Posts

Posted on

gear – Brunton Optimus Nova Multi Fuel stove

When I first traveled overseas to hike I took an MSR Whisperlite International Liquid-Fuel Stove. Everyone did in the 1990s. It was really the only option.

And I didn’t forget the MSR WhisperLite and Whisper Lite Int. Expedition Stove Service Kit. I NEEDED it.

The WhisperLite was dirty and unreliable. (Is it any better now?)

I finally gave mine away after the time it turned into a Molotov cocktail in my hand. I threw it like a grenade.

In 2007 I’m trying to use the much acclaimed JETBOIL system though not without some problems.

I go to the trouble of finding and transporting canisters.

Next time I need a multi-fuel stove I’m leaning towards the Brunton Optimus. Especially after reading this endorsement on the Walking the Wall blog from China:

Our stove is a Brunton Optimus Nova Multi-fuel Expedition Stove, and it is a miraculous piece of equipment. I (Brendan) have been through more stoves in the last 20 years than I care to count, and I have never had a liquid-fuel stove that remotely compares. I still marvel at the thing every day. I just can’t stop. …

As anyone who has used liquid-fuel stoves knows, they tend to clog. A lot. Most liquid-fuel stoves sold in Western countries burn white gas, which burns hot and is squeaky clean compared to fuels that are availabe in developing countries like diesel, petrol or kerosene. And still they clog.

In six months of continuous use, in temperatures from 40° Celsius to -20°, our stove has never clogged seriously. It rarely requires cleaning. And this is using regular old petrol, a filthy, inefficient fuel for camping-stove purposes.

Walking the Wall

Brunton Optimus Nova Multi Fuel Expedition Stove

Brunton Optimus Nova Multi Fuel Expedition Stove

Leave a comment if you have an opinion on the Optimus or any other multi-fuel stove.

Posted on

10 day vehicle survival kit – $25

yago104-2.jpgJeffrey Yago posted a good reminder for outdoor enthusiasts.

Be ready in case of accident in the wilds. Or, more likely, in the event you are called on to help someone less experienced in the wild.

You MIGHT question his math, however.

It seems like every winter there are news stories of people getting stranded for weeks in bad weather while driving through the many remote areas of our country. In fact, this past winter, our nation held its breath waiting for news of James Kim and his family who got lost traveling the snowy roads of Josephine County in Oregon …

While his wife and daughters, who stayed with their vehicle, were eventually found alive, he succumbed to the cold as he hiked through snow looking for help for his family. And there are also many cases of people trapped for days in their vehicles after skidding over a bridge embankment, even though they were only a few hundred feet from a busy highway.

10 day survival pack for your vehicle for just $25

(via Lifehacker)

Posted on

new podcast – TheOutdoorsStation.co.uk

Bob Cartwright started the first outdoor audio podcast in the UK. And it’s one of the best worldwide.

I’ve been listening to his BackPackingLight.co.uk podcast for about a year.

But Bob’s put that audiocast feed on hold (the previous 100+ old episodes are still posted) and podcasting new episodes out of TheOutdoorsStation.co.uk.

outdoors.jpgThough confusing to listeners, this is part of a move to “monetize” and expand his work. The new site (still under construction) will post both independent and manufacturer sponsored audiocasts.

A good sample of the NEW audiocast is an interview of Judy Armstrong just prior to her departure on a 3300mi continuous hike around the European Alps.

The easiest way to try it is using the free iTunes (or similar) software. Under PODCASTS, search for “The Outdoor Station”. And click SUBSCRIBE.

(All this can be very confusing if you are not familiar with how podcasts work. Get someone familiar with iTunes to subscribe for you if it’s too baffling.)

You can listen on any computer. You don’t need an iPod or MP3 player.

It’s all free.

We are great fans of Bob Cartwright and wish him the best on this new, much expanded project.

Posted on

3300 miles around the Alps

We recently posted Andrew Skurka’s audacious 7000mi Great Western Loop. I doubt there are any unbelievers.

In Europe Judy Armstrong has already begun a 3300mi quest she’s calling the Alpine Challenge, the first to attempt to circumambulate the Alps.

alps.jpg

Judy has a fantastic website — AlpineChallenge.info posted in four languages!

Check the brilliant way she shows the map of her intended route.

And her detailed gear list: 7.13kg (15lb 11oz).

You look terrifically well organized Judy. Good luck!

Posted on

UK Outdoors Blogger Scene

Having attended the first Outdoor Bloggers Ho Down in California in 2006, I was interested to hear about the first, I think, in Europe.

