Exciting News
Two things happened in the past month that I'm still having trouble believing: First, Andrew Skurka posted a help-wanted ad on the ultralight subreddit asking for shakedowners. So I applied. And I got it. I ended up going over the gear lists of his Alaska clients since the conditions in Alaska in June are very similar to conditions on the Olympic Coast in March. I also learned that bread bags are worn between dry socks and wet shoes, not just outside of socks alone. Whoops. I guess that's what happens when you spend too much time reading about backpacking techniques [...]
CNOC Vecto Tethered Replacement Cap
Left: new cap. Right: ye olde cappe. On April 2nd I received an email from CNOC Outdoors saying that they were now offering tethered replacement caps for pre-2019 Vectos. 2 dollars and 6 days later I'm pleased to announce that my replacement has arrived. In addition to the tether you'll note that the threads appear to be much deeper and that the ribbed closure on the outside of the cap is also deeper and more widely spaced. The new cap weighs 4g whereas the old cap is 2g. Don't know how much more there is to say about a cap, [...]
Q1 2019 Loot
Q1 was huge for upgrades! I'm now at the point where the only thing I'm unhappy with is my pillow, the Sea to Summit Aeros ultralight. I'm thinking I might just eat the weight and volume penalty and pick up a small foam pillow, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. First, let's start with things I have yet to try out: Picked up a Gossamer Gear shoulder strap pocket. It only comes in size large and it's, well, large. Much bigger than is needed for my phone, and it looks silly on my Osprey Levity's skinny [...]
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 [...]
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. [...]
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, [...]
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 [...]
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
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 [...]
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 [...]