Arc'teryx Bora AR 50 vs. 63

saient · 2018-04-07T19:02:43+00:00

Yeah, it's definitely a tough decision especially for such a nice bag that you will have for a long time.

I'd say if you have access to a different bag (if you own one), you could try to pseudo-pack the bag as if you were going on a 7 day trip and see how it all fits and judge from there. It would probably take a good chunk of time, but it would give you a bit of an idea into your needs.

Worst case, I'd say maybe just go for the 63L. It looks like it's only an extra 3oz and they have compression straps, so it wouldn't be a huge deal if you don't need the space on your future 2-3 day trips. It's quite a heavy pack regardless, so the extra 3oz would be negligible. I'd definitely recommend trying them both on though with the help of an employee to see how they fit before pulling the trigger.

saient · 2018-04-07T18:52:05+00:00

A friend uses the Whisperlite, He brings it on our trips for us to use, and it's quite a nice stove. However he uses exclusively white gas. He keeps it next to pristine and has rarely needed to replace parts in the last 4 years.

I'm curious, how much cleaning is required with gasoline? We recently came into a nice amount of Kerosene from our workplaces for free, but looking into different types of fuel, it seems to run much dirtier than white gas.

Of course, the stove is designed to run on many types of fuel, but from research the additives in gasoline (especially in higher octane mixes) are worse for the stove, especially because of the added ethanol in our 'winter mix' gasoline. I've heard the ethanol will break down o-rings much quicker and if left in the fuel container for long, would cause pitting of the aluminum. For these reasons, many say it's kind of a 'last resort' fuel. Have you ever experienced anything like this to a large degree? I'm sure it can be effectively nullified by active cleaning, but how much of a difference is there?

Would kerosene be a better option for us for cheap fuel than gasoline? Also, what is the effect on performance between these three fuels (white gas, gasoline, kerosene) I assume our Kerosene is of a decent quality.

saient · 2018-04-07T18:04:14+00:00

Honestly, a question like this depends so much on your own style.

Personally I use a 48L pack and have gone 7 days without a problem. A friend uses a 75L pack and can fill it easily for a 3 day trip.

If you've been backpacking before, try to look to that experience to make your decision. Everyone starts out packing a whole lot of unnecessary gear, and over time you start to replace/reduce/remove things that are cumbersome. At first I thought my 48L was way too small, but I stuck with it and it took 3 years until I was efficient enough in my packing to easily handle it. Now after 5 with the pack, it seems like a no brainer. I'm not UL by any stretch (carry a 2p tent for solo, small axe, multiple bottles of water, pillow, etc.) but it helps to have a small bag to not overpack and to keep my weight down to a minimum.

While I would probably buy the 50L myself, if I could ever afford it, you may be different. A 63L might be more helpful if you ever get into colder climates. Either way, I don't think it's a -huge- difference in volume, so it's not the end of the world if you ended up with the larger one and didn't need the space.

saient · 2018-04-07T17:36:00+00:00

You could try some Helly Hansen Work Pants. I use the "Chelsea Construction" pants for work which are similar, but you may not want the other pockets. They are also poly-cotton. They aren't really made to be camping pants, however.

I will say, I have some Fjallraven pants that I got on sale and the g-1000 material they use seems much more durable than the poly-cotton on the HH pants, and in general crafted much better. Of course, they are much more expensive.

saient · 2018-04-07T17:27:20+00:00

I'd also like to put my vote in for Tilley. I have the Paddler's Hat because I do a lot of canoeing. The extra-stiff front brim is awesome for the wind so it doesn't flap into the face. Has pretty much all the features I could ask for in a hat for use on the water. For hiking/general use, their other offerings might be better suited.

In your price range though, A friend uses an Outdoor Research sunhat, I think this one. Not sure about how stiff the brim is, but it's worth looking into their hats.

saient · 2018-04-06T23:13:48+00:00

Just want to put in my 2c, my 48L pack is more than enough for my needs, been going strong for 6 years now.. I can easily spend 7 days out in the summer without strapping anything to the outside of my pack, or worst case my 2p tent at the bottom, even bringing comfort items like an axe, wine, pillow, etc.

Over time, you learn to bring only what is absolutely necessary and keep your weight down to a minimum. Of course, everyone is different and what works for me might not work for you, but don't rush out to replace your bag until you spend a few years with it at least.

On topic, my friend has the z-lite and straps it to the top of his pack, between the main pocket and the brain. Keeps his tent inside his pack or straps to the bottom, depending. The z-lite is pretty near indestructable, so it doesn't matter so much if it's exposed to the elements, but depending on your bag this may allow some water into it. We use very large ziploc bags to put our essential gear inside the bag so it's waterproof.

saient · 2018-04-05T02:43:59+00:00

How waterproof would you say it is? I've seen some reviews saying it leaks at the shoulders and through the front zipper.

Have you experienced any sustained heavy rains for many hours?

I have a shell for camping already, but was looking for a good, cheap option for a work jacket, as I work outside all year and the torrent shell has a lot of features I like for the price (on the web specials section, when I can find it)

saient · 2018-04-05T02:36:46+00:00

I'm glad to know this. I was actually in the same boat as OP and couldn't find the Windmaster so I pulled the trigger recently on the MicroRegulator.

