April 2020 – Turigrinos

April 2020 Loot!

After an entire month of not buying anything backpacking-related it's time to get back on the wagon. Between a new lens purchase and the arrival of my custom EE Enigma quilt I'm now sitting at a base weight that's just below 15 pounds. Hot damn! Fujinon XF 18mm F2 R Lens After lugging around my 375g astrophotography-capable wide-angle lens for a whole year and not having a single astro shot to show for it I thought that it might be time to invest in a lighter setup. The Fuji X mount ecosystem only has two lenses that approach the pancake [...]

Gear Review: Sawyer Select S1

The Sawyer Select S1 is a convenient way to filter water that's contaminated by farm runoff - as long as you don't follow the directions. Stats Make: SawyerModel: Select S1Model year: 2019Measured weight: 228gDate purchased: 2019-03-29Price paid: $29.93Usage: 3 trips in the Quincy Lakes Wildlife Area Unit Construction The hollow fiber filters that Sawyer is typically known for are great at removing viruses and bacteria but they're unable to remove chemicals (including the pesticides found in water that's contaminated by farm runoff) or heavy metals. To address these needs Sawyer has a Select line of foam-based filters currently consisting of [...]