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custom made sleeping bag – Kluane Mountaineering

I really should get a new bag. Perhaps -5C.

Ewen from Outdoor Video Magazine recommends a Canadian company, Kluane.

He describes his good experience getting them to make him a custom down jacket.

As for their sleeping bags:

Kluane built its reputation on the quality of its sleeping bags and Kluane down sleeping bags are, we believe, the finest obtainable anywhere. No other sleeping bag offers all the design and construction features found on Kluane bags.

Consider the following: Hot cutting (we use heat to cut our material so the seams will not fray); 1.9 oz. ripstop nylon (not as light as others, but it will last a long time)

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800 loft Canadian white goose down; heavy duty YKK delrin two-way zips; nylon tricot baffles (again, not as light as others, but we have never had a returned product because of baffle failure); heavy double zipper baffles, channel block baffle and differential cut (except Inner, Summerthought and rectangular bags) and hidden stitching (there are only two exposed seams in the whole bag).

Sleeping Bags – Kluane

I will be up at their home base in Edmonton in a couple of weeks to check them out.

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5 walking regions in Italy

ENRICO FORTE – Top 5 Trekking – Hiking spots of Italy on Newsvine.

The title is a little over-the-top, but it did give me some leads on hikes in Italy I had not heard of before:

1) Liguria

2) Lombardy

3) Trentino Trentino-Alto Adige

4) Veneto

5) Emilia Romagna

Friends just returned my Italia and it is near the top of my person must-hike list of destinations.

Certainly Alta Via 1 tops my list. That’s 150km hut-to-hut, the classic Dolomite high route.

Treks in the Dolomites: Alta Vie 1 and 2 (Cicerone Mountain Walking) – Amazon

Alta Vie 1 and 2 (Cicerone Mountain Walking)

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new wheelchair record on Kilimanjaro

Well 4WheelBob …

k-wheels03.jpgAre you up to challenge Bern Goosen’s new record

Bern Goosen of South Africa reached the summit of Kilimanjaro – and in doing so, smashed his own record for the fastest ascent of the mountain in a wheelchair.

Mr Goosen – who has now reached Uhuru Peak, the summit of Kilimanjaro, twice, and remains the only man to conquer the mountain in a wheelchair – used the Rongai Route for his record attempt, covering a total distance of approximately 27.1km (16.8 miles) and gaining 3885m (12,746 feet) from the Rongai gate (sitting at 2010m, or 6595 feet above sea level), near the border with Kenya, to the summit known as Uhuru Peak (5895m, 19,341 feet) – the highest point on the |African continent.

… Amongst the other trekkers was Neil Stephenson, who lost his leg in a shark attack in his native South Africa a few years previously. Stephenson also made it to the summit.

WORLD RECORD FOR KILIMANJARO WHEELCHAIR CLIMB SMASHED! – Climb Mount Kilimanjaro

What about, instead, one of those South American volcanoes we talked about, Bob? Perhaps Misti. (5822m (19,101ft)

photo – Climbing Kilimanjaro

(via Get Outdoors)

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the secret is out – Duncan Knob, Virginia

I just happened on to Stephen Braunlich’s blog. One of his passions is the Outdoors.

He tipped me off to a hike I had not yet heard about.

… Duncan Knob is one of the best trails that I’ve hiked in Virginia, hands down; it’s certainly the best that I’ve hiked in the Shenandoah. It has all the right elements: ready supplies of water, isolation, great views, and accessibility for my Camry. It was hiked with friends this past Saturday.

In many respects the Knob is the same as that other mountain across the valley, Old Rag. It features some great rock scrambling, and leads to good exposure looking out across the forest. The comparison falls short in one major way, however: Old Rag is filled with people every weekend. …

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StephenBraunlich.com » Great Trails You’ve Never Heard Of: Duncan Knob

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Outdoorzy – press release

Outdoorzy.com released a benefits package today to its members. …

… four key benefits for members. (Membership is free)

• Moosejaw.com is offering 15% off outdoor gear and clothing on their site and 5% off sale items for Outdoorzy members.

• Island Outpost offers Outdoorzy members a free night at Jake’s in Jamaica if they book four nights. Jake’s is a bohemian resort on the south coast of the island with plenty of outdoor activities. From mountain biking to yoga, they have it all.

• Wend Magazine is offering Outdoorzy member $3 off a subscription. Wend is a new outdoor sports and adventure travel magazine that is getting rave reviews in the outdoor community.

