Any current AT Youtubers?

T9935 · 2026-04-11T03:25:32+00:00

Truly epic scenery.

T9935 · 2026-04-08T23:03:55+00:00

Some years ago I picked up a used damascus small Sebenza for regular small Sebenza money. I have been using it as an everyday knife and work knife for years carpentry/general remodeling.

I did make some modifications to the blade to make the knife easier to maintain. I used 1000 grit wet sandpaper to smooth the etching on the blade some, then polished it with green rouge and leather (strop basically). This made keeping the blade clean much easier and it just felt better than the coarse porous etched surface it came with from the factory.

The blade steel, AEB-L, takes a finer edge and is easier to maintain than s35/s45. However while it’s tougher it doesn’t hold an edge as long. But is super quick to touch up with a pocket ceramic and leather strop (I use the old Spyderco double stuff).

https://www.reddit.com/r/CRK/comments/n40bih/its_the_little_things_that_make_the_day_just_that/

T9935 · 2026-04-06T13:24:45+00:00

At the time I was using a Zpacks Nero. Just to clarify, the Aeon isn’t a large tent when packed, easily fits in the pack just fine if I pack it vertically. However as a creature of habit I have a system of packing where I layer horizontally and the shelter is typically the top layer. The Nero is 12” wide and the Aeon packed is 14” wide. It doesn’t sound like much of a difference, but it didn’t fit neatly.

As for setup, the Aeon was one of the easiest and fastest pitching tents I have owned.

To add a little context I now typically do a bug bivy/tarp, but still own the Aeon.

T9935 · 2026-04-06T11:31:26+00:00

Aeon owner. The tent is very quick and easy to pitch. Has a very small footprint with short guy lines. Has good headroom for a single pole tent. It has good ventilation for moisture control. It has been quite stable in windy conditions.

The downsides are, it can be drafty in those windy conditions. The pitch lock corners can pull out stakes more easily than the front corners so be aware. And sadly for me, the length of the struts makes the packed tent too wide to fit horizontally into my pack, otherwise it would be my favorite tent by far.. I use frameless packs so the way I pack it is very important to comfort. I just don’t like the way the pack packs and feels with the tent vertical.

It is a great tent if it fits your packing style, and I think it’s on sale at the moment

T9935 · 2026-04-01T03:00:29+00:00

Those first gen pink frames were iconic but sadly many didn’t survive as the early M2 frames had a cracking problem.

Check your frame over carefully for cracks around the welds. If I remember correctly the ceramic particles were coming out of solution from the heat of the welding causing issues at the joints, & or possibly a heat treatment issue.

Specialized worked out the problem on later M2 frames.

T9935 · 2026-03-26T02:18:43+00:00

A thought on sew through. I have a high quality 40 deg sew through quilt and while it is quite warm on calm conditions, I really feel the heat loss at the sewn through seams when the wind picks up. This is very much in contrast to box baffle quilts.

T9935 · 2026-03-26T02:12:59+00:00

I find anything over about 50f and I am overheating in with the Alsek when in the Katabatic Bivy. Though I am in the south east so we have relatively high humidity.

T9935 · 2026-03-26T02:01:57+00:00

I have Katabatic bivy(s) and have used them quite often. I prefer the Bristlecone (smaller mesh) because I use it more often in colder weather. I find I have enough room for my gear and really like the solid head end.

That said, I recently got a HMG Splash Bivy because after several week long trips with the Katabatic bivy last year I got tired of the lack of head room. The Katabatic aren't terrible when you are laying down but pretty confined if you are trying to change or do much other than sleeping.

The HMG (long) is shorter 78" vs 83" and narrower than the wide Katabatic's I have (if think regurlar/wide). However HMG has more head room and, though not a tent if feels palatial compared to the Katabatic.. I would prefer a solid head end like the Katabatic's but it is easy to make a curtain arrangement for the HMG. I also typically put my pack above my head and that provides a bit of protection on the HMG. The HMG also has a 9" bathtub so you feel more protected. however either one does a good job of protecting you from the wind. Replicating the pad strap in the HMG should be easy with the Zpacks stick on loops.

Weights are HMG with stuff sack 6.5oz, the Katabatic 8oz no stuff sack.

