Arizona Hiking Shack has the best rates on high quality high performance inflatables. They may have hard-shells too, I'm not sure. It's definitely worth it to give them a call.

http://www.hikingshack.com/

What is your favorite multi tool to take with you on backpacking trips?

I have an old Leatherman Wave that has served me well for ages. But I've never used half the tools on it (while backpacking) and am looking for something more pared down and significantly lighter...

Thanks!

I very highly recommend Arizona Hiking Shack. You can't go wrong there. And you will learn a lot more from the staff there than you will at REI.

It's not necessarily lonely, but it has a great creek/swimming hole that is perfect for dogs and kids--Buddha Beach at Red Rock Crossing in Sedona. It's one of the farthest swimming holes from the parking lot, so it has far less people than the other spots in the park... You can access it via a rela...

The best place for boot + fitting advice is AZ Hiking Shack

RR44 is not lying about the roided-out horse flies.

AZ Hiking Shack staff knowledge and customer service can't be beat.

As far as I know- yes, if you win a permit and are unable to make the trip, you can transfer it to a person of your choosing. I would strongly advise against anyone with less than intermediate experience just buying a used boat and rafting the Upper Salt. Or even considering it. The Upper Salt is de...

The permit lottery applications opened a little over a week ago. This year you can submit your application online: ( dead link removed ) (give the page a few moments to load--it's slow) If you've never been, you're missing out. Even if you don't own a boat, you should apply. Finding experienced boat...

Nothing enjoyable about driving 10, 30, 50, 250, miles to hike X miles into nature only to encounter a cloud or even a whiff of tobacco smoke. I think it's just as inappropriate, (if not more so), as a loud boom box on a trail. As for chewing tobacco, as long as every drop of spit is packed out, no ...

One of these:

viewtopic.php?f=3&t=5695

REI has the Black Diamond Spot headlamp on sale for only $23.93. (listed price is $29.93, but right now you get an extra 20% off 1 item) http://www.rei.com/product/813050 This is a great deal on a great headlamp. I own one of these and love it. It has both spot and broad beams and 3 brightness level...

For those without a Costco membership, REI also has it for $219. The extra $19 may be worth it for REI's lifetime warranty (not quite as good as Costco's policy but still very good)...

http://www.rei.com/product/735607

I absolutely love this thing. Figuring out the correct amount of coffee takes some practice. Once you get it down, you'll be in love with it! It uses a #2 cone filter. https://shop.melitta.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=64+007&Cat= (Melitta Ready Set Joe) If you like that, you might love this: http://www....

I'm looking for effective ways to make coffee for a few people while car camping. I'd like to avoid adding any bulky items to my camp kitchen. I'm not a coffee drinker, but always camp with some and am hoping to get some feedback from HAZers on your preferred methods for making camp coffee while car...

Moon

...might appreciate this. I thought it was pretty cool!

http://www.backpacker.com/homemade_gps_ ... _dirt/1864

Everyone's injury severity, health prior to surgery, recovery times, surgeries, etc... are vastly different. The best advice is probably to do exactly what your Ortho and PT tell you to do. They will know 100x's better than anyone online. Taking your time to recover properly will pay off in the long...

Not mistaking res land/water for periodic Bald Eagle closures. Res starts about 1.5-2 river miles beyond Box Bar. From what I've been told (last year, by at least 1/2 dozen different res officials) they don't allow anyone who isn't a tribal member or isn't paddling with a tribal member on their stre...

Last time I checked (last year), you're not allowed to float through the res. Did you get permission somehow or did you just poach it?

Also, if you've never been down the Verde, be aware that there's tons of strainers. And one very big one at the bottom of Box Bar RAP (the last non-res RAP).