Articles (2020)

The field of hammocks keeps growing with each Outdoor Retailer show. We all know that hammocks can make great places to take a nap during the day in ones own backyard, but they can also make wonderfully comfortable shelters. Hammock Bliss has designed several models of hammocks that ought to suit the needs of hammock campers all over.

The Debris Sock is available in Cool Max or merino wool, both with a 1.3 ounce weight (BPL measured). This patent-pending design combines a performance sock with an integrated cuff that acts as a gaiter.

New and innovative features:

• At 1.3 ounces, no combination of sock or gaiter comes close to this weight and simplicity
• Even the most breathable stretch gaiters are warm and sweaty; the Debris Socks offer far superior breathability- they are nearly as breathable as normal socks

Attached at the laces with a clip and under the rear of the sole with a two-piece replaceable cord, the Debris Sock snugly covers the entire top of the shoe, sealing it from sand, rock, or other trail materials. For those times when a short scree gaiter is too warm or too heavy, the Inov-8 Debris Sock should be all the protection you’ll need.

The new Mountain Hardwear Bunker 1 is the smallest and strongest tent in MH’s EV series. It is solo shelter loosely based on a tent that survived a night on the summit of Everest. According to MH’s designer Sean McDevitt, recent testing has the tent withstanding 136 mph winds. The Bunker 1’s strength comes from its low wind-shedding profile and ultra strong 12mm diameter Scandium PF poles which are thicker than the middle section on most trekking poles! Fabrics and construction are similar with other EV series tents (see Mountain Hardwear EV2 Tent REVIEW http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/mountain_hardwear_ev2_tent_review.html) with a Conduit FR waterproof/breathable canopy fabric of pre-stretched polyester body fabric and Superlight 2000 PE Nylon pseudo-bathtub floor.

The tent is a classic diamond with crossing poles and single walled waterproof/breathable construction. While low and compact the tent is still has enough room to accommodate a 6 ft climber and gear, albeit snugly. The external poles and clips allow for fast pitching and almost infinite flexibly to guy out the tent.

Specifications:

• 1 person (fits up to 6’ 1” BPL tested)
• 2 Poles – 12mm Scandium
• 16.7 ft² floor area
• 34 in peak height
• Tent body (single wall) Conduit FR waterproof/breathable pre-stretched polyester
• 2000 PE Nylon pseudo-bathtub floor

Every year I think the number of new headlamps that will be released will decrease and every year I am proven wrong. People love headlamps. There is probably a headlamp for every niche application, in most cases more than one. This has created an embarrassment of riches and the treasure trove has been expanded yet again at this year’s show.

Petzl e+LITE

Petzl has entered the arena of the less than one ounce headlamp with the e+LITE. Powered by two lithium coin 3V batteries this may be the lightest lamp with batteries on the market right now.

Features and Specifications

• Weight: 27 grams.
• Multiple light modes are controlled via a lever switch. Modes include low (1 LED) and high (3 LED) power setting with switchable red and white LED’s.
• Battery life of 3.5 hours (3 white LED’s on high) to 70 hours (1 red LED on low).
• Battery type: 2 lithium coin cell 3V batteries.
• Light output is 16 lumens which is quite good.

Black Diamond

Black Diamond caught our attention with three new headlamps: the Icon, Gizmo, and Wiz. The Gizmo and Wiz target the very lightweight headlamp market and the Wiz further refines its target audience with a minimal feature set for children. While the new Icon expands the arena of high-power lamps with its 3-watt LED design.

The Icon

• This 3-watt headlamp will become available November 1, 2006. The lamp can work with either 3 AA batteries or an optional 3.6-volt NiMh rechargeable battery. It has a rich feature set to appeal to those who need a high intensity light and those who can get by with much less illumination.

Features and Specifications

• Weight: 4.1 ounces without batteries
• Can run with either 3 AA batteries or on the optional 3.6-volt NiMh battery pack.
• A single 3-watt LED is surrounded by 4 SuperBright white LEDs. Their are 3 brightness settings in two modes of operation plus a strobe.
• A battery power meter calibrates to the type of batteries being used.

The Gizmo and the Wiz

These two headlamps have somewhat similar features and could well appeal to a lot of the same people even though the Wiz has only 2 SuperBright LEDs compared to the Gizmo’s 3.

