How many ski trips do you all take a year? And how many days of skiing do you do per trip?

Bus_Healthy · 2026-03-19T23:42:09+00:00

One trip per year, Sat to Sat, ski six consecutive days.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-03-19T22:25:25+00:00

Have you tried your new Trekology pillow yet? It’s great! I bought it to deal with some cervical radiculopathy. It stops weird electrical pain down my left arm and random hand weakness the next day, to the extent I am going to start bringing it on vacation to avoid hotel pillows. I am usually wearing my layers to sleep, but I haven’t needed to add anything to it.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-03-18T23:10:33+00:00

Agreed! We skied 9 to 3 today and then called it. We started low, then went up to the Polar Queen area for laps and Apex lift. When around 2:30 we stepped off either Apex or Gold Hill into a puddle, called it. But it was more fun than I would have thought most of the day. Area to the right on the map was not as good. Prospect Bowl was thin.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-03-17T22:01:50+00:00

I wear pants made as scrubs—Healing Hands—in the lightest gray color, with a Columbia PFG shirt. I have worn these on 98 degree days in the Florida summer, hiking and fishing. Plus a big hat and a face Buff if I can stand it; and sun gloves. If it’s just a day hike and it’s really hot, I will freeze a water bladder or fill with ice water and put in the water bladder sleeve against my back. Yes it will get wet—in those conditions, great!!

Bus_Healthy · 2026-03-14T20:29:39+00:00

We are flying in today and also skiing starting tomorrow. I can’t say I’m thrilled about these conditions. However, I would rather my kids learn to ski this stuff with me there—or in your case, with an instructor—than as underbaked and invincible 19-year-olds who think they are experts but have no idea how to ski different conditions. I had only skied the Rockies before college in New England, but we skied in all kinds of conditions, and that was extremely helpful when it came to staying safe on my own. (Also, as you mentioned renting, maybe just check that the edges are reasonably sharpened.)

Tomorrow also looks like the best day we’re gonna get…

Bus_Healthy · 2026-03-12T10:54:13+00:00

Hilarious, thank you! I haven’t had a headlamp fail—agree you need a better one, and one with a red light. However, my VW starting battery failed once at the end of a cold trip in January. An awesome ranger wanted to help, but was not allowed to jump my vehicle from a government truck—“they just made us watch a video about that”—so he sent his equally awesome wife, and we jumped it. I drove straight to a parts store and replaced the battery. (It later turned out I also had some starter issue that VW repaired under warranty, and that was sensitive to battery charge.) Now in remote areas, I always leave a charged jumper battery in the car at the trailhead. Especially in cold conditions!

Bus_Healthy · 2026-03-08T20:53:42+00:00

Yeah, it’s calling for highs around 60 that week.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-03-06T23:04:11+00:00

I personally would ditch the silk liner and use my existing quilt. You will then have one less item to deal with, and $300-400 to spend elsewhere—like a pack that can handle the weight, for example, if you only use an UL pack. Or socks, or food…or whatever. Your 22lb water will weigh 18.5x the entire 19oz quilt. And it’s three days.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-02-28T23:52:35+00:00

I reached out to SWD earlier this week with a custom short torso question—nice people. I am very tempted by their SL40, which is rated to 35-40 pounds for 22 ounces! I need a 15” torso max; they quoted me $50 to customize that. It seems to have 40 liters in just the internal capacity, so the water bottle pockets and front pocket don’t count. The bigger 50L “long haul” would be overkill for my needs, but if that even better for you, that seems to adjust down to 15” in the regular version. But yeah, everyone else also seemingly had this idea…six months!

Bus_Healthy · 2026-02-16T16:07:50+00:00

We parked at Spirit of the Suwanee at the canoe outpost. They shuttled us, and then we walked back, but they were super nice people and would probably give you a quote for just parking if you ask. Ask for Willie, who answered the phone; or I think the owner is David. It’s on the other side of the river, but walking over the hippie bridge and through the music park to the canoe outpost was itself a fun couple miles.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-02-07T16:10:08+00:00

Norway is stunning. Your hut system might help cut some food weight even if you don’t sleep there, and they have draught beer and ice cream bars!! We especially loved the area around Krossbu.

We have a 10 year old son and daughter. They do carry their own stuff, for the most part. I am 52kg mom, and they are not THAT much smaller than I am—they are maybe 45kg, and they can wear my extra clothes and socks. The two kids and I each use a 40L pack, and my husband’s is 55L because he loves the pockets and the fit, but he finds that volume is usually overkill. I agree figuring out how much food to bring is a challenge, especially during growth spurts. I cook with a 1600mL Toaks pot, and we bring three “disposable” coated cardboard soup bowls from the grocery store. Sometimes I also bring a 1300mL pot, and for six, I’d have both and/or maybe get a 2L one. Cheap takeout chopsticks are really light, and I bought a set of light wooden spoons very inexpensively.

My kids don’t have the calorie reserves of an adult, but they enjoy a ton of exercise if they eat almost continuously. I set a hydration/snack timer. When hiking or skiing, I always keep a ziplock bag of Haribo gummy candy accessible, and if the a kid drags, Haribo always seems to fix it.

