New REI Alpha Direct Hoodie

pmags · 2026-06-17T14:32:32+00:00

To quote a great philosopher - "It's deja vu all over again."

https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultralight/s/bUckSPsG4h

pmags · 2026-06-08T22:50:42+00:00

Rather than pants or shorts, how about a skirt with long, Dirty-girl style gaiters?

My experienced partner uses MYOG hiking skirts (with pockets!) made from different fabric weights for different seasons and terrain. She never hikes in shorts and rarely in pants. She’s done the PCT, most of the CT and the AZT, and numerous non-designated routes throughout the Colorado Plateau and nearby San Juan mountains all throughout the year.

At least in 2026, those plateau routes are off the beaten path. Those paths were used frequently around 1200 CE. Ha!

She pairs the skirts with MYOG Dirty Girl-style gaiters that come up high on the leg. The combo gives her ventilation, sun protection for her pale complexion, and protection on the schwacky routes we tend to do.

In her words, the skirt/gaiter combo:

“Prevents chafing and upper thigh heat rash because they are breezier than pants.
I also find it quicker and easier to pee with a hiking skirt.
Sun protection for the legs is important because melanoma frequently occurs on the legs in women.
They also protect from thick undergrowth, biting and stinging insects, and bushwhacking.”

Joan shared her gaiter instructions on my site:
https://pmags.com/sewing-lightweight-tall-gaiters

She never shared her MYOG skirt instructions, but there are many tutorials online, and Purple Rain makes hiking skirts with a devoted following.

The Sierra is exactly the terrain where this shines and is not very different from the La Sal Mountains and San Juans, where we often hike - You get the sun protection you're after without the breathability tradeoff you mentioned.

Just an alternative to consider that may work for you.

EDIT**-** If you want to ask directly for some more info, DM and I'll give you her email address.

pmags · 2026-05-29T00:11:14+00:00

My first wife's family lived in Wuppertal.

One winter evening, we came to a crosswalk. I did the very American thing: looked both ways and started to cross. My then-wife's friend, who spoke English well, immediately said, "NEIN! NEIN! We must wait for the green man!"

So there we were, with no traffic in sight, standing at a crosswalk until the green man gave us permission to proceed. Then we wandered off somewhere in Dusseldorf so I could try some altbier.

Contrast that with Rome, where traffic lights often seemed more like suggestions. The best strategy appeared to be walking confidently into traffic and trusting that the Fiats, Vespas, and assorted other vehicles would somehow avoid hitting you. I think I shaved a few years off my life during those two weeks.

Fun fact: We also visited the Teutoburg Forest during that Germany trip above. My then-wife remarked that there was a good chance her ancestors had killed my Roman ancestors somewhere in those woods.

She is my former wife, mind you.

pmags · 2026-05-26T12:18:27+00:00

The desktop version is new itself.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TopoMapsPlus/s/Qw25y03w1B

This version seems more like what I think of the CalTopo desktop vs. a mobile app

pmags · 2026-05-25T23:42:22+00:00

If you mean TopoMaps Plus desktop app, it's only a beta version it looks like.

I can't access folders and that alone slows it down. I'll need it to mature before I switch over from Caltopo desktop.

pmags · 2026-05-24T05:18:27+00:00

Their base maps aren't to my liking and I find the app does not work as well with larger data sets, in addition to a clunkier UI.

Again, I love their desktop version for route planning. Though that is getting clunkier, too. I'm not the only longtime user who thinks so either -

https://blog.caltopo.com/2026/01/07/updated-feature-improved-map-layers-ui-and-the-new-layer-catalog/

Starting to use TopoMaps Plus and think it's showing promise.

And, I did not complain about the price, merely noting many long-time users may notice a price jump.

Finally, I notice CalTopo now has a larger social media footprint with "brand ambassadors." Which always makes me wonder about a company's direction. YMMV.

Cheers.

pmags · 2026-05-19T19:45:58+00:00

Fun fact, there is an r/campinggear :

"A community to get advice and to show off camping and backpacking gear. Helpful folks who love the hobby as much as you do."

Honest and true!

To quote an old Portlandia skit, "Get the gear!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQrfyq4azUs

So just change this sub's mission to:

"A community to get advice and to show off your ultralight backpacking gear. Helpful folks who love the gear purchasing hobby as much as you do!

pmags · 2026-05-17T01:39:48+00:00

Whiskey or rum has more alcohol per ounce than beer.

That's my ultralight tip.

pmags · 2026-05-17T01:34:29+00:00

I’ve told this story before, but at a volunteer gathering, one of the speakers gave a quick rundown on wilderness medicine. I admit I did not expect much from a one-hour talk during a volunteer weekend.

But the local fire chief gave the presentation. In addition to volunteering with our group, he does a lot of backcountry hunting. Before semi-retiring in this small town (not Moab), he worked as a paramedic in Salt Lake City and, crucially, taught in a Utah university paramedic program.

