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Looking to shed some pack weight in a hurry


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Home Forums General Forums General Lightweight Backpacking Discussion Looking to shed some pack weight in a hurry

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Viewing 12 posts - 76 through 87 (of 87 total)
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  • #2021467
    Bob Gross
    BPL Member

    @b-g-2-2

    Locale: Silicon Valley

    "on the MSR you can pull the foam prefilter out of the end and clean it too. best to adjust the floater so the end doesn't stick into the mud."

    What if you have a total water depth of only a quarter inch?

    –B.G.–

    #2021468
    HeathP
    BPL Member

    @hpoulter

    I took the foam filter out cleaned it and the float kept it off the bottom. I wasn't get a full pump of water it'd be half air in the little chamber and that made pumping tedious

    #2021473
    Jake D
    BPL Member

    @jakedatc

    Locale: Bristol,RI

    Bob I went with a Squeeze for many reasons :)

    Heath it sounds like it wasn't primed before you hooked it up to a bottle? the vacuum created inside the bottle causes it to not fill up all the way and hard to pump. or something else.. who knows. MSR is good about fixing things.

    #2021669
    Sara Marchetti
    BPL Member

    @smarchet

    Don't have to worry about clogging with my Steripen…only a pesky sensor…crap. This is where the backup treatment comes in handy.

    #2021683
    Jennifer Mitol
    Spectator

    @jenmitol

    Locale: In my dreams....

    First of all, I am an orthopedic PT and I've never, ever worked with a podiatrist who didn't think everyone needed to be in boots and orthotics all the time.

    Secondly, if you still have plantar fasciitis that isnt going away, you need to find a different medical practitioner to treat it. It's generally not a hard thing to fix if you do it right.

    And yes, people just diving into to barefoot running has been wonderful for my business as well…but those who do it gradually, and carefully, and smart, tend to do very very well. It honestly IS good for building the strength of your intrinsic muscles of your foot…which you need.

    If you read medical studies, NOT just anecdotal evidence, you will find that very few people actually need orthotics. It's like a back brace…if you externally support a part of your body then the muscles that are supposed to perform that function turn off and atrophy…then you DO NEED the support. I rarely, and only as a last resort, put people into orthotics. They are, in my professional opinion, way overused. I may be cynical, but podiatrists and some PTs make a ton of money making them, so they think everyone needs them.

    So as I get off my high horse ill just say don't take the word of a single medical professional…there are a ton of studies out there about boots and running shoes, etc (mostly military studies) that do NOT demonstrate any benefit to wearing boots in terms of ankle support. It's just not something most practitioners research, think about, etc. They have the same preconceived notions as everyone else, and unless they look into it specifically they will just spout the same ole' same ole'. I have been doing this a fairly long time and frankly I have been completely underwhelmed by the medical profession's ability to manage even the simplest of musculoskeletal injuries – even orthopedic surgeons and podiatrists and chiropractors. But don't get me started on THAT one…

    As for the sawyer…the failures you read about are the bags. But that has been fixed, and it's an awesome filter for not much money and very little weight. I've had mine over a year now and it's never, ever failed me.

    #2021688
    Jake D
    BPL Member

    @jakedatc

    Locale: Bristol,RI

    But Jen those things all require WORK! people want pills, magic beans and voodoo to fix their problems while staying lazy.

    -soon to be former athletic trainer. hopefully soon to be xray tech.

