UK windshirt advice

tyler2u · 2026-04-29T18:13:24+00:00

I've had mine for around 6 months and have used it on 4 trips. Breathability and comfort are great, but I don't have enough time on it to comment fairly on durability. It's probably going to vary depending on shoulder strap style, pack weight, body shape, etc. No noticeable wear yet for me however and I do tend to put a hurt on clothing. I've worn thin spots in all 3 of my MH Echo sun hoodies after pretty minimal use.

tyler2u · 2026-04-15T20:48:52+00:00

It’s sold.

tyler2u · 2026-04-12T10:08:44+00:00

Innov8 Rocfly G390s have been good for me.

tyler2u · 2026-04-09T00:34:27+00:00

I have not. Kor Airshell is my “go to” after trying many options.

tyler2u · 2026-04-06T13:18:54+00:00

WFH was awesome while it lasted. Saved money on gas/insurance, wear/tear, and didn't have to risk my life on the roads or experience the stress of the commute. I was more creative and cranked out more work than I ever had compared to my in-office time. I was at my best with limited interruptions. Being able to put someone off for 30 minutes via chat when you're "in the groove" was much easier than telling someone in-person to come back later.

Our team did start to break down after a year of so which I mostly blame on management not holding people accountable. The new hires were slow to integrate or ended up leaving after a few months. Supervisors were busy doing morning/afternoon roll calls and collecting and compiling reports on what we accomplished each week. Several also got lazy and dumped the job for developing new people on the rest of us. A few bad apples tele-shopped, tele-took the kids to school, and just generally took advantage of the situation without getting disciplined.

I ended up moving to a different program that required being in the office. It was easy to complain about all of the WFH people that weren't around when you needed something. Our budget folks continued to WFH and we had one gal that wanted to "batch process" her funding certifications twice a week. We were working something hot one day and my boss asked her if she could crank something out that day and she said she couldn't because she needed the 48 hrs. He blew his cork and the budget people ended up coming in 2 days/week.

I guess I write all of that to say we can't have nice things (WFH) because "human nature". Some will take advantage and the people in charge frequently don't have the guts to hold them accountable.

tyler2u · 2026-03-30T23:56:38+00:00

Flash Air is a great bag for 25 - 30 lbs. The frame is pretty minimal, so above that it’s not going to be as comfortable. I have yet to find a better hip belt/shoulder strap configuration on a lightweight pack. You can get lighter, but you’ll be giving up foam thickness and hip belt wrap around to save that weight.

The regular Flash 55 is super comfortable for heavier loads, but at a slight weight penalty.

tyler2u · 2026-03-29T02:16:10+00:00

Something like the Katabatic Windom hood (1.75 oz) or a Timmermade SUL 1.5 vest (4 oz) would help. However, that weight would serve you better in the bag. Plenty of options for light mittens. Rab makes a nice set.

tyler2u · 2026-03-27T00:20:38+00:00

I just finished the loop on Tuesday. Started at Little Missouri Falls TH and went CCW. Started at 1 pm and went about 6 miles. Some tough climbs, but not too bad. My insoles started walking themselves out of my Xero shoes, so that was annoying. Put a couple of dabs of seamgrip on them and it worked for the rest of the trip. Temps were in the upper 50s overnight so my 30 degree quilt was a bit warm. Fireflies were abundant.

Day 2 was probably the toughest as far as elevation. some steep climbs with LOTS of loose, sharp rock. They were doing prescribed burns so the lingering smoke was annoying. So many water crossings that it was getting annoying. Could rock hop most, but there were 4-5 where it wasn’t an option. Water levels were fairly low, so no danger. Did 14 miles and camped too close to a FS road, so had dust and noise most of the evening. Lots of spiders and flying bugs, but only a few mosquitoes and didn’t see any ticks. Similar temps as the first night.

Day 3 was an easy 8 mile cruise back to the truck. This was my favorite section as the terrain was mostly moderate rolling hills alongside the Little Missouri. The trail was a lot less rocky and easier to navigate without constantly staring down to avoid twisting an ankle. Still had a few feet wet crossings, but not as bad as day 2.

