We help backpackers improve their wilderness adventures through knowledge, skills, and inspiration. Our goal is to produce the worlds best backpacking tutorial videos to make your next adventure as rewarding as possible.
What you're referring to is called the Minimum Trail Weight, which only includes the tent body, fly, and poles (no tent stakes, guy lines, stuff sacks, footprint, etc.) Comparing Minimum Trail Weights between tents can be misleading because each manufacturer calculates their MTWs differently. That's why we use Packaged Weights for all of our tent weight comparisons, which is more accurate because it counts all the things almost everyone actually brings on the trail (tent stakes, guy lines, stuff sacks, etc.). So the weight I'm talking about in this video is still accurate and my analysis is still the same. That said, this tent does come with a footprint, and you can subtract about 8 oz from the Packaged Weight by leaving that at home when you backpack (which I would recommend). The Half Dome weighs more than others, and that's definitely a downside for long/hard backpacking trips, but it's also a fantastic tent. Super roomy, durable, comfortable, and it provides excellent weather protection at a fantastic price. For many backpackers and car campers, the Half Dome is an excellent fit.
@CleverHiker thanks for the detailed explanation! To ensure a fair comparison, are your tent weights configured consistently across the board? For instance, if one of the lightweight tents on the list is evaluated without a separate footprint and the REI Half Dome doesn't necessarily need one, shouldn't we subtract the 9 oz (the weight according to REI) when comparing their "light weight" figures? It seems like REI shouldn't be penalized for providing an optional footprint. Additionally, if some of the lightweight tents rely on trekking poles and we don't typically hike with poles, should those weights be added to the tent weight for an apples-to-apples comparison? Thanks for your insight!
I've been watching your videos since then and learned tons from them. Going back to your playlist if I want a great review about backpacking. I noticed your new video. Happy you're back.
Wonderful list. I have had my eye on Slingfin for a little bit as their designs are intriguing. I bough a Nemo Dragonfly OSMO 2p for solo trips and it is a palace for one one person.
Thanks for the kind feedback! Much appreciated. We've tested the NEMO Dragonfly as well and I agree with your assessment. We like it better as a one-person tent, but it feels a bit cramped for two. That's why we opted for recomending the other NEMO products on our list, though I know many really like the Dragonfly as well. Thanks again for the comment and happy hiking!
The Copper Spur is a terrible tent. You can't exit in rain without getting rain inside the inner tent. Fabric has poor water column, not suitable for NW Europe. Cheap zippers. Impossible to roll up door because of the the non-elasic hoops. Can't vary where the stakes on the corners go into the ground. Foot print sticks out of rain fly. And, compared to X-Mid or Triplex: heavy. I never owned such a bad tent. And I had tents from Sierra Designs (from mid 90's), North Face, Zpacks (from 2018), Durston, and a lot of other tents. Also: how is it possible that you missed the Durston X-Mid Pro 2+?
After hands-on testing dozens of the top backpacking tents in the US, I'll have to respectfully disagree with your take on the Copper Spur. It's also worth noting that most of the other gear review websites I trust agree with our opinion and rank. As far as the Durston X-Mid goes, we did not miss that tent. We've tested it extensively and published our findings in one of the most popular Durston reviews online: www.cleverhiker.com/backpacking/durston-x-mid-pro-2-tent-review/
Good one. I have a couple of those. Thought for sure Durston would be on the list but the choices are solid. Quick tent story. About a year ago I was finishing up a hike and got a call from my partner. We live in the mountains, she was down the hill at a store that sold, I guess, Amazon stuff that had been returned. She said she bought a tent for $10. OK. Don't need more tents but for 10 bucks why not. I asked her the name of it and she said she'd never heard of it. I was expecting a damaged Coleman or something. Nope. MSR Freelite 2. She brought it home and there was a four inch knife cut on the floor. A minute later with some tenacious tape...SCORE. The Mountain Gods delivered. (Crazy light but on the short side. 1P for sure).
@@CleverHiker Yeah. Total steal. I'm big in to deals and this one is at the top. :) Keep up the work dude. You and OGL are where I find the gear takes I pay attention to.
On the rare occasions that a cougar attacks, it is often a person who is running or jogging. These attacks are often by juveniles and are instinctive in nature. Think of a house cat with a tempting mouse toy on the end of a string or a laser pointer. It is best not to jog in cougar country and never run if you encounter one on the trail.
Washing your clothes is usually fairly easy to do if there is clean water around, but drying clothing is very tricky in long prolonged rainstorms where there is a lot of moisture in the air. Usually your best bet is to keep a dry set of clothing to wear only in your tent at night. The next day, when it is time to hike, put back on your wet clothing from the day before, so you can keep your tent clothing dry at all costs. Make sure to line your backpack or use waterproof stuff sacks and be very careful to keep important gear and clothing dry inside your backpack.
people are killed by exposure, they get wet, can't get dry and lose the ability to regulate their body temp. Cold temps are easier to deal with. Exposure can kill at moderate temps.
