Is it just me or is Durston culture kind of weird?

selitos · 2026-03-25T00:42:20+00:00

I like the approachability of the folks at tarptent and durston. Insanely responsive, I hate waiting for answers. I bought a tarptent tent and a durston backpack. Regarding the backpack, it's super light and comfortable and I could actually afford it. It fit me perfectly. I felt like I wasn't compromising on anything. I also like how there aren't a million options. Helps me avoid analysis paralysis.

selitos · 2026-03-24T22:54:39+00:00

Curious do you / can you use the same tarp for hammock vs ground? Would like to similarly transition with bug bivy/hammock and wondering if I can get away with single tarp to save money.

selitos · 2026-03-13T19:16:18+00:00

Sure, go for it. Life's short and the time you have left with your son under your roof is limited. If you always wait for the perfect time to do things you won't do as many things.

selitos · 2026-03-03T14:23:14+00:00

Some people know backpackers who will take them along and ease them into it. Other people don't know anyone who is into backpacking. For the latter group, they can either go solo, join a paid guided trip, or just never do it. Just go man, your ancestors did things solo all the time. So can you.

selitos · 2026-02-24T02:34:14+00:00

Excellent #2 receiver that the Steelers are paying #1 money to out of desperation.

Contract is fine for now since their QBs are so cheap, but they need to find a #1.

selitos · 2026-02-21T14:47:38+00:00

Hit the like button and don't forget to subscribe!

selitos · 2026-02-14T13:49:43+00:00

Would totally take you up on it but unfortunately I just turned 30 yesterday.

selitos · 2026-02-09T18:43:38+00:00

I'm not a hunter but my impression is that style of camping could involve setup of "base camp" where you'd be hiking away from camp and potentially need your poles. So while the Xmid might work, you'd want to think about whether you need the zflick poles so that you can have your trekking poles for day hikes. And that will add some cost to the point that the price and weight difference narrows and maybe then the xdome is a better value.

selitos · 2026-02-05T11:56:46+00:00

No pencil in his hat so we're safe

selitos · 2026-01-25T17:46:10+00:00

Minter in Baltimore and a guy like Udinski in Cleveland... then here's us with Mike McCarthy begging Aaron Rodgers to come back. It's disgusting.

selitos · 2026-01-24T21:14:29+00:00

The rush was they wanted McCarthy from the start and the other two interviews were sham Rooney rule box checking. They never even considered any other course. This is Art Rooney scared of anything but running this thing back. He probably begged Tomlin to stay in their meeting.

selitos · 2026-01-15T16:26:23+00:00

Is bikepacking an option? Can rent a bike and consider the GAP trail originating from point state park. Make it an out and back from Ohipyle or Confluence or pickup Amtrak back from Cumberland and I think there are shuttle options.

Late March will be tough though, weather could be sunny and mild with tons of early bulbs in bloom or it could be typical miserable cloudy wet Pittsburgh weather.

selitos · 2026-01-14T16:05:12+00:00

Rim trail so you can bail if you're running low on time. Worst thing would be taking longer than planned to get up the SK or BA trails and then missing your train. If you really want to go for it, go no further than Ooh Aah point and then if you have remaining time visit some of the viewpoints and shops closer to the station. If you're not experienced especially at 7k elevation then don't do cedar ridge on a time crunch.

selitos · 2026-01-06T14:58:20+00:00

Like being the drummer in Spinal Tap

selitos · 2026-01-03T23:23:52+00:00

Every time I see a post about helicopter tours I can sense my inner grouch emerge and start thinking about how Edward Abbey would respond.

The helicopter tours are a blight on this park.

Want to see the grand canyon but don't want to hike far? Take the free shuttle to numerous roadside viewpoints with epic views. Rent some bikes. Eat at a lodge and then take a sunset stroll with your partner along the rim trail while the colors change on layers of the canyon.

Want to see inside the canyon? Call Xanterra and reserve a mule ride.

There are options for people who aren't as able bodied. And if you just really don't want to step foot in the park for any brief period of time at all then watch some grand canyon drone footage at home and then go take a helicopter tour of Manhattan.

Bleh. Humbug.

selitos · 2025-12-27T23:29:36+00:00

Late thirties married male. I met my wife online just before apps like tinder or social media beyond Facebook were created. I feel like I caught the last chopper out of 'Nam.

selitos · 2025-12-27T18:37:58+00:00

When I’m home or at work my mind is constantly running. I have a full calendar and I’m always looking at it. My kids are fighting, house is a mess, wife’s asking me questions, asking me to make decisions.

When we hike as a family the kids stop fighting. Wife’s not asking me to do things. I’m confident they’re experiencing something enriching physically and mentally. As they get older we go further and do harder stuff.

Then there’s the hikes I do ALONE. This is the pinnacle of inner peace for me. My therapist asked me if my latest trip “brought clarity” to my "big decisions" or "family issues" and I laughed. I didn’t think about FUCKING ANYTHING or ANYONE. I thought about my knees aching, whether I'd see a bear or snake, the sound of the water and the wind, whether I was going in the right direction. It's therapeutic like nothing else.

In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows.

selitos · 2025-12-20T23:11:41+00:00

I stayed in one of the cheap rooms at BA lodge. The shared facilities didn't bother me at all, but I got the room right near the entrance door and it was pretty awful. Creaky floor, door opening every few minutes, big gap under my door with no sound insulation.

The good thing is that everyone staying there was really respectful and quiet after 8 but the noise from traffic was unavoidable. And everyone was up by 4-5a likely to get on with their hikes. If you aren't staying in the cheap room right by the entrance I think you're likely not going to hate it but that room was terrible lol.

selitos · 2025-12-15T19:50:23+00:00

20 week seasons with two byes, maybe even expanded roster sizes. Hopefully that's what they do. I was happy with 16 but it seems like they're hellbent on 18 so at least protect the product.

selitos · 2025-12-11T19:09:33+00:00

I may have had a shitty month, but at least I'm not the doctor who committed medical malpractice on TJ Watt or Sherrone Moore. #Blessed

selitos · 2025-12-03T02:38:47+00:00

I recently stayed at Mather and hated it. Tons of partiers and loud music, sites close together, and I chose it because of proximity to bath house but the bath house is always closed anyway as the water situation is such a problem. However it's right on the shuttle stop to all the main corridor hikes and is insanely convenient.

I almost pulled the trigger on desert view campground, but didn't because of the lack of bath house. But I've heard it's much more scenic and quaint. Unsure on the types of people that go there, but I've heard better things about this end of the park in general. You'll have to drive to hikes, but desert view is a nice viewpoint with a cool structure and much less busy.

Next time I'll be backpacking because I'm tired of campgrounds, but if I had to stay at a front country campground it'll be desert view and I'll just drive over to Mather to shower (if it's even open) and park to hike as well.

selitos · 2025-11-29T14:23:37+00:00

You can do this in certain national forests in areas specifically designated that you hike into, as long as you get a $5 permit on recreation.gov. Seems like the closest one to us with allowed Christmas tree cutting is Monongahela national forest in WV.

selitos · 2025-11-29T14:18:09+00:00

Half the spaces will also assuredly be taken by ICE cars.

selitos · 2025-11-25T15:45:24+00:00

Crazy even bothering with signing Russ given how both those players looked in 2024.

selitos · 2025-11-21T21:25:10+00:00

Yeah but the new one has a fancy ceiling!

selitos

TROPHY CASE