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gear – Exped Sleeping Pads – REVIEW

After longer use we are not quite as thrilled as during the honeymoon.

exped.jpgThe air valves are tricky. To close properly you need twist the valves so far to the right that you worry about breaking them. Valve problems have been common I was told at a gear shop in Canada.

And if low weight is your main concern, stick with the lightest Therm-a-Rest. Our ExPed 7s are 27.9oz (790gms).

On the other hand, I LOVE this decadent, thick mattress. In fact I’ve added a $35 chair attachment for those times when weight and bulk are not an issue.

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Our original post July 10th, 2006

New technology has made your old sleeping pad obsolete.

Last week we tested the Exped sleeping mat — it’s a winner! The best new gear innovation in years.

High insulation value with low bulk & weight, insulated with 700-fill goose down — this is the best sleeping system we’ve ever seen.

The only down side we can report is that it takes longer to inflate than a therm-a-rest.
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439 day kayak & bike U.S. circumnavigation

Swede Renata Chlumska is one tough gal. Already having climbed Everest, this time she set out to see the edge of America. All of it.

Renata was fiance of the late, great Goran Kroop of Ultimate High: My Everest Odyssey fame.

After 439 days circumnavigating the continental United States — thought to be the first time this was accomplished — kayaking through ocean swells, biking through desert conditions, witnessing the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Chlumska was overjoyed to have reached her journey’s end.

It took her 439 days to kayak and bike around U.S.

More on Renata’s trip blog.

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new West Coast Trail book

We’ve been awaiting a new book on our favourite hike, the West Coast Trail. It’s here and we can hardly wait to get our hands on it.

It’s called The West Coast Trail – One Step at a Time.

The author, Robert J. Bannon, sells it directly on his website for C$20. Or you can pick it up in book and gear shops in Western Canada.

“Using a light-hearted style, Bob invites readers to experience the adventure of a lifetime as he and his hiking partner don overweight backpacks, traverse root and mud covered pathways, climb and descend countless ladders, camp on white sand beaches and generally experience a richness of life that most of us only dream about.”

The West Coast Trail: One Step at a Time was a 2005 finalist for the Heritage Group Writing Award.

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The West Coast Trail is one of the best hikes in the world. Climb up to 50 huge ladders, ford rivers on cable cars, short-cut the trail at low tide — it’s a glorious wilderness hike 75km (47mi) long with no easy exit to civilization. Carefully regulated, it can be almost impossible to get a permit during high season.

Read more — Besthike West Coast Trail.

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JETBOIL cooking system – update

UPDATE 2 – The Winehiker did some research into the much acclaimed JETBOIL stoves. His conclusion:

Until JetBoil and other campstove manufacturers adopt product policies that incorporate zero waste and a more open design approach to fuel type, canister reuse, and fuel distribution systems, I cannot in good conscience buy or endorse their nonrefillable products.

Dropping the eco-ball: camp stove manufacturers – Winehiker

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UPDATE 1 – after a couple of trips with my new Jetboil Personal Cooking System my experience is “thumbs up”. It’s the easiest stove I have ever used.

A couple of cautions though. Do NOT fill the pot above the “fill line”. If it boils over you are in trouble since the pot is physically attached to the stove.

Also, I found it very difficult to find fuel canisters, even in large cities. And since I was flying between destinations I had big problems. You need small canisters with valves made to the EN417 specification. Only JETBOIL and Snowpeak canisters fit, so far as I know.

The JETBOIL website is not exactly up front on this point. Bad JETBOIL.

=== original post July 14, 2006

Upstart JETBOIL took the Backpacker magazine award for best stove in 2006.

I went to order their Group Cooking System with 1.5 Liter Cooking Pot from Amazon. Built-in igniter, 1.5 liter pot, weight 1lb 3oz. Packed size: 7 x 4.5 inches.

Ultra-efficient, it looks great. (Note: it still suffers the same decrease in performance in cold weather as other propane / iso-butane canister stoves. You are advised to keep the fuel in your sleeping bag at night.)

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Problem. Amazon will not ship this product to Canada. When I contacted the manufacturer they told me they have not yet found a distributor.

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Ready to fly to Fiji? – update

The adventure begins.

So far, 937 people from 28 countries have signed on. The first have arrived in Fiji.

Wish I was there with them.

Video clips on USA Today.

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First posted May 30, 2006:

This is not reality TV – this is real life. Be part of a real adventure. Join the tribe.

TRIBEWANTED is looking for 5000 people from around the world to camp on an island, building a sustainable eco-community.

Cost: Flight plus memberships — Nomad ($220), Hunter ($440) and Warrior ($660) — entitles you to 7, 14 or 21 days on the palm-fringed 200-acre oasis. Fees cover food, lodging and local airport transfer.

Details at tribewanted.com

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hygiene & sanitation on the trail

I carry a container cut from a 1-gallon milk jug when I hike. The container is about 5 inches high and weighs about an ounce. I use it and a small bandana (along with a few ounces of water) to get a sponge bath in the evenings. It is truly amazing how much trail dirt can be removed with just a few ounces of plain water and a bit of effort. …

I also carry a 2-ounce bottle of Isopropyl alcohol and some cotton balls. When I finish with my “bath” in the evenings, I apply some alcohol to a couple of cotton balls and clean and deodorize the “obvious” areas of my body (underarms, groin area, area between my buttocks and my feet).

Rainmaker’s Suggestions For Hygiene & Sanitation On The Trail

Even better, warm the water for your sponge bath.

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Out-of-context photo is the open air “throne toilet”, a breezy design eventually abandoned by Parks Canada. I could not resist throwing it into this post.

: )

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update – want to kayak Baja?

The best destination is Isla Espiritu Santo, near La Paz. As a bonus, there are some good day hikes across that pristine island in the Sea of Cortez.

And Kayak season starts in October. It is tempting …

The best “how to” website is IslaEspirituSanto.com.

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More photos from Rick’s Jan. 2006 kayak tour.

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mountaineering clothing on Nanga Parbat

Patagonia sponsored Steve House and Vince Anderson climbed Nanga Parbat in six days in “pure alpine style. It was a new direct route on the Rupal Face, a wall with the largest relief of any wall in the world (14,000 feet)”.

For this they won the Oscar of Mountain Climbing — the Piolet d’Or (French for The Golden Ice Axe).

Patagonia posted some great photos, video and a detailed shopping list of Steve’s clothing. (All Patagonia, of course.)

Nice use of the internet! I like this company.

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UPDATE: For a terrific article about the controversial Steve House, check The Devil Wears Patagonia – Outside magazine

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Geared Up – gear, gadgets & expeditions

UPDATE: Besthike.com got a post on the the Geared Up blog.

This is the perhaps the best laid out multi-contributor hiking blog on the web. Excellent design. I love the prominent tag cloud navigation.

There is a ton of great content. I have subscribed to their RSS feed and will certainly be linking more in future.

Geared Up Blog – home page

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