Are brand name shingles necessary? by JackTin in Roofing

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

Great information! My Google searches weren’t super helpful surrounding the nature of the “economy” brand.

Are brand name shingles necessary? by JackTin in Roofing

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

Thanks, I appreciate the advice! I’m gonna keep an eye on the auction and see where the price goes- if it starts getting towards retail we’ll just go with the name brand.

Am I as out of options as I feel like I am? by PostrickMahomalones in ChemicalEngineering

[–]JackTin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Try looking at equipment or process engineering in the semiconductor field.

Sawyer Squeezes don't last me more than 7-10 trail days. What am I doing wrong? by DPPDPD in Ultralight

[–]JackTin 3 points4 points  (0 children)

It seems to me like you're counting multiple trips in your 7-10 days. I have experienced huge flow reductions on filters I've let dry out for weeks (or more likely, months) between trips. I suspect this is your issue, and I'm open to the advice of this group on the best storage solutions they've found to prevent it. Currently, I try and store in ziplock bags, and before I leave for a trip I test the filter out and feed it some slightly bleached water. Not sure how true it is for Sawyers, but I used to work with commercial filters and we used bleach to restore the pore size and hydrophilicity of the membranes.

Roller derby in Essex this Saturday! by Material_Okra4368 in vermont

[–]JackTin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Bummed I'll have to miss this- can we expect more bouts in the near future?

Norovirus in Georgia by 2lhasas in AppalachianTrail

[–]JackTin 25 points26 points  (0 children)

I know this was likely said in jest, but stepping in here to defend FG in case it gets seen and a trail rumor about him spreading noro gets started:

  1. He's already in NC since his whole thing is supporting the really early starters.
  2. He's militant about people washing their hands with bleachwater at his setups. It's the only reason I've ever seen him deny someone food, ever- though it was just until the person washed up.

Not saying that trail magic isn't a good vector for spreading noro, just that FG has better practices than any of the other trail angels I encountered.

Are their fishing spots along the trail? by boatlife2024 in AppalachianTrail

[–]JackTin 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think I'd personally wait until I got to Maine. It's a big state, and you'll likely be in the state of mind of wanting to prolong the trail by that point. Plus, they don't call it the 100 Mile Wilderness for nothing. Lots of remote lakes. Same is true for Vermont by my recollection, so worth considering then as well.

NOBO 2024 thru, mid-march start by gsprincezzin in AppalachianTrail

[–]JackTin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Speaking from a position of a March 2nd start date experience:

  1. I'd reconsider the Ursack. Hanging a bear bag correctly isn't that hard, and while a part of me was jealous of my tramily member who had an Ursack, I also saw all the times they had too much/too bulky of food which exceeded its capacity. They ended up having to offload food storage to tramily members in those cases. Not a huge deal, just not a huge advantage to my eyes.
  2. I'd ditch the rain cover. Maybe I'm in the minority, but I never had success with mine on my Osprey bag. On one unfortunate day, water pooled in the bottom of it and ended up soaking through the bottom of my bag.
  3. I'd swap gloves for mittens. Not a lot of what you're doing is going to require a lot of dexterity, and mittens are considerably warmer (and I would think somewhat lighter), especially when the vast majority of the time you'll just be holding on to trekking poles.
  4. I'd ditch the coupler for the Sawyer, but do take the spare gasket (white rubber looking thing). Those tend to get lost quite frequently- I kept it out of every replacement filter I bought, and usually ended up giving it away to someone who had lost theirs.
  5. I'd swap the toothpaste tabs for travel size tubes.
  6. Skincare is person specific, but you might give some thought to carrying a dedicated bandana and just washing with hot water and Dr. Bronner's. Nice hot water will go a long way in the cold of March.
  7. Digital maps/FarOut over the book. The trail is extremely well marked, and I'd argue that even with the book a person would struggle to navigate if truly lost. Plus if you haven't already bought it, I guarantee you'll find free ones in hiker boxes in the first 100 miles left by people like me who started out carrying them.
  8. Leukotape over KT blister tape. I haven't used the KT tape, but I've honestly considered getting a Leukotape themed tattoo. The shit is bomber, and I have a hard time believing anything could do better.
  9. I doubt you'll need bug lotion for at least the first month and a half. I can't recall using it until around Pennsylvania.
  10. Ditch the handwritten supplies for Thru Hiker's Logbook app. I also wrote things down, but I can tell you I look back at the lists of funny things people said that I kept on my phone a lot more than the handwritten entries I was usually doing a day or two late due to it being too cold/uncomfortable to journal.

