F-250 Bed Mat

Ford F-250 Super Duty, , ,

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 →

House Solar Install

House Remodel, Solar, The Environment,

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 →

Understanding Layers Using Patagonia Clothing as a Guide

Backpacking Gear, , , , , , , ,

A lot of people struggle with the concept of layering clothes for backpacking. Hopefully, I can simplify it, with some real world examples. Backpacking is a good example (vs. snowshoeing or mountain climbing). The backpacker spends most of the day walking with an occasional rest break. He also spends time in camp doing chores and often a little bit of time just sitting in camp. So we can “define ” these activities as sitting, light work, and heavy work. Impact-Site-Verification: 329d9066-0a94-4b4e-8ff9-65d7ee7893a5

For backpackers the following layers are almost universally accepted as the best way to dress for the backcountry:

  1. Baselayer
  2. Active insulation
  3. Shell (wind and or rain)
  4. Insulated outer garment

Most of the time these are not all used at the same time. Weather, temperature, wind, level of activity, and the individual’s metabolism determined what layers should be worn under what conditions. Continue reading Understanding Layers Using Patagonia Clothing as a Guide →

Patagonia Baggies Shorts: 35 Year Review

Backpacking Gear

Stuff That Works

Have you noticed the trend?

Lately I’ve been reviewing a lot of old gear, which I still use. The reason is, these items work. Much of the new stuff are just iterations of the old, camouflaged by marketing people, created to imply new and improved.

I have been using Patagonia Baggies for most of my outdoor activities for 35 years. Not the same pair, because they do wear out eventually. They do last longer than any other shorts I have used though. Continue reading Patagonia Baggies Shorts: 35 Year Review →

Black Diamond Mega Light Pyramid Shelter: Not A Review

Backpacking Gear, , , ,

Time to write about something other than our house remodel. Since we are forced to stay at home, I can’t go backpacking or camping for a while; thus I can’t share any trip reports. Writing trip reports are a pain in the ass anyway, something I have mostly quit doing the past few years.

This isn’t a review. In my opinion, a review requires several years of use, or a few hundred days/nights of use. For that reason, I find most gear reviews of limited value. Often I find gear reviews useless.

This is a Shelter Comparison

Continue reading Black Diamond Mega Light Pyramid Shelter: Not A Review →

House Remodel: Guest Bath Demolition Phase

House Remodel

 

Before the remodel.

If I haven’t bored you yet, this is the next post on our house remodel.

Of all the rooms I completely tore down to the wall studs during our house remodel, this was the easiest. Probably because my skills improved as I progressed room-by-room, it was more intuitive to anticipate problems, and there was only one big obstacle in this room. Continue reading House Remodel: Guest Bath Demolition Phase →

House Remodel: Kitchen Demolition Disaster

House Remodel

Again, I’m continuing the House Remodel series. What else can I do since backpacking and camping in California are pretty much closed to me. I have patience. The last post in the series was about our master bath demolition, which went well over all. The same cannot be said about the kitchen.

Of all the work I had planned, the kitchen was supposed to be the easiest.

In my post on planning for the demolition, I mentioned that,

A simple galley kitchen, there wasn’t a lot that could be done without some really, really major construction. So we would end up upgrading the cabinets, countertops, and flooring.

As it turned out, we found a plethora of problems after we removed the old kitchen cabinets. Continue reading House Remodel: Kitchen Demolition Disaster →