tyrion

Cool. I have a 20% off coupon but not good for Big Agnes. I will check out the Veda. It needs 4 trekking poles which is fine when I'm not alone. i have 2 pairs of trekking poles so can always carry extra pair if I go out alone, which will not be the norm. May pick up a pair of folding poles.

If you end up in an REI again and can score another one for that price I would gladly take it off your hands.

That is a great price for that tent, in particular with a footprint. Online, the best price I found is $311.00. The Baltro price is also damn good.

Happy Birthday Dinny!

I'm going synthetic. Peter, what do you think of this for $163: http://www.sierratradingpost.com/mountain-hardwear-32-f-hibachi-down-sleeping-bag-600-fill-power-long-mummy~p~6953h/

I like that Lionheart and came close yesterday to buying a Nemo. I won't be 100% for 4 or 5 months but i have a lot of time to obsess over this stuff.

I've been checking this out: http://store.seekoutside.com/lil-bug-out-shelter-base-and-3-piece-vestibule/ CTF3 (Cuben Fiber) is a product marketed and developed by the Cuben Fiber and Cubic Tech Corporations as a high-performance non-woven fabric for applications such as yacht sails, airship hulls, kites and many designs that require extremely strong rip resistance and light weight.

HPG Ute w/Prarie Belt purchased. Next up is the search for a shelter/tent and sleeping bag.

Added the Hill People Gear Ute to the list: http://hillpeoplegear.com/Products/tabid/762/ProductID/10/Default.aspx I have Tarahumara pack and recon bag. Their gear is interchangeable and well made by a company called First Spear. The Hill brothers test their gear regularly in Colorado. I follow them on FB and they are always out hunting and hiking. They have great reviews on the Ute. One review compares it to a Mystery Ranch, Sone Glacier and Kifaru with a positive result. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

F Jude and CanJam. That's my take. Now if there is some hiking and maybe camping involved I might be tempted.

Glad I didn't call last night. We were having issue requiring a couple of reboots before the remote for two receivers started to work again. Despite these issues which come up from time to time, still happy with the switch from Directv. Shelly, sorry to hear about the dog/cat issue. Glad you didn't get bit by the cat. We have a couple of cats in the neighborhood that I try to avoid as they will come to the edge of driveway and sidewalk when I walk my dog by in the area. One actually went after my dog on one walk. If I could have reacted faster I would have kicked it like a football. Cats need to be in the house.

Did some more research and learned that the Rush, Swift and Big Mountain are made on the US Air Force Base in the Philippines. Still considering the Big Mountain but will continue the search since I have time before I will need it. nate, the Rush us nice. At that size I've been considering a Goruck GR2 which would be used for weekend travel more than hiking.

Adding this to the list: http://www.mysteryranch.com/mountain-adventure/compare-mountain-adventure-packs/big-mountain-pack-ex Compares well with the Gregory Baltro in size and weight, for about $30 less.

The idea of carrying 3 or 4 extra pounds is not a concern. I've gone 12 to 14 with a 40 pound load without a waist belt. It was not at altitude but I think I will be okay. Their suspension system is supposed to be excellent. The company is owned by Dana Gleason who owned Dana Designs. They are made in 'Merica and will likely outlast an REI or Osprey pack. I'm just looking. Remember, I have a steel framed road bike so not a weight weenie. Besides, I will have my sherpa, raffy.

Looking at these because I am a little crazy and love Mystery Ranch packs: http://www.mysteryranch.com/hunting/daypacks/nice-longbow-pack http://www.mysteryranch.com/mountain-adventure/backpacking-packs/big-sky-pack-ex

Started looking at packs. Since it is most likely that I will not be doing any trips of more than 3 days and no cold weather I'm thinking something between 45 and 50 liters. JP and I are thinking of doing an overnight trip on the Florida Trail not too far from us. Just doing the research since I will not be using it for at least a couple of months. There are a couple of rei and Osprey packs that interest me. I also saw some Deuter packs but never heard of them so need to read some reviews.

I wish I could join you but shoulder surgery a week from Friday. I will be ready in the spring. I'm pretty sure Jp and Raffy will join as well.

My son did a camping trip in NC last weekend. They froze due to lack of proper equipment but had a great time. I'm thinking its time for Jp, Raffy and me to start putting together our backpacking gear for a spring trip. My son is likely to do a Goruck Navigator course in April if he gets an 18x special forces contract, which is a 3 day backpacking trip to learn land navigation and other stuff in preparation should he get the contract. I would love to do it with him but I'm not going to ready for something that intense but would consider an east coast trip or possibly west coast led by Peter or both.

That's the HC spirit.

Happy Belated Birthday Dusty!

Happy Birthday Carl!

I will probably not upgrade this time around since my Note 3 is still going strong. iThe Note 4 is $825 no contract ATT Next plan, S5 is $650. If I do decide to upgrade the Nexus 6 is tempting or just wait to pick up a Note 4 on ebay like my Note 3.

iPhone.

Please, don't. Anything but that. Never mind, too late.