2019 – Page 4 – Turigrinos

Carrying Water

There are several ways to carry water when you're out and about. Hydration Bladders Hydration bladders, such as the Platypus Big Zip LP, are large pouches that slide into a sleeve inside your backpack's main compartment. They have a drinking tube which is routed through the top of the pack and is then attached to your shoulder strap for easy access. To drink, all you have to do is put the end of the tube in your mouth. The example given above weighs 170g for the 3 liter size (57g per liter) and costs around $40 ($13.33 per liter). The [...]

By Person A|2019-03-26T06:50:53+00:00March 26th, 2019|

Attaching a Suunto Clipper to an Osprey Levity

I was organizing my gear bin when I came across my Suunto Clipper compass, which I had apparently forgot to attach to my pack - whoops! The clipper is typically shown as being attached to a watch band but I wanted something that would hold it much more securely than just the friction/pressure provided by the clip. Fortunately there's a small hole in the back of the compass which you can run some cord through. Here's what I came up with: Top: bowline to middle chest trap loop. Bottom: bowline through compass hole. Middle: slipknot through bottom chest strap loop. [...]

By Person A|2019-03-25T05:03:21+00:00March 25th, 2019|

Oil City to Mosquito Creek

Mosquito Creek With nighttime temps forecasted to be a balmy 43F (unconfirmed since I left my thermometer attached to my old Exos) I decided to head out to the coast for a weekend to cure myself of cabin fever as well as test out a bunch of new gear. I've backpacked every section of the Olympic Coast except the following three: Kalaloch to Ruby Beach, Oil City to Mosquito Creek, and Cape Alava to Shi Shi. Since I'd already been to Mosquito Creek from the north (via Third Beach and Toleak Point) I decided to try approaching from the south, [...]

By Person A|2020-08-01T21:15:21+00:00March 20th, 2019|

Breathability

Breathability of outdoor fabrics can refer to two different things: Air permeability, or the rate at which air flows through a fabricWater vapor permeability, or the rate at which water vapor flows through a fabric, also known as the moisture vapor transmission rate or MVTR Water vapor permeability is typically discussed in the context of waterproof-breathable (WPB) rain gear whereas air permeability is applied to most other types of gear, particularly wind shirts. Air permeability is measured as the volume of air that can pass through a fabric and a common choice of units is cubic feet per minute or [...]

By Person A|2019-03-11T01:16:41+00:00March 11th, 2019|

Nalgene Wide Mouth Flexible Canteen 32oz

Nalgene | Wide Mouth Flexible Canteen 32oz | 2018 | $15.60 | 61g When you're backpacking sometimes you have to get up to pee during the night and sometimes you really, really don't want to (especially if the weather is awful). A pee bottle will allow you to pee in the comfort of your tent (twice with this 32oz bottle) Nalgene

By Person A|2019-03-01T05:52:57+00:00March 1st, 2019|

Blisters

Blisters form when "shearing forces" (also known as friction or rubbing) cause layers of skin to separate. This article will cover a number of techniques for preventing blisters on your feet in the outdoors. For the most authoritative source on the subject refer to the bible of footcare, Fixing Your Feet. Dry Feet The first and arguably most important way to reduce friction is to keep your feet dry - think about how difficult it is to put socks on wet versus dry feet. Keeping your feet dry doesn't just mean not stepping in puddles or staying out of the [...]

By Person A|2019-02-25T03:13:53+00:00February 24th, 2019|

Tarps and Trekking Pole Segments

I was doing research on which tarp to buy for this season (spoiler: it's the Borah Gear 7'x9') when I stumbled across a YouTube video that blew my mind: in ONE TARP // ONE POLE // TWO PITCHES the guy removes the bottom segment of his trekking pole to use as a the short pole for an A-frame storm mode pitch. And here I was worried that I'd need to carry a second trekking pole in order to start using a tarp. I had already upgraded from a Paria Tri-Fold Carbon Cork to an Element Equipment Carbon 3000 pole for [...]

By Person A|2019-02-22T03:59:32+00:00February 11th, 2019|

Rolodex

There's so many outdoor gear companies these days that I can't even begin to remember them all. As a memory aid I'm going to start dumping them into this post for future reference. 32 DegreesBear Paw Wilderness DesignsBig AgnesBig Sky InternationalBlack DiamondBorah GearCascade Mountain TechDannerDarn ToughDecathlonDeFeetDrymaxDuluth Trading CompanyEagle's Nest Outfitters (ENO)Enlightened EquipmentEquinoxExOfficioFeathered FriendsFrogg ToggsGarminGarmontGoosefeet GearGossamer GearHelinoxHigh Tail DesignsHoka One OneHyperlite Mountain GearInjinjiKatabatic GearKeith TitaniumKeltyKlymitKS Ultralight GearKuiuLightHeart GearLocus GearMarmotMassdropMontaneMontbellMountain HardwearMountain Laurel DesignsMountain Safety Research (MSR)MountainsmithNemo EquipmentNitecoreThe North FaceNunatakOboz FootwearOspreyOutdoor ResearchPa'lanteParia Outdoor ProductsPranaRabREISawyerSea to SummitSierra DesignsSimply Light DesignsSix Moon DesignsSnow PeakSuluk 46Superior Wilderness DesignsSuuntoTarptentTherm-A-RestTread Lite GearULA EquipmentVargoYama Mountain GearZpacks

By Person A|2019-03-01T05:55:06+00:00February 11th, 2019|

Potable Aqua Chlorine Dioxide Tablets

Potable Aqua | Chlorine Dioxide Tablets | 2018 | $0.45 | 0.5g I carry a pair of chlorine dioxide tablets as a back-up method of water purification should my primary filtration method fail. One individually-wrapped tablet will treat 1 liter of water in four hours and is effective against bacteria (giardia), cysts (cryptosporidium), and even viruses. All you have to do is open up one of the little squares, drop the tablet into a container of water, and wait. Oh, and the water tastes just fine. Note that a Sawyer Micro Squeeze, one of the lightest membrane filters on the [...]

By Person A|2019-01-30T05:10:58+00:00January 30th, 2019|

O’Keefe’s Foot Cream

O'Keefe's | Foot Cream | 2018 | $7.93 | 91g Foot care bible Fixing Your Feet recommends using a foot balm or moisturizer to make your skin smoother and more supple in order to prevent blisters. As a person who does absolutely nothing to moisturize my feet, rubbing O'Keefe's Foot Cream on them before going to bed resulted in a noticeable difference in the smoothness of my feet in the morning, and it only improved with additional usage. I don't carry it with me on the trail but I've made this foot cream a part of my pre-outdoors preparation ritual: [...]

By Person A|2019-01-30T04:07:04+00:00January 30th, 2019|