Welcome to the FinerBub show where I share my thoughts and experience on the best spots to check out and the best gear to bring with!
Playing outside was a huge part of my childhood. Between fishing on the family farm or at my grandparents lake house, hiking in New Hampshire, and skiing and snowshoeing in Quebec’s Laurentian Mountains, my father and maternal grandfather instilled within my brothers and me a deep seated love and reverence for the natural world. After years spent living in big cities, I started this channel as a way to motivate myself to reconnect with my love for the outdoors. As we grow up it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life, detaching us from the simple things that truly make us happy. Consider joining the FinerBub fellowship if, like me, you’d like to spend more time outside appreciating the finer things in life!
See you out there, David aka FinerBub
-- Info for gear reps → www.finerbub.com/gear-reps
Thanks for making this, by far the best video on this bag! A few questions for you - 1)do you ever have any hassle flying w it? Know you mention using as carry on but technically it looks too tall. 2)do you think the 24 is possible w a camera, lenses and a drone or I should get the 34? 3)lastly do you ever use the camera clips to put it on a shoulder strap? Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed the video. Small planes that don’t have overhead space for roller board suitcases won’t have enough space for the backpack but it will fit into any overhead bin that accommodates roller boards. I would err on the side of the larger bag for all of that stuff. And yes I use the peak design clip.
@@FinerBub Thanks much for the response. Do you have any tricks for not getting the bag dirty from the ground when you need to get your camera? Most camera bags have rear opening which makes sense and so was curious if you had a system - obv can stand up and not in dirt if possible.
We summited a few days ago up the Cog Railway access road, but we ran out of time and had to take the train down. I’ve been snowboarding a lot on Tuckerman Ravine, we’re gonna go summit there in a few weeks instead and start much earlier.
I work for an airline and drink 10 cans of water on every overnight. The water is heavy in my bags and takes up a ton of space besides a lot of waste for the environment. But some of the small cities have terrible tasting water. I use the water to add to instant food like instant mashed potatoes or Ramen in addition to just drinking the water. Obviously the straw bottles like Brita bottles don't help because i can't pour the water into the food...I have to suck it out and spit it into the food. You said in your video here that the filters you tested here can't be used for tap water because the tap water contains metals and stuff that clogs the filters. Do you recommend a travel system that can be used in my hotel room for tap water that ISN'T a straw system that requires sucking the water through a straw?
Glad you’re ok! This looks like a really fun run (injuries aside.) I laughed when you said “always on the last one.” I ski by the mantra that it’s never my last run; I always have one more planned, and I stop before I ski it. That’s when things tend to go wrong. 😂
I have an Osprey Kestrel which does have the stretchy shove-it pocket and I'm finding that all of the stretchy pockets, the shove-it and the side water bottle pockets, are stretched and no longer spring back. My water bottle pockets don't hold a bottle securely anymore. Also, the mesh is forming holes. So I'd like similar pockets but rather than stretchy, I'd like them to be adjustable with a drawstring. That said, I'm looking to replace my Kestrel with a Stratos for the purpose of being able to use a small camera cube to carry gear. Do padded cubes fit in the Statos 24 or will I have to go with the 34? I'm open to either option, but I figured if I have the opportunity to reduce the size of my day pack, I might take it.
great vid! speaking your mind is what it is all about. when you said " the opposite of free" concerning how people of color live, and that sums it all up right there. keep the vids goin
I feel bad for anybody that doesn’t have enough gray matter side skull to just go to Home Depot and buy a piece of plastic instead of dropping 7080 bucks on something this stupid
It’s how they get ya. 🤷♂️ It does make it easier though. I suppose you could fashion an entire shelter out of plastic from Home Depot but yeah tents are nice… thanks for commenting 👍
I love AllTrails too. It was super helpful recently when hiking in the Black River Forest here in Wisconsin. There are a lot of trails and links and side trails so it can be easy to take a wrong turn.
I've hiked Slide many times, but its been nearly 20 years since I've been up there. Back in the 70s the summit view was unimpeded since the trees were short / stunted. Views out over the Ashokan reservoir and to the North were incredible. Amazing to see how much the trees have grown now. Me and an ole friend camped on its ridge and summit in all seasons. Winter was the most incredible time to be on Slide. With 2 ft of fresh snow all the way up, cold winds and clear skies dropped the temps way below zero. Even though we were only 3 hours (with heavy packs) from the nearest road, the isolation was intense. We felt like were in Alaska or on some distant frozen planet. Surprisingly on that trip there was one other party camping in the snowy Mountain Spruce Firs just before the summit. We saw their tent but they were hanging inside. Fellow hardy men challenging the conditions. Our last great campout on Slide was on the long summit ridge where we were just over the 3500 ft elevation. It rained heavily part of one day but we perservered. The above 3500 ft No Camp rule was set because Catskill Summits were seeing threatened species of birds and more so the fauna and trees were getting trampled and in some cases cut down for firewood. Social trails and campsite clearings began to spread on top. From March to Dec 20 the 3500ft rule is in effect . However in Winter you can camp on summits as long as there is adequate snow cover.
