i lurk this thread from time to time and saw this

Quote :

"also someone recommended Tyvek, it's less slippery than plastic and very durable. they use it to wrap houses with. Since you just need a small piece you can probably talk some construction workers into giving it to you for free (especially if you're a girl!!)"

the same material is used in no-rip mailing envelopes. the post office has them for free in the lobby and if you have to buy one you can get them for less than $1

and i know the rei members coupon is expired but im not sure if it was posted.. you get your in store coupon but you can also use it online so you really get to use it twice. i did it with the last sale and i've also done it in the past. just another way to stretch that dolla!!

6/3/2010 12:08:38 AM

Quote :

"i'm having issues with what to take as far as footwear. 4 day backpacking trip on the AT. first time backpacking. i hate shoes. my feet & knees hate shoes too. i love my chaco flip flops and vibram fivefingers. i've hiked in glacier nat'l park in fivefingers but it was dry and i wasn't carrying anything besides a couple bottles of water and some lunch. i did some test backpacking (only a little more than 3 miles) with 30 lbs and VFFs...and that was great. my concern is rain/mud and stomping down when descending. if it's going to pour for all 4 days then we won't go. i can hike with wet feet i guess and VFFs dry quickly. they don't have tread and that can leave me spinning tires in pinestraw and hard wet ground. they obviously don't have heel cushioning either. what to do?"

i wore my chaco z/1's on this past trip, just like i always do...i've worn them in the andes when it poured non-stop and the mountainside was mostly mud, and i've worn them across glaciers in sweden when we had to ford glacial rivers (i wore them specifically because i wanted something that would dry faster)

i realize they're not for everyone, but i think i like them because they give me more control than a regular pair of boots...your feet take a little more abuse, but not significantly more (in my experience, at least)

6/3/2010 6:17:32 AM

LOL, not the JMT that stretches thru TN. I read about it in my Backpacker magazine 'parently it has some waterfalls, a hanging bridge, and lots of pools to swim in.

6/3/2010 8:58:09 AM

^^i would LOVE to wear some, and i've tried on a bunch of different ones, but the straps on the heels are all way too wide and none have any adjustment there

i really really wish those would work

6/3/2010 9:16:13 AM

what makes the heel straps too wide for you? does it rub and/or cut into your heel?

what usually rubs on me is the strap where it hits my pinkie toe, which probably wouldn't happen if i didn't wear a size larger, but i do that to protect my toes from being stubbed while hiking

my second favorite hikers are my keen h2's, but my biggest complaint about them is that they occasionally get a rock or pebble in there and it's harder to get out than it is with the chacos...on the upside, though, they don't get as many to begin with, since the toes are closed

6/3/2010 9:40:40 AM

the strap is too wide, so it doesn't rub anywhere. it doesn't touch my heel at all. i've been fitted at REI and a specialty paddling store. chacos didn't work either place.

i've had 2 pairs of keen newport h2s, but they're kinda slick on the bottom. i like them though.


----------

has anyone used the AT "shuttle" system? not really a system but just a network of people and outfitters that'll take you place to place. we will have 5-6 people to be picked up from iron mtn gap and taken to hwy 19E...then we're going to hike back to the cars.

[Edited on June 3, 2010 at 4:16 PM. Reason : ]

6/3/2010 4:14:00 PM

depending on the distance you could just hitchhike. locals know about the trail and as a hiker it's not hard to get a ride.

if it's far or you don't want to hitch, I would sign up to whiteblaze.net for info. You can make a thread and someone might volunteer to drive you, or let you know an outfitter that will do it.

6/3/2010 5:18:36 PM

i will check whiteblaze. thanks

6/3/2010 5:19:37 PM

whats the best permethrin treatment, i'm having a hell of a time with ticks at the coast. everytime i walk into the grass i walk out with a tick or two walking on me.

6/5/2010 6:11:13 PM

I have a hard time advocating the use of chemicals on one's skin. My recommendation is to wear long pants if you know you will be walking through thick brush rather than rub chemicals all over you. And its not too hard to pull them off if necessary.

6/5/2010 6:28:38 PM

spray your clothes and all your stuff with permanone. do NOT use it on your skin


and, btw, i was just diagnosed with lyme disease this week. i was in the yard for all of 15 mins.