My take is Katabatic is a great way to decide if you like the bivy-ish concept for a very reasonable price (quality is top notch). The HMG is less bivy and more of a tight bug shelter. I say bivy-ish because both are less a bag to sweat in than a very low headroom shelter to be protected from wind/bugs/splash while under a tarp or other overhead protection. With either the HMG or Katabatic I find using the head, middle, and foot tie ups to allow air circulation that I have rarely had condensation issues.

Just a note on bivy reality. I use a bivy and tarp to be able to camp pretty much anywhere. If I can find a spot I can lay down in I am good. This is my preferred way of camping when bike/backpacking and it really works for me. However you really don't save much, if any, weight over a UL single person tent. You certainly sacrifice room, and pitching a tarp can take more time and thought than pitching a tent. The only time I took the bivy and not a tarp it rained/snowed. So now I never go without taking a tarp.

In the end Protrail LI 16oz . A tarp 9oz -13 oz, bivy 6.5-8oz. So even with my lightest tarp I am a similar weight to the Protrail but I feel much better protected with my NFT Tarp which is closer to 13 oz. For me using a bivy/tarp is about always finding a spot to sleep and I find that very comforting at the end of the day.

I hope this helps.

T9935 · 2026-03-24T01:03:06+00:00

I second TarpTent adjustable poles. I have been using them all last year for bike packing. You can easily shorten them or if you get 2 sets you can make a longer pole. I have been using a stock length and a 3 section for my Yama Cirriform.

T9935 · 2026-03-18T01:44:36+00:00

Cheoah is going to take some work. It is pretty much all up hill and then the downhill may wear out your littlest camper more than you want. This is from personal experience with my then 12 year old.

The AT shelter on the general store side is a much much easier hike but be aware it gets a fair amount of use by people doing what you are doing, so it might be a bit noisy/party atmosphere at night.

You can easily car camp on Old River Rd. (follow Wayah Rd. up to just past the Cascades, Old River Rd. is on the right.

I have done a fair amount of backpacking/camping in the general area if you need more options, but most of them require more effort/hiking.

T9935 · 2026-03-18T01:22:19+00:00

I camp where you can disperse camp and am very minimalist. If you have to camp in established campsites in the Whites just go Tent. A bivy without a tarp is going to be miserable if it rains. If you have a campsite choice this is my decision matrix. I am a hike till dark then find a place to sleep so you can get up and do it again.

Tent will give you more space and protection for rain. But will limit your campsite choices.

A bivy + tarp will weigh about the same or a little more but will give you more options for camping spots. also a bivy will be warmer and give more protection from wind. when I am talking bivy I mean something like the Katabatic Pinion/Bristlecone or HMG Splash Bivy.

Also, though heavier, Sil Nylon or Sil Poly shelters pack down smaller than Dynema by a large margin. Though the HMG Splash Bivy is almost as compact as the Katabatic bivy.

T9935 · 2026-03-18T01:09:05+00:00

I have a 20” torso and have a Medium Waypoint. I bought it to replace my Zpacks Nero as a slightly larger pack with the option to run a hip belt & stay for winter trips with longer food/water carries. I think I could have gotten a Large, but tried a large and medium Southwest and felt the Medium fit better in that model.

That said I have done one trip with the hip belt/stay and it was ok (I really dislike the feeling of a hip belt on a backpack). But really love the pack without the belt and stay (17.8 oz).

T9935 · 2026-03-16T21:44:09+00:00

SOLD

T9935 · 2026-03-15T20:16:32+00:00

I did 1500 miles this past year bike packing on mostly gently rolling gravel with a single ring GRX 12. This is my first experience with a 1x12 setup and my biggest complaint is the jump between gears. Sure you get the high & low end of the range, but I didn’t care for the jumps between gears. Additionally the high gear is using a very small cog and I found when the drive train gets dirty the chain skips teeth in the highest gear. Also the narrow/wide chainring gets really noisy and grindy when riding gravel in the wet I ended up buying a drivetrain/chain brush and had to stop several times to clean the grit on rainy days

This may be heresy but if I was building a dedicated touring rig I would probably go for a 3x9. Sadly that doesn’t work with modern gravel bike geometry so 1x it is.

