Category: Backpacking
-
The Quiver Quantified (backpacks for the woods, part 2)
M and I currently own nine packs. When I collected them all from corners of the house a while ago, she was surprised it was so few. I say we, and she uses some of them plenty, but let me be honest: I’ve been the prime mover behind acquiring every one of them. As part…
-
Thus do I refute Keith Hammer
We in America have a problem. Idiosyncracies of our wilderness preservation laws and their implementation and advocacy have (largely) bifurcated those dedicated to the outdoors as a worthy part of American culture. I’ve yet to find a more stark articulation of this than the Swan View Coalition’s Code of Responsible Recreation (link withheld to protect…
-
On being framed (backpacks for the woods, part 1)
Disclaimer: for those readers who are BPLers this is rather inside baseball; and for those who are not following the threads might be difficult due to members-only citations. I’ve always loved backpacks. Since well before age 10. They do cool things, and have for me an aesthetic appeal. I first seriously modified a rucksack back…
-
Thanksgiving in Hell
We wanted something simple for Thanksgiving: a quiet place new to us, without snow and temps warm enough to not warrant full winter gear. We’re far enough north that getting out of our climate zone is a bit of a challenge, but Hells Canyon in Idaho/Oregon delivered. Our route: south from Pittsburgh Landing (all-weather access),…
-
The holiday season
On most workdays I indulge prodigiously in caffeine enhancement, but try to avoid (for financial reasons) the extra psychological lift/indulgence which comes from an espresso beverage. Both today and yesterday I found that particular performance enabler necessary, and noticed when buying an Americano from Tymber (seriously) that City Brew opens at 3am on Friday. For shopping. Just one…
-
Not winter, yet
When does winter begin? With the first significant snowfall down here in the valley? Perhaps the first night below zero (F)? The first time you have to put on snowshoes right from the car? Some folks, ill acquainted with the lands beyond conventional human habitation (mid-latitude and low elevation) and hewing to a strictly temperature-based…
-
Haglofs Ozo review
I’ve taken this evening to wrap up the final details on the Lightweight WPB jacket State of the Market Report for BPL, a project whose complexity I seriously underestimated. Testing 10 jackets with any sort of meaningful depth is not simple, and present the summation of all that time in the rain such that anyone…
-
Winter clothing systems
As a follow-up to this morning’s post: some thoughts on winter clothing systems. Outdoor ought to always be a system, and that system should always be crafted to best cope with a specific set of conditions in the way in which you commonly encounter them. As discussed this morning, the former requires an accurate assessment…
-
On hiking in winter
Hiking (or snowshoeing, or skiing) in winter is one of those subjects which is to many mundane, and to many other terrifying. BPL has been inundated for months with daily threads asking about insulation, footwear, and shelter suggestions for winter. Some thoughts on the matter follow. 1: Define your winter -If you intend to get…
-
On taking my rifle for a walk
I’ve avoided going hunting since we moved to Montana. The first two autumns I was in grad school and had no time, and last year we had just moved. This year I had nothing by way of avoidance, but still waited until three days ago to buy a deer tag. The truth is that hunting…
Bedrock & Paradox 
You must be logged in to post a comment.