Hiking/Camping Catch-all

Back country exploration needs to kick new shiny in the teeth and go mudding.

Yeah, I just need to keep it mild until I get armor on. Current plans are skids, sliders, modest lift, wheels, and tires.

LiquidMantis wrote:

If you haven't seen it, The Way, directed by Emilio Estevez and starring Martin Sheen, is a good movie based on the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage. Available for streaming on Amazon and/or Netflix.

It's a good movie, but it almost criminally understates how much your feet will hurt, or how much sun you'll get on the meseta plains.

So this guy is kind of a dirty hippie and I'm not sure I'd go quite so far as he has in not treating a lot of the water he drinks, but his advice on grading water sources is very useful. In short though, don't drink water from a watershed. Beyond that, any area traveled by people might be at some minor risk of contamination because people do things like bathe and wash their pots in streams. Filtering is easy and pretty darn safe. I'd just stick one in your pack and use it.

Our first date.

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Hopefully real hikes coming this weekend.

I spent 2 years working as a wilderness instructor where I lived over half of the time in the field (woods) with kids hiking in the Adirondacks and the PA section of the AT. At first I used Iodine (Polar Pure) and a bandana to treat the water. After about a year I decided I need to stop the iodine as regular use can create problems and it tastes gross. So I got a MSR pump. After using the pump for about a month I decided it was too much of a hassle to use and vary difficult to keep clean while preventing cross contamination. The next and last thing I tried was just Aquamiera. I believe it is the same chemical used to treat our drinking water at our house so I am not to worried about it in my system like iodine and I do bring a bandana incase the water sources is full of floaters. I have never had any problems with it and getting sick. I am as choosy as I can be about sources but it has worked well for me and my wife for the last 15+ years.
The newer water bottles with filters in them also seem nice but I have no plans to ever pump anything again.

From what I was reading, gravity filters are apparently super impressive. Easy setup, very fast filtration, no floaters. And you can always do a chemical treat in conjunction.

It may have changed as I have not checked and ultimately have not done too many long trips since the kids arrived but before the problem with the gravity filters was that they didn't have enough force to push the water through a fine enough filter to remove everything you need to. So you would need chemicals anyway and IMO at that point why carry the filter, a bandana can get most of the floaters out and chemicals are use in both places. Bandanas are way lighter, smaller, and cheaper.

Newer gravity filters are apparently awesome. The Platypus Gravityworks gets amazing reviews pretty much everywhere.

Gravity filters are awesome if you've got the time to wait for them to work. I've also had some success setting up a simple siphon through a pump filter, but that can take even longer and requires something you can put the unfiltered water in to elevate it.

Personally, I'm a fan of the pumps with an intake hose. Packing them is a bit tricky in that the intake hose needs to go in its own ziplock bag, but I haven't found another method that facilitates getting water out of a rain puddle, which is something I've actually needed to do once or twice.

Vargen wrote:

Gravity filters are awesome if you've got the time to wait for them to work. I've also had some success setting up a simple siphon through a pump filter, but that can take even longer and requires something you can put the unfiltered water in to elevate it.

Not trying to shill that filter I mentioned, but apparently it's 4 minutes to the gallon for filtration.

Vargen wrote:

Gravity filters are awesome if you've got the time to wait for them to work. I've also had some success setting up a simple siphon through a pump filter, but that can take even longer and requires something you can put the unfiltered water in to elevate it.

Not trying to shill that filter I mentioned, but apparently it's 4 minutes to the gallon for filtration.

complexmath wrote:

Personally, I'm a fan of the pumps with an intake hose. Packing them is a bit tricky in that the intake hose needs to go in its own ziplock bag, but I haven't found another method that facilitates getting water out of a rain puddle, which is something I've actually needed to do once or twice.

I could see this being more of a thing in the drier west but out here in the north east I guess we can be a bit more choosey about our water sources. It seems up here water is easy to fine. Most established camping sites are near a lake or a steam. I also tend to prefer winter camping now so water is just about everywhere and you might as well just boil it after you melt it.

It was during a particularly dry summer in the Catskills We'd missed the sign at the trailhead saying the springs had all dried up. Luckily there was some weather coming through and we found a few puddles on mountaintops. Then a creek on the last day.

I bought a very light, very nice fitness tracker for hiking. Both to keep track of my activity and tell time. Then I actually took it out, and the little lights on the face were too dim to see in natural light. That made it useless for hiking, so I returned it.

Anyone have a recommendation for a lightweight watch for hiking? Needs to be readable in the dark, preferably digital, and not push-button activated. I was thinking of trying a smartwatch but I don't like the idea of having to charge them all the time, and they're probably a little too complicated for what I need. Was thinking something along these lines https://www.rei.com/product/891181/p...

Also should note that I've taken this question to Google, but most lists include $200+ GPS watches and I just don't need that much.

