Yesterday I had the opportunity to head into Tokyo (my home computer hard drive died…) and spend some time over at O.D Box, the outdoor store which promotes UL in Japan more than any other. While I was contemplating the alcohol stoves I came across the stoves by Yukio Yamakawa. Man, these things are amazingly light and well made. They are also a lot stronger than they appear. The sidewalls didn’T budge when I pressed them with my fingers.
As I was looking at the stoves the sales manager of the store, Tomoyoshi Tsuchiya, came over and we started talking about UL gear, methods, philosophy, buying UL gear in Japan, and homemade UL gear and materials. It was a great conversation, lasting nearly thirty minutes. Mr. Tsuchiya explained how difficult it is to get UL goods in Japan due to the high price of shipping and to many of the distributors not yet showing much interest in UL gear. He was saying how in Japan people often go backpacking because of the weights involved in traditional backpacking, but most people still have no idea about the possibilities of UL. He wanted to see more collaboration between cottage industries abroad and retail stores in Japan in part to show Japanese buyers what is available and what a difference going light would make to their experiences outdoors. He also siad that there was a much bigger Japanese audience here at BPL than it seems, but that most of the Japanese readers just don’t feel confident enough to post in English. But the interest is definitely there.
While we spoke I noticed a prototype woodgas stove that Yukio Yamakawa was working on and that might come on the market some time soon. I asked Mr. Tsuchiya if it was okay to take a photo and post it on BPL, promising not to make commercial use of the design for myself:
The stove is really light and beautifully made. It has a metal tube at the bottom with tiny holes punched in it that I assume helps to take air in from the outside.
One exciting bit of news from Mr. Tsuchiya was a new tent produced by O.D. Box itself, similar to the BD Firstlight, but a little smaller, made out of a fully waterproof material that weighs only 750 grams! He told me he would tell me about it when it was ready in two weeks or so. If it is what I think it is maybe I will have found my new tent!
While in the store I bought some clothes from the innovative new clothing company FineTrack. The most interesting piece of gear I bought was their Breeze Wrap Jacket, which the store clerk, who uses one himself all year, said was “very hard to define”. He said it was like a windshirt, but also like a stretch softshell, but much lighter (at 210 grams), very breathable and water resistant. The best he could describe it was like “a second skin”. The material is nylon with a thin laminate that made the garment feel like stiff gauze. The material itself holds whatever extra moisture collects on the outside and lets it evaporate that way, instead collecting on the inside of a full-on rain jacket. So, though the jacket is made to be worn in most situations, like a regular windjacket, it breathes better and yet can also be worn under a rain jacket and stop the persperation from getting back in. Very hard to describe. I’m really looking forward to trying it out.
I also bought the FineTrack mesh undershirt that I hope might work nicely with my pertex/ pile system in winter. Water beads off the material like water off a duck.
In addition I bought three of the new folding water bottles (Liquitainers) by Source I’m hoping they might solve some of the problems that my Platypus bottles have with leaking at creases.
I also saw a very light folding hiking pole using aluminum poles. SInce I have to use the trains a lot here and one-piece hiking poles are a real bother to other passengers on the train, this folding option might be just what I am looking for.