• ImOutdoorsHosting.com is offering their very robust web hosting plan for just $4.95/mo (normally $6.95). Whether a member needs a blog or an ecommerce store, they cater to the outdoor industry.

Outdoorzy will also be releasing more benefits in the weeks and months to come.

Social Network for Active Outdoor Lifestyle Announces Benefits to Members – press release

Outdoorzy – home page

Outdoorzy press information

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replace your Swiss Army Knife with an Atwood

Warren Long suggested this knife to lighten your pack yet some more:

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Joel sums up: “Atwood’s multitools, unlike the common flip-out models, tend to be made from just a single piece of metal with various nubs that enhance the functionality. For instance, the ‘Mini Son of PryThing‘ above has a prying tool, a blade, and a bottle opener, wrapped with a simple cord around the hilt that is easily replaceable.”

Boing Boing

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Sex in a Tent – Michelle Waitzman

wilderness1.JPGMichelle is everywhere these days. Look for a cover article on New Zealand Wilderness magazine.

Promoting her new book (which will certainly be a huge success) has Michelle on the book tour, both virtual and in the real world.

She was even interviewed by The Outdoor Station: listen to the audiocast.

Sex in a Tent: A Wild Couple’s Guide to Getting Naughty in Nature, Wilderness Press 2007

Sex in a Tent is a new book that tells you everything you need to know (but were too embarrassed to ask) about thoroughly enjoying the outdoors with a romantic partner.

Sex in a Tent is a mostly fun, sometimes serious guide to love, sex, and adventure in the great outdoors. In this penetrating look at what really goes on behind the tent flap, expert camper and outdoor love-maker Michelle Waitzman reveals everything you need to know to fulfill your wild fantasies. Showing you the best positions for campers (the tent tango), to recipes for a romantic meal in a Ziploc bag, to how to look and feel sexy when you’re wearing grimy zip-off hiking shorts and haven’t bathed in days (hint: zip ’em off and go skinny-dipping), she inspires you to leave behind the boring bed sheets and crawl into a tantalizing tent.

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About the author:

Michelle Waitzman was a late bloomer when it came to the great outdoors. Born in the urban wilds of Toronto, she didn’t fall in love with camping until her late twenties, when a trip around Australia and New Zealand introduced her to the pleasures of a starry sky and a cozy sleeping bag.

Now spending time in the wilderness is an integral part of Michelle’s life, and she shares her passion for the outdoors (and outdoor passions) with her partner Gerhard. They live in Wellington, New Zealand where a tramp in the bush is never far away. Michelle decided to write this book after a decidedly uncomfortable and unsatisfying night in the woods, trying to break in their new tent. While there were lots of books on the market about how to start camping, or take your kids camping, couples seemed sadly under-represented.

Michelle blogs about the outdoors at LoveInATent.blogspot.com .

It’s family friendly blog though you may see the odd photo like this:

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Hellooooo Dolly!

Sex in a Tent – get it on Amazon.com

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Eco – Eco, Eco, Eco, Eco, Eco … EEK

Oct 15 is Blog Action Day. Bloggers are asked to post something to do with the environment…

Bloggers Unite - Blog Action Day

GREEN is GOOD !!!

You see … I learned from TreeHugger.com that putting the word “Eco” in a blog post title brings in the readers. Don’t feel duped. Reading this post shows you care about the environment.

Remember, GREEN is GOOD.

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This blog produced with 100% recycled pixels.

Yes, the ecology is a good cause. Hikers are great advocates for wilderness.

But this is one blogger who has ECO-fatigue.

My latest tirade against branding with the word ECO are the EcoTaxis in Mexico. They drive around, empty, harassing tourists that conspicuously do not want a cab at the moment. A mobile oxymoron.

The real Ecotaxis are in Rome.

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hiking Skyline Trail, Jasper in OCTOBER

So, the University of Alberta Outdoors Club in Edmonton decided to hike the Skyline Trail in Jasper National Park in the Fall.

That’s crazy, man!

This — our favourite hike in the Canadian Rockies — is difficult enough in August.

Did they survive?

Check the trip report by Ewen on his Outdoor Video Magazine site:

… When I awoke in the morning, I discovered the rain had turned to 4 inches of snow over night, and everything was frozen solid. A temperature somewhere between -5C and -10C coupled with the rain the night before meant people had to resort to licking tent poles to get them to collapse, and I had to spend nearly 10m de-icing the bear hanger before we could get our food down.

…

Outdoor Video Magazine » Hiking the Skyline Trail- Jasper National Park

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We’ve linked to Ewen’s trip report from our Skyline Trail information page.