Category: Tech
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Marmot Haven (2p) by the numbers
I’ve been using trekking poles less and less in the last year, which creates something of an issue as they’ve become the cornerstone of most UL shelters, including the Shangri La 2 we often use. A paddle works for larger mids, but having it in the middle can be a bit of bummer for couples…
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Eccentric but not insane (Dan and John weigh in)
Dan’s excellent trip report can be found at BackpackingLight. John’s is below. Me traversing the steep slope at the beginning of Headquarters Pass, which John mentions below. Dan boldly scuttled across in trail runners and Lightrek 4s. I was very glad to have an axe. Photo by Dan Durston. John’s tale: I’m not sure how…
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Bob Open pre-game
72 hours ago my participation this weekend was very much in doubt. All weekend I was on the couch without much energy and a weird appetite, not a good confidence booster for such a hard trip. As I write this I’m almost back to full strength, but the ambiguity my physical condition has introduced replaces…
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Raft rehabilitation
Last year I acquired an old raft from Roman, identical to the Sherpa pictured below, but hand-made by Roman himself. Beyond a cheap option to get others out packrafting, this boat was used on the Alaska range bike traverse whose write-up in National Geographic was so influential on me as a high schooler. It’s a…
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The little nalgenes
Home sick, with lots of snot and napping, the last day and a half. Beyond being rather inconvenient for a certain long hike coming next weekend, by now I’m just stir crazy enough to write about water bottles. Joe addressed this issue about as much as it needs to be last fall, but the all-season…
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Salsa Mukluk review
Disclaimer 1: I don’t actually know that much about mountain bikes. By which I mostly mean I’ve ridden very few of them. Personal preference and finance has kept me from serial bike whoredom, and since 2005 when I really started thinking seriously about riding bikes I’ve really had four: a used 26″ Gunnar Rockhound, a…
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Osprey GrabBag: looks dumb, works good
I came upon the GrabBag by accident; didn’t even know it existed until a few weeks ago. I had been thinkering about using a small fanny pack for the GrizzlyMan, to keep map and food instantly accessible, and thought that such a thing might be useful for backpacking as well. On-the-go accessibility is an ongoing…
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On trail route finding
A new article of mine, concerning techniques for on-trail route finding, is up at BPL. A subscription is required, but this one is my personal favorite of all the work I’ve done for them as of now, published or yet-to-be published. Ideas planted in my head after Alaska last summer coalesced over the next few…
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Off days and checking boxes
Structured or planned days off are a breeding ground for unproductive sloth and idleness. The point of rest days is to rest, but with a purpose. Merely sitting around runs a high risk of providing only physical respite, as well as allowing opportunities which might be otherwise hard to come by slip away. Not everyone…
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Rossignol BC X11 v. Fischer BCX 675
I’ve discussed the conundrum that is nordic backcountry ski boots before, and no doubt will again. I’ll reprise my wish list for such a boot at the end, but given that it does not yet exist, comparing these two will have to suffice. Refer to my thoughts and pictures of the Fischer boot in this…
Bedrock & Paradox 
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