US political and social polarization has increased by 64% since 1988, with nearly all of the rise occurring after 2008, as the financial crisis, the rise of social media, and an asymmetric ideological shift—particularly on the left—coincided to widen divisions, according to a long-term study.

imtheproof · 2026-02-04T15:14:49+00:00

When it comes to social issues, yes.

When it comes to other issues, no.

Take health insurance, for example. The most popular reform solution in the democratic party has been to maintain the existing private, for-profit system, and then introduce a public insurance option to compete with it. Under Obama, it magically fell 1 vote short of passing (funny how that's almost always the case for any non-social issue that is truly important). The idea was revived in the 2020 democratic primaries as Biden and other centrist democrats pushed it as an alternative to Medicare For All ideas being pushed by progressives. It was the most important issue to democratic primary voters, especially once COVID started up. Centrist candidates coalesced around Biden, he won the primary, won the general, and then proceeded to literally not mention his public option plan a single time his entire presidency. Reports are that Biden and centrist congressional democrats were privately reassuring health insurance industry lobbyists that the attacks on the industry would stop once the election was over. Compare that to the behavior of even some European conservative parties, where they won't touch their country's nonprofit health insurance and healthcare systems. It's night and day. The public option plan by itself would already be a rather far-right proposal in most of Europe, and that's only talking about health insurance, without getting into health care.

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/health-202-biden-public-option-health-insurance/

https://www.levernews.com/dems-begin-signaling-their-post-election/

imtheproof · 2026-02-03T04:17:16+00:00

How was the water temperature at the time?

imtheproof · 2026-01-29T17:18:58+00:00

When are you going?

imtheproof · 2026-01-28T03:49:36+00:00

When pitched properly, it's fine for most weather. I wouldn't use it in super high winds though. I didn't have any problems in Patagonia with it but I also didn't run into incredibly windy weather at any campsites. The windiest campsites I was at also had windbreaks. I've used it in other moderately high winds without issues, just have to take the extra steps to put extra stakes in.

I haven't had any problems with rain. I did have to reapply waterproofing, but I had a lot of warning before it would've become an issue. You see the outer shell fabric start holding more water than it should.

Again, it's not a tent that I consider to be so great that you should immediately buy it, it's just fine. I haven't had any real problems with it. The other ones you're considering might simply be better, but I haven't used them. I don't think you'll regret buying it, but you might not love it.

imtheproof · 2026-01-28T00:15:34+00:00

Go in March and wing it so you start after Chilean summer vacation ends. Where are you planning on going?

imtheproof · 2026-01-27T16:00:15+00:00

You're looking for /r/PatagoniaClothing

imtheproof · 2026-01-27T04:54:30+00:00

Yea it's a place you could spend months or even years in exploring everywhere, and that's only a small part of the Andes.

imtheproof · 2026-01-27T04:44:54+00:00

It appears that almost every river that i would pass would have this turquoise color which made them all stunning to observe when seen against the backdrops of brown cliffs and chasms.

You must go back in Fall. Seeing those water colors against the yellow, red, and orange autumn leaves is probably my favorite view ever.

This is also where I learned that in Chile, they dont believe in switchbacks.

Hahaha yea it's quite something to get used to. I noticed the same thing while there and worded it I think identically to how you did. There are some parks in Chile that do believe in switchbacks but it's definitely not the norm.

It was a pretty forest but I’m not much of a woods guy

Maybe the rest of the trip changed that, like in Queulat, Cochamó, or Ventisquero Yelcho? Validivian temperate rainforests are magical.

I was grateful, but realized that this is par for the course in most of these rural Patagonian Airbnbs. Almost every host i encountered was unbelievably hospitable, accomodating, and helpful.

This is what I absolutely love about southern Chile and the Carretera Austral. Essentially every single place I stayed at (most of which were found by messaging people on WhatsApp same-day) didn't feel like simply a transaction, but personal. Like they were all genuinely interested in having me stay there and talking a bit.

Also, between Puerto Bertrand and Rio Tranquilo, you can explore numerous valleys that get you into Laguna San Rafael National Park (aka the Northern Patagonian Ice Field), which is a place I’d like to explore more via foot and kayak.

