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That explains it...I have never owned or driven one

The only reason it knew I was from Norfolk, Va was the drive thru liquor store question...it's a Brew Thru in the Outer Banks but no where else, so that's what I answered. I did it again and said I had no idea what to call it, and answered everything else honestly, and it pegged me as Yonkers. Honest to God truth.

I really enjoyed reading his stuff, and I hope he makes it over here. One thing I never figured out though: I posted in a thread about speed that even when I hiked as fast as I could, to the point of almost tripping and falling twice per minute, I still couldn't keep up with the ultralighters in our group. He told me the key to hiking fast was tempo. Not sure what tempo means, but I must not have much of it.

Yeah, the GG one was pretty sweet, and very light, but unfortunately, it did not fit me.

66 right now in Va Beach...14 later on tonight. High of 24 tomorrow.

Well, after looking at packs online for hours and hours, I finally got to go to REI in Richmond and take a look at a few. They actually had a Granite Gear Crown VC 60, and Osprey Exos 46, and an Osprey Talon 44 in stock. That's the first time I've seen all three in that store at the same time I loaded all of them up and tried them on, and the Talon fit great! The other two, not so much. I have thick shoulders from front to back, and the shoulder straps on many packs just won't sit right, no matt…

I am heavy for my height, so I made the switch from trail runners, and now wear my Oboz Yellowstone II's on every trip...I know purists don't like gore-tex, but I only go on 2 night trips, and the waterproofing of these boots has allowed me to go to Dolly Sods and not get my feet soaked...love the stability in the ankle area as well.

http://www.outdoortrailgear.com/featured/5-in-1-jerry-chair/

alite monarch?

thanks so much for the help! Looks like weekdays are ok, it's the weekends that you need a permit, but it is really important that we knew this to make sure we aren't there on that section during the weekend!!!

Yeah, and if you're not a total brand snob, you can get Cabot, Columbia, and a couple of other decent brands too...highly recommend checking it out if you have one nearby (includes Marshalls and Ross Dress for Less as well, as they are all owned by the same company)

Tentatively trying to plan a mid-May section hike on the MST, somewhere in the 50 mile range, meaning 6 days for my wife and me, as we hike slow. I have the Thru Hikers Manual by Scot "Taba" Ward, and it's a great resource, but the trail is cut into arbitrary sections. I like sections 9-11 (area around Mt Mitchell through Linville Gorge area, I believe). The problem is, these sections total about 72 miles. (23, 13, and 36, respectively) I am not sure if there maybe a prettier section (s) that we…

Yeah, I probably will do something similar on longer hikes, which I have not done yet. But for our 15 mile weekend trips, I love me some real chairs! Along with a cigar and a flask! lol Probably next spring, I will be section hiking a little on the MST for 5-6 days and may just bring a pad to save a little space and weight. But I am a clueless weekender, and love my creature comforts!

I just look for Darn Tough or Smart Wool socks on sale at TJ Maxx, or if that fails, just get a pair here and there at outfitters in the area. TJ Maxx is very hit or miss, but occasionally you can get some higher end stuff there pretty cheap

Well, I ended up making a mistake in my first step, but luckily, it was REI, so I can return it. I couldn't pass up the deal of getting an REI Flash 45 for $63 last week. I bought the large torso model, so it was actually a 50L bag. It came on the UPS truck to my office, and I excitedly took it home that night to check it out. LOL, it looks ridiculous on me for starters, as I am 5'8" and 210 lbs of barrel-chested manhood. Second, my shit won't go in it. My Big Agnes Deer Park 30, long model, eve…

Speaking of going lighter...has anyone noticed that nothing on GoLite.com is ever in stock? I am beginning to wonder how anyone with golite gear actually purchased it/

FC, yes, we aren't doing it to be ULers, we just want to be more comfortable, and be afforded some flexibility in what we can carry. I love bringing a flask or two of my favorite beverage, a chair, and other things, so I want to get my overall weight down so it won't kill me to carry the luxuries! Trillium, yes it can't hurt to hike with a lighter load,..Next on my agenda is getting my fat body a little leaner. It's hard for me as a guy who used to lift weights a lot to think about shedding weig…

HB and Storm, that's one place my wife and I don't carry too much...in fact, when we go on our 2 1/2 day trips (basically Friday evening to Sunday), I am always starving on the Sunday midday hike back to the car. We typically carry two "meals" for each day, and a morning and afternoon snack. Never enough for me lol I do think we are making strides in lightening the weight of our food though. We used to carry cheese and sausage, for example. Now we have begun dehydrating our own meals (we have ch…

Our usual winter precipitation event here in Va Beach, 42 degrees and heavy rain. Sucks!!!

That thing is heavy, and the Monarch one sits nicer anyway! So that for sure will be something I switch out if I get an REI gift card for Christmas!!! And that advice is sound...I think the money already spent may have to be treated as a sunk cost, meaning, it shouldn't be part of the consideration on new stuff. Then again, most backpackers (substitute golfers, boaters, or any other hobby) like to keep buying new stuff, and it's hard to wait until you save mega bucks for the really good stuff.