Gear Review: Lunar Solo

The Lunar Solo is a pyramid-style single-wall trekking-pole tent. It stands out for its affordability, light weight, polyester construction, and livability and only requires a single trekking pole to pitch. It is both my first trekking-pole tent and first single-wall tent. After almost two years of use in everything from 34mph windstorms to granite basins it is still my go-to tent for 3-season trips. Stats Make: Six Moon DesignsModel: Lunar SoloModel year: 2018Measured weight: 725gDate purchased: 2018-07-06Price paid: $200 plus $30 for seam-sealingUsage: July 2018 - present (over a dozen trips, two dozen nights, 200+ miles) Materials Eh, not my [...]

By |2021-05-05T18:31:21+00:00March 29th, 2020|

Anchoring Your Tent On Rock, Sand, or Snow

The system in use The built-in stake loops on most tents aren't wide enough for snow stakes (which you need when you're on snow or sand) and they certainly aren't wide enough for rocks which are often all you've got when you're above the treeline. After a handful of nights on rock, snow, and sand I think I've perfected a system which allows you to anchor your tent to rocks or snow stakes so that you can pitch it just about anywhere. Ingredients For each stake loop on your tent you'll need: A mini carabiner (Litesmith or Zpacks)A LiteOutdoors tensioner9" [...]

By |2020-03-29T17:58:25+00:00March 29th, 2020|

Trip Report: Sasse Mountain

Last weekend I went out on a day hike to Sasse Mountain to focus on elevation-related fitness as well as to test out some gear. At the trailhead I discovered that the snow was particularly crusty so I left my snowshoes behind in favor of just using trail runners and traction spikes. This got me to just below the summit where the road petered out and I would have needed to ascend a steep ridge to continue. Since the snow was pretty slushy I opted to avoid postholing for the next hour and turned around. Goals Reach the summit of [...]

By |2020-03-29T16:20:04+00:00March 28th, 2020|

The Landscape Photography Book

The Landscape Photography Book packs hundreds of tips into its pages and has something to offer beginners and intermediates alike even if you've been shooting for a few years. After reading the first book in Scott's digital photography series I decided to pick up a copy of his dedicated landscape photography book as well. Although I still have 4 more volumes to go in the original series I would imagine that this book's purpose is to consolidate all of the tips that are specific to landscape photography in one place. The book is not terribly long at 224 pages but [...]

By |2020-03-28T19:15:59+00:00March 28th, 2020|

Book Review: The Digital Photography Book Part 1

Over the years I've read piles of digital photography books. I wish I had read this one first. Although Scott's chapter introductions (which he sells a separate book of) and humor are groan-inducing they're worth overlooking because this book is a treasure trove of real-world photography tips from someone who is clearly an expert on a whole different level. Most importantly, the book is intentionally written in a style that's accessible to everyday people rather than professional photographers. It isn't steeped in obtuse technical jargon and even includes simple and straightforward recipes on "how to get the shot", from wedding [...]

By |2020-03-28T19:21:38+00:00March 17th, 2020|

Trip Report: Thorp Creek

Thorp Creek Burned a couple days of PTO to finally do a mid-week overnight in the snow. I think it's safe to say that my goal of winter backpacking competency is still a little ways off. Goals Reach Little Joe Lake and possibly the summit of Red Mountain (turned around)Test out Crescent Moon's snowshoe bootiesDetermine whether trail runners and snowshoes are a feasible combinationTry layering nitrile gloves over liner glovesSee whether shorts and baselayer bottoms hit the sweet spot of venting and insulationTest out the X-Mid in the snow on an overnightCheck out the holding power of REI's snow stakes [...]

By |2020-03-16T03:11:01+00:00March 16th, 2020|

Trip Report: Echo Basin

A boulder keeps watch above the basin's watering hole Echo Basin is a basalt coulee which lies immediately south of Frenchman Coulee in the Columbia River Gorge in central Washington. The area is incredibly popular with climbers but is also home to a large sand dune which is a great place for desert gear testing: Goals Explore Echo BasinExplore Frenchman Coulee (ran out of time)Explore south to I-90 (ran out of time)Trace the climber's trail up from the bottom of Echo Basin to the northern wall (ran out of time)Test trekking pole ends in the sand to see which ones [...]

By |2020-03-09T01:40:06+00:00March 9th, 2020|

Boiling Times Compared: Narrow vs. Wide Pots

(Note: I had to shorten up the title quite a bit from the original to keep the page layout sane) Conventional wisdom in the outdoor world is that wider-bottomed pots are more efficient than narrow-bottomed ones. As a result of a larger-pot requirement for an upcoming trip I picked up an Evernew Ti Ultra Light Pot #2, a paper-thin titanium pot with 900mL of capacity. Compared to my previous Evernew Ti Mug Pot 500 with 500mL of capacity the #2 pot has a significantly wider base, about 5 1/2 inches vs. the mug pot's 3 3/4 inches (almost 50% wider). [...]

By |2020-03-07T06:46:28+00:00March 7th, 2020|

Review: Litesmith Cross Bands

Litesmith's cross bands are an ultralight alternative to the stock stuff sacks that cook pots come in. Essentially just an X-shaped (non-)rubber band, the stretchiness of the heat-resistant silicone exerts pressure on the pot's lid, keeping it snugly in place and preventing rattling. They can weigh half as much as a typical stuff sack: compare the 7g of the 6" cross band to the 15g of the Evernew Ti Mug Pot 500's mesh sack or the 10g of the Evernew Ti Ultra Light Pot #2's Tyvek-ish stuff sack. Stats Make: LitesmithModel: Cross BandsModel Year: 2019Measured Weight: 7g in size 6"Date [...]

By |2020-03-07T06:00:09+00:00March 7th, 2020|

Backyard Temperature Testing: Ghost Whisperer 30F Edition

Q: Will a Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer puffy keep me warm down to 30F? A: Yes. In fact, it will keep me warm down to 23F. For an upcoming trip the expected lows are around 30F and I wanted to determine whether my current ensemble was warm enough or whether I should purchase a beefier hoodie (specifically I had my eyes on the Rab Proton since it's the best puffy with around 5oz of down fill according to a puffy spreadsheet I put together). Based on the forecasted low being between 6 and 7AM I set my alarm ridiculously early [...]

By |2020-03-02T05:20:01+00:00March 2nd, 2020|
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