I received a sweet surprise in the mailbox today in the form of my ZPacks Zero backpack! (And yes, it was inside the mailbox). I had ordered this pack a little over 4 weeks ago along with some other smaller items and have waited patiently for it… And now that I actually have it in my hands, well, I have got to say that it was worth the wait!
The use of cuben fiber for applications such as a backpack can be a hairy subject, but I have read enough good reviews and even have experience with cuben fiber first hand, so this is not such a big deal for me. Continue reading →
Nope, not mine, but another fellow hiker that is very likely more well-known than I. In fact, I am pretty sure he is… I am talking about John Abela (and for those of you that may not know him, you can check out his blogs, Redwood Outdoors and HikeLighter.Com). John has decided to move on towards another journey and is looking to sell ALL of his gear to help him get started.
So I wanted to share this information to help get the word out. I have known John for about a year now, and although we have never met, I feel like I know him well enough to consider him a friend simply from all the lengthy conversations that we have had. John has helped me with a lot of my gear decisions, as well as ways to drop weight, and even to redistribute it so that it just feels lighter. John has done his homework, and his gear (which he is selling) represents that.
John is what is called a SUL (Super-UltraLight) hiker, and even an XUL (eXtreme-UltraLight) hiker, and the gear that he is selling is the same gear that he uses for these types of trips. But don’t get me wrong, he also has some good ole’ UltraLight gear for sell too so there is something for everyone here. Continue reading →
Recently, I have seen a number of people’s videos as well as blog reviews (and not to mention quite a bit of forum talk) of the Sawyer Squeeze. Here are a few:
To be honest, after my experiences with my Katadyn Hiker Pro, as well as my even more brief experience with the Sawyer 3-Way filter, I was not looking to get another filter. (And for those of you that may know of my Frontier Pro filter, I do not really consider the Frontier Pro to be in the same category as the other 2 listed filters, but to be honest, for what it is, I do love it.) Continue reading →
WARNING: Distances/Elevations are farther/higher than they appear!
Gizmo Joe and I began our hike Thursday am at Wayah Gap around 9:40 am. We began at an elevation of 4,180 feet and our destination was 15.7 miles off in the distance (not that we could see it due to all the high peaks between the 2 points). Our goal was Wesser Bald Shelter, sitting pretty at 4,100 feet…and yes…we passed 2 shelters on the way to this one… Continue reading →
Some people swear by them while some people loathe them. I can’t say that I am completely in either camp, however, I have found that I do not prefer to carry them for the simple reason that I feel like I can usually make it just fine without them. Although, there are times in which I do consider bringing them, and that is when I know that I will be doing some sort of actual river crossing. By this I mean wading across a fair-sized “river”, not just rock hopping across a stream and just wetting the soles of my boots. So, I have found that if I ever do need to take camp shoes, they should also be able to also serve as water shoes as well.
So, what am I saying? I am saying that I have learned to pack for the hike ahead of me. Continue reading →
Alright guys (and gals)…Raul Perez (AKA: Water Monkey) is at it again with another charity hike… The H3 Initiative: Hammock Hiking for Humanity…and he needs our help to meet his goal of $3,000. So, lets spread this around and try to help him to not only meet, but to exceed his goal!
Here are the 3 causes/organizations that he is hiking for:
Strength For Life – A non-profit organization which provides free exercise classes to those going through chemo therapy and cancer survivors
Appalachian Trail Conservancy – 20% of the donations received by Strength For Life will be donated to this organization. Last year $300 was donated based on this process!
Alzheimer’s Foundation – I personally (El Water Monkey) will donate from my personal bank account the equivalent of 10% of the total donations received to this organization in memory of my grandmother who suffered from this disease.
As well, everyone that donates more than $10 gets their name entered into a series of drawings/raffles (based on amounts donated) so you have the possibility to win lots of cool gear too (really…you gotta check out the prizes that Water Monkey is raffling off…they are awesome). The drawings will be held on May 19th, 2012 so don’t waste any time getting your name in the pile!
For more information, check out Water Monkey’s video below, and be sure to visit his personal blog Trail Name – Water Monkey to find out how you can help be a part of this cause!
On June 2nd, 2012 Water Monkey will begin his 100+ mile hike northbound along the AT from the NY/CT Border and will end 11-13 days later in Dalton, MA.
Thanks for reading everyone…now get on over to the Monkey’s site and help him out! And don’t forget to tell a friend…
A while back I picked up the ZPacks Hexamid Solo Plus Tent, which has replaced my SMD Skyscape Trekker as my solo tent. When the tent arrived it was not seam sealed, so I had to seal the tent myself. To do so, I used the tube of SilNet that Joe sends with the tent, as he does all of his tents. I found seam sealing the white cuben fiber to be a bit tedious as it was simply hard for me to see the seam sealer on the tent as I was sealing it. So, I did my very best, and hoped for the best. Continue reading →
A number of people have made recent inquiries as to how I liked my ZPacks Hexamid Solo Plus tent and what are my thoughts on it. So, this morning I weathered the storm and made another video… Continue reading →
Sleep is important to me, and especially when I am on the trail. After a long day (or even a short day) of trekking up and down and through the mountains, proper rest is much appreciated and more importantly needed. However, in order for me to get a good night’s sleep, there are certain things that I require. Namely, a comfortable (enough) bed to lie in. For myself, this includes a plush and comfortable air pad, a warm and cozy down sleeping bag (or quilt) and of course an adequate place to rest my head…that is pillow. Continue reading →
My water, that is… I add Kool-Aid to my water while I am hiking along the trail… I love me some Grape Kool-Aid (and before you ask, no, it has nothing to do with Tinny’s Cult). Continue reading →
I received a sweet surprise in the mailbox today in the form of my ZPacks Zero backpack! (And yes, it was inside the mailbox). I had ordered this pack a little over 4 weeks ago along with some other smaller items and have waited patiently for it… And now that I actually have it in my hands, well, I have got to say that it was worth the wait!
