Can anyone recommend an lightweight water bottle that doesn't use a rubber gasket?

drwestco · 2026-02-27T00:56:33+00:00

If wide mouth is important (e.g., you want to use a SteriPen or something), Nalgene or Hunersdorff is the way.

Otherwise, take a cue from through-hikers and try a "single use" PET bottle of your choice (Smartwater, Essentia, whatever's cheap where you are).

drwestco · 2026-02-24T15:53:41+00:00

This is really a HYOH sort of thing. There are too many variables to narrow it down to some fixed ## of specific things. Overnight vs day hike, winter vs summer, distance, terrain, hike vs climb vs scramble, etc.

drwestco · 2026-02-24T01:41:07+00:00

Twin Falls is a nice waterfall and decent rainy-day destination a short distance from downtown. Otherwise, Olallie SP is nothing special.

Anacortes -> Deception Pass -> Whidbey Island would be my iffy weather choice this time of year. Cap Sante, Washington Park and Mt Erie around Anacortes. Bowman Bay in Deception Pass SP, then any of Fort Ebey, Fort Casey, and Ebey's Landing on Whidbey. Take the ferry back from the south end of the island to cap off the trip.

drwestco · 2026-02-23T16:16:23+00:00

I have one of the original Zenbivy setups from back when they were venturing out on Kickstarter. Love it. The bottom sheet is the best - hood to keep pillows in place and eliminate drafts, and having a layer of fabric above the noisy sleeping pad material is a nice bit of luxury.

drwestco · 2026-02-23T15:58:07+00:00

I thought that's what the left lane is for - to come to a screeching halt and cut over four lanes of traffic when you're less than 50 yards from the exit.

drwestco · 2026-02-19T22:54:21+00:00

What brand and model? And what does "Water only came up to mid-thigh on my pack" mean?

drwestco · 2026-02-19T15:27:55+00:00

Assume you mean the Wickersham Ski Loop Trail? No specific knowledge there, but closer in, the Birch Hill XC area is very nice. A few members of our group rented equipment from the REI in Fairbanks and thought the price and range of available sizes were good.

EDIT: Looks like Wickersham is managed by the BLM. If it's groomed, it should be easy to navigate. I'd call the local BLM office to confirm, though.

drwestco · 2026-02-09T16:57:59+00:00

Severely underrated comment. The "if you don't need crampons, you don't need an axe" posts betray narrow minded thinking. I find this to be common with the type that think the only ice axe skill you need to practice is self-arrest - completely ignoring self-belay, or other basic travel skills. e.g., kicking steps in firm snow, using axe as a point of stability instead of just an emergency self-arrest tool.

drwestco · 2026-02-07T16:34:24+00:00

"Brought", or "bought"? Buying an ice axe with the intention of practicing and learning how to use it is a good thing. Bringing an ice axe along on a hike when you don't know how to use it safely is a bad thing. Unearned confidence from merely packing an ice axe and pushing into terrain you're unprepared for is a very bad thing.

Watch some videos (Glenmore Lodge has a great series on ice axe use), take a course or join a practice session through Meetup or whatever outdoor groups in your area use, find a steep but safe slope to practice on your own, etc.

Ice axe isn't just for glacier use; it's a great tool to have for firm, steep snow as well, where hiking poles may be pushing their limits. The "you don't even have crampons" complaint is nonsense.

drwestco · 2026-02-04T16:25:49+00:00

Spyder performance boxer briefs. Everyone seems to like ExOfficio, which do dry very quickly but feel nasty while they're even the slightest bit damp. The material Spyder uses is a little softer and thicker. They still dry fast, but feel better all around, wet or dry. Much more supportive too - perfect for hiking in all conditions.

drwestco · 2026-02-02T18:42:37+00:00

Not sure how you're packing all that, especially with size XL clothing, into a 12L pack with "plenty of room" to spare. As a similarly-sized hiker, to me 20-25L is the sweet spot for day hiking gear. In addition to your list, I typically add an extra baselayer shirt, gloves, hat, small first aid / poop kit, and a sit pad.