Brunton

This is a monster of a headlamp. The L5 sports a single 5-watt (yes five) LED that can be run in several different brightness modes. Even at the 5-watt mode Brunton claims a battery life of 15 hours. If you absolutely need an extremely bright headlamp that weighs 4 ounces without batteries than the L5, when it arrives later this year, is it.

Features and Specifications

• Weight: 4 ounces without battery pack. I was not able to get a precise weight on this but expect it adds approximately another 4 ounces.
• The lamp is powered by a single rechargeable 4.5 volt battery.
• 3 brightness modes plus strobe.

GoLite has re-designed their entire backpack line for 2007. Many important changes have been made in their new internal frame packs, giving them a more durable, functional, and gender-specific feature set. That’s right, all of the new packs have men’s and women’s models.

Some highlights include replacement of the corrugated polystryene framesheet with a composite framesheet, adjustable aluminum stays, more durable and lighter fabrics, contoured well-padded shoulder straps, water-resistant zippers, large hipbelt pockets, angled side stretch mesh pockets, and adjustable straps to attach a snowboard or snowshoes.

Overall, the new packs hit the key size ranges, and incorporate the full feature set that most lightweight backpackers would want. Kudos to GoLite for making their packs better without making them heavier and more expensive.

While I compared pack sizes and weights with their predecessors, that’s about where the comparison ends. The new packs have a nicer feature set, are more user-friendly, and the colors are more pleasing. We will report on their performance in future reviews.

The parade of the headlamps continues. Princeton Tec has taken their 3-Watt LED Apex and placed it on a diet. The Apex Pro weighs 106 grams (3.7 ounces) less than its AA powered cousin, the Apex. The weight reduction was achieved by changing the battery pack. The Apex Pro uses 2 CR123 Lithium batteries.

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The reduction in weight does come at the cost of a shorter overall burn time though the regulated burn time period is actually slightly longer in 3 Watt High mode.

Get Used to Smaller Lighter High-performance GPS Units
but With Fewer Navigational Functions

GPS manufacturers continue to focus their innovation and marketing in two areas,

1) Large-screened mapping units with full navigational functions [eg. the Garmin GPSMAP 60 and 76 series] around 8 oz, and

2) Small “performance measurement GPS”, usually wearable, but with small screens, no mapping capabilities and minimal navigational functions [Suunto X9i, Garmin Fore Runner 205 and 305; and Edge 205 and 305] around 3 oz

Why is this important to lightweight backpacking? Well, our core lightweight, navigationally focused units are languishing in the technological dust. The Geko 101 is discontinued and who knows how long until the Geko 201 and 301 fall into the tar pit of extinction? Neither the Geko or the eTrex units are slated to have the newest SiRF III GPS Engine. If you want to a good GPS fix in tree cover or in a tight canyon, you need SiRF III GPS or a similar digital GPS signal processor. [The new digital processing of the SiRF chipset has many thousands of times more signal processing power than traditional 12 channel analog GPS receivers. This means amazing performance like full time GPS tracking in a deep canyon of redwood trees.]

I’m deeply disappointed that improved mapping and GPS performance will not make it into the e-Trex and Geko series. Even just some better navigational features into the Forerunner or Edge series would be nice. Garmin are you listening?

While I laud the improvements to the larger mapping units (I use a Garmin 76CSx for my kayaking expeditions and love it to pieces), at almost 8 oz I wouldn’t consider them for a backpacking trip.

For the time being if I want the latest and greatest in lightweight GPS electronics for backpacking I need to make peace with the limited navigational features of the new small performance measurement GPS (SPM-GPS) like the Garmin Fore Runner 305.

Over the next few months I will be testing the applicability of small performance measurement GPS to lightweight backpacking. Hopefully we can come up with a How To/Tips and Tricks piece to use SPM-GPS for lightweight backpacking.

