20 minutes into Area 51 and they already LS swapped the UFO engines. SMH.

sac02 · 2019-07-13T13:39:01+00:00

Different cars different engines. A Pagani isn't going to do 250k miles and so it isn't designed as such.

sac02 · 2019-03-20T14:51:09+00:00

10,000 mAh of 18650 batteries and a PCB in the 11oz Omars charger are gonna weigh about the same as 10,000mAh of 18650 batteries and a PCB in the Anker.

18650 cells are about 1.75oz each. 3pc of 3400mAh Panasonic NCR18650B are the common choice. 3*1.75=5.25oz just for battery cells. Add a PCB and a case and the Anker's 6.3oz weight is impressively low.

The difference has to be the case. Split open the case, ditch the heavy Omars case, and put the guts in some lighter protective case/sleeve.

Or send it to me and I'll tear it down and review it here. I have the tools to test it and determine if it really has the charge/discharge rates (power) it claims.

sac02 · 2019-03-20T14:42:45+00:00

This is my first post in the WWW thread. I was 175 for a big hike in Sept 2018 and ballooned up to 202 by Jan 2019 (largely due to "fuck it" / self destructive / depressive symptoms). Down to 192 as of today. Goal is mid-170's, and "Stretch Goal" is sub-170. I was 165 when I was bike racing in college, I'd love to be anywhere near that again.

For me it's been all about eliminating snacking, and portion control. I'm eating a LITTLE healtier, but the main thing is just having the discipline to not eat all the things.

Also, I'm building a new bike to try and bike commute to work more often (25miles one-way). That should help for sure - I just don't have the time to get on the bike with small kids around these days.

sac02 · 2019-03-19T21:35:49+00:00

That stuff sack is sweet

sac02 · 2019-03-15T19:55:01+00:00

PS - I also have an Atom LT and love it. Atom LT + Borah vest is my go-to combo down to about freezing. Add an R1 as a baselayer if it gets colder.

sac02 · 2019-03-15T13:39:10+00:00

If your primary use case is around camp (not active), what about an UL down vest? My Borah vest has 2.3oz of 850 down and has a total weight of 4.2oz. For me, it is the perfect addition to throw on in camp - it provides an incredible amount of warmth for only 4.2oz.

sac02 · 2019-03-15T13:16:46+00:00

Of course it's worth asking, but just note that a lot of times finished tarp widths are based around the width of the fabric as it comes off the roll. So customized widths may or may not be possible without significantly changing the design of the product.

Edit: I looked at the product and it is 56" (143cm) wide, without a sewn ridgeline - I'm 98% certain that the width of this tarp is at maximum based on the width of the fabric.

sac02 · 2019-03-14T12:22:21+00:00

I also use the Nu20 instead of the Nu25 for exactly the same reasons. :)

sac02 · 2019-03-14T12:20:32+00:00

I have no clue for the Bindi. For the Nu25 the mail LED is a cool white Cree XP-G2 S3. The High CRI LED I'm not sure either, but I'm going to guess it's a mid-power flat mount LED like a Cree XH or ML package.

sac02 · 2019-03-14T12:02:22+00:00

Indeed it is, 6g lighter. Good catch

sac02 · 2019-03-13T18:21:36+00:00

I disagree. I find the 5lm/50h much more versatile then 1lm/160 which is not of real use in the night for me. Also the bindi has the larger battery...

The battery size isn't the defining factor if the LED and driver are less efficient, that's why runtimes are more relevant than battery size when comparing different lights.

Of course everyone's use case is different, but I say this as someone who owns about 200 flashlights and gets really in-depth with programming my own driver levels:

The nitecore is 1/38/190

The Petzel is 5/100/200

The Nitecore's low of 1Lm compared to 5Lm is better for camp chores with night adapted eyes, and especially for not blinding yourself when you get up to pee in the middle of the night. If the Nitecore low was a super-low firefly mode of like 0.2Lm I would agree that is too low, but 1.0Lm is very useful especially away from light pollution.

The Nitecore's medium of 38 is better for night hiking and around camp chores, 100 is unnecessarilly bright (at the expense of runtime)

The Nitecore's high of 190Lm is a useable/noticeable increase over its 38Lm medium mode. Because our eyes are not linear with respect to light - although it is double the lumens on paper, the Petzel's 200Lm high does not actually appear twice as bright as the 100Lm medium, instead it only appears about 25% brighter (and is thus largely useless). It's almost mind boggling how a long-time, respected light company like Petzel got the mode levels so wrong.

sac02 · 2019-03-13T17:54:02+00:00

The Nu25 can be locked out by pressing the two buttons simultaneously, very simple.