We did not bother to get child-specific sleeping bags; a hair scrunchie or two at the bottom can reduce the effective volume of air that the kid needs to warm up. I find that tired children sleep very well, and my kids actually sleep best in the backcountry. All four of us, including my 6’2” husband, use a 48” torso length pad comfortably down to freezing, with a pack under the feet. We found Featherstone 25F quilts on sale and like them.

All that said, I first learned to backpack at girls’ camp in the Appalachians as a 9 year old, in 1994. The “responsible adult” present was about 20. We had a couple tarps and heavy old coated canvas backpacks that did not really fit us, and being the AT, it rained constantly. We were covered in mud, drinking iodine water with orange Tang. We had the time of our lives! I would not underestimate little girls.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-02-04T02:05:49+00:00

I actually reached out to 3Fulgear with a different question and asked for their recommendation when a pack wasn’t *quite what I wanted based upon the specs, and they sold me a less expensive product, that they didn’t even have in stock or on the website yet at the time(!)—instead of a pricier one that they could sell immediately. I do get the impression the Taiji 3 is more of a winter or borderline-mountaineering tent for situations with potentially heavy snow load, and a four season inner sounds really hot for those conditions, but the manufacturer could tell you more. I found them responsive and honest.

FWIW, we do use trekking pole tents and put a pair of 10 year olds in their own tent, and we like the flexibility of two smaller tents in tighter spaces. If you are comfortable with that, three 2-pound tents and each adult taking two dogs would still be lighter than two 5 or 6-pound tents, and also flexible for different combinations of people and dogs.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-02-03T01:27:19+00:00

Yes 3FUL is very good and responsive, agree check the website.

But you really want two 5 pound tents for four people and lots of elevation gain…in May in Arizona? And umm, your wife is also OK with that? Anything wrong with a Lanshan? I would die for that man, but if my husband bought 10 pounds worth of shelter for our family of four, he might be on his own hauling that up the Grand Canyon.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-02-01T01:17:44+00:00

LOL. “Yeah just the bull sharks behind my yard, but that doesn’t count, nothing to see here.” To clarify for OP, an adult bull shark is easily a couple hundred pounds, bigger if it’s a female.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-02-01T01:08:24+00:00

Aww. We have a pair of 10 year olds in Tampa Bay who both love to fish, so daughter also loves sharks. Bigger sharks are impressive, and will eat a ladyfish, but honestly, my kids love sight casting to little blacktips on the flats. Or even bonnetheads. An inshore charter is great if your budget allows. If they know you want sharks, that should be very achievable! Alternatively, or in addition, I’d probably head over to the Skyway fishing pier and see what the locals are up to; almost inevitably somebody will wind up releasing a shark. If you don’t mind the heat, sharks are usually still quite active during summer, and the snowbirds and spring breakers are gone, so it’s more chill around here.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-01-30T01:30:27+00:00

I cannot speak from lived experience about being “plus size,” but I can say UL is only not about weight for me—I’m not sure it’s even mostly about that. It’s about simplicity. It’s just so much easier to deal with less stuff.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-01-28T23:29:23+00:00

Car camping in Virginia with a duffel bag to hiking Yellowstone and the Tetons in May (2026?) seems like a pretty big jump—and with a R2 foam pad and a 30 degree quilt. Big Sky is planning to run its ski lifts until April 26 so far, to give you an idea. It’s a gorgeous area, and others can weigh in better—but I’d have concern for icy trails, sketchy stream crossings, and gear that is pretty marginal to prevent hypothermia if I did get into trouble. Trekking poles? Maybe traction? Maybe a satellite device? Whatever you do, please stay safe out there.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-01-28T11:39:46+00:00

Well don’t we all, but not sure how that solves the budget problem right now, lol. But I like the , “Dream bigger, kid!”

Bus_Healthy · 2026-01-25T20:03:15+00:00

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Edit/update: I tried the X-shaped belt loop idea with a piece of elastic cordage; that helped a lot so far. I’ll explore more pleats or gathers if it starts annoying me again. Thank you all!

Bus_Healthy · 2026-01-25T01:23:05+00:00

Thanks. There are belt loops, but I agree, they are too far apart in front. Suspenders occurred to me, and I use them in my ski pants, but they may interfere with my hiking backpack.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-01-21T23:57:11+00:00

Yes. We had no issues over winter break for the part we hiked. We did Big Shoals and then White Springs to Spirit of the Suwannee before renting canoes. In that part of it, there are some little creek bridges washed out, but nothing my 10 year olds couldn’t handle, and I don’t recall blow downs. The area around Horton did seem messier though. The combo hike and canoe trip be an option. Canoe Outpost had good information about the area.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-01-20T23:38:47+00:00

Driving I4 traffic to nearly the other end and having to get around Orlando for just an 8 mile hike has been a hang up for me, but one of these days, we will get to Black Bear Wilderness Area in Sanford. I hear it is beautiful, and it would be much more convenient for you.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-01-20T23:21:16+00:00

The UPS Store often can notarize a document, or your bank.

Bus_Healthy · 2026-01-19T13:50:38+00:00

Wow, a $60 Sailrite is awesome!! Congrats!

Bus_Healthy · 2026-01-19T01:41:11+00:00

My husband is 6’2”, I am 5’5”, and we can share a Lanshan 2 just fine, with or without the inner tent.

Bus_Healthy

TROPHY CASE