This is my brand new channel focused on taking adventures, big and small. In between adventures I like to share advice, talk about gear, and have a good laugh while doing it. Subscribe to learn, have some fun, and join me and my friends for a 2023 filled with backpacking, hiking, mountaineering, bikepacking, and a lot more.
I'm hoping that these little films inspire people to get out there and challenge themselves and hopefully have some fun watching along the way :-)
Disclaimer: Outdoors activities are inherently dangerous and any advice shared here is intended as educational but not a substitute for your own research and planning.
Not digging the paracord 'between toe' feel or the texture footbeds. I prefer Olukais for comfort. I wish Olukai made a heel strap version to provide more 'adventurer' capabilities. Olukai footbed and toe strap + Luna sole and strap system would be the best sandal.... Someone invent it please
A simple solution for the "bucket problem": (waterproof) gaiters or footbags can be used to keep water and/or snow from going into your boots from above.
Do you think the sole has enough squish to it? Or do you find it to be a bit hard? I’m debating between these and the xero h trails which seems to maybe be a softer sole.
I don't know if I'd call it squish but I don't feel like my feet get beat up wearing these. I think the Xero H Trails are thinner and you would feel rocks etc more through the sole wearing them. I haven't worn the Xero H Trails yet though to be fair. I hope you're happy with whatever you choose!
@@chaseadventures Yeah, seems like the thicker sole on these is better in that way, not feeling all the sharp rocks. Cool, maybe I’ll give these a try! Thanks for the great video:)
Yeah I think some of it comes down to personal preference but you're right there are a lot of different opinions out there. There are definitely some situations where I would wear GORE-TEX footwear but most of the time I don't.
Пусть лучше мои ноги потеют, чем в горах будут защищены только тряпкой. Я ходил в горы в кожаных рабочих ботинках, иак они все были отбиты и поцарапаны
I really want a pair of these. My experience with Vibram has been great on boots. Just recently learned they make these sandal style soles too. nice review thank you.
My asics gel sonoma 7 have gortex, after first long walk, my feet feel warm and sweaty i didnt know why. Too bad, i love shoes so much, they are most comforable shoes ever.
Do you use this gear or is it just a recommendation, as want information on gear that people actually use . Anyone can pick a load of gear out , that's all . I have seen same videos recommending same gear of other RU-vidrs but don't actually use the stuff there recommending . 😅
The only thing I haven't used personally is the tent I shared but I have some friends who have used it and say good things. Otherwise I can personally vouch for every item on this list.
@@karlkoch2758 yeah we went the last week of September in 2023. The weather was warm and perfect before and after we just happened to get a snowy window.
Yeah, I worn them quite a few times and they’re great one thing I just warn you about dogs shamus. Sandals has a model called mountain goats, so I don’t want legal stuff to get people in trouble socks still on my snap and both are great sandals, the Shama mountain goats are great and saw bedrock bedrock more comfortable I think because of the top one.
Good video man. Bedrock sandals are so so awesome & comfortable to wear all day long. I liked how you showed your bedrock sandals. It would have been cool to see them on your foot though. I liked how you showed how the footbed looked on your sandals too to show how well they holding up. I have a pair that I had now for 3 or 4 years now & they are Holding up very well. I am a chubby fat dude with big & very very Extremely wide feet 🦶 sz15 6E wide ( which is very very extremely wide feet 🦶 ) with very chubby fat wide toes that are Evenly straight across making my foot very very Extremely wide at 6 1/2 inches wide from my big toe to my lil toe. My foot outgrow shoes , socks , & boots when I was 18 years old & Flip flops 🩴 is the only footwear that will barely and I mean barely fit on my foot Because my toes are wider than the flip flops 🩴 straps. I have a lot of problems with my toes being in the way of the flip flops 🩴 straps so I got me a pair of Bedrock sandals to stop my toes from getting in the way of the straps. Having very very Extremely wide feet 🦶 with toes that are Evenly straight across is very very Difficult for footwear. Bedrock sandals stop all of those problems. The only problem that i had with my Bedrock sandals was my footbed had a very nice wide 4 toes worn-out smooth footprint on my footbed of my sandals. My 5th toes hang off the footbed of my flip flops 🩴 & sandals so i am use to that. But other than that I am very very Extremely happy with my Bedrock sandals. I have to wear them 365 days a year. Even in the winter time in 20° or 30° Degrees weather outside i am wearing my Bedrock sandals or my flip flops 🩴 but more of my Bedrock sandals.
