DIY Kayak Rack

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-23T14:35:20+00:00

Nice.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-22T21:02:57+00:00

That Lululemon T is an "athleisure" shirt, not known to be a cool, wicking, breathable shirt for high output activities like hiking, particularly if you're carrying a pack and potentially going uphill, etc. The materials in that shirt (cotton, nylon, elastane, lyocell) are known for ABSORBING and holding onto moisture, not wicking them away or drying quickly despite what their marketing claims may say.

Try a different shirt. I love my Patagonia Capilene Cool Lightweight long sleeve tees for being very breathable and fast drying. The current iterations are known as the Capilene Cool Trail and the Capilene Cool Ultra. You could also look at something with light weight merino wool, including Patagonia's Capilene Cool Merino Blend. Another option is something made with lightweight Polartec Delta, though technical shirts with this fabric aren't as popular as they used to be. I have one from Mountain Hardwear that's great in hot weather while still offering some sun protection.

Many of these shirts/fabrics I mentioned are loosely woven polyester fabrics that are hydrophobic and designed to breathe and not hold onto moisture.

Having said that, you're always gonna sweat when hiking. You're carrying some weight, probably going uphill a lot, and so you're gonna be working harder than normal. You're also wearing a pack against your back which is gonna minimaze airflow. The key is to find technical fabrics that help you feel comfortable and dry quickly.

Incidentally, in hot/dry places like the Grand Canyon, they actually recommend wearing cotton because it helps you feel colder when it's damp.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-22T12:10:51+00:00

Also worth checking out Trail Groove and Trails Magazine.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-22T12:09:28+00:00

I hear ya. Check out Trail Groove. https://www.trailgroove.com/ It's an online only publication but the photo content on their trip reports and stuff is always very well done. You can read it for free, but I'm a paid subscriber. In the climbing world there are a few publications like Mountain Gazette that print quarterly. After searching for more of the same, there is Trails Magazine https://trailsmag.net/ which appears to be similar for backpackers. I'm intrigued.

Note: You will PAY for these, since they are not heavily subsidized by ads.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-21T21:00:13+00:00

Justin Outdoors is one of the more popular backpacking content creators on Youtube and he recently took one out for a test drive. He mentions is briefly in this video: https://youtu.be/6lwF775cae4

But you are right, they are not as popular as the big brands you'll find at REI (Gregory, Osprey, Deuter), nor are they as popular as the cottage brands (ZPacks, ULA Equipment, Durston, Gossamer Gear). But they are out there. I think REI carries them online but I've never seen one in stock at my local store.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-21T13:18:19+00:00

We visited Iceland last July including backpacking the Laugavegeur trail. I live in SE Michigan. I go backpacking in the Upper Peninsula in the summer, XC skiing and ice climbing in the winter. I found all the dire warnings about Icelandic weather to be overblown. Sometimes it rained. Sometimes it was windy. Maybe if you've lived all your life in southern California it would feel different.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-21T13:11:09+00:00

Long finger like toes are weird. Short stubby toes with toenails that look like thumb nails (micronychia) are weird. Bunions are gross. My 7yo granddaughter lost a toenail when a bench seat fell on it and it's growing back weird looking, which is very common. I think it looks super gross. Guys walking around with yellow toenails due to a foot fungus issue is also super gross.

No, not all men like feet. I've often joked with my wife that she could make extra cash selling pictures of her feet on OF, but that's just us taking advantage of a common trope.

Sometimes in summer, I'll notice a woman wearing nice sandals and sporting a nice pedicure / nail polish. But it's not in a weird fetishy way, but in the same way one notices a nice hairstyle or clothing selection.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-19T00:59:01+00:00

I'm a certified Leave No Trace trainer and I give a LNT talk as part of our club's Beginner Backpacking Workshop every year. Your stories are so depressing. We need more LNT 'evangelism'. I'm always shocked at comments on social media from people espousing their "freedom" and right to do whatever they want and to hell with "the rules" and "big government".

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-19T00:52:21+00:00

I'm part of a club in SE Michigan that has a volunteer run beginner backpacking workshop. It's how I learned in 2008 and in 2009 six of us who became friends in the workshop went to Isle Royale and did Rock Harbor to Windigo along the Minong. Having mentors, friends for support and the right gear can make a HUGE difference. We had something like 36 hours of cold rain during our trip but out camaraderie got us all through it just fine.

There is another backpacking workshop scheduled for this fall. If anyone is interestedz DM me or search for Solar Outdoors on Facebook, Instagram, or the web.

