February 13, 2006

Review: Coleman F1 UltraLight Backpacking Stove

The Coleman F1 UltraLight Stove is one of my new favorite backpacking tools. Designed as an ultra light, high output burner for the serious backpacker; I had high hopes for the F1. When I first opened the box, however, and took the unit out I was a little concerned. It was very small, almost fragile looking. Being as light as it was, it was hard to believe the performance claims that this little unit touted. Despite my cynicism, I was thrown into the realms of a believer soon enough.

The Specs:
Coleman F1 UltraLight Stove
Stove Weight - 2.7 oz
Adjustable heat up to 16,400 BTU's
2 min. 56 sec./1 quart boil time
3 min. 40 sec./1 liter boil time
220 g cartridge will last up to 0.83 hours on high / 2 hours on low
Serrated Pan Supports fold flat
Burns butane/propane cartridge
Lifetime Warranty

Assembly
The F1 comes in a small card board retail display box about the size of a closed fist. Upon opening the package, you'll see a small instruction book, the F1 itself and a nice quality little carrying pouch. After taking the F1 from the carrying pouch, you'll simply unscrew the burner head unit a few turns, adjust the three serrated pan supports into their even-spaced predefined positions and then tighten down the head unit to lock it all in place. Once everything is locked into place you simply secure it to your desired butane/propane mix cartridge. In this case I used a larger MSR cartridge instead of the Coleman 350g unit to ensure I had lots of fuel for testing. It assembles from storage to cooking in about 15 seconds and couldn't be easier, even with frozen fingers.

Burn Time
The F1 UltraLight has a very easy to use fuel adjustment knob on the side, just below the burner. It consists of large rubber knob, with a metal "turn key" loop, almost like small carabineer. Just as I stated in the assembly, it's like everything is designed to be big and easy to operate with numb fingers. After closing the fuel vale I connected my MSR fuel cartridge to the F1; it connected very smoothly with just a few rotations. Crack the fuel adjustment knob back open just a hair; apply some flame and presto, the unit sprung to life.

And sprung to life it certainly did. Even on the lowest possible setting I could adjust to, it was a deep rich blue flame, ready to scorch anything in its path. As the heat was now on, I filled my titanium pot with water to boil and quickly placed it on the tri-pod style pan supports. Any fears I had of the weakness of this 2.7 oz power house was washed away. This was no small pot, yet the pan supports didn't so much as creek as I set it atop the F1. If anything, the ensemble became more stable with the added weight.

With the water coming to temperature, I began to play with the fuel adjustments. The flame has a wide adjustable range, from the minimal simmer used to keep hot a pot of stew or brew of coffee, to a roaring butane devouring blue beast at full throttle. The F1 puts out some considerable heat and noise, much of it waste heat at full tilt. Personally I don't see the need to use this stove, or any other, at full throttle. It simply devours butane and the time savings you'll achieve at full throttle versus low heat is minimal. If you're running through the woods being chased by a crazed band of blood thirsty wolves, yet need to stop for a quick snack, then I could see cooking at full throttle. Otherwise keep the fuel adjustment on low and enjoy the silent efficient heat of the F1 UltraLight.

Post-cooking Impressions
After cooking my lasagna with beef, noodles, and cheese smothered in a Italian tomato sauce, I decided to examine the unit for any stress or heat related damage. With the lifetime warranty I expected none, and aside from a normal slight discoloring of the burner surface, I wasn't disappointed. The unit cooled off extremely quick and disassembled just as fast as it was put together. The unit is small enough to be placed in virtually any nook or cranny of your pack, or even in a pants pocket. At 2.7oz, you'll never know it's there.

Verdict
Small, light weight, yet extremely powerful. Aggressively priced solution for emergencies, weekend trips or even day trips.

With the compact size and weight of this unit, I'm personally not settling for a cold sandwich at the top of my local mountain peaks anymore. There is no reason to not cook a hot meal in just a few minutes with a product like this. The only potential down side is that the stove burns on butane/propane, which doesn't perform well in below freezing temperatures. Isobutane fuels (like the MSR used in this test) tend to perform slightly better, however do now except performance or even functionality at near 0 F.

The Coleman F1 UltraLight deserves every bit of praise I've bestowed upon it, and is now marked as a Treknologies Essential Resource.

Available direct from Coleman, REI, or your local camping supply store.

Posted by Jesse Gunderson at 7:02 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 10, 2006

HighGear Trail Pilot 2 Compass

I require a compass, as everyone should have, and have been looking for a basic solution to fill that need. My requirements were something cheap; it had to have a carabineer clip, and adjustable declination. If I found a solution that had slightly more than this with-out going crazy while still qualifying as "cheap", that was fine too. My search ended pretty quickly actually, when I came across the Highgear Trail Pilot 2.

