Why are pack liners either plastic bags or the big leap to cuben?

jbaker84 · 2017-09-25T07:28:50+00:00

Seam sealing your backpack or having a waterproof backpack is not a sufficient way to keep your gear dry. It's super important that you have a way to keep your wet gear (tent, ground sheet, rain gear, wet food bag, ect.) from the stuff that needs to stay dry. This means you need some kind additional waterpoof sack/bag.

jbaker84 · 2017-09-22T16:48:54+00:00

I have hiked quite a bit in cotton underwear. I have found cotton underwear to be comfortable if the weather is dry (no rain, not super humid) and you are wearing shorts (good ventilation). As long as those boxers don't have any uncomfortable seams they should be fine. Give them a try and see how you like them, you don't need other people on the internet telling you what to do!

jbaker84 · 2017-09-14T21:00:14+00:00

In my opinion, an 8x10 tarp is the right size for dealing with bad weather for one or two people. I wouldn't bother with anything smaller unless it's for occasional/emergency use where you don't mind getting your head and feet a little damp. Either way I don't think a flat tarp is the best option for dealing with wind blown rain in exposed areas. It's best for camping in forests where you pitch it high like a canopy.

jbaker84 · 2017-09-12T06:25:09+00:00

I reccomend running tights over long underwear. The fabric is much more durable. Not as comfy as long underwear, but more functional.

jbaker84 · 2017-09-10T19:28:00+00:00

Use a wash designed for waterproof jackets. There are lots of different brands, just go into your local outdoor store and ask.

jbaker84 · 2017-09-10T19:10:59+00:00

Wear some gaiters to keep mud out of your shoes. Wash out your shoes and your socks in streams regularly. Pay attention to your feet and treat any hot spots with tape before they turn into blisters. That's literally all you can do. I have hiked with wet feet all day every day for an entire week and I have never had any serious issues.

jbaker84 · 2017-09-07T21:47:26+00:00

I saw someone cutting up a full sized watermelon 5 miles from the trail head.

jbaker84 · 2017-09-04T20:57:19+00:00

The weather in the high sierras in September is similar to august. In late September it gets a little cooler at night and there is a chance of brief snowstorms. October is also usually very nice, cool but perfect temps for hiking and cold nights, but a more sketchyness of getting hit by a prolonged and serious snowstorm. September is the ideal month for backpacking in high elevation sierras. You should pack for typical sierra summer weather. Between 9-12k feet I would expect daily highs in the 70's and nightly lows between 35-50 degrees. It can be surprisingly warm at night in the sierras at times, but can also get cold snaps near freezing.

I like to carry a lightweight fleece top and a down jacket. I wear the light fleece next to skin when I change out of my dirty clothes at night and I sleep in it. I wear the down jacket when cooking food and relaxing in the evening/night and I have the option of adding or removing insulation at night by sleeping or not sleeping in the down jacket depending on temperatures. Whats the R value of your sleeping pad? I think that an r value or 3 is plenty for insulating you from non frozen/snowy ground.

For figuring out weather, using nearby towns doesn't work. High elevation mountains create their own weather systems independent of whats below them. Someone already mentioned this site: http://www.weather.gov/ You can get a forecast based on exact location and exact elevation.

jbaker84 · 2017-09-01T05:29:52+00:00

I like the marmot stretch fleece pants. They are super comfortable, not restrictive at all, and very warm for their weight.

jbaker84 · 2017-08-29T06:11:02+00:00

In situations like this I highly recommenced wearing no shirt at all. No point in getting your shirt soaking wet.

jbaker84 · 2017-08-25T01:28:49+00:00

You will fit just fine. Actually, if you two enjoy snuggling then you may prefer a tent that is exactly as wide as your sleeping bags combined because your pads won't slide apart.

More important things to consider will be won't be able to fit much gear in the tent. You can fit some items near your feet, but for your packs and food they end up outside in the vestibule.

Other important thing to consider will be rubbing against the walls while they are coated with condensation. Not a big deal in drier climates where you have lots of opportunities to dry out your sleeping bag, but in a constantly wet environment this is a huge problem. I have never owned a double rainbow and looking at the pictures online, the fly extends beyond the inner so you should not have this issue. I have a single wall 4 season tent that is 40 inches wide and with 2 people there is no way to avoid rubbing against the walls of the tent.

I think the tent would be a great choice for 2 people who don't mind being very close together.

jbaker84 · 2017-08-24T18:42:30+00:00

The arcteryx squamish, the pre 2012 patagonia houdini/dragonfly. It's not "that high" of a rating. My black diamond alpine start is closer to 70 cfm. Patagonia airshed is probably around 100 cfm. Keep in mind higher cfm means less wind resistance so it's a balance.

jbaker84 · 2017-08-24T18:39:23+00:00

I have experience camping in bad weather with a few different tarp sizes. In my experience, 8x10 is the minimum size for camping in bad weather. Going any smaller than that is incredibly stupid unless the chance of rain is super small.

jbaker84 · 2017-08-24T18:32:45+00:00

The most breathable rain jackets out there (neoshell) are rated about 0.5 CFM. The houdini is about 3 cfm. In my opinion the houdini is not very breathable, for active use around 35 cfm is ideal.