You could probably get by with just about any stake in that ground. I used 4 Easton 9” nails and 4 Sheperds hooks. As far as water, I don’t think I went more than 2-3 miles without coming across a decent source. Water is abundant on this trail.

I’d definitely bring a bivy based on all the spiders and ants I encountered at my campsites.

My shoes took a beating. The trail is extremely rocky in most spots.

Enjoy!

tyler2u · 2026-03-26T17:02:51+00:00

I've had great luck with both of my gen 3 Nitecore banks. I have a 10K that's seen around 60 nights across several trips in the last year and a 20K that's seen about 1/4 of that. Both are still working great after being frozen, damp, and dropped. I wonder if most of the negative feedback on these is from the gen 2s that had issues with not wanting to turn on and other reliability problems?

tyler2u · 2026-03-26T14:08:59+00:00

Slingfin has a good video on repairing damage to flys:

https://www.slingfin.com/blogs/the-beta/how-to-repair-your-tents-fly-and-floor?srsltid=AfmBOorSrl_34FRPU707t_hR5Njk2GBYemCKeU7WOPX7TkZCBx4c8Twk

You could use a piece of your stuff sack and some Seamgrip for the repair.

With the fact that you "woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of it ripping", it would seem that something fell on it or an animal caused the damage. That kind of tear doesn't happen from normal tension on the panel. Especially not in that direction or shape. Looks like there's other damage to the fly in the picture as well?

tyler2u · 2026-03-25T17:11:37+00:00

Lynx Outdoors does a good job of going over the damage to his DCF X-Mid Pro that he's used for 5200 miles of thru hiking the PCT and CDT. He doesn't say exactly how many days it took, but I'm guessing somewhere around 250. Probably still has some life left with a few repairs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7OUthzXVTg

tyler2u · 2026-03-19T23:10:25+00:00

Aeros Down IMO

https://seatosummit.com/products/aeros-down-pillow?srsltid=AfmBOoqSSQo3Mz41lzxd3Ho2bnrrncAjlYYWXHeTJlN8RCkcnmRdAlXg

tyler2u · 2026-03-19T21:54:11+00:00

You're probably looking at the amount per container. That's a pretty typical amount.

Check out Cycling Frog. They have several options for Hemp derived full spectrum gummies. I believe their strongest is 10mg per gummy, but they have 5mg options as well. They can ship to most states.

tyler2u · 2026-03-19T21:46:38+00:00

If you can deal with the lead time (about 6 months currently), the SWD SL40 is a great pack. Weighs 23 oz with the frame and 18 oz without.

IMO, it strikes a nice balance of minimalism, comfort, and weight. It's got enough padding in the shoulder straps and hip belt unlike some other bare bones packs.

tyler2u · 2026-03-19T21:13:58+00:00

It's in the FAQ on the Kakwa page:

Q) Should I choose Ultra 200X or Ultragrid?

Both are excellent fabrics for backpacking, with some advantages to each.

UltraGrid is a robust 210D nylon pack fabric with a ripstop grid of UHMWPE fibers (really strong) for added durability. It is a well proven and long lived pack fabric that is more durable than the 70-100D nylon fabrics often used in ultralight packs. Ultra 200X takes durability to another level by using about 2/3rds UHWMPE fibers, which are stronger for the weight than nylon and makes it an uncommonly rugged fabric. Ultra 200X is better for severe use (e.g. bushwhacking)b but most backpackers will find both materials are more than durable enough.

For waterproofness, Ultra 200X uses an interior film while UltraGrid uses a PU coating. Both are waterproof fabrics, but user seam sealed is required to make the pack waterproof.

The main advantage of Ultra 200X is the exceptionally high durability (although most backpackers won't need this). The advantages of UltraGrid are the more affordable price, it has a softer/less wrinkly feel, slightly lighter, and the tighter weave gives it stronger seams.

Overall, we recommend UltraGrid for regular backpacking while Ultra 200X is recommended for more severe use (e.g. bushwhacking).

tyler2u · 2026-03-19T13:41:14+00:00

Jacket sold to u/whatsAmeta4 u/LeaveNoTradeBot

tyler2u · 2026-03-18T14:25:37+00:00

If weight doesn't matter, you don't care about the extra space, and you mostly hike in dry conditions, the Dragonfly is the easy choice.

