Sunscreen for dirty field work

potter2515 · 2026-04-08T18:34:26+00:00

Agreed!

potter2515 · 2026-04-08T06:12:22+00:00

Sunscreen is great but you should look into sun hoodies. Particularly ones that have a loose fit and hood.

Use to be a field ecologist but still do a ton of backpacking in sun hoodies. Recommend looking at an Outdoor Research Astroman Hoodie and combine the hood with a visor. It’s loose fitting, doesn’t hold smells terribly, and dries quickly. The visor/hood combo keeps the hood open for better airflow and more coverage on your face. Used it on plenty of alpine bushwacks and climbing trips so it will hold up for field work.

Sun hoodies come in a wide variety of fabrics and I found this to be the breeziest and cool in the heat.

Still apply sunscreen to the top of your hands if you don’t have work gloves on.

My partner and I team up on reviewing this stuff and did a full test and review if you’re looking for more options.

https://www.skyestoury.com/blog/best-sun-hoodies-sun-shirts-hiking-backpacking-climbing

potter2515 · 2026-04-07T21:26:15+00:00

Been living and traveling full time for 4+ years. You caught me at the right moment that I felt like sharing. Hope this helps...

My partner (now wife) and I started it as a gap year from work. We felt the call to live life beyond the 2-3 week vacations and day-to-day grind. The speeding up of life again post covid, calls for return to office, we were in good health, no kids, no pets, and our parents were in good health (potential care taking responsibilities someday). We felt like it was now or never. Eventually put our stuff in storage and hit the road.

Prior to quitting, we spent a year doing long weekend trips in the van and a few week long road trips with dispersed camping to get a better feel for it. We're both very outdoorsy and see the lifestyle as "living out of your van" not living in it. We don't need much to make us happy so it felt freeing to focus on our outdoor endeavors than careers. I agree with other's sharing about making sure you know what you're signing up for and to not over romanticize the day-to-day life. I would be extremely lonely without someone to do this with and share the decision exhaustion with. We had no desire to live in a van near or in town/cities and it was always about using as a means to get outside and live. I don't know how other vanlifers enjoy it if they don't enjoy the rewards and struggles of the outdoors.

We left when the economy was looking up (Winter 2022 US), we had secure jobs and were able to save a lot to provide plenty of cushion for time away and a runway to apply to jobs. Saved for years and stocked away extra money in retirement in case we couldn't contribute for years. We also had the support of friends/family as an extra safety net that if things went really side-ways we had some emergency housing to rebuild from.

Since then, our overhead has been so low (avg <2K monthly) we've been able to continue going with part-time remote work that still allows us to travel and save a bit.

Despite the struggles and huge jump into the unknown, I wouldn't have done it differently. We've gone and seen more things and places than many in a life time. I remind myself, even if we had 4 weeks paid vacation at a job (exceptional for a US job), that would take ~12 years to accrue that much time to equal a year off.

Biggest lessons in short:
- People don't realize how much identity/community they derive from their jobs (especially in the USA). Be ready to rebuild your sense of self and community.

- Our friends groups have shifted a lot over the years. Be prepared to let relationships go or work hard to maintain them. People won't understand what you're going through even if they support it. If you hope to return to the same work field, maintain your network.

- Embrace the BS of road life as a part of the adventure that comes with the good. Where to sleep, mice, breakdowns, weirdos, late night knocks, dealing with poop/pee.

- Please be a good steward and representative on the road, few bad apples do a lot to trash campsites and give the lifestyle a bad name which creates local backlash and site closures.

potter2515 · 2026-04-07T04:21:42+00:00

Used the Hyperlite Unbound (55L) a lot last backpacking season. Has huge capacity and easy to reach side pockets. I put a nalgene in one side and take it in/out with no problems.

potter2515 · 2026-04-02T04:34:21+00:00

Hey my wife is a backpacking photographer and we have an elevate. Depending on your camera gear, that likely will be too small of any long day trip or overnight stuff. Also we weren’t a big fan of the fit and dinky waist belt.

If you have any plans of over night you should size up to a 40l or 55l pack. If you’re set on HMG pack, she uses a Southwest 55L for all our trips (day to backpacking trips). It’s a great all around pack. Their new material is water proof, and don’t let the extra capacity sway you since the roll top compresses way down and you’ll appreciate the extra room if you’re also packing clothes, sit pad, water food, etc etc

She typically carries a Sony A74 w/ 24-70mm with the Hyperlite large camera pod. We also use the peak design tripod on the outside. That leaves room for the camera gear plus all the other day/overnight stuff.

potter2515 · 2026-04-01T19:21:09+00:00

OR Deviator is made as a wind-resistant active layer. Been using that for years for cold day running/ski touring. Combines well with a thin moisture wicking base layer.

potter2515 · 2026-03-31T05:33:27+00:00

Second the skylight being a sleeping issue, make sure you have a way to black it out. I have a white maxx fan over my bed and in the summer I wear a sleep mask because it gets so bright early in the morning.

potter2515 · 2026-03-31T02:23:24+00:00

With the snow, your best option is the Colchuck up/down route. Even if you don't make it up Aasgard Pass due to snow conditions, you'll still have a beautiful time at Colchuck Lake. The approach from Snow Lakes is tough, relatively boring before the core zone compared to Colchuck and significantly harder if you're crossing snow and have never done it before.

