Outdoors Multireddit

i know the dish soap and water trick, but i’m positive the hole is somewhere on the fuzzy side where you actually sleep. how should i go about finding it?

Looking for a sleeping pad with an R-value of 4.8 or higher. Because I was told sleeping bag temp ratings assume that's what you have. Problem is I only want to spend about $50. I found one that fits my needs which is the Ampex Reland Ultra Light. It's $50 and claims to have an R-value of 5.5, does anyone have any experience with this pad? Or does anyone have suggestions for pads that fit what I'm looking for?

Hi! I've just bought 2 coleman tanks and after empty them they just refuse to refill, do someone know if they added some anti refill measures or it's just me.

Things i've tryed:

Totally empty, pinched the security valve upwards to make sure they're fully emptied.

Change nozzles, i've bought other nozzles to test if mine is faulty or somewhat.

Nothing on my setup is wrong, i've been refilling this bottles for a qhile now, but I wanted to switch to the colemans for more security.

Note: tanks are from 2022 nov.

Thank you!

I'm looking for any recommendations (for backpacking) under $250usd. I've been looking at the Sierra Designs Full Moon 2 and the Paria Zion 2P.

I'm 5'2" and my dog is a 100lb Labrador.

I know that the general rule is to store both down and synthetic bag on a hangar in the closest or loose in an oversized bag or bin.

I'm looking for a bag I can store in a compressed state. The only bags I've found where it's explicitly stated that it's OK are Wiggy's https://www.wiggys.com/general-care-instructions

Is anyone aware of alternative manufacturers with similar claims?

Thanks.

Does anyone have one who can give input!

I ordered a new bag for myself after doing some research and decided on the Kelty Cosmic Ultra 20 Down sleeping bag. On their website the specs say the fill is 800DP DriDown as it’s only insulation.

I received it today and had to check it out. It’s nice, but I noticed upon getting into it that it felt a little lumpy in the foot box so I got out to see if it came with a storage stuff sack as well. Nope. Just a big wad of most likely polyester batting. I tried to adjust its positioning but it was not moving like the down in the rest of the bag. It’s only in the top half of the end of the bag, like under my toes. I may be overreacting, but I don’t think I would have ordered this particular one had I known that they insulated it like this.

Is this a normal practice for sleeping bag manufacturers to omit information like that?

I know it’s not an expensive bag, but $200 isn’t the bottom of the barrel either.

Should I suck it up and get over it or should I return it on principle?

I found this Coleman Klickitat Zero on sale for $40 and it's supposedly rated for 0°f. I haven't found any info on if thats comfort or survival temp, but I'd assume the latter. Would I be safe to use it in around the 20°s or am I gonna die? Is this a good purchase for me? I don't have a low temperature sleeping bag.

I had some of the stitching in my tent fail and when I reached out to Sierra Designs, I got an email requesting that I cut the tent in half and send a picture in order to keep the bad product out of circulation, before they send a replacement. I have my scissors at the ready, but wanted to see if anyone else has had this experience before cutting. Is this a thing?

i got a new pair for the first time in like five years and dont have proper stuff to take care of it yet. is it stupid to use aquaphor/vaseline on it? i keep scuffing them; used some aquaphor which seemed to help but i wanted to know if that was still a good idea. figured since its like skin, might work?

Looking for a soft and lightweight down bib overalls. Something that could be used in a sleeping bag on extra cold nights. I rather would have an option to put a hard shell pants over than to have any heavier waterproofing outerlayer on the overalls.

Somthing like these fit the bill but was wondering about any other options: https://www.cotopaxi.com/products/fuego-down-overall-mens

I was talking to someone about the evolution of backpacking stoves and what type of older stoves that still worked well under what conditions.

He worked trails in remote locations and had problems with the MSR Whisperlite using white gas at higher elevations,+8000 feet, and freezing temperatures. He couldn't get a hot blue flame, just a more yellow flame.

I have used my MSR around 5000 feet and freezing temps no problems and was surprised to hear this.

Is his problems with MSR Whisperlite in cold and higher elevation typical?

