With the advent of the Internet and online shopping, the potential to become more informed buyers has lost its promise.
Instead, product reviews have mostly become a for-profit enterprise that only benefits manufacturers and those who make a living reviewing products.
In my last post I discussed the inaccuracy of an iPhone compass, and I promised to share the results of my Cammenga compass. The task, if you read the previous post, was to align my telescope mount to true North.
The challenge is the top of the mount is angled upward about 34 degrees, so I can’t place the compass on the top of the mount. So, I had to take a different approach.
Continue reading How Accurate is a Cammenga Lensatic Compass?
It’s been a while since I posted anything here. With the COVID pandemic we have been pretty much stuck at home. Unlike most people, I’ve been having a blast with my hobbies. So much fun, in fact, there is no time for TV or blog posts.
This is about the built-in compass app in my iPhone SE. Not the newest SE version, but the original SE. No, I am not taking my iPhone backpacking.
I needed an accurate compass to set up my German Equatorial Telescope Mount, and the iPhone seemed like a perfect solution.
The result was surprising.
A couple days ago Joyce had surgery for her broken ankle, which I shared in this post, An Epic Trip in More than One Way. As it turned out, she had three broken bones and will have to keep the ankle immobile for six weeks. The surgery included screws to help set the bones.
At the time of the injury she was wearing a pair of Salomon XA Pro 3D trail running shoes, not boots. Had she been wearing a pair of hiking boots instead, could the boots have prevented or minimalized the injury? Some people would say, “Yes,” others say, “No.” Continue reading Do Hiking Boots Protect Against Ankle Injuries?
This isn’t a tutorial on binoculars, nor is it a product review. I simply would like you to consider the benefits of making a lightweight, compact binocular a part of your everyday backpacking gear.
I’ve never met a backpacker who regularly carries binoculars. To me this seems odd, because a compact binocular can be such a useful tool. Back around 2008, I stopped taking binoculars on most trips for about five years, because I was too focused on the weight of my gear. On most trips, binoculars were not a critical “keep me alive” piece of equipment. After realizing my mistake, I, again, now carry compact binoculars on almost every trip.
But I am still in the infinitesimal minority. If you never, or infrequently take binoculars backpacking, perhaps this might be a good time to re-consider. Continue reading Binoculars for Backpacking?