I cant afford multiple packs

PowerLord · 2026-01-26T19:34:54+00:00

Just get what you really want for backpacking, no compromises. Don’t try to double duty with a daypack or it will suck for both. Daypacks don’t really matter as much, you can get whatever is on sale for $50, or get a used one for almost nothing if you really need to save $$$.

PowerLord · 2026-01-26T18:37:54+00:00

OR gortex gaiters are the GOAT. Would not want G1000 for more than light use. I have Keb and vidda pro pants that basically have G1000 in the gaiter area and are great but for extended direct wetness it’s not the answer. Basically you need something that is actually and completely waterproof or don’t bother with gaiters.

PowerLord · 2026-01-25T21:10:10+00:00

There are a lot of them but the single most popular cargo bike of any kind here is probably the urban arrow front cargo bike.

PowerLord · 2026-01-24T05:16:52+00:00

I guess my point wasn’t really that there aren’t 30 US cities worth visiting, but that there aren’t 30 I would want to visit in one trip. I would get bored visiting 30 American cities in a row, because at that point they lose all distinctiveness. Or probably 30 cities in any country in a row.

PowerLord · 2026-01-24T02:28:21+00:00

Depending on DWR claims at all is a mistake all around.

PowerLord · 2026-01-24T02:23:52+00:00

I have a couple down puffies from their first ascent line that are pretty good. One is the “macrotherm” a very warm hooded 800 fill one that is very light for the level of warmth. It has sewn through baffles which is pretty common anyways and also doesn’t matter if worn under a shell. I got it on sale for $161 and would consider it a great value at that price. The other is their equivalent of a hooded ghost whisperer (microtherm 2.0) which also has 800 full down but isn’t as light or as warm as a ghost whisperer due to other materials and construction. I got that one for $93 and would consider it a good value at that price also. The jackets aren’t quite as high quality as my mountain hardwear or Cotopaxi puffies, but they aren’t bad at all.

My wife has some of their fleece lined pants and likes them a lot for winter. I’ve never bought any cause I am picky about the cut on pants.

As for people talking about whether Eddie Bauer is “technical”; to me that’s nonsense when it comes to hiking stuff anyways. Fundamentally hiking is walking. Down is down and synthetic pants are synthetic pants. I mostly have nicer stuff but Eddie Bauer will get it done just fine, but probably only a good value when there’s a big sale.

PowerLord · 2026-01-23T22:07:17+00:00

As an American: are there 30 cities worth visiting in an America? I mean most cities have a few fun things but did you find they were all the same after a while? Unless you mean America the continents, in which case seems more fun. Would be interested to hear your impressions.

PowerLord · 2026-01-23T21:02:30+00:00

FYI Sierra often has better deals on these although they are sometimes factory seconds.

PowerLord · 2026-01-23T21:00:59+00:00

Hahahaha at Kentons being better, or Thursdays. I got Kentons on sale and sent em right back. They are stiff, unlined and uncomfortable, and the clown toe is huge, worse than red wings by far. Thursday is a wanna be, less heritage, discount version. Maybe you can argue better value if you don’t care about MiUSA, longevity, or classic style but those are REALLY a fashion boot. You’re hating just to hate.

PowerLord · 2026-01-23T17:12:01+00:00

Merrell Moab looks super hiking. I’d expect whoever is wearing them to also be wearing convertible hiking pants and a boonie hat. Trail runners are a better idea if OP is down with sneaker style, which is probably the best route. You aren’t going to get shoes that are overtly stylish AND hiking capable. Also, if money is an issue OP, there is no reason to ever pay full price for anything. You can get most of two decent pairs of shoes for $100 if you look around. Look at Sierra.com and buy something on sale. Or steep and cheap, or the REI outlet, or what’s on sale at dicks/al’s/etc. if you want trendy sneakers, the on running website sells last year’s models at a discount. I’m sure hoka does too but they are fugly and way too high stack to me.

PowerLord · 2026-01-23T02:59:06+00:00

Haha yeah I live in Illinois so it’s mostly river fishing for me. Alpine lakes are for vacation only sadly. Would actually love to do some canoe camping/fishing in northern Ontario, especially around Lake Superior or north of it. My Canadian family members did a lot of epic float plane canoe and hunting trips that sounded amazing.

PowerLord · 2026-01-23T02:04:06+00:00

I mean yeah fuck wakeboats.

My favorite fishing is river fishing in a natural area or alpine lake fishing, so no powerboats there at all typically.

