It’s been a little over a month since the last post here. I’ve been busy. Latest project was to finish and texture a bunch of new drywall then paint the living room and dining room. Whew! I needed a break. So the first weekend of May I hiked up into the San Gabriel Mountains to hang out with a group of backpackers for a couple days. Continue reading Gathering of the (backpacking) Gear Geeks (GGG) — So Cal Edition
I’ve been addicted to philately for nearly 60 years. I do it for the fun. It gives me pleasure. I spend money on it for only my personal benefit. Continue reading Confession Time: I’m a Philatelist
Have you ever noticed that hot dog buns come in packages of 8 and hot dogs usually come in packages of 10? So if you want to buy an equal amount of buns and hot dogs you need to buy 5 packages of buns and 4 packages of hot dogs. That’s 40 hotdogs! Do the math – there is no smaller combination. Continue reading Camping and the Hot Dog Conundrum
We just got back from a two-week camping trip a few days ago and the changes are plainly visible for Joyce and me – we are frequent campers. No, this isn’t a post about climate change. Over the past four years I have seen dramatic changes in the use of the campgrounds we frequent. Keep in mind that this is an unscientific perspective from my little corner of the world where people can and do camp all 12 months of the year.
I’ve had this shelter for 5 years; however it isn’t my “go to” shelter and it might not be the best shelter for you. So how did I get to this point (the Trailstar) and why. Continue reading If I Could Have Only One Shelter it Would be a MLD TrailStar
This shoe weighs 3.5 ounces in a men’s size 12. That’s 7 ounces for a pair of backpacking shoes! Continue reading The Lightest ‘backpacking shoe’ in the Universe
There are no “rules of thumb” or standards to determine what is needed for every individual to stay warm. Each of us is different and what sleep system will work varies by individual. Bottom line is trial and error is the path for determining what gear will work for each person. In addition, I have found that as I get older, I sleep colder. On my last trip I was somewhat cold. Not dangerously cold, but inconveniently cold – meaning I woke up several times each night due to the cold.
Temperatures at night were in the mid 30’s Fahrenheit, and my sleeping quilt was “rated” to 32F. I should have been warm, right? Wrong, the entire sleeping system has to be configured for the conditions. I did a couple things wrong, and it is always useful to analyze things when the outcome is less than desirable. Continue reading I Slept Cold on My Last Backpacking Trip: And This is Why
Back in 2009 a group of people who frequent the forums at backpackinglight.com started an annual get together they called the Gathering of the Gear Geeks (GGG). Apparently an ultralight backpacking gear-centric weekend affair, it was of no interest to me as gear is mostly boring. I equate it to a bunch of auto mechanics getting together to share their wrenches and sockets… something that never happens.
Over time, as the so-called ultralight gear became more main stream, it seemed the GGG was becoming more about diverse people getting together for a weekend with one common interest – backpacking. Re-winding to last year, my friend Craig suggested we ought to go up and meet some of these folks in person, which would be an 870 mile round trip for me. Not a trip I would want to do again just to camp out for a couple of nights. But… Continue reading A Four-day Walkabout & GGG X for Dessert
A little over a week ago, I wrote about this site being hacked. Since then there have been several more successful intrusions and one of these deleted a significant amount of files. This has kept me busy, working with the companies that provide security and backup services for this site, and adding even more security to protect me against these malicious criminals. The site is back and running with all intact. All of this has entailed a lot of time, energy, and money to keep PopUpBackpacker in existence. Given that this site has a small audience, is not influential, and has a limited scope, one would wonder (as I have) if all this aggravation is worth the effort. I seriously pondered this same question. Continue reading Hackers, Thieves, and Property Rights
Today is Groundhog Day. We desert dwellers do things much differently than most people, such as the ability to BBQ in t-shirts and shorts 365 days a year. We have a different perception of spring and couldn’t care less if Punxsutawney Phil can see his shadow on Groundhog Day. You might enjoy our version: Mojave Maxine.