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I think we're pretty much on the same page on this one. A couple of years ago, I did a day hike with friends and we got caught out in the growing darkness on the way back. Never going to happen to me again. I should have known better. Actually, I did know better, but did not know how far we...

Maddy, I'm not saying don't carry one, but I know for certain that here in CA, people are out in the wild without a clue or adequate gear because I read about them or see them on the tv news being rescued fairly regularly. Do they use their cel phone to call for help? Often. But, if they had a...

WW. I found my boots in Salt Lake City. Craigslist always posts a warning about buying locally to avoid scams and they are out there, but I have found with outdoor gear that people usually are willing to ship if you pay shipping and pay with PayPal. The scammers aren't usually trying to buy or...

My concern with cel phones is like that others who have posted here, I think people will rely on them for rescue, instead of learning how to avoid rescue in the first place. Here in CA, stories about rescues triggered by cel phones creates, in my mind a false sense of security. I know that in...

Thanks ADK, I fixed the Trailspace link. btw, using Craigslist? Get the Craigslist Reader from here- http://www.motiont.com/craigslistreader.aspx The Reader is free and it works like a search engine for all the Craigslists all over the country or even the ones in other countries, depending on...

For used gear: www.trailspace.com (I'm a moderator) www.backpacking.net (The Lightweight Backpacker; also a moderator there) www.telemarktips.com (telemark skis mostly, but sometimes AT gear, packs, clothes and misc. gear) www.craigslist.com (download and use the Craigslist Reader to find...

I have slept in a TNF Mountain 25 and own an old EMS Pompero, which is somewhat the same size as a MH Trango Assault. I have used mine for solo camping as well. For some good info on cold weather camping and sleeping (real cold weather) check out www.wintertrekking.com. This is a Canadian site...

Thanks DougPaul, Yep, that's the one. I remember the astronaut and the Pike Peak test-that's what I was thinking of with the students.

These sound familiar. Isn't Deadly Ascent the one where the scientists did the altitude study with college students? If so, I saw it a year or so ago.

Another interesting pack is the Kelty Cloud. This is the Kelty white modular spectra pack. New, $800, (not a misprint) but available occasionally on eBay or other used stuff sites. I have seen one once in person. All of the pockets come off it and you can strip it down to just the bag and it is...

I had a Bora 80 and sold it after one trip-too heavy and didn't really fit me right. (I got it in trade for some work, so cost wasn't an issue, but they are really big money, as you know.) I am too small to carry a big, heavy pack. I tow a sled instead and highly recommend doing that. However...

I doubt you are going to do anything to an XGK with old Coleman fuel. I've even burned methylated spirits (Brit and Kiwi speak for alcohol) in mine with no harm to it. Meths may eat up the O-rings or the lining on the fuel bottle, but I'm not sure about that.

Not quite the same, but I almost hit a deer here in Los Angeles just off of Sunset Blvd. coming down the hill from a local park. Three of them ran right out in front of me in broad daylight. I was in a small car and if I'd hit one, I'd have probably pitched off the road down the hill and rolled...

Buy a copy of Allen & Mike's Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book. It's mostly about winter camping, so even if you're on snowshoes, most of the tips apply. Cheap, useful and with cartoons. Good to have even if you've been out a few times. You have to dry off your feet. Booties are a good idea...

When I went to NZ in the 80's, customs was very scrupulous about looking over your gear before allowing it in the country. You are warned that if your gear is dirty, it won't get in, especially boots, because of concern about bringing in some biological contamination, be it seeds or something...

Plastics are great, but definitely be aware of potential shin bang, which I may have mentioned in previous threads about boots. I wore a pair of Koflach Viva Softs, a double boot 80's vintage during a climbing class that involved a lot of walking and got a bad shin bang from one of them that...

Doug, No, I was referring to MichaelJ's post. I think I saw those-they look like a piece of square nylon with two half loops sewn to the corners. I was thinking he meant something solid, like a thin sheet of plastic, not fabric. I think he means these things-...

The original question was will spraying stakes with non-stick of some sort actually work and I don't anyone, me included, knows the answer to that. I have no interest in trying it myself, so I will check back with the guy who's doing it and find out. Those plastic things mentioned earlier sound...

I'm not keen on freezing them in either, but I do stomp them in. I'm in CA, so the snow tends to have high water content-Sierra cement-but last time in Yosemite, it was several feet of powder, so setting stakes was a problem. I have a freestanding tent and there was no wind, so once I dug out...

Someone (not me) on another site posted that he was going to try to make non-stick snow stakes by spraying his SMC stakes with polyurethane. Even if this works, it seems counterproductive to me. Sure, stakes that freeze in are a pain to take out, but to me, that's the point-they don't pull out...