Category: gear

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my new MSR Reactor Camping Stove

Review pending.

Just purchased the Reactor:

We’ve combined state of the art cookware with revolutionary stove design to make the Reactor stove the fastest, most fuel efficient stove system ever. The Reactor stove’s radiant burner is enclosed by a unique heat exchanger for unmatched performance in windy conditions while an advanced pressure regulator provides optimal heat output over the life of a fuel canister. Stove and fuel stow inside of the high-efficiency 1.7-liter pot that’s great for everything from solo trips to cooking for groups of up to three people. A collapsible handle locks the unique see-thru lid in place for safe and easy transport.

Unmatched Wind Protection: Radiant burner head is enclosed by heat exchanger for maximum protection in even the windiest conditions.

Unrivaled Boil Time: Out-performs the competition in lab tests—boiling a liter of water in just 3 minutes—with a far greater advantage in windy conditions.

Maximum Efficiency: Patent-pending radiant burner and heat exchanger make the Reactor the most efficient all-condition stove system, so you carry less fuel.

Integrated System: State-of-the-art stove and high-efficiency pot are combined into one compact, easy-to-use system.

MSR

MSR-reactor

Amazon – MSR Reactor Stove System

I want to use it in Europe carrying one canister of fuel to last many days. They claim 80mins of burn time / canister.

Volume and weight were the main factor in my decision. The alternatives were messy, finicky multi-fuel systems.

The best website I consulted was Zen – How to Choose a Backpacking Stove – Stove Choices

related post – Jetboil vs MSR vs Primus stoves

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solar powered tent with WiFi

THIS is what a hiking blogger needs!

504x_OrangeSolarConceptTent

… uses solar energy to light itself up and provide WiFi access to the Internet.

The design concept uses photovoltaic fabrics to collect energy from the sun all day long, then uses that power to recharge our gadgets, which are conveniently stored in a “magnetic induction pouch”. The tent also comes equipped with a flexible LCD screen that can connect to the Internet …

Adventure Blog – High Tech Concept Tent is Solar Powered, Comes with WiFi

Sadly, it’s still in the concept stage.

I can’t buy one any time soon.

Hiking blogger Steve Howe mocks it … but wonders if he can get a prototype to test.

orange-tent_Ajz5J_5638

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Outdoorzy Blog now The Outpost

Jason Wade Heflin of outdoorzy.com has been buzy:

The Outdoorzy Blog is now The Outpost. You can reach the site through the same url – blog.outdoorzy.com. We just gave the site a much needed face lift. The new format is organized way better and allows for more fun features such as polls and ratings.

We’re pretty stoked about the new layout and branding …

TheOutPost

blog.outdoorzy.com

Or check out one of their recent posts – Todays Top Female Adventure Sports Athletes

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GU Energy Chomps – like gummy bears

… I’ll be sure to pack some GU for the run and mtb leg, as well as some of GU’s new Chomps, which are like gummy bears, but with lots of calories as we’ll need. …

Gear Junkie – Athlete Interview: Mike Kloser

GU-Chomps

GU Chomps utilize GU Energy Gel’s proven blend of carbohydrates, amino acids, antioxidants and electrolytes
in a chewable form. …

GU Energy

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10 essentials for day hiking


According to the Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills, the ten essentials of HIKING are:

1. Map
2. Compass (optionally supplemented with a GPS receiver)
3. Sunglasses and sunscreen
4. Extra food and water
hiker 5. Extra clothes
6. Headlamp/flashlight
7. First aid kit
8. Fire starter
9. Matches
10. Knife

Wikipedia

There are many variations on the “essentials”, of course, many combining matches and fire starter, many adding “shelter”.

Personally, I refer to a much more practical list. One put together by Tom Mangan for day hiking in reasonable weather:

Mangan’s 10 Essentials for Happy Hiking

1 – A water supply
2 – A reliable map
3 – Comfortable socks
4 – Comfortable shoes
5 – Underwear that doesn’t chafe
6 – Something to keep crud out of your shoes
7 – Nylon hiking pants
8 – Something to block the sun
9 – Nourishment
10 – The Real 10 essentials

Two-Heel Drive – Mangan’s 10 Essentials for Happy Hiking

Leave a comment if you have any ESSENTIALS for day hiking that are not listed.

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this hiker staying with the Bear Vault

Sigh … Rocky Mountain National Park now requires Bear Canisters.

More and more Parks will be doing it in future. Best get used to hiking with one. …

Last summer I saw a bear vault with a night light attached so hikers could find it in the dark. Good idea.

bear-vault-bv500
details – Amazon

2 lb 9oz Bear Vault.