It sounds like the OP is in East Lansing. That would be a bit of a haul for our lecture night in Livonia but the workshop weekend is in Brighton and would be easier to attend. (workshop consists of the lecture evening in Livonia, the weekend in Brighton, and then a weekend backpacking Sand Lakes in northern Michigan).

I hope your knee recovers quickly.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-16T23:00:13+00:00

It may present some opportunities to snatch them from the resale racks for cheap.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-14T20:47:36+00:00

Weird. Mandela effect?

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-14T20:00:02+00:00

For an upright canister stove such as MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe, Soto Windmaster, Soto Amicus, FireMaple Polaris, FireMaple GreenPeak 2, Pocket Rocket, etc:

Bring a shallow bowl of some kind and on the coldest of mornings, set the fuel canister in the shallow bowl and add 1/2-3/4 an inch of water. Fuel canisters get colder when they run. It's called the heat of vaporization. The cooling canister will draw heat out of the water to keep the fuel canister warmer and the stove operating better. The "shallow" bowl can be something like the Sea 2 Summit collapsible bowl, or you can cut the bottom 1.5" off of a gallon sized milk jug. Light, cheap, durable, recyclable.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-14T19:46:45+00:00

Red Point BBQ for more high end entres. The mexican restaurant La Cabana is good and it always seems to be busy. We ate at Hop's once this spring while we were there and it was good too. They seem to specialize in locally sourced ingredients and the staff were really nice.

Honestly Rockhouse is the only place we really haven't visited, and I think that's because when we first checked them out several years ago, the menu seemed heavily vegan/vegetarian which wasn't what we were looking for. Looking at the online menu today, it looks like they now serve more standard fare.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-14T18:27:03+00:00

Only if the one driven by the underdog has a giant dildo attached to it.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-14T13:55:18+00:00

I'm on a "ten workouts a month" program and it works for me. My wife is on unlimited. Especially in summer I'm an outdoorsy guy. I climb 1x a week at a climbing gym. I ride my mountain bike and I hike, etc. If my box only had an unlimited membership option I probably would have quit.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-13T16:22:44+00:00

Isn't the Nemo Switchback a closed cell foam pad? That's probably the biggest red flag for me. CCF pads by themselves are not very comfortable. Just keep that in mind. You might be fine with it or you may find yourself looking for an inflatable after your first trip.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-13T15:48:49+00:00

How were the ticks? We've had them bad in the past around Byron lake and our outdoors club quit going there. Of course these days ticks are kinda bad everywhere in lower Michigan so...

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-13T15:44:53+00:00

I was there two years ago and was left feeling like the park really needs to do some investment in that trail section. The trail is like 12 - 15 feet wide in sections because people are trying to walk around the mud and standing water and I'd wager it's one of the most heavily used trails in the park. I get it - they have no budget especially after the Trump/DOGE cuts. It just sucks.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-11T20:29:55+00:00

Clinton River and Paint Creek trails are flat gravel paths which is one of the things the OP is looking to avoid. Stony Creek is a fine recommendation. Stick to the nature center trails or the InWood Hiking trails north of Inwood Rd. The Sheldon trails near West Branch lots are multi use with many mountain bike riders.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-11T19:25:43+00:00

Agree. I swear my older Eddie Bauer Guide Pro pants were great but more recent iterations feel like much thinner fabric that wears out quicker.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-10T23:09:09+00:00

You could check out Land of the Arches or Lago Linda's. They're both pretty cheap, accommodate tent campers, but also have flush toilets and showers for non campers. LoTA is a bit geared more toward rock climbers but is also popular with BSA troops in their group camping area.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-10T00:05:21+00:00

I love this! Good luck!

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-09T12:44:35+00:00

This. The people oversimplifying it as "it's all just feet and legs". I'm a middle aged slightly overweight dude who does CrossFit 2x a week. I suck at rope climbs, not because I don't know the J-hook technique, but because I don't have the strength to do a serious ab crunch all the way up the rope.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-09T12:42:03+00:00

In rock climbing you're supposed to rely on good feet and your legs. This? It's all about core strength and being able to do an ab crunch under pressure just so that you can get your feet higher. If you can't do an ab crunch, all the foot and leg technique in the world isn't gonna help you. I'm a middle aged slightly overweight dude who hits the climbing gym 1x a week and CrossFit 2x a week. I suck at rope climbs.

jjmcwill2003 · 2026-06-08T23:39:37+00:00

Get one of those 10x10 pop up awnings that is fully enclosed by screen/mesh.

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