Category: Tech
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The perfect pole; revised
These poles have worked very well in the 5.5 years since I put them together. They’ve been light enough, bomber, and the ability to swap lowers and have a pole longer enough for nordic skiing (or pitching a mid with a single pole) has been very handy. Shortcomings have been two fold. While the…
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The present of synthetic insulation
Last year I wrote about my lasting dissatisfaction with synthetic insulated jackets. Today I’m happy to report that substantial progress has been made, in the form of the Patagonia Hyperpuff. I bought a Hyperpuff jacket last spring, during the annual 50% off sale, and tested the most intransigent concern for a synthetic insulated jacket, durability,…
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Angles
In the last few days, winter has finally caught up with us. The forecast for the past 24 hours was impressive, 45 and sunny falling to a few degrees (F) below 0, with close to a foot of snow, maybe some rain, and winds up above 20 miles an hour. At my 5000′ camp only…
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Nordic backcountry
When we moved to Montana a decade ago I knew a bit about groomed nordic skiing, and very little about in-area downhill skiing, and almost nothing about anything else. It’s been quite the learning curve since, with the predominant question being not so much what gear and skills I need, but why there is so…
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How to hunt bison in the backcountry
Photo: Mike Moore Or; how we did our recent hunt, and what I might consider doing differently next time. First, you have to get a tag. I explained the particular appeal of the Absaroka-Beartooth tag in this post, and was beyond pleased that my thesis about this hunt was borne out on the ground. We…
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Bison meat storage
The only difference between meat storage for the upcoming bison hunt and any other hunt is needing to store a lot more meat, and the need to keep it away from bears. Which explains the pile of meat care equipment shown below: eight game bags, and 300 feet of paracord. Paracord isn’t the lightest or…
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Bison packs
Beyond rifles (maybe) and a whole lot of gamebags (to be discussed soon) there’s not much bison hunting demands beyond the pursuit of deer or elk, save perhaps when it comes to your backpack. In a few weeks we can expect to carry out the equivalent of between 3 and 4 mature elk, which will…
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Bison rifles
This afternoon I ticked one of 2018s hunting goals off the list; putting grouse (ruffed, in this case) back on the menu. The schnitzel was on the chewy side, due to an old and big bird and more likely to a pan to table time under 2 hours, but with plenty of lemon still reminded…
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Premium baselayers: what you get
For the last three years my one-sized solution to any temps above really cold has been the original version of the Sitka LW Core hoody. With ~100 grams/meter 100% poly bicomponent (grid inner) and a trim, simple fit it is the shirt I spent close to decade waiting for. A decade ago baselayer fabric wasn’t…
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Shit that works; lifestyle addition
The Wayback Machine doesn’t travel back to when I can first recall the concept of “lifestyle” in outdoor clothing and gear. It was a North Face catalogue, late 80s or early 90s, talking about a woman from Alaska or the Yukon or Wyoming or some similarly very far from Ohio place, who had fallen out…
Bedrock & Paradox 
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