New Balance Leadville MT1210 Runners version 2 Spotlight Review

Very similar to the first version, these lightweight shoes perform well for trail running or hiking.

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Lightweight Backpacking News: Digest No. 12

News this week: Steger’s Solo Winter Traverse through the Boundary Waters, the 235-mile Trans-Adirondack Route, ISPO 2015, and more!

Introduction

If you’d like to submit a link to a timely (fresh) story for us to consider including in our next installment, please send it along to submissions@backpackinglight.com with the subject line “BPL NEWS DIGEST”.

Expedition Shorts

GOOGLE VIEW GOING OFF THE BEATEN PATH – If you’ve gotten on Google View recently you may have noticed a few views and were wondering how they got them.

MASSIVE GLACIER CALVING CAUGHT ON CAMERA – Calving is when ice breaks of the front of a glacier and for this patient camera crew their wait was worth it.

WITNESS THE HIMALAYAS FROM 20,000 FEET – The crew from Teton Gravity Research took HD footage using a innovative gyro-stabilization camera.

IMPORTANT: If you don’t see the video immediately below, or see a “Sorry…” message in the video player, just click this link to refresh the page, and you’ll be good.

WATCH LEO MAcCARRON’S “KARUN” FILM FOR FREE – In 2014, adventurer Leo McCarron followed Iran’s longest river from source to sea, and now he wants to share a film commemorating that journey with you!

Photo of the Week

Father daughter time at the Flapjack Lakes ultralight style.

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Flapjack Lakes overnight with my daughter. Amazing lakes! #GETOUTSTAYOUT #REI1440 #ONP #backpackinglight

A photo posted by @summit54 on Mar 13, 2015 at 9:51pm PDT

Skills

Group Navigation

A crucial component of a successful backpacking trip is finding your way. While you may be an experienced navigator and may thrive in the woods on your own navigation in a group can be challenging just due to group dynamics. Before you head out on the trail it is important to get everyone on the same page and have multiple people keeping track of navigation. Headaches, arguments, and delays are inevitable if the navigators have their compasses set to a different declination or their GPS units using a different coordinate system. Learning how to navigate in the outdoors is a valuable skill one that can be fun to teach provided that you take care of the initial steps and make sure you have consistency between navigators.

Read the full report from Section Hiker.

Surviving an Avalanche

Anytime you venture into the backcountry for some skiing you are putting yourself in avalanche danger. Even in low lying areas there is potential for a slide to come from above you. Avalanches are extremely dangerous and the best way to survive one is to avoid them completely. Avalanches are most common on slopes between 25-45 degrees which are unfortunately usually the most fun to ski. Learning to avoid these slopes especially during avalanche conditions is the best thing you can do stay away from avalanches. There are some skills you should have and tactics you can employ to avoid avalanches. Having the right equipment is crucial to performing a rescue and if you are the one who is trapped in avalanche swimming for your life and creating an air pocket increases your chances for survival. When performing a rescue speed is the mantra – after about 10 minutes of being trapped a person’s chances for survival drops rapidly. Before heading out, master terrain association so you can avoid avalanche slopes and practice with your gear.

Read the full report from Indefinitely Wild.

Skills Shorts

BECOME A SPONTANEOUS TRAVELER – These sites and apps will make it quick and easy to do so.

ADVICE FOR BEGINNING WRITERS – Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild, shares her thoughts on becoming a proficient writer.

Gear

ISPO 2015

The gear show in Munich, Germany this year featured “new” gear for the outdoorsman and outdoorswoman in all of us. From clothing to equipment there were some innovative products that will certainly make your time in the backcountry easier but the majority was last-year’s models with some minor upgrades. There was of course unique gear like outdoor gear for an urban environment styled in a way that will allow you to “fit in”. The ISPO is what you would expect – a trade show with vendors extolling their wares. Nevertheless, ISPO is a way to see all the gear in one spot.

Read the full report from Hiking in Finland.
And checkout last week’s BPL article from Mathew Pullan on ISPO 2015.

Trekking Shirts

A trekking shirt is your first line of defense against the elements. Long-sleeve shirts offer sun protection and minimize skin abrasion during bushwhacking. Short-sleeves work well in warm environments with shade. Other than the length it is important to consider the materials. Nylon and woven fabrics are often touted as the fabrics with superior sun protection however using merino wool or polyester although offering slightly less sun protection perform better in other ways. Knit polyester or merino wool are preferred to woven fabrics which have limited airflow and nylon which manages moisture poorly. Both polyester and merino wool will stink less than the other options. Make sure to size your shirt long on the torso so you will have some protection as the shirt raises some when wearing a pack. Front zippers or buttons are ideal to increase airflow and manage temperature.

Read the full report from Andrew Skurka.

Gear Shorts

KEY CHAIN LIGHT STILL RELEVANT – Paul Mags uses a key chain along with his Swiss Army knife as a primitive tool kit that still gets the job done.

KEEN RELEASES UNEEK SHOE – Made from a two-cord construction using a process “never-seen-before” in the shoe industry, the Uneek shoe is turning shoe manufacturing upside down.

PETZL KID’S CLIMBING HARNESS – Due to their anatomy, kids climb better if they have a harness that raises their center of gravity when climbing with a rope.

Petzl Harness courtesy of Gear Junkie.

People

Where are the women?

This has been addressed on BPL before, but the athletes and spectators of the outdoor sports world cannot help but notice that women are disproportionally represented. This trend seems to be unintentional and is reversing. Take the story of Nasa Koski who was employed Microsoft as an engineer for 17 years, but one day quit to start a career in the outdoor film industry. Now she is the CEO of Adventure Film School. For Sarah Woods, the executive director of the 5Point Film Festival in Carbondale Colorado, and Ashley Gatelesss who is working on an outdoor film reversing this trend is simple yet gradual and begins with women in the outdoors taking the initiative. They say that this can be extremely tough as women must fight back the legions of self-doubt resulting from years of societal norms. They want to encourage all women to believe in themselves to pick up the camera and go after it because they can do it.

Read these full reports from Adventure Journal.
Checkout the site of women adventurer Sarah Outen.

Our Remote Areas – What’s really at Stake?

Kids enjoying the outdoors courtesy of Trail Cooking.

It has been well-documented here as well as elsewhere the benefit to us from spending time in nature. It is nourishing to the soul and allows for important reflection. Taking that a step further; taking full-advantage of the potential of the outdoors is an important step to saving our society. Picking up a newspaper only heightens the tension we all feel. Battles of rhetoric and weapons are being waged across the globe and here locally. So much of today’s media focuses on the things that divide us leaving most consumers depressed and wondering why the “world is so messed up”. For decades now, outdoor adventurers who journey to other countries and experience the culture there have run stories completely contradictory to this notion. From them we’ve heard of the compassion of locals to strangers which contradicts the claims the media has made about places around the world (the Middle East, Africa, etc.) In a society that prioritizes so many material and divisive things it is little wonder our youth are facing so many so many problems today – their role models and examples demonstrate rather odd and selfish ways of behaving. Getting kids outdoors and exposing them to adventure exposes them to other ways of experiencing something unique. It gives them an opportunity to learn to trust in themselves and develop skills they can use anywhere. Exploration in the outdoors helps them develop valuable leadership skills which they take back and share with friends, family, and neighbors. Getting the youth into the outdoors might just be one of the best ways to improving our society and focusing on what matters. One of the solutions is to get the kids out at a young age when they can truly just enjoy it.

Read the full report from Planet Fear.
Read about a preschool that’s getting kids outdoors from Trail Cooking.

People Shorts

ANDREW SKURKA LOOKING FOR FEMALE MODEL FOR OUTDOOR EVENT – If you live in Portland and want to model Sierra Designs clothing the morning and afternoon of March 31 contact Andrew Skurka.

JOIN THE REBEL BOOK CLUB – Guaranteed to help you read 12 “life-changing books” over the course of the year.

Trailers and Videos

Darjeeling Dreams

A story of traveling across India by bus, car, and bike and the lessons that come along the way.

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Rocklands

A climbing duo finds trad climbing routes in South Africa.

IMPORTANT: If you don’t see the video immediately below, or see a “Sorry…” message in the video player, just click this link to refresh the page, and you’ll be good.

The Forge

Rugged trail running in NW Scotland forges endurance and toughness.

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ISPO 2015: Part 1, Clothing

ISPO brings the top outdoor retailers together and gives us an opportunity to evaluate their gear firsthand.

This article has been broken into 3 parts.

Part 1 which covers clothing.
Part 2 which covers gear and accessories.
Part 3 which covers skiing accessories.

It’s that time of year again!

Having had so much fun last year and, at a modest six hour train journey away being relatively local, I signed up for another report on the ISPO sports and outdoor trade show in Munich. I decided to just do three days this year, as I found the fourth a bit tedious in 2015. That meant a bit more organization and a tighter schedule. I also wanted to improve on last year’s photos: smartphones will take a nice picture; it’s just a matter of holding them steady enough. To that end I bought a lightweight tripod and smartphone adapter. I think the photos are much sharper as a result, I hope you enjoy them. Of course, eventually the fun is over and one gets down to the nitty-gritty of sorting through the small mountain of USB sticks, business cards and brochures.

Where shall we start? Well, last year I focused quite heavily on raw materials, so naturally I went back to some of the same manufacturers to see how things were going. One of my first ports of call was Ardmel Group, which is the parent company of Keela. As you may recall from last year, Ardmel is currently locked in a complex legal battle with W.L. Gore over the claim ‘Guaranteed to Keep You Dry’ in Gore’s advertising literature. The argument, of course, runs much deeper, and raises questions about exactly which criteria should be applied when evaluating, and consequently promoting, outdoor clothing. As we all know only too well, physical activity means sweat and water vapour building up on the inside, irrespective of what is going on outside; although heavy rain also negates any breathability the fabric poses when completely dry. Well, as you can imagine, due legal process, all too often wielded punitively in its own right, is not doing very much right now, so no news to report on that front I’m afraid. However, Ardmel also decided to lodge a complaint with the Advertising Standards Authority in the UK. Basically, they complained that the phrase ‘Guaranteed to Keep You Dry’ misleads the consumer and thus amounts to false advertising. They were good enough to let me take away a copy of the ASA’s response, which I’m sure will be of great interest to BPL readers. It is duly reproduced below.

Clear as mud?

Personally, I find this response both presumptuous and somewhat contradictory: presumptuous, in its unqualified definition of the average consumer; contradictory, in that the average consumer interprets the claim ‘Guaranteed to Keep You Dry’ to mean that the fabric is also breathable, but understands that physical exertion will obviously impinge on this breathability. I’m sure someone with better retail sales knowledge could produce a better definition of the ‘average consumer’; most of the people I talked to at ISPO readily admitted that most of the gear on show will end up on the high street rather than up a mountain. Moreover, I think the letter is very badly written, and that its dual use of the linking adverbial ‘however’ seems particularly vague and rambling, as if the author is not quite sure of what they are trying to say. The matter may well be worth appealing, but to be honest, if meaningful change is to come, it will probably come from the markets before it is secured by the rule of law(yers). This unfortunate fact of life is by no means lost on Ardmel. To try and get things moving they offer their own solution to the problem of water vapour build up – a double breathable membrane with the moniker ‘System Dual Protection’ – license free to interested manufacturers. All they ask is that manufacturers recognize that the technology belongs to Ardmel with the addition of a System Dual Protection’ tag in the construction. This, I think, is a smart move on their part. Maier Sports and Sherpa are already offering SDP technology in their product lines, whilst Bergens and Alaska are showing interest. An additional membrane means more weight in the finished garment of course, but with fabric weights coming down all the time, even these dual membrane pieces now rival traditional breathable technologies. Keela themselves have produced the Saxon jacket, pictured below:

A new lightweight double membrane jacket from Keela.

The piece was finished quite literally, just before the show, so unfortunately no one knows as yet how heavy it is. It felt lighter than 17 oz (500 g) to me. Hopefully I can contact Keela to get a specific figure before the end of this run of articles. In the photo below you can just make out the transparent inner membrane against the white outer membrane:

Lighter and lighter…

The SDP technology itself could easily be made lighter still, given that there are now 7 micron membranes on 7 denier face fabrics available. It just depends on how much money you want to throw at it. Keela have generously offered to construct what they call a half and half version of the Saxon jacket for BPL to test. One half of the jacket is lined with a double membrane, the other with just a single membrane, which allows a more direct comparison to be made. After all this talk, it’s only fitting that some of Keela’s claims are held up to scrutiny. Hopefully this sample, along with some others, will be forwarded to one of the BPL team in the near future.