Advantages of small performance measurement GPS (SPM-GPS)

• Sophisticated digital GPS circuitry captures weak signals in difficult reception areas like tree cover and narrow canyons or a combination of both!
• Small wearable size (or in the case of the Garmin Edge small and mountable)
• Potentially lighter weights (currently the same weight as the lightest units)
• Tight integration with performance analysis software and with electronic mapping like Google Earth
• Rechargeable batteries
• Many monitor heart rate

Disadvantages of small performance measurement GPS (SPM-GPS)

• Limited navigational functions (usually just 50-100 waypoints)
• No mapping
• Limited Battery life (non-field replaceable batteries = approx 10 hours) although there are ways to recharge these units in the field with user-hack battery packs attached to a micro-USB cable
• Even smaller screens

How to deal with the limited navigation features SPM-GPS

• Even though SPM-GPS data transfer definitions aren’t available in most mapping software like Nat Geo Topo! theoretically data transfer a should work by selecting a basic GPS unit like a Garmin 201 (National Geo Topo! already has a definition for the Suunto X9 units)
• Also to transfer data you’ll need to load a USB/GPS driver
• In lieu of on-screen GPS mapping, use custom printed maps with waypoint labels and download the waypoints to your SPM-GPS. For more info on this refer to Backpacking Light’s article Guide to Selecting and Using Ultralight GPS Systems http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/ultralight_gps_guide_04.html

Overview

Black Diamond expands their Superlight series of single-walled shelters with the introduction of two new tents. The new HiLight is a smaller and lighter version of their acclaimed Lighthouse tent. The OneShot is a solo shelter that weighs less than some bivy sacks.

Both shelters continue to feature the highly water resistant, but not completely waterproof EPIC by Nextec fabric. Well regarded in snow and heavy, but short duration rain, we’ve seen the fabric wet through under sustained rain pressure in Black Diamond’s older Superlight tents. I expect the fabric performance to be similar in both of these new shelters.

The HiLight has a feature set similar to the older Lighthouse tent, but its weight and footprint are similar to the smaller Firstlight. It retains the Lighthouse’s huge side-opening door and small awning supported by a third mini pole. Weight savings were achieved by using a smaller insect mesh panel on the door. The new panel still appears large enough to provide excellent ventilation. Judging from the published dimensions, it looks like it is likely too small for hikers over 6 feet tall. But, the tents were bolted to a display rack and I wasn’t able climb inside and confirm this.

The OneShot is the tent I’m most excited about for two reasons. First, it is a real freestanding shelter that’s large enough to sit up in, but its claimed weight of 2 lb 5 oz makes it lighter than some cramped bivy sacks. Second, it may prove, when I actually get to lie down in one, to be long enough for my 6 ft 2 in frame. I’ve used the supposedly two-person Firstlight shelter in the past, but I need to sleep diagonally to fit, and even then, take drastic measures to keep condensation off of my head and feet. The 85 inch length of the OneShot is potentially long enough to alleviate this. But, that determination will have to wait until I can actually test one – the relatively shallow pitch of the end walls may make that extra length only an illusion.

The OneShot features an even smaller version of the Lighthouse-style awning and third pole. The pole location is offset toward the foot end of the tent to create a sturdy looking triangulation of the three poles on the ceiling. The single door on the side is similar in design to the HiLight and Lighthouse. The OneShot achieves further weight savings with a trapezoidal shaped floor which reduces the amount of fabric needed at the foot end of the tent.

I plan to publish a full review of the OneShot in the future. The tent is expected to be available in January, 2007.

HiLight Specifications and Features

• Claimed Weight Tent and Poles: 2 lb, 10 oz (1.18kg)
• Claimed Weight Packaged: 3 lb, 2 oz (1.42kg)
• Claimed Weight Vestibule: 1 lb (454g)
• Claimed Weight Footprint: 10 oz (270g)
• Dimensions: 81 in x 50 in x 40 in (206 cm x 127 cm x 102cm)

OneShot Specifications and Features

• Claimed Weight Tent and Poles: 2 lb, 5 oz (1.04 kg)
• Claimed Weight Packaged: 2 lb, 13 oz (1.28kg)
• Claimed Weight Footprint: 7 oz (200g)
• Vestibule: N/A
• Dimensions: 85 in x 36 in x 36 in (216 cm x 91 cm x 91 cm)

Over the past several years Kestrel has steadily expanded their line of pocket weather meters. With each new model they have added features. This fall they will release the Kestrel 4500 which expands on the very rich set of weather reporting and tracking functions of the 4000.

The key addition to the 4500 is the inclusion of a digital compass. While this compass will not truly replace a navigational compass owing to a relatively low accuracy of 5°, but that is more than sufficient for the weather-related functions the compass now permits. The 4500, like the 4000, has a 2000 data point memory. Data can be recorded instantly and at user specified intervals. Complete weather data is recorded including now wind direction, crosswind, tail wind, and naturally head wind information.

