hiking/backpacking

[Van Veen]



On day hikes I always take a two person SOL bivvy and one or two contractor bags. I've come across people miles into fairly challenging hikes who appeared to be carrying nothing but a water bottle.

I've been on challenging but touristy hikes and seen people in everyday clothes - jeans, cotton shorts, cotton t-shirts. No packs, or maybe one for the whole group. Worst was one above tree line where an unexpected storm hit. A family came up while we were sheltering on the peak and the kids' lips were blue. Luckily they had the good sense to turn around and go back the way they came instead of hiking the ridge.

(I may have posted about this before.)

 

[lefty]

These pants are from KUIU and are incredibly comfortable. Their base layers are awesome - with full zip leg, you can add or remove them without taking off your boots.

I'm thinking about picking up some of their stuff. Like my Fjallraven but want to try something new. Did you buy a complete system?

Off to Iceland this weekend. Will be sleeping on real beds but plan to get a lot of hiking in.

I'm booking an Iceland trip this weekend. More fishing than hiking though. Still, post a report.

lefty

 

[suited]



I'm thinking about picking up some of their stuff. Like my Fjallraven but want to try something new. Did you buy a complete system?


lefty

Just two pairs of pants - the ultra merino 145 zip-off bottom and the attack pant. I'm partial to camo patterns and their Verde 2.0 doesn't look military nor does it look like a traditional hunting pattern. I might do a hunt at some point, but for now it works for me as a hiking pant without looking out of place. The attack pant has flaps on the cargo zippered pockets which I find annoying. It makes accessing them more difficult, a feature that some of their other pants are fortunate not to have - something to keep in mind. The cut is nice. I tried First Lite pants and the cut was too baggy. Sitka is supposed to have a nice cut as well. The designs seem to be embracing the fitness trend that has emerged within the backpack hunting industry. I wouldn't say it's a super slim cut, but flattering for anyone who is not overweight.

 

[romafan]



Just two pairs of pants - the ultra merino 145 zip-off bottom and the attack pant. I'm partial to camo patterns and their Verde 2.0 doesn't look military nor does it look like a traditional hunting pattern. I might do a hunt at some point, but for now it works for me as a hiking pant without looking out of place. The attack pant has flaps on the cargo zippered pockets which I find annoying. It makes accessing them more difficult, a feature that some of their other pants are fortunate not to have - something to keep in mind. The cut is nice. I tried First Lite pants and the cut was too baggy. Sitka is supposed to have a nice cut as well. The designs seem to be embracing the fitness trend that has emerged within the backpack hunting industry. I wouldn't say it's a super slim cut, but flattering for anyone who is not overweight.

I think the Kuiu guy was the founder of Sitka so makes sense cuts would be similar.

 

[VaderDave]

We're starting to make plans for a hike on the Skyline to Sea trail out by Santa Cruz. We had hoped to do this a couple of years ago but the plans never came together. Now we're thinking we'll do it as a two-day hike--the total distance is just under 30 miles.

 

[Fueco]

We're starting to make plans for a hike on the Skyline to Sea trail out by Santa Cruz. We had hoped to do this a couple of years ago but the plans never came together. Now we're thinking we'll do it as a two-day hike--the total distance is just under 30 miles.

That's a pretty nice walk. I ran/walked it with some friends about 15 years ago. We travelled the trail in one long day, with a car shuttle waiting at the end. Doing it in two days sounds a little more enjoyable.

 

[VaderDave]



That's a pretty nice walk. I ran/walked it with some friends about 15 years ago. We travelled the trail in one long day, with a car shuttle waiting at the end. Doing it in two days sounds a little more enjoyable. 

Wow! Yeah, I think we'd rather just have a nice two-day walk. From what I've seen on the trail website, most people break it into three 10-mile-ish days, which I think might leave us with a lot of downtime in the afternoon/evening. Our plan is to have my wife drop us off and then have a fun overnight at a spa or something in Santa Cruz before meeting us on the beach the next afternoon.

 

[MannyGermany]

I did so for years in the Army in places all over the world. I will say the British Parachute regiment likes to really step it out on ruck marches.

 

[lefty]

Just two pairs of pants - the ultra merino 145 zip-off bottom and the attack pant. I'm partial to camo patterns and their Verde 2.0 doesn't look military nor does it look like a traditional hunting pattern. I might do a hunt at some point, but for now it works for me as a hiking pant without looking out of place. The attack pant has flaps on the cargo zippered pockets which I find annoying. It makes accessing them more difficult, a feature that some of their other pants are fortunate not to have - something to keep in mind. The cut is nice. I tried First Lite pants and the cut was too baggy. Sitka is supposed to have a nice cut as well. The designs seem to be embracing the fitness trend that has emerged within the backpack hunting industry. I wouldn't say it's a super slim cut, but flattering for anyone who is not overweight.

Thanks. I'll pick some up. I like the Fjallraven cut and utility but they are assholes to deal with on a corporate level.

Kuiu is featured in this recent NYT article on sheep hunting. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/16/sports/bighorn-sheep-hunting.html

lefty

 

[suited]

Yosemite in mid-October. So pumped. We might do Sequoia NP in the same trip.

 

[suited]

We spent two nights in Little Yosemite. Because of the time of year we nearly had the place to ourselves. Our original plan called for moving our campsite each night, but after we set everything up we decided to do day hikes out of Little Yosemite.

 

[Fueco]

I did a 5.4 mile hike with my wife, son, and wife's sister at Rocky Mountain National Park today. We hiked out to Mills lake. Perfect weather too, with temps in the upper 40s and low 50s. We saw the elk on the way home.

 

[suited]

Nice. Did they bugle?

 

[Fueco]

Nice. Did they bugle?

Not this time, but I've certainly heard that. My wife and I did a hike up in the Park two years ago in September, and came across a bull and his harem. There was lots of bugling and posturing. It kind of felt like walking through an episode of Wild America.

The two bulls sparring today made lots of noise though, which was pretty cool to witness.

 

[suited]

Superstition Mountains. This was our last trip without ultralight gear. After getting home I swapped out a lot of our stuff and dropped some items entirely. This place was beautiful.