Despite the weight, I think I’ll stick with mine instead of buying an Ursack.

Here’s another happy camper:

… I found that the vault slipped in quite nicely to the top portion of my 60 liter pack. It was also great to have a waterproof container to put dry clothes in (in a zip-lock bag so they didn’t absorb food smell). Towards the end of longer trips its nice to have a waterproof place to put all of our garbage.

Around camp they are a godsend. I’ve used the vaults as stools, chairs, cutting boards, tables, water jugs, and hammers. Just having a flat surface in camp is a treat. Another handy feature is that they are transparent. You can see what you’re reaching in for. Other cannisters I’ve used are a solid plastic and you have to fish everything out/around to find what you’re looking for.

Now I know what you’re thinking. How can you do a good review of a bear cannister without having it attacked by bears? I’m way ahead of you.

While camping this summer by Lake Colden in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks my BearVaults were put to the test. For those who don’t know, this area is notorious for its black bears. We placed our BearVaults a fair distance from our camp site. In the middle of the night I woke up to hear smashing sounds coming from the direction of our vaults. Thuds came from the vaults smashing into the soil. Loud bangs from the vaults hitting each other and hitting the fallen trees that we had placed them beside. For a good hour these sounds drifted over to our campsite. Then they stopped. In the morning I found the BearVaults 10-15 feet from where I had left them. They were dirty, one had a small scratch on it, but other wise they were intact and the food within in them untouched. …

silverorange stuff – BearVault Bear Canister Review

Fisher_BearVault

audiocast – Wildebeat – The Story of Bear Cans, part 2

Calipidder posted a terrific comparative review of all the available systems.

(via Two-Heel Drive)

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Best hiking gear brands: Tom’s faves

Always a hot topic with hikers.

Tom Mangan got the raves flying the other day:

Who do I like? Vasque and Keen for shoes/boots. Gregory Mountain Products for backpacks. REI for backpacking tents. Columbia for pants. Wigwam for socks. MSR for stoves. …

Click through and read the details. Especially the COMMENTS on Two-Heel Drive – Best hiking gear brands: my faves

My current multi-day hiking gear is posted here – best hike editor – gear 2007. Little has changed since then.

I’ve switched to the new Therm-a-Rest NeoAir mattress.

I like MSR, Granite Gear, JetBoil … but am not loyal to particular brands, in general.

Granite-Gear

My favourite gear shop is Mountain Equipment Co-op in Canada. MEC is like REI in the States … only much better.

If you own children you might want to check out Outside San Diego’s Kids Gear in the Outdoors post.

It was inspired by: Kids and the Outdoors: 10 Tips from the Gear Junkie on REI.

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best hiking clothing system

Frank in Oz is an expert Australian hiker. He’s co-author, with wife Sue, of Hiking the Overland Track – the downloadable book.

Frank wears mostly Mountain Designs togs. That’s an Aussie company, their gear not easily available in North America.

For warm weather:

hiking_clothing

For a particularly foul, wet adventure in Tasmania:

hiking_clothing_warm

Click through to Frank’s excellent site for much, much more:

Our Hiking Blog – Best hiking clothes for a multi day hike – ideas, tips and suggestions

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is the Ursack truly bear proof?

I’ve been considering the Ursack system for protecting food from bears.

above_tree-ursack
more photos

Those who try Ursack seem to like the product. But it’s not currently approved for use in the Sierras.

I currently use a 2 lb 9oz Bear Vault. It’s great.

bear-vault-bv500
details – Amazon

… On the other hand, the Ursack V27 that holds almost as much food weighs only 7.5oz. (Recommended is to use a small Brillo pad squeezed under the opening to protect your yummies from mice and insects.)

Calipidder posted a terrific comparative review of all the available systems.

(via Two-Heel Drive)

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cool bicycle touring tent – GHISALLO 1


I could use one of these.

bike-touring-tent

Built for bicycle touring, the freestanding Ghisallo features a garage! The side vestibule designed to accommodate bicycles upright, and without removing panniers. Full coverage fly keeps bicycle and other gear out of view. The entry vestibule has plenty of space for personal gear and the efficient floor plan and interior volume allows ample room for sleeping, sitting up and loving life. Superlight fabrics reduce weight and Atlas 7001 poles stand strong in stormy weather. Guaranteed watertight construction.

MSRP: 360.00

Minimum Weight 3.66 lb / 1.66 kg

Mountain Hardwear – SUPERLIGHT : GHISALLO 1

buy it from Amazon

via — I assume — Kraig on the The Adventure Blog