Look Out For These Misleading Tech Specs!

When it comes to backpacking and hiking gear, there are many misleading or confusing practices that manufactures use when laying out their specs. Here are a few examples so you can look out for these different types of specs next time you are shopping for new backing and hiking gear!
Special thanks to Ripcord: redpointtravel...
and Mystery Ranch: www.mysteryran...
OnX Backcountry App: www.onxmaps.co...
Gear tested and recommended:
Overnight Backpacks:
Bridger Series of Backpacks: www.mysteryran...
Tents and Camping Gear:
Big Agnes Copper Spur bit.ly/3XWSpn4
Durston X Mid trekking pole tent durstongear.co...
Sea to Summit Ascent AcII Sleeping Bag: 15F Down bit.ly/3JTea1h
Zenbivy 25 Degree Lightbed zenbivy.com/pr....
Big Agnes Rapide SL Insulated Sleeping Pad bit.ly/3DbbCcO
Sea to Summit Aeros Down Pillow bit.ly/34n4749
Clothing:
Cotopaxi Fuego Hooded Down Jacket bit.ly/3iwmivF
Big Agnes Zetto Ultralight Down Jacket www.bigagnes.c....
Arc'teryx Beta Rain Jacket
Outdoor Research Echo Hoodie bit.ly/3XR4WZm
Fjallraven Keb Agile Trouser
Coalatree Trailhead Pants coalatree.com/....
AKU Selvatica Mid GTX Hiking Boots bit.ly/3eSMmvy
Darn Tough Hiker Micro Crew Cushion Sock bit.ly/3qLVyaI
Hestra Bike Ergo Grip Tactility Glove amzn.to/3GWeADc
Camp Kitchen:
BeanVivo: beanvivo.com/
MSR PocketRocket 2 Stove bit.ly/34mBc06
Sea to Summit Alpha Pot - 1.9 Liters bit.ly/3tdCZ23
Sea to Summit Watercell X bit.ly/3wv3ost
Platypus Big Zip EVO Reservoir Water Bladder bit.ly/3t2SrxF
Grayl Geopress Water Purifier bit.ly/3DbOCun
Lifestraw Peak Squeeze Water filter straw bit.ly/3Bjk88U
Pinnacle Foods Freeze dried food pinnaclefoods.co/
Vosteed Nightshade Folding Knife amzn.to/3J7XOnn
Matador 8L Flatpack matadorup.com/....
Trail Gear:
Ledlenser Neo 5R Headlamp amzn.to/3Jd8Pnu
Vargo Titanium Dig Dig Tool bit.ly/3UGgFYO
Zoleo Satellite Communicator amzn.to/3WBDRIK
Komperdell Explorer Contour trekking poles
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Wiley X: www.wileyx.com/
Mystery Ranch: www.mysteryran...
Cotopaxi: www.cotopaxi.com/
BeanVivo: beanvivo.com/
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[@SeanMather]

As an outdoor gear salesperson (the following is my own opinion and I’m not speaking on behalf of my company), this is one of the hardest things for new staff to understand and important to explain to our customers. A few expansions to this. Sleeping bag temps are often using (although not always) an EN rating. It is a test done in a controlled environment, with the sleeping bag on a 1” thick mattress. Comfort is the temp an “average” woman would be comfortable to, Limit is the same for an “average” man, while extreme is the you will survive the worst night of your life temperature. Now, I sleep incredibly warm, so I do tend to get to the limit temperatures. But if you sleep cold, we’ll the comfort is more reasonable. Buy from a place with a generous return policy and test out some options in cold but safe conditions, ie: go backyard camping and see how you sleep in various sleeping bags for a few nights. Also, set up is critical. Don’t leave it until you go to bed to roll out your sleeping bag. It needs time for the loft to recover from being compressed. It won’t insulate at the promised performance if it’s not at full loft. It will also degrade over time, so a 5 year old bag might not give the full performance as a brand new one. It may still be close, or it may be quite different depending on how you cared for it. Tent capacity is generally the number of people on the same number of regular (20”) mats. It does not account for gear, bigger mats, etc. now some 2p tents will be bigger than others, so always consider the dimensions. Don’t forget about the shape of a tent too. As a relatively tall man, there’s been lots of tents that I fit in length wise on paper, but the wall is so sharply inclined that it doesn’t really work. Headlamps can use different methods of deploying their power, depending on how the manufacturer set them up. Some high end models even let you choose. First there’s what Eric talked about, where there is a degradation of performance on a fairly steep curve, and eventually the headlight runs out. They can also set it to plateau at the max setting for a set time, then drop to a lower (usually super minimal lumens, like 4) for a long run time. So you might see wording like max 450 for 4 hours, then Reserve 40 hours. Some manufacturers also use a boost rating as the main rating, typically those with extremely high lumens. So the boost is usually capable of only minutes at that value, before the headlamp is severely depleted. Also, the necessity of extremely high lumens is debatable. Early head lamps had far less, and for the majority of tasks had enough light. Somethings, like cooking, or hiking in treacherous terrain demand more light, but you don’t need 1300 lumens to set up a tent. Also a bonus. Eric didn’t mention is stoves. Remember that run times are calculated in favourable controlled situations, using the manufacturer’s preferred fuel (there own). It doesn’t account for temperature, wind, altitude, other fuel blends, cleanliness of f the stove, etc. as always, running your own tests and calculations are best for planning trips, especially ones expecting more extreme conditions.

