What did you buy today?

I feel like I bought an expensive as hell lunch box, but they're required in Snowmass now and I'm sure it will be useful elsewhere too.

http://www.wild-ideas.net/the-scout/

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After lusting after the new Dyneema backpacks and cringing at the $300+ price tags I found a used Golite Trek made from the same Dyneema material for about $60. It weighs in at 2lbs and It has no frame with a load limit of about 30 lbs.
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The pack weight for my last overnight trip was 16 lbs total with food and I used a similar type of pack with no problems. The silnylon lid is a little goofy but can be removed and stowed for other uses. It looks fine but flops around with smaller loads. The waist belt is almost non existent so I am guessing it would be fine up to about 20 lbs and be less comfortable as the weight increased. I would recommend picking up a used one if you are thinking about dropping weight but don't want to blindly spend big money on a style of pack that may not fit your needs. Other suggestions for used lightweight packs are the Gregory Z-pack made from Dyneema, the G pack made from much less durable sil-nylon, and most Golite backpacks. They are usually made of Dyneema or a slightly different version of sil-nylon (same material as the old MSR Hubba Hubba rain fly).
 
I finally pulled the trigger on a rotomolded cooler. I picked up a Pelican Elite 50. They had them on sale at Campsaver which made it significantly cheaper than a yeti. It just arrived today and I am playing around with it to see how it works. The downside to this is that I couldn't find one in a store to really get a feel for the size and there is no way this thing is fitting in our trunk. I told me wife we have to get the subaru sooner than anticipated so that we can carry the new cooler.
 
That's pretty funny. Kinda like getting a new windshield because the old one was dirty, well, sorta like that. Makes sense to me.
 
Rockskipper said:
That's pretty funny. Kinda like getting a new windshield because the old one was dirty, well, sorta like that. Makes sense to me.
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Or like getting a new car because the windshield is dirty.

Here is a link to a youtube video I made just showing the cooler and some of the features. I am going to mess around and see how it holds ice. I have always seen those challenges when they completely fill them with ice but for us at least is is more realistic that we will only have a bag or 2 in there so I'm going to see how it works in that situation.

 
I just bought an REI Expedition bag rated to minus 20. I already have a couple of good Marmot bags (esp. love the Helium), but this was on sale at 40% off (around $320) and had good ratings from people who used it at Denali, Aconcagua, etc. I've never had an REI bag. I went back to look at it again online and get a pic and it said it was sold out, so maybe I got the last one or something, or maybe they only made one.

I'm kind of wondering why I bought this, since I won't be climbing Denali or anything, but I'm getting ready to go stay through the winter in a poorly heated cabin that a friend's not using. I doubt if it will ever get below about 20, but if so, I'm ready. My dogs all have good warm bags, too (old well-used North Face and Kelty bags).

Shoots, I think I just wanted to buy something. What I really wanted is a new Tacoma with a Four-Wheel camper, but this will have to do. I also got some Gear Aid Tenacious Tape, which is great stuff for repairing sleeping bags and tents, if you've never used it.

UPDATE: I returned the bag. It was nice, but the baffle along the zipper felt like it was made of stiff paper. Every time you touched it it made noise. Not good, especially if you're into stealth sleeping.
 
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Rockskipper said:
I just bought an REI Expedition bag rated to minus 20. I already have a couple of good Marmot bags (esp. love the Helium), but this was on sale at 40% off (around $320) and had good ratings from people who used it at Denali, Aconcagua, etc. I've never had an REI bag. I went back to look at it again online and get a pic and it said it was sold out, so maybe I got the last one or something, or maybe they only made one.

I'm kind of wondering why I bought this, since I won't be climbing Denali or anything, but I'm getting ready to go stay through the winter in a poorly heated cabin that a friend's not using. I doubt if it will ever get below about 20, but if so, I'm ready. My dogs all have good warm bags, too (old well-used North Face and Kelty bags).

Shoots, I think I just wanted to buy something. What I really wanted is a new Tacoma with a Four-Wheel camper, but this will have to do. I also got some Gear Aid Tenacious Tape, which is great stuff for repairing sleeping bags and tents, if you've never used it.
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Get a minimalist bivy on Black Friday and dig a snow cave outside the cabin or not and just find a spot out of the wind. It's good experience. It sounds like a great bag. I have some older bags with similar ratings that need to be tested and that's my plan.
 
Went a little crazy with Campsaver's Labor Day sale. In addition to the Pelican cooler mentioned above I also picked up a new Mountainsmith Lumbar Tour Pack primarily so I could also buy the Strappettes to use with it. I have had an old version of the Tour pack for years and my wife refers to it as my man purse. From all of the reviews and research it appeared that the strappettes would not work with my older pack so I with stacking discounts at campsaver I decided to get a new one along with the strappettes. Of course I realized with a bit of work I could get the strappettes to work with the old one, but there are a couple of new features on the new pack that I like enough that I will keep it. I used the set up recently on a 6.8 mile hike and it carries really well and allows my back to breath. I had a water bottle in each side pocket which was enough for this hike, but anything much longer and I would need to go with a pack that lets me carry a 3 liter bladder.

I tried my hands at reviewing again, so if anyone is interested here is the video. Just a warning it does run a bit long, my wife says it is similar to the rambling voice messages I like to leave.

 
It was finally time to replace my daypack since it's falling apart, so I picked up the newer version during the sale at REI this past week...

I like that the newer version has addition pockets to help with organization, plus the adjustable torso length is nice for someone of my height and something that I haven't seen on many other daypacks. Should get to try it out this week sometime :)

Osprey Stratos 34
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Osprey makes good-quality stuff. A friend gave me a small day pack years ago that I use for my camera gear. It's been beat to heck and back and still looks almost brand new.
 
Bought an Osprey Atmos 65L
and a Helinox Chair Zero.

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The hip belt on the pack is WOW!
Put 25 lbs in at the store and couldn't feel one ounce of it.

The chair comes in at around 1 lb.

Slowly moving out of the "dirtbag" category.
 
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Just got the OR HELIUM II Rain jacket in the mail. I am amazed at how light it is. I think I will write up a full review after I have a chance to test it out.
 
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Very cool chair, @DrNed

I broke down and bought a somewhat pricey Pendleton washable wool blanket. I sleep cold, and even with my Marmot 15° bag I still sometimes get cold, so throwing a nice wool blanket over the bag really helps. It's lightweight so the down's loft isn't affected. It also keeps the down bag from getting damp when it's humid. I've had a couple of nice army surplus wool blankets, but they got borrowed and were never returned, plus they were too heavy. So far so good, except that I'm fighting with the dogs over it. They all want to sleep on it.

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Rockskipper said:
Very cool chair, @DrNed

I broke down and bought a somewhat pricey Pendleton washable wool blanket. I sleep cold, and even with my Marmot 15° bag I still sometimes get cold, so throwing a nice wool blanket over the bag really helps. It's lightweight so the down's loft isn't affected. It also keeps the down bag from getting damp when it's humid. I've had a couple of nice army surplus wool blankets, but they got borrowed and were never returned, plus they were too heavy. So far so good, except that I'm fighting with the dogs over it. They all want to sleep on it.

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Sometimes you just have to give in...

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LOL - great photo! Your pup looks like he/she is waiting for pops to bring their morning cup of Java.
 
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