Happy to hear they're working out so well for you! Yeah good call on having a shot with them on, I'll keep that in mind for future videos. Appreciate the comment!
Hi all :-) ! ...please, I've asked several stores but I can't find stock. Until now I used the Sal0m..n "aero" without goretex, but this year they no longer make them. Merr3ll is out of stock too. I'm looking for something similar, not leather, boots that are made of mesh and very very breathable. Please can you recommend it to me 🙏🏽 (just boots). Thanks!
You seem like a nice guy so i wont insult you but im not going to beat about the bush either👍 You're at best 25% correct here by scientifically provable fact. You were spot on when you spoke about extra layer weight and if any moisture gets inside the boot you have the added effect of any waterproof+breathable membrane/material that it either needs a long time to evapurate out or evapourate in as it will essentially act near enough the same in both directions for anything that isnt a vapour. However I'd argue thats a bit of a mute point based on the fact any footwear is going to get flooded out if you submerge it beyond its upper seams and be a long labourious drying out phase.. apart from one exemption, Fast drying footwear like the fishing or marine branded trainers etc that is basically a net equivalent of footwear that wil get swampled in about 30secs.. but equally dry out again in about 3 mins flat. True "Quick-dry" and true "waterproof" will never exist as a single material its a myth that any material can ever achieve this. That out the way i think the rest of what you claimed is easily wrong as if weight per layer of membrane is the issue then Gore-tex isnt the worst offender and i honestly think the manufacturers that know where to put it and how many layers on each part of the boot/shoe are using it right. The ones just buying older stock and layering it up as a "sock" inside the upper i think are the ones creating a plastic bag. Also, any decent gore-tex hiking boot you can get it too dry out quick wearing proper Merino wool socks but get the ones with 35+% merino and put up with the knotting after a few washes for the sake of extra merino. The Merino stuff that is less than 30% wont dry out gore-tex as fast as the genuine hunting socks will. I have older merino wool socks i got from Japan with 80% merino and they can dry off a drenched wellie boot in about 2hr mate so i suggest you try out proper merino socks sold outside the "hiking" range as you will be shocked. If you need any advice on what ones to use in even badly made gore-tex boots then im happy to share the ones i know of if i dont get comment removed for naming the exact sock from the exact brands?
Ya - Dad sandle are so 1999... & clunky as hell I can't believe how much heavier my Teva & Cacos retired) are compare to my BR or Lunas or any current running style sandal.
Ultralight backpacking conversations should never have the words "beginner" in them. In order for someone to safely backpack with less than 10lbs (+ food, water & fuel), they have to be exceedingly experienced in order to replace gear with skills. Also, ultralighting is a fair weather sport. One really can't camp out in cold conditions with under 10lbs. Once the temps hit subfreezing, it's going to take a lot more than just a quilt to remain alive. There's no such a thing as an ultralight 20 degree quilt or bag. They're 20 degrees rated IF you have a tent that won't allow wind to pour through and rob you of your body heat through conduction. Sub-20lbs is a very reasonable and doable weight for anyone even with limited funds and they can be comfortable and well equipped and more importantly, safe. Ultralighting makes you MORE tired because of the lack of support in your pack. Your body becomes the frame as the weight is then focused on points of contact instead of distributed through a robust harness system and you get hotspots. You become far more fatigued sooner too. More comfort is what equals more miles, not less comfort. The person that can't pack with 20lbs shouldn't be out on the trail. Fun fact: The OVERWHELMING majority of bodies recovered by SAR are of backpackers who didn't bring ENOUGH gear. Marinate on that.
