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The curious Strata Hoodie
Polartec Alpha was developed for the military, as an insulation which would form the core of a garment that would, as an insulator, better straddle the divide between static and dynamic warmth. Alpha does this by being more air-permeable than synthetic fill insulations such as Primaloft and Climashield, and at the same time more svelt…
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Altra Lone Peak 1.5: half brilliance, half crap
Disclaimer: I bought these shoes with my own money at full retail, and for the past six months have not used them as the manufacturer intended. I make no apologies for asking a lot from my shoes, nor for emphatic feelings about this most important item. Altra is about to release version 2.5 of their…
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New Zealand: in conclusion
Photo series by M. I’ve long been skeptical of the short-term ethos of “traveling” as it exists for the first world bourgeoisie; getting to know a place takes months, years, and thus even the best prepared journey guarantees tourism, and all the worst things which come with it. That said, New Zealand is the first…
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A blue day
You may have heard that blue is not a color to be taken for granted, which is a bit mind-bending in a world seemingly ruled above and below by sky and water. Maybe white snow can tell us what we’ve been assuming lightly. We were out of town for a month, and based on what…
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Best using the Gunbearer
In the last two years I’ve tried a number of ways to carry a rifle while hunting with a sizeable pack, and my copy of the Kifaru Gunbearer has been by far the best. It’s not a very complex piece of gear, but building and using one does have a bit of nuance to it,…
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Hunting divine valley, part 2
“I hate hunting. To like hunting is such a curse. You’d do better to like doing something different. I’m trying to think of something you could do where you don’t have to worry about it not working out. I guess video games, they usually work out pretty good.” -Steven Rinella, Meat Eater 4:12 The curse…
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Hunting divine valley, part 1
It is important to remember that we almost didn’t go hunting at all. Planning in the earliest stages centered around guides, but that was expensive and just not something I wanted to do. DIY was ideal, but without an entry point research on exactly where to hunt Himalayan Tahr in New Zealand was daunting. I…
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My contempt for brown trout
Though I’ve been fly fishing regularly since we moved to Montana in 2008, and sporadically for close to a decade before that, I’ve never bothered to get particularly skilled at it. The twin revelations of tenkara rods and wilderness streams have largely relieved me of the need to develop a solid, precise cast. If I…
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Meeting the hype
Some times, some things, even things which are famous and about which you’ve heard too much, exceed expectations. This happened numerous times in New Zealand, but no case was more clear cut than the pancake rocks of Punakaiki. The west coast between Westport and Greymouth is rugged, and the road which goes down it will…
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Bedrock & Paradox 
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