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January 31, 2006

Ultralight Bear-Proof Food Storage

Serious hikers know that bear and critter proofing your food is serious business and not just a fail-safe for that one rare occasion when your campsite is invaded. More often than not, if you've ever been hiking or camping overnight, you've been visited by a variety of animals that more than likely made off with a couple of your Mr. Pibb's and Red Vines. Even after being robbed, many do not invest in the quality gear to protect them in the future; due to the burden of weight. Those that do protect themselves use "Bear Canisters" that weigh upwards of 2-5 lbs; spread out over 30 miles and that's a lot to handle. They also take up a static volume of area in your pack, never decreasing in size as your food reserves dwindle.

Ursack developed the Ursack TKO 2.0 to eliminate all the problems the conventional canisters have, while keeping the strength. They've designed the sack using Vectran fabric; the same Vectran bullet-proof fabric that NASA used on the Mars Rover when it safely crashed onto the planet's sharp and rocky terrain. The sack measures 8" x 13" for 650 cu In of space, and only weighs 5.9 oz. That's a eighth of the weight that most bear canisters on the market weigh right now. This is a seriously high-tech fabric; don't think that because it's not made of steel or Lexon that it can't take a serious mauling.

If you need to drop a few pounds (in your backpack), this is probably one of the more essential items that can be cheaply upgraded.

Check out Ursacks "Field Tests" for real-world experiences from other trekkers; then order one for $54.95 directly from Ursack.

Posted by Jesse Gunderson at 12:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 27, 2006

Review: Keen Newport H2 Sandal

This past summer I was looking for something to wear while kayaking, swimming, quick hikes and daily walks around town. Unfortunately I hate thongs, traditional sandals, and basically anything sandal like or with an open toe. Considering the aforementioned issues, it's easy to surmount that I've personally never worn anything in the summer but a standard tennis shoe, even in the river or lake setting. That is, until I purchased the Keen Newport H2 Sandal.

The shoe is simply amazing. I know it's a sandal; however, it's a sandal that wears like a shoe but still allows the open air, quick drying freedom of a sandal. The straps are an ultra comfortable nylon material with a healthy dose of neoprene for good measure. It has what most people refer to as "Shock Cords" for laces. These things rock. It's a one step process for comfort; just give them a tug on the shock cord to tighten them down as much or little as you want. The soles are made of a very sticky, soft rubber that seems to grip anything they touch like glue. It's also one of the most comfortable soles I've ever had the pleasure of walking in, regardless of the type of shoe. And the best part: A wide front end "toe box" that encompasses your toes like a shoe to prevent cuts and scrapes, as well as aiding in mobility through the use of your protected forefoot for maneuvering.

The sole has a unique feature, partly responsible for the amazing comfort, in that it actually cradles all of your toes. To explain further, basically there is an indent and ridge that separates your toes from your foot, and each toe from the others. Additionally, the shoe sole "melts" to encompass the shape of your foot within about a week of wearing them. It's like nothing I've experienced in a shoe before. Soon after breaking in the shoe, it was like they were hand crafted to fit my foot, and my foot alone. The bonus of this is that once they craft themselves to your foot, you don't even need to tighten down the laces, you can just sort of flop around on them with-out experiencing any chaffing or blister causing movement.

As far as in the water, they perform superbly. The soles are sticky wet, dry or underwater. Walking on rocks or wet docks made no difference in the confidence level I had in these shoes to keep me upright. Transferring from wet to dry and dry to wet environments is seamless, as the shoes do not get heavy like Aqua Sox or similar water shoes. I would also go as far as to say that if anything they helped, rather than hampered, my ability to swim.

Verdict:
One of the truly great wet/dry shoes. Keen crafted such a great shoe, it forced me to go out and buy a pair of their tennis shoes, which I continue to wear any time the Newport H2's are not on my feet. Do yourself a favor and put them on at least once. You'll walk out of the store with them.

Available at REI for $90.00 and Amazon.com for $89.95, with additional reviews.

Keen has more information available on their site.

Posted by Jesse Gunderson at 8:36 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

Friday Headlines

This site is a member of the travel blog network at Blogads, a group of some of the best independent travel blogs on the web. Check out some of this week's headlines from other travel blogs in the network:

Rice Queen Diaries (Travel Blogs)
Best Hamburgers in America? (A Guy in New York)
Archives: Sundance Dirty Little Secret (Jet Set Lara)
A Winter Festival in Long Island Wine Country (NewYorkology)

Posted by Jesse Gunderson at 5:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 25, 2006

Never go hiking with an Army Ranger...

