I got this from my local goodwill bins, I heard down filling is best for staying warm when it comes to down jackets especially for being in the outdoors, I haven’t heard of this brand. I usually don’t get down jackets but I saw this one had goose feather filling so I took it from the bins. Btw, yes I did throw it in the washer soon as I got home lol, so it’s clean. Idk if this counts as ‘hiking gear’ but I’d thought I’d post here.

Hello,

I need two sleeping mats for a motorcycle road trip in Scotland, where nighttime temperatures in May are forecast to be near 0°C in some areas.
I had my sights set on the Nemo Eclipse, which seemed like a "flagship killer" given its price, but I recently came across some reviews suggesting it’s not actually that great—specifically, it lacks insulation along the sides, meaning its R-value is somewhat overstated.

Because I’m on a motorcycle, I have more leeway regarding weight than I would on foot, but I’m still constrained by volume.

I’m a side sleeper and I’m looking for a high level of comfort.I’ve pored over various reviews, but it’s hard to make a final choice—options like the Nemo Tensor, Sea to Summit Ether Light XT, and Big Agnes Camp Meister all come to mind.I also noticed that Exped has updated their line of sleeping mats; the Dura 6.5R looks quite promising—it seems to offer excellent comfort, and the insulation ratings hold up well according to tests.
It’s the only one that doesn’t seem to have any real drawbacks (in terms of noise, comfort, insulation, etc.).

What do you think?

Hi everyone 👋 I am trying to plan out a backpacking trip to do half dome with my fiancé, mom, and dad this upcoming year. I’ve been to California as a small child, but don’t recall anything about it, so this’ll pretty much be my first time. I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed about it and want to get everything planned and set up right. We’re all pretty fit and love the outdoors and have prior camping experience as well, but when it comes to planning stuff I feel like it’s going to be a lot of me and my fiancé doing the work to figure out the details on how/what to do.

I’m anticipating my parents will be flying out from Pennsylvania, and my fiancé and I may be driving out from Colorado. My fiancé and I have typically driven to our camping/adventure locations out here in the west (Arizona/Utah/Wyoming/New Mexico) and we’re not even sure if this is the right move at all, so we’re wondering if we should consider flying ourselves? But also flying all the camping equipment out has to cost a pretty penny I assume?

Besides travel accommodations, the other part I’m kind of antsy about is the permits. I’m fairly positive we all are not trying to do Half Dome one single day out and back, even though we’ve all done that distance and elevation gain before. I’d like to make a backpacking trip out of it to really fully immerse ourselves in the nature of Yosemite. I’ve read there’s options for this that all include a Half Dome permit with the backcountry camping permit:

Happy Isles to Little Yosemite Valley
Happy Isles past LYV (Donohue pass eligible)
Sunrise Lakes
Cathedral Lakes
Rafferty Creek to Vogelsang

I’m interested in hearing about some of your treks. and also how you did the permit process, cause I’ve read attaining a Half Dome permit can be quite competitive.

Would our best odds be for each member of our group to submit a permit for each one of these back country permits and just cross our fingers and hope one of us wins? I’m assuming if all four of us submit a 4 person permit for all 5 of these we’d have a good shot right?

The travel and permit situation is really what’s got me anxious, (and maybe what gear we’d need) and I feel like once that’s figured out the rest of the trip will kind of plan itself. TBH I’m not really keen on going to the city or anything too urban/congested (I know it’s California, so I’m going into it anticipating congestion anywhere we go). Prioritizing experiences at national/state/local parks out there is my main objective, I just really want to connect with the nature I’ve never had a chance to experience before. I’m open to all suggestions though, as I’m obviously not a local, and I have no idea when I’ll ever be back in California.

Thanks so much for the help, I’m just overwhelmed at where to start planning this. Hoping that everyone reading has an amazing day 🫶

Here's the deal... it's my first cold season relying on the phone to navigate (Gaia/offline maps), and the cold is eating it alive. 28F at the trailhead last Saturday, right around sunrise 🥶 – battery went 70 down to 40 inside about an hour, and the screen was barely on the whole time. My brand new anker maggo 2 pro stays snapped to the back at least, so phone and battery pack share one pocket.

Problem is picking that pocket... My shell has a chest pocket that's easy to grab but turns cold fast, and my fleece has an inner one that keeps things warm, except any time i want the map i'm unzipping every layer with gloves on – such a pain. Right now im going with the inner pocket, plus a paper map for the quick looks, which feels like going back in time but hey, it works 🗺️ So far so good.

I am a new solo female camper with my dog and I’ve found that due to all the horror movies I have watched, I am now terrified of being alone in the dark in the middle of the woods. During the day is wonderful but as soon as the sun goes down, not being able to see around me gives me the heebie-jeebies as all I can imagine is someone out there in the dark being able to see me and I can’t see them.
Does anyone else feel this way? And what did you do to make you feel more comfortable? Any safety tips?