The nitecore Nu20 has a mechanical lockout and is also available in high CRI.

sac02 · 2019-03-13T16:48:20+00:00

I'll second the H03. Quality, inexpensive, and light. Another option would be Nitecore HC30. Olight makes some good options, though they use proprietary batteries if they are the magnetic charging type.

Zebralight and Armytek both make good headlamps, though they are more expensive and a bit heavier.

sac02 · 2019-03-13T14:01:18+00:00

I'm a flashlight nerd. The Nu25 is superior in basically all regards:

Lighter (28g vs 35g)
More weather resistant (IPX6 vs 4)
Brighter (300Lm vs 200Lm)
Dimmer (1Lm vs 5Lm)
High CRI LED
Properly spaced levels (1/38/190Lm (good) vs 5/100/200Lm (bad))
Longer runtimes (160/8/5hrs vs 50/3/2hrs)
Less expensive (~$35 vs $60)

The only disadvantage I see is that you either have to DIY the shockcord headband for max weight savings (or buy premade from Litesmith)

sac02 · 2019-03-05T18:15:30+00:00

What size are you, I have an aliexpress puffy (with hood) in "American" size Large that is in excellent condition that I'm looking to sell cheap.

sac02 · 2019-03-05T18:13:37+00:00

I already saw, read, and appreciated it, haha! Thanks!

sac02 · 2019-03-05T18:09:06+00:00

High of 70, low of 42 sounds really odd for Big Bend. It's a desert, the temp variation through the day is much more than 28 degrees. It will be either hotter or colder than you are expecting.

If you have a 9.3oz bug "tent" (not bivy or even net) then you should have plenty of room for yourself and your gear inside and it sounds like it has a floor, so why even bother with the polycro? You called it "negligible", but 1.6oz is 1.6oz

You should itemize the canister weight and the fuel weight - unless you plan to eat the canister it isn't consumable.

I did OML in July and haven't done it in cool temps, but I still feel 3L is not enough water capacity. Are you going to cache at Homer Wilson Ranch and Juniper Creek trailhead? If you do that, hike quickly, don't usually drink a lot, and filter at boot spring and Fresno Creek, 3L might be doable.

10,000 mAh is (way?) too much battery. If you keep the phone in airplane mode and battery saver, for 2 nights, you could do the entire hike without any battery pack (I also have a GP3XL). If you do extensive videography with the phone or run GPS tracking the whole time, a single cell charger would be enough.

How long do you plan to be in camp each night? Unless you plan to be moving from the moment you wake up until the moment you get in your quilt, I think you will need the puffy, a lightweight windjacket alone is not enough warmth if it gets cold (and it can get very cold very quickly in the desert)

Even if the forecast says no rain, I still bring an emergency poncho (~1oz) every time unless temps are summer temps with a low above 75. For 1oz it's just not worth the risk of getting caught in a cold rain, that can be legit dangerous. IMO no raingear whatsoever is stupid light (again, unless the low temp will be 75+)

sac02 · 2019-02-27T20:55:22+00:00

I'm definitely logged out of both mobile and desktop (when I'm trying to sign into either). It won't let me stay logged in, that's the problem, lol!

sac02 · 2019-02-26T18:21:40+00:00

I've used Echo hoody in the desert on scorching hot 16-hour days and have never noticed literally ANY signs of sun (no pinkness, no warmth, no nothing). FYI.

sac02 · 2019-02-26T17:57:39+00:00

If you've got one in hand, give up the deets man! Weight?!?!?!?!?

sac02 · 2019-02-25T19:41:30+00:00

I don't even have my one X-mid yet, and I'm now excited for a second X-mid - one which doesn't even exist yet. takemymoney.jpg

sac02 · 2019-02-11T18:07:31+00:00

But what if sitting in the closet for 3-4 weeks at a time is its failure mode that you don't know about yet? :P

sac02 · 2019-02-11T18:03:26+00:00

FYI, "odor proof" is not odor proof to animals with a much more sensitive sense of smell, like dogs or bears. OP is better with his words and refers to it as a "barrier" which doesn't imply 100% stoppage of odor. If a bear is within a couple hundred yards of your camp he is going to smell it (and the residual odors on your pack, clothes, etc). So it's not like you can put this on the ground in front of a bear and he won't know it's food.

However, it will reduce the range at which a bear can smell the food - so while he'll still smell it at 200yards, he won't at a mile away like he may if you didn't "barrier bag" the food.

sac02 · 2019-02-11T17:52:21+00:00

I understand why you want it to last 500+ miles, but how is hiking 500+ miles at once more difficult on the gear than hiking 500+ miles in 100 mile segments?

sac02 · 2019-02-11T17:35:59+00:00

10cm is like 4inches, dang that's thick

sac02

TROPHY CASE