gear – Page 33 – besthike.com

July 31, 2011July 31, 2011

Compression socks for hiking

Speed-hiker extraordinaire Jennifer Pharr Davis this weekend set a new overall thru-hike record on the 2,181-mile Appalachian Trail. Her time of 46 days, 11 hours, and 20 minutes, is the quickest recorded completion of the iconic East Coast trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. …

Note that she wore compression socks for some of her (average) 50mi days.

Salomon EXO IV Calf — Salomon’s EXO technology supports calf muscles, improving blood flow for better performance and recovery. …

Gear Junkie – Speed Hiker! Pharr Davis sets Record on Appalachian Trail

June 1, 2011June 1, 2011

I love frameless Backpacks

Sitting beside me in the airport is my Granite Gear Virga ($110), the frameless pack I’ve been using for the last number of years. I’ve no plans to switch anytime soon.

The “frame” is a standard 3/4 short therm-a-rest mattress.

Manufacturers of Frameless Backpacks include:

Gossamer Gear
Six Moons Design
Golite
ULA Equipment
Granite Gear
Osprey
Fanatic Fringe
Mountain Laurel Designs
Moonbow Gear

Source to Sea – Advantages of Frameless Backpacks

Will Rietveld is the expert.

He’s been updating his Frameless Backpack Review Summary for BackpackingLight.com since 2004.

The article is only available for Premium members ($25/yr) however – Lightweight Frameless Backpacks State of the Market Report 2011: Part 1 – Choosing and Using a Frameless Pack

Don’t knock them until you’ve tried one. For me personally, the “suspension” system packs still have pressure points. Frameless are much more comfortable.

related post – tutorial – how to pack a backpack (VIDEO & PHOTOS)

May 29, 2011

new Lumix DMC-TS3 camera

On the advice of my buddy Warren Long, I’ve joined the photo GPS age. Just in time for Iceland.

Product Highlights

12.1MP Hi-Speed CCD Sensor
Waterproof to 40′ (12m)
Shockproof at 6.6′ (2m) Drop
Dustproof
GPS, Compass, Altimeter, Barometer Inc.
Leica 4.6x Wide-Angle 28-128mm Zoom Lens
1920×1080 Full HD Video
Very Fast Autofocus, Short Shutter Lag
2.7″ LCD Monitor–230,000-Dot Resolution
Easy Upload for Facebook/YouTube

details

Didn’t get the best price:

Camera, extra battery, case, 3yr warranty (yes) … CDN $560 + tax.

Should be some cool apps for that location metadata.

Leave a comment if you’ve got some advice for me on the new toy.

May 12, 2011May 12, 2011

mildew and tents

1. Grab a bottle of McNett Mirazyme.

Mix about a half-ounce into a gallon of water and use a nylon-bristled vegetable brush to scrub the gross spots. (If mildew plagues your whole tent, dissolve a full ounce of Mirazyme into a bathtub and scrub down the whole thing.

2. Set the tent up outside in the shade to let it dry.

3. Now mix 1 cup concentrated lemon juice (the type that comes in those little plastic lemons), 1 cup of table salt, and a gallon of hot water. Use a sponge to bathe the whole tent. Then let it dry thoroughly before packing.

Backpacker

May 3, 2011April 27, 2011

Ultralighter than Thou

Ryan Jordan:

Ultralight, simplicity, minimalism – these are not the goals.

So you get your pack weight down to five pounds, your possessions down to a count of 99, and your debt down to zero.

So what.

Now what?

Shouldn’t “going ultralight” be a prerequisite for some sort of greater end? I’ve read all the minimalist books, and followed all of the minimalist bloggers, and most of them seem pretty confused about the role that minimalism should play in their lives, and in the betterment of the world. …

read more – The Futility of Going Ultralight for Ultralight’s Sake

photo by Sam Haraldson on flickr

… I post this photo assuming some of those are Granite Gear packs, my choice too. … We’re cooler than you, I’m just saying. 🙂

_____

If you’re still hiking with a 7lb expedition pack, you need not read Ryan’s post. Instead find religion here:

Alastair Humphreys – Travel light, live cheap

April 20, 2011April 18, 2011

drying the tent …

I live in bone dry Calgary, Canada. Only rarely do we get mildew.

In humid eastern North America, however, my tent starts stinking the very day I put it away (slightly) wet.

Here I am trying to dry it out over an indoor heater:

Any tips on how to prevent mildew?

April 15, 2011April 13, 2011

Black Diamond Z Pole Ultra Distance

I’ve long disparaged ‘hiking canes‘, … despite evidence to the contrary. Most of the best hikers in the world use them for longer trips.

Yet I’m ready (finally) to try a pair. Here’s why my Adventure Racing team is testing them:

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

Backpacker calls them the “best carbon poles we’ve ever tested“, awarding them the Editors’ Choice 2011 award.

$150 at REI. $136.00 CAD at MEC.

April 13, 2011

Gear Junkie: Water Purification Products

Stephen Regenold updates the options in 2011:

In the woods, I use multiple water-purification products, from tablets to pumps. Product weight, speed of purification, and filtration type are criteria I assess to choose the right weapon against the bacteria, viruses and protozoa that may exist in a particular place.

Drop-and-dissolve tablets, including Potable Aqua iodine ($7, www.potableaqua.com) and Katadyn’s chlorine-dioxide Micropur product ($12.95, http://www.katadyn.com), are my most common defense. They are relatively inexpensive, light weight, and easy to use — just add a tablet into your water and let it fade away and do its stuff.

But tablets have a few limitations. You often have to wait 30 minutes or so for the chemicals to take effect. There is an aftertaste, too, especially with iodine. And for cryptosporidium, a nasty contaminant found in some areas, tablets will take four hours or more to neutralize, making them nearly unusable except for overnight application. …

read more on The Outside Blog