[@j3hikes444]

totally agree on carrying a heavier backpack (Mystery Ranch Bridger-65). actually more comfortable than some of my UL packs

[@philsmith2444]

That’s how it is with my Osprey Atmos 50 AG. I don’t have any UL packs, but my Granite Gear Crown2 60 is about half the weight of the Osprey. It’s very comfortable, but for loads over 30lb the Osprey just totally outclasses it for me.

[@ctneilson]

Love my Bridger 65. Makes me look like I’m wearing a sports bra though 😅

[@bernarddeboeck8405]

Same here! I just love my 80L osprey AG. Almost always to big but the comfort is enormous! In some winter situationeel I love that I can stuff it with more stuff that usually without losing comfort.

[@aaronp5197]

Yep. Agreed. I use a hunting pack that’s crazy comfortable carrying loads. It’s around 4lbs. But carries weight amazingly. Stone Glacier 40/56.

[@ShawnBryan]

Your closing comment is right on target. I have abandoned several Osprey packs that are lighter than my 65 liter Mystery Ranch but the MR is so much more comfortable, especially as you add comparable weight to the Osprey vs the MR. I am not, nor never will be, a UL backpacker (29 years in the Army taught me much about carrying capacity and comfort). There's a reason MR is a favorite with many in the military, where heavy loads are the standard not the exception.

[@johnmezera3451]

Great info. Just need to keep reiterating this info so that new backpacker can hear it before buying too much and the wrong equipment. Good for more experienced folks to refresh with.

[@dungeonsanddeadlifts7610]

Great thoughts on comfortability vs weight. Just got back from solo backpacking in and around the Grand Tetons. After seeing and hearing your thoughts on Mystery Ranch, I bit the bullet and bought both a Mystery Ranch 27L bag for day hiking and one of their 65L Backpacking Packs, and I'm surprised to admit they're my new favorite packs. I'm not an ultra-light kinda guy but I've generally used pretty lightweight packs. The comfortability I felt with Mystery Ranch was nuts, even after 50 rough miles in 3 days. I'm a total advocate. Thanks for the recommendation, Eric! Another great video.

[@behind-the-gear]

I have gone both ultralight and heavier on backpacks and there is a happy middle ground! Great video you could also add another section on waterproof labels ha

[@kelseywinter-troutwine1928]

Agree with the heavier backpack & gear in general depending.

[@rumidude]

I always take the approach of looking at the whole "system" rather than the individual parts. So I have a sleep system, which can be dependent on what i brings in my layering system and shelter system. If I was just tarp camping or cowboy camping exposed to wind and radiant heat loss, I know that I will require a bit more insulation than if I was in a tent. And the shelter system is often REALLY deceptive because it isn't just the bare tent, but also the extra guys and stakes required for windy conditions. So if the tent requires minimum 4 stakes for set up, but requires an additional four stakes plus guys for windy conditions, you have to add in that extra weight because you have to carry it regardless.

[@RH-adventure]

Great info. I just found out that powerbanks only output about 65% of their rated value. So a 10k powerbank is 6500. Changes a lot for me.

