Discussions
Reply to: Making cycling a part of your prepping Posted August 3, 2020

Great article! and thank you for posting this, I hope that it inspires more people to ride. The only thing I would chime in on is that one should “not” worry about seat/saddle. The saddle is the single most important piece of equipment on a bike that can make or break your decision to keep on riding or let the bike collect dust in your garage. I am an avid cyclist and have competed in triathlons at a high amateur level and still compete in bike races. If I had to take a stock bike from store and could ONLY change one thing about it, it would be the saddle. No amount of padding will save you from a purely uncomfortable seat, and even then, the many ways cycling shorts can be padded can also change your relationship with the saddle and with your bike. Unfortuantely, saddles are also the hardest thing to get right since there is no singular saddle that works for most. Even the latest innovation with split nose saddles that don’t put pressure on the nether regions are still widely variable in comfort for each user. But for potential prepping (which would require being comfortable in the saddle for multi-hour rides), they are absolutely worth getting right. If one lives in a flatter area or doesn’t plan on riding towards the mountains, then get a heavy and nicely padded saddle (but try a few!) but if weight is a concern, it is defintiely worth spending more on the saddle. And to make things worse, if you’re a woman, you have to thumb through hundreds of types of saddles that were designed for men. Only specialized makes women specific saddles (like truly designed for women, not just “shrink & pink”) and even then there is only 1 type, though I have seen many women praise it. So in all, I strongly, STRONGLY recommend that everyone try different saddles and get one that works best for you. Most bike stores will allow you to try out different saddles and some of the more fancy stores will have a machine that allows you to try it and switch them out in a matter of seconds but whether it takes 10 minutes to change the saddle or 5 seconds, do make sure that saddle works for you.

Reply to: Trail runners: What do you carry? Posted July 6, 2020
Reply to: Which are the best all-around boots: combat, work, or hiking boots? Posted June 23, 2020
Reply to: Trail runners: What do you carry? Posted June 12, 2020
Reply to: Trail runners: What do you carry? Posted June 7, 2020
Trail runners: What do you carry?
22
17
Posted June 7, 2020
Reply to: Which are the best all-around boots: combat, work, or hiking boots? Posted May 29, 2020

Nowhere near an expert on prepping (new around here) but have spent many days out on trails in mountains in all conditions and I have always preferred combat boots myself for all-around purposes. I have had two pairs from Oakley (costly) that I bought maybe 12-13 years ago that continue to serve me well. Those are the only things aside from their shades that lasted me more than 5 years! I’ve tried a few hiking boots but didn’t like how tailored they usually are for specific conditions, I like having two pairs, one for hot weather and one for cold/all conditions. As for how high, idk, my preference is higher to keep shit from getting into the shoes without wearing gaiters or tighter calf pants. When I moved to combat boots, my thought was “Well they train to be in SHTF situations for months, why wouldn’t their boots work for me?” As for brand, while I love my oakley all arounds, the hot weather ones aren’t the best, do research, there are a lot of brands out there, also helpful if you have a friend/family member in active duty so they can purchase boots for you more easily. My brother got me my all-around oakleys, the hot weather ones were just available to general public.

Trail runners: What do you carry?
22
17
Posted June 7, 2020
Reply to: Making cycling a part of your prepping Posted August 3, 2020

Great article! and thank you for posting this, I hope that it inspires more people to ride. The only thing I would chime in on is that one should “not” worry about seat/saddle. The saddle is the single most important piece of equipment on a bike that can make or break your decision to keep on riding or let the bike collect dust in your garage. I am an avid cyclist and have competed in triathlons at a high amateur level and still compete in bike races. If I had to take a stock bike from store and could ONLY change one thing about it, it would be the saddle. No amount of padding will save you from a purely uncomfortable seat, and even then, the many ways cycling shorts can be padded can also change your relationship with the saddle and with your bike. Unfortuantely, saddles are also the hardest thing to get right since there is no singular saddle that works for most. Even the latest innovation with split nose saddles that don’t put pressure on the nether regions are still widely variable in comfort for each user. But for potential prepping (which would require being comfortable in the saddle for multi-hour rides), they are absolutely worth getting right. If one lives in a flatter area or doesn’t plan on riding towards the mountains, then get a heavy and nicely padded saddle (but try a few!) but if weight is a concern, it is defintiely worth spending more on the saddle. And to make things worse, if you’re a woman, you have to thumb through hundreds of types of saddles that were designed for men. Only specialized makes women specific saddles (like truly designed for women, not just “shrink & pink”) and even then there is only 1 type, though I have seen many women praise it. So in all, I strongly, STRONGLY recommend that everyone try different saddles and get one that works best for you. Most bike stores will allow you to try out different saddles and some of the more fancy stores will have a machine that allows you to try it and switch them out in a matter of seconds but whether it takes 10 minutes to change the saddle or 5 seconds, do make sure that saddle works for you.

Reply to: Trail runners: What do you carry? Posted July 6, 2020
Reply to: Which are the best all-around boots: combat, work, or hiking boots? Posted June 23, 2020
Reply to: Trail runners: What do you carry? Posted June 12, 2020
Reply to: Trail runners: What do you carry? Posted June 7, 2020
Reply to: Which are the best all-around boots: combat, work, or hiking boots? Posted May 29, 2020

Nowhere near an expert on prepping (new around here) but have spent many days out on trails in mountains in all conditions and I have always preferred combat boots myself for all-around purposes. I have had two pairs from Oakley (costly) that I bought maybe 12-13 years ago that continue to serve me well. Those are the only things aside from their shades that lasted me more than 5 years! I’ve tried a few hiking boots but didn’t like how tailored they usually are for specific conditions, I like having two pairs, one for hot weather and one for cold/all conditions. As for how high, idk, my preference is higher to keep shit from getting into the shoes without wearing gaiters or tighter calf pants. When I moved to combat boots, my thought was “Well they train to be in SHTF situations for months, why wouldn’t their boots work for me?” As for brand, while I love my oakley all arounds, the hot weather ones aren’t the best, do research, there are a lot of brands out there, also helpful if you have a friend/family member in active duty so they can purchase boots for you more easily. My brother got me my all-around oakleys, the hot weather ones were just available to general public.