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The packraft in 2017
Left to right: Double Duck, 2015 Yukon Yak, Doomiyak, Scout. When I last sat down to write a treatise on this subject, 4.5 years ago, there wasn’t really all that much to say. Alpacka Rafts where the only acceptable option for serious use, wilderness or otherwise, and everyone else was dancing around being a serious…
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Sandal hiking with the Bedrock Cairn
Many moons ago I lived in a pair of Chaco sandals, almost year round, save for specific pursuits like climbing or more involved hiking. Around 8 year ago I was well into a transition to minimalist shoes for hiking and backpacking, and the changes that wrought in my feet made the arch support Chaco used…
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Your mid wants a liner
The two biggest complaints folks have with floorless pyramid shelters are lying with the creepy crawlies in the dirt, and rubbing up against condensation on the walls. The first complaint is largely, though not entirely, a matter of changing context and expectation. The second is a serious issue that can be both a nuisance and…
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Rab Windveil, windshirt evolution
I’ve written a lot about windshirts over the years, because they’re the most versatile piece of outdoor clothing. When it comes to the range and frequency of appropriateness, nothing else comes close. Until waterproof breathable laminates make vast strides in breathability, this will remain the case. The only question is which windshirt will suit you…
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You gotta ask
Because sometimes you might get lucky, this time they might say yes. Especially in Arizona, where snow passes on like doubt over lunch options. We’d never stayed at Indian Gardens, a mere 4.5 miles from and 3k below the South Rim, but of all the quasi-frontcountry campgrounds within the NPS, the ones “hardcore” backpackers are…
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20 months
What have we learned in the last 20 months? That when Little Bear is outside most of each day, every day, life is pretty simple. His appetite for motion is insatiable, and the world of streets and four walls doesn’t frame that very easily. That people are even more ready to snap judge others parenting…
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Backpack problems, and answers
In the last few months I’ve had impetus from several directions to hit the reset button on backpacks as completely as possible. Shake off and re-examine as many assumptions as possible before I put them into practice. This bag, and this post, are only a first step towards that end. Problem 1: Seams are the…
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A diversion for nostalgia
There was a brief time, which some will remember, when I was at least ok at mountain biking. That time ended when we moved to Montana and I discovered that while that state has fantastic riding, it has even better a lot of other things. Western Colorado does have good riding, and in the last…
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The tranquil and ridiculous
The Colorado Plateau specializes in blending the sublime and the ridiculous, the tranquil and the absurd. The rules one finds elsewhere in nature generally apply, but in the high desert are often bent, to the point of breaking. Canyons get narrower as they get bigger, seemingly dry sand eats your shoes and knees with no…
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Evaluating backpack capacity in the real world
…aka the most exciting topic ever. It’s important to get the right size pack. For evidence, I refer to the above photos. Having to strap stuff outside is occasionally necessary, but it’s almost always bad style, and often somewhat hazardous (lost water bottles, paddle blades, etc). Evaluating how big a pack will actually be once…
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Bedrock & Paradox 
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