[@BurfieldPhoto1]

Sort of... really this shows the problem with expressing battery capacity in mAh. A 10k lithium ion battery has a capacity of 10,000mAh at 3.7V which is the nominal voltage of a lithium-ion battery, but usb devices are charged at 5V, not 3.7V, and when voltage increases capacity decreases because it's not actually an expression of total capacity, it's an expression of power supplied over time. So the nominal 5V capacity of a 3.7V 10,000 mAh battery is only 7,400mAh. Not because "you don't get all the capacity" but because 10,000 mAh 3.7V and 7,400mAh 5V are the same value. Then there's power loss converting from 3.7V to 5V inside the powerbank and then back from 5V to 3.7V inside your phone, and whatever you lose to resistance inside your usb cable, which is where we get to a good guide of 2/3 capacity.

[@vincentvega5686]

@@BurfieldPhoto1 so what you're saying is .... um...umm

[@gregroberts875]

I love my Mystery Ranch Backpacks!!! I loved my Dana Designed ones as well😀

[@anninwhack1998]

Great spot! I have a traditional pack bc it’s fit me the best and I’m not crazy to carry a ton of things but it’s most comfortable and I don’t have to worry so much when I do need that extra something for weather etc. I’m always between 35-42 lbs total including so called worn weight which is certainly a max amount for me. And the tent weight thing is annoying bc in addition to stakes and lines the super light need more ground sheet protection which is not included either. When you weigh all that up sometimes there is very little difference between tents at 2-3 lbs and just getting under 5 lbs in total which may save some money and anxiety too.

[@jerrybobteasdale]

Good video. Particularly regarding temp ratings on sleeping bags.

[@donnajess]

Another misleading tech spec is the number of people a tent can accommodate comfortably. A 3 person tent = 2 people; a 2 person tent = 1 person; a 1 person tent = a coffin. 🙃

[@21broadway]

Always appreciate the clearity!

[@glennfoster5431]

Great info update. Cheers and keep up the good work😊

[@gusvietnam5086]

Great video Eric! 👍

[@bobbafett1971]

Kinda disagree with x-mid. I own the 1p pro. You never add weight of polls. If you did then add it to any tent. If you hike with polls. Then there on the ground or holding your tent up. And you dont need extra lines or staks with x-1. I carry it though and still very light. There is other tents that requires many more staks and raises trail weight

[@arnoldestrada8583]

I blame Eric for turning me onto Mystery Ranch. I now own 3 lol 60L, 50L and 25L. Great packs

[@TeslaPrince]

Well said Eric, great info

[@strangerous1313]

Thanks for this informative video!

[@26hurban]

I’ve got that same T-shirt 😎👍

[@jeffreycarman2185]

Thanks for the video.

[@pakleader4]

Thank you for telling the truth and much needed information. SEMPER FI

[@neemancallender9092]

Eric not enough information Explain on the sleeping bag the three ratings and how that ties into the advertised rating Explain on mats, the correlation between ground temperature and air temperature and sleeping bag ratings Cold ground to snow as ground temperature

[@dungeonsanddeadlifts7610]

Go do your own research, dork. This was a great video for introductory information for new backpackers.

[@BurfieldPhoto1]

The three temperature rating derives from ISO EN 23537:2016 standard for the temperature rating on sleeping bags, which is a standardised test that actually produces four different temperature ratings, although I've never seen the first rating used by any brand. The test involves placing a thermal manikin in the sleeping bag on a sleeping mat. The four temperature ratings obtained are: 1. Upper Limit - the maximum temperature at which a "standard male" can sleep without excessive perspiration. This is determined with all zippers fully open, hood open, and arms outside the bag. All other temperatures are obtained with the bag fully closed and any hood in place. 2. Comfort - the temperature at which a "standard female" can expect to sleep comfortably in a relaxed position. 3. Lower Limit - the lowest temperature that a "standard female" can sleep for 8hrs without waking in a curled (fetal) position. 4. Extreme - the lowest temperature at which a "standard female" can remain without risk of death from hypothermia for 6 hours (this doesn't mean safety from cold induced non-fatal injuries such as frostbite). For the purposes of the test the person is assumed to be sleeping on an appropriately rated sleeping mat, in a tent, wearing a single layer of thermal underwear. Standard male - 25yrs, 1.73m, 73kg Standard female - 25yrs, 1.6m, 60kg