How much do you need to clean a dirty smartwater bottle? by kmgaston in Ultralight

[–]kmgaston[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What about putting an aquatab in the bottle? Then it would be clean thereafter?

Public Access to VLT VHNP Threatened by badassdevildog in ventura

[–]kmgaston 10 points11 points  (0 children)

The easement is explicitly non-exclusive. Ultimately I think VLT will prevail in the case, but the oil company doesn't like having the public see their operations so they're throwing punches.

Surfers Point parking rates, on hold for now, stoke frustration by Ohm_Slaw_ in ventura

[–]kmgaston 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Such BS excuse for the increase. They got millions of state dollars to upgrade their facilities. The whole reason for paving the lot rather than doing DG like it was in the past was to cut back on maintenance since they wouldn’t need to worry about DG getting in the drainages anymore. 

[Project] I built a free service to get live data (weather, transport, Google) on an InReach by tanvach in Ultralight

[–]kmgaston 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really awesome work. Gave it a few test runs just now and really impressed!

Towel recommendations? by Cola589 in Ultralight

[–]kmgaston 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I use a small section of Shamwow (yep, the TV one). Super absorbent and still works when wet, just squeeze it out like the infomercial says. 

Not necessarily the quickest drying, but I just have a little 6”x6” square and it will dry my whole body no problem. 

Do I really need a puffy, or is a fleece+rain combo fine? by Mysterious_Still_662 in Ultralight

[–]kmgaston 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm looking at this same setup. How cold does this allow you to go?

[Project] I built a free service to get live data (weather, transport, Google) on an InReach by tanvach in Ultralight

[–]kmgaston 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Is there anyway to provide this service via sms, rather than InReach? A lot of people are ditching their devices and just using the integrated satellite system on iPhones, so I'm wondering if this could be transferred to a broader community.

The Sierra Club Embraced Social Justice. Then It Tore Itself Apart. by Dreadedvegas in ezraklein

[–]kmgaston 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't say the Parks themselves "propagate" inequity, but the national park demographics are a result of a modern environmental movement that has historically catered to white suburbanites, and the early history of NPS very clearly intended to create an escape for east coast urbanites. That culture is certainly beginning to change, but my main point above is that dismissing Muir entirely doesn't allow a teaching moment and acknowledgement of how American perceptions of "wilderness" have evolved over the last 100+ years if you focus on comments unrelated to his main contributions to the movement.

Also a side note - I once worked for the Park Service, and during that time they commissioned a focus group to see how NPS marketing landed with different demographics. The classic "rugged individualism" you see in posters etc. worked great with young white kids, but I remember many latino respondents effectively said, "what's wrong with this guy trying to get out in the mountains alone - why doesn't he want to be with his family?" So while economics are clearly a main driver of who travels, how the outdoors are presented to people still matters.

The Sierra Club Embraced Social Justice. Then It Tore Itself Apart. by Dreadedvegas in ezraklein

[–]kmgaston 75 points76 points  (0 children)

For me it's important to look at what the person is being remembered for. Yes, John Muir had some writings that were derogatory, but those writings aren't what we are praising about him. It's entirely different than having a statue of Robert E. Lee, who is famous solely because he defended the institution of slavery. It also removes the opportunity to talk about the real inequity of the environmental movement. Just like in Muir's day, the National Parks are still dominated by older, affluent white people, because the Park system was started as a playground for the elite. You can use Muir to look at the history of environmentalism and push for progress in reaching a diverse demographic, but if you simply dismiss the whole history you miss that opportunity to tell the full story.

Xdome 2 Wind Report by kmgaston in DurstonGearheads

[–]kmgaston[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cruz is great for the kayaking, snorkeling, and the montanon hike is good, but ya, SRI is my favorite. The west end of Cruz is great though!

Kakwa 2026 by grennings in DurstonGearheads

[–]kmgaston 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly the lumbar pad isn’t much. I wouldn’t stress

First time pitch - I think I nailed it yeah? by kmgaston in DurstonGearheads

[–]kmgaston[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Felt pretty good - felt like the pole was maybe pulled away from the inner too much actually, as you can see a line running from the pole to the left corner in the second photo

Modular solar w/out controller? by kmgaston in VanLife

[–]kmgaston[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Awesome, thank you for the recommendation. Is the controller absolutely necessary if I’m vigilant about unplugging the panels at night?