definetely agree the UL backpacking is not a beginners "sport" it demands experience in using your gear and sellecting the right gear for the types of conditions you will face - i disagree the UL is just a fair weather sport - depends a lot on the person of course and how warm/cold they sleep - but you can easily get quilt that handle 20 degrees well and tents as well that handle the wind (mid/bivy combo in those situations is often a good choice) - i very much disagree that UL packs should make you more tired, this is not my experience from 20 years of having used frameless packs, your argument actually defeats itself - putting all the weight on certain point as you do with a heavier framed pack in stead of having a light load distributed over your shoulder, neck and upper back area as you have with a frameless - much less tired (is packing below 20is lb overall - the overwhelming majority of bodies recovered didnt bring the right gear - its not about their pack weight - its about what they bring in their pack - and as you yourself argue that UL is an experience sport - much less chance of an UL hiker not bringing the right stuff than inexperienced hikers overpacking and not bringing the right stuff
@outsiderswalks5460 agree, but l do 20° in the woods sleeping on the ground in my hunting gear with no sleep system or tent. So that's fair weather for woodsmen. 😁
@outsiderswalks5460 For me (and l could be wrong here), anything over 10lbs isn't ultralight. 11+ lbs is "lightweight" which l think is the sweetspot for 90% of hikers and thru-hikers (as opposed to backpackers). And comfort is a relative thing, I'm sure we can agree on that, right? But objectively speaking, more structure equals better weight distribution and put less concentrated pressure on the body to compensate. Which weight would you feel more? 20lbs total in a pack with a well engineered harness system or 20lbs in an ultralight pack with no frame? I have a Mystery Ranch Bridger 65 with a phenomenal harness and 30lbs in it "feels" like 20lbs in my light pack (ULA).
@@YankeeWoodcraft 20lb was not baseweight - UL limit of 10lb only refers to base weight not consumables :) - more structure with higher weight equals you don’t carry everything on your shoulders/upper body - with lower weights you carry better (because moves better with your body and closer to your gravity center ) personally I prefer carrying 20lb in a frameless- so nothing objective about that ;) as you stated, comfort is subjective-
Great video liked and subscribed. Yeah I have gone lighter ie 12lbs but refuse to sacrifice my pole tent (MSR Freelite 2) and large SS Aeros pillow. Your right though by cutting down weight on your back so I've been able to go from hiking boots to trail runners which has halved the weight on my feet !!!
Thanks George! Happy to have you! Happy to hear you were able to make the switch to trail runners, I personally think it's a big advantage to going a little lighter.
Nice video! I’ve definitely been lightening my gear over the years but I don’t know if I’ll ever go ultralight. The cost as well as lack of durability is definitely a turn off. If I was going to do a few weeks on a thru-hike I would probably reconsider. I’ve actually been able to lighten my gear quite a bit recently and do it in a budget friendly way. Picked up a Mountainsmith Scream 55 (older version) for $95 including tax and shipping that’s in the 2lb range , got a Teton sports 20 degree sleeping bag for $55 that’s in the 2 LB range, and grabbed a Kazoo 1-person backpacking tent off of Amazon for under $90 including tax and shipping that’s in the 3lb range. Always look for deal and keep an eye out for good deal!
Thanks Nat! And yeah even if you don't go ultralight but get your pack a little lighter it can make a big difference. Sounds like you found some pretty amazing deals! It's always a great feeling when you get a good piece of gear at a great price.
