The Nitecore NU20 is very bright, lightweight rechargeable headlamp that I’m using this year for three-season backpacking and hiking. Weighing just 1.66 ounces, including a comfortable head strap, it has 4 brightness levels, ranging from 1 lumen to 360 lumens on full power, in addition to two special modes: a flashing SOS and a Beacon Mode that’s good for guiding people to a location in the dark. In all honesty, I was hesitant to try this headlamp because it is rechargeable and doesn’t take the external batteries that I’ve carried for years, in case mine run out. But it was recommended by my backpacking friend Martin Rye from the UK and I decided to give it a go. Martin’s recommendations are usually spot on when it comes to backpacking gear, cameras, and electronics. The NU20 is recharged using a mini-USB plug so it’s compatible with the 8000 mAh rechargeable lithium ion battery I carry on all my hikes to recharge my smartphone if I use it for GPS navigation. I’ve also started using a new USB rechargeable camera, a Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ7 (awesome camera), which means I can eliminate a lot of the spare batteries I routinely carry in my pack and recharge on the go, if needed. I like the idea of using a rechargeable battery because it’s less wasteful, I don’t need to carry a bunch of different device chargers or batteries on long trips, and it makes resupply a lot less complicated between my frequent trips. I rarely use more than 25% of the charge on my backup battery and feel that I still have plenty of extra capacity to recharge these extra devices if needed. The NU 20 is a very comfortable headlamp to wear, the headband is easy to adjust, and the lamp is super lightweight so you barely notice that you’re wearing it. I’m not a night hiker by habit, so I mainly use the 1 lumen and 40 lumens settings around camp instead of the 200 and 360 lumen settings, although I can see them useful for winter hiking. Operation of the headlamp is intuitive with button presses to rotate through the different light intensities. The headlamp also has a built-in battery indicator to indicate how much power is remaining and when the light is being recharged. The one thing missing from this light is a lock mechanism built into the switch to prevent the light from being turned on accidentally. That function is handled instead by the bracket that attaches the light to the headband and lets you redirect the beam. There’s a small plastic tab on the bracket that prevents the on-off switch from being activated, provided you rotate the light back into the bracket after using it. This is an easy habit to remember and it’s something I do whenever I stow the headlamp in the tiny stuff sack that I use to store all of my electronics. Of course, the fact that the headlamp is field rechargeable means that I can top off the battery is if I ever forget, the headlamp turns on, and drains itself. So far, that’s never been an issue and I am confident that the risk of running completely out of juice is low anyway. You’re never more than a week away from an electric outlet anymore, even when hiking a remote trail. I’ve been using the Nitecore NU headlamp for a four months now and really like it. I like the headlamp’s light weight, the adjustability of the strap, the light modes it provides, and that it’s powered by a rechargeable lithum-ion battery with a mini-USB connector. Being able to replace all the spare batteries (in different sizes) that I used to carry and replace them with the single rechargeable battery I already carry is also a big win. I’m cautiously optimistic that this strategy will work, but time will tell. How do you feel about consolidating all your spare batteries, switching to USB rechargeable electronics, and using a USB portable charger to top off your devices instead? Disclosure: The author purchased this product with his own funds.
