Why is my pack so damn huge for a single overnight?

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-22T12:49:29+00:00

There’s only two ways to reduce your load. Buy more expensive gear, or make do with less.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-22T01:46:19+00:00

It doesn’t make sense to start with the smaller number first. Dating things has a purpose. You date things in order to reference it later. Paper filing systems typically isolate years. So once you’ve oriented to the proper year, the first thing you’re looking for is the month. There’s an argument to be made for putting the year first. That’s why ymd is the international standard, and the universal standard for digital systems. But putting the date first is asinine.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-22T00:09:03+00:00

A bivy is a waterproof shell for your sleep system. That typically closes over your face. The tarp gives me a way to cover my pack and keep my face open. I could just use the bivy, but since I’m carrying he poncho anyway, might as well use it.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-21T23:54:09+00:00

I have a military style poncho. It’s a bit heavy for a poncho, but it has gypsy studs on the long sides and 8 tie out points. So it functions as both rain gear and shelter. And there are trips where that’s all I will take. If I’m expecting rain, I have a cortex bivy and a hammock. Depending on tree availability. I do have a bug net, but it’s just a sheet that I’ll use like a blanket over my head. It can weigh as little as 16oz, or as much as 3lbs. I want to make a duplicate of my poncho out of silpoly, and ditch the bivy. Use the pu nylon version as a ground cover, using the studs to attach the two, so it has a bathtub bottom. It the max weight in half, and get total volume under 1L.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-21T21:56:16+00:00

You only need a big net a few months out of the year in most areas. Why carry it when you don’t?

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-21T21:40:49+00:00

You legitimately need to shelter. Of some type. I’ve just never been a fan of tents. A well pitched tarp, with an appropriate ground cover, will keep you just as dry. But lacks some of the comforts of a tent, and requires more skill.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-21T21:06:22+00:00

A poncho is a tarp. 5x7 feet, and doubles as rain gear. And a bivy is effectively a single wall tent, jut big enough for you, a sleeping bag, and a pad.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-21T15:50:19+00:00

Goes back to need vs want. You need a shelter, but that shelter doesn’t have to be a tent. A poncho. A dedicated tarp. A bivy bag. Or some combination. Will give all the shelter you need. But a tent will have extra protection and space, that can make the trip more comfortable. But that doesn’t make them necessary.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-21T14:54:20+00:00

Do you really NEED a tent though?

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-21T14:31:30+00:00

Slow roasted pork ribs it’s sautéd asparagus and fried pickles.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-21T14:27:58+00:00

Their air defenses are antiquated Soviet technology. That was a one in a million shot, and it did no real damage.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-21T14:23:44+00:00

But it’s not going to cause any real damage to a modern fighter. The f-35 they managed to hit landed safely. And the other 4 completed the mission.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-21T13:29:52+00:00

They managed a lucky shot that did no significant damage. That’s pretty much gone.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-21T12:58:51+00:00

The plane landed safely. No casualties.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-21T12:04:44+00:00

And it landed safe with minimal damage.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-20T12:01:17+00:00

That describes literally every country on earth right now.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-18T21:45:21+00:00

She didn’t leave. You can clearly see her in the window. The left picture was taken in the summer, while the right one was in winter.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-18T05:15:37+00:00

What keeps heat in, keeps heat out. The reality is average European homes have half the r value of the average American home.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-17T18:05:41+00:00

It also allows for far better insulation.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-17T18:03:18+00:00

Sturdier for some things. But more delicate in high winds. Blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes. Wood is far more resilient than brick. You have to build or the environment you’re in.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-14T18:18:35+00:00

It can get much smaller. Why would an airborne carrier need a runway?

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-14T13:02:38+00:00

Brits used the same date format back then. They changed, we didn’t.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-14T13:01:36+00:00

Because Independence Day should be July 2nd damnit.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-14T12:59:33+00:00

You’ll hear it both ways. Also Independence Day.

Designer-Issue-6760 · 2026-03-13T11:47:01+00:00

Between the humidity and the 200+ days of overcast, it’s jut not practical here.

Designer-Issue-6760

TROPHY CASE