Where in Idaho you looking to go?

@@justinsmith7808 I actually live here and I hike all over the state! I'm taking my friend up to the Sawtooths.

Way to go Max! Great list!

​@maxwellerickson7066 I'm hiking into Sawtooth lake area next week

Great conversation you had together. I'm 100% on board with aluminum. It cooks well, I like the way it both distributes and retains heat better, and it's so much more affordable. The weight penalty from Ti to Al is in the noise level for my loadout.

Thank you!

I agree. It makes for a meaningful and interesting discussion. I’ve been toying with upgrading from stainless steel to titanium pot recently, and after watching this I won’t be doing it. I’ll be on the lookout for a budget aluminum option. Priceless advice! Thank you

Only took him over 3 months, but I'm sure its only because he had such important videos like a fucking electric cooler ad. This guy is one of the most pathetic shills on youtube

He blocks all the people who call him out anyways, only took him 3 months to make this video. Must have been busy filming that an ad for a fucking $600 electric cooler. This guy is one of the worst shills on KZfaq and not even a decent backpacker

@@jcarter5665 Seems harsh given that he was moving states at the same time...

and here I am and it's great fun. xD

It is not a dyneema pack, it is gridstop. Only the reinforcing grid is UHMWPE. Saying it is a dyneema pack is hugely misleading as there are practically no "dyneema" packs on the market. Not sure if he is deliberately being facetious or is simply ignorant about the materials; both are equally concerning for such a serious hiker.

If I remember right Quadzilla's sleeping bad is just a generic CCF "according" pad. The Exped 3R in this list is plush by comparison, but it's what I would choose if those were my two options. There's no way my back could handle sleeping on just a thin CCF pad.

@@syindromemaybe you should make some videos and explain this with material in hand. Lots of companies making packs and claiming to be dyneema out there. I’d watch your video

​@@jamicrawford6729 Dan Durston Wapta 30 is the only pack with a new material that uses ALUULA, 100% UHMWPE Dyneema, most other premium packs use Ultra 200X which is 70% ish dyneema (very expensive material), a slightly cheaper options is ultraweave (66% dyneema) and ultra grid (20% dyneema but coatings to improve waterproofness and strength). That is a relative order from most expensive material to least, but i like dan durston packs because they are cheaper than other packs using cheaper materials. However, he uses factory production rather than handmade. "Sure, let’s compare these fabrics: ALUULA: This material is used in the Dan Durston Wapta 30 pack, which is made from 100% UHMWPE Dyneema1. ALUULA is known for its incredible strength, UV stability, ultra-high abrasion resistance, and inherent strength-to-weight ratio2345. It’s also lighter than nylon, polyester, and aramid2. The cost of ALUULA is not readily available online, but it’s known to be a premium material1. Ultra 200X: This fabric is very similar to Ultra 200, just slightly lighter and thinner6789. It’s constructed with a 200d face Ultra-PE blended with high-tenacity polyester, an Ultra-PE CrossPly, and a 0.75 mil film backing10. It’s waterproof to 200+ PSI, 18.8+ Ba10, and far exceeds the technical properties of any similar weight fabric available6. The cost of Ultra 200X is not readily available online, but it’s expected to be similar to Ultra 2006. Ultra 200: This is a lightweight, waterproof, and very durable fabric due to it being 70% UHMWPE in the face fabric8. It is considered a premium fabric for Ultralight packs8. The cost of Ultra 200 is about $35 per yard2. UltraWeave: This fabric is made by Challenge and is considered the strongest pack fabric available for ultralight packs. It’s fully waterproof, incredibly difficult to tear or abrade in daily use, and is available in four different weights (100, 200, 400, and 800 denier), but 100 and 200 are most common6. The cost of UltraWeave is not readily available online, but it’s known to be a premium fabric108. UltraGrid: This is a newer fabric from Challenge. It is a woven ripstop with two 200d strands of UHMWPE (about 20%) + 210D recycled Nylon (about 80%) with a PU inside coating and a C0 DWR outside coating7. It is lighter than similar 210D ripstop pack fabrics and offers high strength and abrasion resistance7. The cost of UltraGrid is approximately $26 per yard34. Please note that the choice of fabric can depend on various factors such as the specific use case, weight considerations, durability requirements, and cost. It’s always a good idea to research thoroughly and consider your specific needs before making a decision. I hope this helps! " - copilot

Im curious as well. I’ll see what I can do

Tell that to the wife 🤣

😁 You would be interesting to meet. Perhaps Sasquatchs do this and why we never see them either. Happy trails.