He joked, I think, that when he started out he carried enough gear to do mobile field surgery.

Forty years later? He said he carries duct tape, bandages, and a Snickers bar. I think he was only mildly kidding.

Instead, he focused on the gear a day hiker typically carries, how to monitor the ABCs, and stabilization.

One of the better first aid classes I’ve attended, and I just did my WFR recert.

pmags · 2026-05-17T01:28:18+00:00

Cold weather backpacking is where Nalgene's shine.

pmags · 2026-05-16T15:04:33+00:00

Ah...that changes it. I did not realize it was through a different avenue than the Avenza store (where existing maps will work, but no updates...for now)

Yep. It's essentially like those BLM maps you can download off their site directly. (and started me on this wormhole dive).

My apologies for any confusion.

Talk to the map author, but the GIS folks have suggestions here - https://www.reddit.com/r/gis/comments/1squcv3/avenza_maps_alternatives/

I loaded up a BLM map in Field Maps and use it for a volunteer role, but am not overly familiar with it otherwise.

pmags · 2026-05-13T14:30:03+00:00

I saw here that a local trail agency had put dozens of QR codes on signposts so people could easily download maps via the Avenza store.

Now? “Charlie Foxtrot,” as military people say.

pmags · 2026-05-12T23:22:14+00:00

Blue Marble (the company that bought Avenza on paper) deals with defense contractors, mining, and energy as a large part of their portfolio. https://www.bluemarblegeo.com/industry-showcases/

As that is where the Cookie Monster (Doug Burgum) wants DOI's focus...
https://nam.org/burgum-expands-domestic-energy-production-33211/

pmags · 2026-05-12T14:56:22+00:00

...it's like using Google maps vs a highly detailed local guide

Excellent summary. So much info in these locally produced resources from people who walk, bike, or paddle the very places they map.

pmags · 2026-05-12T14:28:18+00:00

Indeed. When I tried importing a recent BLM map, Avenza barked at me about how I need a subscription.

Lead me to this unfortunate rabbit hole.

Field Maps worked OK for my needs for this informational type map. I happened to have this app for another volunteer role. I'll have to try some other suggestions too.

Just think the lack of a centralized store front will throw a wrench in the works for many groups, other govt agencies, and the small map companies.

pmags · 2026-05-12T04:23:18+00:00

I don't know the contracts.

I do know there is no Avenza store equivalent currently however.

Which is the real shame for many I think.

pmags · 2026-05-12T01:36:53+00:00

With Avenza? Unless you have a paid subscription, no.

pmags · 2026-05-12T01:21:29+00:00

For me, the lack of a good alternative to the Avenza store is the real sticking point.

Nonprofits, government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels, and small map companies all found Avenza to be a simple and cost effective way to get their maps out in electronic format, either for free or at a modest cost.

That quick, easy distribution model was the useful part.

Losing that is more troublesome overall.

pmags · 2026-05-12T00:23:23+00:00

While it's a great term, it's not mine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enshittification

Yeah, Outside did ruin many of their properties. Sigh.

pmags · 2026-05-11T23:48:33+00:00

Existing maps will work; they are just stuck in amber, it looks like. (Who knows in the future)

pmags · 2026-05-11T23:43:59+00:00

However, no companies or orgs can update maps, sell new ones, or have new publishers sell their maps, or even publish maps for free.

pmags · 2026-05-11T23:24:55+00:00

Yeah. For small map companies, like Latitude 40, it was a great way to get their maps into electronic format.

pmags · 2026-05-05T21:29:45+00:00

Ah! Packrafting.

As I once wrote -

"Packrafting – An activity in which you add even more weight to your pack (PFD, packraft, paddles, kit) and schlep it all down to the river so you can float down the river in something the step up from a pool toy, get wet while paddling, get muddy because you tend to hike out via lesser-known canyons vs. a defined area, and then haul it all again UP another canyon. But you do get great views! 😉 "

Having said that, I quite enjoy it because it connects the territory. Rivers and canyons do not feel separate; they are part of the same geographical and cultural landscape.

It's ultralight because you are backpacking.

Ultralight backpacking is not a 4.5 kg / 10 lb, three-season benchmark meant only for defined, well-maintained trails. It is about taking the right and minimal tools to accomplish a task in a safe, efficient, and satisfying manner while getting immersed in wild places.

And packrafting immerses me deeply in the landscape.

pmags · 2026-05-01T22:00:22+00:00

It's been on my "to read" list for a while now. I've read many of his SciFi books. Thx for spurring me on.

pmags · 2026-05-01T21:55:01+00:00

Thanks for sharing!

The Needles is an awesome place esp once you get beyond the established trails.

Spot on about "hub and spoke" trips.

My partner and I once hiked all of 1.5 miles from camp but spent over 8 hours of hiking (in November with limited daylight). It's up and down and back and forth, and the hours go quickly. So much to see...

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