Speaking of lighter and lighter membranes, I ambled over to Pertex to ask how things were going there. They were busy promoting their new Pertex Shield Plus fabric which employs a hydrophilic membrane. Normal Pertex Shield has a 10,000mm hydrostatic head and 7000g (MVTR) A1, whereas, Pertex Shield Plus has a 20,000mm hydrostatic head and boasts a much improved 20,000g (MVTR) B1 breathability rating. Also new on the Pertex order books is Pertex Shield AP, the AP standing for Air Porous. Pertex Shield AP employs an air porous membrane, greatly increasing breathability. Unfortunately I could not find the exact figures on the Pertex website, but I think it’s safe to say that Shield AP represents a comparable improvement in performance to Shield Plus. Shield Plus available now in a 7 denier option, whilst the rep said Shield AP will certainly work on 7 denier fabrics, so it may take some liaising with Pertex to get it made. The 7 denier Shield Plus is just a few moths old, in fact, Pertex is offering a fabric known internally as Pertex Sheild Plus Triple 7 – 7d face, 7 micron membrane and 7 d jersey knit liner – that is yet to be utilized by any manufacturer in the world. The rep told me that Pertex was aware that their fabrics were sold to the MYOG community, but supplying outlets like Thru-Hiker and Extremextil was something they initially resisted. The main reason being that they are a component brand and big customers don’t like their top of the range fabric turning up in people’s homespun gear. However, he said, and I quote ‘attitudes are changing’. Pertex it seems, like other companies, is beginning to sense the huge benefits engaging with online communities can have on corporate reputation. One of the reasons we don’t see more of it in the outdoor retail sector is that, like everything in big business, online reputation management is done to a budget. Readers may be interested to know that Quantum GL now comes in a matt finish as well as the normal shiny version. According to the rep, European customers prefer the matt finish, whilst producers in the US prefer the shiny finish because ‘it looks lighter’. Pertex throws in some titanium dioxide to take off the sheen once the fabric has been calandered. They recommend having the shiny side facing the down so that it is harder for a stray quill in the down to snag and push through to the outside. However, in an ideal world the fabric should be calandered on both sides.

I had a very interesting conversation with the rep from Toray. They had sewn up some nice factory prototypes with their new insulation material ‘3DeFX+’. I reported on this new ‘stretch’ insulation last year, but it was nice to see it turned into something wearable:

On your mark, get set, drool!

It might not look like much, but it had a wonderfully soft feel to it, and I mean ‘really nice’. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you how much I would have liked to have taken that away for testing; out of the question of course. Toray were also showcasing their new ‘Plant Based’ technology:

30 – 40% Plant based Dermizax.

Dermizax is actually available from Extremtextil, the samples above are the new 30 – 40% plant based version. Toray is aiming to be 100% plant based by 2020, a wise decision given the fluctuations in oil price. For nylon fabrics they use castor beans, and for polyester fabrics they use waste molasses, so the new supply chain will hopefully be gentle on the environment unlike say, palm oil production. They also had a new fleece product on the stand called ‘Karuishi’. The fleece is woven with a new patented weaving technique and according to Toray, a 4.5 oz (125 g) Karuishi cloth has the same clo value as a traditional 7.1 oz (200 g) fleece cloth. Besides that, the rep also told me that Toray is definitely working on a 5 denier nylon textile, even though they are extremely skeptical as to whether it will be good for anything. So far, they have only been able to produce very small quantities as the thread breaks too easily. You can’t blame them for being skeptical about the end uses of a fabric they are not technically capable of producing. I’m sure the irony of this situation is not lost on you the esteemed reader. Here we have companies expending untold resources on the production of something they themselves doubt to be any practical use, whilst, more often that not, manufacturers fail to realize the full benefit of the materials they do have either because of the pernicious influence of high street fashion, or in order to use raw materials that outperform everything else on paper and in the laboratory, but not in the real world. The fact is, technology sells, as does fashion. Unfortunately, it often sells better than the things of which it is merely a component. Not that I think we shouldn’t be appreciative of companies with significant financial leverage using these high end materials for their own marketing purposes, it would be unfair to suggest there has been no benefit for us.

Thinsulate was still pushing their new ‘Featherless’ insulation:

Impossible to see, but when you press a button water drips down through the tubes.

The demonstration setup was a lot better than last year’s, and a good way to show how there is no reduction in volume, and thus clo value, when Thinsulate Featherless gets wet. I found out a bit more about the material this year. It is a continuous filament insulation material equivalent to about 600 (US) cu. in. down. I also found out, thanks to other traders, that Thinsulate is working on new versions of their ‘Featherless’ insulation, and that some manufacturers feel that, in terms of warmth to weight, its performance is even better than that of its leading competitors. Manufacturers like Spyder, Bench, Merrel, Quiksilver, Carhartt and Rossignol have all added ‘Featherless’ to their range. And before you say, ‘but I wouldn’t touch any of their gear with a bargepole’, even Rab have added some ‘Featherless’ garments to their range:

From left to right: Men’s Nebula Jacket, Women’s Nebula Jacket and two Nimbus Jackets (unisex).

These jackets, like those that follow, will be out fall/winter 2015. They are so new the Nimbus jackets were not even in the workbook. It took a few emails with the rep to get all the relevant information. The Nebula jacket is available in both a men’s and women’s version and will weigh about 20.5 oz (580 g) (large). It has a Pertex Endurance shell and 8.6 oz (244 g) of ‘Cirrus’ powered by 3M Featherless insulation. It looks like a pretty warm cold weather jacket, and so should probably not be compared with the very lightest synthetic jackets available. It will cost $240. The Nimbus jacket is lighter at 16.0 oz (455 g). The Nimbus has a Pertex Quantum shell but is only available in a unisex fit. It will cost $210. For ultralight use there will be an ‘Ether X Jacket’ weighing 9 oz (240 g). The Ether X again uses Pertex Quantum GL inside and out, but with PrimaLoft Gold (1.5 oz / m²) insulation. The Ether X will cost $195. I’m afraid I didn’t get a picture of the Ether X. When questioned as to why Rab chose Thinsulate Featherless, the rep said that Rab is always interested in new developments and, being a British company, they wanted to make some gear for damp UK weather conditions. Last year, Rab was only just beginning to incorporate hydrophobic down (from Nikwax) into their range. This year they unveiled the new Continuum Pull-on:

On test soon???

The Continuum Pull-on has Pertex Quantum GL inside and out and is filled with 850 (US) fp hydrophobic down. It weighs 7.4 oz (210 g) (large) and will cost $270. So, not the lightest, but not the most expensive either. Polartec Alpha insulation is proving very popular with manufacturers at the moment, and Rab had their offering on display:

The Rab Paradox Pull-on

The Paradox Pull-on weighs 13.0 oz (360 g) (large) and has a high gauge stretch polyester outer. According to Rab, Polartec Alpha has a better drying time and a better warmth to weight ratio than a conventional fleece. Of course, the drying time of the other materials used in such garments may prove to be a limiting factor. Unveiled last year, Rab’s new Flashpoint jacket has been in the shops for a week or two now:

A fully featured waterproof breathable jacket for 6.3 oz (180 g).

Hopefully, this jacket and the others featured here will be reviewed by the team in the coming weeks.

Montane has always been well known for their very light weight offerings, but they haven’t released much new ultralight gear in quite a while. This year saw the release of their new Fireball Verso Pull-on:

Fireball Verso Pull-on with Hypervent outer showing.

The Fireball Verso Pull-on has Pertex Quantum Rip-stop on one side, and Hypervent on the other. For insulation it has PrimaLoft Silver. Keen eyed readers may notice the invisible zipper for the breast pocket; a nice touch, and quite easy to do on a home sewing machine once you’ve seen it done. That said, I can’t help but wonder if this is just more high street fashion creeping in. The Fireball Verso Pull-on is quite light, however, at about 8.6 oz (244 g) (medium). It should retail for about £100, so not too expensive either. As the name implies, it can be reversed, if desired, to a more windproof (less breathable?) configuration:

Pertex Quantum Rip-stop inner becomes windproof outer.

There is more light weight gear in the pipeline at Montane, and it will form part of Montane’s expanded ‘Via Running’ range. Much is changing at Montane at the moment: they have recently become a Goretex licensee; the first UK company in 17 years to be licensed by Goretex. Of course, that is not great news for fans of eVent, because it will have to be phased out under the terms of Gore’s licensing. Montane, however, is very excited about it. Montane has also become the first company in the world to commit to applying the RDS (responsible down standard) across its entire range of clothing. Montane customers will now be able to trace the down in their clothing from the beginning of the supply chain right through to the end thanks to Allied Feather and Down’s ‘Track My Down’ service. It’s good to see some substantial change in an industry where sustainability and ethics could so easily become mere greenwash. Montane has brought out a new jacket using PrimaLft’s gold down blend:

The New Montane Black Ice 2.0 jacket.

The jacket is designed for more extreme conditions, so is in the mid to heavy weight range of cold weather insulated jackets. It has a box wall construction over the torso and a 38g/m 600mm HH shell. It is filled with 8.8 oz (250 g) of PrimaLoft Gold down blend. It weighs 23.9 oz (678 g) (medium) and will cost $285. Even last year, it seemed like Montane was definitely focusing on wet weather performance rather than low weight. If it means being able to leave other gear behind well OK, that remains to be tested in the field. They have also brought out a new synthetic insulated jacket:

The new Montane Hi-q Luxe synthetic insulated jacket.

The Hi-q Luxe uses the new PrimaLoft Gold Luxe synthetic insulation, which is exclusive to Montane. When wet it has a clo value of 0.93 clo/oz/yd². Altogether, the jacket weighs 20.2 oz (574 g) (Montane describes this as ultralight, hmm), and it will sell for $255. It has a Pertex Quantum Rip-stop shell with DWR. Speaking of DWR, there was an interesting press breakfast on the Montane stand on the second day. A rep from Allied down and one from Montane both gave a short presentation. The Allied down rep said they are using a C6 treatment at the moment, but Allied Down will be 100% FC free by 2016. C6 treatments have been here and gone in the blink of an eye it seems.

I went to have a look at the Mountain Equipment stand this year, as I had missed them out for some reason last year. They were showing off their new ‘Dewline’ down jacket range:

The Mountain Equipment Dewline Hooded Jacket

The Dewline hoodie weighs 15.5 oz (440 g) and has a 20 denier inner and outer (Mountain Equipment don’t use any ballistics lighter than 20d). You can see the lighter jacket version behind it on the rack; that weighs 13.2 oz (375 g), so is at the top end of the ultralight down jacket scale. However, when you consider that 6.0 oz (170 g) of that weight is the water resistant down insulation, you clearly have a very warm jacket. There is a vest for summer use:

The Mountain Equipment Dewline Vest.

The Dewline vest weighs 10.1 oz (285 g), of which, 3.7 oz (105 g) is 700 fp water resistant down. The Dewline range is certainly feature rich, and comes with a full length zip rather than the popular ½ zip pullover style. Personally, I quite like a full zip, because it allows me to attach Velcro tabs to the inside of the jacket and fix it to more Velcro tabs sewn on to the top of my quilt. That way, a spread out jacket can cover my whole torso and the top of my legs. I’m also not crushing any down uselessly underneath me, whilst the sleeves can be tucked under the jacket, giving even more insulation over the chest. Best of all, I don’t have to wear so much underneath, so I feel more comfortable. When I got home and started looking through the Mountain Equipment workbook I found this:

The Mountain Equipment Compressor Hooded Jacket.

Apologies for the stock photo; for some reason the rep didn’t show me the item when I asked about ultralight gear, although we did get talking about the new Compressor Pant:

The Mountain Equipment Compressor Pant.

The Compressor Hooded Jacket weighs in at 13.4 oz (380 g), making it quite light compared to the other synthetic jackets I saw at the show. It uses PrimaLoft Gold synthetic insulation, although the workbook doesn’t say how much overall. The Compressor Pant weighs11.8 oz (335 g) and also comes in a ¾ version weighing 8.5 oz (240 g):

The Mountain Equipment Compressor ¾ Pant.

Again, whilst these garments are not at the ultralight end of the scale, it remains to be seen how much warmth they provide.

Whilst walking round ISPO one sees so much new and innovative gear it is always a challenge deciding what to include in the article. One item I just couldn’t leave out was this amazing new jacket from a little known break-out manufacturer:

Some of the manufacturer’s claims may be a little inflated.

As you can see, it boasts the very latest in cutting edge hybrid materials and bonded construction. According to the rep, Goretex experimented with the technology but couldn’t get it to work because they tried a sew and tape approach. The jacket bears an uncanny resemblance to technology currently being developed by Klymit. Perhaps this is an example of ‘creative’ R&D on the part of our Asian partners. Good ideas spread fast, bad ones even faster it seems.

Amateur Backpacking Videography

Videography with an emphasis on the pursuit of the “perfect” shot and the ensuing editing can be time consuming, daunting, and distract from your trip. The author presents tactics to make it easier and record your adventures.

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Pat’s Backcountry Beer: Ultralight Beer from Concentrate for Weight-Conscious Backpackers

Still not great as the real deal, Pat’s Backcountry Brewery is a nice lightweight option to enjoy some beer in the backcountry.

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Lightweight Backpacking News: Digest No. 11

Backpacking Light has scoured the web and will now bring you salient backpacking news stories, gear releases, and trip reports.

Introduction

IMPORTANT: If you don’t see the video immediately below, or see a “Sorry…” message in the video player, just click this link to refresh the page, and you’ll be good.

GREELEY PONDS ADVENTURE – Section Hiker takes to the snow for a remote traverse.

Skills

How logging has Shaped our Ski Areas

Logging and the timber industry has shaped our ski areas and given us more access to the backcountry. Logging opens up remote areas to easier exploration and the challenge is how do we continue to allow access the backcountry without compromising the integrity of our forests.

Check out the video below to learn more.

IMPORTANT: If you don’t see the video immediately below, or see a “Sorry…” message in the video player, just click this link to refresh the page, and you’ll be good.

River Crossings

Sooner or later when traveling in the woods you are going to have cross a stream. This can be intimidating at first but there are some tactics to make it easier. For example, one commonly used technique is to start far upstream from where you want to end up on the other bank and walk with the current across the river. It is far easier to walk with the current then try to fight your way upstream or directly across. Often people take their shoes off in order to keep them dry, but remember if you slip because you don’t have good foot protection or support more than your shoes will be soaked. If you do slip don’t panic!

