Trailstar Shelter by Mountain Laurel Designs

Backpacking Gear, Shelters, Tents, , , , , ,

ANOTHER SHELTER?

collage of tarps

In the spring and fall the wind in our local deserts can get somewhat severe (gusts of 70+ mph). Along with the wind, gritty sand gets into everything: eyes, nose, ears, hair, gear, food, etc. As you can imagine, lighting a stove isn’t a simple thing to light or operate in this kind of weather. Over the years, my main shelters have been tarps or variations of a tarp (pre-determined shape without a floor). Above: Top row (L to R) poncho tarp, flat tarp, Gossamer Gear Spinn Twin flat tarp with a catenary cut. Bottom row (L to R) Chouinard Pyramid, Six Moons Wild Oasis, zPacks Hexamid.

Continue reading Trailstar Shelter by Mountain Laurel Designs →

Urban Hiking

General Talk, Hiking,

001

I think people should hike or walk every day. Few do. One does not need a wilderness trail to enjoy a good walk. Hiking around town can be fun. Joyce and I like to walk to downtown Palm Springs and back home, which is an 8 mile round trip. Of course, a walk downtown usually means eating once we get there. Today was Palm Springs’ 75th Anniversary of incorporation, the there was a big birthday party going on. Since no taxpayer monies were spent on the gala affair, we decided to walk downtown and check things out. The picture above is our view as we leave the house. We would end up doing right around 12 miles today.

Continue reading Urban Hiking →

Hiking with Joyce at Big Morongo Canyon Preserve

General Talk, Hiking,

000 PS Sand StormToday Joyce and I did a hike in the area of Big Morongo Canyon. A day of hiking with Joyce is a great day. She doesn’t have the slightest interest in backpacking, but that is okay. For the past 4 weeks I have been away from home almost every day. Finally was able to spend some time at home with Joyce and promised to do some hiking. When I got up from bed this morning and went outside, the sky was overcast gray. Looked like smog. It is spring, and with spring come strong winds as the desert heats up. The gray was sand and dust in the air, and the Palm Trees were bending in the wind. Not great hiking weather.

Continue reading Hiking with Joyce at Big Morongo Canyon Preserve →

2006 Fleetwood Niagara Storage Solutions

Camper Upgrades, Tent Trailer

000

One of the reasons we purchased our 2006 Fleetwood Niagara was because of all the extra storage it had compared to our much smaller 1992 Starcraft Meteorite. We were just tired of packing stuff for each trip and hauling it out to our tow vehicle on every trip. A large camper would allow to store just about everything we needed for camping in the camper itself. But the storage in the Niagara wasn’t optimal for our use. Here are a few things we did…

Open Letter to the Backpacking Cottage Industry

Backpacking Gear
08 McHale Pack smaller
McHale Bump Backpack. Dan McHale sets the standard for stellar customer service.

Last week I had dinner with a fellow lightweight backpacker. We were discussing gear (surprise, surprise) and our experiences with the cottage industry manufacturers. We both agreed that we no longer do business with the same companies because of their lack of communication and status updates. Both of us have purchased gear from most of the backpacking cottage companies, and we’re 100% in agreement on the companies we no longer wish to do business with. In all instances we agreed the products were top notch; we also agreed that your service sucks, and as such we are no longer willing to do business with you.

Continue reading Open Letter to the Backpacking Cottage Industry →

Chaffing & Jock Itch

Backpacking, General Talk,

02 Starting Off smaller 2

I often hear or see hikers post questions asking for help in reducing “chafing” when walking. I never have this problem when hiking, but I did have a “chafing” problem for a period of about a month when I was in my 30’s. What I learned may be of help to others.

Note: I am not a doctor or medical professional so this is anecdotal and based only on my experience.

Continue reading Chaffing & Jock Itch →

Springtime = REI Dividend Time

Backpacking Gear, , , ,

rei dividend notice

Every spring many hikers, backpackers, campers, and others look forward to their REI dividend check. REI (Recreational Equipment Incorporated) is a co-op that operates retail stores and online sales. Founded in 1938, each year members receive a dividend based on their previous year’s purchases.

Continue reading Springtime = REI Dividend Time →