I found Skratch Labs from a previous video of yours. It works well for me because it has real sugar (just a little). I use Raspberry Limeade because it has caffeine to keep my blood pressure up.

How do you unclasp the male and female ends? I feel like I'm going to break it Trying to wiggle it apart

I love LMNT and NUUN for electrolytes. As far as energy chew goes, Skratch Labs and Bolt. For Energy Gel I really like MUIR Gels.

That's a good tip to use one particular bottle for the electrolytes, I shall keep that in mind. I'm a Scratch Labs person as well. I've tried a bunch of other brands, and most of them have stevia, which I just don't like the taste of.

Never chafed before I did the Rae Lakes Loop from Kearsarge Pass this year, had a heavier backpack with camera equipment, and was hot/sweaty/salty from the rigorous elevation gains/losses. Was sooooo uncomfortable and took a little over a week to heal using Desitin paste. I'll definitely be bringing some on my multi-day hikes. Thanks again for another helpful video!

Another helpful video! I mostly use Ultima daily packets (sweetner is stevia which I know not everyone likes the taste of) when out in the backcountry but also sometimes use VALI Electrolyte Salts Plus 40mg Caffeine Pills in the mornings if I just want the basic ingredients with caffeine for higher elevations to start my day.

Excellent review. I love how you wasted no time with long intros or unnecessary segments. I really appreciate how you showed all of the features, especially showing how both sides of the warmer get warm and how the magnets work.

Is it gross that I store mine in a wool sock? It’s clean 😂. I put it in the footbox of my sleeping bag in a sock during cold trips to keep it from freezing. Great video, thanks! I’m looking at getting the CNOC vecto and vesica to use as a dirty bag and a clean bottle system.

Thanks Switchback! This is my rainy night project here in northern CA

❤❤❤

Did they come with wrist carry straps?

That looks like a beautiful place to hike. Sorry to hear about your knee, Wishing you continued improvement. Aging and injury suck. I’m happy you were able to get back out there!!

I'm from Florida, but have been to Crater Lake twice (2006 & 2007). I'm glad I took video on my visits, but I couldn't imagine in 2007 that it would be my last trip to Oregon, since I fully intended to relocate there. I thoroughly enjoyed your video. But I'll bet you could kick yourself for the vertical landscapes. Oh well, we all make mistakes. Mine was making the trip with a new camera before I was familiar with it, and having too many stills that didn't turn out well.

I was just diagnosed with sleep apnea this morning. :( Bummer. It's bad enough for a CPAP, but I'm going to start with the mouth piece made by a dentist. Then if that doesn't really do it, I'll go to the machine. Hoping that if I do need the machine, I can use the mouth piece while backpacking/kayak camping. Thanks for the info on the non-RX options as well. The provider I went to this morning at the sleep study place couldn't tell me much about use/care of a CPAP, but she said she'd send me home with directions. I like to have a little more idea of what to expect.

We are 70 years old and a lifelong avid backpacker. We switched to a dyneema shelter two years ago after being through many tents over the years. It is a trekking pole shelter, yes, we use those also. Love it, but it is not good in an area where the ground is rocky as it needs plenty of stakes to peg it out. Not the fault of the dyneema. The tent is lightweight, strong and has plenty of room. Because of the lower weight we went for a 2 person shelter with a one person inner. Plenty of space, don't get up against the sides of the tent (i.e. don't get stuff wet when in areas of high humidity due to condensation). It is not 'transparent' but does allow light through, and the bonus of this is that when the moon is up, you don't need a torch in the tent. We have done many several day trips without even having to get out our torch. It is possible to put the shelter up without the inner; in heavy rain, we put the shelter up first over the top of our backpack, get in the shelter and then set up the inner later. Plenty of room for storage away from the sides of the shelter, plenty of room to move about, cook etc. In terms of it being noisy in rain, yes, but that is lovely to hear. We hear plenty of people rustling around on their blow up mattresses in the night, whereas we just use the old thermarest z fold, much less noisy. The Dyneema floor of the inner is solid, and we have not needed a separate ground sheet under it. Another bonus is we can use other types of inners in this shelter; we do not have to rely on the shelter company to provide the 'right' one - we can use cheap inner fly if we want. For us, it has been a boon, but it is much more suited to areas where a tent can be staked out. Trekking pole tents are not good in rocky environments such as the Australian outback; self supporting tents are much easier to use. For us, this was a good buy for general backpacking and base camping. In areas where there is limited room, because this is a shelter, we can pitch it in different ways to suit the conditions. We can pitch it high to allow more air flow to come through the shelter, or we can pitch it low to reduce wind that is annoying. We have even used it pitched low as almost a bivvy. Very useable. Would we buy a Dyneema tarp instead??? Maybe, but we are happy with the shelter. Also another plus, no damn seam sealing... As one gets older, we need to go lighter weight. Worth its money? Hell, yes. We wouldn't be backpacking now if we didn't have the lightweight dyneema and carbon fiber products we have access to these days. Absolutely love the new technology and designs that have come out recently.

Yay!!!! This is huge! Congratulations!