Read the rest of the tips from The Hiking Life.

Skills Shorts

360-degree view of the Dawn Wall – Check out this view of Tommy Caldwell on the Dawn Wall.

MANTRAS TO TAKE YOU TO THE TOP – Top athletes are taking from tactics from the Buddhists and using mantras to keep themselves motivated and focused during competition.

Gear

Why Cotton is not an Insulator

As subscribers of BPL, I think most of us have a grasp on why synthetics and wool are preferred insulators to cotton for activities in the outdoors; however the article below is a scientific discussion on why cotton is a killer.

Read the full report from Indefinitely Wild.

Food

When preparing for a backpacking trip it is important to consider the calorie-to-weight ratio of your foods. This can make a difference in the success of your trip – you don’t want to be carrying a lot of foods that are heavy yet calorie deficient. Provided that you have trained your body to burn fats as an energy source, foods like nuts, cheeses, and butter have high caloric density which will help you to replenish your energy stores. Also carbs that your body can metabolize quickly (energy bars, cookies, nuts, etc.) make for good snacks to give you a boost to finish the day.

Read about some great backpacking foods from Trail Cooking.

Gear Shorts

ULTRALIGHT COLEMAN CANISTER STOVE – Paul Mags takes a look at the Coleman F1 Ultralight stove – a forgotten gem.

CHEESY POTATOES – Andrew Skurka shares his cheesy potatoes recipe and boy do they look good!

People

A Singletrack Connected Town

Photo credit to Christoph Oberschneider & Matthias Aigner. Courtesy of Sidetracked.com.

Eagle, Colorado between Aspen and Vail is in the process of starting a new trend. In November the city council unanimously approved a project called Singletrack Sidewalks which connects schools and existing trails with an additional 10 miles of mountain biking terrain within the city. The project sprung from residents who witnessed students creating dirt paths off the pavement. The residents contacted the city to see if the city could be connected with mountain bike paths giving the kids an opportunity to have some fun on the way to school. This project seems to be the first of its kind in the US and the firs stage is underway this Spring.

Read these full reports from Outside Online.

Alastair Humphreys

Alastair Humphreys has become a legend in adventure lore for some of his trips and chasing his passions. From cycling around the world to traversing the Empty Quarter his expeditions have tested his will and his spirit, and have inspired others to try similar feats. Now it seems that Humphreys is switching his gaze to something a little more “humane”. Recently, Alastair has started his microadventures which encourages us all to get out for a mini-adventure each day. His website has been filled with tips to get you started on becoming an adventurer and he seems to be mainly focused on building a network around the globe of people who value and practice adventure.

Read report by Alastair on how money isn’t really the limitation to achieving your dreams.
Interview with Alastair by Dirtbag Diaries.
Read an excellent story from Alastair on his trip into the Empty Quarter.

People Shorts

WHO’S THE FASTEST ICE CLIMBER IN THE WORLD? – This weekend the world championships of ice climbing will take place in Russia.

AMANDA BATTY WILL PAY YOU TO RACE – Provided that you are a women that is; Batty plans to put up $20,000 to grow the sport of women’s mountain biking.

Trailers

MMA Fighter Turned Mountain Runner

Kyle Dietz was a former professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter who hung it all up for a love of the mountains. The film explores this transition. Check out the trailer below.

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The Evolution of a Winter Stove – Part 5: Infra-Red testing

Dissatisfied with what was commercially available at the time, the author has been working on the design of a lightweight winter canister stove since 2007. This installment focuses on infra-red testing.

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Candle Stoves

The quest for the best ultralight stove continues…and it depends on how you define the “best”. What the Candle stove lacks in for speed it certainly makes up for in efficiency.

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BRS-3000T stove Spotlite Review

A very inexpensive yet lightweight and effective stove. Works great for small-group, overnight cooking.

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Lightweight Backpacking News: Digest No. 10

Backpacking Light has scoured the web and will now bring you salient backpacking news stories, gear releases, and trip reports.

Introduction

Expedition Shorts

BASICALLY DON’T DO THIS – This is not the kind of expedition you want.

IMPORTANT: If you don’t see the video immediately below, or see a “Sorry…” message in the video player, just click this link to refresh the page, and you’ll be good.

Photo of the Week

Hurkan Kartel reminds us how simple lightweight backpacking is supposed to be. Here he uses the can of food as the pot to cook said food.

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I wanted to go backpacking light. So the empty can worked just well as cook pot #cooking #campfire #firewood #gear #bushcraft #hiking #backpackinglight

A photo posted by Hürkan Kartal (@hurkankartal) on Feb 6, 2015 at 8:31am PST

Skills

How to Make Your Running Shoes Last Longer

Making your running shoes last longer is the endless plight of the runner. Your running form and how hard you land with each step have a big impact on the durability of your shoes. Aside from modifying your form, tips like avoiding the dryer at all costs, tracking your mileage using your running shoes, and using them only for running are big steps to helping them last longer. Also leaving them out in extreme heat or cold damages a shoe’s integrity.

Read the full report from Runner’s World.

Household Items that Double as Effective Camping Gear

In our homes we are surrounded by odds and ends that actually are very useful tools in the backcountry. The resourcefulness of humans is amazing and instead of throwing-away some of these common items when you no longer need them think about how you can use them for your next camping trip. From cat food tins being used as a lightweight stove, to trash bags being used as a packliner or vapor barrier, to tyvek liners as a groundcloth.

Read the full report from Indefinitely Wild.

Skills Shorts

THE NATURE OF THRU-HIKES IS CHANGING – Paul Mags shares how the triple-crown hikes are trending from grassroots to organized and what this could mean for the future of thru-hikes. PACKING FOR WINTER CAMPING – Gossamer Gear shares their best techniques to packing for winter camping.

Gear

Arc’Teryx Lithic Comp Jacket and Pants

Pete Connolly reviewed this high-end ski gear with one purpose in mind: to see if the popular perception of Arc’Teryx gear was valid. Other than some minor durability issues with a rip in the crotch of the pants that Arc’Teryx called an “isolated case” the gear performed excellently. Connolly said that the first thing he noticed about the jacket was the weight saying that “there is not a single extra or unnecessary piece of material involved in the construction” and the Gore-Tex fabric yields superior water-resistance and breathability. The pants too are very lightweight and stretchy which yields great comfort.

Read the full report from Teton Gravity.

The Iphone and It’s Cases

With buit-in GPS useful for fitness and navigation as well as a host of handy apps, smartphones are becoming increasingly popular in the backcountry. The quest to protect the phones and do so in a light-way is underway. Stephen Regenold tested cases for the Iphone for two months and developed a list of the best. From waterproofing to built-in batteries to an everyday carry case, there is a case for you! Just don’t let me catch you playing angry birds in your tent when you could be checking out the stars.

Read the full report from Gear Junkie.

Gear Shorts

2015 GOSSAMER GEAR KUMO REVIEW – Barefoot Jake reviews this pack and calls it one of the most versatile, functional ever. MARKER KINGPING 15/16 PREVIEW – Geoff Curtis from Marker/Volkl shows how their new bindings work. IMPORTANT: If you don’t see the video immediately below, or see a “Sorry…” message in the video player, just click this link to refresh the page, and you’ll be good.

BACKOUNTRY.COM SEMI-ANNUAL SALE – Take advantage of the deals from backountry.com on most major brands.

People

Casey Green

BPL member Casey Greene has been hard at work. When he can get away form his day job at the Adventure Cycling Association where he does excellent work as a cartographer for the non-profit that encourages bike travel, he’s out being a pioneer for the sport of packbiking. Packbiking is similar to bikepacking in that both use bikes to access the backcountry however when you packbike when the trail ends and you need to scramble up a cliff band or traverse a glacier you literally fold/dissemble your bike and stick it on your back – hence the name pack + biking. Really cool stuff. Anyway, Casey has been at this for a while now and credits his ideas to a group who used bikes and rafts in the Alaskan Range in the 90s. We also don’t want to underscore, Casey’s achievements as a cartographer, he spearheaded the creation of the Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Biking Route which takes travelers through some of the most stunning scenery in the West. Keep up the good work Casey!

Read these full reports from Bike Magazine and the Missoulian.
Listen to this interview with Casey on MTNmeister.

Interview with Leon McCarron and Alastair Humphreys

Leon McCaron and Alastair Humphreys were friends of a friend and both had a thirst for adventure. One of their heros was Wilfred Thesiger, one of Britain’s great adventurers and writers who explored one of the world’s largest deserts. Leon and Alastair decide to team up and follow suit and explore their own desert. They travel to an area known as the Empty Quarter which is a no-mans-land in Southern Saudi Arabia. On their journey of 1000 miles they encounter highs and lows. The drudgery of the sand day after day grows on them and causes them to emotionally struggle. There’s is a tale of victory against all odds and inspires us all. One of the main lessons they learned is that the Middle East they saw is not the Middle East popularized by the news – this is a place of joy and the people are welcoming. The world is more connected than we think and is a better place than we think and all we have to do to figure that out is get out and explore.

Read an interview with the adventurers from Champion North.
Visit their movie Into the Empty Quarter’s Website.

Sophie Radcliffe

Sophie running in the Alps. Photo by Daniel Wildey courtesy of Sidetracked.com.

Sophie Radcliffe is an accomplished adventurer, completed several Ironman’s, and has cycled around the world. She had always wanted to be a runner but she let that dream elude her for a while. After successes in other arenas she was ready to face the challenge head on. She has quickly improved and learned to enjoy running more than she’d even imagined. She has been running with her husband in her backyard (the Alps!) and loves the thrill. She inspires us that it’s never too late to chase your dreams and to stick with is no matter what.

Read the full story in Sohpie’s own words from Sidetracked Magazine.

Said Belhaj

Said Belhaj is a world-class Swedish climber who has spent his life doing what he loves. He has climbed all over the world and thanks to sponsorships he is able to climb often. He realizes that doing what you love each day is a the greatest form of wealth, but he also recognizes that it comes with great sacrifice; he is often away from his family and friends for months. It is nice to hear an unadulterated perspective about being a full-time adventurer and to appreciate the rewards and prices that go along with it.

Read the full interview from Hiking in Finland.

People Shorts

RICHARD PERMIN IS OUT TO CHANGE THE GAME – A European freestyle skier, Permin is determined to redefine his sport and make a name for his continent.

WHERE ARE THE WOMEN? – The Clymb explores why women are underrepresented in the Banff Mountain Film Festival and in the outdoor film industry as a whole.

AVALANCHE COURSES FOR WOMEN – WHY THEY MATTER – As an anecdote to the last article here is a story from Teton Gravity about how avalanche courses for women build confidence for the backcountry.

Trailers

We shy away from advertorials in our editorial section of BPL so we want to be clear we are not endorsing the films below. Rather we wanted to use this news format to share some trailers we thought were of interest and even potentially cool.

Unbranded

The story of 4 men on a journey from Mexico to Canada with 16 wild horses in order to prove the value of the 50,000 horses held in government pens.

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Weekend Wanderings in West Texas: Photo Essay

Saved by the Guadalupe Mountains, the author learns to live in West Texas and begins to enjoy the area with weekend visits to the mountains.

Introduction

A job in West Texas sounded like a miserable place for a mountain lover but I learned there are some hidden gems in West Texas worth discovering. In 2013 I needed a job and ended up teaching in Midland, Texas. If you’ve never been there Midland is a flat dusty place in West Texas. I wasn’t thrilled about the location till I looked at a map. The Guadalupe Mountains were only about 3 1/2 hours away. I filed that information away for the future and dove into my new job.

Hiking to the “Bowl” – Hike 1

By February I’d had about all I could take of living in a flat dustbowl and really wanted some mountains. Without much planning, I threw my gear and two gallons of water in the trunk of my car and drove west.

Driving up to a mountain range and feeling the cool mountain air blowing down made me feel better right away. The most direct way into the mountains was the Tejas Trail up Spring Canyon. I decided to go there then camp at the Mescalara campsite.

The views in the canyon were a very pleasant surprise. I hadn’t really researched the area so I didn’t know what to expect. None of the pictures I’d seen before did this area justice, the views were very dramatic and the weather was cool but pleasant. I felt more relaxed within 5 minutes of hitting the trail.

Eventually after lots and lots of switchbacks I reached the rim of the canyon and could see into the “Bowl.” Basically it is a high mountain basin where enough moisture collects for trees to grow. This was another pleasant surprise. I’d known the Guadalupe Mountains had some forest on top but I hadn’t realized how extensive it was. It was fun to walk through a mountain forest again.

I hiked east along the rim of the canyon toward Hunter Peak enjoying nice views off the edge of the mountains. Then I turned back into the forest and began heading for my campsite for the night.

Before the sun set I had a chance to admire the interior of the “Bowl.” The dramatic canyons of the Guadalupe Mountains get more attention but the “Bowl” has its own beauty.

About 3 AM I woke up and noticed my tent was sagging, I wasn’t sure what was going on until I noticed the snow drifting under the edge. Snow was not on the weather forecast so I was glad I’d brought a shelter (I thought about leaving it behind to save weight). I knocked the snow off and went back to bed until the sun came up.