This handy little unit weighs in at only 1.5oz and is actually built as part of the carabineer itself. It's small enough so that it doesn't get in the way, but is still very handy thanks to clipping onto just about anything with the carabineer. Just as I needed it has an easy to adjust declination setting, and with a bonus feature of a digital thermometer with both Fahrenheit and Celsius scales it just fit the bill.

You can pick one of these up at Amazon.com for $26.99 or REI for $30.

Posted by Jesse Gunderson at 3:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 4, 2006

Nighthawk Microlight Map Light

Many of the travelers and adventurers that read our site traverse the planet at night. This makes navigation and map reading difficult for many, particularly those that are traveling by motorcycle, boat, plane or need to make midnight repairs to equipment.

Nighthawk comes to our aid with the Nighthawk Microlight Map Light. The Nighthawk is a small 9,000 candela led light that can mount to your finger via the Velcro straps, or using the detachable clip, mount to your hat for viewing maps or making small repairs or gear adjustments during the dark hours. The Nighthawk weighs in at less than half an ounce, and is also weatherproof and impact resistant. The LED comes in green, red or amber for night work as well as the traditional white light. For the size and weight of this unit, you'll wonder why you never had one of these in your pack before.

You can pick one up at Brigade Quartermasters for $12.99.

Posted by Jesse Gunderson at 3:30 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 1, 2006

Orikaso Fold Flat Dishes and Cups

We've mentioned titanium camping gear for cooking here a few times. While the benefits of titanium will never go unnoticed, I've recently discovered a new product that's both fun to use, and exceptionally light and compact. It's made by Orikaso, and it's a line of fold flat dishes. They offer a simple and efficient line-up of bowls, dishes and cups; all able to fold completely flat, down to mere millimeters in size when not in use.

Simply unpack the Orikaso dish from your bag, click the appropriate snaps together and serve. All the dishes assemble in seconds, and breakdown back to their flat shape even faster. Clean-up is a snap; unfold the dishes and rinse them off with clean water. Manufactured from polypropylene makes the fold flat dishes a naturally non-stick material, and thus easy to clean-up.

Orikaso are completely water proof when folded into their proper shape; they will hold any liquid. All of the dishes are capable of holding liquids sustaining temperatures of over 120 C (248 F). The heaviest of the three products, the Orikaso Dish, weighs only 1.5 ounces; lighter than any similar titanium product. Overall an innovative product that deserves a place in any packers' line-up.

Check out Orikaso.com for more information.

Available individually at REI for $3-$6.
A "picnic set" of 2 cups, 2 bowls and 2 dishes for $24.99 is available at Amazon.com.

Posted by Jesse Gunderson at 11:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

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 25, 2006

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

December 29, 2005

Titanium Camping and Hiking Gear

Recently I've been surveying the field for titanium gear for use in camping or multi-day hikes to reduce over-all weight of my pack. In this case titanium is being chosen specifically for its extremely high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance and ability to self-sterilize using ultra-violet light (when using high-grade titanium). The weight savings are immense, with full-sized spoon and fork sets weighing less than half and ounce, or a Titanium Jet-ti Stove weighing in at only 2.7 oz. Many large 1 liter plus pots, pans and other cook ware weigh in at less than 3-4 ounces. Replacing existing gear with their titanium counterparts can quickly free up several pounds off your load with-out sacrificing gear.

Titanium products have expanded in recent times to include more than just cookware and stoves. Lighters, tent stakes, knives, multi-tools, carabineers, binoculars and walking poles are just a few of the items to get the titanium treatment. Do yourself a favor, cruise through your local REI, Vargo Outdoors or Amazon.com Titanium Outdoors site for a list of essential gear that Treknologies has deemed needs your immediate replacement.

Posted by Jesse Gunderson at 2:39 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

December 23, 2005

Brunton Kayak Deck Compass

Carrying over the water theme from yesterday, the Brunton 58 Kayak Deck Compass is a must have for any serious Kayaker. Open water adventuring or cave kayaking are solid examples of those who should have some form of navigational equipment. Be it a marine GPS or a simple low-tech compass and waterproof map book. If you already have the GPS, invest in the security of the low-tech to ensure that when your electronics die, you won't.

Brunton makes top quality gear, and this is no exception. It attaches via shock cords with hooks, and will attach securely to deck lines, straps or strap eyes. It also features 10-degree graduations and is completely waterproof, as you would expect.