My main problem with the UL mindset is that it’s all about weight reduction that you’ll likely never notice in the field. For example, if I pack my Osprey Kestrel 38 for a 3-day May-Sept outing, total weight for everything but water is 22lb. (I live where there’s a lot of water so I bring a 1l BeFree and drink at each water source until late summer. At the last one before my campsite I also fill my 2 empty 1l bottles, for an extra 5lb pack weight.) I have pretty light gear - WM EverLite, SMD Deschutes, and NEMO Tensor to name a few, but I don’t use flimsy raingear like Helium because I bushwhack through dense forest a lot and I always bring a down jacket and merino baselayers because it’s not uncommon for temps to drop into the 30s F in summer. Now, let’s say I buy an HMG Southwest 2400, which weighs 28oz in white. My Kestrel is a lot heavier at 68oz, but 99.5% of people will NEVER notice the 2.5lb weight savings on their back. Dan Becker played a prank on another backpacking RU-vidr and put an extra liter or 2 of water in his pack, the guy carried it all day without noticing the extra weight. A 2.5lb total pack weight reduction isn’t going to let you go farther, reduce the chance of injury, or be less tired at the end of the day. Now, I have gone with a lighter pack than my Kestrel - a Granite Gear Crown2 38 - but the 2 main reasons are that my 15F bag (Sierra Designs Mobile Mummy 15) fits in its cavernous main compartment but didn’t in the Kestrel, and the GG lid is removable while the Osprey isn’t. The price was lower than anything else so I bought it. I would have went with another “heavy” pack otherwise. Price is another reason, I’m not one to tell anyone how to spend their money but spending $400 for a 33oz 55l HMG when you can go to Backcountry right now and spend $100 for a GG Crown2 60 that comes in at 36oz and 55l without the brain is just foolish. Think of what else you could have done with that $300! Unless you just want to be able to say “look at me, I have a $400 backpack that I have to be careful with when setting it down on rocks.”
Just my opinions and some generalized facts. 1. Fair. For people who sweat a lot GTX can be too much, but most people I have hiked with are completely fine with GTX boots. 2. GTX does not dry slowly. Maybe a hair slower, but not by much. Water evaporates and vapor is what GTX lets out. Sure if you leave a boot that is full of water then it's not going to dry like a non GTX boot that leaks all that water out, but no one leaves their boot full of water. Those tiny droplets that would stay in regular boots turn into vapor and come out of the boot either from the shaft or through the membrane like it would on a non GTX boot. River crossing is legit issue with GTX, but I simply dump the water out after crossing and the heat from my feet dries the boot. Hooray for merino socks and feet that don't sweat a lot. Most of the time what people take as GTX drying slowly is the cushioning holding water. 3. It's not necesseraly heavier. Most modern boots have cushioning and a liner. Gore-Tex works as the liner so another non GTX boot will require some sort of fabric to line the boot and that lining weighs something just like GTX does. We are talking at most a few gram difference if even that. Flexibility has everything to do with the boot or shoe design and outside materials rather than the lining. And GTX boots are not at all burlier because the GTX bootie is the liner. 4. Good point, but from my experince using high quality GTX boots for 15 years, my boots have all failed before the GTX membrane. For 10 years I solely used Haix P9 Desert GTX boots. My father has used the same boots for around 15 to 20 years. 5 pairs between us and 3 pairs have failed due to the outsole cracking after many Finnish winters and summers. My main problem GTX is boot height. If boots are 6" or under, GTX is wasted and actaully works against the user because water can so eaily get in from the top. 8" is good, but 10" is better and many people think that 8" is too much. In the past few years I have also begun to use barefoot shoes like FiveFingers. If those were GTX they would be absolute trash. With basically no liner they act like thicker grippy socks. Fantastic. Great video and in the end GTX is just a "tool" that needs to be used properly or it can seriously hinder the user. My body plays well with it and to me the positives outweigh the negatives.
Bro., I completely agree with your practical rationale. I own a pair of Timberland Classic boots and they are lined and yet they are equally comfortable as my BATES with Gore Tex Bootie. The GTX bootie is no different than the padding or liners you find in most snickers, boots and shoes in terms of weight and comfort.
Awesome video! Kings Canyon really is an underrated NP. It’s so easy to get into the back country there and get away from it all. I go there all the time as I live about an hour away. Thanks for sharing. Doesn’t get much better than the Sierra and some good buddies.
