Post Up Your NEW Gear ...

@owenm: yup! padded shorts makes a huge difference especially on a hard tail. i have a full suspension bike and i find that it only lessens the impact/fatigue on my legs and i still have to wear padded shorts to minimize saddle soreness.


HikingMano said:
That works very well, it's the only way I pack my bags or quilts now (along with a pack liner, of course). Works better with down, but you shouldn't have too much of a problem with the synthetic. Did you not have any interest in trying the water-resistant down insulation that's been coming out? I have an eye on upgrading my Enlightened Equipment quilt to their new DownTek quilts... that along with my QuixDown jacket from Kuiu should give me a solid insulation buffer against cold&wet while maintaining low weight, high compressibility (when needed), and high long term durability after compression cycles. I hope the tech lives up the expectations, but no way to know for sure short of trying it myself...
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i hate sleeping bags so that's why i've held off for so long buying a lightweight quality one...with that said, one of my main priorities is that it's a wide cut (and not just at the shoulder area but the whole bag) to lessen that constricted feeling (i toss and turn a lot and will often sleep on my side with my legs bent and arm/hand under my head). i'd like to try a western mountaineering or feathered friends down bags (since i've read great things about them) but they're mummy style.
 
My new Hunter Pro arrived a couple days ago:

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Wicked sharp, nice ergos, and the perfect size. ;)
 
JV3 said:
i hate sleeping bags so that's why i've held off for so long buying a lightweight quality one...with that said, one of my main priorities is that it's a wide cut (and not just at the shoulder area but the whole bag) to lessen that constricted feeling (i toss and turn a lot and will often sleep on my side with my legs bent and arm/hand under my head). i'd like to try a western mountaineering or feathered friends down bags (since i've read great things about them) but they're mummy style.
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I was speaking on the "waterproof" down vs. synthetic, specifically, but it sounds like you are primed to try a quilt, my friend :) I'm a toss and turner too, and often side sleep, and a quilt has been working perfectly for me so far. Hell, when I did have bags, I just used them as quilts anyway most of the time. My GF is the same way about not liking the restriction in the mummy cut bags, and no matter how much I tell her its thermally efficient and lowers weight, no dice :) She still wants a bag though, vs. a quilt, so I've been looking at the wider cut Big Agnes bags with no insulation on the bottom, only a pad sleeve. Anyway, never tried FF bags (though hear great things about them), have a little experience with WM (which is indeed quality stuff from my preview), but I do think you should give a quilt a try sometime. You can always pick one up from Enlightened Equipment for a relatively affordable price, before something like a Katabatic.

Smithhammer, nice BHK! Love the simple and versatile handle :thumbup:
 
JacksRBetter makes down quilts that fit under hammocks. They are very light, come in 3 thicknesses, 2 lengths, and 2 fill parameters (900 & 800). I like them so much, I use them on my bed as well as in my tent. The summer weight model weighs about 1 lb.
 
I have some water stones on the way. Shapton ceramics in 140, 500, 1k, 4k, and 8k grits along with a holder. I'm tired of sand paper as it is a hassle to stay put when I'm sharpening, and the fact that they wear out quickly.
 
JV3 said:
kifaru 0° f, regular length, wide slick bag...my heavy and bulky north face big horn can now be retired :D

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JV3, any chance you can post a review of the kifaru bag after you've used it a bit? I have a north face big horn that I'm looking to replace. Its a few years old but as you said,its heavy and bulky (and in my opinion no where near as warm as its rated).

Thanks
 
Picked these up for my little man for his bday. He will be climbing in another 2 months!

 
qmike said:
JV3, any chance you can post a review of the kifaru bag after you've used it a bit? I have a north face big horn that I'm looking to replace. Its a few years old but as you said,its heavy and bulky (and in my opinion no where near as warm as its rated).

Thanks
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sure! first overnighter will be next weekend and it'll dip below freezing. i usually have to wear all my layers with my north face big horn at that temp to feel comfy so i'll see if this is just right with only my base layer on.
 
I just sold 2 Kifaru bags. Still have 3 of their floorless tipi's if anyone wants a deal on one. None have ever been used.

