The backpacking thread

[mesha]

I work till late wed or I would do it. How many boys?

 

[thefirstzukman]

probably be 5-6 boys and a few leaders. One leader wanted to take them to Sportsman's Warehouse but i doubt someone there would know much, If I cant take them somewhere with someone that knows more then me its kind of a waste of time.

 

[mesha]

You can schedule a time at recreation outlet. (at least you used to be able to) I would talk to pat the manager and make sure you get someone that knows what they are talking about.

A different day I could meet you over there and give you the run down. If I am not available my wife might be able to do it. She knows her stuff.

Try Pat.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I can second Davy and Jami as being the greatest advisers out there. Pat has helped me out a lot in the past too, but he's no Houle.

 

[thefirstzukman]

ill call over there and talk to pat tomorrow.

Thanks

 

[thefirstzukman]

What are you using for carrying Alcohol for your stoves? and how much do you take per day?

 

[sixstringsteve]

I put mine in a red platypus, but you can just carry it in the heet bottle it comes in.

The amount will vary per stove and how much water you need to boil. Its best to practice at home. A bottle of heet should last you at least 10 boils of 3 cups of water

 

[DAA]

I carry my alcohol in a Platy too. But it's for drinking not for burning! The cigars are for burning .

Reminds me... I still haven't lit a tab in my Esbit stove. Kind of no point until I fashion a wind screen, just been too busy to mess with it. Need to make some time and play with it one of these days though so I can have it ready to try on a trip.

- DAA

 

[thefirstzukman]

Haha Dave, I pretty much knew you would say that. I have read that you can use whisky in an alcohol stove, but its expensive and when you decide to drink it your stuck with cold food.

 

[ID Bronco]

I need some cookware. It's usually myself and two teenagers. I want it to be able to take care of all three of us even if it's in shifts but small enough for one guy. What is a good weight range for it? I prefer teflon coated I think. Thoughts? Best prices?

Thanks

 

[sixstringsteve]

Are you mainly adding water to dehydrated meals, or are you needing a frying pan to cook in? I just use a titanium pot (MSR titan or Vargo BOT) to boil my water. The Vargo BOT is my favorite piece of gear I've owned in a long time.

We've had some incredible meals that only need water. It makes it much easier to clean, and there's less stuff to carry. My favorite meal from my last trip was cup o noodles with about 2 tablespoons of bacon bits. MMMMMM....

 

[sixstringsteve]

I'm going backpacking the next two weekends. Open invite. Let me know if you'd like to go and I'll get you the details and maps.


7/18 to 7/19 - Lake Hardy. 5 steep miles up, camping, then 5 steep miles down. No fish in the lake.

7/25 to 7/26 - Dry Fork to Horsetail Falls to Tibble Fork. 5 sorta steep miles up, camping, then 5 sorta steep miles down. No lakes, but we do have stream for water.

 

[ID Bronco]

Are you mainly adding water to dehydrated meals, or are you needing a frying pan to cook in? I just use a titanium pot (MSR titan or Vargo BOT) to boil my water. The Vargo BOT is my favorite piece of gear I've owned in a long time.

We've had some incredible meals that only need water. It makes it much easier to clean, and there's less stuff to carry. My favorite meal from my last trip was cup o noodles with about 2 tablespoons of bacon bits. MMMMMM....

Sorry, just saw this post. My bad. - I have a Jet Boil I got from Mesha and love it. I ended up with an anodized set of optima cookware. Just a pot and fry pan/lid. We will see how it goes.

I'm going backpacking the next two weekends. If anyone is interested, I'd be happy to send them the details.

7/18 to 7/19 - Lake Hardy. 5 steep miles up, 5 steep miles down. No fish in the lake.

7/25 to 7/26 - Dry Fork to Horsetail Falls to Tibble Fork. 5 sorta steep miles up, 5 sorta steep miles down.

I wish I was closer to join you. Have fun!

 

[Unimog]

Just got an email from Kirkhams - they have the Sawyer Squeeze mini filter on sale for 19.99.

I haven't used mine yet, but this is the filter I'm going to be using this year.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I've put about 100L through mine, and all my hiking buddies who have seen it in use immediately went out and bought one. I definitely recommend bringing the syringe with you if it's going to be silty. We've filtered silty water from the escalante, calf creek, and even the green river. I let one of mine get below freezing overnight, and I'm afraid I may have compromised it. I need to test it out with some food coloring.

I also have a berkee water bottle filter. It's not light, or super incredible, but for day hikes it's nice to just scoop up some water and filter as you drink. This can be done with the sawyer as well.

 

[thefirstzukman]

Walmart sells them for $19.99 all the time

 

[sixstringsteve]

I'll be doing a short 6 mile backpacking loop up in the Uintas this Friday night if anyone wants to join. We'll be doing the 17 lakes loop (also called clyde lake loop). It's near wall lake and clyde lake. It's not very remote, and it'll probably be pretty busy this weekend, but it'll be a fun trip regardless. 6 mile loop with less than 1000 ft elevation. Should be a good time. Post up if you want to come.

Friday
5:30 PM - Leaving Salt Lake
7:30 PM - Arrive at trailhead
8:30 PM - Arrive at Clyde Lake to camp.


Saturday
9:00 AM - break camp and head clockwise to finish the loop.
12:00 PM - lunch, swimming, and fishing @ wall lake
3:00 PM - arrive back at the car to head home

More info about the loop here.

 

[ID Bronco]

I need some advice. I bought a MSR Ellixer 3 tent and after six nights in it I have decided I get Wayyy to much condensation on the inside of the rain fly. It stinks to break camp early and have a wet rainfly on the inside. IT has two vents which I usually forget to open. Will those make the difference or do I need to do something different? I must be a heavy breather.

I have always had 2-3 people inside.

Thanks

 

[sixstringsteve]

If you're having condensation issues, you definitely want to open as many vents as you can, that will go a long way. I can't say if it'll completely solve your condensation problems, but it'll certainly be a big improvement. Give it a shot.

Other factors that impact condensation include temperature and humidity. I'll let Mesha the scientist take it from here.

 

[ID Bronco]

If you're having condensation issues, you definitely want to open as many vents as you can, that will go a long way. I can't say if it'll completely solve your condensation problems, but it'll certainly be a big improvement. Give it a shot.

Other factors that impact condensation include temperature and humidity. I'll let Mesha the scientist take it from here.

Thanks, I will have three nights this week to try it out. I'll report back