I was also able to view a prototype wind vane tripod mount. This mount will ensure the 4500 remains pointed into the wind and creates a fully functional and truly portable weather station. Though the final production model may be slightly different it is anticipated that the combined mount and 4500 will still weigh only 8 ounces.

Kestrel remains, in many people’s minds, the gold standard for small weather meters. With the 4500 they have created a truly portable weather station that should satisfy even the most ardent weather enthusiast. Is this something the typical ultralight backpacker’s needs to carry, perhaps not. But if you are interested in really analyzing your performance throughout a trip the way you probably analyze your gear’s performance starting with its weight then the Kestrel 4500 is a remarkable device worth looking at.

Features and Specifications

• Current, Maximum and Average Wind Speeds
• Air, Water & Snow Temperature
• Wind Chill
• Relative Humidity
• Dew-point
• Heat Stress Index
• Barometric Pressure
• Barometric Altitude
• Density Altitude
• Wet Bulb Temperature
• Digital compass with 5° accuracy
• 2000 data point memory records every measurement per data point. Data can be recorded instantly and in user-specified intervals.
• Transfer data to a computer via USB
• Weight: 3.8 ounces.

Overview

Are you a cold sleeper? Planning a winter mountaineering expedition? Used to doubling your pads up to stay warm on snow? Pacific Outdoor Equipment has changed the rules of the game. Using aerogel technology developed by Aspen Aerogels, they are beginning production of the warmest sleeping pad currently available to backpackers – probably even to car campers! All at an astonishingly low weight.

The Hyper-High Mountain Pad is a full-length hybrid pad consisting of a sandwich of a bottom layer of EVA foam throughout, an aerogel layer in the torso and foot regions, and a top layer of self-inflating foam in the torso area with polyethylene over the leg half and around the perimeter.

It’s the aerogel layer that sets this pad apart from all others. Only 7mm thick, it imbues the pad with a claimed R-20 R-Value. That’s not a misprint: R-20! Aerogels are solid, silicon-based, open cell, nanoporous materials that have a very high proportion of free void volume, giving them extremely low densities and thermal conductivities. (Some aerogel materials are up to 1000 times less dense than glass, another silicon-based solid.) Aspen Aerogels has taken this NASA technology and developed a flexible insulating material that’s very light and very warm for its thickness. This product is the first application of this technology in a sleeping pad.

For ultralight backpackers, the Hyper-High Mountain Pad could become “the” winter pad. But at 21.5oz, it’s overkill for most other uses. However, the technology is compelling – Pacific Outdoor Equipment will hopefully introduce an entire family of pads using it. For example, a torso-length, non-inflatable, R-5 pad might weigh as little as 4oz.

To put the claimed R-20 R-Value in perspective, excluding car-camping monsters, the thickest closed-cell foam and self-inflating mats are less than R-4, while 3.5 inch thick down-filled inflatables that weigh over 2 pounds are still less than R-9. An R-20 pad is a furnace for your backside! If testing confirms the claims, this pad could allow you to drop half a pound from your winter sleeping bag weight and still stay just as warm. We’ll let you know if the pad performs up to its claims in an upcoming review.

Specifications and Features

• Dimensions: 20x72x1.5 in.
• Polyethylene upper layer around perimeter and legs
• 13mm thick EVA lower layer
• 7mm Aerogel mid-layer in torso and foot areas
• Claimed Weight: 21.5oz (609g)
• Claimed R-Value: R-20
• MSRP: $165

Overview

The new Reactor Stove is MSR’s answer to the Jetboil Group Cooking System. It was first announced at the Outdoor Retailer Summer 2004 trade show, and after several delays, it will finally arrive in an outdoor store near you in February 2007.

According to an MSR representative “It took longer because inventing ‘light plutonium’ was a bigger challenge than we expected. But we succeeded in finding a way to remove the deadly gamma rays, leaving only clean infra-red radiation to do the cooking. The Reactor will run for 24,000 years (one half-life) on a single gram of light plutonium 239, so you never need to worry about how much fuel to bring.”

