Category: MYOG
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A brief rant concerning proprietary buckles
It used to be that if you broke the male end of a fastex buckle, a not entirely uncommon occurrence, the only metric you needed to worry about when finding a replacement was size. All buckles, be they 1″ or 3/4″, looked like the leftmost pictured below. One buckle, or part of a buckle, reliably…
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Ski season is over
Not really, but when the above was waiting for me after work yesterday, I got more exciting than I have about skiing for quite some time. Always seem silly to take the best looking component on the bike, coat it in grease, and hide it from the world in the dirtiest place inside the frame.…
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Thermomolding for Distance
Thermomoldable ski boot liners are really cool. They’ve yet to make it into many/any boots designed for touring (horizontal miles, rather than vertical), but they should. They’re warm, act as a vapor barrier and don’t absorb much moisture, and with care and proper technique can be impressively flexible as regards fit, both for a variety…
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Best of 2011, part 2
2011 has been an extraordinary year. If the mission of this blog is to explore the cultural consequences of personal development as driven by outdoor adventure, this should have been a good year for blogging, which it was. This time last year I wrote that day trips were bullshit, and that the packraft made further…
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The Race Pack examined (backpacks for the woods part 4)
A perhaps illustrative case study. I built the race pack specifically for wilderness racing, the Classic next year in particular. As explicated before, the Golite Jam I used last year didn’t fit and was too big. I also wanted to make a pack as light as possible without compromising functionality or durability (or spending money,…
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Evolution of the North Fork pack (backpacks for the woods, part 3)
I started building the North Fork pack back in late August of 2010, when I was between finishing up grad school and actually working. My work may look good on the internet, but I’m a pretty awful seamstress, what with my lack of patience and hand-eye coordination. I go for functionality, but tend to get…
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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…
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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…
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Simplicity: Gear
It’s too bad Ryan Jordan’s blogging is so stochastic. When he does write, it’s always worth reading and is usually one of the more thought-provoking things I’ll encounter online in that particular week. The most recent post is no exception. In it he discussed favorites bits of gear (and when I say gear I mean…
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TrailLite Designs Bandoleer pack review
Back in the spring Thom Darrah at TrailLite Designs offered free review prototypes of a new superultralight pack to members. I was fortunate enough to be selected. Unfortunately, our late winter and training for the Classic didn’t let me use it too much. The Bandoleer pack is an exacting, specialized tool. It is designed for,…
Bedrock & Paradox 
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