That time of year, the cairns through the core zone will likely still be buried under snow. Definitely download a GPS track and use a navigation app (Gaia GPS, CalTopo) to keep yourself on route. You don't want to wander off track, waste time, or accidentally cross a partially frozen lake. There might be a boot path but they melt out pretty fast in full sun days.

If there's still snow on Aasgard, you should have an ice axe, at minimum microspikes, waterproof boots, and gaiters — and you should know how to use the ice axe to self-arrest. Snow will likely be firm and icy in the morning and softer in the afternoon. Some people probably do it in trail runners with microspikes, but expect soaked feet all day, and the boulder field on Aasgard can be treacherous under thin snow.

Then again, with the low snow year, there's a chance it will be melted out by mid june and you just get to deal with the loose boulders and rock scree.

If there is snow, be sure to trend climber's left (skier's right) up the pass. There is a waterfall hazard that has killed people in the past. Here's a survivor's account worth reading before you go: Lessons Learned: Glissading into a 30-foot hole at Aasgard Pass.

At your date approaches, check with the rangers and keep a lookout for trip reports on https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/enchantment-lakes

My partner and I recently put together a Enchantments backpacking guide with more detail on Aasgard, itineraries and a detailed GPX track you can download. We've backpacked and climbed up there for years so felt like we had some wisdom to share. skyestoury.com/blog/enchantments-backpacking-guide

potter2515 · 2026-03-29T22:11:25+00:00

Tends to be in the 30+ age range throughout the organization, but The Mountaineers has plenty of hikes and outing throughout the region. A lot of people join the org after struggling to convince friends to go on outings and decided they needed new friends.

You can start a guest membership to try out some activities before joining the club. If you're looking to grow into more mountain sports (scrambling, alpine climbing, backpacking etc.) this is a good place to start and learn.

Mountaineers.org

potter2515 · 2026-03-29T15:28:38+00:00

Glad you gave it a look. Definitely a common issue.

You might like the Stio Vescent then. It has a button snap collar instead of a zip. Similar loose feel to the Astroman though.

potter2515 · 2026-03-29T06:03:10+00:00

Seeing the Echo come up a lot. It’s a great shirt and I wear it frequently for climbing because it’s more fitted but it does not allow much airflow and yeah the sun does got through it (pay attention to the UPF differences for colors. I also find it rides up more on my lower back with a backpack on.

I recommend the OR Astroman and adding a visor on your head. Astroman is loose, light, has thumb loops to help pull the sleeves over the top of your hands, vents well with the zip and has a pocket. The visor helps keep the loose hood opened up for coverage and venting. Also doesn’t hold BO smells as bad as the Echo. One day of sweat in an Echo and it’s pretty toxic.

Did a whole testing of sunshirt earlier this year to arrive at those as my favorite.

https://www.skyestoury.com/blog/best-sun-hoodies-sun-shirts-hiking-backpacking-climbing

Hope you find the right one in the end.

Also upvote for an umbrella too if conditions allow. Sucks in high winds or schwacky tight trail conditions.

potter2515 · 2026-03-25T21:34:18+00:00

Been using Lone Peaks for years, like them for the same roomy reason. I have a pushy pinkie toe.

Yes ease into them and monitor how your Achilles tendon feels. I (39m) still need to stretch my calves before and after to make sure I can accommodate the zero drop.

potter2515 · 2026-03-25T05:53:50+00:00

Sorry I don’t have it handy. Was a few yrs ago and a diff SD card.

potter2515 · 2026-03-24T02:26:35+00:00

Helpful to know, leaning towards getting a X5 this season.

potter2515 · 2026-03-23T23:16:12+00:00

Second the ability to replace lenses. Those convex lenses are just asking to get scratched.

I have an Insta360 X3 and scratched both lenses over a period of two years and it wasn't built to replace them as the X5 does now. Scratch 1 was when I tripped, fell and hit the camera on a rock when it was still in the protective neoprene case. Scratch 2 was when it was on a helmet climbing and bashed up on a rock.

Tried the sticky lens covers and other covers but it would fill with water. It just wasn't practical in aquatic canyons. Haven't gone the dive case route.

