Definitely a fan of the Heliums. You just can't beat them at the price point (especially since they're often on sale on Camofire and elsewhere). I love the double step, they stack great, and with some stealth strips, they're pretty dang quiet. The stock straps can be loud if you're not careful...
And should have mentioned, my exo has two hip belts, i'm generally wearing a light jacket in that has two chest pockets and two hand pockets, and I wear a fanny pack. With all of that storage, I don't need an external pack in addition to that shown.
I had a couple treestands (i think they were Millenniums) come with lifelines, which I never use since I'm generally mobile. So i cut one short and converted it into a lineman's belt since the overall process (prusik knot with a carabiner attached) worked the same. So if you have a spare of...
Broom for the wall tent. Shovel for the fire pit and toilet pit. And a 5 gallon bucket with a toilet seat for the aforementioned toilet pit - way better than picking random trees near camp
I have the Outdoor Research gaiters and have liked them so far. You may struggle with some burrs on the velcro at the top, but the rest should be pretty bulletproof. Goodluck!
Thanks for the suggestions so far guys. It's a 3 person for 2 people (both around 6 ft 200 lbs).
And Northern, I'm down in Racine county, went to school in EC though.
Heading to CO this Sept and looking for a 3 person tent to use for spiking. Hopefully you guys could provide some suggestions of what has worked for you. Considering we're close to the season starting, I'm already WELL over my budgets so suggestions on the cheaper side would be much appreciated...
Hey folks, just finally got both packs in after waiting quite a while. I am so torn. They are both GREAT packs but I'm kind of kicking myself because I'm really comparing apples and oranges. The Exo is 3500ci, while the Reckoning is 5000+. Not that this is a huge difference, but it almost seems...