Rethink Your Hydration System to Lighten Pack Weight
Many hikers are concerned about the weight they’re carrying. Any hiker can tell you water adds a lot of weight to your load. You can lighten your load by carrying less water, but that’s not always practical. If you are hiking in an area where reliable water can be found, then go for it, hike with less and refill. Having said that we need to look at the total weight of our hydration system. What…
Gear Review: Fast Stash Single Wall Tent by MSR
The Fast Stash is a single wall “Adirondack Lean-to” style tent – tarp hybrid. For the hiker who wants to experience the openness of tarp style camping without the bugs and other critters invading your sleep space, maybe the Fast Stash is for you. At first glance, the Fast Stash has innovative features such as side wings that when set out will increase venting or moved in “closing” them for protection from rain or to…
Granite Gear Crown V.C. 60 Backpack Review
Lightweight and comfort refined, this pack has many ways to adjust the fit while still or on the move. The Crown 60 is outfitted with what Granite Gear calls the Vapor Current Suspension which allows air to flow between your back and the pack. This has prevented the evil sweaty back attack in my use so far. The Crown 60 has lightweight written all over it, from the straps to the clips, and also saves…
Gear Review: Nemo Veda 2P Trekking Pole Tent
Today’s tent manufacturers continue to  develop lighter weight tents that are increasingly usable. The Nemo Veda 2P has seemed to hit the mark. Designed as a two-person ultralight single wall tent, the Nemo Veda 2P uses 2 pairs of hiking poles to set up. However, as you’ll read in this post, you can use this tent alone with an easy fix. The tent manufacturer states a minimum weight of 2 lbs. 14 oz. (our weighed in at…