I use Asolo Fugitive GTX for over 4 year as a daily shoes, i work as a ambulance man and i needed a pair of GORE TEX's shoes that can go everywere with extra confort. I use to go hiking on vacation or on sundays also. After 4 years, the Goretex system begins to no longer be effective, remember that I have been using them on wet and snowy roads every season of the year for 4 years now. This pair of shoes is for me the best purchase I have made in terms of shoes. If I had only used them for vacation hikes or Sunday hikes, they could easily have lasted 4 more years.
I hiked that baby when I was thirty years old and at thirty three. We hiked the auto road down after we made summit the second time. We could barely walk after. Absolutely beautiful up there and great video. The idiot playing their music would have infuriated me.
Not sure exactly. I’d have to get back to you with dimensions. You don’t have to make modifications. Just get a larger tarp and fold the edges under the tent like I did in my first Big Agnes video
Listening to your explanation and comparison of camelbak type bladders & water bottles, you emphasised the problems of cleaning the two different types. This reminded me of friends some years ago recounting their bike trek along the Karakoram Highway; the reported the only people on the trip who did not suffer from any stomach bug were those that used the bladder system. The reason seemed to be that one had to clean the bladder properly and those with the bottles often made a cursory rinse at a refill point and therefore were likely to increase the risk of germs and microbes contaminating the equipment. I have used both systems and short walks lean towards bottles and that’s where the katadyn filters come into their own. Good video, thanks.
I'm dealing with an arthritic big toe joint and looking for a wide toe box with a stiff sole, especially stiff in the toe/forefoot area. Just wondering how stiff you find the sole of this shoe? Like if you held the boot and pushed on the toe area could you bend it upward at all? Thanks for the great review
Long time ago on our first trip up Slide, the autumn views were incredible. We then did a hard core mid-winter backpack campout on the summit with over 18" snow. Back then the trees were much smaller and the summit offered clear views north towards Overlook and Kaaterskill High Peak and east over the Ashokan to the horizon. Amazing to see how tall the trees are now blocking that view.
I just sat through like 17 minutes for a Thule Evo Wingbar roof rack review... which never really happened. And yet, I was entertained. The driving a manual struggle is real; still wish that was an option in my 2024 Subaru Outback. :(
As an eastern skier myself I'm not used to long runs. I saw a rest stop at one point in the right. If one would need another break would you recommend behind a slow sign? I'm not a fan of stopping on the sides as that's where I typically like to ski for the freshest snow as do many others. Also thought maybe the downhill side of existing slopes as people would probably cut the inside corners.
Resting behind a slow sign is a good idea. If you stop anywhere else just make sure you are in a high visibility area for people coming down behind you.
Yes my friend, I too went through the same selection process and it did come down to the 34 vs 36 liter pack. I went with the 34 for quick access. I purposely wanted a smaller pack to challenge myself on how light I could travel. Having travelled to China for 5 weeks with a 40 liter travel bag without hip belt, I know the hip belt is needed when fully packed. But I also learned I can go five weeks with 3 pair of socks, so I didn't need the additional socks I had. It's a similar story with a few other items I took. Therefore, there is "loads" of room for reducing weight. I also figured I could attach more to the outside of the bag if I needed to do so. Your hack has inspired me to come up with some more hacks. I also want this pack for day hikes. Summer in Ontario goes by quickly and to extend the hiking season I need to carry more gear for adverse weather. I also need to be able to carry a good food supply and cooking gear as the perfect hiking experience deserves a great food experience with suitable beverage. I may challenge myself to an overnight with this pack. Yet, the ground up north is pretty cold even in summer and I need a really good sleep system to stay warm at night. I have this natural lower blood pressure and slower heart rate thing going on that means I freeze quickly without warm clothing. Not great for someone who lives in a frigid place (including summer nights). So this will be a challenge with a small pack for sure. Thanks for sharing your experience with this pack
There’s a mid-mountain lift that takes you to the top of peak 6. From the peak, if you ski under the lift for a bit then pop into the woods on the right there are some nice little tree sections. It’s nice because you can just lap that lift and not deal with the crowds all the way down at the base
How much cook time did you get out of the gas cylinders? I pack the biolte campstove 2 plus cause i don't want to pack out a lot of trash as in empty gas cylinders .
They usually last for multiple overnight trips. I’ve never timed it to see how fast I could run down a full canister in one go but they do last a while and if I was trying to save weight I wouldn’t worry about a small can lasting several days. Hope that helps.
I just ordered one today, and that is what led me to your channel. I wanted to see what others thought that had used it. The one I am using now is unbranded, but I really have had nothing, but good use out of it. I just wanted to upgrade, and went with this one. I don't think I will be sorry. Good video. Right to the point. I think I'll subscribe. Have a good one.
Ikr mt snow is so underrated like other people that review it say it’s bad for Vermont. Like it may not be killington or Stowe but it’s a great mountian
