Category: gear

This can’t be right:

Maximum operating altitude: 3,000 metres (10,000 feet)

Apple iPod specifications page

My Rio Cali flash drive MP3 player worked perfectly up to 5000m.

Leave a comment if you know of an iPod Nano on Everest or other high peaks.

Likely Apple is being overcautious.

via Around the world(ish)

UPDATE: Consensus of opinion is that flash drive Nano iPods should be OK at altitude. But that spinning disk drive iPods are at risk.

Fedak pointed me to a pilot’s blog: He had problems at 19,000ft unpressurized.

Hard drives work by levitating a head a very small distance from the media; unlike floppy or tape, where the media actually touches the head. The distance between the rotating media and the head is regulated using a very small wing on the head. The head literally ‘flys’ above the media.

When the pressure inside the drive is reduced, the wing will need a higher angle of attack, until finally the wing stalls, and the head impacts the media. The term in the industry for this behavior is called a ‘head crash’. Very apropos, no?

Blogarithms

I’ll be trying the New Balance Men’s 902LW running shoe for hiking.

(The top ranked trail runner is the adidas Men’s J S3 M Trail Shoe. And adidas always fit narrow.)

Since I have bunions, New Balance and Dunham are my preferred brands as they offer wider versions.

New Balance 902 (10.1 oz)

1. A handful of shoes boast construction this light, but most are minimalist racing flats without much structure. Not so with the 902. Thanks to new-tech, lightweight materials—in the cushioning, foam, and even the breathable mesh of the upper—the 902 supports your foot better than many midweight shoes. …

Outside Online – gear of the year – Road Runners

New Balance Men’s 902LW

I rushed out and bought this innovative product — a Nalgene bottle lantern — as soon as I heard about.

Having used it on my last hiking trip, my score is 2.0 out of 10.

A great idea, very badly executed.

There are several problems:

• special tool needed to attach the lantern lid to the bottle
• special screwdriver needed to change batteries
• it’s too heavy
• you are asked NOT to put the top in water
• it gives surprisingly little light

Would someone please manufacture a light-weight, washable version?
(It’s a water bottle, for cripes sake!)

And how many people are going to carry special tools for it on the trail?
(I actually had one. The eyeglass screwdriver from my Swiss Army Knife worked.)

==== original post March 20, 2007

gear I need NOW – water bottle lantern

This nifty little device acts first as the lid to a bottle of water. Press a button, however, and the lid emits an “integrated LED light” which turns the water bottle into an instant lantern. Hang it from a tree and you’ve got enough light to play that game of cards around the campfire.

Things can get really funky if the bottle is full of green Gatorade or pink lemonade. Just don’t fill it full of chunky soup.

Price: US$21.95

Turn your Water Bottle into a Lantern – Gadling

Adventure 16 Firefly Liquid Light – grey – Amazon

Bloody good list. Thanks!

10. Jet Boil
9. LED lights
8. MSR Miox Water Purifier
7. Digital Cameras
6. GPS
5. Multi-tools
4. Titanium Cookware
3. Quick Dry – Polyester
2. Lightweight Shoes
1. Ultralight Tents

Outdoorzy.com…blog

Now …

If you have a JetBoil, no need for Titanium cookware. Maybe I can add fleece in that spot. (I was in the Andes when fleece clothing first arrived. The Indian MOMS love it!)

I need to try the Miox. My days of enjoying the ritual of pumping water are looonnnggg gone.

MEC check fleece top – my #4

When columnist Stephen Regenold set out his list of Greatest Gear of 5 Years, he must have known the potential for indignant outcry was great.

Gladly, the Gear Junkie got it right:

#1 The Original Buff

Nothing else I’ve tested over the past five years has stuck with me as much as the Original Buff, a hard-to-categorize headgear piece that’s essentially a tubular hat made of a thin, stretchy, seamless synthetic fabric that hugs your head to wick sweat or keep the sun and wind at bay.

I use Buffs year-round, as headbands in the summer, hats in the spring and fall, and balaclavas during the wintertime. They are lightweight, multi-functional items that have become literally indispensable for me during outings that range from ultra-endurance races to nightly jogs through my neighborhood. (Original Buff, $18.50; www.buffusa.com)

The Gear Junkie – The Daily Dose

The lowly bandana is my #1 piece of gear. But I will get Buff.

I also like his #4 pick, the Granite Gear – Virga Ultralight .

Given to me as a gift, this is my go to pack for cycling and short walks.

For multi-day hikes I use the heavier Granite Gear Nimbus Latitude.

(via Adventure Blog)