2020 – Page 5 – Turigrinos

Pre-Trip Checklist

Checklists are an easy way to prevent avoidable mistakes (read The Checklist Manifesto for a more in-depth explanation). What follows is my current checklist for preparing for outdoor trips. Like everything else on this site, the checklist and the gear lists it refers to are a work in progress. Packing 3 season gear list4 season gear listDay trip gear list Charging Power bankPhoneinReach MiniHeadlamp (lock afterwards)Camera Refill SmartWater bottlesPillsPepto BismolIbuprofenAspirinBenadrylToothpastePotable AquaBalms/creams (first aid, friction, etc.)Hand sanitizerSunscreenAlcohol bottle (squeeze out some air and tighten cap afterwards)Paper tapeLeukotape Navigation Send email/message with itinerary to Person B/family memberSend test message with inReach Mini [...]

By Person A|2020-06-21T18:03:45+00:00February 9th, 2020|

Pillow Quest

One of the problems with the stream-of-reviews format is that there's not a single place to go for an overview of a particular category of gear as well as brief evaluations of all the candidates. And I emphasize brief because I go through a lot of gear and sometimes I don't even have to take it out on a trip to know that it isn't going to work for me. Writing a full "review" in this case doesn't really apply but on the other hand I still want to capture the fact that a particular product was evaluated. So today [...]

By Person A|2020-02-22T01:37:57+00:00February 9th, 2020|

Trip Report: Babcock Bench

Columbia River Gorge from the Babcock Bench The Babcock Bench is a basalt bench spanning the eastern side of the Columbia River just north of the I-90 bridge. It's hikeable from the north via the Ancient Lakes trailhead at the end of Ancient Lake Road all the way down to Frenchman Coulee, a distance of around 10 miles one-way. On previous trips to Ancient Lakes I'd explored the top of the basalt rib between the two coulees but was left wondering whether the southern wall of the southern coulee was similarly accessible (the northern wall of the northern coulee leads [...]

By Person A|2020-02-12T15:59:09+00:00February 9th, 2020|

February 2020 Loot!

Last month I bought almost everything my winter backpacking heart desired... except socks. My decade-old Darn Toughs had almost worn through in a couple places so I thought a replacement might be in order. It's only day one and I've got four purchases to share (and future purchases for the month will be added to this post, as always): REI Coolmax EcoMade Liner Socks After debating between silk, wool, and toe liner socks I decided to stick with tried-and-true synthetics. They've got a killer combination of durability, thinness, and low cost that's hard to beat. I like my trail runners [...]

By Person A|2020-03-02T05:34:45+00:00February 2nd, 2020|

Trip Report: French Cabin Road Showshoe

Cle Elum Lake from a knob along French Cabin Road Went for a quick daytime jaunt up French Cabin Road to test out my new French-made snowshoes, the Symbioz Hyperflex Adjust by TSL Outdoor. They've got a really nice combination of features: Easy on/off and adjustment thanks to Boa adjustment for the toes and a ratcheting strap around the rear of the boot. I still have nightmares about adjusting and securing the tails of the Voile straps on my old MSR snowshoes. Never again!Flexible platform. That's right, these snowshoes bend to conform to the terrain, allegedly to increase traction. They [...]

By Person A|2020-01-28T06:19:01+00:00January 28th, 2020|

Backyard Temperature Testing: Enigma 10F vs 18F edition

After previously testing out my Enigma 10F down to 24.5F I was excited to see last Thursday's forecasted low of 18F. Actually there were two lows, 18F at 11PM and another stretch of 18F from 6AM to 8AM. Unfortunately I just missed them both, I was too late getting set up and then when I woke up at 5:30AM and had to use the bathroom I decided that I might as well come inside since I didn't think I could fall back asleep. The good news is that our new tested low is 21.5F: This is a screenshot for the [...]

By Person A|2020-01-18T20:23:33+00:00January 18th, 2020|

Buying a Winter Quilt

I've been working on putting together a winter backpacking ensemble and one of the first steps was to get myself a warmer quilt. I ended up buying an Enlightened Equipment Enigma 10F Long/Wide ($355, 774g) but thought I'd share my research and thought process along the way. Baseline For three-season 2019 I've been using a Sierra Designs Nitro Quilt 800 20F. What I like about it is that it's big: I can just drape it over myself like a blanket and I don't have to fuss with straps or any other gadgets to attach it to my pad. Specifically, it's [...]

By Person A|2020-01-18T07:10:17+00:00January 18th, 2020|

Drying Times Compared: Prana Stretch Zion vs. Kuhl Kontra Air

After our recent foray into shirt drying times I thought I'd take a crack at pants as well. Here are the contenders: Prana Stretch Zion ($85, 400g, 97% nylon 3% spandex), the reigning champion of outdoor pantsKuhl Kontra Air ($85, 329g, 72% cotton 26% nylon 2% spandex), a lighter cotton-based alternative that I've been evaluating as a replacement for the ZionsUrban Star ($15, 744g, 98% cotton 2% spandex), a pair of daily-wear jeans I picked up at CostcoSmartwool 150 leggings ($85, 170g, 87% wool 13% nylon), a super-old pair of thermals I found in the back of my gear closet [...]

By Person A|2020-01-12T00:08:13+00:00January 12th, 2020|

January 2020 Loot!

Forecast for this month: I'm back in the pillow game after figuring out that my beloved Therm-A-Rest compressible pillow is just too bulky for winter. Either that or I need to get a slightly-less-warm quilt (the Enigma 10F is good down to 24.5F on its own so far, possibly overkill?) or less bulky shelter (thinking of leaving the X-Mid inner at home and just using a polycryo ground sheet). Kestrel Drop D1 Environmental Data Logger After determining that the Acurite window thermometer was wildly inaccurate I've found a professional-grade replacement for exactly the same weight. The Kestrel Drop D1 comes [...]

By Person A|2020-02-09T20:19:51+00:00January 11th, 2020|

Review: Crystal Light With Caffeine Drink Mix Packets

Crystal Light With Caffeine packets are my favorite way to get caffeine while I'm out and about. The fruit-flavored powder in each packet contains 60mg of caffeine, about two-thirds the amount in a cup of coffee. The single-serving packets are easy to pack and mix well in cold water. Stats Make: Crystal LightModel: With CaffeineModel Year: 2019Measured Weight: 4g per packetDate Purchased: Summer 2019Price Paid: $28.65 for a 4-box variety pack or $0.72 per packetUsage: 2019 - present Mixing Although the directions state that a single packet should be mixed with two cups of water (a little less than half [...]

By Person A|2020-01-10T20:12:34+00:00January 7th, 2020|