Seriously, the Reactor runs on canister fuel. Its integrated cook pot is 1.7 liters and stove weight is 21 ounces, compared to 1.5 liters and 19 ounces for the Jetboil Group Cooking System. According to MSR claims, the Reactor will boil 1 liter of water in 3 minutes, will boil 2.8 liters from 1 ounce of fuel, and will boil 22 liters of water from a single 8 ounce canister of fuel. Jetboil claims a 4 minute boil time for the GCS (although in BPL testing it has slower boil times).

Our initial reaction is the stove should be the most sophisticated and efficient integrated canister stove to date, but it is also the heaviest integrated canister stove. Only time and testing will tell if its efficiency will justify the weight.

Where does the efficiency comes from?

• The burner head has a special metal foam that heats up and glows for radiant heat transfer (see lead picture). The bottom of the pot is dark to absorb the radiant energy.
• The metal foam also slows convective air flow which increases convective heat transfer to the pot. Slow air flow allows more time for heat transfer.
• Tight areas around the pots heat exchange fins create a pressure drop that fine tunes air flow (slower) for optimal heat transfer.
• Because the pot and burner head are essentially a sealed air path (allowing no external air to enter except from the two mixer tube intakes), the stove’s efficiency is unimpaired by strong winds. Most canister stoves get about 40% of their air at the burner head and thus can’t have a sealed air system like the Reactor.
• The pressure regulation in the burner head also maintains optimal burn rate and thus optimal efficiency over the life of the canister (no matter what the fill level).
• All of the above means that the Reactor will have optimal efficiency over a broad range of flame settings, canister fill levels, temperatures, and wind. Most canister stoves will loose efficiency if any of these are suboptimal.

The Reactor Stove introduces some new technologies and raises the bar for integrated canister cooking systems. But it’s heavy at 21 ounces. Interestingly, the burner weights only 6 ounces, so the pot and heat exchanger assembly weigh a huge 15 ounces! The Reactor definitely needs some lightening up and the pot and heat exchanger (and Lexan lid) are the obvious choices. MSR plans to eventually produce a lighter version, as well as smaller and bigger capacity versions.

MSR claims the Reactor will be the fastest-boiling, most fuel-efficient windproof cooking system available. We just LOVE claims like that because it challenges us “gear technologists” a to check it out! Believe me, when our Cooking Systems Editor Dr. Roger Caffin gets his hands on the Reactor, he will have a LOT to say about it in his review.

As we mentioned earlier, another manufacturer is introducing an integrated stove; stay tuned for our report on another “hot” product that was quietly developing while our attention was focused on MSR.

Specifications and Features

• Manufacturer: MSR (http://msrcorp.com/)
• Product: Reactor Stove (available February 2007)
• Type: Integrated cooking system
• Fuel: Canister fuel only
• What’s Included: Burner base, pot and lid, handle
• Weight: 21 oz (595 g)
• Features: Heat exchanger attached to bottom of cook pot completely encloses a radiant burner, internal regulator equalizes fuel pressure, piezo-electric ignition
• MSRP: $150

Performance

• Boil 1 liter of water in 3 minutes (full canister)
• Boil 1 liter of water in 3.5 min (end of canister life)
• Boil 2.8 liters from 1 ounce of fuel
• Boil 22 liters of water from a single 8 ounce canister of fuel.

National Geographic Debuts “National Parks Explorer 3D”
New Electronic Version of Trails Illustrated for National Parks

I still use my nearly 10 year old National Geographic 50 National Parks CD-based maps-as recently as last month for a Shenandoah National Park trip. It has accurate trails, usage regulations, park infrastructures and other essential information for trip planning that the 1:24,000 series USGS topographic maps do not. But the 50 National Parks CD maps and software are dated and their information is less accurate than it was 10 years ago. The support software to read and manipulates the maps is equally dated.

Next month, National Geographic will publish “National Parks Explorer 3D,” an interactive, electronic version of their Trails Illustrated National Park Maps. It will contain a the newest and most-up-to-data Trails Illustrated maps for 25 of the most popular national parks and a wealth of additional travel and recreational information. The software is based on their new Topo! 4.0 engine. It has all the power of Topo! 4.0 but with much easier to use tools [we hope to see these in Topo! 4.1]. For instance the route tool automatically snaps to and precisely follows trails. Waypoints are automatically added as you draw routes. There is a new sophisticated print preview that makes printing custom maps about 10x easier than Topo! 4.0. There is an accompanying PDF file with the map legend, park regulations, contact number, and additional travel and recreational information for the area. While I think it is a bit gimmicky, it has a viewing tool that allows you to view your route in 3D as if you were flying over it in a helicopter. This helps you visualize just how steep that upcoming pass is.