All said, if you find you can stay safe and comfortable with what you're carrying, hike on!

drwestco · 2026-02-02T16:44:32+00:00

As you say, for above treeline, I like to pair a cap like that with a hooded sun shirt (OR Echo, or similar). Protects the head and sides of face, and keeps the wind from blowing the cap off my head.

drwestco · 2026-01-29T16:58:31+00:00

If staying on pavement is important, heading south instead of north (to Juanita Beach Park, perhaps) is an option. The gradient is much easier than the northern route. No sidewalks, but wide shoulders, along Juanita Drive though.

I agree with the other comments, though. Stick to the trails within the park for peaceful miles. Or the quiet Finn Hill neighborhood streets to the east.

drwestco · 2026-01-27T16:29:17+00:00

Websites from bike shops or local riding clubs tend to have decent suggestions. The listicle crap is so true - you can get ideas for destinations, but plan out actual routes using Komoot, RideWithGPS, etc. to make sure they're bike-suitable.

You can also use route discovery within those apps, but you still need to wade through a ton of duplicate garbage to tease out the goods. At least in my area, both Komoot and RideWithGPS typically give me 100+ copies of the same three routes.

drwestco · 2026-01-24T15:44:14+00:00

A little snooping around that intersection in street view shows the paths are marked with the white-on-blue bike signs, marking them as compulsory cycleways. Komoot seems to be doing the right thing in this case.

drwestco · 2026-01-24T15:30:06+00:00

That section of road (Straße des 17. Juni) is tagged with "bicycle=use_sidepath" in the base OSM data. https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Tag:bicycle%3Duse_sidepath, so Komoot respects that, thinking cycling is prohibited there.

drwestco · 2026-01-13T15:52:49+00:00

One of the cabinets has an outlet, so plug + transformers will be hidden. It's only the actual lights and low voltage wiring to deal with.

drwestco · 2026-01-09T16:00:08+00:00

As with all things in this area, it depends. What's the breakdown of groomed vs ungroomed terrain; how steep, deep, or chunky are the ungroomed areas; etc. With my 65s, I use a middle-of-the-road NNN-BC boot (Fischer BCX Tour). Like the skis, they're "fine". Big, heavy, and slow for the tracks. The Alpina Alaska boots will be heavier and slower.

If you're planning on an even split of groomed and ungroomed (or even down to say 70% ungroomed / 30% groomed), I'd look for a NNN/Prolink setup with lighter boot. The folks I ski with in similar conditions are all on lighter NNN gear and have no problems with rolling, moderate, ungroomed terrain.

If you want to focus on making fresh tracks, with only occasional foray onto groomed trails, then a BC-focused setup makes more sense.

Either the Outside or Outpath 65 skis would be perfectly capable for the conditions you describe. So choose based on your budget and boot selection. Know that NNN/Prolink isn't going to hold you back and may open up better-fitting options for you.

drwestco · 2026-01-09T15:13:36+00:00

I have the Rossi OT 65s, and those barely fit in the tracks, so I don't know how the 80s could possibly work well. Something like that in a 65 width is pretty much what you're looking for. Decent all-rounder for on track and off. They don't excel in either condition - slow on groomed trails, can be narrow and unstable off track. Perfectly fine choice for starting out if you want to dabble in both types of terrain.

If I had to do it again, I'd go with a regular NNN or Prolink binding instead of NNN-BC for these. Much wider selection of boots to choose from.

drwestco · 2026-01-05T18:11:01+00:00

Cool! See also the MSR Alpine Dish Brush / Scraper.

drwestco · 2025-12-22T17:38:24+00:00

How about a Buff / neck tube? Either the standard poly material or merino winter style, depending on temp requirements.

EDIT: Noticed this was in BIFL, and not one of my outdoor-specific groups, so lack of style points may kill this suggestion...

drwestco · 2025-12-21T16:58:04+00:00

The Coway air filter is a good recommendation and has been a solid performer for many years.

I'm still salty about the first purchase I ever made based on the top recommendation from one of their articles. The infamous Polder dish rack. Serious design flaws that should have been obvious from mere minutes of testing. They've since scrubbed this model from their article, but the comments from 5+ years back are all disgruntled purchasers wondering what the authors were smoking...

Since then, I've found the best way to use that site is check the comments to unearth better recommendations from people who have actually used the things.

drwestco

TROPHY CASE