Over the last few months the UK Outdoors Blogger scene has expanded considerably, increasing numbers from barely a handful to double digits. At the Outdoors Show later this month a group of these UK outdoors bloggers are meeting up, and, with tongue in cheek, they’ve called the get together the “UK Outdoors Bloggers Con 07“.

The UK Outdoors Blogger Scene Explodes – OUTDOORSmagic OTH features

Posted on

gear – Pacific Outdoor ECO THERMO 6 sleeping pad

Hiking is one of the most environmentally friendly activities.

But we can do even better.

Backpacker magazine chose the Pacific Outdoor ECO THERMO 6 sleeping pad as an Editor’s Choice Gear award winner for 2007 in the GREEN category.

A sleeping pad alone won’t save us from climate change. But when a small company pioneers green-manufacturing techniques, uses sustainable materials in a unique way, and offers consumers a feel-good choice, it’s a big step in the right direction, one that we hope other manufacturers follow. Not to mention, this is one damn comfortable pad.

Click PLAY or watch the video on YouTube.

More videos from Backpacker Magazine. Kudos for posting videos on YouTube, by the way.

This looks like a worthy competitor to the ExPed sleeping pad.

(via the always entertaining GOblog)

Posted on

with kids on the Routeburn Track, New Zealand

Margaret Pincus posted an entertaining trip report on the Australian website.

We are on day two of New Zealand’s spectacular Routeburn Track, which wanders between the Mt Aspiring and Fjordland national parks in NZ’s Southern Alps through some of the most inspiring wilderness left on earth.

The walk is universally regarded as one of the 10 best in the world. For three days we will hike hut to hut between the Holyford and Dart valleys, through high mountain peaks and deep mossy valleys and alpine lakes.

Not universally regarded, actually. (see our list of the top 10 hikes in the world). But we won’t protest too loudly. Routeburn is fantastic. And much less expensive than the Milford Track.

We (me, my husband, our four children, and one aunty) set off in brilliant sunshine. We start slowly, like a family of snails creeping up the path, stopping every 10 minutes to retie shoes and adjust backpacks.

The Australian

Hiking with children can be challenging. Especially when Margaret’s family ran out of food!

318170494_ad626936b8.jpg
Routeburn Valley, by Justin de Booy (Garion88) – flickr

more Routeburn photos – flickr

Posted on

photo – atop Kilimanjaro

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }
.flickr-yourcomment { }
.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }
.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; }



original, uploaded by Bzzzt.

Machame route from Moshi to Uhuru peak. Check out Ringo Expeditions and talk to Adam there if you want a good guide and crew.

more Kili photos – flickr – posted by Christian LøverÃ¥s, Norway.

Posted on

Andrew Skurka attempts the “Great Western Loop”

Walk the entire west of the USA? Is he crazy?

Skurka is the man these days. (We link to him from the right hand navigation under HIKERS if you want to check on his progress.)

Andrew starts as soon as April 1st. Good luck!

The numbers tell half the story: 7,000 miles, 7 months, 12 national parks, 75+ designated wilderness areas, 5 existing long-distance trails, 2 desert traverses, and zero attempts or completions to date. …

In early-April I will begin the Great Western Loop, in a location and direction that will depend on this winter’s snowpack (I’m leaning towards going counter-clockwise, starting near California San Gorgonio Pass). This is going to be an awesome trip!

And, to a greater degree than ever, those who wish to will be able to share in the experience via a soon-to-be overhauled AndrewSkurka.com website, Podcasts, and more frequent postings of photos and updates. With this enhanced trip interactivity, I’m hoping to help others develop a stronger connection with the outdoors, which I think is a key component in a much-needed, more eco-friendly lifestyle that emphasizes doing more with less and minimizing one’s impact on our planet.

More details will be forthcoming over the next 2 months.

AndrewSkurka.com

gwloop.gif

Posted on

should you hike China?

From the train, much of China looks “devastated”. The natural environment “ruined” by over population.

Why bother hiking there?

Actually, away from the train tracks there are still some large, beautiful tracts. You can see some of those undeveloped areas on the Walking the Wall blog. (The Great Wall divides the habitable from wilderness, for the most part.)

The mountains that skirt the Tibetan plateau will — some day — be one of the premiere hiking areas of the world.

And there’s much, much more.

Need inspiration? Dark Roasted Blend posted fantastic photos of wild China:

407512739_53a8b86b82.jpg

more photos like this: Wonders of the Chinese Landscape