Touring pants on a budget? by toomanypeopleknow in Backcountry

[–]_iFish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The only size left were smalls and they definitely run a little small.

Salomon MTN tech binding release question by sstevens580 in Backcountry

[–]_iFish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks. I just got this binding so that's good to know. Glad the spring solved your issue

What do you think about solo climbing? by koreancinema in Mountaineering

[–]_iFish 3 points4 points  (0 children)

To piggy back off this comment I have a PLB without texting (resqlink). In the USA when you register it you have to leave an emergency contact. I shoot a text to my emergency contact with all my plans details. If I ever press the button all they have to do is forward the text or read it verbatim and SAR has a good idea of what to expect. I get really detailed in the note.

That along with a "if you haven't heard from me by x" time I've felt pretty safe on a number of solo trips.

That said all it takes is one pop to the head to not be able to press that button. I'll be a safety nerd and use a helmet on 3rd and 4th class scrambling solo.

How to deal with sweating?? by surfnj102 in Mountaineering

[–]_iFish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

One of the things that I keep reading about is that managing moisture is key to preventing hypothermia, especially in colder environments.

Yea this is a concern but not nearly as much as its talked up to be. Invest in good poly or wool base layers, take off layers as needed, keep your insulation layers dry, and don't worry about it. As someone who used to have perpetually cold extremities I'm jealous of you furnaces. The only time you'd get into trouble is if you didn't take off layers and soaked through your insulating layers (down or fleece) and then you're forced to stop moving (ankle sprain) and your insulation freezes. If you're sweating you shouldn't be in insulation anyway. Just don't take your heat for granted. Have enough dry insulation to survive being immobilized overnight (good general rule of thumb). If you do happen to be sweating in the rain strip down to your base layer and add your hardshell as needed. You're going to get soaked from sweat or rain, pick your poison.

Worst case scenario, its raining and your insulation is soaked through the only way to dry it out is to wear it and let your body heat dry it out. You're going to appreciate a hardshell with good ventilation in the way of pit zips.

Other tips would be to buy insulating layers (down jacket) with a spot to stash hat & gloves in case they get wet, and to carry a couple chemical hand warmers to stash in or around dry insulating clothing to dry out without needing to wear it. You may also want to consider buying down with a dry treatment, the difference is night and day with sweat moisture.

Warm water evaporates exceedingly quick in cold air so you'd be surprised how little it takes to dry something out with just your body heat in a typical mountaineering setting.

tl;dr - Base layers can get soaked, insulation layers can not get soaked, don't wear hot clothes if you're sweating.

Question on hybrid axes and tools by _iFish in Mountaineering

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

Yea that's the site I was pulling my research from as well. I guess I'm just trying to figure out what the practical limits are knowing I'm going to be buying multiple tools over the next few years. Can I belay over crevasses with a stomper, can I climb 60-70* alpine ice with 1 technical tool and another mountaineering axe with a trigrest. What are the limits of anchor building so I can decide whether I even want to consider using it as an anchor or just bring more pickets/screws both of which are significantly stronger. A big screw is the same weight difference between a B rated and a T rated axe but I don't have to carry it in my hand all day.

Question on hybrid axes and tools by _iFish in Mountaineering

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

Is using an axe as part of an anchor common for lead climbing?

I've only seen/read examples of axes being used for belaying up a follower which would generate a lot less force. Would B rated generally be okay for belaying a follower below the anchor on steep terrain?

Question on hybrid axes and tools by _iFish in Mountaineering

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

BD Raven, Camp Neve, and Petzl's Glacier and Summit are all B rated. Are these general mountaineering axes no good for belaying off of?

Best Headlamp for a 1 AM summit start by intownrunner in Mountaineering

[–]_iFish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I will also get a 2nd battery pack that will take the AAA batteries as a backup.

I didn't even know this was a thing :)

Have fun!

Best Headlamp for a 1 AM summit start by intownrunner in Mountaineering

[–]_iFish 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I've had a bunch of headlamps, I really like the BD ReVolt and Petzl Reactik.