If you haven't picked up any sort of navigational means for your kayak, now's the time to do it. Available from Sit-on-TopKayaking.com

Posted by Jesse Gunderson at 1:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

December 19, 2005

MREs for Hiking, Camping and Survival Use

The MRE, or Meal Ready-To-Eat has been in use since the first delivery in 1981 to the armed forces. Having gone through seemingly constant revision since inception, they have now matured to a point where it is now reasonable, if not required, to view them as an option for the civilian recreational market. Boasting features such as self-contained heating, super-long shelf life and extremely durable and compact packaging, the MRE is a serious contender in the crowded meal and meal replacement market.

Each meal typically contains around 1,200 calories in a 13 to 18oz package. An individual MRE contains a main course, crackers, cheese, peanut butter or jelly spread, a dessert or snack, cold beverage mix & coffee, an accessory packet, a plastic spoon and a flameless ration heater for heating the main course or for use with coffee. The typical MRE is capable of lasting more than 5 years at room temperature. It's usefulness in an emergency is undeniable, and is a much better solution than those who use "food cubes" for survival reasons.

There is no reason not to extend the civilian use of MREs to more recreational activities rather than restricting its use to survival. Military grade MREs are designed for field use, not sitting in an emergency pack in the basement. Under strict requirements from the DOD they have been engineered for lasting taste, shelf life, compactness and durability. They can withstand parachute drops from almost 1,300 ft. or free fall for 100ft; it can also survive temperature extremes from -60 F (-51 C) to 120 F (49 C). Now I've been backpacking for a number of years, and I can't remember the last time I did a parachute insertion or free fell 100ft at -60 F, but it's good to know that your food source can survive a lot more than you can.

Durability of the MRE no longer being a factor, MREs provide a great variety of meal types in the field. They were originally designed to provide adequate variety for field lengths of up to 10 days; however, during Operation Desert Storm they were used for more than 60+ days continuously. As of this writing, there are currently 24 main entree items to choose from. Having personally sampled only three of the 24 entrees, I came away with a good experience with all three. The three entries I have personally consumed (ranked in order of preference) were: Beef Enchiladas, Jambalaya and Chicken Breast. The nice thing about the MRE is that they offer enough variety that you can trade specific items with other members of your camping or backpacking party. For instance, I would be more inclined to trade away a package of Skittles candy for another's cold drink mix.

So it has durability, it has decent flavor, but what else makes this an essential resource? It comes with its own oven to cook your meal. A large hot meal after a solid day on the trail and harsh weather is a welcomed friend. Requiring no external flame or heating mechanism, the flameless ration heater uses a chemical reaction to create boiling heat instantly. Drop the flameless ration heater into the original MRE packaging, wait a few minutes and enjoy a piping hot meal. With an MRE, there is no need to venture outside your tent or shelter to cook a meal.

Acknowledging the MREs flat rectangular package and easy storage of multiple meals without sacrificing space for other essential gear, MREs definitely receive the Treknologies label of an Essential Resource.

Individual MREs are typically around $8-$12 depending on where you shop. A box of 12 is available directly from Amazon.com for $89.99 or Camping Survial.com.

What do you use for meals or meal replacements while in the field? Leave a comment or use our tips line.

Posted by Jesse Gunderson at 1:40 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

June 4, 2005

Horizons Unlimited

What's the first result for "motorcycle travel" on Google? It's Horizons Unlimited, the world's largest motorcycle travel website and a mainstay for any motorcycle traveler who uses the internet.

Need some inspiration? The Horizons Unlimited E-Zine is just about the most travel-inspiring thing you can read every two months. The bulletin board is also especially noteworthy as it's the one place where you can ask any motorcycle travel-related question and get many informed answers.

As an added bonus, this website is also the best repository of border crossing information available currently on the web.

Posted by Beau Gunderson at 12:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 26, 2005

Transom Tools: Resources for audio fieldwork

Transom.org bills itself as a "showcase and workshop for new public radio". Their Transom Tools section contains a wealth of information for those travelers who would like to create content from their travels to use in movies, for radio, or for their own personal enjoyment. For example, Tom Lopez' Remote Recording Survival Guide is full of tips for recording in locations that pose unique problems.

Take, say, Brazilian tarantulas for example:

So there I am in total blackness, scared almost senseless, and suddenly something drops out of the jungle canopy above me and Whomp! lands right on my back. Now I've seen those tarantulas they have in Brazil, they're as big as your face, and that's what I'm certain just fell on my back, something big and soft and filled with blood and looking for more ... and I think it's crawling up my back. I go, "Woo!" and hop and whack at my back, and luckily my hand doesn't hit anything. But that's it for me! I can't see the mikes or stands, but I find them by yanking on the cords ... I scoop up everything in my arms, my feet feeling their way along the path, as I stumble out of there. I'm laughing hysterically all the way.

So, kids, remember, even if it's bright daylight, always carry a trusty light. Be prepared. You may not live to regret it.

Posted by Beau Gunderson at 11:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack