Yeah, it’s a pet peeve of mine. How popular companies with expensive prices prominently display their logos on the products they sell so we can advertise for them. Continue reading Why Do We Allow Ourselves To Become Corporate Billboards?
Like almost most Americans, we are isolated at home due the our local state, county, and city “stay-in-place” orders. Life isn’t working out according to plan. After a full-time engagement of four years of house remodeling projects, this was going to be a year of extensive backpacking and camping. I should point out that during the previous four years, we did are fair share of camping, probably more than most people. I also did several backpacking trips during each of the past four years of my retirement. Currently, in the State of California, most backpacking and camping opportunities don’t exist. Most places are closed to use. At the same time, we are in a high risk population as regards coronavirus infection. I’m scheduled to reach my 70th year milestone on the planet and Joyce isn’t far behind. Approaching 70, the fact is very real I don’t have a lot of backpacking years ahead, so I would like to maximize each year going forward.
Given all of this, it is wisest for us to stay in place until life equalizes and gets back to some sort of normality. So we are stuck at home, or perhaps better stated, we are willing staying at home for a while.
Staying at home for extended periods of time is a new state of being for many Americans today. Many aren’t handling it well. So the purpose of this post is to share my experiences as a retiree for the past four year, and more importantly, the 18 years I spent working from home – often for months at a time. The following topics will be reviewed with a focus on how to maximize your time, or better yet, how not to waste time. Continue reading Lockdown or Liberty: How to Deal with Stay-in-Place Orders
Back in 2007 I purchased a “lifetime” subscription to Sirius Radio. The subscription was first tied to our 2003 Ford Expedition, and then to our 2012 Ford Expedition, which we sold to purchase our new F-250. The F-250 did not come with a SiriusXM capable radio. But our 2015 Hyundai Genesis is SiriusXM radio ready.
I asked Joyce if she wanted to move the subscription to the Hyundai. She said she would rather have it in the F-250, since we spend more time driving together in our trailer tow vehicles, often traveling in remote places without any radio reception when towing the trailer. Adding satellite radio wouldn’t be simple, but it wasn’t impossible. The question was, could I come up with a suitable solution. Continue reading Adding Satellite Radio to an OEM Vehicle Radio
This shelter is an old friend. It finally died. More specifically, it really isn’t cost effective to resuscitate it.
Death isn’t unknown to most of us. Just about everyone have friends and/or relatives who have passed away. We cannot replace those loved ones. The same goes for pets. Our wonder dog, Corky, passed away last year and he cannot be replaced. Oh, we could get another dog, but Corky was Corky, an animal with a personality and distinctive characteristics.
A shelter can be replaced. What is replaced? A completely different shelter with dissimilar construction would be a replacement. A similar shelter with the same materials, shape, and structure might be considered a direct replacement.
I am going to get a direct replacement. Continue reading Obituary: Chouinard Pyramid Shelter (1985-2020)
Why did I buy this stove in the first place? Was it because this stove…
Is this the stove for you? Continue reading MSR DragonFly Stove: 12 Year Review
Canister stoves are the most popular type of backpacking stoves these days. These stoves, often called “gas” stoves, have two advantages over “liquid” stoves (i.e. Svea 123, MSR WhisperLite, etc.): They are lightweight and incredibly easy to operate.
However, most suffer several deficiencies:
The MSR WindPro II solves all these problems. Mitigating the above issues, one might think this is the perfect backpacking stove. Well, maybe. This post will take a journey past to see the evolution of canister stoves, and how they work to help you choose a canister stove if you are in the market to purchase one. Continue reading MSR WindPro II Stove: 10 Year Review
A few day ago I wrote about the Svea 123 backpacking stove and wrote,
The Svea 123 is probably the most reliable backpacking stove ever made. It is by far my favorite stove. It doesn’t do any one thing particularly well, but it ALWAYS works. Mine has worked flawlessly for 48 years.
The Svea 123 is an industrial work of art. It is aesthetically pleasing. Made of brass, over a period of time it develops a nice patina. However, as I stated, it doesn’t do any one thing particularly well.
The past year I have been using the WhisperLite more and more; to the point I recently bought a new version of the WhisperLite. In this post I’ll review the features and benefits of the WhisperLite and compare the original version to the newest offering. Continue reading MSR WhisperLite Stove: 35 Year Review
Most of us are sheltered in our homes due to the coronavirus pandemic. Now might be a good time to plan your next project, whether it be a bathroom remodel, making your own backpack or sleeping bag, or even just painting a room. I’ll share some tips on planning big projects, which of course, can be applied to almost any task.
Planning and research can help you complete projects as well done as professionals do it. Continue reading How to Plan House Remodeling Projects (or anything else)
I have often written that a piece of gear ought to be tested for at least 10 years before doing an in-depth product review. Unfortunately a lot of gear these days is discontinued in just a few years, so there might not be a compelling reason to discuss gear that is no longer made. The Svea has been produced since 1955 and is still sold today.
The Svea 123 is probably the most reliable backpacking stove ever made. It is by far my favorite stove. It doesn’t do any one thing particularly well, but it ALWAYS works. Mine has worked flawlessly for 48 years. Continue reading Svea 123 Backpacking Stove: 48 Year Review
Recently I wrote about how we got the most money for our “trade-in” by selling it to CarMax. That post explained the condition of vehicles in determining the wholesale value, and that our 2012 Ford Expedition was excellent in all categories. Part of the reason is I had installed mud guards (a.k.a. mud flaps or splash guards) to help protect against damage from stones, pebbles, gravel, and other flying debris. Having been 100% satisfied with our Husky Liners Mud Guards, I ordered a set for out 2020 F-250 Super Duty truck. Continue reading Husky Liners Mud Guards – Long Term Review