Thanks for the great tips! Another item that is not so popular is a rain poncho (outdoor shops often sell ponchos large enough to include your backpack). That way yourself and your pack stay dry with just 1 item. This also prevents water from seeping in between your back and your pack. I always use a poncho. And you can use some of them as a tarp as well, just to create a dry area at camp. I sometimes wonder why ponchos aren't that popular? Mine is only 400 gram, that's not that heavy
CuZ they don't lool cool haha. Honestly pochos beat jackets any day when you are trekking. However for more active activities like skiing or climbing a jacket is a must. For trekking however pochos are king. Also you don't need that high Water collum on a poncho. 3000-5000 is enough because there is no pressure on the material from your backpack to push Water through. If it is windy I also use a small rope to tie around my waist to keep it in place.
Thanks for the comment and feedback. I agree, ponchos can be a useful tool, but I also don’t see them being used very often on the trail. I think this choice, like many things backpacking, comes down to personal preference. One key downside to ponchos is that theirbillowy nature tends not to fair very well in heavy wind. And I also agree that they look a bit dorky. But hey, who cares if it works well! Thanks again for the comment and happy hiking!
If playing dead fails, fight back with everything you have. Excellent advice. Emphasis on have. Have claws and fangs? Nope. Have overwhelming strength? Nope. Speed? Nope. If you have nothing with which you can fight back you won't be playing dead for long. Excellent video by the way, that you for making and posting it!
He was aiming the bear spray parallel with the ground which is slightly too high for a charging bear.Aim the spray down slightly so that the bear will have to run into the spray
Because of the coming micronova, declination is moving much farther, and much faster and so declination information is likely incorrect but there is still a way to recalibrate magnetic declination using the shadow of sticks recording the path of the sun---rotation of the earth has not yet changed. First stick will show East. Mark it with a sharp stick pushed in. After a few minutes you can mark sun shadow travel where the shadow has moved - Push another stick in to mark West. Lay a straight stick from the E mark to the W mark. Geographic north or True North is 90 degrees from the E-W line. With your compass pointing toward True North, note how far off your compass is now. That is your true up-to-date declination. My up-to-date declination is 30 degrees, 15 degrees off from the official declination for my area. More on micronova in my 2nd book, Surviving the Micronova: This Train Is on the Tracks will be available in September.
I recently got an army surplus British Military Sleeping System and its amazing. Its a combination of winter sleeping bag, thin jungle sleeping bag, liner, goretex bivvy bag, all of which you can mix and match, depending on weather and conditions. Basically its good for anything between hot weather and arctic cold. All together its rated down to -37 Celsius. Combine it with an insulated mattress, topped with some animal furs, and it will be effective down to -50c. Add a tent and it will certainly be warm enough for any part of the world I will ever be likely to visit. I was sold on the flexibility and the extremely large range of a effective temperatures. Basically its good for anywhere other than the high Arctic.
Do mealworms make good trail food? Are there other small creatures and microbes that can be used to enhance the bioavailability of vitamins, minerals, and carbs or harness local elements and flora to propagate or otherwise chemically alter food on the go and reduce weight?
Interesting question. I am not an expert in that subject and I always carry the food I will need into the backcountry. I would be very careful about eating any bugs, plants, or mushrooms in the wild. In general, you really want to know what you are doing if you are foraging in the wilderness. Things can go wrong very quickly if you don’t know exactly what you are doing and you could be put in a very dangerous situation.
Yes, that is true. Generally speaking, the more noise you make in the wilderness the less wildlife you are likely to see. That said, in grizzly country, that is often a wise trade-off to make.
I have had many cougar encounters, And I find if you offer to buy them a drink, and keep the conversation light and non-threatening… It goes pretty well!
Great tips, thanks! I just saw a great idea this morning: dehydrating little "coins" of hot sauce that you carry along to toss into bland meals (they happen...)
Encouraging to know I've been doing well! Many years later this is still a great video. Next week will be the first time I'll hike without any small towns around for resupplying for over a week, so this boosted my confidence that I'll do just fine haha. Chilli coated nuts is my favorite treat 🤘
This information needs to include the mohave green. I have personally watch in the last 2 weeks 3 donkeys and 1 horse and 2 dogs all die horrible deaths from the mohave green rattlesnake.
Fantastic video and extremely helpful. Thank you, Dave. What length would you recommend for the ice axe, for the kind of winter hiking/self-arrest applications discussed here? I’ve been reading conflicting pieces of information. Some say to go short (45-50cm), others suggest the usual mountaineering sizing (which would be around 60cm for my height of 6 ft). Thanks and keep up your great work!
Really awesome video! Been hiking more and getting into backpacking now, felt like I needed some basic info. This was very in depth and so helpful, thank you!!