Since I wasn’t sure if the snow would block the roads or not I hurriedly packed up and headed back to my car. Fortunately there was almost no snow down on the plains. As I drove back I was already thinking about coming back. Suddenly my new home didn’t seem so bad.

A Plan Comes Together

The plan I developed was to hike as many different trails as possible over the course of the spring. There were three major canyons in the park and I decided I wanted to hike up each one of them to see as many of the different geographic areas as I could.

Dog Canyon – Hike 2

My next destination was Dog Canyon on the north side of the park. I started early with an ambitious mileage goal for a short winter day. My plan was to circumnavigate the mountains camp at Mescalara again and come back out at Dog Canyon the next day.

Dog Canyon was interesting because it was on the other side of the mountains and had more a Great Plains feel rather than a desert feel. There were more grass and more trees in the creek bottoms.

As the trees began to appear I discovered an old log cabin near the “Cox Tank” (a dried manmade pond). This cabin was part of a pre-National Park ranch. I was told later that a bear lives in and around this cabin.

I found the bear’s tracks a bit farther up along the trail. The tracks were small so I guessed it was a young bear. Later a ranger told me that most of the areas bears are small and scrawny apparently because they don’t get great nutrition.

The trail continued to climb and the trees got thicker. I saw what I thought was Elk sign but didn’t see any. Interestingly I never saw Elk on all my trips through the area.

The last part of the hike up the end of the high country was steep but spectacular.

The hike along the edge of the mountains was amazing. I could have easily spent another day exploring all the rock outcroppings and different viewpoints.

The trail from Bush Mountain to Pine Mountain was the last scenery of the day as the sun was quickly setting.

I got up early the next day because I had a long drive home. Fortunately the hike was mostly downhill and I ended the trip on time to get home and get ready for Monday.

My next two goals where Guadalupe Peak and McKittrick Canyon.

Day hike up Guadalupe Peak – Hike 3

Guadalupe Peak was on my to-do list but it doesn’t really connect to any overnight hikes (except a very short out and back). So I decided to it as a day hike on one of my busier weekends.

There is a reason this is a popular hike in Texas, it packs a lot of scenery into a nice day hike.

McKittrick Canyon – Hikes 4 and 5

The last place I hadn’t seen was McKittrick Canyon. My first attempt ended in a bail when the new pack I’d designed fit poorly. The next weekend I was back with my old reliable pack and a determination to finally hike McKittrick Canyon. With warm weather creeping in I wanted to knock it off my list.

I left my car at the Spring Canyon Trailhead and hitched a ride to McKittrick Canyon on the north side of the park. I got a later start so I was in a bit of a rush and had to cover approximately 13 miles in 6 hours. On a good day I average 2 miles an hour so I thought speeding up a bit would be doable.

After following the creek for a ways the trail began a brutal climb up into the mountains. There was no way I was going to average anything close to 2 miles per hour here – in fact I was probably well under 1 mph. My heavy load of water slowed me down and I kept stopping to snap pictures.

I especially enjoyed the “notch” which is a narrow ridge with views of two different canyons. According to some it’s the “prettiest” spot in Texas.

I sped the pace up considerably on top of the ridge. In spite of the rush I stopped to enjoy the sunset over the top of McKittrick Canyon.

As the sun went down I pulled out my light and hiked in the dark. Thanks to a tip from Andrew Skurka’s book I had a better light than I used to have. I ended at Tejas Campsite after a mile of slow night hiking. In the morning I hiked the now familiar Tejas Trail back to my car, it was getting warm and I knew that my hiking season here was winding down.

Prior Cabin – Hike 6

My final trip was with a friend from school. He had never been hiking in the mountains and wanted to try it. I had no grand ambitions since I’d seen most of what I wanted to see and the weather was getting warm.

We did a simple hike up McKittrick Canyon to the famous Prior Cabin then turned back. It was a fun way to spend a Saturday with a friend and a nice end to the hiking season. All in all living in West Texas is turning out a lot better than I expected.

Gear thoughts

Packs – On all my successful backpacking trips in the Guadalupes I used the Exped Lighting 60 pack. It carries the heavy water loads better than any “ultralight” pack I’ve experimented with. The tough fabric makes the pack very durable which is ideal since the Guadalupe Mountains are full of rough rocks that will put wear and tear on a pack.
Shelter – Precipitation is rare in the Guadalupe Mountains, but weather can be unpredictable. So in spite of the dryness I always carry a shelter. The Guadalupe Mountains can also have very high winds so this is something to consider when preparing for your trip. In the forested areas a normal ultralight shelter is fine. If you plan on camping on a more exposed ridgeline carry something that can handle strong winds.
Water – There is no water you can legally use in the backcountry. Due to drought, Springs and creeks are off limits to humans. You need to carry a gallon a day, even in cool weather. I suggest not skimping, despite the weight I always carried the full two gallons and I never regretted it. West Texas well water tends to be pretty nasty and sometimes has enough minerals in it to give you an upset stomach. I suggest brining bottled water rather than using the spigots at the Trailheads.
Shoes – I have always used mesh trail runners; however for these dry conditions and occasional cactus, leather-topped shoes would be a bit more practical.
Clothing – Even in cool weather you are exposed to a lot of sun and I came back sunburned on several trips. Since it was not particularly warm on my hikes I wore long pants and long sleeves to minimize sun exposure. My Tilley hat was nice, the chin strap kept me from losing it a few times. I carry a rain jacket because in the mountains weather forecasts are unpredictable
First Aid – I never carried tweezers before but I would suggest them in the Guadalupes. There are a lot of prickly things.
Maps – I used the Trails Illustrated map. It is plenty detailed and shows the established campsites, a useful thing when planning a trip. Old USGS maps such as those found on Caltopo don’t always show changes to trails.

Epilogue

Since starting this article it has cooled off again in the Guadalupe Mountains and I’m back to hiking them.

My first hike for the fall of 2014 was a repeat of my traverse from McKittrick Canyon to Pine Springs Canyon. This time I hiked with fall colors near their peak. There is a reason Texas photographers love this area. It’s worth visting if you’re ever in Texas.

Steripen Classic 3: Spotlite Review

SteriPEN has heeded our pleas and its newest model continues to offer great water treatment while getting rid of some of the bugs from previous models.

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Lightweight Backpacking News: Digest No. 9

Backpacking Light has scoured the web and will now bring you salient backpacking news stories, gear releases, and trip reports.

Introduction

Sub-Arctic Snow Biking

It must be the time of year for some fatbiking in the snow. Anyhow, this group of 6 friends decided to go on an adventure in the great land up north. The centered their trip on the White Mountains National Recreation Area, a very large, multi-use swath of land 30 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska. In addition to some great scenery and some fantastic snow biking, the group simplified their trip by sleeping in cabins which also kept them warmer. The group did a loop of the recreation area and by the end covered over 100 miles. Man does it look like a fun trip!

Read the full report from REI’s Blog.

Expedition Shorts

MEET THE MAN WHO HAS RECORD FOR EVEREST CLIMBS – Apa Sherpa who has climbed Everest a record 21 times will be hosting a slideshow and video presentation in Boston this February.

PADDLEBOARDING LAKE MICHIGAN IN THE WINTER – Seth Haley set out for an epic adventure: paddling Lake Michigan in all of its frozen glory.

Photo of the Week

Hendrik Morkel remembering his memorable trip on the high plateau in Slovenia.

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Remembering that high camp on the first #ULSummit in beautiful #Slovenia. @jotaro6 pitched his cuben Khufu on this high plateau where a large herd of ibexes was passing us after dusk. One of my favourite trips & camps of the last few years! #ultralight #backpacking #backpackinglight #trekking #hiking #hillwalking #nature #wilderness #outdoors #gear #mountains #sun #rock

A photo posted by Hendrik Morkel (@hendrikm) on Jan 20, 2015 at 11:30pm PST

Skills

Navigation Skills That Will Save Your Life

In today’s technological age we have become increasingly reliant on gizmos and gadgets. From GPS units to Google maps this trend has become painfully obvious in the area of navigation. While these tools may get you from your home to the grocery story there is no guarantee these gadgets will get you from the backcountry back to your house. Limited cellular service range, the gadgets inherent fragileness, and their battery life all scream caution if there intended use is the primary form of navigation. A simple map and compass and the knowledge of how to use them can be the difference between life and death and is the number one assurance to keep from being lost. Let’s face it – the backcountry is a wild place and even with the marked trails and GPS coverage there are no guarantees. The moment you step off the trail or your GPS battery ends you are on your own, and having a map can be a lifesaver. Plus the knowledge of backcountry navigation skills will allow you to explore more remote areas off-trail which is where the real adventures begin. This report from Wes Siler will teach map and compass navigation basics and will help you be prepared to conquer the outdoors.

Read the full report from Wes Siler on Indefinitely Wild.
Watch this video on triangulation which is the best way to find where you are.

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Becoming an Adventurer

Have you considered a career as an adventurer? Alastair Humphreys recently shared his thoughts on turning this hobby into a job. He stresses how rewarding it is to live your passion, but he also makes it clear that it is not an easy road. You have to be willing to grow through years of financial hardship until your brand is noticeable and people begin to reward you for it. You have to be able to enjoy the journey both the success and failures, and the hardships and triumphs. The most important thing to keep in mind is that it is possible. It is a simple process to live your dream but that doesn’t mean it will be easy, but if you stay the course and work hard it’s really just a matter of time. And to be sure – you can’t really do it for the money. The money may come but it will be a result of the process of loving what you do and not as a means to the end. Cherish the journey and you can do it.

Read the full report from Alastair Humphreys.

Skills Shorts

TAKING ARCHERY TO THE NEXT LEVEL – Lars Anderson demonstrates the best techniques to become a proficient, accurate, and quick archer.

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HOLDING YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE – Are you struggling to improve your fitness? Maybe all that’s holding you back is a solid plan. Matt Lutz has a strategy to get you to the next level.

Gear

Gear List for Backcountry Nordic Skiing

Andrew Skurka used this gear list while exploring the Yukon back in 2010. While his gear may not be suited for big mountain turns or groomed trail skiing it excels in the in between rolling hills and even breaking trail through fresh powder. The mantra for his gear list is simplicity and lightweight. Alpine Touring (AT) gear is great for the trips with a lot of vertical but AT Gear is heavy. Cross-country skate skis are great for groomed trails but can’t hold a candle can to AT or backcountry nordic skis in the backcountry. Skurka’s skis (the old-school Asnes Nansen) track well in powder and are light enough to power through the flats. If you’re looking to traverse across a winter landscape in quick and light fashion this gear list may be for you.

Read the whole gear list from Andrew Skurka.

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Gear’s Evolution

Over the years, the gear we use to access the outdoors has vastly improved (Gasp!). Anyway, with items like skis which have evolved from wooden planks to cambered fiberglass the change has been obvious, but it is still good to smell the roses every once in a while and appreciate what you have. Thanks to technological innovation we can now enjoy the outdoors more safely and comfortably than ever. These increases in gear have played a role in the outdoor pursuits we see today. To be sure, many of the recent outdoor accomplishments (dawn wall, solo-summit of Denali, etc.) are due in large part to more reliable, durable, and light gear. This is not to overlook the training and sacrifice to reach these achievements, but rather to underscore the fact that it is just easier to go lighter now and carry the same gear.

Visually see this gear transformation from Flathead Living.

Gear Shorts

3-D PRINTED LIGHTWEIGHT CARBON FIBER BIKE – Adrian Smith uses a 3-D printer to make bikes.

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GOSSAMER GEAR GORILLA ULTRALIGHT BACKPACK REVIEW – Section Hiker came to the conclusion that this pack has an improved suspension, is rather durable, and has great features which all together makes it a great pack.

People

Interview with Moe Witschard

Planet Packraft just launched a new section on its site dedicated to interviewing people who have shaped the sport of packrafting. For their first interview, Planet Packraft caught up with Moe Witschard, a whitewater, wilderness packrafter and photographer as well as the founding member of the American Packraft Association. Witschard shares with us that his love of adventure has been ingrained in him since he was young and that drive pushed him to become interested in packrafting seven years ago. Since then Witschard has been a force in the sport and now all his friends have packrafts.

Read the full interview at Planet Packraft.

People Shorts

GEARJUNKIE COMPLETES 110 OUTDOOR AMBASSADOR LIST – Gear Junkie recently completed its list of 110 outdoor pioneers who molded our outdoor pursuits to what they are today.

ANNA MCNUFF AN JOYOUS ADVENTURER – If you are looking for a reason to smile look no further. Here is someone who absolutely loves what she does.

Beyond Our Boundaries: Episode 24

Follow the story of a family of five as they backpack over 2000 miles from Georgia to Maine.

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West Canada Lakes Wilderness

A beautiful wilderness with incredible fishing rehabilitated after years of logging and industry use. Just don’t forget your lake packraft…you’ll need it!

Most often, visitors to the Adirondack Preserve flock to the high peaks region of this expansive park, and rightfully so – with 360 degree views that often span as far as the eye can see, and rocky summits that break through the tree-line – there’s no denying the beauty of this region. But we had other things on our minds than bagging peaks this fall. We had done enough of that this season already and the western lakes region was calling.

I had been itching to do some fishing and hiking in the remote streams and beaver-laden swamps of the West Canada Lakes region. Recently having been told of recovering populations of brook trout in this area, my goal was to get out there and try to catch some, while exploring this region in detail for the first time. You can research more about the history of acid rain and industrial pollution-based damage to this region with a quick google search, but it’s too much to cover in the introduction here.