In North America, most hikers who get sick from contaminated water are getting sick from giardia or crypto. Those are protozoan parasites, not bacteria. As you said, they're resistant to a lot of the chemical treatments (that typically target bacteria). Boiling or physical removal via filtration are the best options to stay safe.

same. I use the nightcore and 90% of the time I use the lowest setting. I live fairly far north, so the summer nights don't really get pitch black. But I still need some assistance to see the trail markings. What I look for a in a flash light is a good low light option.

True. Those Rovyvons go pretty low as well. Dimmer moonlight than most headlamps though not as easy to access on the A8 as the A28. The battery is tiny in the A8 - that’s its biggest downside. But that’s why it’s so light.

Lumens are largely a marketing gimmick. Of course you want something brighter than a candle, but some of these things have lumens in the thousands and that's just asinine. Mine is 500 lumens max and I almost never use it on high because it lights up the trail like daylight and then you're blind when you turn it off. I use it on low, which is like 40 lumens and it does just fine.

You put the foam pad against the inside of the backpack and then slip the sleeping pad in front of it so that everything that you place in the bottom of the bag and start stacking on one another doesn’t stick to the foam

No conclusive evidence of contribution to amyloid plaque buildup. I promise -- go ahead and take a look at the more recent meta analyses. For instance: "Is the Aluminum hypothesis dead?" Lidsky, 2014

That old wives' tale still persists? Dang, that's been debunked almost as much as the gender wage gap ... yet it somehow still comes up. I think Steven is too educated to make such a dubious claim.

@maxwellerickson7066 The problem with meta-analysis is that they will draw conclusions based upon the source studies they choose. They are not evidence.

I wonder if that handle could be plasti-dipped ... 20 minutes is a long time and I definitely use the handles on my cookware.

Its down coats/jackets are also highly regarded, but rarely discussed (relative to Mountain Hardwear, e.g.).

No it isn't, outside of the US it's not necessarily available.

@@thomgizziz The UL version weighs 49 grams. In my opinion, that's a much safer and more stable setup. So the price for the x-boil is more or less the same as for the Vargo (49€ here in Germany). The weight difference is about 5 grams (depending on the windscreen for the Vargo), Vargo 29 grams + Titanium Windscreen 15-20 grams compared to the 49 grams for the x-boil. Therefore, I think the x-boil is the safer cooker. It uses a spill-free burner and a nice stable windscreen as a base.

@@thomgizziz I think you may have misunderstood what the X-Boil is. It's a 3-piece kit of alcohol stove with windscreen and pot stand for 49g total. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/hMyahK1mttrRhnU.html

@@thomgizziz It's the warm half of the year I need to switch. The cold half of the year the toque is on all day (Canadian Rockies)

You could take a look at the GSI mug/pot at MEC. İt's stainless steel, about 5oz. No lid though. İt's under $20 CAD (still a far cry from two bux lol, can't even buy a coffee here for two bux anymore!) 🤷🏻‍♀️

I was using a sea to summit X-mug. I didn’t include it in this load out but do use it often even on my titanium pots.

Only had to carry 45lbs with it once, but yes, it was a lot for that pack! I actually used a thicker (Walmart blue) foam pad, rolled into a cylinder, as a makeshift frame. Not the most comfortable experience but it was a 10-day food carry, and I was also lugging along a couple of pieces of gear for a friend.

Amazon lists several small Ravyavon flashlights via the link. Do you know which one they were talking about? Prices differ.

@@e.k.4508 Don't care. When I saw that price I left the website. Maybe that little clip-on flashlight is "cute" but there are way cheaper and as good headlights available. Or Rayvan sells a metal flashlight about 5 inches long and barely five-eighths of an inch thick and it used to be $6 in WalMart. So what if it weighs more than the "cute" one you pump. Geez! You guys with your everlasting search for the lightest and cutest backpacking toys. 50 years ago I backpacked in the Grand Canyon for several years, staying in there for weeks, and I had a tent, sleeping bag, SVEA stove, fuel container, food, and all that stuff available in those years. And I wore mountaineering boots that came up over my ankles, never twisted an ankle. Was in there for weeks without seeing any of those bucket-list R2R2E2R2R2R2R people. Or as Dixie labels hikers: through or section hikers (hikers are hikers, not categorized by their destinations). Carried toilet paper and a cigarette lighter, no hand cleaner, no soap (used sand to clean pots), don't remember if I had a water filter but probably an early Katadyn type. Didn't get a permit for backcountry GC backpacking. Didn't have a car so I hitched up from Flagstaff, hiked down from south rim, and stayed in there until I was ready to return to town. Carried bulk grains and beans which I soaked during day in a Nalgene bottle (Oh, No, Not A Nalgene!!) and cooked later. Slept right in the trail when it got dark, kicking a place in the sand, or shooshing rattlesnakes out of the way. (Don't get me started!)

@@e.k.4508 Don't care, too "rich for my blood."