[Edited on June 5, 2010 at 6:36 PM. Reason : ]

6/5/2010 6:34:29 PM

Quote :

"whats the best permethrin treatment, i'm having a hell of a time with ticks at the coast. everytime i walk into the grass i walk out with a tick or two walking on me."

see below

Quote :

"I have a hard time advocating the use of chemicals on one's skin."

ditto...if for no other reason than, as a toxicologist, i know about what kind of badness this stuff causes

anyway, i'm allergic to deet (and even if i weren't, that stuff is wicked), so i use bite blocker, which uses 2-undecanone (marketed as BioUD)...it's the stuff that was originally extracted from tomatoes by a professor at ncsu (now it's made synthetically)...it works very well for me, is no more expensive than the stuff with deet, and it's completely safe for kids and pets since it's all "natural"...in theory, you could drink it (though of course i wouldn't recommend it)



only place i've found it locally is walmart, in the camping area (in there they say it's for clothing and gear, but it's actually the same stuff and the directions on the back of the bottle even say to spray it on your skin)

6/5/2010 6:42:30 PM

Quote :

"I have a hard time advocating the use of chemicals on one's skin. My recommendation is to wear long pants if you know you will be walking through thick brush rather than rub chemicals all over you. And its not too hard to pull them off if necessary."

i wear long pants, and they are tucked into my boots or socks if im cutting line. my shirt is always tucked in when i'm in the woods, and if i know i'll be cutting line or getting into something dense i even wear a long sleeve shirt.

its not enough, i'm almost on the second page of the tick bite log at work.

i already use deet on my clothes but it's not cutting it, i want a permethrin treatment that i can really get into my clothes. many of them stand up to a few wash cycles too. hell i've coated my entire body with permethrin after getting scabies from an orphanage in haiti, i'm really not worried about putting a little on my clothes.

so the verdict is repel's product?

6/5/2010 6:57:42 PM

Quote :

"I have a hard time advocating the use of chemicals on one's skin. My recommendation is to wear long pants if you know you will be walking through thick brush rather than rub chemicals all over you. And its not too hard to pull them off if necessary."

ha ha ha I once felt the same way ... then I went hiking in Maine in July with nothing to defend myself but some 'natural' bug spray and a head full of dreams.

I immediately regretted my foolish hippie ways and bought dat 198% DEET at the first store I came to

6/5/2010 7:38:41 PM

my wardrob has been treated, i'll report back with the effectiveness

6/6/2010 12:58:59 PM

At work we use:

http://www.benmeadows.com/store/Personal_Protection_Equipment/First_Aid/First_Aid_Kits_and_Supplies/20845/?noredirect=true

and usually pants in long socks and shirt tucked in like you said. I usually just apply around the top of my socks and bottoms of my pants and around the waistline.

my experience is this stuff helps a lot and pretty much everyone I work with uses it too.

[Edited on June 6, 2010 at 2:51 PM. Reason : You know that shits good when the list of states it can't be sold in is longer than just California]

6/6/2010 2:49:41 PM

yeah, you don't want to eat the stuff but its not a risk transdermally.

6/6/2010 3:45:45 PM

i'm not sure why i'm having such hard time finding info on this, and if we've discussed it already i'm sorry (too many pages)....

what is a cheap option for critter proofing a food container?

we plan on stringing it up in a tree, but i know mice can eat through flexible plastic and stuff. everything marketed for this purpose is $texas.

6/7/2010 10:07:40 AM

REI garage sales! WHO'S PUMPED?!

6/7/2010 1:23:55 PM

^when where

6/7/2010 2:42:41 PM

^^^ If you are putting it up in a tree then I wouldnt think you would need a container. Unless you are buying one of the bear proof containers, I can't think of something strong enough that is also light enough to carry around. I'll suggest a Pelican case but for me they would be way to heavy to backpack with. I'd recommend just putting up a bomber bear bag, and I'd only really suggest that if you are somewhere out west.







*just read a quick blurb online that they are actually recommending bear proof containers over bear bags in some parks (this guy specifically mentions the High Sierras). It seems bears have gotten pretty good at getting bear bags down to wear they can enjoy them.






