Podcast Episode November 11, 2024

Podcast 112 | The Analog Backcountry Experience


together with Vaer Watches

Vaer Watches Logo

This episode is sponsored by Vaer Watches, home to beautifully designed, extremely durable, expedition-worthy wristwatches masterfully crafted in the USA.

VAER Watches

From Day 1 Vaer has had a simple mission: build watches that can be trusted anywhere, including the most extreme outdoor environments. Over the years we've had the opportunity to continually put this ethos to the test, working with explorers and athletes who have continued to showcase the unique appeal of extreme durability, and timeless design.

See it at Vaer

Listen

Show Notes

In episode 112 of the Backpacking Light podcast, we’re going to learn about the analog Backcountry experience and some of the gear that can help feed your need for a digital-free backcountry life.

Ep 112 The Analog Backcountry Experience

In this Episode:

What’s New at Backpacking Light?

Featured Brands and Products

VAER C5 Tactical Field Solar Watch

The Vaer C5 Tactical Field Solar features a sapphire face cover, 316L stainless steel body, and a Japanese Epson VS-42 solar-powered movement that provides up to six months of power reserve at high precision. The watch is water-resistant up to 10 ATM (100 meters), offers a blacked-out aesthetic with exceptional lume performance, ensuring readability in low-light conditions.

See it at Vaer
Silva Expedition Neo Baseplate Compass

The Silva Expedition NEO is a durable, high-precision compass designed for advanced navigation in challenging outdoor environments. It features a neodymium-powered needle that ensures swift and stable performance, and cannot be demagnetized, making it a reliable tool for professionals. The compass also includes a globally balanced needle for accurate readings worldwide, luminous markings for low-light conditions, a clinometer for measuring slopes, and adjustable declination for regional variations.

See it at Silva USA
Field Notes Expedition Edition Waterproof Notebook

The Field Notes Expedition Edition is a durable, weatherproof notebook designed for challenging environments. It features a high-visibility "Antarctic Survey Orange" front cover and a "Polar Night Black" back cover, both made from Yupo Synthetic paper—a tearproof and waterproof material. The 48 interior pages are printed with a light gray dot-graph pattern, suitable for various types of note-taking. Due to the nonporous nature of the synthetic paper, writing instruments like ballpoint pens, pencils, or fine-tip Sharpies are recommended for optimal performance. 

See it at Field Notes
Fisher Stowaway Space Pen

The Fisher Stowaway Space Pen has an anodized aluminum barrel that measures 3.9 inches when closed and extends to 5.13 inches when open. The pen features Fisher's pressurized thixotropic ink cartridge, enabling it to write in extreme conditions, including temperatures ranging from -30°F to +250°F and in wet (including submerged) environments. It writes at any angle, even upside down, and on almost any surface.

See it at REI

The Analog Backcountry Experience

  • The Wilderness Act and how it showcases a change in attitude related to how America manages its public lands.
  • Attention Restoration Theory (ART) – nature can restore depleted cognitive resources, particularly that of directed attention.
  • The Cognitive Benefits of Interacting with Nature (Berman et al., Psychological Science).
  • Key Findings of ART – walking in nature improves directed attention abilities, nature provides a restorative environment that helps replenish cognitive resources, and exposure to natural environments leads to improved cognitive function compared to urban settings.
  • Stress Reduction Theory – exposure to nature reduces physiological stress responses.
  • What are we doing to our backcountry experience in nature if we rely on smartphones in the backcountry?
  • If you were to leave digital navigation technology at home, what would you do instead, and how would it make you feel? How Ryan Feels – Enhanced Mindfulness, Mental Clarity, and the awareness of the subconscious connection to turned off electronics.
  • Digital Detox: taking extended breaks from digital devices can have positive digital effects.

Featured Episode Tip: How to Determine Compass Direction Using an Analog Watch

Determining Comppass Direction using an analog watch

Links, Mentions, and Related Content

How to Subscribe

More Episodes

Credits

Feedback / Tips / Questions

More Backpacking Light

Disclosure

  • Sponsorship Policy: Backpacking Light does not accept compensation or donated/discounted products in exchange for product mentions or placements in editorial coverage, including any podcast episode content not excplicitly identified as sponsored content.
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Home Forums Podcast 112 | The Analog Backcountry Experience

Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #3821937
    Backpacking Light
    Admin

    @backpackinglight

    Locale: Rocky Mountains

    Companion forum thread to: Podcast 112 | The Analog Backcountry Experience

    In episode 112 of the Backpacking Light podcast we’re going to learn about the analog Backcountry experience and some of the gear that can help feed your need for a digital-free backcountry life.

    #3822302
    phil g
    BPL Member

    @austin_pmg

    I enjoyed the trip down memory lane, as my exploration of the backcountry began well before the age of handheld electronics (mostly). I still have my Silva Ranger 15t compass (although it seems to have lost most of its fluid), and recall spending hours drawing magnetic declination lines on old topos, some based on early 1900s data, and how to quickly use them.

    I’ve been using the Field Notes notebooks for years, but haven’t yet found a workable way to use the waterproof ones–my ink always seems to smear, although I haven’t tried Ryan’s space pen.

    I used to get held hostage by the “tyranny of the camera” Colin Fletcher wrote so eloquently about. I rarely bring a camera aside from the smart phone, and even then I now resist the urge to fully document everything I see or experience. Sometimes it’s better just to concentrate on remembering a scene, or location; sometimes writing notes I may read decades later is more enjoyable than snapping a series of photos.

    Anyway, a vote for digital detoxing. When you can.

    #3823128
    Morgan S
    BPL Member

    @captainat

    A great podcast. Ryan! my friends and I used to have a little ceremony when we would start a trip into the wilderness, which was to take our watches off and leave them behind.  I just did my first long trip using digital technology a couple of months ago. I think I’ll go back to analog. My one question for you is when you are doing an analog trip do you still use a satellite messenger?

    #3823142
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    No watch?
    But how would I know when it is time for 10 am coffee?

    Anyhow, a lot of the time I am navigating while moving using watch and sun, rather than stopping to let the compass settle.

    Definitely, HYOH
    Cheers

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