Recent content by Seeker

I guess there are ways around it, but my hammock is not lighter than my ground set up. The integrated bug net and underquilt needed to keep me comfortable offset the weight savings of groundcloth and air mattress. My early spring/late fall non-bug-season setup is either a 10x10 or 9x9 tarp...

In a normal bed, I roll like the proverbial rotisserie chicken... Left to stomach to right to back, all night... except in a hammock. So yes you can side sleep, and stay asleep. And the banana shape is only from the side view... in reality, you're often laying almost flat in something like a...

Light and good-quality gear of all sorts has been the biggest 'category' of gear for me... that would include my Hemlock Nessmuk XL (22lbs), and a couple Western Mountaineering down bags. A Helinox 16 or 18oz chair is a must-take if I don't have my hammock... and that was another game changer...

I find it very inconvenient to carry mine on my shoulder, despite it's mere 22lbs... I rigged up my thwarts with some bungies to hold my split double-paddle, and it works well.

I don't voluntarily use them, as I'm trying to catch fish. Almost every trout I've ever caught was hooked in the corner of the mouth. Bass and others seem to be the ones that swallow a lure whole. Trout seem far easier to release with minimal damage. But you've given me something to think...

One of the reasons I solo trip is that I don't have a lot of friends I trust well enough to go to the woods with and not require babysitting, and fewer still who also solo canoe... I like folks who are self-contained, and one of the best group trips I ever did was with 6 other guys, 4 of whom...

I'm 61, and balance is getting different. I find the easiest way to get into my Hemlock Nessmuk XL solo is to put it in deeper water than normal, turn my back to it, reach between my knees, and pull it up under me like a chair, then swing my legs over. This is not always possible, but...

I use a Crazy Creek chair in my Hemlock Nessmuk XL, the larger one, but that's up to you. In order to get the right angle for my back, hips, and legs, I had to move things around a bit... the stack pad on the bottom wasn't in the right place... or high enough. I added 3x thicknesses of blue...

I had a Sealline Black Canyon 60L, and gave it away... it was about the right size for me for a 5 day summer trip, but at 6lbs or whatever, entirely overkill... I also didn't like the lack of pockets (I know... it's a dry bag. But it's nice to be able to get to your water, snacks, etc, without...

It's a "carry". lol.

I think we all keep secrets... favorite walks, hikes, campsites, rivers, caches... I'd not say a thing in your case.

The cheapness of the Fiskars hatchet makes it my best candidate for a "stashing" hatchet. If someone finds it, I wouldn't really mind losing it (though it would be even nicer if they just used it and stashed it again.)

Has anyone ever run Glasby Creek from Glasby Pond to the Oswegatchie in the 5-Ponds Wilderness? I watched a trip report on YouTube where a man and his wife put in near Wanakena at the Cat Mountain Trailhead, portaged across to near Dannick's Landing, over to Cat Mountain, a bunch of the 5...

I use one of two full length NeoAIRs, depending on the trip and the season... the yellow and the grey, the one lighter at about 16oz, the other more insulated and slightly heavier at 18oz. Both are thick enough for side-sleeping comfort FOR ME. I have come to prefer the grey one, just because...

I live in MD. I got an EZ Pass when I moved here because that's what you do (toll bridges mostly, but some roads, on some routes). When I've car topped a canoe in the past, I detached it from its velcro holder behind my mirror and just threw it over in the passenger corner of the front dash...