38% does not represent anything close to a majority. Sorry while I would agree with you on what you rate as the best in some of the areas I am not even 50% of the total USERS. Thru hikers are not the majority. As my math professor used to tell me”figures don’t lie, but liars figure”
Yeah for sure, thru hikers are a specific breed and their gear choices won't reflect ones that make sense for the average backpacker. We tried to balance things out by weighing the gear review sites. But ultimately take what you will if anything from the study. It was really just for fun 🙂
For those that don't believe Gore-Tex fabric is breathable get a pair of Gore-Tex leather boots and apply normal shoe polish to one while leaving the other untreated. I can guarantee you will experience profoundly more sweating In The polished boot.
yeah but some manufacturers buy old stock gore-tex then make a triple layer sock then stitch it into the boot upper before its even epoxied to the sole etc. These manufacturers usualy make the same mistake of putting mismatching materials that hold even the vapor in to whatever membrane they are using and just a generally sweaty and long dryng out phase. I agree on that. However a manufacturer that has a good quality gore-tex and knows where to put it and where to double or triple up the layers in places that wear and water ingress occur & not block the vapour in with mismatching materials.. Are the best footwear about.
@@bigduphusaj162but how do you know which shoes and manufacturers do that? Are there any brands for certain? Otherwise it just seems to me like pokering, might as well not buy GTX at all if I can't tell if it's a valid one or not.
even merino you need 35% + merino to dry them quick. Hiking and expedition branded merino sock are terrible even the 35% merino ones are. Here in the UK we get hunting and North Sea Workwear branded Merino socks that are near 80%. I have few pair of Japanese 80-90% ones from 25yr ago they knotted up first wash but they never knotted up again and i got a box of 50 pairs so still have just under half left and gave a bunch of them away ive maybe used 8 pairs myself in 20yr. These things you could pass out cold witb your feet dipped in a swimming pool and tbey would wick out the entire pool by the next morning when you realised you passed out. They could suck a gore-tex shoe or boot dry in about 5min flat
Have 3 pairs of Bedrocks and 3 seasons a year there's nothing else on my feet. Have pair of Cairn Geo, Cairn 3D and Classic (*super* lightweight). They're all awesome. Other sandals do compete with these but none are as well known as Teva and Chaco (and you're those *don't* compete). Luna Sandals are just as good - Oso Flaco and Middle Bear models are probably closest but they have a LOT of variations. They're fantastic but I like Bedrocks most.
I'll need to check out Oso Flaco and Middle Bear thanks for the tip. Honestly I didn't expect to make one of my first videos about sandals but I'm obsessed haha. Sounds you are too 🙂
As a person who grew up lugging a framed pack w/military surplus gear...as a kid - I don't really see the point. Gear in total these days is much lighter than anything I carried as a 10 year old. Likewise, I'm oldish (60) and I need to sleep....well. Also, I am more of a hiker than a backpacker. In an effort to get my kids motivated to get outdoors early on, we did (& still do) a lot of 'basecamp hiking', waterfall chasing etc. to get and keep them interested. Unlike Dad, they are both hammock campers and are now (nearly) 18 & 21 and will both be going to college near Asheville next year. So plenty of options to enjoy the outdoors. And, both of their colleges offer courses in outdoor 'stuff', one even has some majors that are quite outdoor specific. To each their own, but the dialing in is a real (& $$$) process.
Yeah the improvements in materials and gear is really amazing. My first backpacking trip I used a framed pack and a bunch of my dad's old mountaineering gear and that pack was heavy! (55lbs with water). It was a good learning experience for sure and like you said dialing in what works for you is such a big deal. It's awesome that you take your kids out! I personally need to sleep on the ground but it's cool they've found their thing :-)
@@chaseadventures Yeah - hammocks are for naps, I am NOT a back sleeper. They both started being carried on my back so I guess I started them young....lol & yes your math is right, I didn't have my daughter until right before my 40th B-day...by design.
Cool video idea for sure. I think what you said about REI is spot on. They make a wide spectrum of gear that sometimes can closely compete with their competitor. For example, I use the REI flex lite air chair because it is a bit lighter and cheaper than the helinox chair 0