The site of a once-famous national geographic article about the dead lakes of the region.

In my mind this would be the best kind of trip – reasonable mileage, epic scenery, remote isolation in a region I had never explored extensively, and one last chance at a weekend in the mountains before the winter set in. I planned a loop around Cedar Lake to meet up with the Northville-Placid Trail, which we’d follow out to Mud Lake – then we’d loop back around by Sampson and Pillsbury lakes. Perfect for the 3 days and two nights we had free. I set out with my good friend and hiking companion Rich, for what would become a tranquil and epic nature experience, even if a little bit less fishing-focused than I had originally hoped.

Our route in the West Canada Lakes Wilderness.

Rich and I set out at dawn on Saturday of Columbus Day weekend and headed straight up for the trailhead near Indian Lake. When we got up there, we spent some time navigating the unpaved logging roads – some marked, some unmarked – trying to find the trailhead. After realizing that we were supposed to DRIVE up what we originally thought was a trailhead, we found the almost-full parking lot. As if by divine intervention only, there was one last space for us. Bingo! The trail unfolded before us…

Just in time for the tail-end of the fall colors.

Our timing was a few days late for the best of the leaves, but we still were there early enough to catch the end of the seasonal display. In much of the Adirondacks where we usually hike, fires are prohibited to protect the forest. We were glad to know we’d have the warmth of a fire out here as the temperatures at night would plummet to 28 or 29 degrees both nights. We had a mix of sun and clouds on our hike in through the scenic backcountry.

A deep and dark brook surely held native trout. There is no shore to stand on and many of these brooks are not easy to fish. You have to get inventive.

We immediately encountered sketchy bridges, bogs and streams that had no banks to fish from and yet flowed deep and surely held native fish. I started to realize that I wasn’t in even remotely familiar-looking fishing conditions. Uh oh! The West Canada Lakes Wilderness is a vast and largely (currently) undisturbed area of land to the west and south of Indian Lake. While it was logged in the past, and some private sections continue to be selectively logged today, the wilderness area itself has been protected for quite some time now. As someone who as spent a lot of time in different parts of the Adirondacks, I can solidly say that this part has its own distinct feeling. Its remoteness is immediately apparent, but snippets of evidence discovered by chance add another angle… its almost as if one can feel the souls of some of the people who once stood in this place in a different time and under very different circumstances. One can find peaks, valleys, streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and beaver swamps all pressed right up next to each other. This makes for muddy, slow hiking and, as we would discover, difficult fishing. Bushwhacking, while offering rewarding opportunities for fishing, would not be recommended without serious navigational skills with a map and compass, or a modern GPS. It is no joke.

This bridge provided a place to get a short drift on a Tenkara rod. A traditional rod and reel could have accessed more of the river for fishing here.

Choosing the right fishing gear for this trek was the subject of much deep thought – before, during, and after the trip. If, for example, you want to be able to get a bigger fish or you like to throw a heavy line, use split-shot, weighted lures or tungsten bead-head flies, then you’re going to want a longer Tenkara or Keiryu rod that can throw weight around better. These rods are stiffer, especially Keiryu rods. Go long! Especially if you’re fishing lakes, because you’re going to get the extra length to cast farther and better, to throw a longer line while keeping more line off the water, and because if you have nothing hanging overhead, there’s no need for a short rod. The longer the rod and the shorter the line, the better your drift will be. While you can certainly throw a 20 ft line with a 10-11 ft Tenkara rod, you won’t really benefit as you would with a 13 ft or longer rod and a matching-length line. Experience has shown me this relationship is the most important part of my setup, much more than the fly. Of course I had unique goals in mind for this trip. After all, these aren’t pristine mountain lakes at 10,000 ft. You cannot even wade into them to wait for fish trolling near the shallow “shelf” extending out into the water before the bottom drops off into the deep. I knew I wasn’t going to be casting the longest lines on lakes; I was looking for flowing water.

Part of the motivation for fishing on this trip, other than the location, was that I had recently bought a new small-stream Keiryu rod, a rather short Shimotsuke Kiyotaki 18, from Chris at Tenkarabum. I wanted to compare it to my (now discontinued) Daiwa Soyokaze 24sr Seiryu rod. I knew I’d be in varied fishing environments so I threw in my Tenkara USA Iwana 11ft Tenkara rod as well. Should I find that I only had lakes and ponds to fish, I wanted the longer rod. It later turned out that this wasn’t close to long enough.

I am tempted to explain the differences between Tenkara, Keiryu and Seiryu fishing since I use all these kinds of rods, but I won’t because it’s rather complicated and could really use an article of its own. I will refer you to Chris Stewart at Tenkarabum.com for that. He has lots of info, as well as many rods that don’t fit into the Tenkara purist’s definition of a Tenkara rod, but which you should learn all about. There’s so much to learn out there! I hope to see more articles from him on the site at some point because they are always full of useful information.

[Editor’s note: Back in August of 2013, Chris Stewart wrote an extensive Tenkara: State of the Market Report that not only identifies the best rods, but also helps explain the differences between Tenkara, Keiryu and Seiryu fishing and rods. The article is a great resource to learn more about this topic in addition to his website.]

I’ve been fishing mostly with these rods for the last few seasons and they are lots of fun:

“Top to bottom: Nissin Air Stage 240, Tenkara USA Iwana 11 ft, Daiwa Soyokaze 24sr, Shimotsuke Kiyotaki 18, and the impossibly small and light Nissin Pocket Mini 270. That rod is a dream, but I didn’t have it yet for this trip. I will be using it on all my backpacking trips going forward… maybe worth its own review later on. It really does pack down to 9 inches long and weighs in at 28.61 grams on my scale. Whoah.”

You can see my affinity for the shorter rods that suit my usual fishing destinations. However, the short length of most of my rods really hurt rather than helped on this trip… I found less overgrown streams and more open water than I had expected by a long shot. I spent most of the time fishing ponds and lakes, debating how to get more line out onto flat water – the opposite of what I usually worry about when fishing Tenkara style – and certainly not what I wanted to be doing, which was evaluating shorter rods for stiffness. I should have brought a pack raft and a longer rod and saved this goal for a different trip. Lesson learned. You really cannot fish this area in its entirety, and for its trophy fish, without being able to get floating on the water somehow. I knew this would mean I’d miss some fish, but didn’t realize until later on just how many.

Cedar Lake.

As we neared Cedar Lake, we crossed a bridge. I fished for a few minutes and caught what looked like some kind of dace or darter… I don’t know enough about micro-fishing to know for sure. I should have fished down the stream more for trout, but the weather turned for just a moment and I packed up my gear instead. Worried about finding the best camp-site and looking to cover a little more ground, we pushed on to leave more time to fish later.

Fished here for too little time.

As is common in the Adirondacks, we encountered plenty of mud from day one. A side note here… in past articles and comments I’ve mentioned my aversion to using running shoes for backpacking in the northeast because of mud and water. I was constantly told that I just needed to try them, see how well they worked, and learn to live with the downsides. I spent a good deal of time and investment with different shoes, minimalist and non-minimalist, before coming back to lightweight waterproof boots for good. I find that in the Adirondacks, unlike at high altitude or out west in low humidity, trail-runners stay wet almost as long as waterproof boots, negating any benefits of using them over here, in my opinion. It often takes days for waterproof boots like a lightweight Solomon boot to wet through, and I’d prefer the 2-3 days of dry feet on a wet hike to all the days with wet feet, as happens when I wear day hikers on most trails in the Adirondacks. I now carry my Altra Lone-Peak shoes to use as camp shoes when necessary, and to wear for peak bagging, on trips where we set up a base camp. Not the case here.

Not all the trails are paved with wood, most are made of pure mud.

We soon found a prime campsite between two lakes that was too good to pass up, and we set up our tents. Rich is still “in transition” towards becoming more UL and he is moving, towards lighter options as his gear ages out and his budget allows. Normally he splits a tent with another friend of ours, which they co-own. On this hike I winced as I watched him take the entire 2-person marmot for himself. One day he’ll learn. I hope. There’s plenty of time for that in the years to come.

My zpacks soplex next to Rich’s marmot two-person tent, with Beaver pond behind us.

I learned from experience why you don’t pitch the tent right near the water on this night. I’ve never had condensation in my solplex before, even on the most humid of nights. I’ve put a good number of nights on this thing so far and it’s a real winner overall. Goes to show that bad site selection for a tarp or tent makes or breaks your condensation situation. Another lesson learned.

My Gransfors-Bruk Outdoor Axe is in the foreground, and my friend Rich’s new wildlife hatchet is in the background. Coincidentally both forged by Mattias Mattsson. We should probably send him a thank you note, they are very well made.

We stayed quite warm and dry though, since in a totally overkill and ridiculous move, we both brought our hatchets with us. I can’t say I was sorry, as we made quick work of the abundant supply of wood that was dead and on the ground everywhere. I often spend way too much time deciding whether or not to carry the 1.1ish lbs of that hatchet since I rarely make a fire. But on this trip it was no question. The weather forecast had us facing below-freezing temps that night, and neither of us had cold-weather bags, or much patience for breaking wood with cold hands.

Sunset on Cedar Lake.

Rich makes quick work of the firewood. Never fear, I corrected his stance to move his foot out of the way right after taking this photo.

Rich enjoys the fruits of his labor, we had a roaring fire going in no time.

We were both totally taken by the silence in this region. Having spent considerable time in the high peaks region nearby and camping near the local lakes, seldom have I camped far enough from a river or stream, or in a place where I’m sheltered enough from the wind that to hear total silence. It’s almost jarring at first, especially when I realized how my ears were ringing and damaged from my life in the city. Yeesh. I took some photos of the moon on the water and called it a night.

Night-shots with no tripod brought mixed success.

We hit the sack early, falling asleep to the sounds of loons and flocks of geese commuting overhead. The owls came out later and woke me up a few times with their hooting. I always forget how they seem to congregate around lakes and rivers, and how loud they sound when there’s no other noise to overtake them. I fell into a heavier sleep as the cold settled in and awoke early to the first light of dawn in order to catch some photos of the sunrise, and hopefully some fish…

Sunrise over Cedar Lake.

Sunrise over beaver pond, unnamed peak in the background.

Cedar Lake with morning fog lifting.

The photos came out ok, but the fishing… well, that was another story. I just couldn’t reach the fish. You can’t wade into these lakes and ponds because of the silt and mud near the shores. The result is that you cannot cast far enough out to reach the fish with an average Tenkara rod. In many cases, you don’t have the room behind you to cast a long line on a traditional fly rod with a reel either. Packraft please!?

No way to reach the fish – they were rising about 40 feet out in front of me.

I tried to wake Rich up a few times but he was mumbling about sleep and wouldn’t budge. I gave up to keep fishing and taking pictures while he missed out on the sunrise. Once he got up, we took our time packing up and eating a light breakfast. When I showed him my photos, he lamented at his own laziness regarding sleeping in. We made sure the coals were out on our fire and started the hike to Mud Lake and the next trail junction.

These tall trees made us feel small.

As we hiked through impossibly-tall pine forests littered with Birch trees, I scanned for signs of the streams that I knew were flowing from lake to lake, between swamp and pond, and which surely held native trout… but due to low water, many of them had dried to a trickle. Others were too overgrown to cast into, or had no real shore on which to stand. Waders and boats were clearly in order here.

Plenty of shrubs, fallen branches and tall grass prevented me from getting my fly close enough to the edge of the overhanging bank to entice the hiding fish to rise.

After locating a promising stream on the map, we hiked a bit off trail to check it out. Again, casting from shore was not an option. The water was too cold to wade so we moved on. We intersected the stream again at a slower section. The water was crystal clear and moving slowly, giving up our position to any wary native trout. I cast a line and let a dry fly float near the edges where overhangs surely provided protection. Again, no luck. I spent too much time here trying to coax fish from their hiding spots, and it eventually came back to haunt me.

Rich ate lunch while I looked for fish. I was fishing in the wrong spot, but I was having fun.

We covered a few more miles as quickly as possible – I was pushing to get to better trout water. We had to detour around the side of a lake where a bridge had been washed out and more time was wasted there. By the time we could get around and back on the trail, the sun was dipping. At this time we found some absolutely ideal and yet unexpected native trout water between two lakes.

Some of the most picture-perfect Adirondack Brookie water I saw on the trip that wasn’t a lake or a pond. I will be back here to explore again.

I wanted to fish this section extensively, but this time I could tell Rich was itching to move on – he wanted to find a prime campsite while it was still light out, and while he was down to fish later, he wanted to keep hiking. I was crushed. But at the same time, I knew I had plenty of time fishing at the last spot, this was a fair compromise to make. I just wish I had more time! I noted this spot on the map and cannot wait to throw my line in here another time. I explored the stream for a few minutes and saw a few small brookies darting under rocks. This was it! Oh how I wanted to stay right there for another whole day. But we kept moving. I was praying for a quick hike to the next trail junction, where we had hoped to find good campsites near West Canada Creek and fish again.

Bridge over the water between Mud Lake and South Lake.

