A couple days ago I was writing a post about the stoves I use on most trips. I guess the point was that people spend too much of their time talking, playing, and reviewing stoves. Just buy a freakin’ stove and be done with it.
Most of my posts are for my kids, and when it comes to things backpacking, the posts are for my son Joe who also backpacks.
I suppose I have done my share of gear talk, but I am really, really getting bored with backpacking gear.
I bought my first real backpacking stove in early 1972, a Svea 123 that uses white gas. Before that I cooked on wood fires and a U.S. Military canteen stove. I used wood, solid fuel and alcohol in the canteen stove. Sometime in the 70’s I bought a butane canister stove.
Today, 40 years later, the same kinds of stoves are the options available to the backpacker. There have been some minor improvements in stove efficiency and weight reduction, but nothing revolutionary. Since there have been so few advances in stove design, I am often perplexed when I see backpackers constantly buying, testing, and spending so much time playing with stoves. Seems like they would be better served by buying a couple proven stoves, and with all the time saved by no longer playing with stoves, the time could be used to actually go backpacking.
So I thought I would save everyone some time by reviewing some stoves so we can end The Great Stove Debate and get out into the wilderness.
Thought I’d share how I plan my trips, because it seems to me that many folks spend way too much time planning their trips. This is what works for me.
Some thoughts on rain gear…
There is no perfect rain gear.
What works for me may not work for others. Of utmost importance is the fact that each of us have a different physiology, hike at different speeds; and each trip varies in weather, temperature, and terrain. Each of these variables contributes to different kinds of rain gear solutions. Like so much other backpacking gear, the hiker will need to learn from experience what works best for them. You won’t learn it here, or anywhere on the Internet, or in a book.
So I decided to share what I have learned over the years — what has worked and what has not worked. Your experience may be different.
Continue reading The Search for the Holy Grail: Waterproof Breathable Rain Gear
There are quite a few things in life that irritate me. The top of my list includes:
Continue reading Lightweight Backpacking: The Way, and the Truth, and the Life
A while back I posted about Dave Chenault’s Pyramid Shelter article. At that point it dawned on me that I have not discussed this shelter previously. The Wild Oasis seems to be a shelter that often gets little love. It has been around for quite a while; I bought mine in 2008. But I don’t see many people talking about it these days. I typically only used mine for those days when I expected a lot of flying insects. But since I decided to do a review, it occurred to me that I should use it more often.
Okay, it is a pet peeve of mine.
Yesterday I was reading a review of a wood stove on a well known backpacking blog and I notice about 6 inches of leaves and brush have been cleared from around the base of the stove.
Only problem is, the flames from the stove extend a few inches above the pot, which is sitting on top of a wood burning inferno of a stove. The entire assembly height is at least twice the width of the cleared area. Knock the stove over and you have a forest fire.
A pretty good post by Dave over at Bedrock & Paradox. An incomplete treatise on ‘mid selection.
A few things stand out in the first paragraph, in my mind, about Dave’s comments:
A friend of mine sent me an email asking me to look at a couple of reviews for a new backpacking product. Okay, I like to help my friends. Both reviews were on personal blogs. That’s okay, I like checking with people who actually use gear and provide honest feedback. Whenever looking at new gear and considering someone’s opinion, it is best to get a feel for that person’s experience and whether or not they have a vested interest in the product. Real everyday users can provide the best feedback.
Are they gear? Doesn’t almost everyone bring one with them?
Okay, a theme with a lot of gear I talk about is a disdain for technology. I have hiked without a watch and find that I am pretty inefficient. A watch helps me plan distances, keep track of my pace, and ensure I get back in time so my wife isn’t worried about my safety. In clear weather it is fairly easy to determine the approximate time without a watch, but in bad weather you lose that ability.