Category Archives: Backpacking Gear

2016 Recap: Favorite Gear, Blog Stats, Favorite Trips, Blah, Blah, Blah

Well, it’s that time of the year again when many backpacking bloggers create a list of their favorite new gear from the prior year. How on earth (or why) can these folks have a slew of new backpacking gear year after year? Methinks they are focused on gear, not getting out often and walking. But I digress…

Then some of these bloggers publish web stats for their blog during the prior year. Really? How boring.

A few backpacking bloggers may only post some of their favorite pictures taken during the prior year or do a simple recap of some trip reports – I like what some of the “few” do. The rest, meh.

What is interesting is that campers and full time RVers who blog generally don’t do this. They simply keep writing about their adventures.

My backpacking gear hasn’t changed much in the past 4 or 5 years, so nothing to write about here. Same goes for our camping gear. Somewhere on this website are lists of the gear and equipment we use. You should be able to easily find those if you are interested.

Given this pessimistic outlook on gear, there is one piece of equipment that has been critical for every single backpacking or camping trip I have done since 2003.

Continue reading 2016 Recap: Favorite Gear, Blog Stats, Favorite Trips, Blah, Blah, Blah

Money, Andrew Skurka, and Me

My Website Now Has Ads

adsJust got back from an extended camping trip in the desert in Nevada and my website had a bunch of “ping-backs” from this post by Andrew Skurka.

A ping-back is when another website refers a reader via a link. Andrew was very complementary about this website and Dave Chenault’s Bedrock and Paradox as blogs with some quality content, although not a lot of content, and both sites are not monetized; that is they do not generate income.

I want to clarify this and state again as I did on October 16th, that popupbackpacker.com now incorporates affiliate marketing, which generates a small amount of income for me.

Continue reading Money, Andrew Skurka, and Me

How to Choose Backpacking Water and Camp Shoes

Yes, I am happy because the sun is out
Look down. We are going to discuss these shoes!

Ostensibly it is pretty common for backpackers to bring an extra pair of shoes for crossing streams and/or to use at the campsite after a long day of walking. So I thought I would share how I do this. This does not apply to winter hiking, which I shall define as daytime temperatures below freezing and lots of snow. For those trips, this is my shoe system.

Continue reading How to Choose Backpacking Water and Camp Shoes

Backpacking Gear I Use (updated)

Updated: 10/24/2016

I want to point out that unlike camping and camper stuff that have a longevity in production, backpacking gear changes quickly. Old models are discontinued often, especially clothing and footwear. If I find a garment or shoe that I like and want to use long term, I usually buy several of each item, because if it is good the manufacturer will probably soon discontinue it and replace it with a “new and improved” model that is mostly marketing hype or worse — simply discontinue it.

Continue reading Backpacking Gear I Use (updated)

Camp Stoves, Wind, and a Stove Mod

Camp Chef Pro 60 stove
Camp Chef Pro 60 stove

Cooking in Wind

Obviously when backpacking all cooking is done outside. The number one challenge with outdoor cooking is windy conditions. Although this post will focus on the modifications I made to our Camp Chef Pro 60 stove, the same principles apply to backpacking stoves.

Snow Peak Giga Power backpacking stove during a bike touring trip
Snow Peak Giga Power backpacking stove during a bike touring trip

Continue reading Camp Stoves, Wind, and a Stove Mod

My Favorite Backpacking Chairs

Yesterday I wrote about the Best Camping Chair Ever.

Today I’ll take a look at some of my favorite backpacking chairs.

mt-san-jacinto-05-16-2015-4

“Wait a minute,” you may be thinking and you will probably want to point out I consistently

Advocate taking the lightest gear possible to stay warm, dry, and safe. This mindset would preclude anything not absolutely necessary and such things as a backpacking chair are superfluous extra weight.

Continue reading My Favorite Backpacking Chairs

Mourning the Death of a Good Friend

It happened. My faithful dedicated backpacking watch, my Timex Expedition Resin Combo died. I wrote about this watch a few years ago in this backpacking watch dissertation that provided a lot of mostly useless information that for some reason does interest people seeing more than 2,000 people have bothered to read it.

This watch was a little over 6 years old. It lived a good life and is survived by a ‘70s military watch and an original ‘80s Swiss Army Watch. No services will be held and it will be interned at the Riverside County landfill on Edom Hill.

dsc04191-3

No autopsy was performed. It is an inexpensive timepiece and when a new battery failed to revive the heartbeat of its digital/analog innards, no one was interested in repairing or bringing it back to life – the victim of a throwaway item in a throwaway society.

Continue reading Mourning the Death of a Good Friend

Disclosure & Self-Reliance

backpack

Over the past week or so there has been a firestorm on a popular Internet backpacking forum due to a gear review by a well know blogger, who posted a link in the forum to the review on his blog. What the gear review did not include was a disclosure that the blogger has a relationship with the manufacturer of the item being reviewed, and he is “sponsored” by the manufacturer. Of course, no one knows the conditions of the sponsorship, but many felt an ethical review should include a statement revealing if the gear was purchased for full price, was obtained at a discount, or was given to the blogger for free.

About three years ago, in The Business of Backpacking, I warned people about gear reviews that might have a bias when the reviewer has a relationship with the manufacturer…

Keep in mind that there are Reviewers, Ambassadors, and Sponsored hikers with integrity who write unbiased gear reviews. It is up to you to determine who is who.

Ethically, gear reviewers should disclose any consumer/manufacturer relationship and apparently there is even a Federal Trade Commission regulation requiring this disclosure, even for reviews on a personal blog. To be honest, the FTC has over-stepped its bounds. More precisely, there should be no FTC, it should be abolished and replaced with personal accountability requiring consumers to think.

Continue reading Disclosure & Self-Reliance

Best Backpacking Watch to Protect You From the Impending Climate Change Apocalypse

You may have read about my preference for the inexpensive Timex Expedition as my go to backpacking watch.

image
The Timex Expedition is the watch on the far right.

It occurred to me recently that my Timex won’t survive the impending climate change global melt-down, so a gear search was in order, because I know the Government supported climate scientists, who get more and more money proportional to how bad a picture they can paint about climate change can’t be wrong. And in the tradition of the new wave of modern technology focused backpackers, I want gear that will survive the Apocalypse, even if I will be vaporized in a mere nano second. Gear must survive, even if I don’t.

I found the watch I need! The HM6 ‘Space Pirate’ watch from MB&F. What initially drew me to this particular watch is the retractable shield that protects the watch from copious amounts of severe UV radiation.

Continue reading Best Backpacking Watch to Protect You From the Impending Climate Change Apocalypse