Mt Whitney Zone Forums The Chat Room REI Anniversary Sale

Clothing treated with Permethrin is said to work well in repelling bugs, but I'm not sure if it's repellent qualities extend to one's face, neck, unprotected arms, etc. But, at least the little buggers won't bite thru the clothing.

As for DEET - I always put mine in a Ziplock, but now do a double Ziplock system. A few years ago the single Ziplock developed a small hole, and somehow the container was activated, and a small amount of DEET bored holes in my Precip jacket. Fortunately the holes were near the waist, so it didn't impact the usability of jacket.

Dang -- snooze and lose! I finally ordered the pack about noon today, and there is already a 6 week backlog on orders!

That guy needs to expand his business.

Can't you just seran wrap your stuff to your back Steve? That's what the zpack looks like.

They actually look pretty awesome if they are comfortable and carry weight well balanced.

wagga . . . seriously dude . . . gotta get "ULB" in the Abbrevia. Or ULS. Maybe that's better - UltraLight Snob. Steve is obsessed, man. He wants to haul all his measured-to-the-gram UL stuff in a glorified grocery sack - which he's standing in a long to pay $160 for. The ULs are takin' over.

Not if I can help it...

Bulldog:

OK you asked for it. I'm sending you the entire Abbrevia via PM.
I'm up against a deadline for getting code out, so it's all yours to alphabetize/spell-check/edit/link till Friday.

Have fun.

Uh, gee wagga, it's pretty late here on the east coast - y'know, that 3-hour time difference and all <simulated, highly expressive yawn>. It's PMBT . . .

> It's PMBT . . .

How come I recognized that abbreviation instantly?

My REI anniversary sale stuff arrived today - the NeoAir mattress (man is it small!!!) and my new REI Flash 65 multi-day pack. The Flash 65 is about 4100 ci, but it's incredibly light. My old overnight pack was a Kelty with less capacity, and it weighs a lot more than this sleek REI pack. I know it was a 2009 Backpackers Choice pack, and at first blush there's a lot I like about it. Anyone out there own a Flash 65 and have opinions?

Just may have to head to the mountains this weekend and give this new gear a trial run!

It looks like a nice pack, Gary. I'm sure it will be more comfortable than my plastic garbage sack with straps.  

> Just may have to head to the mountains this weekend and give this new gear a trial run!

Just watch for those drunken grizzlies.

...And stay DRY!

Steve, you'd be proud of me - got my base weight for Whitney down to less than 20 pounds with this pack. That includes a full tent, a 20-degree bag, JetBoil, a (real) water filter, the NeoAir, and all the other misc stuff I plan to take with me. Minus food and water - 18.9 pounds.

Am I in the UL Kool Klub yet?

Well, I'd say below 20 pounds is commendable.

UL Kool Klub it is!

The Flash 65 is a monster huge pack. I usually use the Flash 30 for a huge day hike or an overnighter and the Flash 45 for those huge hikes (with the top removed).

LMK when you get your weight under 20 pounds WITH food and water.

..............................................DUG

DUG, ain't never gonna happen with food and water, but if I can hit the trail on the 1st Whitney day with 25 pounds I'll be a happy camper. The cool thing about the Flash is that on summit day I can strip out the internal frame and have a super-lightweight daypack for just the essentials. I'm sure the marmots will be great caretakers of what I leave behind at Trail Camp . . .

I'll never be in the same UL class as Steve and Brett - I love my Quarterdome UL too much, and a filter is a must for me - but I don't think I've ever hit the trail for an overnighter with a base weight that low. This Flash is easily two pounds ligher than my old Kelty, but holds a lot more. Also, the NeoAir mattress might as well be a bag of feathers.