Super Duper Ultra Light! Some time back I read this article about Timmermade's SUL 1.5 down puffy. I have the Timmermade Super Ultralight (SUL) 0.75, and like it, but find it a bit too UL for me - i.e. not as warm as I would hope. When I read the bikepacking
Elk Creek Loop Lessons Learned On July 1-4, 2022 Chris Spears and I traveled to Southern Colorado to do a "shakedown" trip with his daughter Maxine on the Elk Creek, Valle Verde loop in preparation for the 4-Pass Loop trip that we would go on August 5-8. This was my first time ever backpacking in
Colorado 4-Pass Loop Trip Report, August 5 - 8, 2022 Friday August 5th: We Drove from Manitou Springs to Crested Butte trail head and arrived around 11:30 am. After group picture taking, myself, Chris Spears , his nephew, and his daughter began our climb. We debated clockwise or counterclockwise around the loop right up until we got to the decision
Superior Trail Packing List Tina and I will be doing the Superior Trail September 4-16. We are going to be doing a "choose your own adventure" plan. i.e. we know where we are going to start, and we know when we are going to finish, but exactly where we are going to finish
BBNP Shakedown This past weekend I went on a quick two-nighter with Chris and his daughter to Big Bend NP to see how she liked backpacking with elevation change. This is in preparation for a possible longer trip later this summer. Chris has many more pics and stories to share - I'll
Am I materialistic? Umm..... yeah, but... I drive a 2007 Pontiac Vibe with 250k miles on it. Still going strong. Looking forward to 300k. Fully depreciated baby! But, yeah, I like nice things. I just choose to spend my money on my passions: my pups and backpacking. One of the things I really enjoy about cottage
Penny-wise but Pound-foolish If you've used a canister stove for any amount of time, you've undoubtedly got a collection of half-used canisters. Annoying. Wouldn't it be great if there were some way to combine the contents of one cannister into another? Surely there must be a way. I consulted the modern source of
Gear Reviews Wildland Coffee Review On January 5, 2022 the founder of Wildland Coffee Zach Frantz posted the following on the Texas Hiking Community Facebook group: "I am the founder of Wildland Coffee and we put delicious coffee into tea bags. No more mess and fuss of french presses or pour overs while you camp!
Trails Reviews/Wrap-ups Trip Report - March 11-13 2021 Before my divorce last year I had been quite active with a pair of Scout Troops in San Antonio. The crossroads of Scouting and backpacking go a long way back for me. It was Scouts that first introduced me to the sport, and it was in Scouts that I accomplished
Gear Reviews Timmermade Sleep System (Coati Quilt, Overquilt, and Waterbear) Review Timmermade (Timmermade – Handmade Outdoor Gear) is a cottage boutique for hand-made custom ultralight backpacking gear. I ordered a 20-degree Coati quilt from them in October of 2021 to upgrade my Enlightened Equipment 20 degree Revelation. While I have enjoyed the EE quilt, I had read about the almost mythical qualities
Trifles Old School Can you identify this stove just from the picture above? No? How about if you heard it's distinctive sound? https://youtu.be/qLwsqcdLbKI This is the grandfather of all modern backpacking stoves. It's a brick by today's standard, but has served generations of backpackers. True to form, I inherited it
Trifles Brian's First Ever BSA Camporee That's me on the right on my knees. This would have been in the fall of 1983. I was a Tenderfoot Scout at the time, after having attended Mount Norris Scout Reservation the summer before. I remember the names of most of the Scouts and adults in the picture with