Casio makes some affordable watches with altimeters and stuff, if that's what you were going for. Otherwise, yeah, I'd go for a lightweight sports watch.

Here in PA I am going out for a weekend camping excursion with Mono and another friend. Looking forward to it, even though there is a chance of snow. The whole weekend looks to be wet, but I can't wait. First trip of the season. Car camping at Black Moshannon.

I still haven't used the 'Runner for a camping trip yet, but last week we were out in Ouray and had a great time. Yesterday after biking I went out for an exploration drive and found all kinds of dispersed camping options in beautiful locations. That's definitely the way to beat the CO weekender crowd. I drove through one established campground that was filled with "Reserved" site tags and the others I just drove by were filling up. Meanwhile the dispersed areas were mostly empty, especially once things get a little rough.

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Oh, here are some pictures I have of the Ouray trip. I have a lot, I just haven't processed them. This batch is on Mineral Creek Trail, which we were trying to use to get to Engineer Pass but we were too early in the season and kept running into impassable snow around 9000' every where we went.

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This set was from our last full day there. My brother had left with his Jeep so the wife and I went out solo on a forest access road. We must've been the first through this season as I cleared several fallen aspen until I hit the Mother of All Aspens.

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After we got back from Ouray I spent a day detailing my car inside and out. The 'Runner is amazing in that it's plenty trail capable but when you're done provides a super comfortable ride back home. These before and after photos really express that.

Before:

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After:

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bet you'll remember the chainsaw next time.

Well, the axe was a conscious decision as it's very easy to pack. But I saw this mount used and I'm considering going this route.

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Arise thread!

I'm looking for recommendations for sleeping pads or mats with a twist: I also want to use it as my main sleeper at home. I'm tired of giving up the floor real estate for a bed that I'm in as little as I can manage. Further, I'm really trying to get something I could strap to my bicycle for some bikepacking.

I tried a pretty decent Therm-a-Rest EvoLite but I found it too narrow, especially at the tapered end, and didn't really provide the support I want. I was willing to keep trying, and I think I could've adjusted to the support, but my feet kept sliding off the end because of the taper. I put some 1"-thick foam gym mats underneath but ended up just returning it.

I'm looking at something like the BetterHabitat Memory Foam Floor Mattress. It looks far comfier at 3" thick and 36" wide, and I expect it could be serviceably stowed on top of my rear bike rack. But it's $160 which, as far as beds go, is a steal, but before I drop that I want to have shopped around.

I've considered various cots but I don't think they'll fit in my tent, let alone on my bike, so that's a no-go. It may ultimately prove to be untenable to have something reasonably comfortable for home and bikepacking use, in which case I'll probably just put my bed back up. I know that Western beds aren't the unanimous choice around the world, and I'm really attracted to the prospect of rolling my bed away and having room for a project table or something in my office. Also being able to just sleep anywhere in the house as my mood dictates. Or elsewhere.

Yeah, I don't think a thing exists that is portable enough for camping, and comfortable enough for full time home use.

I mean, I love my Big Agnes pad and all but I'm opting for the king size memory foam bed every time I'm at home.

But if you're looking for a pad, that thing is a treat. I got the long, wide size, cos I'm a spread out sleeper - got an untapered bag, so I needed an untapered pad. It packs down to a third of the size of the decades old Thermarests I replaced, it lighter and warmer. Only downside is that it's a little noisy when you roll over.

Jonman wrote:

Yeah, I don't think a thing exists that is portable enough for camping, and comfortable enough for full time home use.

This seems to be my experience, though YMMV. Even bulkier stuff seems to be garbage for me, but I'm rather large... If you find something good, please share.

Since I do a lot of camping while fishing, I got a Cabella's 0° trapper flannel sleeping bag, an Alaskan guide cot, and the self inflating foam pad that goes with that setup. Probably the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in. It does take space to pack in a vehicle which is the only downside. Cot+pad is heaven.

Thank you all for confirming my research.

I had another thought that I don't know you've considered. I don't know your partnered status or proclivities, but I did have the image of you bringing a person home for some hanky panky, them seeing a couple camping pads on the floor and saying "you know what, never mind".

Jonman wrote:

Yeah, I don't think a thing exists that is portable enough for camping, and comfortable enough for full time home use.

I mean, I love my Big Agnes pad and all but I'm opting for the king size memory foam bed every time I'm at home.

But if you're looking for a pad, that thing is a treat. I got the long, wide size, cos I'm a spread out sleeper - got an untapered bag, so I needed an untapered pad. It packs down to a third of the size of the decades old Thermarests I replaced, it lighter and warmer. Only downside is that it's a little noisy when you roll over.

I have a BA Lost Ranger bag and the same pad and have never really had a good night's sleep on it because I feel the air mattress just either shifts too much or feels like I am balancing on a balloon. I much prefer an old fashioned foam roll.

#oldmancamper