Zpack 20° F Classic Sleeping Bag: 10 Year Review

Backpacking

I bought this sleeping bag in 2012. Since then, it is the sleeping bag I have brought with me for over 50% of my backpacking trips.

Today I have two sleeping bags and one quilt that I use for backpacking. All are over 10 years old. Which one I bring is decided by the environmental conditions (temperature) I expect. Temperature is the only determining factor.

The Zpack sleeping bag does what I need to do, with the caveat that is does have some limitations and faults. So let’s delve into this piece of gear.

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Happy New Year

General Talk

For the 20+ years that Joyce and I have been married, most years we awaken on Christmas morning and New Year’s Day in a campground. Occasionally we stay at home. This year was a stay at home for Christmas time.

We had planned on heading out to the Lake Mead area after Christmas but a mild case of the flu, which has been lingering for a couple weeks, made us decide to stay home to completely recuperate at. We’ll be heading out in the camper soon.

Joyce loves to decorate for the holidays. Given all her efforts, I decided to put together a collage of her work.

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Backpacking Art

Backpacking Gear, General Talk
US Commemorative Stamps Honoring Pioneers in American Industrial Design (2011)

No, this isn’t about pictures or paintings related to backpacking or the outdoors, but aesthetic industrial design. Equipment or clothing that is functional and whose form is pleasing to look at. Its form follows its function. The technology may even elicit a pleasant emotional response. 

Normally clothing might be considered fashion more than industrial design, but the clothes we wear in the wilderness in extreme conditions are really technology. So I’ll include clothing.

This post will consider these elements and design in backpacking gear and see if there are any outstanding examples of these principles.

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Exped Air Pillow: 10 Year Review

Backpacking, Backpacking Gear
neither the pillow or mattress are inflated in this picture, which is why the cord looks so long

This has been my go-to backpacking pillow for over 10 years. I am a side sleeper, so a pillow is required for me to get a good night’s sleep.

An air pillow is a compromise of sorts and at first I just hated this pillow because it was difficult to make it stay in place and during the night would slide off my air mattress. Back in 2012 it flew away during a windstorm, but I later recover it.

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Our RV Solar System Upgrade

Camper Mods, Solar, Technology, Travel Trailer, ,

Sizing an RV Solar System: Part 4

For 10 years our travel trailer’s 280 Watt solar system served us well. We never had a dead battery, even when camping for 30 days in the same spot. Since retirement our camping habits have changed and it was time for some upgrades. This article will look into the options of upgrading (adding on) an existing solar system, along with some of the sand traps and water hazards of the upgrade path. Continue reading Our RV Solar System Upgrade →