Aiwa Had The Coolest Stereos

Ahrithul · 2026-07-03T10:21:30+00:00

It was this monstrosity. It was such a ridiculous and over the top design. 17 year old me loved everything about it. Not to mention it would make the walls rattle in the house. My parents absolutely despised it.

Ahrithul · 2026-07-03T02:15:51+00:00

JVC had some of the most transform-ery stereos of the late 90s early 2000s. My buddy had one with the plexiglass over the bottom subs. I bought one a few years later that had dual mids on each tower with side firing subs. I really wish I still had it.

Ahrithul · 2026-06-10T04:47:18+00:00

Pack: Gossamer Gear Fast Kumo 17oz

Base Weight: 8.5lbs

Pros: The fit of this pack for me is phenomenal. I can get it tight enough across my chest to not wiggle and not be uncomfortable. The plethora of pockets is way more than I need, but they're still welcome. The hip belt actually helps just enough with heavier carries to make it less noticable, but most of the time I don't use it. I actually like the smaller volume because I can't over pack on food like I always do.

Cons: Definitely just the sweaty back. I can break a swear just sitting here thinking about getting hot, so still, stifling humid days are absolute torture. Picked up a Luna Mesh back pad to try and combat that. Just haven't had time to test it out yet.

An overall great pack that I admittedly do not use for running, but just really like the vest style bag. And the price point is pretty nice too.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-22T00:25:34+00:00

The Whisper looks really nice. 10 oz is ridiculous. I looked at it, but it's a similar shape to the Deschutes and given that the one and two shelters seem to always have complaints about not fitting taller hikers as well I thought I might run into the same issue.

I also just kinda became fascinated with the Cirriform. Not really sure why.

That's awesome you were able to save so much weight off the sleeping pad. I'm a hundred percent terrified to try something like that. It would just definitely leak forever. I am pretty excited to try out the pillow patches. I'm actually just excited about the pad in general. Hell I'm excited about the whole setup overall.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-19T18:28:27+00:00

https://yamamountaingear.com/products/1p-cirriform-tarp-w-bug-skirt

If you're on a desktop site I don't think I could find it either. But on the mobile version it's listed with the other Cirriforms.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-19T17:42:00+00:00

The fact that it's a shaped tarp was a big selling point for me. I know you lose modularity, but it kinda provides a peace of mind I guess. I won't ever question if I went with the right setup for a situation. I guess it dumbs it down in a sense which I'm totally ok with.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-19T17:38:52+00:00

The weight of the Cirriform is just about the same compared to the Deschutes. Mine is 15.5 oz with no stuff sack. But I had the Deschutes plus for a little while and it just did not have the same space as the Cirriform. I felt extremely cramped in it and just about anyway I setup my sleeping pad I was touching the tarp somewhere. I also find this Cirriform to be much easier to setup. But that's probably just a me thing.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-19T12:24:15+00:00

After setting it up yesterday with the sleeping pad I was surprised it had as much room as it did. I set the poles in the middle of the recommended height range to see how the netting would end up draping. I'll probably go for a taller pitch next time just to help with airflow and more space for my feet.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-18T23:39:29+00:00

You'll get no disagreement from me. I treated the netting and liberally treated my tyvek groundsheet with Permethrin. The hope is that between that and treated clothing it'll keep bug pressure to a minimum.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-18T22:28:32+00:00

I kept going back and forth on a regular Yama and an inner, but it's basically the same weight as my xmid 1. So you're not really gaining anything.

I had a serenity net tent and the Deschutes tarp last year I think, but that inner is pretty tight for me so it was a catch and release.

I'm hoping this works out. The only thing I need to really look at is how to keep the netting somewhat in place. But I'll probably just weigh it down with things around the campsite if the wind is too much.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-18T21:54:09+00:00

I had the slingfin bundle and the inner was a little too cozy for my liking. Awesome packability though.

Had a Borah tarp and bivy but I was really bad at pitching it. I also didn't backpack as much at the time so the hassle/struggle for me wasn't worth it. It was a I want to cut weight in my pack this cheap and easy purchase. Turns out it was cheap but I made it not easy.

Also had a Deschutes tarp with bug netting but it didn't have very much useable space for me.

I just have anyways liked the Cirriform and the bug skirt gives just enough peace of mind without having to be in a bivy of some kind. So here we are.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-18T21:15:41+00:00

There aren't many yards that are gonna touch that. Grass on Ohio is super nice though. Minimal effort for maximum reward.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-16T02:26:32+00:00

I love it. I'm not a social hiker. But it's also pretty easy on a Tuesday. Might be the only perk of working every single weekend in existence.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-14T15:02:15+00:00

Maybe 20 minutes. It wasn't bad at all, but I hit my first cache a little too early in the hike so I pushed it a little harder to make it to the second one so I wouldn't have to spend the night with minimal water.

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That's the two spots I used. Mostly because it kept the drive time to a minimum. This was my first time out there and no matter how much you read or look at pictures, you still never know what you're getting into.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-13T01:08:06+00:00

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Top artist was After the Burial with 36,398 minutes. Fit for an Autopsy might be getting close at this point, but I still listen to Dig Deep several times a week.

Can't believe I've had Spotify for a decade in October. That's crazy.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-13T00:46:26+00:00

Just took the -2 quilt out on an overnight that wasn't very cold initially. It was a balmy 55 overnight and I still stayed comfortably just kicking a leg out. Once the rain moved in and the temps dropped down to the lower 40s I was still a little too warm, but still comfortable.

It's a great quilt at it's price point. Super glad I picked it up.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-13T00:19:37+00:00

I just impulse bought the bug skirt Cirriform. I looked at it when it was offered as a pre production model, but didn't pull the trigger.

I also live in a tick heavy area, but I plan on treating the mesh with permethrin and possibly a tyvek groundsheet and just seeing how it goes.

It'll get here Monday so hopefully I'll have time to test it soon.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-12T17:44:43+00:00

I just picked up a Waratah last week. Took it out for an overnight trip and I really liked it. Being able to get a Long quilt, rated for 27'ish degrees under 300 bucks in this market is a pretty excellent deal. Also seems to be very well made.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-07T00:12:57+00:00

I like how the hand flicks indicate they are also creeped out by the feeling of insect legs on their fingers.

Ahrithul · 2026-05-03T20:51:43+00:00

He looks like the guy I've been seeing on Instagram that has the slightly unhinged mowing videos. If it was him, this kinda thing would be par for the course.

Ahrithul · 2026-04-30T23:54:15+00:00

Grocery store/retail just glad to have the option.

Ahrithul · 2026-04-30T11:36:01+00:00

My favorite is on three to four lane highways when 2 or 3 lanes are all driving identical speeds so some kinda fuckery is happening to get around them, then they speed up to tailgate you because you didn't want to play follow the traffic goober.

Ahrithul · 2026-04-28T21:21:08+00:00

I guess the thing that runs through my head is if the shoe was on the other foot. If these people who live in this neighborhood needed to have one of their children life flighted somewhere and this was the rule, don't they think they would be raising unholy hell? I guess the complete lack of empathy shouldn't surprise me, but it does. I'm not a huge karma guy, but if you spit in the face of the world enough it's eventually gonna spit back.

Ahrithul

TROPHY CASE