I need to start heavy pack training but with the weather getting worse and nights getting darker in my country (UK), during the week when I'm at work all day, I can't go out walking on a morning or an evening so my only option would be the gym. Has anyone ever done pack training in the gym? Would you judge someone on a treadmill in the gym with a pack on their back? I'm just looking for reassurance really, but appreciate all insights.

Edit: Please don't suggest just walking outside. I would be walking solo as a young woman so I am not comfortable doing that in the dark.

The Rockies are beautiful, and so are many areas of Utah, California, and even the Great Plains.

But for my money, camping in the Appalachian or even Great Lakes bioregion is much more immersive and scenic than out west. I have camped, hiked and horseback ridden in the Rockies and yes it is beautiful but it just doesn’t have the same warmth and intimacy as those in Tennessee, Eastern North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.

Broadleaf forests are more dense and conceal more, giving you more of a feeling of being lost in the wild in my opinion. Compare that to West where everything is so spaced out and open. Both are beautiful, but I prefer this. I should mention I have an implicit bias of being a fisherman, for which the multi species opportunities and size are much more abundant out here.

My sleeping bag is starting to lose loft after four seasons, and I've been eyeing a new one, but every option I look at costs way more than it did last time I replaced mine. I keep a spreadsheet of what I actually use on trips versus what just sits in the closet, so it's hard to justify the jump when my current bag still mostly works.

The finance podcasts I listen to keep saying to wait for sales, but those never seem to hit the models I need. I track my spending pretty tight and don't want to drop money on something I'll regret in a year.

Curious how other people decide when it's actually time to replace versus when you can keep patching things along. Also wondering if anyone has found a decent midrange option that holds up without the premium markup.

I work as an environmental scientist so I’m outdoors a lot and I frequently use Sawyer permethrin spray to treat my field clothes. I’ve been washing these clothes in my regular delicate cycle with my other delicate clothes. Recently, I read online that you shouldn’t wash your permethrin treated clothing with regular clothes that aren’t permethrin treated because the permethrin can transfer onto the other clothes. Is this actually bad? Do I need to start washing my permethrin treated clothes in a separate wash from my regular delicates?

Anyone have recommendations for good hiking boots?

I really want to find a pair of cute or at least colorful hiking boots, preferably something that wouldn’t crush your toes!!

Hey guys I recently picked up my first backpack off FB marketplace as I had a great deal on it. The backpack fits great and is great all around but I can't seem to find anything about it online, could anyone identify it? Thank you!

This is a budget pack I put together, in total costing $468.50 (some of the gear is older now and this pack can probably be built for a couple hundred less.) only thing not pictured is food, water, power bank, any extra clothes if needed. total weight is 13.9lbs ( with power bank) stove and lighters are wrapped in another hank in the pot. Foldable shovel is wrapped in hank, and a small bottle of soap and a small roll of tp is in the small zip pouch in bag.
Durability has been fine, obviously if you’re in a colder environment the sleep pad will need upgraded along with the bag.
After packed with a few extra garments it has roughly enough room for 3 -4 days worth of food depending on how hard you pack it down.

Gear list (retail prices when bought)
Alps mountaineering pillow 25$
Kelty cosmic pad 39$
Eureka suma 2 tent $150 (when I bought it)
Sawyer mini 21$
Toaks pot 26$
Toaks spoon 11$
Tent footprint 15$
Teton leef 20 70$
Bank line $5
Brs 3000t mini $18
Bic lighters 3$
Matches .50$
Fuel canister 6$
Decathlon mh100 Quechua bag 60$
Walmart foldable shovel 5$
Dry bags 10$
Cotton hank 4$

Prices were when I bought them, I’m sure some fluctuations have happened since. For example eureka is no longer in business, but now you can find this tent frequently for like 60$ and the Teton leef is commonly now like 30$ has been great for day or two hikes. Have used it for up to 3.5 days. If you want to go out for a week or multiple weeks i would look elsewhere. But for a weekend bag or just an overnight trip this budget set up is pretty hard to beat especially now since you could probably build it for 250$ and all at 13.2lbs (without banks)

I’ve been backpacking for 40+ years and the best head rest is still a boot wrapped up in a fleece and stuffed in a compression bag. I’ve tried so many others and they either slide out from under your head or they are not high/firm enough for a side sleeper who curls into fetal position at night.

Would love any suggestions

My first backpacking trip in Japan and it was amazing. My buddy knows the Northern Alps and brought me along, 40km/25mi with 4,227m/13,868ft of elevation gain over 2 days.

The views were amazing, the scrambling was fun but after a couple of hours it was starting to be too much scrambling and less hiking/trail running haha.

Felt very much in an open world game as we trekked. Hands down a core memory. We hiked to Mt. Goryu!

We had a ton of fog for most of the way but we were able to snag some good shots in between! Sunrise wasn’t the best for us with the fog but still will be one of my favorites with the lads.