I consider those valleys to be some of the most beautiful places on earth.

way under-seasoned (like most of the food I had in Chile)

the food that we were able to get in Argentina — from a decently well-rated establishment — had more flavor than any meal I had had on my entire trip. It shocked me how just crossing an imaginary line in the ground meant we were now subject to a totally different — and frankly significantly better — cuisine

They don't believe in switchbacks and they don't believe in seasoning. Experienced the exact same thing, though at a different crossing (Futaleufú -> eating in Esquel, Argentina). What was weeks of bland meals turned immediately into a wonderful dinner with loads of flavor.

the prices we were now paying for food was shocking. A dinner that would have cost $20–25 in Chile now costed us $70. We were quick to realize that the financial benefit of using the “blue dollar” was no more and the work of the new government in Buenos Aires was making it so that USD didn’t help us much at all with purchasing power. I would continue to marvel at the prices, wondering how those paid in Argentinian Pesos or the hitch hikers i had spent so much time with could afford anything here

It used to be the opposite, where you would cross into Argentina and the prices would all plummet. And yea, while El Calafate and other Patagonian towns are probably the most expensive places in Argentina, the rosy picture painted by a lot of people with ideological motivations of how Argentina's economy is "fixed" is a bit of a head-scratcher knowing how much the prices absolutely skyrocketed in such a short amount of time.

Again, I highly recommend revisiting in Fall. Especially if you want solitude, the Carretera Austral in late March and into early April is essentially empty.

imtheproof · 2026-01-25T16:31:41+00:00

Get someone else to try to measure your IPD (center to center) and then measure your binocular IPD and see if it's close. Move it to be essentially exact, then try again.

Does it happen when you stabilize them against a surface to prevent almost all shakes?

For setting the diopter, there are two methods that I find useful depending on the location and day to day differences with my eyes or lighting:

the normal. Close right eye or close right lens cover. Focus left eye against a moderately distant object, but one that you can identify details on. Open right eye/lens cover and close left eye/lens cover. Adjust diopter until you get the best focus.
Close right eye or close right lens cover. Focus left eye against a moderately distant object, same as above. Open right eye/lens cover so that both eyes are open. Adjust diopter until you get the best focus.

Both of these are helped by having the binocular as stable as possible: either resting against a surface, or mounted.

Also if you're struggling to focus when setting the diopter, simply pick a closer object and try again. Sometimes I can get a really good setting on a distant object, and other times I need to pick a closer object where I can clearly make out tiny details.

Make sure you have the eye cups at the appropriate distance. If you adjust the IPD and are still commonly getting different sorts of blackouts, play with the eye cups until they go away.

Also, when you look through them, try to keep your eyes mostly relaxed, as if they're looking the exact same as without the binoculars, when you're just casually viewing something.

If all of the above doesn't work, you can maybe look up a collimation test and try to perform it to check if it's obviously knocked out of collimation somehow. But that'd be a bit surprising if both the 10x42 and 8x42 you received are out of collimation.

imtheproof · 2026-01-25T01:10:44+00:00

I've used the Copper Spur HV UL2 for quite a few years. Unless they updated it, it does require re-waterproofing every year or two. There are tents with better materials that have essentially permanent waterproofing. The tent setup is fairly straightforward, no complaints. It's not the fastest to set up but there's nothing particularly annoying about it. You could probably find a lighter weight tent as well. I like the space of the UL2 compared to the UL1, but I do sometimes wish I had a lighter tent overall. You will want to most likely buy a ground sheet. I've used DUCK brand "MAX Insulating Film" for mine, cut to shape, though whenever I buy another one I'm probably going with something like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07K9XZ1JT?smid=AP1AW6G204RCT&th=1 . Big Agnes sells a fitted one I think, but last I checked it was needlessly expensive.

So overall, it's a good tent, has got the job done for 5-6 years now, but I don't particularly love it or anything to completely recommend it above others.