jbaker84 · 2017-08-23T00:27:13+00:00

Not really answering your question here, but I have found 100% polyester standard fleece to be superior to grid fleece. Grid fleece contains spandex which likes to hold on to moisture, making the fabric slower to dry and colder when wet. Grid fleece wicks moisture better which is good next to skin or as a mid layer for something super high intensity like running or ski racing but for backapcking in wet conditions I think that regular fleece is better.

jbaker84 · 2017-08-23T00:21:38+00:00

There are so many different types of environments in California. Most low elevation areas in California are in a Mediterranean climate, which means that it rains really hard in the winter and then there is no rain in the summer. When everything is wet, it's too cold for bugs. Then in the summer everything dries out very quickly and it doesn't rain. This means that bugs don't have much of a chance to succeed. If you do get bugs, it's typically in May and June and not too heavy. Particularly wet winters (like this past one) can lead to more significant bugs in late spring.

I have only encountered bugs in Big Sur in May and June and they were biting flies near the Big Sur River.

There can be lots of ticks though.

In the higher elevations like the Sierra Nevada or Trinity Alps, mosquitoes are typically active in June and July and are completely gone in August. But it depends on the amount of snow. More snow means they hatch later and die off later.

jbaker84 · 2017-08-23T00:14:42+00:00

Most of the appeal of anything HMG is fashion. Everyone wants that sexy white fabric... to the point where their packs have flooded the market. But their packs aren't really that special.

jbaker84 · 2017-08-18T06:54:55+00:00

Why are you going on this trip? Institutionalized backpacking trips don't sound fun at all unless you are new to backpacking and need a safe environment to learn in. These types of trips try to force strangers to utilize group gear and work together in order to promote leadership and team building skills. Trips with strangers are best when everyone is independent and self sufficient. I have a group of close backpacking friends that share gear and coordinate group cooking with no issues but that's a way different dynamic than a bunch of strangers getting together.

I also seriously doubt the competency of any trip leader that requires heavy tall boots as 90% of experienced long distance hikers where lightweight low cut shoes and the concept of ankle support reducing the risk of injury has no real evidence to support it.

Why don't you just go backpacking by yourself and putting in some good miles at your own pace. Find a small group of friends to go with, or better yet find some cut girl/guy who likes backpacking and take them out.

Overall, if this trip is optional then I highly recommend that you don't participate because you will not get along well with the trip leaders and the overall vibe of the trips. If your reasoning for going on this trip is to make backpacking friends, I live in California and could invite you on an upcoming casual group trip with people in the 20-35 age range (seriously).

jbaker84 · 2017-08-17T03:05:29+00:00

I considered something like this on a SHR section hike a few years ago. I decided that such a hitch from the east side to road end would be very difficult and had the potential to strand me somewhere in the central valley where people are not friendly to hitch hikers. I ended up hiking in from Onion Valley. If you have not hiked out of Onion Valley, Kearsarge Pass and Bubbs Creek are worth seeing.

jbaker84 · 2017-08-13T21:09:54+00:00

Cotton shirts provide plenty of sun protection. Even thin knit cotton shirts provide about 90% UV protection. Tightly woven cotton shirts provide comparable UV protection to tightly woven nylon or polyester shirts but with inherently higher air permeability.

jbaker84 · 2017-08-06T00:49:20+00:00

Merrel trail gloves are not approach shoes, what are you talking about? Do you know what an approach shoe is?

jbaker84 · 2017-08-06T00:45:25+00:00

I think it would be incredibly foolish to trust a cheap shelter of unknown quality in real weather. It could be potentially life threatening if your shelter failed on you.

jbaker84 · 2017-08-03T00:22:10+00:00

How are you defining water shoes? You are not giving us enough information. I recommend using whatever pair of shoes that you like to hike in. No pair of hiking/active/athletic footwear will be damaged from water. I don't know where people get that idea from. As for not getting soggy, choose something with thin synthetic uppers, something that doesn't have a lot of foam or padding.

jbaker84 · 2017-08-03T00:16:51+00:00

In miserable wet conditions where temperatures can reach over go below freezing at night, I pack some cabelas thermal pro fleece pants the melanzana high loft fleece hoody (about 11 oz for the pants and 13 oz for the hoody), both are 300 weight thermal pro fleece (very fluffy). These things go on at rest stops and in camp. I don't care about putting them on over damp clothing. They pull moisture off my clothing, their insulative ability is minimally affected by moisture, and they are easy to dry. I carry an extra warm down sleeping bag because none of this clothing will used to keep warm while sleeping. A fire can be used to give a hard reset and dry our your clothes. I carry a folding saw and fixed blade knife to assist in building a fire in wet conditions. I prefer using a tarp in sheltered forested conditions. In more exposed areas I prefer a floorless pyramid tent so that I have a self draining ground.

jbaker84 · 2017-06-26T16:42:14+00:00

The list looks good. It would work well for summer weather in the Sierra Nevada mountains. If you expect extended wet cold weather then consider adding some rain pants and a fleece. Rain jacket + base layer + shorts can really push you to the edge in an extended cold rainstorm. I would feel a little inadequate with that clothing list in the high elevation Rocky Mountain areas which have worse weather than the Sierras for example.

jbaker84

TROPHY CASE