Included Parks

• Acadia, ME
• Arches, UT
• Big Bend, TX
• Bryce Canyon, UT
• Canyonlands, UT
• Death Valley, CA
• Glacier/Waterton, MT/Aberta
• Grand Canyon, AZ
• Grand Teton, WY
• Great Smoky Mountains, TN/TC
• Isle Royale, MI
• Joshua Tree, CA
• Kings Canyon, CA
• Mt. Rainier, WA
• North Cascades, WA
• Olympic, WA
• Redwood, WA
• Rocky Mountain, CO
• Sequoia, CA
• Shenandoah, VA
• Theodore Roosevelt, ND
• Yellowstone, WY/MT
• Yosemite, CA
• Zion, UT

The Featherlite Carbon trekking poles are new from Komperdell and fall in their Alpine line of using the same grips found on their top-rated C3 Duolock adjustable poles. Add light and stiff carbon fixed-length shafts and ultralight Alpine press-fit tips and you’ve got a 4.3 ounce (bpl measured-120cm length) fixed length trekking pole.

These poles (due out in Winter, 2006) are not the lightest fixed-length carbon poles on the market; the Gossamer Gear Lightrek, and Titanium Goat poles, Bozeman Mountain Works STIX PRO, have them beat by over an ounce. However, they beat each pole in one way or another:

• Much stiffer than the Gossamer Gear Lightrek poles and with straps
• More finished than the Titanium Goat poles- contoured grips with straps and better tips
• A full $180 cheaper than the STIX PRO poles

The Komperdell Featherlite Carbon poles are the first fixed-length carbon poles with contoured grips and straps that are in the same ballpark as the custom poles listed above- and at a great price. We can’t wait to get these out in the field!

Features and Specifications

• Available Winter, 206
• Comes in 110-135 cm lengths (in 5 cm increments)
• 4.3 ounces per pole (120 cm length without baskets)
• Carbide flextip
• Technically an alpine ski pole but perfect for backpacking
• Approximately $100

For those looking for the most distinguished poles around, check out the Komperdell Bamboo fixed-length poles. Starting with the carbon fiber shafts found on the Featherlite poles, they add a natural bamboo finish and a leather grip and strap. The result is a pole that is as stiff and vibration-damping as a modern carbon fiber pole but in a look that is distinctly classic.

Available in Winter 2007 (yes- over a year away), the Bamboo poles may be available in two finishes- one in a natural bamboo finish with a brown leather grip and a fur-lined strap, and the other in a lacquered bamboo finish with black leather grips and matching leather straps.

At 6.4 ounces for the 125 cm length and 6.5 ounces for the 135 cm length (bpl measured), these will not be the lightest poles around. However, they certainly have the most class and will have a reasonable price of approximately $110. They will be available in 110-135cm lengths.

An adjustable model is also in the works that uses the bamboo-coated carbon fiber for the upper section and standard C3 Duolock carbon sections for the lowers.

GoLite has re-designed their entire backpack line for 2007. Say bye-bye to the Infinity, Perspective, Speed, Race, Trek, Gust, and their brethren. Also going is GoLite’s SilLite fabric, which did not have enough abrasion resistance.

I would have to say that GoLite’s present pack line is a conglomeration of hits and misses. The Infinity and Jam were hits, but many of the others did not fare as well. GoLite’s goal with their new packs is to make them light AND durable, and to get the details right in terms of features and comfort. I am personally very impressed with the new packs; they incorporate a lot of nice improvements with little or no weight gain – exactly what I would like to see.

The new lineup will consist of nine packs in three groups. The Ultra group (presented here) is their very lightest packs; the Adrenaline group is adventure racing packs, and the Venture group is full-featured internal frame packs. All of their new packs are lighter than most of the competition, and all but one (the Ion) is available in both men’s and women’s specific versions.

Here is the upshot of the new GoLite Ultra packs, as I see it right now. The Ion is elegant in its simplicity, but lacks functionality compared to lighter SUL packs from Fanatic Fringe, Gossamer Gear, and Mountain Laurel Designs. It’s simple, durable, and probably comfortable, but the total lack of outside pockets really limits it. There’s not even a place to put a water bottle! The Jam² is the standout. At 3,000 cubic inches, it hits a sweet spot for ultralight backpacking, and lots of improvements make a great pack even better. The Pinnacle is basically a better Gust. The volume and weight are similar to the old Gust, and the details from the Jam give it a nicer feature set.

