Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

x2, half the price of Yeti is what attracted me.

 

Well have to say I'm rather disappointed with outdoor research. I got their "foray" jacket back in March. Its a 200 dollar gortex jacket mind you.

It work fine keeping me dry in light rain. But in medium to heavy rain my forearms and wrist area would get wet. My upper back would as well but I'm not sold its the jacket but more I wear a backpack. Then when I take the jacket it off and hang it up to dry it always seems like the jacket inside leeches the water in.

This occurs in only around 20-25 minutes of being in the rain. The jacket is mostly what I wear to work and that my walk in.

So I emailed customer service for a warrenty claim Jan. 26th. They just today responded. Their single one line response was "have you washed the jacket". A month later and that is all you can say?

So annoyed at their response but I'll give them a chance and see how the respond now. Seriously though a gortex rain jacket that gets me wet while my ultralight and minimalist marmut rain jacket can keep me dry.

 

Osprey Daylite. $50. External bladder sleeve, two large mesh pockets that can each fit a 32oz Nalgene, and about 13L of storage IIRC. Plus it's an Osprey so it has a lifetime warranty. I day hiked the South Rim at Big Bend with mine. I love it.

 

Also, hello all. New here but this is my kinda thread!

 

Hopefully it works out for you? How do you like the minimalist goretex jacket? I have one but haven't had the chance to test it out in the rain yet.

 

Are you sure it's rain and not perspiration?

 

Yeah Im sure. I made sure of that lol. The first time i figured that was what it was (that was at a soccer game). But it is literally every time its a medium to heavy rain and only in the exact same spots which are not where id normally be sweating from...or least not just in those spots alone.

It was more just venting than anything. guess Ive come to expect better customer service than ive received. More irked at it taking them a month to even respond. I actually like the jacket other than its problem.

Luckily I bought it from REI. So if i dont hear anything in another few days I might end up just returning it there and picking up something else.

As for the marmut jacket i had to look it up and its a Marmot Ether DriClime Jacket. I didnt realize they actually had one called minimalist! Im bad with keeping track of what things are called. But i like the Ether for what it is. Which is a compact, ultralite jacket. It works great in light rain but in heavier rain it leaks through which for what it is im not surprised and its not really marketed as a rain coat anyways. I mostly carry it in the summer when backpacking

 

Well done with customer service. Absolutely no help. Their only "advice" was i should go out and buy a technical wash for it and treat it with that. So i responded that its absurd to buy a new jacket and be expected to shell out more money to do what a company already advertises the jacket and being able to do. The lady responded that i could exchange it then (which is what i had wanted all along) if i paid for shipping ot them and could expect a replacement in 6-8 weeks.

At that point i wrote a nice-as-i-could-be message back stating that is absurd and piss poor customer service and warranty. Told them i would never buy a product from them again and will be promptly returning the jacket to REI and getting a company who will actually stand behind their product's jacket.

Just frustrated as Ive generally had nothing but great experiences with outdoor companies. But for them to tell me i need to go spend 20 bucks on a product to get their jacket to do what it says it should.....sad.

So on that note.....Ive got 200 bucks to get a new rain coat, any suggestions

 

I've got a couple of gift cards for REI that I'd like to use up pretty soon. I'm looking to get a new winter jacket. I want it to be wind proof and warm. Anybody got any suggestions?

 

I planned on it But like everything I research as much as i can before hand. I dont get much back in dividends (buy clearance and outlet a lot of times) but the 20% is for sure going towards it!
Though i dont have ot get a new on through REI either. Just the return will be through them. A year will be March 27th though so just have to do it before then

 

I'm a fan of Marmot. They offer great products and also tall sizes, and they're a local business to me.

 

I got bored and added some waterproof strip RGB LEDs to my ARB awning. 5' strip for my 6' awning worked great. These are powered by 3 AA's and they have a small inline controller to change colors (18 different) and animated patterns (about 20) plus brightness adjustments (8 levels). Because they're not 12v, they're not blinding bright like a light bar but they're great for camping and night fishing. I usually set my camp table up under the awning, and it's just enough light to do all of my tasks without killing my night vision. White is brightest, but red works great for keeping a low profile. The flashing pattern makes it really easy for someone to find my camp that joins up later in the night.

Not bad for $14 shipped


The strip was perfect width to adhere under the rail that holds the extended poles to the awning. Protected while driving. The adhesive was a very tacky 3M tape, and the LED strip is coated with a thick clear waterproof coating. You can see the little inline 3 button controller that does everything, and it just unplugs from the strip so I can stow the battery pack/controller in my truck.



Showing the red lights during dusk so you can see the fit.


The street light across the street kind of washes out the output that these have. Here it is on the cool white setting at full brightness. There's a shadow from the bedside, but when my camp table is underneath, it casts perfect light on the table with no shadow.

 

Where'd you buy the strip from?

 

Ebay. Only $11.90 with free shipping from CA right now, too.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/38137892864...49&var=650561779702&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

Just select the length you need. Mine are 150cm.

 

Marmot is one company I havent really had anything from. Them and Mountain Hardware are the two Ive been interested in but never really owned anything from. I do have a Marmot sweatshirt that is nice though lol

 

I have a Marmot hat!

 

I was just looking for something like this! Perfect!

 

Anyone have experience with pack rafts? I sold my rtt and have $900 to blow on outdoor gear.

 

You can rent a "ducky" from the hiking shack if you want to try out an inflatable kayak, similar to a pack raft i think