Recently I wrote about a single hiking staff being better than a pair of trekking poles. I’ve had a Tracks Hiking Staff (no longer made) for over 30 years. And as happens with older gear, the top knob separated from the camera mount hardware. Continue reading Hiking Staff Repairs & Adaptations
Overall I am pretty careful with my gear. Most of my repairs are due to age — things that have just plain worn out — such as my Chouinard Pyramid Tent. Once in a great while, I do damage something due to carelessness or unavoidable situations, such as traveling cross country in deserts through area lush in such wonderful environments that can be packed full of cacti or catclaw. Continue reading Repairing Gear with Tenacious Tape
After four years of nearly full-time work (time out to camp & backpack of course) Completion! Happy Wife = Happy Life!
Some of the “Before” pictures are from an identical house that is currently for sale. Continue reading House Remodel: Before & After
Few things in a home remodel can make as dramatic and durable transformation like tile can.
For the first time DIYer, tile work may seem rather daunting. With planning and understanding, the first time DIYer can lay tile, resulting in a professional look and long lasting surface.
I had never laid tile before we did our house remodel, so I am a first time DIYer. Continue reading House Remodel: Wall & Floor Tile
Many years ago, before the age of Internet, I did some drywall work, using a couple home improvement books as a tutor. Normally, I prefer reading than watching a video to learn how to do something. Things like hanging drywall, which require a learned skill, are much different. Watching someone show you how to tape and finished drywall joints is much better than reading about it. Continue reading House Remodel: Drywall Tips
Staying organized in the backcountry takes planning. Some people struggle with this and their night campsite is strewn with gear as the try to find things, and one would think a tornado might have hit them. Some people repack everything single item into individual stuff sacks, creating little packing modules that are inefficient at maximizing space.
And then when they need to find small items, such as spare batteries or an Advil, they have to dig through their gear. There is an easier way. Continue reading EZYDOSE Pill Pouches to Organize Your Backpacking Life
Back in April I wrote,
This shelter is an old friend. It finally died. More specifically, it really isn’t cost effective to resuscitate it.
You can read the obituary here. A few days after that post, just before I was going to lay it to rest forever, I was contacted by Patagonia Worn Wear. They had seen the post and given my Chouinard Pyramid’s age and place in history, they offered to repair/replace the zipper for free. They also said, that if I didn’t want to take them up on the offer (since they could not renew the polyurethane coating), they would like to obtain it for their private museum. Here’s an excerpt from the email… Continue reading Resurrection: My Chouinard Pyramid Rises From the Dead
Sometimes I take things for granted, such as going backpacking whenever the urge strikes me. With the COVID-19 lockdown in California backpacking was out of the question. Many trails remained opened, but trailhead parking was closed everywhere. Some areas, such as the San Jacinto Wilderness were completely shut down. As things began to open up here, it was time to take a trip. Continue reading First Post COVID-19 Backpacking Trip
In my recent post about our new truck cap, I mentioned that a camper shell was important because I wanted to sleep in the bed at times, and in the past, I had often slept in the back of our SUVs when arriving or leaving a trailhead at night for backpacking trips. I also, sometimes sleep in the back on long roads trips at rest stops when traveling alone, and even when doing solo car camping trips.
Sleeping in the back of a large SUV is easy, because the rear is carpeted, only requiring an inflatable backpacking air mat and a sleeping bag or quilt. But a pickup truck offers a new challenge because the rails that are built into the truck bed do not offer a flat surface. A solution for this was needed. Continue reading F-250 Bed Mat
I have been an advocate of solar power for almost 20 years, ever since we installed our first solar system on our camper in 2003 and then on our next two campers. Solar isn’t for everyone and it isn’t applicable for every situation.
Back at the end 2016, after we completed extensive energy efficiency upgrades to our house, I asked posed the question is a post here (click for link), “Is home solar lipstick on a pig?” What this means, is solar just a Band-Aid for an energy inefficient home. I was advocating that homeowners should address the inefficiencies in their house before installing a solar system. I also mentioned that after a full year of data, after our energy upgrades, I would re-evaluate solar for us.
Given the accelerating costs of electricity rates, we decided to install a solar system. Continue reading House Solar Install