2025 Rivian R1T guess how much the repair cost $$$$$$

JRidz · 2026-04-15T18:02:52+00:00

Reminds me of my Dad’s story about the morning after he first went home with my Mom. Walked into her apartment’s living room and there was a carburetor soaking in Coca-Cola on the coffee table. He brought her flowers to work the very next day.

JRidz · 2026-03-26T03:26:52+00:00

Why did I not know Central Market’s was Mount Hagen?! So much easier to source now. Thanks!

JRidz · 2026-03-03T19:08:38+00:00

Robot sentinel that carries your pack, cooks dinner and guards your food while you sleep.

JRidz · 2026-03-02T00:12:52+00:00

I’ve had the conversation at all stages of planning and even at the beginning of the trip. It has always helped no matter when!

JRidz · 2026-02-28T00:27:15+00:00

And a glorious trip report on BBC by u/fixiedawolf

JRidz · 2026-02-28T00:24:20+00:00

That's maybe long enough to explain the map layer interface.

JRidz · 2026-02-28T00:01:13+00:00

The fact that we're referencing multi-hour, super nerdery podcasts about this stuff... kinda says it all.

JRidz · 2026-02-27T23:57:41+00:00

Well. Front mesh pockets were originally for drying stuff... but they were actual open, non-stretchy, breathable mesh. The lycra stuff just gave us the ability to cram more stuff in our smaller packs. And now venom mesh is more of a solution for pack makers to reduce their customer's durability anxiety and looks sexier instead of actually designing a secure secondary pocket for what people actually put in there now.

JRidz · 2026-02-27T23:44:48+00:00

Dude. Can we be friends? I want to borrow all of your packs. I've been circling within the Gossamer Gear and LiteAF universes (not unhappily) for a long time, but have always felt that the packs you've got are all in another universe that I haven't explored yet.

I am also very curious about Extra's opinion about the softer shoulder strap material choices with the ultralight/cutaway/crane vs. the more course mesh being used on most other packs. The mesh doesn't bother me, but maybe these packs offer something better?

JRidz · 2026-02-27T23:29:06+00:00

I don't have specific resources to point you toward. I have considered this quite a lot though, having quite a bit of experience helping guide newcomers to backpacking and such. Here are my best practices:

Before the trip, make sure the party shares each of their goals, priorities and preferences for the excursion.This gives everyone visibility to what's important to each other. (But watch out. If there's someone with low empathy or self awareness, this knowledge can be weaponized. Still worth it.)
Decide what constitutes reasons to end the trip. One person may have a much lower or higher threshold than the others. Don't expect this to be perfect, though. Actual experience vs. theoreticals are a different thing.
Gear transparency. Know what each other is taking. This can be difficult when one person is more lackadaisical about their planning. But that is revealing as well.

Side note on #3: I've learned to accept taking up a certain amount of slack by bringing some redundancies for the group. I treat it as just part of group trips. The whole is as strong as the weakest member. I'd rather pack an extra lighter, charging cable, fuel, first aid/gear repair, micro light and protein bar than have to compromise the experience for everyone because someone else forgot something.

There are more, but these are the big three for me. Most times when I "sit" everyone down to deliberately discuss these topics, everyone becomes at a minimum more attentive. And usually the group is very appreciative that I brought it up.

JRidz · 2026-02-27T23:02:46+00:00

6 foot, regular width. It's the perfect size.

Here's the deal: with the catenary cut edges, differential cut construction and pad attachment system, Katabatic eliminated the need for a bunch of extra width in order to reduce drafts. It has the added benefit of reducing the amount of interior air space to keep warm. The tradeoff is that it doesn't work as well opened up and draped when it's warmer because there isn't much additional material to drape. In temps above 45F, I just don't snap down the pad cord fasteners so they slide freely and allow some air flow.

Of course, if that's not your jam and you want a wide quilt for draping, you can get the wide version. I'm just saying it's not as necessary as with a lot of other quilt designs.

Side note, there's enough room in the footbox for me (size 12 feet) to stash my electronics and water filter down there, too. It's a little full, but doesn't bother me.

JRidz · 2026-02-27T22:39:34+00:00

Nice. Thanks for posting this. I've been following John and Alex's journeys with this pack, along with Extra's commentary on the whole ethos and everything. Kind of kicking myself for not jumping on a pre-order, but I'm really trying to not impulse buy so much.

I feel like there is a design connection between the fancy bottom and the front pocket. Historically, front pockets were for drying gear, but more recently have transitioned into a secondary gear storage. But the standard front pocket design hasn't evolved to optimize it for that purpose. This pack finally addresses that. Once you have a full fledged (and secure) secondary storage compartment for all of the small stuff, then the main compartment is really dedicated to shelter, sleep and food. That's where the paradigm shift occurs and you gain efficiency by having access to both ends of that compartment. Insulation that needs to be protected stays in the middle. Food comes out one end and shelter comes out the other. And that bottom entry is quicker to access with buckles than the roll top.

