GPS for (hiking) Dummies

Trailspotting has a superb post for the GPS illiterate like myself:

Your new handheld GPS might seem complex, but in truth it’s very simple to use. This quick article will show you how easy it is to get started, by using the Trailspotting recommended Garmin eTrex Venture HC GPS as an example. In next to no time you’ll be showing off your latest expedition on Google Earth. …

2475494422_7b0a14b17e.jpg

… click through to read the entire article: First Steps with your new GPS – Trailspotting

Garmin eTrex Venture HC High-Intensity Color Mapping Handheld GPS

I’m convinced. It takes 2 AA batteries.

I assume the MapSource Trip & Waypoint Manager software is Windoze only. (I am a Mac guy.)

But posting my hikes to EveryTrail.com looks to be very easy.

Garmin eTrex H Handheld GPS

Fred Theilig of Rhode Hikes would not buy the minimalist Bushnell BackTrack GPS.

For only a few dollars more — $89.00 right now on Amazon — he’d recommend a Garmin eTrex. This one is waterproof. And gets up to 17hrs on 2AA batteries. Editors of Trailspotting and Take a Load Off agree.

GARMIN ETREX H HANDHELD GPS

GARMIN ETREX H HANDHELD GPS

Many are confused by GPS feature sets. (Including me.) We might want to buy a Garmin GPS Etrex Instructional Video at the same time.

review – Mtn Hardwear Sub Zero Parka

I’d been shopping for a hooded down jacket for months on a recommendation from Rob Glaser. Could not resist this one at the bargain sale price of $107.

Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero SL Down Parka - Men's

Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero SL Down Parka – Men’s

Actually, only the women’s version was on sale. It fits me great.

I’ve used it several times now, even sleeping in it on our Mt. Adams climb.

I’ll carry a relatively light sleeping bag to offset the weight of this relatively heavy jacket.

Bushnell BackTrack GPS

A GPS Unit Even Your Mother Could Use

  • 5.6oz
  • 2 AAA Batteries
  • $78.30 right now on Amazon
  • Finally, a SIMPLE GPS.

    Bushnell 36-0050 BackTrack GPS Navigation System

    Bushnell 36-0050 BackTrack GPS Navigation System

    (via Popgadget to Ohgizmo to The Goat to Adventure Blog)

    I’ve added this to my Christmas wish list. I could certainly have used one in the past.

    flying with trekking poles

    Should we try to carry them on to the plane taped up in a cardboard mailing tube?

    Here’s the reply from the Canadian Air Transportation Security Office:

    While hiking poles are not specifically listed on Transport Canada’s list of items prohibited in carry-on baggage, it is important to note that some items, depending on their size, shape or other characteristics, may be classified as penetrating objects and thus prohibited by the screening authority because of their possible adaptability and/or dual use.

    The air carrier also retains the right to refuse any item it feels could present a threat to aviation security. If a passenger is unsure whether an item will be permitted in their carry-on baggage, they should pack the item in their checked baggage and/or contact their air carrier in advance of their departure date for more information. …

    Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela forum

    Best pack them carefully inside your cargo luggage.

    It’s too risky to try to carry them on.

    Leki sells a Trekking Pole Travel Bag if a cardboard tube is too unfashionable for you.

    Trekking Pole Travel Bag

    how to poo in the woods

    From Crow:

    Dig a hole. I have found the little plastic orange shovel is useless for digging a hole. When the digging is good, my foot, a stick, or a rock will work just as well and when the digging is hard, the shovel is worthless. When the digging is hard, I look for natural holes like uprooted trees, or turn over rocks that have sunk into the earth.

    cabin-835-4.jpgFor toilet paper, I use a stick or rock big enough to keep my hands away from any chance of fecal contamination. There is speculation that it isn’t the water that makes hikers sick but their own feces.

    For when I feel a need for toilet paper, I carry a few paper towels in a ziplock sandwich bag. When I’m in a situation were a stick won’t do, paper towels work much better than toilet paper, travel better, and can be wetted for a more thorough cleaning. It is thought of as a good practice to pack out any paper that you use. You can however, bury it if you wish, confident that you won’t be causing any more harm to the environment then encasing it in plastic and carrying it with you. Some people have burnt it and caused huge forest fires. (there is a sign on the PCT that says, “this forest fire started by a PCT thru-hiker burning his toilet paper” ) If there is any chance of fecal contamination to my hands, I bring out my wash kit and wash them.

