Assorted questions (Sleep, wide feet)
Posted: Wed Aug 30, 2017 2:07 pm
Besides weight, what do high end bags like Western Mountaineering have going for them?
I need a new bag. Period. I'm currently using an REI Flash that I bought on limited knowledge when I first got into the hobby a couple years back, and the faults of that bag have played a large role in my poor sleeping habits. And I've realized that those habits aren't sustainable in the long run. For those that don't know, that bag is a down/synthetic hybrid, with down on top and synthetic on the bottom. Now, this could be workable if you're the type that easily sleeps through the night, but for someone that tosses and turns? It's an absolute pain to work around. And these issues are only compounded by my pad, but more on that later.
So, while returning from a recent trip, I decided to swing by Eastside Sports to see what they had, and their selection is largely limited to two options: Western Mountaineering and Kelty. And the price difference between the two, at least for the 20F bags I was looking at, was over $400. That's not exactly a small amount. The question, however, is whether that's a justifiable amount. I technically have the money to buy one, but a major reason why I have that money to begin with is because I haven't gone and spent it on some similarly expensive toy in the past.
And that's a lot of money just to shave off a few ounces.
Are closed cell pads still viable?
From what I'm seeing, there aren't a whole lot of options here. The only two available, that I can recall from the top of my head, are by Therm-A-Rest: the accordion (Which I have), and the one that rolls up. I may well end up giving in and going with an inflatable, but I've never been comfortable with how they can fail.
I've been considering doubling up on pads in an effort to be comfortable when I'm on my side, but two closed cell pads would become incredibly bulky. Another option would be to do one of each type, as the closed cell could both serve as a way to reduce punctures and as a backup in case the inflatable has a catastrophic failure. Though I also recall many nights, after a day of cross country and a bit of bushwhacking, where I've had numerous thorns and other prickly things stuck in my current pad.
Also not a fan of the potential for having to reinflate during the night. I'm the type of sleeper that's prone to being unable to fall back asleep if I wake up during the night and do anything more than rolling over to a new position.
Seems like my ideal would be a closed cell option that's just a bit thicker than the options offered by Therm-A-Rest.
What are some good wide-ish shoe recommendations?
I've been using Merrel's Moab Ventilators for a bit over two years now, and they're pretty much on death's door. They've been decent to me, with the main issue being persistent blister issues on the outsides of my big and pinkie toes, but I'd like to try to find something that actually fits me well. And if that doesn't sound like a "decent" fit to you, well, it's actually better than most shoes I've tried, backpacking or otherwise.
In terms of the blister issue, the Moab's are 0.5 sizes above my baseline. I've tried using medical tape to prevent blisters before they formed and had had some success...when the tape stayed in place. There've been instances where just putting my sock back on, while trying to not rub it up against the tape, has moved the tape. As a result, I haven't even bothered with it on recent trips. I have not, however, tried that other stuff that's akin to medical tape but with more staying power that I've seen mentioned on these forums.
I've tried Altra Lone Peaks in the past, but the hard band of material on the upper part of the shoe, just behind the toes, was incredibly uncomfortable when I put the shoe on, and outright painful when taking just a few steps around the store.
I used "wide-ish" above because my feet don't appear to be quite as wide as some folks here, but they're definitely wide enough to make regular shoes incredibly uncomfortable for me. And on the flip side of that, I just ordered a pair of Luna's, and my feet had an almost perfect fit on their size eight printout, with my feet only flirting with being too wide for'em. Really hoping those work out, as just getting my feet out of a shoe for a few hours a day will probably help a lot on the blister front.
General preference is to avoid Gore-Tex, but I'm open to everything else.
I need a new bag. Period. I'm currently using an REI Flash that I bought on limited knowledge when I first got into the hobby a couple years back, and the faults of that bag have played a large role in my poor sleeping habits. And I've realized that those habits aren't sustainable in the long run. For those that don't know, that bag is a down/synthetic hybrid, with down on top and synthetic on the bottom. Now, this could be workable if you're the type that easily sleeps through the night, but for someone that tosses and turns? It's an absolute pain to work around. And these issues are only compounded by my pad, but more on that later.
So, while returning from a recent trip, I decided to swing by Eastside Sports to see what they had, and their selection is largely limited to two options: Western Mountaineering and Kelty. And the price difference between the two, at least for the 20F bags I was looking at, was over $400. That's not exactly a small amount. The question, however, is whether that's a justifiable amount. I technically have the money to buy one, but a major reason why I have that money to begin with is because I haven't gone and spent it on some similarly expensive toy in the past.
And that's a lot of money just to shave off a few ounces.
Are closed cell pads still viable?
From what I'm seeing, there aren't a whole lot of options here. The only two available, that I can recall from the top of my head, are by Therm-A-Rest: the accordion (Which I have), and the one that rolls up. I may well end up giving in and going with an inflatable, but I've never been comfortable with how they can fail.
I've been considering doubling up on pads in an effort to be comfortable when I'm on my side, but two closed cell pads would become incredibly bulky. Another option would be to do one of each type, as the closed cell could both serve as a way to reduce punctures and as a backup in case the inflatable has a catastrophic failure. Though I also recall many nights, after a day of cross country and a bit of bushwhacking, where I've had numerous thorns and other prickly things stuck in my current pad.
Also not a fan of the potential for having to reinflate during the night. I'm the type of sleeper that's prone to being unable to fall back asleep if I wake up during the night and do anything more than rolling over to a new position.
Seems like my ideal would be a closed cell option that's just a bit thicker than the options offered by Therm-A-Rest.
What are some good wide-ish shoe recommendations?
I've been using Merrel's Moab Ventilators for a bit over two years now, and they're pretty much on death's door. They've been decent to me, with the main issue being persistent blister issues on the outsides of my big and pinkie toes, but I'd like to try to find something that actually fits me well. And if that doesn't sound like a "decent" fit to you, well, it's actually better than most shoes I've tried, backpacking or otherwise.
In terms of the blister issue, the Moab's are 0.5 sizes above my baseline. I've tried using medical tape to prevent blisters before they formed and had had some success...when the tape stayed in place. There've been instances where just putting my sock back on, while trying to not rub it up against the tape, has moved the tape. As a result, I haven't even bothered with it on recent trips. I have not, however, tried that other stuff that's akin to medical tape but with more staying power that I've seen mentioned on these forums.
I've tried Altra Lone Peaks in the past, but the hard band of material on the upper part of the shoe, just behind the toes, was incredibly uncomfortable when I put the shoe on, and outright painful when taking just a few steps around the store.
I used "wide-ish" above because my feet don't appear to be quite as wide as some folks here, but they're definitely wide enough to make regular shoes incredibly uncomfortable for me. And on the flip side of that, I just ordered a pair of Luna's, and my feet had an almost perfect fit on their size eight printout, with my feet only flirting with being too wide for'em. Really hoping those work out, as just getting my feet out of a shoe for a few hours a day will probably help a lot on the blister front.
General preference is to avoid Gore-Tex, but I'm open to everything else.