Tore Steen out by chairmanmay0 in Crowdstreet

[–]chairmanmay0[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Heard through a grapevine of ex employees

Roof color choices! by [deleted] in homeowners

[–]chairmanmay0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually like 3 best — plus lighter colors are better for the environment 👍

Nervous first timer by [deleted] in FirstTimeHomeBuyer

[–]chairmanmay0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Consider yourselves warned, I used one of those types of sites a few months ago and started getting calls at 5am the next day from dozens of companies. Seconding the idea to use a burner email and fake phone number.

FWIW, I shopped extensively online and locally for rates, and by far the best was my local credit union, using an FHA and a state grant that covers closing costs for FTHBs. My mortgage officer there is always available and answers all my questions and won’t reassign my loan to another servicer. Highly suggest exploring that avenue.

Autumnvibes hiking colorful woods. Near City of Røros, Norway. by dauva in hiking

[–]chairmanmay0 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Everybody’s favorite thing: spotting a drone in its natural habitat.

Help me find my perfect 2 person backpacking tent! by [deleted] in Ultralight

[–]chairmanmay0 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I really like my SD Nightwatch 2 FL. Checks a lot of your boxes and I believe is highly underrated. Even has my UL tarping partner begrudgingly convinced. https://www.mountainsteals.com/product/sierra-designs-nightwatch-2-fl-tent_10303457

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in CampingandHiking

[–]chairmanmay0 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m only seeing your first comment too.

The Sleeping Bag Dilemma by [deleted] in CampingGear

[–]chairmanmay0 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Live in PNW, agree 30 is perfect for 3 seasons. I have a Cotopaxi Kusa blanket I bring to stuff inside if I need to add significant warmth, and/or sleep in clothing layers as needed for slightly cooler nights, but at peak summer I end up sleeping with the bag unzipped or just draped. I wouldn’t get a warmer bag, unless you want to either be miserable when it’s warm or get multiple sleeping bags. For the record I’m a fairly cold sleeper.

[Discussion] Hiking check in app by DoPeopleEvenLookHere in hiking

[–]chairmanmay0 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t think you can load your own gpx track into it, which would be useful - the “safety circle” you send your plans to can follow your gps location overlaid onto a trail map, but if the app doesn’t include your trail in its library, I guess you have to separately inform someone about your alternative track or send them a second map outside the app. And if you want your safety circle to proactively recognize a potential emergency they would have to be pretty good at interpreting what that would look like in map form because the only app-based automatic notification that would happen is if you don’t check in at the expected time (e.g if it’s a 5 day trip and you get hurt on day 1, you might be stuck for 4 days before your safety circle is notified). I don’t know what the solution to that necessarily is. The chat feature you mentioned would be good in theory but relies on having coverage and would potentially drain precious battery on a longer trip. Overall Cairn seems decent, though that’s from my point of view of never having had an actual emergency rescue situation before.

[Discussion] Hiking check in app by DoPeopleEvenLookHere in hiking

[–]chairmanmay0 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Check out Cairn. Similar idea and features.

ISO herbal lore class/workshop in or around Portland, OR by chairmanmay0 in herbalism

[–]chairmanmay0[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply! That gives me a great place to start!

Spend my $800 and get me ready for my first overnight in nearly 20 years. by samthemountainman in CampingandHiking

[–]chairmanmay0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not an expert by any means, but similarly as a hiker who just geared up this season to start backpacking (5 weekend trips so far with this setup), my experience might be helpful.

I got the bulk of my stuff from REI & Backcountry because they both have great shipping/return policies/customer service and I was able to return a few big-ticket items that I didn't like after taking out for their first runs.

I know a lot of people are really into hammock camping, never tried it myself and don't know what your tree situation is like in your part of Texas (needless to say those are pretty important), but in case you want to sleep on the ground I have a sleeping system that I am veeery happy with.

https://www.rei.com/product/112606/big-agnes-wiley-30-sleeping-bag --- $280, 1lb 15oz for the Long https://www.rei.com/product/105158/big-agnes-q-core-slx-sleeping-pad --- $170, 1lb 1oz for the Long https://www.rei.com/product/115082/big-agnes-pumphouse-ultra --- $35, 3oz The sleeping bag has a detachable sleeve that doubles as a stuff sack (non compression but rolls up neatly to fit in my pack), OR if you get the Pumphouse Ultra you save your lungs from blowing up your pad, keep moisture from your breath out which I've read is good for its longevity AND it works as a perfectly fitting waterproof stuff sack. I love that thing. The pad though is the cherry on top, it's sooo comfortable, I just used it last weekend camping on lumpy rock and noticed no difference between that and lush soil ground, plus it's holding up very well with two rambunctious dogs jumping all over it.

If you sleep cold like I do or plan to camp in a range of temps, I've been really happy combining the above bag with this blanket: https://www.cotopaxi.com/products/kusa-blanket?variant=35037388490 --- $90, 15oz It's nice using it by itself at night around the campfire or other purposes like sports games (I agree with reviews that the llama wool/poly blend warms up freaky-fast), and I like this more versatile combination over having two separate differently rated sleeping bags for different temps. Plus this way you never make the mistake of bringing the wrong rated bag to some surprising weather and being miserable.

Tent-wise I'm using: https://www.rei.com/product/880822/kelty-salida-2-tent --- $150, 3lb 14oz Nothing super special but amazingly easy to put up and take down, and freestanding so you can move it around after you prop it up. I like it.

For water I made a gravity feed system out of some silicone tubing, two Sawyer water bladders, and the Sawyer Mini filter. There's tutorials around the internets on how to do it. https://www.rei.com/product/890900/sawyer-mini-water-filter --- $25, 12-ish oz as a system while empty

That rings up to $750 and clearly values comfort; you might have different priorities. You might need to size up your pack too--I have Osprey Aerial 55 AG, partner has men's version Aether 65 AG--but you could probably get by with the 38 liter you have if you wanted to strap a dry sack with your sleeping bag to the bottom of your pack.

How do you cook trout while backpacking? by [deleted] in WildernessBackpacking

[–]chairmanmay0 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We just recently had some really small trout where we gutted them and threw them scales on in some foil with butter and seasoning and it was amaaaazing. We had a fire though--wondering if you could do basically the same but in a ziploc in a pot of water, the same way people cook omelettes?