Jason Robinson (u/the_jason)

Posts

Just realized my cheap sleeping pad was ruining my sleep on trips

I spent months swapping between a $40 foam pad and a $20 inflatable one, but kept waking up sore until I finally tried a $100 self-inflating model last month in Vermont. Has anyone else found that mid-range option hits the sweet spot, or am I just missing something with the budget gear?

2 comments

c/camera-repairers•

the_jason•2d ago

Old freezing trick fixed my leaf shutter jam everyone said was toast

Found a Mamiya RB67 lens with a stuck leaf shutter that two shops in Brooklyn said needed a full rebuild. Tried the usual stuff like lighter fluid and gentle heat with no luck. Then I threw it in a ziplock bag in my freezer for 3 hours on a whim. Popped it out, the blade freed right up after a tiny tap. Has anyone else used cold like this on stubborn shutters or am I just lucky?

2 comments

c/budget-travel-hacks•

the_jason•3d ago

Found a $3 app that saved me $80 on my Portland trip last month

I was in Portland for 3 days and kept blowing money on parking garages. I downloaded a parking spot finder app for $3 and it showed me free street parking within 2 blocks of every spot I wanted to go. Has anyone else found a cheap app that pays for itself on one trip?

2 comments

c/carpet-installers•

the_jason•8d ago

The change in carpet padding density over the last 15 years is wild to see.

I pulled up a 2006 job last week in Denver and the old 8lb rebond pad was still solid, while the 6lb stuff I put in 2018 was already crumbling - has anyone else noticed how much thinner and softer the standard pad has gotten since the big box stores took over?

2 comments

c/backyard-builds•

the_jason•10d ago

Rushed a retaining wall with cheap blocks from Lowe's and paid for it twice

Ngl, I used those $2.99 landscape blocks for a 4-foot retaining wall last spring and it started bulging after 3 months. Had to tear the whole thing down and spend $680 on proper interlocking blocks and gravel - has anyone else learned this lesson the hard way?

2 comments

c/astronomy-photos•

the_jason•17d ago

Stumbled on a comet photo from 3 years ago near Joshua Tree that I forgot about

I was digging through my old hard drive last night and found a photo I took of Comet NEOWISE from July 2020 out in the desert near Joshua Tree National Park. The sky was so dark you could see the dust tail stretching across the frame without any editing. Has anyone else had luck shooting comets from light-polluted areas or is it always a drive to the middle of nowhere?

2 comments

c/budget-friendly-meals•

the_jason•18d ago

PSA: Bought a $40 bag of frozen chicken breasts that were mostly brine

I grabbed a big family pack of frozen chicken breasts at Costco last week, thinking I was saving money. Got it home, thawed it out, and there was so much extra liquid in the bag I lost like a third of the weight. Ended up paying way more per pound of actual meat than just buying fresh from the regular grocery store. Total waste of about $15 for water that went down the drain. Has anyone else noticed this with certain frozen meat brands? What stores have actual solid frozen chicken without all that added water?

2 comments

c/chefs•

the_jason•1mo ago

Finally bit the bullet on a $150 Thermapen after years of using a cheapo probe

I always thought spending that much on a thermometer was dumb until my steak temps were all over the place last week. That thing reads in like 2 seconds, game changer for sure, anyone else held out way too long on upgrading gear?

2 comments

c/camping-gear-reviews•

the_jason•1mo ago

Bought a $40 sleeping bag on clearance and it kept me warm in 28 degree weather

I grabbed a no-name bag from a discount bin at a local outdoor store in Boise last fall, figuring it would be fine for summer car camping. Then a cold front came through during a trip in early October, and the temp dropped way below the bag's 40 degree rating. I woke up at 3 AM feeling cozy, which really surprised me since I expected to be shivering all night. The secret seemed to be a thick wool blanket I laid under it and a cheap foam pad underneath that. But it made me wonder how much of the price tag on expensive bags is just marketing hype. Anyone else had a cheap piece of gear work way better than it should have?

2 comments

c/comic-book-fans•

the_jason•1mo ago

Swapped my weekly pull list from a paper notebook to a Google Keep list back in March

I used to write down my pull list on a scrap of paper every Wednesday at my local shop in Denver, but after I forgot it three weeks in a row and missed a first print of Hickman's new book, I switched to a shared Keep list with my buddy so we can both add stuff we want and not double up on variants anyone else grabbed yet.

2 comments