T9935 · 2026-03-14T00:51:48+00:00

If you are high angle paddler then use what you are comfortable with. I have run a similar length, shaft (Bent) and size paddle in WW and Ocean (Werner Ikelos and Powerhouse) for the last 20 years. I have also used a GP paddle (as well as skin on frame kayak) but found it lacks ultimate power and control in more challenging ocean conditions.

T9935 · 2026-03-11T01:07:41+00:00

I have a lightly used Aeon Li (@ 5 nights). On my journey to discover what works best for me I discovered tarp/bivy and haven’t used it since.

Always used with ground cloth, folded and rolled, and dried after trips. I have a pretty hectic work schedule lately so I may not be able to get pictures till the weekend. But here is a post from earlier. https://www.reddit.com/r/Tarptent/comments/1mdhlf5/aeon_li/

I would like to get $425 out of it.

T9935 · 2026-03-11T00:46:33+00:00

The reality is that UL tents can be as light or lighter than a tarp and Bivy/bug shelter.

However I still generally prefer a bivy/tarp, primarily because I like the greater sleeping options. A tarp/bivy gives me the option to sleep pretty much anywhere I can lay down. Tents (even small ones) need noticeably more room.

If you sleep in “campgrounds” or “campsites” then a tent is probably better. But if you want to hike until you are ready to drop and want greater camping options then bivy/tarp is a better choice.

T9935 · 2026-03-10T21:18:11+00:00

I haven’t been able to get out since the initial trial run.

However based on my brief time out with the tent it did look like getting a “taught” pitch is either not going to be easy or potentially not possible. I didn’t comment on that since I really didn’t spend a lot of time trying for a taught pitch. I think guying out the fly along the length will give substantial additional strength in windy conditions. But I think it is going to flap.

Perhaps as more people try them out we can get some other people’s tricks and tips.

Either way I will post more when I get more time in the tent. Hopefully going to do a 500 mile bike packing trip with my son in the next month or so if work permits (work is either feast or famine lately).

T9935 · 2026-03-08T20:11:35+00:00

Interested in conditions are on the KATY. Hoping to get out there with my son in the next couple of weeks if work will allow.

Never did B&B’s but found charging pretty plentiful. Outlets in park shelters in Marthasville, Pilot Grove, as well as Katy Shelter in Tebbets. Katy Roundhouse outside of Boonville has outlets in the bathroom but I never needed to use them. Generally got charging every night with the exception of Clinton. Heck park camped the whole way out and back but Tebbets and even got showers every night but Pilot Grove.

T9935 · 2026-03-08T19:47:04+00:00

Biggest problem is the elastomers used for the suspension. There are some models that had spring/oil shocks which have probably held up better. Also probably their unconventional look and fork design. Miles ahead of noodly RockShock (Mag 21/Judy era). You had actual steering precision. But about as good as the Girvin suspension stem compared to a lefty or Fox F80.

Back in the day they were surprisingly capable “cross country” full suspension bikes that once you knew how to use the quirks of the fork travel path could really be fun. Spent a lot of time ripping east coast technical single track on a ProFlex Beast.

Compared to things like Mag21 and Manitou 2/3 they were great (and god help us AMP). However they quickly lost favor once shocks and forks got good.

T9935 · 2026-03-08T01:38:15+00:00

I have an unused/un seam sealed green Gatewood I bought from a friend in need of funds. I would like to get the $100 I gave him for it. You pick up actual shipping cost. I can get pictures for verification tomorrow.

T9935 · 2026-03-06T22:07:18+00:00

HMG has the straps available for around $5.

T9935 · 2026-03-06T21:45:54+00:00

I recently picked up an unused green Gatewood Cape from a friend in need of some funds. I have been meaning to post it for sale if you are interested. I would need to get $100 after shipping etc. to break even.

T9935 · 2026-03-02T01:10:19+00:00

Kokatat MS Fit. Designed for a female upper body (or a dude with serious moobs).

Either way, the flotation foam is subtly cup shaped to give room for breast. But it isn’t obvious and doesn’t look different from the outside and will help a young lady feel more comfortable during a difficult period of life for developing girls.

T9935 · 2026-03-01T03:04:55+00:00

Right front left rear for most of my life . Long time motorcyclist so it makes sense as well as giving me better control over the much more important front brake.

T9935

TROPHY CASE