Overview

Using lighter materials and stripping away unneeded features, Primus unveils a lighter version of their Micron stove that appears to be the lightest canister stove currently available.

The new MicronStove Ti 2.5 is constructed primarily of titanium and aluminum. The original 3.4oz Primus Micron stood out due to its compact folded size and unique lever-operated piezoelectric ignition. The MicronStove Ti 2.5 dispenses with the piezo igniter, and replaces heavier steel parts with re-designed components made from the lighter metals. For example, the older wire legs are now stamped titanium pieces with serrations on top to improve pot support.

I did not have an opportunity to fire up the prototype unit I saw at the show, but I was allowed to weigh it. In spite of the “2.5” in its name, and its brochure’s claimed 2.4oz weight, the prototype had an actual measured weight of 2.2oz. If production units can maintain this weight, this would make it the lightest commercially available canister stove, beating the 2.5oz Snow Peak GigaPower Titanium Manual, 2.7oz Coleman F1 Ultralight, and 2.7oz Vargo Jet-Ti Stove. Judging solely from its specifications, I expect performance to be comparable to the older model.

Specifications and Features

• Dimensions in use: 3.5 in high x 5 in wide (9 x 13 cm)
• Dimensions stored: 2.5 in high x 2.8 in wide x 2.3 in thick (6 x 7 x 6 cm)
• Heat Output: 7500 BTU/hr (claimed)
• Measured Weight: 2.2oz (62g) (prototype)
• MSRP: $65

In an age where portable electronic devices are starting to play a more significant role in backcountry travel whether strictly for pleasure, aids to navigation, journaling, or communications they all have one serious drawback: they require power. More and more of these devices rely solely on proprietary rechargeable battery technology so you do not have the option of merely swapping batteries in and out. Therefore, having a reliable way to recharge your devices has become more important and it is likely that this ztrend will continue.

Their are two basic approaches to this issue: solar chargers and battery-pack chargers. Solar charger have the singular advantage of access to a nearly inexhaustible energy supply from the Sun. But that energy source is fickle and solar cells are notorious for only working in optimal or near optimal conditions. Battery-pack chargers provide a steady reliable source of power, but once the batteries in the pack are depleted you will not be able to recharge anything and you will be carrying useless dead weight. Which road you travel will be influenced by what you need to recharge and how often you expect to have to do it.

Universal Adapter is entering this market with a nifty battery-pack based charger. At first glance it seems like a rather hefty object to take along on a trip as it is designed to hold 8 AA size batteries. The pack becomes a 12 volt power supply from which you can plug a car charger to recharge your electronic gizmos. With the use of high capacity batteries, they recommend using 2300 milliamp hour or higher, the Carport charger can recharge most cell phones 3 to 5 times, PDAs and iPods 2 to 3 times, and perhaps most important to the backcountry travelers GPS units 2 to 3 times.

The unit is made of PC/ABS plastics and appears to be durable. It weighs 2.8 ounces without batteries. Batteries vary in weight with alkaline batteries weighing the most, followed by NiMH,, and lithium batteries being the lightest. A quick and dirty calculation suggest that the Carport charger would weigh approximately 9.4 ounces when filled with 8 NiMH batteries.

Is the Carport a viable alternative? For many trips it could well be. I have taken solar chargers on trips that while lighter also did not provide a reliable source of power to recharge the devices I had with me. Bringing extra batteries was not practical since even the after-market non-branded version would have cost in excess of $60. While I do not know if the Carport would have worked, none of us has had a chance to test one yet, if it does it would certainly have been worth it on medium length trip from 5 to 15 days in length.

Features and Specifications

• A portable 12-volt power supply that can be used to recharge portable electronics such as iPods, GPS receivers, PDAs, and cell phones.
• Weighs 2.8 ounces without batteries.
• Uses 8 AA batteries.
• Mates with a car charger to recharge your portable devices.
• Can fully charge most cell phones 3 to 5 times; PDAs, iPods, and GPS receivers 2 to 3 times.
• WOrks with non-rechargeable and rechargeable batteries; 2300 MAh capacity or high are recommended.