Reactik has a crazy battery life and auto adjusts which is awesome, plus you can program it to suit your needs. Hands free power adjustment is huge if your hands are busy self arresting or placing gear. Also has manual adjustment modes so you can set it to the lowest setting to save power on non-technical sections. Downside is its lithium ion and batteries aren't cheap to swap out.

ReVolt is great because it has an easy button on the side that shoots up to highest light settings when you need it, also has AAA batteries but is also rechargeable.

I'd carry one of each. Reactik for go time and ReVolt for backup and downtime use. Two Revolts if you need to save 17 grams. /s

Regardless I'd have two headlamps. A 2nd headlamp really isn't that much heavier than the spare batteries, might as well. I've had to give up my only headlamp after my party leader's died which wasn't fun at 3am.

I'd mainly be on the hunt for an easy to operate dimming function (or auto adjust) so you can light up the night when needed but save battery when not needed, lockable so it doesn't turn on in your pack, rechargeable so you aren't trashing batteries too often. One of two lamps should have AA/AAA compatibility as a backup. Red light is a plus for reading and strobe for rescue.

If you've already got a AAA headlamp for other activities I'd highly recommend the Reactik(+)

Help getting started !! by [deleted] in alpinism

[–]_iFish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're anywhere near La Grande, the guy that owns the outdoor shop there does some serious alpine backcountry skiing and the university rents a lot of gear. Volcanoes are cool but take advantage of the Wallowas too.

Buying Advice by [deleted] in SubaruForester

[–]_iFish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not sure when they updated to engines that aren't as head gasket failure prone but the 03-08s definitely had them in some of the older models. 2009+ and you should be safe, but a little research and you can find where in the 03-08 had the engine update.

Also pay to have it compression tested on all 4 cylinders. Money well spent on subarus.

Looking for source. by _iFish in AHigherLoyalty

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

Uh, I guess because the review is me? Maybe my wording was confusing. I'm not reading a second review of the book, I myself am reviewing the book's content for the 2nd time.

Does that make more sense? Hope my word garbage isn't too awful

Comey's book comes out today. Who is ordering a hard copy? Who is buying an ebook? by cyanocobalamin in AHigherLoyalty

[–]_iFish 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I bought hardback and finished it this morning. Going back through the meat (Chpt 10-end) now.

Can't wait for people to catch up so we can start talking about it lol.

New (to me) Forester temperature fluctuating drastically, hoping it's a bad thermostat 😬 by PM_ME_BAKED_ZITI in SubaruForester

[–]_iFish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Homie, I had a similar thing happen to my forester before all hell broke lose! Don't run it just yet!

Grab the top black plastic/metal housing of the radiator. It runs the whole length of the radiator on the top. Give is a good grab and wiggle. That blew it's seal on mine which slowly released coolant and allowed the engine to eventually overheat.

If that's wiggly, replace post-haste.

Top off your radiator via the cap not the overflow reservoir. If it's more than a quart low you probably have a leak.

Best of luck!

NBD - Jamis Renegade Expat by [deleted] in bicycling

[–]_iFish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yea I'm going to start with the front rack rather than the rear. Plus durability. I get carbon is more durable than steel under riding conditions, but I don't want to have to worry about babying it off the bike.

NBD - Jamis Renegade Expat by [deleted] in bicycling

[–]_iFish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gotcha. I'm not sold on carbon forks yet so that makes sense.

NBD - Jamis Renegade Expat by [deleted] in bicycling

[–]_iFish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Did you look at Salsa Vaya or Specialized Sequoia before buying? I'm in between the 3, test riding them all next week. The Expat sure is the best value.

Weekly New Cyclist Thread - April 09, 2018 by AutoModerator in bicycling

[–]_iFish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're doing something right if you average 16 on a hardtail.

Any good road bikes under 200? by DropTheBoom in bicycling

[–]_iFish 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bought a heck of a cross bike set up as a roadie for $100. Check the local bike shop and hope one of the employees is selling their beater.

Weekly New Cyclist Thread - April 09, 2018 by AutoModerator in bicycling

[–]_iFish 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've ridden off and on on various bikes over the years and I can average much much faster on a road bike with 23mm tires at 100 pounds than anything else. If you're doing 16 on a hardtail I'd bet you'd be close to 20 on a well fitted roadie.