Trekking Poles: Considerations in Using Them for Hiking and Backpacking
Trekking poles are a common sight today on trails. They aid in your ability to hike safely. Tents manufacturers have made designs to use them for erecting lightweight shelters and there are many ways you can use them together with a tarp for ultralight backpacking. However are the popular tools of the trail all they are cut out to be? Let’s take a look at the basics and you decide. Health and safety benefits of using hiking poles…
Review: Sawyer Mini Water Filter System
We have been using the Sawyer Mini Water Filter System for almost a year now. Like all our reviews we use the equipment for an extended period of then critique it. Makes no sense to use it for a month and offer an opinion. The Sawyer Mini Water Filter System is an ultralight, ultraportable, and very useful tool. The Mini lives up to its name, weighing in at about 2 oz. this beats other water systems. The Mini…
Clothing Materials for Hiking and Backpacking
I’ll open with – modern-day technical clothing will not complete your trip or climb. It will not determine success. Having said that, it won’t hurt. If you look back in the history of hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering clothing choices would be considered cumbersome and maybe dangerous today. However, many successful expeditions were completed using natural materials, such as canvas, silk, wool or leather. This is important as you need to understand that you must depend on…
Review: Esbit Solid Fuel Stove and Cookset
The Esbit solid fuel stove and cookset is a lightweight option for backpackers that cook simple meals. We have been using the Esbit for one year in all seasons and have found it to be a reliable stove. Having said that, this Esbit doesn’t have the ability to boil water as fast and efficiently as other stove models. When I first opened the Esbit box I thought, what the heck? I mean it looked like something…
An Essential Not on the 10 Essentials List: The Wristwatch
The wristwatch. Once it was the way we kept track of time. This was the days before the smartphone or computer. Growing up it was almost a right of passage into manhood to get a good timepiece. One Christmas I opened a present and there it was a pocket watch from my grandfather. What made this special was that he never bought any presents. However, for my grandfather, it was time for my brother and…