 9, 2022 19:31
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