[Edited on June 7, 2010 at 3:02 PM. Reason : *]

6/7/2010 2:56:40 PM

^^ cary, saturday...i am, as always, stoked

^ heck, the adirondack bears have no problem with bear vaults: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/25/nyregion/25bear.html

6/7/2010 3:13:26 PM

You can order a Ursack (kevlar food bag) instead of a hard container if you want to roll that way too.

6/7/2010 3:23:19 PM

i'm really more concerned about mice than bears, as i will be stringing it up in a tree. i heard from a guy who knew a guy who knew a guy that said putting a pie tin on the string just above the food sack will keep the mice off. anybody know about it?

ursacks are expensive. $50 seems like a lot for what it is.

6/7/2010 4:14:40 PM

^ that sounds like what some people do to keep squirrels out of bird feeders..

6/7/2010 5:32:22 PM

if you're hanging it in a tree you should be fine. Mouse issues always happened at shelters, varmits hang out around the shelter to look for food. The rest of the woods are pretty sparsely populated with varmits. The farther you walk from the shelter to hang your food, the less chance of an animal getting in there.

6/7/2010 6:07:34 PM

I had mice chew into food on about 3 backcountry trips last year, even chewed up my boots once

started hanging my food in a lightweight drybag, some silicone coated nylon fabric deal that cost about $10, and haven't had any problems since - not hanging to bearproofing standards, just about 10 feet above the ground

6/7/2010 8:33:40 PM

good to hear. i'm worried about the chewing boots thing too, but we don't plan on camping near shelters so i guess it's less likely to happen.

6/8/2010 9:04:05 AM

oh, about the tyvek...we bought some at great outdoor provision on sunday. it's $2/foot and 7' wide. very lightweight and cheap.

6/8/2010 9:45:02 AM

I have seen mice totally thwart the whole pie pan idea. They just fall off the pan and grab right onto the bag of food. Your best bet is like Nerdchick mentioned, just making sure to distance your food from any shelter.

6/8/2010 10:46:32 AM

haha okay. won't bother with that then. a buddy that's going with us found some metal mesh bags for critter proofing food. i don't have the link here but i'll post it when i get back to work. they're like 10oz and roll up really small

6/8/2010 12:39:28 PM

^ grubpack?

http://www.grubpack.com/

6/8/2010 1:24:19 PM

ratsack http://www.armoredoutdoorgear.com/ratsack.htm

similiar, but yours seems to be a couple buck cheaper.

6/8/2010 1:40:04 PM

^ yeah...the 18" x 26" grubpack with handles (like the ratsack) is $40 with free shipping...the ratpack equivalent is a bit smaller, $40, and ~$9 shipping

*shrug*

[Edited on June 8, 2010 at 1:46 PM. Reason : ratpack != ratsack]

6/8/2010 1:45:59 PM

i just ordered the grubpack

6/8/2010 2:04:41 PM

coolness...report back and let us know how it works out

i've been eying them for a while, but haven't bothered to get any...yet

6/8/2010 3:01:24 PM

The permanone worked fantastic! I would only occasionally find one on me and it would just be sitting there dead. Zero bites. Everyone else was pulling attached ticks off them left and right but with the permanone and some deet spray on the boots and cuffs of my pants i had zero tick bites this week.

6/10/2010 6:28:57 PM

awesome, good to hear

6/10/2010 6:36:58 PM

REI garage sale! We've been sitting outside since 6am, and we still weren't close to being the first ones here. The first people in line definitely camped out overnight. I'm not that dedicated.

6/12/2010 7:08:42 AM

ah, i forgot about that today

oh well, i enjoyed sleeping until about 3 minutes ago

6/12/2010 8:14:10 AM

haha i dont even try to go anymore for the ^^ that reason. Ahhhh I remember the good old days when you could get there right when it opened and walk in to the garage sale.

6/12/2010 8:45:55 AM

I was number 29, and the first 60 people got to go into the garage sale right when they opened, so it was all good.

There was a lot of good stuff, but I didn't pick up much because I already have a ton of equipment. I picked up:

-perfect condition Big Agnes Insulated Aircore pad. I already have a Thermarest Prolite, but this will go well with my new Big Agnes Lost Ranger sleeping bag I picked up recently
-very slightly used Thermarest Basecamp pad for a friend
-Cocoon ultraligtht air-core pillow

gf got a like-new REI Venus 75ltr pack for about $40

6/12/2010 3:45:54 PM

So after much contemplation and frustrated searching I think I've finally come up with my post-grad trip to utah mentioned earlier in this thread.