Also look at Western Mtneering bags. IMO their the best. Expensive tho. I have the Highlite, good to around 22*ish. Total weight is 16oz with stuff sack. Wads up to the size of a nerf ball. Also have the Ultralite. Good to about 15* and weighs 1.7lb total.

The Highlite($300) uses box construction since theres not much there(official rating is 35*, but I've had it to 22* and was fine) so that way it insures the best control and distribution of the 900 fill down.


http://www.westernmountaineering.co...cts&page=sleeping-bags&cat=extremelite-series

Altho I have some warmer bags using Dryloft(but heavier/bulkier too)...but my fav overall winter bag of all time. The Ultralite($425). 1lb 13oz. Both use their "Extreme lite" fabric.

http://www.westernmountaineering.co...ping Bags&cat=ExtremeLite Series&ContentId=17

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I read that Western Mountaineering is testing DriDown(or whatever version it was) in a bag and jacket to see if it's a viable option for them. Should be interesting to eventually see the results of that.
Tim20637 said:
Picked these up for my little man for his bday. He will be climbing in another 2 months!
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Where's the "like" button? :thumbup:
 
Kduck... whats up? Not liking them? Or something else, the "not ever been used" sounds like you did not try them. Just curious why offloading? Also what tipi sizes you have?

JV3, let us know how the adventure goes, hope my liking of them lives up to your expectations. My daughter asked me on Saturday evening if we could sleep outside, so I broke out the golite hex with bug netting since she likes having a floor, along with the Exped pads and Kifaru bags. Had some major wind, some of the leaves and small twigs from the tree next door blew into our backyard campground. Then the rain started, after a few hours it quit and about 4 she stirs and tells me that it stopped raining, then I tell her it is just snowing now. Awaking again about 0800, open the tipi to a few inches, she was excited she slept out in winter time. Almost brought a tear to my eye that my little 7 year old girl is excited to camp in the snow! She was warm and each of us were in 20* K slickbags. I need to build a hammock stand. She wants to hang hammocks bunk bed style and try it again. That alone is worth the cost of lumber hardware and time.
 
OwenM said:
I read that Western Mountaineering is testing DriDown(or whatever version it was) in a bag and jacket to see if it's a viable option for them. Should be interesting to eventually see the results of that.[...]
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Yep, looking forward to seeing how it goes.
 
Maxpedition Xantha, just arrived today. It is very similar in size to my Trizip and is slightly lighter; Trizip is 3.9lbs with belt/bladder removed, Xantha is 3.4lbs with belt removed. I was hoping for a bit more of a weight improvement, but overall I'm happy with the purchase, especially since I got a free jumbo versipack with it.

Here is a side-by-side pic to compare the sizes

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Mag-Lite XL-200 and sheath:

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Nice size - 4.8"
172 lumens on high (for 2hrs. 30 min)
Runs on 3-AAA
Great light for the $$

and an Exotac Nano XL (thanks to Shaolo for fast and free shipping!):

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I played around with it a bit this afternoon, and I already like it a lot more than its little brother. Still very compact, but with more to hold to when striking. Very impressed with the Exotac products I've owned to date - looking forward to seeing what they come up with next!
 
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Some Schwalbe Nobby Nic tires to try out on my bike, and an Osprey Raptor 14.

The pack has Osprey's new and lighter hydration bladder.
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A zipper runs from the side of the pack over the right shoulder to manage and contain the hose:
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There's a built-in removable tool roll with its own zippered compartment at the bottom:
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Lots of organization.
Outer stretch pocket similar to the Manta series:
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Side-opening organizer pocket under that:
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Shove-it pocket under that(hooded OR Ferrosi softshell jacket in there). The plastic thingie above the jacket is for holding a bicycle helmet on the pack, and has an adjustable shock cord(sticking out to the side below and to the right of it):
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Non scratch pocket for glasses, electronics, etc under that:
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Then the main pocket with lots of room, a mesh pocket, and sleeves on either side(my pump is in the one on the left):
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With 3L of water, the tools and jacket shown above, and my first aid kit:
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Osprey does daypacks well.
 
new Stuff
Esbit stove
MSR stow-a-way 1.1 liter pot
Pot out of cheap mess kit , fleamarket find works well with esbit
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Not exactly new but newly modified Lefty 870 shorten barrel and rethreaded for choke tubes
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