Skurka and Sierra Designs team up for gear

I was never impressed with world explorers like Lewis and Clark either. Lewis and Clark had the help of some Indian chick whose name I cannot pronounce. They teach more in Girl Scouts than those Indians ever knew and they have much better cookies.

Plus… they used guns and did you ever see their packing list? I sure hope they updated their list on Gear Grams…..not one single Cuben item! They have no business being worshiped on BPL for their pathetic accomplishments. They had no proper appreciation for wilderness and they clearly had no spiritual connection to their trip. Lewis ended up killing himself after making exaggerated claims and failing miserably at the first overpriced mass market outdoor gear brand.

I'm tired of all this hero worship. Anyone could have done the same thing with a canoe and a couple Indian gals! Humph… bah humbug!

MODERATOR MOVE THIS TO CHAFF!;

Hey guys stop commenting on this thread so it will go away;

Sources please; and

The Evernew bladders are compatible with the Sawyer filters although I suggest using the squeeze over the mini due to the better flow rate.

Ha! That meme is classic. Thanks for the laugh.

I like how you guys ran with the cub scout reference. Didn't see that one coming. Clever. Straw Man.

Interesting facts on Lewis & Clark there kevperro, I always just thought they bought the Skurka mapsets.

LOL… thanks for having a good sense of humor.

It is all in good fun…. at your expense. :-) I do love those cookies though…just bought five boxes of the mint flavor.

"I'm tired of all this hero worship."

Worship? I'm jealous of those who can manage to get paid to hike! Like being a giggilo with a choice of "views."

".. Just bought five boxes of the mint flavor.."

Ha, burn.

I'm kinda honored that someone was bored enough to whip together a meme on the fly, for me! Thanks Trace

On another note, I'll be teaching a course on derby car aerodynamics as well as offering tips for cinching your bolo really tight.

Lighten up fellas, or is it always like this?

. . . in another thread a long, long time ago, in a BPL far, far away, the incivility started with at least a touch of class, as in:

"Dave T:

"Eric,

"Any chance in any one of the possible futures that you could actually just call those two companies by their actual names: 'Patagonia' and '"Arc'teryx'?

"Thanks."

To which this rejoinder was made:

"Eric Chan:

"sorry dave,

"its a free country … if its so concerning im sure you can convince BPL to censor those words

"thanks"

Soon followed by this courteous request:

"Steve Killion:

"Eric,

"Any chance, in the future you could actually use capitalization and punctuation? Your posts are difficult to read. Thanks"

To which Eric Chan gave his typically civil response:

"Eric Chan:

"sorry steven

"if it proper grammar concerns you that much … i suggest you ask BPL to ban everyone who doesnt have perfect gramma

"thanks"

But then the thread went reeeeeaaaly downhill for a couple of pages, leading Addie to interject (as she often did in those faraway BPL threads a long, long time ago):

"This thread is quickly spinning into Chaff territory. Please remember our forum ground rules (posted to the right every time you add a post):

"Be civil, reasonable, and helpful. Off-topic, inflammatory, or inappropriate posts will be removed at our discretion. For more, view BPL Forum Ethics (http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight//xdpy/forum_thread/1134/index.html)"

Which reigned in the renegades . . . but only temporarily, as even the priest jumped into the fray, although still with class & trying only to be helpful —

"Diplomatic Mike (Locale: Under a bush in Scotland): @Eric.

"When you first started posting, i thought English was your second language, or maybe you were dyslexic, as your posts were difficult to read and understand. They are sometimes written like a drunk child.

"However, your last posts on this thread were pretty 'normal'. Obviously then, you have chosen your particular online persona. Maybe if you posted 'normal' more often, you wouldn't get so much grief?

"This is meant with good intentions, as i assume you don't deliberately set out to wind folk up?"

The whole thing was actually a pretty humorous thread.

Here's the link for more: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=56351

Adddie would be mortified by some of these threads today.

That is, she would be if she were still watching.

Addie used to care, but (as Dylan said at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9EKqQWPjyo) things have changed.

Like, hello, who even knew there was a scourge of "mostly white, mostly male adventurers" plaguing the wildscape these days.

Even if true, that's something to care enough about to dwell upon it?

Do tell.

OTOH, never mind. Cabin fever and all.

It'd be nice if folks kept it civil, classy, and humorous . . . for Addie.

(edited for punctuation and gramma)
(edited again to add a link 'cuz Ken T likes 'em; besides it's a great song)

I love that Richard supplied links.

The forums are what we make them

Don't feed the trolls

Some folks are good at being civil and patient. Some really suck at it. I suggest writing your post, then deleting it. Then write it again if you still feel the need.

It's just a forum on a website. Take it easy. The search function is so mediocre here that nobody is posting for posterity.

I've taken my lumps here deservedly and not. I get the irony that some of you perceive to be in this post. It is not my intent.

Go Skurka!

I actually removed my previous post in an attempt to be civil as others have requested.

Unfortunately I checked my Email not long after and noticed a PM from David attacking my grammar among other things. I'm not going to send a PM back as it would probably end with more unwanted garbage in the inbox.

@David, I would just ask that you don't PM me again. I'm not selling you cheap gear, I don't foresee you ever having a legitimate question to ask me, and we're not friends. I have my doubts the system was put in place so you would be capable of making childish attacks in private. Anything you have to say to me can be said on the boards.

