product endorsements – Page 25

September 20, 2009September 18, 2009

still shopping for an inflatable kayak

The Adventure Blog:

… found an interesting article over at WideWorld in which the British online magazine lists their top picks for the 10 best inflatable canoes and kayaks with some interesting recommendations for those that don’t have the space to store a hard shell or a rack for the roof of their car. …

read more – Ten Best Inflatable Canoes and Kayaks

The Best Budget Model jumped out at me:

Rugged enough to traverse the entire length of the Amazon river twice, Sevylor’s classic Tahiti K79 two-person inflatable canoe comes in bright yellow. Produced since 1963, it features an I-beam floor for extra buoyancy, drain hole with plug, Boston valves, bow and stern spray decks, and specially designed inflatable seats with back support.

Specifications:

Length overall (LOA): 10 feet, 7 inches
Beam: 2 feet, 7 inches
Weight: 25 pounds
Capacity: 2 persons
Weight capacity: 400 pounds

Amazon

Only $100, … but 25lbs is too heavy for a solo trip.

This BOAT would be good for a 2 person paddle + hike adventure, though.

Leave a comment if you have a solo kayak model you recommend. Lighter than 25lbs.

September 17, 2009September 22, 2009

NeoAir FAIL – Therm-a-Rest bulge

The best air mattress on the market right now is the NeoAir made by Cascade Designs Therm-a-Rest.

I was lying on mine one night in the tent during an 8-day hike of the Haute Route in the Alps. A strange sizzling sound began.

At first I thought I was being attacked by insects under the tent.

Then my NeoAir began to swell in one small spot.

Bizarre.

Each night after being inflated the swelling increased in size. It seemed to stop when internal pressure reached a specific point. (under-inflated)

I slept on the thing anyway though, being a savvy hiker, I was actually carrying a second small air mattress, using it as a pack frame and pillow.

I’m BRILLIANT to have a back-up. Right?

Sadly, my “pillow” had developed a slow leak. It was worse than the NeoAir.

The NeoAir is not widely available in Europe as yet. By luck I happened to find a demo model in Chamonix, France reduced to 109 Euro (US$156).

I’ll be returning the damaged NeoAir on warranty when I get home.

But I’m wondering if this was a fluke. Or a design flaw in a new product. Leave a comment if you’ve heard of this happening to any other NeoAir mattresses.

I’ll post it to Twitter tagged #NeoAirFail, as well.

Cascade Designs Therm-a-Rest – official NeoAir webpage

===

UPDATE: I’ve only heard of one other incidence of this happening. My NeoAir was replaced under warranty.

September 16, 2009

SUMMIT – Inflammatory Bowel Diseases team on Kili

Jeremy Twigg sends us the update on that inspiring fund-raiser:

I wanted to share some good news: Team IBDadventures safely reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro on September 13!

Says team member Clinton Shard from Squamish, BC:

“What an emotional roller coaster when we got to the summit. Incredible views, ice everywhere, and cold. Very cold. I hope when people hear about this trip they will recognize they can accomplish anything and they shouldn’t let Inflammatory Bowel Diseases stand in their way.”

… the most recent blog postings …

And, here is the link for donations

Forward those links to anyone who might be interested in Crohn’s Disease or others like it.

September 14, 2009September 2, 2009

in search of Reinhold Messner

In tribute to the greatest mountaineer of all time (Dick Bass, my ass), Reinhold Messner, I visited one of his Messner Mountain Museums. (He has 4 museums already and is working on a 5th.)

Reinhold Messner has dedicated to the mountains and the mountain culture a unique project, a network of museums located in five extraordinary places in the Alps. The Messner Mountain Museum is a place of encounter with the mountains, with humanity and ultimately with oneself.

The Messner Mountain Museum Firmian is located at Castle Sigmundskron near Bolzano, Reinhold’s home town.

It is very well done. I highly recommend it even to those not particularly interested in mountaineering.

In fact, the Himalayan section made me homesick for Nepal.

By the way, after 35yrs, in 2005, the remains of Günther Messner, Reinhold’s brother, were found on Nanga Parbat.

Reinhold had lived those decades with accusations that he abandoned his 23yr-old brother to die on that tragic expedition.

I always believed Reinhold’s version of the story. That his brother must have been caught in an avalanche.

It’s nice to see him vindicated in his own lifetime.

July 22, 2009

sleep cheap – The Tent – Munich

This place is ideal for European hikers in transit who have the gear and experience to sleep on the ground, outside.

