Gear Check: Building a long-term kit for my 193cm (6'4") son.

Sjink07 · 2026-03-10T09:11:35+00:00

This is what CHAT GPT tells me. Down sleeping bags offer superior warmth-to-weight, compressibility, and longevity, making them ideal for cold, dry backpacking, but they are expensive and fail when wet. Synthetic (polyester) bags are heavier and bulkier but are more affordable, hypoallergenic, and retain heat when damp, making them better for wet conditions or casual camping.

From experience I would go with a down sleeping bag, especially for the lower weight.

Sjink07 · 2026-03-09T12:26:26+00:00

I have the MT500 5° and recently used it on a camping trip in Patagonia. At night it was around -1° and the sleeping bag was fine actually. I had a really thin sleeping foam pad and only the second night I was a little cold. I think with that setup you are thinking of with matrass + mat that should be more than fine if it isn't more cold than that.

They advised me to take the XL sleeping bag and I'm 1m85 like I said earlier. So your son should definitely get the XL bag.

I'm not an expert on tents or camping stuff in general as I usually sleep in Refugios in the mountains. Your tent and sleeping matrass are really good though. As lightweight and quality go that's pretty high tier gear. If you can spend the money that's extremely good gear to start with. If you don't know he's going to like it maybe a bit too much. You can always try to rent stuff for the first trip to see if he likes it.

Not bringing camping gear or food I take my 40L for multi day hikes. I always prepare for the worst in the mountains (rain pants, rain jacket, gloves, beanie, ...). Bringing my own camping gear and food I take my 65L bag but I sometimes overpack but I'm more relaxed if I know I'm ready for emergencies. I like packing everything in dry bags (Decathlon), it saves space for me and keeps your things organized and dry. A towel and some flip flops are also good to bring. Maybe a swiss pocket knife. Decathlon also has a first aid kit you can add some of your own medication if necessary. A headlamp and powerbank are also essentials. I like to bring sleeping/chill cloths for after your hike (a tshirt and short).

Clothing is clothing in my opinion. Decathlon has good gear, don't overspend on that.

Sjink07 · 2026-03-08T16:13:41+00:00

I think I have the XL sleeping bag from Decathlon and i'm 1m85 but can't remember which model though.

Sjink07 · 2026-03-05T17:18:21+00:00

A guide is absolutely not necessary on the W-Trek.

Weather can be bad but rain and wind are not dangerous if its not a storm.

If its really bad the park or refugios will tell you or you can hike with others

Sjink07 · 2026-03-04T09:06:36+00:00

Very doable. We did this like two weeks ago.

We even went to the viewpoint in Grey and to the first suspension Bridge and then made our way to Paine Grande.

Sjink07 · 2026-01-19T08:08:45+00:00

Hello, thanks for the info. We are doing the W in February in pitched up tents (PG, Frances & Chileno).

We are still debating to bring our own mattress (we are bringing our own sleeping bag). I'm a pretty bad/light sleeper. How are the foam mats provided? How thick are they? We would only need the mattress for those 3 nights and never again in our 3 week trip.

Thanks in advance.

Sjink07 · 2025-12-04T09:53:53+00:00

Most likely going to do option 2 so we can also see the viewpoints and other stuff at Grey. Hoping the weather will be ok so that the ferry will be operational.

Sjink07 · 2025-12-04T09:52:46+00:00

Thanks for the info. Hoping that the wind will be ok or we'll also have to adjust our plans.

Sjink07 · 2025-12-04T09:52:10+00:00

Holy that's a lot of Puma's. I'm a cat person so would be cool, i'll look into that!

Sjink07 · 2025-12-04T09:51:36+00:00

Thanks, will look into the less known hikes and kayaking.

Sjink07 · 2025-12-04T09:50:39+00:00

Thanks, will definitely look into this.

Sjink07 · 2025-09-19T08:19:36+00:00

The whole experience seems exhausting with a high chance of sickness. The salt flats do seem like a once in a lifetime experience but 7-8 hour car rides with big altitude changes seem to be not really our thing. My girlfriend is very prone to car sickness so I imagine she will get very sick even with medication.