Hope your knee pain improves so you can get to your happy place more often! Best wishes.

I had my first injection and started PT to strengthen my muscles to help support it. I plan my first hike today. Congratulations.

Congratulations!! That’s a big first step. It’s so good to see you out and able to do the things you love to do. Thanks for sharing with us. 😊

YAYYYYYY!!!! I'm so happy you were able to get out! How long ago did you do this? How did you do the day after? Did the injection get you all the way to pain-free, or just down to a tolerable level?

I had to come back and watch this now that I'm dealing with knee pain. I've all but completely lost my ability to hike, and particularly given a bunch of other stressors going on in my life, I'm having a really hard time dealing with that loss. I hate that anyone else has to deal with this, but it is helpful to know that someone understands. So thanks again for being vulnerable and sharing. I appreciate you!

What dry bag brand is that blue bag? Looks like a decent option.

The 1p has a reasonable footprint but the inner is a bit cramped. The 2p has plenty of space but HUGE footprint. The large vestibules are the feature and drawback of the current design. The 1p would benefit from more interior somehow and less vestibule.

I agree it's a bit overrated.

In June of ‘21, I purchased a Trekker 65 from Kelty’s website on sale for $140, partly out of concern that the item may be nearing discontinuation (good thing I was wrong!). Another great thing about external frame packs is serviceability. The Trekker I bought included extra clevis pins, although those are pretty common/cheap. Right now on the Kelty website, replacement shoulder straps and hipbelts are available for $30 each, and a mesh back band is priced at $10.

Seems like loops on the ends are helpful to lace shoes? And then cut them?

Taking the Durston X-Mid on this very same itenary as you next week.

Best video I found for doing this

You saved me!! I had taken my Salomon Sense Ride 5 back to the store I bought them from (worn six months) and since they did not carry replacement laces (for $110 shoes - really???) I ordered them over the phone. They only came in black for my white shoes. The pitiful six tiny pictures on the instructions were useless, then I gratefully found your video. So glad I watched twice before attempting so I could gather pliers, good scissors, lighter, etc., then I still had to re-watch segments as I did some steps. I lost the little clear plastic tube and apparently I didn't need it or the paper clip. With my stress, I forgot how to use the Quicklace portion of the lace so I struggled with even that. Maybe that is why they were so worn out in a short time? It was almost an hour long process but I finished just in time for my pickleball game - shoes not recommended for this sport but I wear them for comfort regardless.

Thanks for the video, this has been the one thing keeping me from backpacking. Question, I've heard of people bringing a lightweight stool and cutting a hole in it to use if they have a hard time squatting. Have you ever tried this or seen what stool was used?

How thick is the cord?

Good tips. I hadn’t used a Fanny pack since the 80’s, then I finally used one backpacking. No way I’ll ever go without it. I too put my garmin on it. Too often I hear of people wandering off to pee, get water, etc., and get lost. I’d rather have my garmin with me at all times. The can lid hack was great. Will try it.

That's really helpful! Thanks so much! Most cremes stain your clothes and are smelly, and though I am not a bear, I am sensitive to smell... It's good to finally have some alternatives.

I’ve been there and it was not an easy trail. The fact that you made it and went to all the 7 lakes is amazing. So proud of you!!! Well Done. Keep doing you.

Why does the inflation bag have a drawstring

A sadistic and cruel joke on all those who might actually believe that it's a "Quicklace" - it's anything but. It took a good hour and a half of hard, tedious frustrating work to push the lace through the tiny eyelets, then up into the tightener thing, and, finally, to get the ends locked together. Absolutely anything BUT "quicklace". I had access to tools and good lighting, but imagine if I was trying to do this on a remote trail? Wilson (the make) should be called out, and I'll lead the parade.

What if my backpack doesn't have that load-lifter? I have an everyday carry (EDC) backpack, but I carry a lot of tech gear, so I'm wondering about the most comfortable way to carry them.

Thank you for the great info, the first honest video about dyneema.

seems like you were camped a little too close to the lake

DOWN BOOTIES?!!! Oh man!

Delayed for a little bit definitely, but not my definition of “stranded”. Stranded would be if you had zero means to leave the island at all, like the boat didn’t show up, the boat broke down, etc. You were simply delayed and had to wait out a storm. Big deal.

Thank you

Gosh! This is the most useful video I've seen and is very informative. Many thanks.

Great setup video....thxs a bunch!

My experience is that most hikers gave up hiking boots in the 1990s.... or at least people who actually hike as opposed to people who buy stuff they never use.

Cheer~~~a piece of old cloth, especially one torn from a larger piece, used typically for cleaning things,sweat😊

2:00 Translucence means reduced privacy, not zero privacy. If it was transparent, you would have zero privacy. It's interesting, ekopak is talked about as a viable alternative to Dyneema, and it's even more eco-friendly (I believe it uses plastic from recycled bottles?), but it's a much stiffer material. It seems to be great for items like backpacks and some smaller pouches/stuff sacks, but I don't think it will ever be used for a tent. Maybe someone will develop a version of ekopak in a thinner denier that compresses and is more supple so it packs down more easily and more compact.