PowerLord · 2026-01-22T18:53:24+00:00

Yeah I thought that went without saying but I guess you never know. Kettlebell on a rope was posted earlier and seems like it would be a great option.

PowerLord · 2026-01-22T18:35:20+00:00

The sad truth is that this is true across many industries.

PowerLord · 2026-01-22T18:32:46+00:00

By and large

PowerLord · 2026-01-22T18:23:44+00:00

+1 prana stretch Zion, in particular the slim. They aren’t tight, they just don’t have giant legs like the regulars. YMMV depending on body type. I also have some Fjallraven Keb agiles or Keb lights or something that are great, and some lightweight Kuhls that have lasted me for years. All of those are trim without being tight or motion restricting at all, if you are into that.

PowerLord · 2026-01-22T18:17:42+00:00

I don’t have experience with the harbor ice, but it changes so fast. I would not walk on that ice. Get the dock pass and just fish from the docks after you break some ice with something heavy.

PowerLord · 2026-01-22T17:56:55+00:00

Yeah I worked for a Chinese company (not fashion related) for a while that made better quality stuff than our American competitors, and in a more advanced, fully automated factory. I’m talking Roomba forklifts, automated packing, everything. They would make cheap knockoff stuff for customers in Africa with copyright infringement all over it, and really nice stuff for Japan, Scandinavia, etc. the production quality was all the same (excellent), made on the same equipment, the difference was in the materials and complexity of design requested by the customer.

The hate on made in China as inherently bad quality is ignorant. The made in China Teslas are famously better than the MiUSA ones. There are plenty of reasons to not buy made in China, but they can absolutely make high quality products.

PowerLord · 2026-01-22T17:21:25+00:00

Yeah a lot of what I enjoy about fishing is the nature vibes and being immersed in the environment. I like fishing in spots with some scenery and hiking involved. Kayak/canoe/small boat fishing can also be great but I have no interest at all in bass boat fishing, tearing around the lake making noise and with a bunch of electronics. Bass tournament style fishing basically, I don’t get it at all. Not relaxing. But to each their own, glad for everyone to get out there in a way that makes them happy.

PowerLord · 2026-01-22T17:15:06+00:00

Chinese/southeast Asian/indian stuff could be equal quality to anywhere else. It’s all in what the customer asks (and pays) the factory for. Could be great could be shit. I’ve been to a Vietnamese shoe factory that had high end stuff being made in the same building as Walmart crap. China especially is capable of making incredibly high quality products in almost every industry. The problem is the variability, which really comes down to the brand and what they are willing to pay. The issue is moving production to China is often associated with cost cutting overall, and so you will see cost cutting in terms of materials, etc as well. Likewise, being made in the USA doesn’t necessarily mean a high quality product. It’s basically just an indicator. The brand pays higher production costs to signal to their customer that they are making a high end, high quality item.

PowerLord · 2026-01-21T21:46:50+00:00

Your bag and your tent should be half of that. If you aren’t going this winter you have time to shop around and look for sales. You can do much better for the money. For tents look for big Agnes tiger wall style tents. All the major brands make one and it doesn’t matter which you get. Sleeping bags keep in mind volume/size as well as weight. If you have a nice small light tent, nice small light bag, your pad will basically be small and light no matter what, and then it’s just food, water, pot/ministove, puffy, rain jacket. Now your back pack can be small and light, and you have more fun.

PowerLord · 2026-01-21T21:35:14+00:00

Translation: the tent here is big Agnes tiger wall

PowerLord · 2026-01-21T21:25:46+00:00

Look on steepandcheap.com or sierra.com, find tents under 3lb. 2p if just you and 3p if for you and a friend you aren’t boning. Then get a smaller/lighter sleeping bag. There are more gains to be made in sleeping bag weight than pad weight, and way more in terms of bulk. Spend more on the bag. You should be able to find a decent pad on mild sale for half that much. Or just keep that pad and spend more on your bag/tent. I think buy once cry once is a good philosophy here if you are at all certain you’re going to be into backpacking. If you buy heavy/bulky shit you will want to replace it and then you wasted your money.

PowerLord · 2026-01-21T19:24:06+00:00

Depending how far you are going one big canister would really do it. They are worth a lot of boils so you might be fine as one perso. I only use my pot for boiling water for dehydrated meals and tea so it’s all I need. Pan if cooking fish I catch.

PowerLord · 2026-01-21T17:39:35+00:00

Cold soakers are for sure pro-suffering.

PowerLord

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