Everyone has been hiking once or twice with what seemed like a super human biological freak leading (or dragging) us to the summit. Even if you haven't been tortured by such an experience, everyone needs to read what Doghouse Reilly experienced on a recent hiking excursion with an Army Ranger.

From the article:

We scrambled up the mountain, always thinking that the summit was just over the next ridge. However, by the time we reached that next ridge, the earth had belched up another mound of rock for us to scale. Even G.I. Joe was getting a little disheartened at times; this wasn't good. I had elaborate plans for a celebratory heart attack upon reaching the summit, but I was beginning to have my doubts.

An outstanding and very funny read.

Posted by Jesse Gunderson at 12:00 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Water filtration from a pill

Hiking, adventuring and traveling are excellent escapes from the daily 9 to 5 life most of us live; until you find yourself on hour 7 of a marathon porcelain throne expedition because you drank the diseased local water. Katadyn keeps you from being that guy with the creation of Katadyn MicroPur MP1 Water Purification Tablets. These amazing little pills are the only tablet proven effective against viruses, bacteria, Giardia and Cryptosporidium as well as being the only EPA registered tablet as a microbiological water purifier.

Each individually wrapped tablet is pre-measured to filter 1 liter of water in about 30 minutes. The tablets are made of Chlorine Dioxide; which is safer than Iodine, and doesn't taste like something previously died in the water after purification. As always we recommend bringing along some sort of kool-aid style mix to mask any residual taste or smell that could be present, no matter what filtration method you use. A must have travel resource, even if you are currently equipped with some other filtration method.

Amazon.com has the Katadyn MicroPur MP1 Tablets for $13.99.
Alternatively, check out Katadyn's site for more detailed information.

Posted by Jesse Gunderson at 5:45 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 18, 2006

Custom Topographical Maps & Aerial Photos

Using USGS supplied topographical maps and aerial photos can be a pain, as anyone who has tried can attest to. All too often landmarks you're trying to navigate are obscured by seams or you have to piece together multiple paper maps. Only the luckiest of us have used them with any success whatsoever, especially when weather is added into the equation. Soggy, wet and torn maps, unreadable ink, and what seems like a 1:100 million scale drawing hampers anyone but the most serious hiker from using these invaluable maps. MyTopo.com aims to change this, and in doing so is now my only source for topographic maps and aerial photos.

A great user friendly web interface walks you through the entire process. From start to finish I was able to make a GREAT looking custom map of one of my favorite trails in about 5 minutes; the kicker is that it was also the best and easiest to read map I've yet seen of my area. MyTopo.com allows users to navigate the area they wish to map by a common "place name", such as "Snoqualmie Falls" in Washington, by address or GPS coordinates. After the location is zeroed, users will be presented with a basic map of the area. From here they can specify if it's a topographical map they want, or an aerial photo, print size and the scale of the map (lower being higher detail / less area coverage) and a choice of print from waterproof, glossy print, or a full-seam laminated map for the highest protection from the elements.

Finally, users can specify options such as "Relief Shading" to help visually identify the height differences in areas on the map with-out actually having to read the map. It sort of puts a 3d spin on the whole thing, allowing snap glances to quickly orient position.

MyTopo.com should be considered your first source in locating high quality custom maps concerning your next adventure.

Posted by Jesse Gunderson at 10:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

January 17, 2006

Trailside Guide: Hiking and Backpacking, New Edition

New to backpacking and wanting to get your feet wet, though with-out actually getting your feet wet? Buy, rent or steal the Trailside Guide: Hiking and Backpacking. It's a must read for any starting out backpacker or all around adventurer. Much of the knowledge contained in this resource could very well save your life; so much so that I'd call this required reading for anyone that hasn't spent a few years on the trails or on the road already. The guide is billed as a reference manual; however it's not nearly as dry as it sounds. It's very detailed with many pictures and a great page layout, complete with full detailed text as well as quick informative captions and subtexts. Authored by Karen Berger, having backpacked more than 10,000 miles across four continents with her husband, is an expert on this particular subject.

Topics covered are as you would expect from a guide such as this, for instance: food as fuel, using a compass and off-season hikes. Of course it also contains medical knowledge that every backpacker should know, such as prevention and treatment of hypothermia, altitude-sickness and frostbite.

The new updated edition is available via Amazon.com for $12.89 here.

Posted by Jesse Gunderson at 1:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack