My Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XLite developed a leak a while back on a backpacking trip. Finally got tired of having to blow it up a few times during the night.
This is the first time I have ever needed to repair an air mattress, other than the warranty repair Therm-A-Rest did for me three years ago. The repair was straightforward, but there are a few tips I would like to share.
I thought this bag was older than 15 years. Checking my financial program, Quicken, I found it was purchased 15 years ago for $360 at Adventure 16 (a.k.a. A16). A16, a stellar company with expert and knowledgable employees, was my favorite backpacking retailer for decades.
When I bought this sleeping bag, it was in person at one of their stores. Not only could the staff make excellent recommendations, they had a room set aside just for trying out sleeping bags. Of course, there were numerous sleeping pads on the floor for this purpose.
Alas, A16 is gone, dying at the age of 58 years. A victim of the public’s preference for cheap internet goods, while ignoring the value of knowledgable sales people and hands-on inspection before making a purchase.
If you want a quality sleeping bag, and don’t live near a brick and mortar store that sells backpacking equipment — you can’t go wrong by buying a Western Mountaineering sleeping bag, quilt, or other apparel. They are that good! Plus, everything is made in the good ‘ol US of A.
Continue reading Western Mountaineering UltraLite Sleeping Bag —15 Year Review
Recently an acquaintance asked me to help him find a suitable down jacket for backpacking when nighttime temperatures could dip down to 20° F (6.7° C). He wanted a 900 or higher fill power garment because, “The higher the fill power, the warmer the garment.”
But is this true? All things being equal, not really. The most important factor is the thickness of the insulation, not fill power.
In this post I will explain fill power, insulation thickness, and the difficulty of shopping for suitable equipment because the equipment manufacturers (clothing, sleeping bags, and quilts) try to confuse us with worthless marketing instead of useful facts.
Continue reading Down Fill Power Explained — Is it an Important Measurement?
A couple weeks ago I did a wonderful little desert trip.
Something that I haven’t done in years is share a backpacking trip report gear list. This post will break that trend.
I want to share how I planned this trip, what gear I took, and why I selected each piece of equipment.
Continue reading A 4-day Backpacking Trip in the Anza Borrego Desert
While getting ready for my next backpacking trip, I came across a Campmor zipper pull, the last of a couple dozen I bought in the ‘80s. Campmor may not be a household name for many backpackers, so I thought I would share some history. The hit single Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), was released by the British duo Eurythmics in 1983. 1983 was also the year Colin Fletcher’s The Complete Walker III was written. Walker III, along with Backpacker Magazine, put the mail order company Campmor on the map and in the minds of backpackers. A journey into the past. Sometimes we need to visit the past to understand the present and even predict the future. Continue reading Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) and the Campmor Catalog