This was a beautiful fall trip in the Great Smoky Mountains! On the NC side in Bryson City. Deep creek campsite. Was raining almost the entire time. Had to throw the horns down! The campsite next to us had the game on. Last shot was a pretty good camp Crème Brulé! Loved getting to hangout with my friends and vibe in nature!! No pics of friends to respect privacy. Thank you and have a great day!

How helpful is it vs in the way?

I understand how to tape my feet to prevent friction and handle hotspots, but what about the rest of your gear? Does heel balm or a similar product work for preventing friction elsewhere?

I've been training for an upcoming 8 day backpacking trip and I did a 15 mile hike today to test out my gear (fully weighted pack and the clothing I plan to bring). I have raised red marks where the waistband of my underwear sits under the pack's hip belt.

I'm confident it's irritation from friction rather than contact dermatitis because the very front of my body (between the sides of the hip belt) has no red marks. I was really surprised because I didn't feel any burning or itching, the underwear doesn't shift around when on, I wore it under leggings that stay put, and my pack is securely and properly fitted--other than a leg day-style waddle around the house tonight, my body feels good.

to preempt suggestions about changing the underwear:

• The underwear is from a reputable wool brand and 81% wool. I'm not allergic; I wear it all the time and my bedding is wool.
• Other material is out of the question on an 8 day trek for hygienic reasons (I'm a sweaty gal on the trail, and "moisture-wicking polyester" is a filthy lie)

Some photos from desolation wilderness this weekend! Third photo is from Fontanillis lake looking down the valley to emerald bay.

I’m looking to pick up a Durston X‑Mid and I’m torn between the 1P and 2P versions. I’m tall (198 cm / 6'6") and a bit claustrophobic, so interior space matters a lot to me. I’ve read that the X‑Mid designs are very roomy for their weight due to the geometry, but I’ve never seen one in person.

For anyone who owns the 1P: does it actually feel spacious enough for a tall person to move around, change clothes, and not feel boxed in? Or is the 2P the better call for comfort? I’d really appreciate real‑world impressions from people.

EDIT: Chose the Ampex, weight and length won out over name. Non winter camping season’s nearly done where I live so hoping to sneak one more weekend in this year when it arrives.

I have an opportunity to get a new tent - I've gotten awarded some company points so selection from a prize catalog is limited to these 2 tents. I currently use a ~30 year old Mountain Hardware tent. It's a 2 man tent, but crucially for me it's very long as I'm 6'6". My use case is mainly camping with scouts, so solo in my tent. We do have some family backpacking in our future, so want something big enough to share with another person as well.

How much stock do you put in the name brand of a tent? The Ampex is basically a ripoff of a Big Agnes Copper Spur, it's lighter, longer, and less expensive than the Nemo. Nemo, on the other hand, has a very strong brand reputation, and the Aurora is only 2" shorter but a couple inches wider. Would you pay 1.5lbs of weight penalty for long term durability and a "Name Brand"?

Obviously I know how to care for my gear, and realize that the weight savings of the Ampex is through material thickness, but I still have global concerns about a no-name vs a name brand.

I'm preparing to go solo camping in the next 2 weeks in a forest pretty close to me, but I have some things I'm worried about and looking for advice or tips!

The forest I'll be in is a protected area where wildlife is very active, and in the list of animals native to the area are moose and black bears. I'm not a giant fan of dropping $90 on bear spray that I may never use so are there any other ways to fight off bears and or get and keep them away? And for the moose I for sure need advice because if I see one of those giants I'm gonna shit my pants unless I know what to do.

I plan on hanging my food from a tree a little ways from where I'll set up my hammock so if a bear smells it out they wont be to close to me while I sleep. Also if it matters I'm gonna walk about 2km from the nearest road to a large lake and set up close to the water so I can fish, is that a good idea or should I keep my distance from open bodies of water?

BTW I get bear spray is a good investment and worth it, that's not what I'm trying to say but I am a broke college students who's looking to save money whenever I can, so just looking for what others do!

I'm used to sleeping on my side, any advice to improve my sleeping, I'm hiking without a car everything on my back

I had a meeting scheduled in Boise and decided to add a day and find an overnight backpack trip. I didn't do much research and came up with Rainbow Basin in the Boise National Forest. I had never heard of it, but Holy smokes, was it amazing. At every turn, it seemed like, was another stunning view. There's a lone campsite right on Heart Lake that I was lucky to nab. It turned out to be one of my favorite trips ever. (Pro-tip: It isn't easy to get to. Go through Feathersville and have PRINTED directions to get in and out-- it's dirt roads with no cell service, no roadsigns, no nothing.)

Any recommendations on a good women’s fanny pack for moderate to difficult hiking? Supportive, spacious but light. I’m 5’7 185 pounds, don’t know if that should factors into anything. Thank you!