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I chose floorless tarp/tents with a good bivy for New England.

Current favorite is an AliExpress knock-off of the MLD Trailstar. If it continues to work for me, I might spring for the MLD...

For overnights in deep cold, I wear bread bags between my liner socks and wool socks during the day. Keeps the boots dry from sweat so the don't turn to ice in the night.

I don't wear the bags on...

There's snow camping and then there's snow camping.

If the snow is relatively thin and you can reach the ground, nothing really changes other than the fact that you'll need to drive tent stakes...

Go to Google Books and search for
"Backpacker Magazine February 1991"
...

I have a pair of 30 year old Merrill Wilderness that are badly cracked from years of using SnowSeal. They got damaged just the way Limmer predicts. SnowSeal also destroyed the Lowas I had in the 80s...

My sense is that there are 2 fundamentally different kinds of insoles.

The first are those that form to the natural shape of our feet - the cork insoles of a Birkenstock, heat moldable insoles,...

Gun owner. Have my LTC. Regular backpacker.

I see no good guy or bad guy here yet. Could just be a case if mistaken tent that escalated to deadly levels due to the presence of a handgun....

I grew up with a parent with a violent personality disorder.

People with profound violent mental problems like Paranoid Schizophrenia don't choose this like a "normal" person might choose to, say,...

Thanks for the thoughtful and careful response. If you don't mind though, I'd like to press a bit deeper.

While I really like and agree with the advice to carefully size people up, the reports of...

I would be curious what you recommend for self defense in remote areas.

TL/DR: VB socks while moving, to keep boots dry. No more frozen boots in the morning. VB shirt in camp to dry fleece and keep warmer sleeping.

VERY long version

** DAVE'S VAPOR BARRIER FAQ **...

Z'all good. I'm not even a section hiker. I'm a New England local red lining the Whites.

Did a a long weekend trip from Gorham to Grafton Notch playing hop scotch with a jovial band of thru...

Here is my clothing list for fall/spring trips in the Whites.

Sub-bullets represent alternatives to the primary choice, based on expected conditions. This is copied from my actual packing list...

Switched to a Kelty Super Tioga a few years back. My back is so much happier. Trickier on rocky scrambles but I'm not going back to an internal.

Pictures here
https://flickr.com/photos/60566439@N05/sets/72157671762996582

Couple of thoughts...

I treat above treeline as having potential for full winter conditions in the northern Presis. The classic sucker punch is climbing up from the north or west with the wind at...

Leatherman Squirt for gear repair and first aid work.

Opinel #9 for food and fire building.

In winter for ski trips when I pack a folding wood stove (Emberlite) I swap the Opinel for an...

I don't understand the middle line.

Peakbagger, which type of Nuun do you prefer? The Active tablets or the Performance powder?

With the Packa, I'm guessing you need to take off your Packa to get stuff out of your pack?

IME, I use rain jackets to regulate my temp, not to stay dry.

I consider pit zips a must.

I stay drier and more comfortable ins a light waterproof breathable compared to non breathable.