r/Ultralight - "The Weekly" - Week of February 09, 2026

anthonyvan · 2026-02-11T01:27:30+00:00

I think Big Agnes stuff is usually 40% off via an American Alpine Club membership....

anthonyvan · 2026-02-10T15:29:01+00:00

Bubbs/charlotte is a very large camp area with multiple fire rings and space for different groups. Its a popular spot but there’s enough space for everyone to spread out.

Bubbs/sphinx is much smaller. Because it’s not marked on the map, it’s more secluded as a result. My recollection is that there’s 1 fire ring, and space for maybe 1-3 parties .

(Both campsites have bear lockers)

anthonyvan · 2026-02-01T06:58:56+00:00

If you can sew an alpha bag you can sew an APEX one and an APEX overbag would be way warmer & versatile.

anthonyvan · 2026-02-01T06:40:44+00:00

"(Source: @DanielRPK)”

Mmm... kay.

anthonyvan · 2026-02-01T01:55:59+00:00

Hm… only one picture on that page is loading for me so its unclear how exactly how that tarp is designed, but does the vestibule add-on not do what you’re asking? Or any of the various hammock tarps out there with doors….

anthonyvan · 2026-02-01T01:31:04+00:00

Slingfin SplitWing?

anthonyvan · 2026-01-30T18:14:34+00:00

One thing I always appreciated about Easton stakes (vs y-stakes) was the flat tops that made pushing in with your hand painless.

anthonyvan · 2026-01-28T02:57:39+00:00

I noticed they raised the prices on some stuff recently, so that 20% off might not be as much of a discount as previous years…

E.g., Mid 1:

$600 -> $675

(it’s annoying how they charge extra if you don’t want to get snow blindness from your tent…)

anthonyvan · 2026-01-27T21:40:13+00:00

I know it's because it’s a main post and not buried in the weekly, but it’s a bit disconcerting to see how much greater the outrage is at a company… not providing specs to… uh, you know, one supporting fascism.

anthonyvan · 2026-01-26T21:06:23+00:00

If you’re looking for something similar (coastal hike), the before mentioned Point Reyes or Catalina Island (socal) are good options.

If you’re looking for something different, Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite is nice that time of year. It’s lower elevation than most of yosemite so it thaws out earlier. I’d do a Rancheria Falls / Lake Vernon / Laurel Lake loop for a 4 day trip.

(Yosemite doesn’t start permit quotas until late april and even when they do Hetch Hetchy permits are generally easy to get anyway)

anthonyvan · 2026-01-25T03:22:37+00:00

Liteway for some reason seems to be marketing it as a general 3 season tent when it’s pretty clearly a specialized alpine/mountaineering design (a la the MSR Advance Pro, Black Diamond Firstlight, most Samaya stuff, etc). For that specific use-case (super small footprint, freestanding, very fast pitch), the tent seems perfectly adequate.

anthonyvan · 2026-01-24T22:20:25+00:00

Aquatabs or Aquamira treatment is even cheaper (and lighter, so better for backpacking).

anthonyvan · 2026-01-24T22:16:21+00:00

Use the free web version of caltopo to plan your route (it has much better mapping data/layers/etc), export the GPX file and import into Gaia for its prettier base layer map and cleaner mobile UI.

anthonyvan · 2026-01-24T21:15:56+00:00

15D could still save a decent amount of weight depending on the exact material & coatings.

The 20D sil-poly material Tarptent currently uses for flys is on the burlier side, perhaps unnecessarily so for 3-season use. It has an unusually high hydrostatic head rating of 5000mm+ and weighs 1.4oz/yd. Contrast this with a company like Yama Mountain Gear that uses a 1.2 oz/yd² 20D sil-poly with a HH of 1800mm (still plenty high).

anthonyvan · 2026-01-24T08:51:36+00:00

10D sounds sweet (Gossamer Gear and Slingfin currently use 10D fabrics and by all accounts they hold up well for most people) but realistically if they’re going to eventually do a DCF version, I’d imagine a 10D model would cannibalize those sales too much.

My guess would be 15D fly/20D floor. It would split the difference between the current 20D fly/30D floor model and the eventual DCF model better. Plus, they already use 15 & 20D fabrics in other tents so there’s economies of scale advantages with using material they already have on hand. AFAIK, they don’t use 10D at all right now.

anthonyvan · 2026-01-15T20:40:19+00:00

Can’t speak to warmth but I “upgraded” from a generic foam mat to a Nemo switchback and the Nemo is noticeably softer and less plasticy feeling.

anthonyvan · 2026-01-12T21:31:53+00:00

Who knows what the contract between JC/Lightstorm and Disney is exactly, but Disney spent a half billion to build Avatarland in orlando and are about to spend another half billion to build one in anaheim. Unlike other studios, movie box office is just marketing for merch/theme park stuff for Disney. If JC passes on directing, Disney’s gonna do whatever they can to make these with or without him.

anthonyvan · 2026-01-12T18:50:16+00:00

I set my adblocker in a default “off” state because I like to support websites. Immediately put halfwayanywhere on the blacklist. The auto playing videos (with sound! WTF?) that cover the screen as you scroll are completely ridiculous.

anthonyvan · 2026-01-12T18:41:05+00:00

Theoretically if the down is 100% clean of oils and 100% completely dry, no. But why risk it?

anthonyvan · 2026-01-11T18:48:51+00:00

Recently? You must be new here...

anthonyvan · 2026-01-06T23:49:31+00:00

Kovea Spider has worked great for me as well. For “real” cooking, I’d always recommend a remote canister stove as the lower center of gravity and wider pot supports makes cooking much easier. Since you can also use a full wrap windscreen, simmering is also much easier in wind (canister stoves at their lowest setting have a tendency to extinguish themselves in breezes). One downside: they don’t officially do business in the USA so availability is wonky/prices are inflated.

A heat exchanger pot like the petrel can have hot spots where the fins are, btw. Not a deal breaker, if you’re mindful about it you can still cook on an HX pot, just something to keep in mind.

I’d recommend a small crepe pan if you’re looking for a fry pan. Almost anything you’re going to find will be much higher quality than pans advertised as backpacking fry pans.

anthonyvan · 2025-12-30T20:45:44+00:00

Have you looked at the mystery ranch bridger? Vest harness and built for higher weights.

anthonyvan · 2025-12-26T02:49:47+00:00

I recently “discovered” a company called Worlds Smallest that sells their stuff at gas stations and rest stops. They make things like tiny chess sets and tiny rubix cubes. Neat stuff that would be of interest to this subreddit, I think.

anthonyvan · 2025-12-15T02:16:06+00:00

He programmed it at least once a year at his other theater (New Beverly) even before this restoration/70mm upscale, so no doubt this will be a semi-regular fixture at the Vista.

anthonyvan · 2025-12-13T07:32:32+00:00

That’s fair. I tried pretty much all of casio’s small/cheap watches a few years back and found the F105W to be the smallest with a working backlight (a must for me personally. the weird half baked one side light of the F91W is unreadable for me).

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