As to my grammatical errors. Who cares? It's an internet message board. It's not the place to try and perfect something I was never good at anyways.

@Staff or anyone who may know, Is there a way to block individual people from sending you msgs?

Testosterone is a helluva drug. ~Rick James

This might be an ultralight backpacking site, but human drama still attracts more readers than anything else.

I think of Skurka as being more of a triathlete than anything else. I'm sure the guy knows his stuff about long distance hiking, but I'd say there are at least 20 or 30 people here at BPL who know just as much.

In an attempt to actually talk about the original posting, I'm glad the Sierra Designs is getting engaged here, asking questions, looking for feedback, etc. And bringing on someone who knows as much about really getting out there can't be a bad thing.

I had a SD Meteor Light for like 20 years that I used for old school backpacking, car camping, work field trips, festivals, and everything else. It took a beating and was a great shelter. I finally retired it to the alley, where a homeless person took it by the next morning. So it's probably still out there!

Glad they are trying to take a new look at things.

He's an incredible athlete.

He certainly has the trail miles and wilderness experiences to give his resume credibility. Who gives a $%!+ what his style is? If he likes hiking that way then how is it any of my business?

He's knowledgeable.

He's able to communicate what he's learned to students. There are plenty of knowledgeable people here who lack the ability or passion to be a teacher. Long distance UL backpacking and teaching are two distinct skill sets that are not necessarily mutually inclusive. I had a few college professors who were horrible educators.

He's charismatic and someone people enjoy listening to. Regardless of experience and knowledge, this is certainly not a given here at BPL, as this thread proves.

The mere fact that mentioning his name is like a dinner bell for trolls is further evidence that he's a credible figurehead for the hiking community and someone SD should try to maintain a working relationship with.

And it appears per Pmags that Andrew is not afraid to spoon. That's good to know for winter backpacking adventures gone wrong.

I read his book, watched his videos, and feel that he's a great resource for people who want to get into UL backpacking.

I'm not sure if he first used the phrase, but we all have to give Skurka credit for popularizing "stupid light." :-)

Being a responsible and helpful guy, he probably doesn't want anyone to repeat any of his own mistakes. Maybe he realized some of his previous gear choices were somewhat in the stupid light category, and then changed them in the gear list? We've all been there. :-)

"And it appears per Pmags that Andrew is not afraid to spoon. That's good to know for winter backpacking adventures gone wrong. "

I am helping to guide with him on a winter/intro to skiing trip this weekend.

We are sharing a shelter….

I don't think there will be any spooning. ;-)

re: charismatic

My darling wife, true to her Prussian heritage (no really, she was born and spent her childhood in the historic Prussian region..) can be blunt and direct in her assessments without any trace of humor or irony. Much different than my also blunt, but sarcastic Northeast humor.

One day, she said I make a good assistant for Mr. Skurka.

Why honey?

"Because you are knowledgeable, good with people and patient when teaching."

Thanks honey!!!

"AND, he is better looking than you and more charismatic as well"

Thanks dear! I love you too. :D

(My wife is apparently attracted to short, bald, stocky Mediterranean looking guys. Phew!!!)

Skurka did coin the term stupid light which I think is an excellent concept to grasp when evolving an ultralight kit. He has since expressed regrets with the "stupid" connotation. The gist of it is that your gear needs to work for the conditions. Anyone can whip up an SUL list, but living with the results may not be safe, let alone enjoyable.

I like to use the TOO concept: if you end up TOO cold, TOO uncomfortable, TOO cold, TOO wet, or TOO hungy, you might be trying to go TOO light.

"I am helping to guide with him on a winter/intro to skiing trip this weekend."

I'd actually like to take one of those courses. I'll keep my eye on his website for a class next winter as we have direct flights from Pasco to Denver.

I've been skiing groomed cruisers since the early '80s but I'm kind of lost when it comes to back country skiing. Not irrelevant to this thread (or at least what it devolved to), it'd be worth it to me to pay the price of admission to get schooled on this and have the benefit of having someone who's knowledgeable to interact with on all the different gear choices. The trial and error gear process has been somewhat expensive for backpacking but managable. The sky is the limit when it comes to ski gear it seems.

"Because you are knowledgeable, good with people and patient when teaching."

I can vouch for that! And I should probably stop there.

""Because you are knowledgeable, good with people and patient when teaching."

I can vouch for that! And I should probably stop there."

So you're saying he did or didn't spoon with you too? :)

Now now Michael! Katharine and Paul seem to be happily married to their significant others. I'm sure to avoid scandal, they'd use some Skurka approved winter survival techniques.

.

Ian, granted i've never taken the winter course, but i'm pretty sure wilderness dinosaur midwifery skills are outside his roundhouse.

Awesome Ian.

Katherine, I'm just guessing, but you aren't a star wars fan are you?

They cut open the beast and crawl inside for warmth…not a birth!

I don't know…what about the time Skurka helped a momma Grizzly give birth to cubs?

"but i'm pretty sure wilderness dinosaur midwifery skills are outside his roundhouse."

Well Katherine, we've established that you're not a nerd. Congratulations.

"I don't know…what about the time Skurka helped a momma Grizzly give birth to cubs?"

John I think you are misremembering what happened:

http://andrewskurka.com/2012/i-scared-the-hit-out-of-a-grizzly-bear-literally/