Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
“On BPL, you can just click on their profile and see what other kinds of posts they’ve had for how long and get a good sense of them as a BPL community member.”
I cannot count how many times doing this has informed my decision to engage or not. Very few reliable, honest people suddenly become crooks. Very rarely an unusually devastating economic, medical or emotional event causes someone to do so, but my experience is that scammers tend to quickly show up and disappear just as quickly…or at least their online identity does.
@dan-s said it well. Buyer, or in this case trader, beware.Explaining to one’s wife that one has forgotten the spoons is even worse.
We made do.Ha! I made do as well…but did not have to explain it to my wife :)
Also, I suspect the economics of designing, prototyping, testing, manufacturing, marketing and retailing a “holy grail folding spoon” for gram-retentive UL backpackers (numbering in the low three digits?) is rather…uh…grim.
We are a small, picky, opinionated group with a surprising dearth of overlapping gear goals…as this thread aptly demonstrates :)
…I have zero use for a folding spoon.
I hear you, but I am not the shiniest car on the lot. I need to create systems that prevent me from screwing up by losing or leaving home key components. Everything I need to eat packs away in a 130mm Toaks 900 ml pot. That includes the fuel canister, stove, spoon, knife, lighter, hot lips and kitchen towel. A long spoon would have to go somewhere else. Or be forgotten. Discovering you have no way to eat on night 1 of a 5 night trip sucks.
IOW…a good folding spoon allows me to trick myself into not being (quite so) stupid.
Indeed, that looks outstanding. And of course falls into that frustrating category “if it’s good they’ll quit making it.”
Just like every trail runner I have ever loved :(
To each his own. I find the plastic MSR folding utensils both too flimsy and too small. My current precious is the Optimus long folding TI spoon which, sadly, appears to no longer be made.
What @bradmacmt said. I suggest any parka/jacket Montbell makes that suits your fancy. I currently own the Alpine Light parka, Plasma 1000 parka and UL down pants…love them all. Have owned several others over the past 2 decades and loved every one, replacing them only as I learned more about myself and honed my cold-weather skills.
The MB down guide has proven to be dead accurate and invaluable for helping select the right piece.
“My God, just drink the Tequila in neat shots!”
The solution to so many of life’s minor problems :)
“Wow, straight dehydrated cheddar? Is that possible to replicate at home?”
Certainly worth a try…seems like you could dehydrate if you can keep from simply melting it.
I second everything Mark said about the Patagonia Thermal Weight Capilene Hoody! Best mid-layer I ever bought.
Soto Windmaster stove paired with a Toaks 130 cm 900ml Ti pot. Boils 16 oz of water in less than 90 sec.
Zpacks Duplex. Going on 5 years and still love it every trip I take.
Nemo Tensor Insulated UL LW pad. A luxury I grant myself…replaced a LW Neoair…not going back. Pair with the Med UL Schnozzel doing double duty as pack liner.
Nitecore NU25. Just so light, bright and convenient.
DIY CF Trekking poles w/Gossamer Gear Kork-o-Lon handles. 4.3 oz each. Perfection.
Just gonna throw this out there, but *maybe* caloric density is not the best metric by which to judge a backpacking food. I would put palatability very high, if not top, on the list…doesn’t matter how many calories it has if you can’t stand to eat it for days on end. Second would be nutrition…too much fat is not good. Natural fats (nuts) is good. Third might be longevity. That huge cache of rancid bars is not going to help much on day 5, or 10.
Personally, I would rather carry a little more food weight and eat “real” food. Cereals, nuts (butters?), dried fruit, preserved meats and cheeses. Then again, if my usual trip parameters are very different than the OP’s, my preferences may not be valid.
Okay…that makes more sense. I hadn’t thought of it that way. Sucks to have stock off the floor during a 3 day “decontamination”.
I didn’t notice whether the fitting rooms in our local REI were closed, but people were trying on outerwear while standing at the racks so…in our case it would seem a very porous protection protocol at best.
Sooooo…If you return the jacket, does REI think you did so not having tried it on? No in-store try-on seems a rather silly rule. FYI, there does not seem to be that rule in my local REI (FL).
Sorry for having nothing to add re: your question :)
Wow…what a start to the trip!
Thanks again Matt and Brad. I’m now feeling pretty good about taking this decision.
Thanks Matt – the emergency poncho is a great idea…dunno why I didn’t think of that. Looks like I will be packing the DriDucks for this season and hoping it can become a “permanent” solution.
New question: would anyone trust a DriDucks jacket in an all-day, or multi-day rain situation?
I am asking these questions as I admire the breathability and waterproofness of the DriDucks, but fear a failure days away from the opportunity to replace it. Perhaps this is why 2 feet of duct tape should be part of my kit?
“I’m very careful to keep my down products dry. If I had down products with better DWR, I would be very careful to keep them dry”
🤣
Since the shoulder strap attachment point is adjustable, maybe get one size larger so you know you can move them up off your shoulders?
FWIW, I prefer all weight off my shoulders. I’m 6’1” and am very happy with the Med. I have the straps set at their highest point.
Interesting that we are getting nearly 180* opposite experiences.
Ben and Matt – What is your avg pack weight? Frameless without a belt? Most/all weight on the hipbelt?
Sam – What failures (where/how) have you seen and what do you think was the reason? Shoulder strap abrasion? Snags on vegetation?
Stepping through with a backpack could be problematic. Could always take it off, throw it over and then step through.
30* EE Revelation 750 Duck Down – Use it about 20% of the time…when I’m confident the temps won’t drop below mid 40’s
10* EE Enigma 800 Goose Down – Use this 80% of the time. Absolutely love everything about it.
30* Western Mountaineering MegaLite – Never use this anymore after moving to quilts but loved it so dearly that I am keeping it. Used it mostly with all down shifted to the top when cold, and open like a quilt when warmer.
