rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Nov 17, 2020 20:43:27 GMT -8
UV destruction of plastics (nylon) is very real. That I believe. But what puzzles me is how sleeping bags get that much UV. Mine is seldom out in the sun, except for maybe during breakfast to dry if there was condensation overnight.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Nov 17, 2020 20:58:07 GMT -8
UV destruction of plastics (nylon) is very real. That I believe. But what puzzles me is how sleeping bags get that much UV. Mine is seldom out in the sun, except for maybe during breakfast to dry if there was condensation overnight. I expect some do and some don’t. My Trailwise Chevron up above got multiple decades of Sierra high elevation exposure, in part I expect because unless there was actually precipitation falling I set up outside, adding to the exposure as it was out in the sun more and being under open sky tended to get frosted that I’d brush off but inevitably have some extra drying to do. Location I’d say matters as well, lower elevations doesn’t have the UV intensity higher elevations have: it’s why sunblock is so much more critical higher up... Changes in construction could also play a part. Ultralight market preferences can lead to manufacturers choosing lighter fabrics that have lower structural integrity margins.
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davesenesac
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Post by davesenesac on Nov 18, 2020 7:16:53 GMT -8
Unlike the majority that spend most of their time on the trail with sleeping bag in their pack, after reaching destination zones, I'm either base camping or semi-base camping with gear deployed. Am often up at dawn then off on photography routes till returning late morning and my sleeping bag bag is exposed unless I had reason to put the fly on the tent that is otherwise mesh. Since am often at high timberline high UV elevations with few trees, am most likely to locate my tent for pm shade if available when am most likely to be around camp so the bag does get dosed many morning hours.
The old patched Pinnacle will serve purpose as a bedroom comforter or a bag I can loan to others.
Just because the Pinnacle shell has damage won't change my future ways though expect current ripstop nylon 66 fabrics regarding UV inhibitors are always improving so the new Aya may wear better. Looking forward to picking it up Thursday.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Nov 18, 2020 13:12:55 GMT -8
Base camping is a good point. That definitely adds a lot of exposure not experienced for people hiking all but the occasional zero day.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Nov 18, 2020 13:44:39 GMT -8
Base camping is a good point. That definitely adds a lot of exposure not experienced for people hiking all but the occasional zero day.
Base camping definitely affects my tent exposure. Even in that scenario, it's pretty unusual for my sleeping bag to spend more than an hour a day drying in the sun.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Nov 18, 2020 14:45:10 GMT -8
Base camping is a good point. That definitely adds a lot of exposure not experienced for people hiking all but the occasional zero day.
Base camping definitely affects my tent exposure. Even in that scenario, it's pretty unusual for my sleeping bag to spend more than an hour a day drying in the sun.
I’d agree: the outlier would be cowboy campers such as myself who tend to avoid shelters unless precipitation looms. I’ll tether the bag down by a tie off to a stake or two to avoid getting it blown away but otherwise it’s left exposed. The alternative would be repacking it I expect but that might be my most hated camp chore. Though, more recently, I’ll have a shelter set up even when I don’t use it, midnight blizzards taught me a lesson, so currently I’ll toss the bag etc. into the shelter and it’d be less exposed. But for the longest time that wasn’t my habit. The tent didn’t go up unless I needed it.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Nov 18, 2020 15:17:07 GMT -8
Though, more recently, I’ll have a shelter set up even when I don’t use it, midnight blizzards taught me a lesson, so currently I’ll toss the bag etc. into the shelter and it’d be less exposed. I'm in the same boat. I'll take a chance in the desert if I feel like I understand the weather signs, but I've had my share of suddenly waking up to rain on my face and scrambling to set up a tent in a storm while still half asleep.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Nov 18, 2020 15:37:38 GMT -8
Yep. You (badly) athletic tape up the nalgene you ill advisedly used as a stake hammer in the early August A. M. blizzard near Whitney and wind up recreating Jack & Jill up from Guitar because a) the tape made the water taste VERY odd and b) the fragments didn’t hold well together and it leaked like hell. So it was hand carrying my two Sigg pots by their bails. With the lids fitting rather tightly they were decent containers, though I did get more than a few odd looks. Lol
and setting up a shelter becomes a lot more attractive. Hasn’t hurt that my current choices offer a lot less engineering challenges than older styles I’ve used. My Solomid in particular is up before I’ve had a chance to think about it. Couple stakes, pop in the trekking poles: voilà. My Copper Spur isn’t much harder.
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rebeccad
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Post by rebeccad on Nov 19, 2020 8:06:38 GMT -8
I’m surprised that anyone leaves sleeping bad, etc., sitting out while away from camp. I always assume the possibility of wind/rain/too-curious avians, and stow things under the rain fly.
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davesenesac
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Post by davesenesac on Nov 19, 2020 13:35:52 GMT -8
On mornings any possibility of storms by mid day is possible, I'll secure all gear to not get wet. Another factor in leaving some gear out is to some degree the result of my habit of tenting in remote locations well away from trails and lake edges so I don't have to worry about others poking about in my gear left out in the open. Anything of value like electronics gets hidden down in my gear. My cooking gear, fishing gear (if brought), headnet, and water containers once set up are usually out in the open. Sleeping bag shell on some nights given just a mesh ceiling may pick up radiation cooling dew so might spread it out on a sunny boulder upon leaving where it can dry while gone. Typical of such a remote timberline camp spot beside a wall of whitebark pine with no signs of prior use. And yeah do recall laying my sleeping bag out on those boulders.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Nov 19, 2020 14:16:31 GMT -8
In those kind of situations, I usually take out the poles and put big rocks on the tent.
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swiftdream
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the Great Southwest Unbound
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Post by swiftdream on Oct 14, 2022 10:47:26 GMT -8
Here is an example of a patched Patagonia Nanopuff pullover, a garment that has disappointed me with its durability. This was patched at the elbow last winter and worn a lot after. First the area was cleaned with denatured alcohol and dried before laying down the patch. Never had a Kenyon tape patch come up at all yet. That’s why it has a place in my on board repair kit while in the wilderness. Three years after this first patch with Kenyon tape this Namopuff was washed in the front loader and came out fine. The other elbow has since been patched as well and both are still firmly fixed and no signs of peeling. I ordered more Kenyon tape this time in a Navy color that will go better with this jacket’s color at least. After seeing the price of new Nanopuffs this is a far more economical path.
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BigLoad
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Post by BigLoad on Oct 14, 2022 11:35:31 GMT -8
Kenyon tape has never disappointed me. I usually forget where I've used it, because I've never had to revisit any of those repairs. The exception is my Osprey Airporter, which I repaired with contrasting tape and often acquires new damage in baggage handling. Even with that, all my old repairs have lasted 10-15 years and don't need rework, but I'm more aware of them due to seeing them before every trip.
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Post by High Sierra Fan on Oct 14, 2022 12:22:58 GMT -8
Just to note that the above rounded corners are, in my experience, critical to long life tape repair. Right angle corners close to immediately start to be peel off initiators. Rounded corners do not. ETA: though, lol, I’m reminded there’s always exceptions. I’m thinking this tape repair to a Sierra Designs 60/40 parka dates from the late 70’s, no later than mid 80’s… so my thought is the surface you’re applying it to also matters: the new coated fabrics sil etc. proving a less welcoming base.
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