Bought a pair earlier at a market place. The store is one of those thrift resellers that finds their items from other places. Need thoughts on the ones I got cause, Idk if they are real or not. I’m new to this :’))

been using this air mattress for only a week and already it has a hole.

the first few days it was perfectly fine and would stay fully firm and inflated.

now, it has an EXTREMELY microscopic hole.

when i inflate it, even while leaving the pump on, it just doesn’t get all the way firm anymore, but it gets pretty close.

then, pretty quickly like within an hour or two it deflates like 20% and then pretty much fully stops but will deflate like 1-2% an hour.

it never fully goes to the ground or gets close, so how do i go about finding this obviously microscopic hole? it’s most likely on the fuzzy side

I recently wrote this blog discussing the pros and cons of Naturehike and would love to hear your thoughts on the brand? What do you think?

https://themountainnetwork.com/is-naturehike-a-good-brand/

I have to work out of town and stay in a house that’s 70 degrees. I sleep on an air mattress, but my blankets keep getting dirty, and I like sleeping bags. Does this one I found look good? Recommendations? Thanks.

This might seem a little silly but I am hoping to get my partner and I some kind of matching camping gear for Valentine's day. I was looking into matching or personalized camping mugs but I figured I would put the question out there to see if anyone had any other recommendations. Any input as to what or where I could go about finding this kind of thing is much appreciated!

I don’t know if anyone remembers these but we used to get them in the mail when I was a kid and I loved them. I’d love to get my hands on one but EBay hasn’t been any help and trying to find one at a thrift store or garage sale seems like a long shot, especially given they were printed on that thin cheap gray paper and didn’t have a real cover

Hello all! I just went to REI to get fitted for a backpack. I am planning for weekend to week-long trips, but I could see myself traveling for a bit longer in the future so I am looking in the 55-65L range. While trying on four styles of backpacks (listed below), I kept feeling a very painful pressure on my collarbone area where the straps rest. The employees were very helpful with adjusting the packs, and it did get a little better, but that painful feeling didn’t ever fully go away no matter what we did or what packs we tried. Is this pressure just a fact of wearing a backpack? Or is there something else I can try — in terms of adjusting a pack differently, or do you have any packs you recommend that are soft in this collarbone area? Thank you!

Packs I tried, progressively more comfortable:

• Osprey Ariel 65 M/L
• Osprey Aura AG 65 M/L
• Gregory Deva 60 M
• Deuter Air Contact Core 60+10

All packs were in women’s. I was found to have a 18-19 inch torso.

Also, I know it is difficult to give any advice without seeing the backpacks on me, but let me know if there is any other helpful info I can provide. Thank you!

A few years ago I made a Sleeping Pad Comparison Table. It got a lot of attention when I shared it with this community, and the page on my website has continued getting lots of traffic since then, so I’ve continued to update the table each year.

Here's the page: Sleeping Pad Comparisons and Buying Guide

I thought I would share it again with this community! Any feedback, thoughts, or if you notice any errors, feel free to let me know 🙏

2025 Updates:

• All data was collected at the end of January, 2025
• When updating the data, certain models were no longer listed on the company websites. These models are identified in the table with an asterisk (*) in front of the model name, instead of removing them completely, since they may still be available to purchase elsewhere
• AMOK and ALPS Mountaineering are new additions to the table. For ALPS, I got confirmation via email that they use the ASTM standard to test their pads. Certain models don’t have a rating, so those values are left blank.
• Big Agnes and Therm-A-Rest: There were lots of items no longer listed on these two websites, compared to 2024. They are all still in the table, marked with an asterisk, but I thought it was worth pointing out since it was a higher-than-normal amount.
• EXPED: There are tons of discrepancies for both prices and product specs between the official corporate website and the USA website. I decided to use the data and models from the USA website, since you can actually make purchases from that site.
• Klymit: Friendly reminder that their R-Value ratings juggle between using ASTM vs. non-ASTM. I’d recommend doing further research if you’re considering a Klymit pad.
• Decathlon: I found their website to be sketchy and with some incomplete and non-standardized product specs; I was hesitant, but I did include them in the table.
• NEMO, REI, Sea To Summit…. no comments… thanks for making my life easy.
• Kelty: I reached out multiple times via email to see if they use ASTM; never got a response
• MEC: I reached out multiple times via email to see if they use ASTM; never got a response. This is my third year of unsuccessfully confirming with MEC (I’ve tried phone calls and emails over the past three years). Plus, the product specs were riddled with errors and inconsistencies when I checked in 2024.

EDIT: Zenbivy and Flextail have now been added as well

*I have no affiliation with any brands in the table. I intentionally choose not to use affiliate links.

*If you have a brand that you want to recommend get added, please first confirm that it uses the ASTM standard.