    #2021690
    HeathP
    BPL Member

    @hpoulter

    My problem is when I got the initial injury in February I didn't follow the doctors advice and continued to run 25+ miles a week on it, didn't stretch like I was told and didn't go to PT as much as I should. I finally did what I was told to do in July and so I have been wearing orthotics 24/7 because I didn't follow the doctors orders and made my foot worse. I am back in PT soon and hopefully now that I am using the orthotics, going to PT and wearing the night splint my foot will finally heal. I just didn't want to admit that I had an injury and it only made it worse. I get my orthotics at the VA so I don't pay for them. They have helped my foot heal tremendously and as I said before I am following the doctors orders this time until my foot heals properly. In my doctors defense she hasn't said I need to be in boots or orthotics permanently just until my foot heals then its manageable wearing a night splint and doing proper stretching during the day. She said I needed to be in boots and wear orthotics because my foot was injured. If I could find a lighter boot or shoe that fit my feet I would love to try them And again I have really wide Hobbit feet and I have literally tried on 100's of shoes and have only found 3 different shoes that fit, none of the trail shoes, day hikers, minimal shoes fit my feet the toe box and midfoot are too small and crush my midfoot and toes. The only boots I found that fit my feet were the Asolo.

    #2021704
    Nick Gatel
    BPL Member

    @ngatel

    Locale: Southern California

    I refrained from posting on this thread, as it is the same sequence repeated over and over here on BPL. Lightening the kit at first about NOT taking things you really don't need, especially duplicate items for just in case situations, rather than lighter equipment. Once you remove the unnecessary junk, the next step is to scrutinize each piece of gear that is truly necessary.

    It is a bad idea to buy a bunch of new gear. Better to replace items one by one, with an eye on how each one fits into a complete "system."

    I guess I was fortunate because my military survival training was focused in surviving without any gear. So for me, light minimal gear has always been a luxury in my head.

    #2021734
    HeathP
    BPL Member

    @hpoulter

    I am not looking to survive without any gear as this isn't a combat situation and I am backpacking also I never backpack alone. I have brought what I feel are necessary survival items if in the event of something unfortunate happening I get stranded or injured. But back on topic as I said from the get go I am not looking to purchase any new gear for at least the next year but it is nice to know what to look at and where to find it. I did purchase the Neo Air as it isn't a big purchase for me. More time in the backcountry is showing me how to refine and lighten my load and what is truly essential.

    #2021739
    Nick Gatel
    BPL Member

    @ngatel

    Locale: Southern California

    Heath,

    I wasn't trying to be critical. Almost all of us here on BPL have a focus on reducing weight while being warm, dry and safe. How each individual does it is different. I did say it is bad idea to just go out and buy a bunch of gear.

    Reducing weight (safely) is an ongoing process that takes time, if done properly. And I agree with your statement that more time in the back country is showing you how to refine and lighten your load… that is the answer.

    At the top of the BPL main pages is a saying, "Pack less. Be more." I disagree with this 100%. To me it is "Hike more. You will become more." If people hike more they will figure out the less part, which is driven by experience.

    One of the problems here on BPL, is the evangelical preaching of light. I am against that mindset, however if someone asks for opinions I have no problem giving mine.

    For more thoughts on the religion, Maybe we should mind our own business.

    Backpacking isn't about gear, it is about the wilderness experience. If the gear is too heavy for the individual, they will figure it out.

    Anyway keep hiking and share your journey of "refining and lightening." It takes time, but the focus should be on the fun you are having on the trail, not the fun of playing with a scale.

    #2021743
    David Thomas
    BPL Member

    @davidinkenai

    Locale: North Woods. Far North.

    Jennifer: Thanks for the informative post. Sometimes, it takes a thoughtful person within a profession to give some perspective. When you're selling orthotics (hammers), everyone looks like a nail / they need it ? I suspect you, me, and my MD wife have similar thoughts on opiates versus exercise and weight lose for back pain. But, boy, some docs develop a very loyal following writing scripts. I know my wife would vastly prefer the patient whose goal was, "to increase my mobility while reducing my opiate use" but when she explains how she'll be tapering them off, they often shop for another doc. I'm guessing you'd enjoy working with a patient who said upfront, "I've been in these orthonics/braces forever, can we work at weaning me off of them?"

    #2021772
    jscott
    BPL Member

    @book

    Locale: Northern California

    nm

Viewing 12 posts - 76 through 87 (of 87 total)
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