    If I have used the hole from an uprooted tree, there is lots of loose soil to bury my poo in. If I have used the hole from a rock, I rake what surface duff and dead leaves I can find over the poo and put the rock back on top of all of it.

    As The Crow Flies» Blog Archive » How to poo in the woods.

    I’ve never had to resort to a stick as TP, myself. I burn the toilet paper. Carefully. And cover with the biggest, flattest rock I can find to try to prevent the evidence being dug up by critters. I always keep the TP, lighter and hand sanitizer together in one emergency ziplock. And use the sanitizer before and after.

    Recently we had mandatory human waste pack-out bags for climbing Mt. Adams, Washington. Those were a great source of amusement for our group, three of whom had never used them before.

    I had. And donated an odor proof, leak proof kayak bag for carrying our “droppings”. For some reason people packed it down in plastic bags, one of which broke.

    Oops.

    related: How to Shit in the Woods – Amazon

    review – Ultimate Directions Baffin backpack

    My Adventure Racing Team just bought 8 from Mountain Gear in Washington State for $30 each.

    An older model, so far we are LOVING them.

    The Ultimate Direction Baffin is a dynamite hydration pack that’s packed with features including an insulated hydration pocket, making it a natural choice for extreme hot or cold weather.

    Features:

    * Maintain the pack shape and never get overloaded – the contoured hydration pocket maintains pack’s intended shape and has a drainage hole at the bottom
    * Large main pocket offers easy access while a front panel pocket and two side mesh pockets let your organize gear
    * Contoured shoulder harness and removable waistbelt let you carry the load in comfort

    Specifications:

    * Capacity: 1000 cu in
    * Weight: 1 lb 14 oz
    * Fluid capacity: 64 fl oz
    * Material: 420-denier nylon

    l_111539_s05_bkr.jpg

    Regular price $69.95. Sale Price: $29.98. – details

    MSR Carbon Reflex 2 tent – WOW

    I’m seriously looking at this one.

    MSR Carbon Reflex 2 tent - WOW

    … we were ecstatic to find out about MSR’s two-man Carbon Reflex 2 (pictured at right). Similar to the popular Single Hubba tent (which is only for one person), they’ve done away with the hubs and are using carbon fiber poles. What does this one weigh in at? Two pounds, thirteen ounces. One ounce heavier than the Single Hubba, but for double the campers.

    Outside – Outdoor Retailer: The Shows Lightest and Brainiest Tents

    It’s not yet on the MSR website, as I write.

    (via The Adventure Blog)

    Therm-a-Rest NeoAir

    I gots to get one of these.

    neoairpad1w_2.jpgFor the past month, rumors have circulated among the outdoor-gear cognoscenti about a new minimalist air mattress that’d pack to the size of a one-liter Nalgene bottle while providing nearly as much warmth as a bulky pad stuffed with goose down.

    Indeed, the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Mattress, announced officially on July 17, is now touted as the “world’s lightest, most advanced three-season air mattress.” Manufacturer Cascade Designs Inc. cites the inflatable pad as being approximately three times warmer than any other un-insulated air mattress on the market.

    While the pad isn’t yet available for testing — and it won’t ship to stores until April 2009 — …

    WHAT! … WHY so long?

    NeoAir pads will come in four sizes, but the smallest iteration — which measures 20 x 47 inches unrolled and packs to the size of the aforementioned Nalgene bottle — will weigh a scant 9 ounces, or less than the average trail-running shoe. …

    NeoAir debuts next year for $120 – $170, depending on size. If all is as the company claims, this pad could be a panacea for backpackers looking to cut bulk and save weight while still sleeping cozy in a bag on the cold hard ground.

    The Gear Junkie Scoop: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir – Outside

    I’m loving my ExPed 7 — but it weighs 27.9oz (790gms). I usually leave it at home.