On the way, we crossed another body of water, one that connected Mud Lake with South Lake. This was another prime fishing spot, but again, not perfect for Tenkara. However, the sheer number of fish rising around us was enough to force us to stop and throw a line in from the bridge for fun. It was mind-blowing. But it was also torture, in that we couldn’t reach the bigger fish… we couldn’t even get close. The smaller trout under the bridge were rising close enough, but the big brookies and rainbows were way out of reach. I hooked into a few small fish and landed one small lake or rainbow trout, it was hard to tell. I also caught another small silvery fish that I couldn’t identify, but it wasn’t a trout or a largemouth bass. Soon we gave up out of sheer frustration and the urge to get to camp as the sun was setting. We set off over the bridge as the sun set the surrounding hills on fire while it set behind the ridge on the other side of the lake. Still no time spent fishing the familiar flowing mountain streams and rivers. Bummer.

A perfect location for a motivated individual to cruise in a packraft chasing trout.

We arrived at the trail junction and a lean-to as the sun was setting, and discovered we were at another ideal trout fishing location. This was a much larger river in comparison to what we had seen so far, but still relatively small as rivers go. Again, this was textbook Adirondack brook trout water. West Canada Creek looked beautiful. We met an older gentleman who had sprawled his gear out around the lean to. We talked about fishing for a bit and he motioned to his fire, where he had just prepared the 11 inch brookie he had caught for dinner. We decided that since we had missed the fishing, we’d push on through the dark for a few more miles and camp near Sampson Lake instead. We made impressive time on these next couple of miles, arriving at a lean to and campsite at Sampson Lake. It was getting cold and the quick pace kept us warm. Brisk conversation was welcome, mentally speaking, as the isolation of the cold and the dark, and the lingering memories of missed fishing opportunities created a demoralized feeling on the trail. We pushed through it and had fun anyway.

Upon arriving at Sampson Lake Lean-to, it was clear that it was not as epic as the lakes we had already seen, and we set up camp in the dark nearby. We were pretty tired both mentally and physically. I didn’t even feel like screwing my stove into a canister to cook, so I just ate some granola bars and a cookie and set up my Solplex. Rich spent about 20 minutes moving his tent around trying to figure out where was far enough from the water, flat enough for sleeping, and yet far enough from the neighbors’ bear bag to feel safe. We were both pretty pissed that the people in the lean-to had decided that the edge of the campsite was a prime spot to hang a bear bag. Being that it was dark and they were asleep we didn’t wake them up to share our feelings. But I just can’t help but to point out that even if you think you’re alone at a campsite, be courteous! Never set a bear bag up close to camp… hike back at least a few hundred yards in the opposite direction of the water and the campsite. Do not ruin it for others, please.

I convinced him that we were safe and that our lives were not in danger and we talked before turning in early again.I fell asleep to the chorus of owls and geese, with the occasional interlude of a loon. The temperature was again hovering around 29 degrees, and I draped my down jacket over my western mountaineering caribou MF sleeping bag and cocooned myself inside, leaving just a small hole for my mouth. I haven’t slept that well in years. I awoke to the sound of our neighbors taking down their bear bag and hiking out. I kept my mouth shut, after all, it was a new day.

Sampson lake.

We packed up camp quickly as rain threatened to ruin our morning, but it never did. I snapped a few photos of the lake, the lean to, and Rich’s morning hairdo.

What’s the name of that street fighter character again… Ryu?

As we hiked the next few miles to complete our loop, I fell back a bit and spent some time hiking solo. The eerie feeling of the first day returned as I absorbed the atmosphere of the woods around me. I couldn’t shake the feeling of “abandonment” and bleakness I had felt earlier – but had man abandoned nature after the region was protected, or had nature abandoned man while he was here during the logging days? Did the early loggers and trappers feel this way out here too, or was this feeling left behind by their presence in this place? It almost felt like there were ghosts around me… that feeling is one that I have rarely ever felt before. Were the lost souls who had never made it out of this region watching me, listening to my every step and trying to follow me, trying to find there way ever still…? Or was it just the normal ritual of fall ending and winter making its claim on the woods? Discoveries like this old car only help to deepen those thoughts:

This old car’s undercarriage has sat untouched for who knows how long?

This wooden wheel has lasted as long as the metal. I’d almost still run that tire…

Some elements of design don’t change… this grease and cotter pin have been here for decades and remain unchanged.

As we neared the car I snapped a few more photos that captured the mood.

Fall is coming to an end, as was our trek.

We drove home feeling like we had experienced so much… there was almost too much to absorb to talk much about it. This weekend had left an emotional mark that somewhat re-defined the Adirondacks for me, in such interesting ways. I never knew just how epic and lonely it could feel, even in the company of others. But yet this feeling wasn’t a sad one, nor did it bring anything but the longing for more time in this wilderness, more fish to be caught, and more hikes to be taken with friends in the future. I think I’ve figured that feeling out now… maybe its just a longing to be in such a magical place, clearly owned by nobody and ruled by mother nature alone. I hope that you too can have a chance to visit this vast and complicated wilderness and experience it for yourself. If you plan to fish, bring a raft!

Logging roads lead in and out of the wilderness area.

Ultralight Hunting: Towards a Coherent Definition

Much like the ultralight backpacking movement, ultralight hunting is beginning to grow in popularity due to gear innovation as hunters look for a more holistic hunting experience. As new gear begins to push the envelope, we turn our discussion to a what is the definition of ‘ultralight hunting’?

…there’s several thing to be taken into consideration before trying to go on a 5-7 day hunt with 27-35 lbs. I would personally say DON’T TRY IT, as the people posting these weights have either 1) never actually tried doing it and are guessing 2) are very experienced and have their kit dialed in 3) only do ONE backpack hunt a year and can get away with taking very little food 4) haven’t had s**t hit the fan yet and leave a lot of gear home that could help keep them on the mountain.–Aron Snyder

Introduction: That Other Ultralight

Backcountry hunting is a categorically different pursuit than backpacking and its variations. I’ve tried to make this point a stark one with the epigraphical quotation, a forum post from Kifaru rep, Rokslide.com co-founder, and famous internet hunter Aron Snyder. Backcountry hunters obsess about and discuss pack weight just as fervently as backpackers, but as the above figures reveal, the foundational assumptions used by the two camps are very different. In this article I will attempt two tasks: first to describe the conceptual gulf between backpackers and backcountry hunters and how it explains the difference in ultralight pack weights between the two, and second to make an initial foray towards establishing a numerical standard for an ultralight backcountry hunting base weight.

Late September hunting in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. In an ideal hunting situation, animals set the agenda, not the weather, no matter how ugly.

When it comes to the evolution of gear, technique, and mindset, the ultralight standard of less than 10 pounds base pack weight (i.e. everything but consumables) has been around for an eternity. More than long enough for the term to become co-opted for every imaginable marketing angle, for cottage companies and garage tinkerers to push gear well past the ultralight threshold, and for mainstream companies to at last make gear which easily fits into an ultralight gear ensemble. I still don’t put much credence in Ron Moak’s infamous 2012 pronouncement that prior to the early “oughts” an ultralight baseweight required “black arts,” but his larger point from the Ultralight: State of the Revolution series of blog entries is inarguable: advancements in technology have stripped much of the relevance out of the accepted ultralight standard of 10 pounds. It is much easier than it once was, if not just outright easy, to build an ultralight kit and use for just about any trip you might conjure up in (for example) the temperate latitudes of the northern hemisphere between April 1st and November 15th.

Hunting takes you to places you wouldn’t otherwise go, and shows you things you might not otherwise see, as with these elk let of the big tree in the middle, seen on an April bear hut in the Bob Marshall. 5 minutes after this photo was taken wolves separated an elk from the herd, surrounded it in an aspen thicket, and took it down.

A hard metric for ultralight backpacking baseweight is useful for the same reason it is useful in anything, we humans love to ask for exceptions. Be it a higher baseweight figure for those over a certain height, or an extra SUL pound if you exceed a certain mean elevation, however compelling the excuse, the e-word remains nothing more than an attempt to get away with something rather than embrace the extra challenge of meeting an objective standard. There’s no inherent value in pack of a certain weight, the value can only be found in the trip such a hiker can only now do, as well as the extra consideration and learning meeting a rigorous weight standard can bring about. As Ryan Jordan wrote in 2013, “For me, SUL as a mindset has motivated me not only to be very intentional about what I take on the trail, but also to be very intentional about how I count the costs of all sacrifices that I make with time, finances, material possessions, and relationships.” Establishing a rigorous comparative standard with no wiggle-room helps you learn more. As will be discussed below, when it comes to hunting such things are highly relevant.

Backpacking is the prime mover of overnight ski touring, wilderness packrafting, and to a large extent alpine rock climbing and mountaineering. One does these things to travel through a given landscape in a certain fashion and see what is to be seen along the way. Even climbing is most often dedicated to experience in the landscape more than reaching a summit, witness the profusion of excellent routes which end when the good climbing does. Hunting is different. While pursuing animals in the backcountry is a good way to talk yourself into visiting and looking closely at some obscure, rough, gorgeous country, in the ends it’s like Fight Club. The first three rules of hunting are that to succeed you must kill something. If you spend five days in the mountains you went hunting, and probably succeeded in executing a fantastic backpacking and nature-watching trip, but you did not have a successful hunting trip, however satisfying the overall. I say this not as a value-based statement, but to highlight the principle around which any standard for an ultralight backcountry hunting baseweight must be built. If it will help you kill your prey, it makes the cut, no matter how heavy. As will be seen below, this is a hugely important distinction, because the backpacking pieces of an ultralight hunting pack will be among the lightest items on board.

An 80 pound, 8 mile packout in the Bob Marshall. An ultralight hunting kit is still heavy by backpacker standards, and that’s before you add 1500 cubic inches of venison.

Building an Ultralight Hunt

Because hunting has different motivations than backpacking, it often goes into very different places, and does so in different ways. Late September in the Northern Rockies of the United States provides a good example of this distinction. Mixed precipitation is common, as is standing snow in the higher elevations, though daily and nightly lows are usually relatively mild (read: below 20 F is uncommon). A common ultralight backpacking strategy for these conditions is to modify summer gear only a little, perhaps with warmer socks, and if particularly cold and wet conditions are present maintain warm feet via a brisk and steady pace, with perhaps a fire at camp. If the day’s high pass is exceptionally cold, a still stronger pace and an hour of minor suffering is usually all that is required. Hunting the same areas and conditions demands a different approach. Deer, elk, or sheep are likely bedded in invisible locations through the height of the afternoon squall, and descending to find dry wood is likely to spook whatever animals are nearby. Not only does the hunter need to move slowly and quietly through the area to find a high spot with good visibility for when the weather lifts, but he or she must be prepared to stay stationary during and after the storm to glass for and then locate suitable quarry. The ensuing stalk may be fast paced and help warm up cold feet, but might be interrupted at any moment by a forced wait behind a boulder midway across a talus slope, all while exposed to both the wind and the keen eyes of alpine ungulates.

The ultralight backpacker deals with challenging conditions like these with a judiciously selected kit, and adapts to the conditions by varying the pace and manner of travel. The ultralight hunter must adapt to the way the animals respond to ambient conditions, and have the equipment to do so.

A gorgeous October day in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, five miles from any trail. Sometimes you get lucky with the weather, but to go where the animals are requires worst-case preparation.

All of which is to say that the ultralight hunter will have a much heavier pack, and for good reason. But how much heavier? Ultralight has in hunting, just as in other outdoor pursuits, become a potent marketing buzzword, with whole companies producing products lines devoted to “ultralight hunting.” A baseweight standard should be rigorous enough to push end-users towards defying dogma when choosing their gear. It should also provide consumers with a tool which can help hold gear-makers feet to the fire, and help foster innovation in content rather than marketing.

The following chart is a suggested list tailored to generic autumn conditions; early October in the US Rockies, early September in the Alaska Range, or mid-April in New Zealand’s southern Alps. As can be seen, the weight gets up there in a hurry. The maximum suggested hypotheticals I have here assembled come to a baseweight (worn clothing, food, and fuel not included) right around 36 pounds.