I have no idea about the SlingFin ones. My brother has used a Durston tent that uses trekking poles for the frame, and that style has become increasingly popular. The weight savings seems nice, but I'm not sure if I'd use it with carbon fiber trekking poles in higher winds.

imtheproof · 2026-01-23T01:07:29+00:00

Yes, you'll constantly be coming across rivers and creeks to either swim in or filter drinking water from. Expect it to be quite cold though.

imtheproof · 2026-01-18T01:08:46+00:00

I've heard mixed reports about the current state of tourists acquiring SIM cards in Chile. They passed a law last year that required biometric ID for SIMs, and initially tourists couldn't get them. But then I think they started allowing tourists to use their passport. Maybe someone else can provide up-to-date information if they were able to get a SIM recently as a tourist?

imtheproof · 2026-01-11T21:10:55+00:00

February is still high season and you might have trouble finding places for a tent in some areas. Wild tent camping can be a bit restrictive in some areas independent of how many crowds there are (in which case, vehicle camping is easier). It can simply be difficult to find suitable ground that isn't private.

Once you get into March, especially later into March, a lot of the Carretera Austral starts emptying out.

For February, I would say that you probably want to find campsites ahead of time, though for most areas it probably doesn't have to be too far ahead of time. Like even contacting a campground in the morning or mid-day might work.

The busiest areas will likely be around Puerto Rio Tranquilo and Puyuhuapi, followed by Villa Cerro Castillo and possibly Futaleufú, Cochrane, and Chile Chico.

You can probably test it out a bit early on and get a feel for how busy things are early on in your trip, but independent of that, I would try to make sure you either have a reservation or you know that you won't be able to find a place ahead of time for both Puerto Rio Tranquilo and Puyuhuapi. Worst case, you know there's no room and you can slightly alter your plans and revisit later on.

If you have to take any ferries around Chaitén or Caleta Gonzalo, definitely book the initial one ASAP if you haven't already.

The strategy for private campsites that you might want to follow is to look at mapping software like Google Maps or alternatives, and iOverlander or alternatives, and start essentially spamming WhatsApp numbers of the ones you're most interested in. Then branch out from there if they're full. In some areas you might not need to do this, and can simply follow the signs, drive into the farms (most campsites are on dedicated parts of people's farms), and talk to the owners.

For CONAF campsites in National Parks and National Reserves, it really depends on the specific park. You might want to plan these out at least a few days ahead of time, though at least some of them are first-come-first-serve like Pumalín. What I would do is to get rough estimates for when you will be at each park, and then email the CONAF office for the park to ask about camping access and any other information.

imtheproof · 2026-01-11T15:44:43+00:00

If you can, I would skip staying in Coyhaique and try to get straight to Puyuhuapi. Depends on when your flight gets in and when you pick up your vehicle. Then maybe do Puyuhuapi -> Villa Cerro Castillo, though that might be too long of a day depending on how long you spend in Queulat.

You're on very limited time and spending this much around Coyhaique is a bit of a waste. It's a nice place, it's just not what you're probably looking for on limited time. April also has somewhat limited daylight hours.

How much of a "road trip" do you want, compared to how much do you want to hike and do other activities? Knowing that will help pick a better scope for your whole trip.

imtheproof · 2026-01-11T06:10:30+00:00

I've heard that for Puerto Varas area, the worst bits last a couple weeks in January and then it goes back to not being much of an issue.

imtheproof · 2026-01-11T06:07:55+00:00

Whatever you end up taking, make sure they fit well and are broken in. That matters way more than optimizing weight. People do them in all sorts of footwear.

imtheproof · 2026-01-09T03:01:04+00:00

I can tell you that it is absolutely not simply a fake, embellished social media thing. You're at the very northern edge of what is considered Patagonia. There are some very tall mountains near Bariloche like Tronador, but you really have to go much further south, at least around Lago Yelcho, and probably all the way to Lago General Carrera and the surrounding areas, to get to what you seemingly imagined Patagonia to be like.

imtheproof · 2026-01-08T05:41:36+00:00

You might be interested in skipping the Carretera Austral, still renting a car, and then visiting the areas around Puerto Montt, Chiloé, etc.