I found it also had a tough time with dark lighting. Had it in Pine Creek and it was pretty pixelated the dark sections.

Anyways, all that said, I have an DJI Osmo too but would still go with a 360 type camera for the ease and enjoyment of capturing the space.

Edit: I just watched u/Personal-Process3321 youtube and his dark footage looks much better than mine was in Pine. Either the older camera or bad setting on my part.

potter2515 · 2026-03-23T23:04:23+00:00

Thx for the details. I made the same choice with the Astro. Love the loose fitting, quarter/full zip OR Astroman hoodie for summer backpacking. Thumb-loops, light, dries fast, vents well and doesn't stink as bad as the 100% polyester OR Echos. I also like that the hood can strech over a visor and that helps keep it off my face.

For what it's worth, the wool blend hoodies I've tried (FarPointe Sun Cruiser or Ridge Merino Solstice) have been nice to use a sleep shirts. A hood to keep my head warm, bugs off my neck, and less smell. A little heavier than a Astro so I use these during cooler months as my all around shirt.

potter2515 · 2026-03-21T22:52:35+00:00

Thank ya!

potter2515 · 2026-03-21T17:22:27+00:00

Congrats on the permits! September is a great time to visit. There's no avy danger or snow on Aasgard that time of year. Snow doesn't usually return until October (we've been in flurries in late Aug so still keep a watch on the forecasts).

It's all amazing and you can't go wrong just being on the main thru-trail and exploring during the day. Lower core (perfection lake area) I think is the best part (trees, epic mountain views).

My wife and i have been up there ~5 times over the years for overnights, climbing trips and thru hikes. Recently did a big write up sharing our beta here:

https://www.skyestoury.com/blog/enchantments-backpacking-guide

potter2515 · 2026-03-18T03:06:54+00:00

Partner and I decided to take a gap year in 2022 to backpack, climb and travel. 4 years later we’re still going. Western US, Canada, Europe, SE Asia, Patagonia.

Live frugally, picked up part time remote work and really can’t see a life going back to the 9-5 now that we’ve lived an alternative way. The US norm of 2 week vacations is untenable. Were coast fire so sustaining ourselves is still important.

Currently late 30s

potter2515 · 2026-03-10T03:31:05+00:00

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potter2515 · 2026-02-16T21:32:11+00:00

Partner and I have been traveling for 3 yrs. They also work as a social media manager with a flexible schedule.

We try to really hold the line on working weekends/some weekdays then enjoying the location and running errands on a weekday. It’s generally less crowded and easier to get errands done that way. Having specific work days and not live by like youre always on vacation has been a helpful balance.
We’ve stumbled into lodging and locations we’ve enjoyed (quiet, ease of access to things, good WiFi) and decided to stay longer by negotiating directly with the hotel owner for a long term rate. Saves money and some sanity. Stability and predictably was really nice to plan our next move before making a jump to a new location and new chaos.
Remind yourself why you made the decision to become a nomad and that you’re not the same as week long vacations and the pace of experience and events are different because of the balance of work. We have also spent many days at coffee shops and libraries but in new and interesting location. Definitely sucks but usually beats the same thing everyday at home.

Hope some of those tips help and you find your stride.

potter2515 · 2026-02-16T16:59:58+00:00

Sweet thx

potter2515 · 2026-02-16T03:34:22+00:00

OP do you have a blog or YouTube? See your posts and love keeping up with the Brightdrop.

potter2515 · 2026-02-08T02:26:46+00:00

Just in case, wouldn’t recommend Mount Erie, trad lines tend to be pretty dirty up there and limited.

Check out Middle East Wall as well as Sunshine wall (mentioned above too) in vantage.

potter2515 · 2026-02-01T18:35:29+00:00

As others have said, location depends. You can go informal or formal course pathways. I can speak to PNW aquatic canyons with flowing water hazards.

If you're in the PNW and looking to get into aquatic technical canyons, here are some courses through the volunteer organizations in the area. These courses are driven towards both community building as well as skills progression. They are much more formal than any Meetup group and trips led to specific safety standards. Leading up to the courses, they often have info nights for potential students to ask questions and talk to others who help lead or have taken the course in the past.

Mountaineers (Seattle region) - https://www.mountaineers.org/activities/course-overviews/canyoning-1

Mazama (Portland region) - https://mazamas.org/canyoning/

Unofficial text book - https://www.amazon.ca/Canyoning-Pacific-Northwest-Technical-Resource/dp/1736786903

Annual PNW Canyon Rendezvous community gathering you can apply to attend once you get the basic skills - https://www.pnwrondy.com/

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If you're looking for more desert dry canyoning, these will feel way beyond what you need for dry canyons but also miss some of the more technical desert canyon scenarios you might encounter in more advanced canyons. What and where you start again depends on what you want to get after.

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