Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

I use sawyer 4 quart can purify water rather quickly

 

Nailed it with the Experiences, not Things.

We use that phrase when we think about buying something. Does it make or enhance an experience?
Do we 'need' it?

The in laws love to give gifts. (Usually stuff we don't need). They ask for lists/ideas all the time. Husband was thinking of something for his upcoming birthday. I asked 'don't we already have something similar that does the same job?' Yes... 'well since we're taking a big vacation/anniversary trip this summer, why not ask for a gift card that we can use towards a nice dinner out? We can take a photo of us at that dinner and send it to them.'
We got a winner idea!

On the same line that trip we are taking a seaplane ride! It's spendy but neither of us have done that, so it's a new experience that we're both looking forward to!

 

Yep, I feel you guys on the quality stuff. But once, cry once. There are of course certain things I will go cheaper on, but if I will use it fairly often or if is mission cortical, I'll get a nice one.

 

I did some logging when I was in high school during the summers and a couple guys had their logger boots. They swore by them but they were WAY outside my price range. I wore Georgia boots, nice boots but took forever to break in.

 

I dumped my TV 7 years ago. haven't missed it at all.

 

Alrighty! Last thing I'm gonna say about living simply... and then it's back to gear!!!

I'm not a 'minimalist' pet se, but we live simply.
This is a couple of blog/fb pages I follow and grab ideas from. And one of my favorite articles from one of them.

http://www.theminimalists.com/

http://www.becomingminimalist.com/

http://www.nextavenue.org/nobody-wants-parents-stuff/

 

What I have seen with the Oztents, they are really nice. Quick set up and take down also. But, as you said, they are pricey.

Have you looked at Kodiak Canvas tents? We upgraded to one of those (before getting the teardrop) and it is quite nice, and not as costly as the Oztent. Setup is fairly quick (pounding stakes takes the most amount of setup time) and take down is fast as well.

 

Is it too late to post this?

 

Just FYI, I had those exact same shoes on our Big Bend trip and they were excellent. As for Mtn biking, I suspect they would do pretty well. They are pretty stiff in the sole as they should be.

 

Well dang it.

I really regretted not having them for Big Bend. Would have made it a lot better overall I think with all the hiking we ended up doing.

 

Bummer. I just saw this post this morning. I'm sure another trip will be in the works. Perhaps moab later this year.

 

Yep, between Jambo, Appalachian Toyota Roundup, and Moab... which btw here is the link for the thread if you are interested... I may as well go ahead and get those shoes for doing stuff like that and mtn biking.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/rocktober-therapy-2017.466929/

 

Back to gear...

I finally got my Bearikade custom 9" carbon fiber bear can shipped to me. It's an absolute perfect fit in the Zpacks Arc Haul pack, horizontally. I'm super stoked to finally have those critical 2 pieces of gear perfectly dialed in now. I also taped a rare earth magnet to the inside of the lid so I can keep a steel washer secure to the outside as my opening tool. Works great.

I also pulled the trigger on a pair of Kahtoola K10 crampons. I didn't like how sloppy the microspikes were on any of my shoes, but the crampons are solid and won't roll off. They fit like a glove on the Altra mids I plan to wear. I'm clumsy on packed snow, so I think the hiking crampons are a better solution for me this summer in the High Sierra. Plus, now I can hike our tallest peak in AZ in the off season.

 

That's Humphreys, right? I was thinking about camping over at Lockett Meadow on the way to Utah but have not decided yet.

 

You are correct. Lockett Meadow is a beautiful area on the east side of Humphrey's. It fills up pretty quick at the campground, but there's plenty of dispersed camping just back down the hill a mile or so. If you get a spot there, spend a couple hours doing a day hike up the trail into the aspen grove. Or, if you're feeling spunky, spend a day and do the entire 14 mile trek up to the summit. Over 4,000' elevation gain in those 7 miles

 

How are Kelty tents? I have roughly $70 in REI gift cards and have been needing a new 4 person tent as I gifted my last one to my fiances brother (we set him up with a whole camping kit of our extra stuff so he could start going on his own). I am thinking of the Kelty Discovery 4 Tent? It would be used for standard 1-3 maybe 4 night trips in everything from 100+ degrees to rain and the random snow shower when winter steelhead fishing. I have always just gone with the $40-$60 4 man ones I can get at Fishermans, Sportsmans or Field & Stream but since I have the $70 in REI gift cards I figure that Kelty is right in my range of what I am willing to spend cash wise.
https://www.rei.com/product/115517/kelty-discovery-4-tent

I have an REI half dome for quick over night trips & backpacking as well as a big wallyworld brand cabin tent with screen front porch for week long stays or festivals where I bring the queen air bed cot.

 

Honestly for your application, it's probably the best bang for your buck at REI. Yes, there are better brands for a little bit more money. But, you'll get the job done with a Kelty and won't totally break the bank.

Watch sizing though. A "4 person" tent means 4 little Asian children, so this will fit 2 American adults comfortably with a little extra room for some gear. It won't handle weight of any sort of decent snow accumulation, and you'll probably need to waterproof it pretty well if you are planning on experiencing heavy rains. Don't forget the cost of a tarp or decent footprint for this dog, unless you already have that.

 

Hi, guys


Any suggestions on back-packs, for 1 day/2 day hikes?
Thanks.

 

for a quick weekend, think something in the 40-50L should be fine. I use a deuter 40L +10L for up to 3 nights.

 

Location? Northern, southern? Summer? Winter?