Binoculars for Backpacking?

Backpacking Gear

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? →

Sea to Summit Alpha Cookware for Backpacking or Camping

Backpacking, Camping

This collection of cookware from Sea to Summit has been available for a couple of years.

I have been mostly using freeze-dried and instant foods for quite a long time and have been an advocate of freezer bag cooking, which is the lightest and quickest way to carry and prepare meals.

I am slowly going back towards actually cooking meals on the trail to improve the quality of foods I eat. For those who want to cook food, the Alpha series of cookware is hard to beat.

So much thought and effort went into the design, that if one is in the market for new cookware they should check out the Sea to Summit Alpha series of pots and pans.

Continue reading Sea to Summit Alpha Cookware for Backpacking or Camping →

2020 Ford F-250 7.3L “Godzilla” Gas Engine Towing MPG Update 8/22/2020

Ford F-250 Super Duty

A while back, I wrote a detailed post about our towing mileage, along with a baseline comparison to our 2012 Ford Expedition towing the same trailer.

We just go back from another ~ 500 mile round trip towing our trailer. This included hills, stop and go, long flat stretches, and some slight wind. I towed in “Tow/Haul” mode all the time, and whenever possible used cruise control. So here is our most current data. Continue reading 2020 Ford F-250 7.3L “Godzilla” Gas Engine Towing MPG Update 8/22/2020 →

Can You Help My Friends Katharina and Chris?

General Talk,
A couple years ago I visited Kat and Chris and stayed with them at their home, this little enchanted cabin in the woods.

Chris and Kat live just north of Santa Cruz, California. They lost their home and most of their belongings in the recent fires. To make matters worse, three of their kids also lost their homes in the fires.

Up in the hills, this fire completely destroyed their home. They only had time to grab a car full of personal belongings.

Continue reading Can You Help My Friends Katharina and Chris? →

The Problem With Campground Reservations and How to Fix It

Camping

The focus of this post is public campgrounds, such as those run by counties, states, the US Forest Service or the National Park Service.

You want to go camping next month for a week. Hopping on the Internet you navigate to the online reservation system and find that almost every campsite is reserved for Friday and Saturday, but the other five days of the week are available to reserve. Almost no one is camping on those dates. In other words, 70% of sites are sitting empty generating zero income. Continue reading The Problem With Campground Reservations and How to Fix It →

Ultra-Fab Phoenix 5500 Tongue Jack

Camper Upgrades,

5,500 lbs. lift capacity Water resistant motor and gear housing Electronic control panel Auto extend/retract 18” of travel
UF Ultra-Fab Products 38-944055 Electric Tongue Jack 5500Lb

Now retrieving the rating.

Available for Amazon Prime $499.84 (as of December 15, 2024 12:44 GMT -08:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)

5,500 lbs. lift capacity Water resistant motor and gear housing Electronic control panel Auto extend/retract 18” of travel

New Ultra-Fab Phoenix 5500 installed on the trailer.

A few days ago, as I was hitching the trailer to the truck to leave the campground, something fell out of the tongue jack lower tube. I didn’t see it fall, but Joyce did and pointed it out. She didn’t know what it was, but I did — it was the stop collar to prevent the jack from extending too far. I wrote about our Odyssey 4000 tongue jack in this post. It wouldn’t affect the tongue jack at the time, so I would deal with it once we got home. Continue reading Ultra-Fab Phoenix 5500 Tongue Jack →

2020 Ford F-250 7.3L “Godzilla” Gas Engine Towing MPG

Ford F-250 Super Duty

For the 2020 model year Super Duty trucks, Ford released a brand new gas engine (7.3L or approximately 445 cubic inches) and a new 10 speed automatic transmission. When I was researching the new engine and transmission there was almost zero feedback from owners on towing miles per gallon. Now that we’ve had ours for a while, here is some information on our 7.3L MPG. Continue reading 2020 Ford F-250 7.3L “Godzilla” Gas Engine Towing MPG →