Category	Item	Example(s)	Example Weight (oz)	Upper limit weight (oz)	Category limit total (lb/oz)
Camp	3+ season shelter for two	Seek Outside BT2, with pole and 10 stakes	36	40	4 pounds 9 ounces
	20 degree sleeping bag	Zpacks regular/long	18	24
	sleeping pad	Thermarest Prolite XS	8	10
Packing	80+ pound capable ~4000 cubic inch pack	Paradox Unaweep, Stone Glacier Solo	52	64	5 pounds 12 ounces
	Game bags	3x medium TAG bags	10	20
	Drybags for gear, contractor bags for meat	Sea to Summit Ultrasil, Hefty	8	10
Cooking	stove and ~1 liter pot	MSR Windpro, Cat can alcohol w/ Evernew pot	15	20	2-3 pounds
	fuel	fuel	1.5 oz/day/person
Misc	100+ lumen headlamp, skinning knife, rope, tags, first aid, repair gear, PLB, hygiene, water bottle etc	Havalon Piranta, Petzl Tikka XP, McMudro Fastfind, satellite phone, etc	48	48	3 pounds
Clothing (carried)	Durable raingear	Arc'teryx Alpha FL jacket, Rab Xion pants	21	24	4 pounds 6 ounces
	fleece midlayer	Rab Micro pull-on	8	8
	Insulated jacket	First Lite Uncompahgre	20	20
	Windshirt	Black Diamond Alpine Start	7	8
	Light, snug gloves	Black Diamond Mont Blanc	2	2
	Rain mittens	Outdoor Resarch Revel	3.5	3.5
	Insulated hat	Original buff	1.5	1.5
	Spare socks	Smartwool PhD Nordic medium	2	2
Clothing (worn)	Midweight pants	Patagonia Simple Guide	15	16	6 pounds 10 ounces
	Baselayer top	Patagonia Merino 1 longsleeve crew	5	7
	Orange vest	poly mesh construction vest	3	3
	Boxer briefs	Patagonia silkweight capilene	2.5	4
	Ball cap	Arc'teryx Neutro visor	1.5	2
	Socks	Smartwool PhD Nordic medium	2	2
	Light boots	Zamberland Crosser Mid GTX	36	40
	Gaiters	Kuiu Yukon	12	14
	Trekking poles	BD Alpine Carbon Cork	16	20
Food	High calorie, palatable foods	Bars, Mountain House, etc	22/day	28/day	28 ounces/day
Shooting	.25-.338 caliber centerfire rifle with scope, compound or tradition bow, .45-.50 caliber muzzleloader with scope	Kimber Montana in .308, Leupold 6x36, appropriate rings/bases	92	112	8 pounds 8 ounces
	12 rounds of ammo, 6-8 arrows	12x 165 grain Federal Fusion	10	16
	Scope cover, sling, gunbearer, release, etc	Neoprene scope cover, nylon webbing sling	4	8
Optics	6-10x bioculars with strap or chest rig	6.5x32 Meopta Meopros with cord harness	23	26	8 pounds 4 ounces
	spotting scope	Vanguard Endeavor HD 65S	51	64
	tripod/head	Vortex Summit SS	30	32
	binocular mount for tripod	Outdoorsmans	2	2
	rangefinder	Vortex Ranger 1000	8	8

This list, and thus I would suggest any ultralight hunting gear standard, must be tailored to account for not only the added weight of weapons, optics, and meat processing equipment, but for a pack which can haul very heavy loads, a shelter which can be pitched in places optimized for game spotting, and clothing which will allow for the aforementioned hanging around and bushwacking in bad weather. Many aspects of the above list will be subject to change depending on location and the species pursued. You’ll need more game bags on a moose hunt than on a deer hunt, for example, and a spotting scope and tripod may not be necessary for hunts in thicker country or for larger, less elusive species like elk and caribou. Later season hunts will demand a warmer sleeping bag and more clothing, while early-fall hunts or hunts in warmer locales might allow for less. Traditional bowhunters will shave pounds off their weapon weight compared to rifle or compound bow hunters. It was my intention however to make this list as close to the median as possible, and to make the individual selections rigorous, but not esoteric. Thus, I propose that the cutoff for ultralight backcountry hunting be a baseweight below 35 pounds (knocking a pound off the total to make for an even figure and account for a certain degree of laziness on my part).

35 pounds: The debate begins

There is, intentionally, a lot to argue about with this list and the 35 pound cutoff for ultralight hunting. I’ll address a few of the point-by-point particulars below.

The author’s Kimber Montana. Chambered in the versatile .308 cartridge and with an all-purpose Leupold 4×33 scope mounted, this rifle weighs 6 pounds all up. Weight-saving modifications include cutting the barrel to 20 inches and installing a titanium bolt handle. Weight-adding modifications include a Duracoat paint job, palm swell, and flush swivel cups on the left side.

Having a rifle which comes in below 7 pounds is fairly simple with a non-magnum mountain rifle and a smaller fixed or variable scope. In the US such a combination can be had for little more than $1500. Hunters who cultivate the ability to make shots over 300 yards, and prefer the larger variables and magnum calibers which often go along with such an approach, can still have a sub-7 rifle, but will need to invest a lot more money and be prepared to cope with a hard-kicking gun. Skimping on ammo is also a good way to fail in seeing the big picture. In theory you’ll only need one round, but you never know when you’ll miss once or twice, have to check scope zero after a bad fall, or have to help dissuade a bear from coming in to your camp to check out the meat hanging in a tree. Ultralight will always come with sacrifices, but they should be the right ones.

Glassing for bighorns using the Vortex Summit SS tripod and Outdoorsmans binocular adaptor. Binoculars on a tripod are key to attentive all-day glassing.

Some of the questions concerning the necessity of 8+ pounds of optics have been hinted at above, but insofar as hunting can be described as finding the best way to see the deer (or elk, bear, etc.) optics are essential, and skimping here is an almost surefire way to reduce your odds of success. Compact binoculars are a recipe for headaches and eyestrain, and the value of good binoculars mounted on a tripod can almost never be overstated. New England hunters stalking whitetails in softwood swamps may only need binoculars, but most hunters most of the time will find a tripod handy at one point or another. Again, ultralight hunting is all about making wise sacrifices, always keeping the overarching goal of a dead animal in mind.

Sub-alpine jungle in the Gallatin Mountains of Montana. When following game sign, you have to go where they go, no matter how steep and thick.

Heavier clothing than the typical ultralight backpacking load is also inevitable for backcountry hunting. Even in big wilderness, the charismatic megavertebrates most hunters pursue tend to treat trails like roads, and try to live their lives that one drainage or basin further from the stream of human traffic, however occasional that stream may be. A big part of the reason hunting the true backcountry has become more popular recently is not because it’s easier. The deer in such places, for example, may well be less wary of humans, but there are also far fewer of them per square mile. Hunting the backcountry, and especially hunting wilderness-dependent species such as sheep, is satisfying because it is as close as hunting gets to being absent from larger human influences. This end will be all the better pursued, and success all the more likely, if you get as far into the thick and nasty and untraveled as is possible. Simply put, this requires clothing which can stand up to such use. 2.5 layer PU raingear and Quantum GL-shelled puffy coats will not get the job done here, at least not for long. The options suggested in the chart are the lightest choice currently available which my experience suggests would hold up to a few seasons of non-pro use (say 20-30 days each year).

Early season, glassing at first light can be the most productive time of day, which on a backpack hunt means camping as near to a good glassing location as possible. On this sheep hunt, that meant hauling 24 hours of water to a tundra plateau atop a 10,000’ butte, and camping in a very windy spot. A sturdy shelter like this MLD Solomid is recommended.

Footwear is also something where the approach for the ultralight hunter must be very different from the ultralight backpacker. I hardly ever backpack with waterproof footwear, but for fall hunting I’ve found it to be essential. Getting your feet soaked cruising through a snowfield is fine if you can keep rolling at 3.5 mph afterwards. If you need to hunker down to glass instead, dry feet are the only way to have warm feet. Footwear also needs to have enhanced grip and durability for off-trail use, and have enough support and sole stiffness to get that 80 pound load of meat and your camp back to the trailhead. I don’t think the conventional hunting boots, most of which are 2+ pounds a foot and stiff enough to be crampon compatible are necessary or desirable, but something beyond a zero-drop sneaker is probably in order.

Packs for the backcountry hunter must also have different capabilities, while still being as light as possible. Thankfully, hunting packs have undergone tremendous growth in recent years, and there is no longer any need to go above the 4 pound mark in order to obtain a pack which is large enough for an ultralight load and meat, has functional features and compression, and carries weight as well as your legs are capable. A number of makers not mentioned in the chart make solid and well-regarded hunting packs, but the 4 pound barrier is an interesting one because it neatly divides those who have adapted the core design of their suspension systems to be lighter versus those who have merely come out with lighter components for the same old system. The sort of innovation Stone Glacier and Paradox Packs have brought to market in the last two years is the sort of thing which will need to become commonplace if the 35 pound mark is to become as routine for hunters as 10 pounds is for backpackers.

There is little more exciting than the first sighting of a potential quarry through the spotting scope. None of these bighorns proved to be legal rams, but seeing them 2 miles distant on the first night of a hunt made sure the following days were shot through with optimism.

Conclusion: What’s next

Two things are in the future for backcountry hunting. The first is continued gear innovation, increasingly within the hunting industry itself, which will make lighter baseweights ever easier to achieve. Hunting clothing, which as discussed above is both quite heavy and has many demands placed upon it, is one area where it is easy to imagine major improvement. Quite a few hunting-specific clothing companies have come in being, and seemingly done well, since Sitka went into business in 2006. The overwhelming majority of these offerings are still far too heavy, both because of excessive features and the use of heavy fabrics. If the last 15 years of ultralight backpacking has done nothing else, it has proven that functional durability does not need to be sacrificed to obtain lighter gear, often much lighter than anyone initially thinks possible. In the next two years I expect companies like First Lite and Kuiu to knock 3 pounds off the 10+ that is the worn and carried total, with no loss of function or durability. Any backpacker knows that a 40+ pound pack is darn heavy, and no matter how fit you are it will slow you down. On a hunt, slower means less time in good glassing spots, more time needed to close the distance when game is spotted, and more energy expended overall. The harder the hunt, the more I want my pack lighter.

The second is that the backcountry hunting movement will continue to redefine what hunting is and how is it portrayed in the broader culture. Backpack hunting the wilderness shares many skills with front country whitetail hunting, but in many respects the two have as much to do with each other as backpacking does with golf. I don’t think that bow hunting whitetails out of a treestand over a food plot is unethical, especially given the overpopulations problems virtually all of the midwest and south will face so long as whole states remain deer buffets with few natural predators. But the general public is right to see frontcountry, often road-based hunting as something of a peculiar exercise, shot through with contradiction. Backcountry hunting is more of a holistic experience; experiencing where the game lives, humanely killing the animal, carrying the animal back to your home, before finally butchering it and eating it. The whole process fosters an intimacy with the wild which backpacking and its derivations cannot begin to match. In a world increasingly safe and sterile, where the raw math of how we as individuals stay alive is ever more abstract, backcountry hunting is a perfect antidote, and ultralight backpacking and hunting are ideal bedmates.

(Disclaimer: The author has a non-remunerative position as a product tester and design consultant with Seek Outside/Paradox Packs.)

Beyond Our Boundaries: Episode 23

Follow the story of a family of five as they backpack over 2000 miles from Georgia to Maine.

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Lightweight Backpacking News: Digest No. 8

Outdoor news: stories, gear, trips, and more!

Introduction

Read the full report and interview on Sidetracked Magazine.
Visit Ray Mears website.

Hiking in Kauai

Diane Soini decided to pack for her vacation as if it were a backpacking trip even though the trip would mainly consist of day hikes and snorkeling. Hawaii is a beautiful place to backpack. Many of the trails skirt the edges of cliffs overlooking the thundering sea below. Waterfalls cascade around and when you add into the mix some snorkeling what is left to be desired?

Read the full report and interview on Gossamer Gear.

Expedition Shorts

WHAT’S IT LIKE ON THE MOON? – Mary Anne Hobbs caught up with Captain Gene Cernan, the last man to walk on the Moon.

IMPORTANT: If you don’t see the video immediately below, or see a “Sorry…” message in the video player, just click this link to refresh the page, and you’ll be good.

HOW SHACKLETON PITCHED HIS EXPEDITION… (ha! you thought I was going to type “shelter”) – Sir Ernest Shackleton made the case to fund his Antarctic Expedition to a potential donor on the back of a program.

Photo of the Week

High Country Guides shows us the proper way to hang a bear bag using the PCT method. Thanks!

IMPORTANT: If you don’t see the photo immediately below, just click this link to refresh the page, and you’ll be good.

Proper bear bag hang using the PCT method. I like to use oven bags to line the inside of my stuff sacks. Helps keep the oder in the sack. Because loosing your food in the #backcountry could be a very bad thing especially if you are several days out! #hiking #ul #ultralight #backpackinglight #camping #sierras #California #outthere #highcountryguides

A photo posted by Troy Meadows (@high_country_guides) on Jan 5, 2015 at 6:50pm PST

Skills

Reclaim Your Vision

Struggling from myopia (nearsightedness)? The solution may be simpler than previously thought. Turns out that children who spend lots of time outdoors seem to have better eyesight than those who are mainly indoors. It seems as though the sun’s rays are nurturing to the eyes and promote their health. Vitamin D whose production is stimulated in sunlight may be the most important factor to maintaining healthy eyes. Other considerations such as level of fitness and overall health play a role, but researchers seem to pinpoint lack of time in the sun as the primary reason for the loss of vision.

Read the full report at BBC News.

Sleeping in a Bivy

People approach bivy camping hesitantly. It just seems weird to sleep out in the open, right? But it doesn’t have to be…Despite the concerns, bivys perform well enough in a rain storm, you don’t have to sleep “alone” – others can join you in their own bivys, and you are not more vulnerable than a tent. Bivys are a useful backpacking tool that will cut down on weight and give you a light and functional sleep system.

Read the full report on Fevered Mutterings.

Skills Shorts

WORLD BOULDERING CHAMPION TRAINING DAY – Need motivation to start training? You shouldn’t anymore.

IMPORTANT: If you don’t see the video immediately below, or see a “Sorry…” message in the video player, just click this link to refresh the page, and you’ll be good.

6 TIPS TO HANDLE A WHITEOUT – Staying calm and being up on your nagivation skills are a few of the tips compiled by the Brooks Range Blog to managing a winter storm.

Gear

Looking for a New House?

IMPORTANT: If you don’t see the video immediately below, or see a “Sorry…” message in the video player, just click this link to refresh the page, and you’ll be good.

One small caveat: you have to be able to get by with one bedroom. In Amsterdam, where rent prices are too high, people tap into their creative side to find places to live. Heijmans One are non-permanent dwellings which can be assembled or disassembled in a day. They are elegant at least by standards typically used to evaluate squatters’ housing. Truth be told, you probably couldn’t put one in your pack but as far as lightweight gear that you use every day it could have a place.

Read the full report on FastCoexist.com.

