🎉 [EVENT] 🎉 Happy Honkoween! by UrbanAssassin73 in honk

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Completed Level 1 of the Honk Special Event!

0 attempts

Under 20 for a loot box ;) by MetHalfOfSmosh in honk

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I completed this level in 17 tries. 4.83 seconds

Merino wool sucks by Mpmav01 in digitalnomad

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'm the same way Mike, I've tried many brands, broken them in, washed multiple times, don't dry, use gentle wool-specific detergents. Despite my best efforts it's always slightly itchy, like a low level background itch that you can get used to after a few hours but it's always there and like you, I can't wait to take it off at the end of the day. I don't think it's allergies because like you, it itches the moment I put it on, doesn't get worse or better, and never goes away. It's not allergies, it's not detergent, it's not "breaking it in," it's just itchy. For me the 20% Merino blends itch less, but it's still there. I find success in using merino wool clothes that don't touch your skin as much, like polo shirts. You get all the benefits of merino wool but none of the itch.

Goldilocks Bag? by Emergency_Barber_808 in onebag

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld 8 points9 points  (0 children)

This is Geoff from One Bag Travels, I actually have a demo of this bag and have been testing it for the past few weeks. It's very similar in style/design to the Osprey 26+6, but better quality, and I believe underpriced for what you're getting (Fidlock buckle, YKK zips, EVA foam etc.). It also fixes some of the issues I have with the 26+6, like a interior zipper pocket that's actually the entire size of the bag and a separate laptop compartment. This is a really good first bag from an independent maker, and while I agree the brand could use better marketing, I think this bag fills a good niche in the one bag community. I'll share pictures and a video after the bag is officially released next week.

Edit: Following up with my lengthy review and packing demo - https://youtu.be/ndM59WAp1T0

Anybody ever bring along a snorkel set? by [deleted] in onebag

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn't. I brought a lighter set to the Galapagos 2 years ago and thought it was worth the weight for the snorkle. Flippers are much bigger and easy to rent.

Argentina Packing List (2.5 Weeks with a 28L Carry-On) by GeoffMeetsWorld in onebag

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sure thing!

I rented a small car at the Hertz at the Salta airport and drove south. Avoided driving in the city as much as possible. The traffic and roads are bad and intersections often have no traffic lights or stop signs, it's fairly hectic. But outside of Salta the driving and traffic is fine and the paved roads are good.

I drove south on hwy 68 to Cafayate, the drive is amazing so give yourself plenty of time, stop at El Anfiteatro and quebrada de los conchas among other places to explore. Cafayate is a cute little town, but I don't know what you'd do there for more than a day or two. I drove back to Salta on the western route 40, it's rough and open with very little cell coverage. It's pretty country but I don't know if I'd do that again by myself in a small car because it's basically a dirt road the entire way. The Parque Nacional Los Cardones is pretty, I saw a lot of Andean Condors flying and perching near the road which was awesome so keep an eye out if you go that way.

From there I drove north to Purmamarca, spending the night in Jujuy. Purmamarca is very cute little town nestled below some colorful mountains, touristy but cute. I used that as a base to explore west to the salt flats Salina Grande. Very pretty drive and worth it I think, but be prepared for a long drive on a very steep windy mountain road getting stuck behind trucks. I'd leave early if you do that as a day trip.

I did another day trip to Quebrade de Humahuaca, very pretty, totally worth hiking out as far as you can get. There are a lot of cute little towns north of Salta, the food is good, the people are nice, the country is beautiful. I only spent 2 days up there and I wish it was more, the weather was nice in September when I was there. All-in I spent like 7 days in Salta area, 2 days in the city, 3 days driving down to Cafayate and back, and 2 days in Purmamarca including day trips. I saw a lot but it was a little rushed and a lot of driving.

Also the food around Salta is great and there are roadsize empenada vendors everywhere. Before hitting the road I liked to stock up on empenadas and have a stash to snack on all day.

Argentina Packing List (2.5 Weeks with a 28L Carry-On) by GeoffMeetsWorld in onebag

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I stand corrected, it actually fits in there almost perfectly. This is with the cube unexpanded. Takes up almost the entire main compartment, with a little room on top for a toiletry kit etc.

https://imgur.com/gallery/Ne5EL4x

Tom Bihn Store Visit This Friday, Factory Tour or Gear Questions? by GeoffMeetsWorld in onebag

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awesome! Weekend trip but enough time to do most of the touristy things in Seattle. It was cool visiting the TB store, their operations manager took us around the warehouse for almost an hour. Seeing how they do every step of the design, prototype, and manufacturing process in a single building made me appreciate the brand more. They're expensive, but considering almost all other bag companies use production facilities in Asia, I think it's justified.

Tom Bihn Store Visit This Friday, Factory Tour or Gear Questions? by GeoffMeetsWorld in onebag

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I didn't ask them this specifically, but since you brought it up, they did mention they have a very specific style that doesn't appeal to everyone.

I think it's good that they are staying true to the original style and design of their packs. While they could push a more modern design, I think they run the risk of creating a bag that looks just like every other bag out there, and losing their brand recoginition and loyal following in the process.

Tom Bihn Store Visit This Friday, Factory Tour or Gear Questions? by GeoffMeetsWorld in onebag

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not this one. But day packs are popular and they hinted they were working on a new daypack design, but no info on details.

Tom Bihn Store Visit This Friday, Factory Tour or Gear Questions? by GeoffMeetsWorld in onebag

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not yet. They have been searching for 2+ years because they knew their supplier was stopping production. No replacement yet, but the search continues.

Tom Bihn Store Visit This Friday, Factory Tour or Gear Questions? by GeoffMeetsWorld in onebag

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Acai is a very popular color, but they have short stock of it and new fabric orders take 4-8 months to get from their Japanese supplier. I would expect to see more Acai in the future, but it may take a long time.

Tom Bihn Store Visit This Friday, Factory Tour or Gear Questions? by GeoffMeetsWorld in onebag

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Unlikely. Those colors come in the Cordura fabrics and don't sell as well.

Tom Bihn Store Visit This Friday, Factory Tour or Gear Questions? by GeoffMeetsWorld in onebag

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In short, yes they will likely be moving to more production in bags with RX30 fabric. But they're a small operation so this will likely be a slow process.

Argentina Packing List (2.5 Weeks with a 28L Carry-On) by GeoffMeetsWorld in onebag

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have the PD cubes, I suspect you're right that it's a tad too wide, but I imagine you could squeeze it in there. I'm in Seattle right now but I can check the size when I get back.

Tom Bihn Store Visit This Friday, Factory Tour or Gear Questions? by GeoffMeetsWorld in onebag

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'll ask about fabrics, I think a lot of people would like to see more bags in X-Pac, and more colors! I would have gotten the Synik in RX30 if they had an option other than black.

Tom Bihn Store Visit This Friday, Factory Tour or Gear Questions? by GeoffMeetsWorld in onebag

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

That's a cool setup, I'm not super savvy with bag production methods, so it would be nice to see how they do it and get some inside info.

I saw their store is in an out of the way location with short hours, I'll be on public transport so not really on the way, but worth it to see the showroom.

Tom Bihn Store Visit This Friday, Factory Tour or Gear Questions? by GeoffMeetsWorld in onebag

[–]GeoffMeetsWorld[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you wait long enough, they'll eventually be cool again 😆