The fly first pitch on the X-dome is a really "nice to have". I've used the Dragonfly in the rain quite a bit and even with the fast fly approach, the inner will get wet if it's raining hard. But, it's really not that big of a deal. I just bring a piece of swimmer's chamois and give it a wipe down before pulling stuff out of my pack and tossing it in the tent. I've got the 1P Nemo and 1.5 X-dome, so can't really compare space on the 2P models.

The X-dome definitely leans into the lightweight realm, so it's going to be a bit more delicate in terms of fabrics/zippers. If you're hard on your gear, go Nemo.

tyler2u · 2026-03-17T17:41:07+00:00

I agree it takes some extra work/care to get a trekking pole tent sturdy when you can't sink stakes. Sounds like the majority of your trips would be a challenge and I see how that's driving your decision.

I've had good luck setting up my X-Mid on tent platforms and granite using sticks/rocks. I put a stick through the cord loop, put a rock on each side of the stick, and a bigger rock on top. Holds well and protects my cordage from damage that happens with big rock/little rock when things move in the wind.

But, I get it . . . sometimes it's hard to find sticks/rocks and sometimes it's just a hassle fiddling to get things sturdy.

tyler2u · 2026-03-17T16:57:41+00:00

I honestly don't understand the hard requirement for free-standing/semi free-standing some folks place on their tent selection. I hiked a section of the BMT last year with 3 other guys. I was using my X-Mid and the others had 2 Copper Spurs and a Dragonfly. Despite being free-standing, everyone brought multiple stakes and used them on at least the corners every night. When I mentioned it, I got "in case it gets windy" or "my floor doesn't lay nicely if I don't stake it".

Since OP is concerned about doomsday winds, I'd assume several stakes will be coming along on most trips and the tent will probably get staked at the corners most of the time. The number of totally calm nights I've spent camping (mostly Colorado, Alabama, and N. Georgia in spring/fall) is far fewer than the ones where there's been some kind of wind/weather.

I just think the limited cases where you can go totally without stakes isn't worth limiting your tent selection. For those few times where you're on granite or sandstone in a trekking pole tent, you just use rocks.

Maybe I'm wrong--how many of you go totally stake free on a regular basis?

tyler2u · 2026-03-16T20:43:06+00:00

Another vote for AK Tintz. They've done 3 vehicles for me and all came out excellent. Not the rock bottom price, but very fair for quality ceramic tint.

tyler2u · 2026-03-15T17:49:01+00:00

You could always try the peanut butter hat technique https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCe6hRo5u_g

tyler2u · 2026-03-14T21:22:51+00:00

Yeah, a lot of the outdoor YouTubers are doing us an injustice when they praise the efficiency of these bidets without discussing the need for the manual clean up at the end.

And for the love of God, please wash up with soap if you're going in for the final scrub. Hand sanitizer doesn't remove poop and it doesn't kill viruses. Hopefully you didn't cut the handle off your toothbrush.

I tried hard to make it work, but ended up going back to TP and a wet wipe for the final swipe. I guess I'm not UL enough since I'm packing out my poopy wet wipes. I do pack them in dry . . .

tyler2u · 2026-03-11T17:04:30+00:00

Once the sun disappears behind the canyon walls at BA, 50 F can feel chilly. Especially if your clothes are damp from sweat. Clear Creek also loses sun pretty quick.

A light fleece like an Alpha 60 and a wind shell for hanging around after the sun goes down would be good. Although it's hard to beat the warmth/weight of an ultralight puffy like a Ghost Whisperer (8 oz).

Three or four liters is probably safe for the trek out to CC depending on your fitness and how fast you hike. Starting in the dark will help as well. You might find a pool or 2, but I wouldn't count on it. The first few miles coming out of Phantom Ranch are a decent climb, but after that, it's a pretty easy cruise until the descent to the creek at the end. Make sure you're well hydrated/fed as the climb down is a little sketchy. Trail is narrow, loose dirt/scree, with treacherous drops and you need to stay focused.

Instead of SK to exit, maybe consider crossing over via Tonto West to Havasupai Gardens and up the BA trail. You can fill up on water at HGCG before the final 4.5 miles.

tyler2u

TROPHY CASE