The hostels and low cost hotels in Munich are often full. As an overflow, you can always stay at “The Tent”, a non-profit organization.

It’s a campground. A big tent full of bunkbeds.

bunk-beds

Or a big tent where you can sleep on the Floor.

sleep-on-the-Floor

Cost in 2009 depending on which you choose varies from 7.50 – 11 Euro / person. Even less if you put 2 or more people in your own tent.

See more photos. The many services offered.

official website

read some reviews

They have a tent in Berlin, Germany, as well. A real party “scene” at both places.

I’ve always felt there’s a market for low cost accommodation. You could make money offering cheap sleeps in many parts of the world where hostels are over-priced.

July 10, 2009July 9, 2009

new – Sierra Club Trails wiki

Natalie Gaber let us know that the Sierra Club launched a new website Thursday, July 9th.

It’s called Sierra Club Trails, the first hiking wiki. (So far as we know.)

Using Wetpaint software, anyone can edit any of their listed trails. For example, check Angel’s Landing in Zion National Park. (You can read that page. But must log-in to edit.)

Or start from the home page:

Sierra Club Trails

I’ll be researching it in detail. I’ve long wanted to convert our list of the best hikes in the world into a wiki.

July 8, 2009July 4, 2009

Hiking Information Online

Hiking Information Online is a website I just stumbled upon.

It looks somewhat similar in mission to our site, besthike.com.

Hiking and trekking information online is designed to provide information for hikers about some of the worlds best hikes. You will find hiking and trekking information catering for both hiking beginners and serious hikers alike. These hikes can range from easy short hikes carrying a day pack up to hikes that can last for sixteen days carrying everything that you need.

We will provide all the information that you need to plan your hikes all in one convenient location. There are also links to online hiking stores to fully outfit yourself with all of the hiking gear that you will need to complete your hike. …

Hiking-info-online

home page – Hiking Information Online

My first impression was, “This is lame.”

But upon actually clicking through to some of the hike pages, for example: Hiking the Tongariro Northern Circuit, I was impressed with the accuracy of the content.

Not bad.

It’s clear to me the editor has not actually hiked these trips, but rather does research from afar. I was tipped off by this photo on their West Coast Trail page, clearly taken nowhere near the WCT.

The site has potential. I’ll definitely be tracking it as they add new hikes. Obviously they need to start linking to additional information on each hike page.

June 21, 2009June 22, 2009

Canada, Russia new National Parks

The Great White Norths.

… the Russian government created a new Arctic park for endangered wildlife, banning all industrial activity on and around the northern tip of Novaya Zemlya, a long island that stretches north into the Arctic Circle, south of Franz Josef Land’s popular spring break beaches.

Outside Blog

Much better, me thinks, is the newly expanded Park in my homeland.

… the Canadian government finalized the expansion of the Nahanni National Park on the border of the Northwest Territories and the Yukon. …

After a 35-year effort from CPAWS, the seven-fold expansion adds the granite formation known as the Cirque of the Unclimbables, one of Canada’s best big wall climbing venues, to the National Park.

… read more – Outside Blog

Cirque of the Unclimbables - click for larger photo

June 18, 2009January 15, 2010

Must Have iPhone App for Hikers

Wow.

The Best iPhone 3.0 Beta app award at the Apple Design Awards last week is for trekkers.

Rave review … at least if you hike in certain parts of the U.S.A.:

… I haven’t used the application on a hike yet, but the mapping content on the application is very rich, and you can see what the surface of the terrain looks like. The drawbacks are you can’t zoom in as far as the iPhone Google Earth application lets you, and it doesn’t use the iPhone’s auto-tilt function to move to another part of the map like Google Earth does.

AccuTerra lets you share your outdoor experiences with others via Facebook and email. You can post a link of your trek to your Facebook profile or email a link to family and friends that includes the route you traveled and pictures you took along the way. …

Intermap created AccuTerra to fill the void of the modern-day GPS: off-road mapping. Though GPS does a “wonderful job on the road,” acknowledged Thomas, it’s not as useful “once you get to the end of the pavement.” The application also has a library of maps of U.S. national state parks and forests for each state. It had an extensive list of popular hiking and biking trails in the Bay Area, including my favorites, Alum Rock Park and Rancho San Antonio County Park. …

GigaOm – For Hikers, Bikers & Trekkers, Accuterra a Must Have iPhone App

You can get a better idea of how it works on the official mobile AccuTerra website.

Or watch a short introduction video on YouTube.

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