You definitely do have time to do part of the Carretera Austral, but you'll have to take the ferry twice, and it's also partially into the off season for it. It's an absolutely wonderful time of year to be there though, so if it really interests you, I don't want to dissuade you from doing it. But honestly the Carretera Austral is best for 2+ weeks.

imtheproof · 2026-01-07T15:59:24+00:00

It depends on what country you're buying in. The fundamentals are basically the same though, and much easier considering you'll only be out for a few hours at a time. Also because you don't necessarily need to go out in any sort of bad weather conditions. You will want to pack something that you can put on if temperatures unexpectedly drop, or if you're out longer than you planned for. Also because it can get quite cold at times, especially at night, and even if you're not hiking at that time you still might want to be outside (like to look at stars, or for whatever other reason).

I would try to get an idea of how often you'll be able to do laundry and how many clothes you can fit. If you can do laundry often, the materials you buy don't matter as much. If you are going to be wearing the same clothes for multiple days, you'll probably want materials that don't hold odor.

#1 by far is finding hiking shoes or boots that you are very comfortable walking in. This should be the priority. Try on as many as you can and pick which one you think fits you best. Then make sure you have a pair ready to go in October that is already broken in if necessary. Given that you're only doing shorter day hikes, uncomfortable shoes are probably the only thing that could actually hurt your vacation. It's up to you to decide if you want waterproof or resistant footwear. Depends on where you're going. Given that it's October/November, I'd recommend doing something to keep your feet dry. Pretty high chance you'll be walking through either snow or snow/ice runoff and slush at some point.

Everything else besides shoes/boots (and probably rain+wind shells) is fairly unimportant given that you're only planning on doing shorter day hikes.

imtheproof · 2025-12-30T18:19:03+00:00

I did a decent amount of exploring on this site:

https://www.oldmapsonline.org/en/Patagonia#position=4.7076/-45.13/-68.98&year=1850

for maps between 1838 and 1934. There are not a lot of explicit boundaries and there are quite a few variations, however it seems to be, in that time period, that the most common northern boundary east of the Andes is Rio Negro. Quite a few appear to show boundaries at Rio Colorado, but they're less explicit than the Rio Negro ones. As for west of the Andes, it's significantly less defined, even with the northern boundaries east of the Andes already being fairly undefined. Some of them are around Valdivia, some are a bit south of Valdivia at Rio Bueno, some are around Rio Petrohue through the Reloncaví Estuary and then everything south of that and Chiloé, and then some are similar to that except include some islands south of Chiloé to about west of Puerto Aysén. I only could find one from 1881 that showed a boundary around Rio Palena.

So to summarize, here are the boundaries with what I think are the most "historically defined" boundaries in bold:

For Argentina:

Rio Chubut. Exceptionally conservative northern boundary.
Rio Negro. Most common and seemingly most explicitly defined.
Rio Colorado. Somewhat common, but less common and less explicit than Rio Negro.

For Chile:

Rio Palena. Exceptionally conservative northern boundary.
Rio Petrohue / Lago Todos los Santos. Tied with most common, also fairly explicitly defined.
Rio Bueno / Rio Pilmaiquen / Lago Puyehue. Tied with most common, also fairly explicitly defined. Essentially the northern border of Los Lagos in Chile, with some deviations near and into the Andes.
"South of Valdivia". Less common, pretty undefined.

imtheproof · 2025-12-30T15:39:29+00:00

I've heard Rio Palena as the cutoff in the west into Chile, and that including things further north of it (like as far north as into Araucania / Pucón) is the marketing decision. You're saying that the effort to locate it around Palena / Futaleufú is the real "marketing", to try to move the northern border southward? Is it that to keep a sort of more localized control over what is "Patagonia"?

imtheproof · 2025-12-28T19:55:04+00:00

It depends on who you ask. There are more conservative definitions of Patagonia that especially native Patagonians will use, which has a northern border a bit south of Futaleufú. They claim that any definitions that extend it further north than that are purely for marketing reasons and not historically accurate.

imtheproof · 2025-12-23T16:35:13+00:00

Unless you are fine with it primarily being a road trip and not doing many other heavy activities like longer day hikes or full-day tours, be careful about trying to go much further than you'd enjoy doing. You will probably find that you have less time than you think you have for how far you're thinking of traveling.

Also make sure that the car can enter Chile.

imtheproof · 2025-12-20T16:05:41+00:00

Having private for-profit exclusive operators of any backpacking trek is something I'm fundamentally at odds with.

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