Nordic Skates Revamped

Looking to get out on the ice this winter? Consider this skate setup that uses Möja bindings which are versatile – they can be combined with telemark boots (or some other boots with some kind of toe lip). Dual use gear is common on our circle, but this might open up some new options for backcountry travel by ski and skate…

Read the full report on LeftBound.com.

Gear Shorts

$300 GEAR LIST – If you are on a budget or new to backpacking here’s a gear list from pmags.com to wet your whistle and get you going.

L.L. BEAN ULTRALIGHT 850 DOWN JACKET REVIEW – Section Hiker reviews this jacket that is a great for hiking or looking stylish around town.

People

Chat with Chris Figenshau

For the last 20 years, Chris Figenshau has been succeeding in an industry that’s very tough to do: action sports photography. His mountaineering and photography skills lead him to get a job with Warren Miller, and since then his career has taken off. He has worked with most major ski companies and magazines and recently helped film Teton Gravity Research’s (TGR) film Higher which is set in Nepal and features a ski of the a very unique peak dubbed the “Shangra-La Wall”. TGR caught up with Chris recently to get his take on the film, his techniques, and life in general.

Read the full report on Teton Gravity.

Interview with Jon Muir

Adventurer Jon Muir has been exploring our world for the last 39 years. His successes include treks to Everest, across Australia, and both poles. His adventures have come with a healthy dose of perceived “failure” including multiple attempts to reach Everest and cross Australia. For Muir however, these “failures” have been rewarding by pushing him to his limits and helping him learn about himself and our world. In his eyes, the real tragedy is not trying something because of a fear of failure. Alastair Humphreys “sat” down with Jon for an interview covering his favorite adventures and why he has explores so many different modes of human powered travel (e.g., he has kayaked, skied, and climbed), his recommendations for planning your own adventure, and why he always has another adventure lined up.

Read the full report from Alastair Humphreys.

People Shorts

SNOWBOARDER NARROWLY AVOIDS AVALANCHE – A snowboarder at Hatcher Pass triggered an avalanche and quickly boarded to safety, but captured the seriously huge slide with his action cam.

IMPORTANT: If you don’t see the video immediately below, or see a “Sorry…” message in the video player, just click this link to refresh the page, and you’ll be good.

FACING YOUR FEARS – Emily Bell signed on to be a member of the support team for Sean Conway who was trying to swim the length of Britain. One problem: she is terrified of water.

Flash Reviews No. 4

Introductory Reviews of the Sonim XP7 Ultra-Rugged Smartphone; Fenix HL22 Single-AA Headlamp; and Casio Pathfinder PRG-270 Watch.

Sonim XP7 Ultra-Rugged Smartphone

The convergence of electronic devices with functions of interest to backcountry travelers took a huge leap forward with the introduction of the iPhone. In one fell swoop on June 29, 2007, the iPhone heralded an exciting but cautiously optimistic path for multi-function electronic devices.

About one year later, the iPhone 3G was introduced. This was perhaps the most important evolution in smartphone hardware technology – the iPhone 3G offered fast processing, lots of memory, a high resolution color screen, improved battery life, and a quality camera.

Finally, the smartphone had evolved into a device that integrated global positioning system with detailed maps on a large color screen, a camera that could produce stunning imagery in the hands of the skilled, a library of reading for passing away the time on long winter nights or tent-bound storm days, and of course, communications (through a cellular network, when available) for SMS and voice calling, and social media connectivity.

With advances in ruggedized cases from the likes of Otterbox and Lifeproof, satellite communications connectivity (see Expedition Blogging, Part 1: A Satellite Phone-Based System), and external battery supplies for phone recharging, the smartphone-as-a-backcountry electronics device is coming to age rapidly.

The primary limitations in today’s technology that are of the greatest interest to backcountry travelers are (1) the limited ability to use devices in extremely foul conditions (especially with gloves), (2) short battery life, and (3) the inability to connect directly to satellite networks without accessory hardware.

Satellite connectivity technology is evolving more rapidly than I can write these words, and while not quite ready for mass adoption (in terms of cost and consumer device availability), look for a generation of ruggedized smartphones to incorporate it for the consumer market within just a few years as satellite networks proceed through significant upgrades in speed and bandwidth.

Until then, we have the Sonim XP7.

The Sonim XP7, a ruggedized (shock-, water-, and dust-proof) Android phone with LTE, Bluetooth, GPS, and WiFi connectivity.

Features / Claimed Specs:

4,800 mAh battery for 1,000 hr of standby time and 40 hr of talk time.
Weight: 10.2 oz / 290 g
Touchscreen usable with gloves
Waterproof, dustproof, drop/impact, and vibration/shock resistant
Resistant to extreme pressure, puncture, and chemicals (including oils and solvents)
Fully operational across a wide temperature range (-20 deg C / -4 deg F to 55 deg C / 133 deg F)
3-year hardware warranty that covers accidental damage

If I had to write my own wish list for a backcountry smartphone, the above would come awfully close to this. I was particularly interested in five key features: usability with gloves, battery life in cold temperatures, and operation in cold temperatures.

Glove Usability

I tested the Sonim XP7’s usability with gloves that had fingertips made from merino wool, polyester, synthetic leather (polyurethane), and leather. All materials were tested both wet (damp) and dry. Various gestures (taps and swipes) were performed about 100 times for each glove material type, and then repeated with wet materials. A grade of “good” was assigned if the device was responsive to more than 90% of gestures, a grade of “fair” was assigned if the device was responsive to 50% to 90% of gestures, a grade of “poor” was assigned if the device was responsive to less than 25% of gestures, and a grade of “NR” (not responsive) was assigned if the device was responsive to less than 5% of gestures. These results were repeated for a popular Android phone (my personal Samsung Note 3) and an iPhone (my wife’s personal 5S).

The following tables summarize the results.

Dry


Material	iPhone 5S	Samsung Note 3	Sonim XP7
merino wool	good	good	good
polyester	NR	poor	fair
synthetic leather	fair	good	good
leather	NR	NR	NR

Wet


Material	iPhone 5S	Samsung Note 3	Sonim XP7
merino wool	good	good	good
polyester	good	good	good
synthetic leather	good	good	good
leather	good	good	good

The Sonim XP7 scored better than the other two tested phones with dry gloves, but contrary to its claim of being usable with “work gloves”, it was mostly nonresponsive to gestures performed by leather gloves. There was no difference between the responsiveness of any of the phones with wet gloves, regardless of the material, as is to be expected with each of these phones, all of which have capacitive (and not resistive) touchscreens.

Battery Life in Cold Temperatures

A battery drain test was performed where all location and connectivity services were disabled, and the phone left outside until the battery died. Battery temperature, capacity, and drain rates were monitored using third-party apps installed on the phone.

In temperatures between the -20s deg F and +40s deg F, the Sonim XP7 battery drained in about 220 hours. During this time, all location and wireless connectivity services (including cellular, WiFi, and Bluetooth) were disabled.

Operation in Cold Temperatures

True to Sonim’s claim that the XP7 can be used in temperatures down to -4 deg F, my own testing doesn’t dispute that claim. In fact, I found the phone to be functional even at -27 deg F, with only mild screen ghosting.

In comparison, my Samsung Note 3 begins to show ghosting at about 10 deg F, but remains functional down to about -20 deg F. My wife’s iPhone 5S fares worse, with significant ghosting at 10 deg F and the ironic “iPhone needs to cool down message” popping up when temperatures plummet below zero.

Summary

In summary, I think the Sonim XP7 shows promise. It’s well-built and appears to deliver on its promise of being ultra-rugged and resistant to some of the horrors that might cause damage to electronics in the backcountry: water, dust, shock, impact, puncture, temperature, pressure, and chemicals. A cursory examination of battery life, cold weather performance, and usability with gloves is positive. That I can have a cell phone, GPS, mapping device, and camera in a single device that I can leave on and handy during the day while I’m trekking is very appealing; especially for the types of hikes I might take in less-remote areas where I want a cell phone with me.

Fenix HL22 Single-AA Headlamp

Here are the specs:

Powered by a single AA battery
Weight: 1.6 oz (45 g) without battery
Cree XP-E R4 LED
90m throw distance
120 lumen max (80-90 minute runtime)
45 lumen mid setting (4.5 – 5.5 hour runtime)
3 lumen low setting (55 hr runtime)
Materials: aluminum and plastic
Digitally regulated power
Waterproof

The Fenix HL22 Single-AA Cree XP-E R4 LED Headlamp

This is not my favorite headlamp (I don’t have one yet) but this comes close. Other than its boxy aesthetics (which I like but those who are seeking more alien-like housings will disapprove), the performance of this headlamp is near the top of its class when compared to some of its more popular competition – the widely available Black Diamond Spot, Petzl XP, and Princeton Tec Remix.

The HL22 isn’t perfect – in fact, too many changes were made from its previous generation, the HL21. The HL22 has more plastic, a smaller button, and a change in location of the button from side to top. None of these “features” were improvements. I hope the HL23 blends the performance of the HL22 with the design aesthetics and durability of the HL21.

Aside from the HL21, among the rest of the headlamps mentioned above (including the Spot, XP, and Remix), the Fenix HL22 has a better sell sheet: one lamp, one button, one AA battery, easy mode switching, few modes, more durability, easier battery changes, and easiest to operate with gloves.

Casio Pathfinder PRG-270

The Casio Pathfinder PRG-270 ABC (altimeter, barometer, compass) watch isn’t brand new to the market, but it has quietly snuck in besides watches from Garmin and Suunto to become a highly competitive option for wilderness travelers.

Casio Pathfinder PRG-270 (submodel B-1 shown). The best value of any ABC watch on the market?

After having tested its accuracy and compared results with other ABC watches from Suunto and Garmin, alongside the latest generation of dedicated GPS units, I can say with confidence that there are little differences in accuracy of barometric-based altimeter readings between the flagship models from Garmin, Suunto, and Casio. Now that the technology has normalized, the ABC watch game will be won in other areas.

For me, those areas include:

Battery life
Ease of use / menu structure
Button functionality while wearing gloves
Visibility of the watch face in bright sun
Size and weight
Durability
Price

In all of these areas, I’ve found the PRG-270 to keep up with the best of them. The watch is recharged by solar power, the menu system is intuitive (I didn’t need to read the instruction manual), the buttons are the most functional for gloved hands of any brand I’ve owned, the watch face is easy to read in bright sun (I have the PRG-270B-1 model, which has an inverse face), it’s light enough for wrist use (2.4 oz / 67 g), and a great price (less than $125 on the street). It feels durable enough to take a beating, and online reviews from owners certainly validate that – in fact, there seem to be many more positive testimonies of durability and low failure rates for the Casio PRG-270 than just about any model ever built by Suunto or Garmin.

The only thing it’s missing (for now) is fitness performance integration and GPS, which Casio (incompletely) addresses using smartphone integration in its STB watch line. If Casio has a hankering to enter the outdoor fitness watch market, currently dominated by Garmin (Fenix), Suunto (Ambit), Polar (V series), and Fitbit (Surge), they may built a positive following with the PRG-270 – but they’ll be chasing the technology leaders for now.

But if you’re looking for a basic ABC watch that is rugged, easy to use, accurate, and functional, the Casio PRG-270 is among the very best available – and is certainly offers the best value-to-performance ratio on the market.

Walking in Nepal

Desperate for an authentic Nepalese experience, the author takes to the less-traveled trekking routes to learn about himself and the area’s beauty.

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Introduction

Top Stories

70-Year-Old Plans Month-Long Winter Expedition Along Boundary Waters

Six Summits Challenge Will Raise Awareness on the Issue of Human Trafficking

A Chapter is Closing on Arctic Exploration

Lost City found in the Honduran Rain forest

Top Stories Shorts

Expeditions

Trans Adirondack Route

Best Backpacking Trips around the World to Add to your Bucket List

Expedition Shorts

Photo of the Week

Skills

Group Navigation

Surviving an Avalanche

Skills Shorts

Gear

ISPO 2015

Trekking Shirts

Gear Shorts

People

Where are the women?

Our Remote Areas – What’s really at Stake?

People Shorts

Trailers and Videos

Darjeeling Dreams

Rocklands

The Forge

Introduction

Top Stories

Duo Completes Winter PCT Thru-hike

The Pixel Trade

Saving the Caribou

Top Stories Shorts

Expeditions

Summit of Nanga Parbat Halted by Bad Weather

King of Dolomites

Expedition Shorts

Skills

How logging has Shaped our Ski Areas

River Crossings

Skills Shorts

Gear

Why Cotton is not an Insulator

Food

Gear Shorts

People

A Singletrack Connected Town

Alastair Humphreys

People Shorts

Trailers

MMA Fighter Turned Mountain Runner

Introduction

Top Stories

70 Days Lying in Bed for Science

Yellowstone and Teton Paddling Bill

Top Stories Shorts

Expeditions

Make the Leap and See What Happens

Winter Thru-Hike of PCT

Expedition Shorts

Photo of the Week

Skills

How to Make Your Running Shoes Last Longer

Household Items that Double as Effective Camping Gear

Skills Shorts

Gear

Arc’Teryx Lithic Comp Jacket and Pants

The Iphone and It’s Cases

Gear Shorts

People

Casey Green

Interview with Leon McCarron and Alastair Humphreys

Sophie Radcliffe

Said Belhaj

People Shorts

Trailers

Unbranded

Introduction

Hiking to the “Bowl” – Hike 1