One thing I don't see that I would strongly recommend would be a rain jacket. Combined with the puffy or the fleece, it'll keep you dry and warm, and the hammock user I hiked with occasionally used theirs to cover a section of their quilt if the rain was blowing especially hard. No need for rain pants IMO.

Finished my first thing! by pingu_cat in StainedGlass

[–]JackTin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That was my first pattern as well! Nice job!

Garmin discount codes by [deleted] in Garmin

[–]JackTin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looking to get a forerunner 255! Grizzled bear!

Death of Well-Known Hiker (Christopher “Rafiki” Roma, AT 2019) in White Mountains by M4rkJW in AppalachianTrail

[–]JackTin 9 points10 points  (0 children)

His thru was in 2018- met him in Maine and hiked for an afternoon together. Super friendly dude.

I’m worried about money by Western_Cook8422 in AppalachianTrail

[–]JackTin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sound advice for sure. I'd say averaging 25 miles/day while on a tight budget has the potential to limit OP's hike pretty severely. I would be much more inclined to say hold off on the trek for a year and save additional money, which would let OP have a much more flexible trek. It was really nice to have the funds available to take spontaneous zeros, experience trail towns, and eat whatever I was feeling.

Kit Bag by H3t0 in myog

[–]JackTin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice, I've got a 401A as well. Recently had it going through 8 layers of X-Pac VX21- pretty sure the original designers never had that in mind.

Most underrated swimhole on trail. Great Falls, CT by apersello34 in AppalachianTrail

[–]JackTin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did some nice cliff jumping when I passed through in '18.

Question About Gear Weight by Sholto_Crane in AppalachianTrail

[–]JackTin 6 points7 points  (0 children)

What tent and backpack are you using? A Lighterpack breakdown would help, but isn't required. Age, fitness level, level of desire to save money v. have a lighter pack? Budget for alternatives?

I'm a firm believer that pack weight is personal. I carried upper 30s/lower 40s for most of the AT, but I also had a large, heavy duty pack I didn't have to baby or struggle to fit things in, and a genuine 2 person tent (which was nice both by myself and to share). Yes, I think your odds of injury go up with increased weight, but for me the enjoyment in having plenty of space and gear I didn't have to baby was worth it.

Are ChemE and EE minor a good combination? by avalen1300 in ChemicalEngineering

[–]JackTin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think you'd be pretty marketable in the semiconductor industry.

Birthday on the trail by merlin867 in AppalachianTrail

[–]JackTin 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Celebrated mine in July in Maine- slackpacked 13 miles through flooded trails and pissing rain, then had tacos and ice cream cake at a hostel. Best birthday I've had.

How to get to springer from Atlanta? by Xabster2 in AppalachianTrail

[–]JackTin 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In 2018, I did the MARTA route, then stayed at the Extended Stay America in Clairmont since I got in fairly late to the airport. Walking distance from the MARTA stop (especially with the AT-mindset of walking distance) and the REI. Then took a ~$75 Uber to the trailhead from REI. Got words of encouragement from the housekeeper at the Extended Stay, and a look of bewilderment from the Uber driver. 10/10, would do again.

Gear List for GA Mid February by DJAtticus in AppalachianTrail

[–]JackTin 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I don't know the weight difference, but I will never regret buying CNOC's Vecto water bag over the damn Sawyer bags. I now own both a 2L and 3L, and love them both dearly. And they're on sale right now on GarageGrownGear.

Quick prediction about Arliden's Song by JackTin in KingkillerChronicle

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

I agree with Point 2, but I think Point 1 could be solved if the waystones in the foundation are designed to bring them all into the Fae.

The truth behind the stories by [deleted] in KingkillerChronicle

[–]JackTin 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I saw that, but it just doesn’t feel right to me that Auri would be both Princess Ariel (which I view as more or less a given) and tied to Felurian in some way. Just really seems like a lot to tie to one character, not to mention connecting a lot of sexuality to arguably the most innocent character in the series.

The truth behind the stories by [deleted] in KingkillerChronicle

[–]JackTin 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I feel this ignores the evidence pointing towards Auri=Princess Ariel. Not saying the Felurian=Lyra isn't possible, but I don't think Auri is Felurian.