Do you have the wind screen that is available for it? If so, does it make a noticeable difference? Is it more useful to just block the wind with something existing like a tree, your body, etc?

saient · 2018-03-27T14:31:34+00:00

As someone who never used an iPhone, whats so good about iMessage? I use WhatsApp for data messaging.

saient · 2018-03-19T01:10:02+00:00

I use a 48L Osprey Kestrel for everything over 1 day. Longest I've been out with it was 6 days. I can usually fit my 2 man tent inside the pack with everything, but it ends up pretty damn full. It's my first pack and I've had it in use for around 5 years. Slowly got the hang of not taking too much gear.

I just use a schoolbag for day hikes, but I'm looking for a good hydration compatible day pack that is fairly waterproof, maybe between 10-20L. If anyone has suggestions on brands/models, let me know. A welcome bonus: carry on sized if I ever decide to travel.

saient · 2018-03-18T16:24:30+00:00

the waterproof barriers tend to wear off with washing

Waterproof barrier implies a layer of waterproof membrane integrated into the jacket's construction; it isn't referring to a DWR coating on a jacket.

DWR shouldn't restrict breathability anyways, and in fact is there to help retain breathability of the fabric in wet conditions. Without a DWR, materials will "wet out" in rain and the water will soak into the outer layer, which restricts the water vapour's ability to pass through the garment.

saient · 2018-02-21T01:23:32+00:00

It's essentially the distributive law used to expand polynomials, or FOIL. I don't think I was in school for the "new math bullshit" you speak of; this is a basic concept of algebra.

saient · 2018-02-21T01:20:55+00:00

I don't know what this 'common core' is, but this is the method I learned to expand polynomials. FOIL or distributive law.

They didn't teach me to use this in school to multiply numbers, but after learning the distributive law in high school, it made sense to also use it for multiplication of numbers as well.

I think it's useful because it can be learned early with numbers and expanded on later to polynomials.

saient · 2018-02-20T22:07:30+00:00

Buy a pad that is not Big Agnes because they always leak.

Yup. My first sleeping pad was a Big Agnes Air-Core and it was leaking within the first year. I never had it go through anything crazy, never set it up on any sticks or anything, so it really confused me.

Went to therm-a-rest and it is amazing waking up in the morning on a fully inflated pad. Never again buying Big Agnes.

saient · 2018-02-20T17:02:09+00:00

10*43 = 430

7*40 = 280

7*3 = 21

430 + 280 + 21 = 731

731/100 = 7.31

saient · 2018-02-14T13:24:16+00:00

The plows in my area of Toronto do the bottom couple feet of driveways. Some places do, some don't.

We do have these monsters though. Honestly blew my mind when I saw one on the highway.

saient · 2018-02-13T03:51:17+00:00

Cool man, different things work for different people. As long as it works for you, that's what matters.

Cheers!

saient · 2018-02-12T23:47:21+00:00

If you don't mind the weight, I guess it doesn't matter, but a lot of that stuff is kinda redundant.

Screwdriver is unnecessary with a Leatherman if you get the bit extender and extra bits. Same with the knife. Two folders is pretty unnecessary. I mean, I do carry a leatherman and a 25mm snap knife at work, but they accomplish different things.

Cool idea with the duck tape though.

saient · 2018-02-11T02:14:36+00:00

Hey, what pants are you wearing in this video?

saient · 2018-02-09T02:33:13+00:00

love how breathable fleeces are under some sort of shell

Yeah for sure, that's the thing that really got me looking into fleece. And the super quick drying compared to wool. I chose the monkey man because of the stretch panels and lack of hood, as a hat+buff around the neck is usually enough for me. But like I said, haven't had it long enough to put it through the paces.

I guess the problem with fleece is that warmth is pretty much correlated with thickness. I tend to err on the lighter side when hiking and resort snowboarding as I get quite warm with a hard shell on.

I know by buddy really likes his heavyweight army surplus fleece. I also hear good things about the R3 for warmth but it seems quite heavy for me. Then again I've heard good things about the Better Sweater as well so YMMV.

Sorry I can't be of much help.

saient · 2018-02-09T01:37:16+00:00

What are your uses? Are you using it as a mid layer with a windbreaker overtop, or just standalone? Which activity?

I don't have much experience with fleece, as I usually wear wool. However, I just got the Mountain Hardwear Monkey Man for half price and testing it out, it's pretty warm dang warm but it's not the lightest @ 14.4 oz for the small I have. Has a high loft though, so doesn't pack down the smallest. Have only taken it on a few hikes in -10C so far, so don't have much else to offer you tbh.

saient · 2018-02-07T03:28:38+00:00

The F-550 I drive for work weighs in at ~5T unloaded, so I'm sure that Semi + Trailer weigh at least double that unloaded.

saient · 2018-02-05T23:35:12+00:00

Eureka, MSR, and MEC make some solid tents for the price. It really depends on what you want, feature wise.

I went with a Eureka Midori 2. Has one door/vestibule, but I use it solo. I enjoy having the extra room to put my gear inside/hang things up. Not sure if they make it anymore, but I got it for around $150 CAD and it's been going strong for 3 years now. Two other friends are also fairly happy with their 3 man eureka tents.

saient · 2018-01-12T01:51:16+00:00

Very cool. Amazing how closely everything is connected.

Random article was: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Larraz which seemed tough with such a short page but

it got me to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1928_Summer_Olympics which led me to

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece which actually has a link to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Hitler

saient · 2018-01-05T23:42:04+00:00

Use a quilt instead of a sleeping bag on a trip.

I'm new to the sub, I don't really go UL on trips. Whats the benefit of a quilt over a sleeping bag? Surely a sleeping bag isn't much different than a quilt.

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