2020 – Page 6 – Turigrinos

Review: Hansway High-Temperature Carbon Felt

Pot holder (top) and stove base (bottom) Carbon felt is a soft fireproof material commonly used to make welder's blankets. It's easy to cut down at home using a utility knife and can be fashioned into a pot holder, stove base, or even a wick for an alcohol stove. Stats Make: HanswayModel: High Temp Carbon Fiber Welding BlanketModel Year: N/A?Dimensions: 12" x 12"Estimated Weight: 63gDate Purchased: 2019-04-10Price Paid: $9.99Usage: 2019 - present Pot Holder and Stove Base My cook system consists of an Evernew mug pot and Kojin alcohol stove with a Caldera Cone pot stand. Although the mug's lid [...]

By Person A|2020-01-07T02:38:32+00:00January 6th, 2020|

Review: Victorinox Swiss Army Classic SD Pocket Knife

Widely considered to be the gold standard for ultralight backpacking multitools, this 21 gram pocket knife houses 6 tools in a body that's only 2 1/4 inches long. However, real-world usefulness of the tools varies widely and the most useful can be replaced by dedicated alternatives which are more functional and just as light. Stats Make: VictorinoxModel: Swiss Army Classic SDModel Year: 2018Measured Weight: 21 gramsDate Purchased: 2018-05-19Price Paid: $16.00Usage: 2018 - present Tools 1 5/16" non-locking smooth-edge drop-point knife. The knife is short to the point of uselessness and only good for cutting food, tape is best cut using [...]

By Person A|2020-01-07T02:36:01+00:00January 6th, 2020|

Backyard Temperature Testing

One of the great things about having a yard during winter time is that it makes it safe and easy to check out the temperature ratings of your gear. Last night's low was in the upper twenties at the cabin so I set up the X-Mid with my new quilt and spent several 10-15 minute intervals in the tent using various combinations of gear to gauge the temperature range as well as practice winter camping skills such as setting the tent up in the dark in the snow and cooking on cold snow. Here's what I learned: The Enlightened Equipment [...]

By Person A|2020-01-05T22:58:01+00:00January 5th, 2020|

Trip Report: Salmon la Sac

Now that my Sno Park permit has arrived I'm free to hit the nearby winter recreation areas, particularly Salmon la Sac which is just down the road from my cabin. Today I went on a short ski of the Sasse Mountain Trail (aka Forest Service Development Road 4315) to get a bit more comfortable on skis and evaluate some gear choices. Mostly I'm just happy that I'm getting outside in the winter instead of being stuck indoors waiting around for the spring thaw as I've done in the past. After this my plan is to spend the night in the [...]

By Person A|2020-01-04T03:35:05+00:00January 4th, 2020|

2020 Fitness Baseline

After reading through Training for the Uphill Athlete I picked up a heart rate monitor (a Fitbit Inspire HR) and have started using the treadmill three times a week for an hour at a time. I wanted to record my starting stats so that I could refer to them later in the year. In order to build endurance 80-85% of your exercise volume needs to be in heart rate zones 1 and 2. The book suggested using Phil Maffetone's 180 formula to determine the beats-per-minute that define the upper limit of your zone 2. The formula is simple: Zone 2 [...]

By Person A|2020-01-01T18:53:21+00:00January 1st, 2020|