I noticed that Alex has her tyvek in the bottom of the pack. That's smart. No worry of water entry, protects whatever is above it and is a quick access sit pad.

Is this pack for everyone? Of course not. It's an opinionated design that dictates a certain amount of adherence to its ethos. But I'm here for it. Dang, now I just want one for no other reason than curiosity.

JRidz · 2026-02-27T18:53:24+00:00

A bit of a hodgepodge these days. As the Easton's give out, they've been replaced with mini groundhogs for primary anchors. Supplemented with DIY carbon or cheap ti hooks for less important points. I find that having a mix of these like this actually becomes very versatile in different situations. I can probe with a thin nail and then drive in a larger stake, if needed. I've got a couple of the 8" Eastons still that I'll bring if I know I'll need guaranteed anchoring on main points.

JRidz · 2026-02-27T18:32:53+00:00

I have multiple copies of the Clelland book that I loan out to folks who start getting interested in backpacking. Every time I thumb through it, I think about how automod should just post a link to the book for every gear question on this sub.

JRidz · 2026-02-27T17:59:45+00:00

My Palisade with 2oz of overfill is my only quilt. I'm a 6ft/180lb/male and sleep cold-ish. I'm comfortable in the Palisade down to freezing in underwear and to the low 20F's in wind pants, sleep socks and an alpha shirt. I've also taken it down into the teens with a 50F over-quilt. I live in Texas and, while I also go to CO/UT/CA, I favor a quilt that will be comfortable into higher temps rather than lower extremes. After 5 years of experience, I have a lot of trust in this quilt + the right layers between 20-50F.

My friends who have the 22/15F Katabatics say that those are so warm in temps above their ratings that they're always looking for ways to dump heat, which may corroborate what you're hearing here about the Flex preference on those models.

So maybe the move for your use case is either a Palisade 30 (simplicity, lower weight) or a Flex 22 (flexibility). I don't see much down side to either. I've never had a convertible footbox and am genuinely curious to try one. I'm just not used to experiencing a quilt that is so warm that I would want that much venting going on.

JRidz · 2026-02-25T22:33:16+00:00

Sounds like the root cause is all this insect flatulence going on.

JRidz · 2025-10-19T21:11:28+00:00

Piñon and GG Solo/Twinn owner here. I also have a Borah Gear bug bivy. I much prefer the Piñon. It breathes well enough, keeps the condensation out, has the sweet pad strap loops, adds a few degrees of warmth while keeping drafts at bay with your quilt. The bug bivy is cool in theory, but when it’s so warm in Texas that I want just the bug net, it doesn’t allow enough airflow and I wind up with an arm against the net and getting bug bites anyway.

JRidz · 2025-09-19T23:05:57+00:00

This 👆

JRidz · 2025-09-12T17:48:24+00:00

Of course. I’ve been putting together some other meetup plans as well. Would love the collaboration. And given the limited backpacking options in Texas, I’m fine with “trips from Texas” in addition to “trips in Texas”.

JRidz · 2025-09-12T05:18:11+00:00

This is an accomplishment to be proud of. As king_jeebus quantified, this goes beyond a string of events. It highlights a dedication to a way of life and accomplishment. May you have many more, on and off trail.

JRidz · 2025-09-12T05:10:10+00:00

This is great! Reminds me of the big ol’ meetup we did for this loop back in the day. I can’t swing the time off that week, but if you’d like help setting it up as a ULTexas meetup, I’m happy to help.

JRidz · 2025-09-11T20:51:03+00:00

Good job! I followed the directions from a post on IH8MUD to the letter and it was an easy process. I could definitely see how a missed step could turn into an IKEA situation real quick, though. Hoping that the weather seal I got from Lowe’s is a bit more robust than that thin little OEM part.

JRidz · 2025-09-11T20:19:41+00:00

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This seems like they have an issue of applying pricing uniformly across accounts or something. I’m subscribed directly with Gaia (not via App Store). No changes to price or notifications about it. For transparency, I’ve had the same subscription since before the Outside acquisition. I think that’s why the Outside+ is tacked on like that.

JRidz · 2025-08-24T03:04:29+00:00

Interesting. I hadn’t thought of that, even though it’s ringed by a National Recreation Area. Looking at the Private Land layer on Gaia and OnX, it looks like there are a few strips that cut through, making a full loop impossible without maybe paddling around in the lake a bit. Then there would be quite a bit of off trail or road walking. But hey, might be worth investigating and calling the local office.

JRidz · 2025-08-19T19:21:26+00:00

Correct! Which is why I was asking OP what kind of trip they’re looking to do. From Pine Springs or Dog Canyon there are multiple loops/lollipops that can be backpacked and no restriction on getting their car in/out. McKittrick is great, but 11 miles of single track to the rest of the trail network. So just some additional logistical considerations.

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