The Uinta Highline Trail!

I had no idea this area even existed. Its only 5 hours from Salt lake city, 60+ miles in length and pretty much the entire trail stays above 10,000 feet, including some 12,000 foot passes. Also going to attempt my first real peak bag on King's Peak, the tallest point in Utah at 13,000+ feet.

Now I just gotta make it happen and maybe get into altitude hiking shape


This guy has some good photos of the trail (as well as a lot of other cool places)
http://www.howephoto.us/2/9488f#/gallery/uinta-highline-trail-utah/






[Edited on June 14, 2010 at 1:28 PM. Reason : da pics]

6/14/2010 1:27:23 PM

sweet! keep us to date on planning for the trip.

6/14/2010 2:00:15 PM

Has anyone ever done any backpacking in Alaska? I'll be flying into Anchorage in September for 5 days and was looking for some suggestions. I've read up on some of the trails on backpacker.com. Are there any other good sites to get information and suggestions?

6/14/2010 2:13:00 PM

is there a need to take cash on the AT? if so, how much? we're leaving thurs morning

6/15/2010 8:25:28 AM

I carried enough cash to get me through one town stop in case I lost my ATM card. It wouldn't hurt to have $50 and a few ones/coins in case you run into any issues or want to hit up a drink machine.

6/15/2010 9:36:43 AM

alrighty. we'll only be gone 4 days (we've never done this before so we're keeping it short) and won't be stopping in town, but i'd read a couple things about somebody buying a soda or candy bar off somebody or whatever.

we're paying the ppl at mountain harbour to shuttle us to our starting point, but should we tip them on top of their fee?

6/15/2010 9:44:03 AM

our AT trip was good. we stopped a day early b/c we were pretty sure we couldn't finish the next part in time to go home and there weren't any roads to be picked up on. we took it slow, took lots of pictures, ate lunch with random people, explored the cloudland hotel area, etc. we stayed far far away from shelters after the first night next to one.

the other 3 guys we were with went as fast as possible from our start to what was going to be our finish. they got there, but have serious blister, knee, hip, & shoulder issues. one guy thinks he may have torn his MCL and is going to the doctor. chris and i can walk normally, have no blisters, and actually got to enjoy our trip. they were miserable. HYOH i guess...

i over did it the first day trying to stay with those 3 guys we went with. we got to camp late even though they pulled ahead of us, were scrambling to set up the tent and cook and eat before it was really dark. i didn't get time to really cool down before trying to eat and it made me sick. after that, i ate hardly anything except for oatmeal in the morning and chocolate chips in the afternoon. i just wanted plain food and all of the dehydrated meals are seasoned, some of ours were very heavily seasoned. i'm weird about food & traveling. i'm like a cat...you change my routine and i'm just gonna vomit up whatever you feed me. i didn't vomit, but wanted to. oh, one of our meals was REALLY good, and that was the chicken & dumplings from packitgourmet.com

we'll definitely go again sometime and start at carver's gap. i will take a lot more oatmeal, hot chocolate, really watery things like that since that's all i could stomach. even the mac & cheese, which i loved when i tried it at home, made me want to

6/21/2010 4:54:35 PM

The first day made things miserable. I ate a big lunch which included chili...then got car sick on the ride to our starting point, then pushed through cramping muscles to reach camp the first night
Ohh yeah, and I hadn't done anything physical for a month before I had nose surgery or the two weeks between the surgery and the trip. Basically I was a lardass.

We were pretty sure we couldn't finish the trip when we called our ride, but when we were waiting for our ride I axed se7entythree how far it was to the original end point. We actually could have done it easily since the hard part was over...but we would have to have gone fast (I see no point in going fast) and we ran out of beef jerky and chocolate chips so going back to civilization sounded really good.
We ended up getting to hang out with an old friend in boone and that was real fun. Couldn't have done that if we kept on hiking.

It was miserable for some time (due to carry-over suckiness from the first day) but in hindsight it was really fun...we just won't plan on going with anyone else again.

I like the AT.


[Edited on June 21, 2010 at 6:04 PM. Reason : ]

6/21/2010 5:55:35 PM