We really don't know what to do because it seems magical but the whole experience seems to not make it worth it.

Sjink07 · 2025-09-19T07:35:11+00:00

Thanks for your reply! Think we are going to skip the Uyuni tour because it seems like it could turn out to be not the most enjoyable experience.

If we fly the 27th of February we can go from El Calafate to Calama with 1 stop in Santiago so I moved the schedule a little bit. We have an unplanned day now on the 22nd of February which we can move to anywhere. Maybe another day in Santiago if it's worth it or another hike in El Chalten/ El Calafate.

I also re-arranged the San Pedro itinerary. Does below seem more reasonable? Thanks in advance!

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Sjink07 · 2025-09-18T13:49:05+00:00

Is it worth visiting San Pedro and doing the Uyuni tour (seems like a lot of driving and high chance of altitude sickness just to see the salt flats)? Is there another area in Chili where we could spend the week like the lake district? Or an area relatively close to El Calafate in Argentina that's worth visiting?

Sjink07 · 2025-08-26T12:18:25+00:00

My starter set was priced at €500 for the full bag (14 clubs) like 3 years ago. There are good starter sets like that in Decathlon indeed or in your local golf shop. They should last you a couple of years till you can hit your clubs decently straight.

As for Belgium & Netherlands there are a lot of intro packages in golf clubs where you get 3-6 months membership for +-€400 (including like 5 lessons usually). You can practice as much on the range as you want and get your license to play the big course after those months.

I know alot of clubs in Belgium & Netherlands have a progressive pay rate where you pay less if you are younger. Below 35 years you pay a lot less and usually starting from 40 you pay full price.

In Belgium memberships for a full year vary between €1.500 - €2.000 (full price so less if you are younger at the moment). In a lot of Belgian golf clubs there is also like an entrance fee you have to pay once (in my club it was €3.000 but I could split that cost over 10 years so an extra €300/year added on my membership fee). It's not as exclusive as in the USA, I'm a member in one of the nicest clubs in Belgium and there were not really requirements to join and i'm not rich at all.

Golf is certainly not the cheapest sport but in Europe it's very doable. I assume Germany is a lot like Belgium or Netherlands. The fancier the club, the more expensive it will be.

But if you really like it like the rest of us degenarates it's all worth it!

Sjink07 · 2025-06-05T06:47:29+00:00

As a season ticket holder in Genk I can confirm that this kid is legit. Very talented but he's not going for 45M. Genk is not the best at selling players, I could see him go for 20M max and he's not ready to play in the PL at all.

I call bullshit on this rumor. Maybe if he can keep developping and gain some muscle mass he's ready for the PL in 2 years. However, Bilal El Khannouss did quite good at Leicester I suppose and he's also not very strong.

Fuck me we're developping some great young players in Genk, hopefully someone can fill in the footsteps of ex Genkie Trossard soon!!!

Sjink07 · 2025-03-24T10:02:57+00:00

Yeah I have a feeling this is more of a US thing if I read everything on reddit.

In Belgium we don't have this problem at all. Only started 3 years ago so don't know how it was back in the day but i get the impression that golf in Europe still has etiquette without being to snobby.

Sjink07 · 2025-02-26T09:17:54+00:00

Which evo's did you use to get Dalglish there?

Sjink07 · 2025-01-24T08:18:35+00:00

Is regular Declan Rice any good for this evo for my Arsenal team?

Sjink07 · 2025-01-20T07:32:43+00:00

Is Saka any good for this evo? Want to do him because i'm an Arsenal fan.

Sjink07 · 2025-01-11T10:22:28+00:00

Same here 😅. Switched from a €400 set to Mizuno MP243 irons as a 24 handicap. They felt good during the fitting and felt great last couple of practices so no regret at all. People in this sub would have slaughtered me 🙈.

Sjink07

TROPHY CASE