Hold on, that comparison is a bit off. The roped hydro system and a hydraulic leveling valve are totally different animals, not really two versions of the same thing. Roped hydro runs the car with cables and a hydraulic ram, while a leveling valve just keeps the car flat when it stops. You can't really swap one for the other and call it the same job, they use different rails and safeties entirely. But yeah, I hear you on the packing gland issues, those can be a real pain to keep true. Sounds like you got a good fix for your building though, that's what matters.

Wow, I gotta push back on this one! Random campers are the absolute last people I'd trust with gear advice, they're usually just repeating something their uncle told them once. That guy in the Smokies could've been dead wrong and you just got lucky that his tip happened to work for you. I've had strangers tell me to do all sorts of stuff that made zero sense, like hanging food bags off a low branch or using rocks to hold down stakes, and half the time they're just talking to hear themselves talk. Official reviews and tested methods from people who do this professionally have way more credibility in my book. Sure, your 45 degree thing works, but that's one data point, not a rule.

My old boss at a coffee shop near Pioneer Square used to say the free wifi was a trap, but I thought he was just being paranoid. After reading your story about that fake Marriott login, I finally get why he warned everyone, that cert thing is way too easy to miss. Now I'm the one bugging my friends to use a VPN before they connect anywhere, even if the network name looks super legit.

Galvanized wire is the way to go, trust me on this one.

Three years of mystery back pain and I just thought I was getting old, turns out I was sleeping on a fancy pool floatie with a pinprick in it. At least the warranty saved you, mine gave up during a canyon trip and I got a free dirt mattress.