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07-08-2016, 03:00 AM

You should ruff it and bring nothing. Not even clothes. You will come back stronger and better for doing so. Eat bugs and use branches as shelter or covering at night. What does not kill you makes you stronger. And good luck.

Camfer · 07-08-2016, 03:29 AM

LJay Wrote:As for my little pliers, I took someone's suggestion to try them after battling with umpteen devices for handing hot cooking pots from folded bandannas to special aluminum pot grippers to branches to church keys. The tiny pliers work the best and are the most dexterous when speed is required.

Any chance you can post a pic of said little pliers? I would love to see.

LJay · 07-08-2016, 04:40 AM

[MENTION=20941]Camfer[/MENTION], they are really quite ordinary, along the lines of these, though without elongated handles. This particular pic says that they are stainless steel, though mine are more common metal and about four inches long rather than the six pictured. Common slip joint pliers.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Aven-6-in-Sta.../206137973

Another reason I started carrying them is that I have two Kelty packs with rigid frames and they depend on clevis pins to keep things all together. The pliers are great for gripping the long wire that secures the pins. If a pin gets loose and has to be put back in place, My hands have a time getting the right grip. I have even used them to pull a cord tighter than I can do otherwise. Just a quirk. Nothing fancy.

I can't remember where I got them but it was probably a local hardware store that is now out of business.

Camfer · 07-08-2016, 07:07 AM

Oh, okay I get it now. I'll stick with the pliers on my leatherman. But I can see the purpose, for sure.

InbetweenDreams · 07-09-2016, 04:43 AM

Well I did a little bit of a test run, although I think the biggest problem are the socks, those definitely need to be changed up with something else and the fact is was over 90 (97 at the house) and 80% humidity today. So I literally was soaked by the time I made it back down. No issues hauling the extra weight, no back pain but there was some muscle soreness in my traps but I suspect that mostly is a matter of getting used to it...

07-09-2016, 05:20 AM

im a backpack guy, love backpacking and bikes ..

Camfer · 07-09-2016, 05:23 AM

check out smart wool socks, maybe wear with a thin wicking layer inside. wet feet is not good because it makes you prone to blisters.

sore traps means too much weight on your shoulders and not enough weight on your chest and hips. get most of the weight on your waist belt and be sure to use a chest strap.

I thought you'd be posting a pic with your pack on!

07-09-2016, 05:25 AM

[MENTION=23180]axle2152[/MENTION] you should be making topics more abt outdoor activities, ill happily trail along ..

InbetweenDreams · 07-09-2016, 12:56 PM

Camfer Wrote:check out smart wool socks, maybe wear with a thin wicking layer inside. wet feet is not good because it makes you prone to blisters.

sore traps means too much weight on your shoulders and not enough weight on your chest and hips. get most of the weight on your waist belt and be sure to use a chest strap.

I thought you'd be posting a pic with your pack on!

I will definitely check them out, probably get a couple pair.... In my case everything was wet I mean I looked like I went for a dip in the creek but all was sweat... But yes wet feet usually means sore feet. I have been caught running in the rain...while the cool rain is refreshing but actually running in it usually leaves me with blisters... Seems the back of my heel and sides of my big toes seem to be the trouble areas...

I'll have to see about distributing weight around....not sure how much I can change. One of the things about there being so much sweat is that the straps don't want to stay tight...then again most people don't take on a hard trail when it's that hot and humid.

Camfer · 07-09-2016, 04:59 PM

Yes, heavy stuff in the bottom of the pack, light bulky stuff in the top of the pack. Then, it's about how tight is your waist belt and chest strap. Play around with your loaded pack to discover how much weight you can have on or off your shoulders through the adjustment of the straps. If your straps can't hold tightly even when wet, you will need to constantly tighten them or tie a half-hitch knot right where the strap would pull through the buckle.