from http://sectionhiker.com/nitecore-nu20-rechargeable-headlamp-review/
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Cape Horn is an unusual geologic feature in New Hampshire’s north country called a ring dike. Two thousand feet in height, it’s a ring-shaped remnant of volcanic activity, bordered to the east and west by steep (note angry red and purple slope shading above) talus cliffs. I was inspired to climb it after reading a trip report about Cape Horn on John Compton’s 1HappyHiker website. John is a local treasure, an off-trail raconteur of rare and unusual places to visit. Cape Horn proved to be a remarkable destination and we had a fine spring day to check out the wondrous views from its cliffs. We approached Cape Horn from Lost Tribe Rd, following an old 4WD road mapped on the USGS map. It’s not really a road anymore, but a swath cut through the forest. Our goal was to hike the ridge from south to north and then hop off after the north summit and loop back. We crossed a set of powerlines and could see talus cliffs at the base of the Cape, so we decided to go check them out before vectoring to the south end of the ridge. They proved a nice diversion with nice views all their own. Note: the area along Lost Nation Rd to the north of the 4WD trail is a rifle range, so well stay clear of it. It’s well posted, but still. The area below the cliffs was full of boulders so we dropped some elevation and headed south across open forest. The geology of Cape Horn is such that it sweetens and fertilizes the soil around it and we saw an abundance of flowers on the forest floor. There was evidence of bigger mammals including bear scat and deer pellets. I also saw an enormous porcupine as we neared the southern end of the ridge and gave it a big detour. When we reached the south end, we found a bony spine and climbed up it to the top of the ridge. We also found ourselves in the midst of a red pine forest, a relatively rare tree in the New Hampshire ecosystem. As we worked our way north, we darted between the east and western ledges for views. The best ones were westward into the Pilot Range and down into the river valley between the two ridgelines. It was such a clear day, we could even see Franconia Notch from our viewpoint, close to 40 miles south. We summitted the south peak and headed toward the northern peak, the highpoint along the ridge. The bugs were horrendous so I pulled out a headnet and wore that the rest of our hike, despite the fact that it’d periodically catch on overhanging vegetation. It’s that time of year! Most of us were wearing long pants to protect ourselves against ticks, which we also pulled off our pants. The northern summit is much more distinct than the southern with even better east facing cliffs that drop hundreds of feet. We lingered soaking up the views of the twin Percy Peaks in the Nash Stream Forest to our north. It was one of those days, where we could have sat there for hours, except for the bugs…. After signing the (NH500) canister, we made our way down the western spur and dropped into some logged out areas at the foot of the cliffs that led back to the 4WD road and our cars. Cape Horn is a unique bushwhack, one well worth the drive up north. from http://sectionhiker.com/bushwhacking-cape-horn/ Ultralight Adventure Equipment (ULA) is one of the oldest and most respected ultralight backpacking gear manufacturers. Their backpacks are quite popular with long distance backpackers and weekend warriors in the United States and are a frequent sight along our National Scenic Trails and in the backcountry. I like ULA’s backpacks because they’re very durable and can be configured to fit a wide range of people, including men and women. In fact, nearly half of ULA’s customers buy backpacks configured for female customers, far more than any other ultralight backpacking manufacturer. They’re also the only backpack manufacturer to offer female friendly S-shaped shoulder straps as an option on every overnight backpack they make. All of ULA’s backpacks are sewn in the United States if that’s important to you, which also gives them the ability to customize their packs for a small fee. They also provide fantastic custom support in my experience, especially when it comes to making sure that you get a pack that fits properly. If you’ve never purchased an ultralight backpack before or aren’t familiar with ULA’s product line, it can be challenging to figure out which ULA backpack is right for you. Here are some tips to help you with the selection process, so you get the right pack for your needs. ULA Circuit BackpackThe ULA Circuit is ULA’s most popular backpack and the one I recommend most often to hikers looking for a pack that’s durable enough to withstand a thru-hike but lightweight enough for weekend use. With 68 liters of capacity, the ULA Circuit can hold a lot of gear, but has a surprisingly nimble feel and won’t slow you down. It’s also easy to configure for a different types of trips, terrain, and equipment needs, and is burly enough for winter use, so you can use it year-round.
Most of the Circuit’s storage is in the main compartment which closes with a roll top, making it easy to pack and access the gear stored inside. Roll top closures provide excellent top compression for larger loads without much added weight, which is why they’re so popular on ultralight backpacks. The Circuit is organized like most ultralight backpacks with two open side pockets, a large rear mesh pocket, and a hip belt with two large zippered pockets. This design lets you keep the daytime gear you need on the outside of pack, so you can avoid having to stop and dig around in your pack whenever you need something. The ULA Circuit has a three-part frame the includes an aluminum frame stay, a plastic stiffening sheet, and a foam pad. The advantage of a frame stay is that you can bend it to fit your back and personalize the fit. Load transfer to the hips is very good and the pack is comfortable with up to 35 pound loads. Read my review of ULA Circuit Backpack ULA Catalyst BackpackThe ULA Catalyst is ULA’s largest capacity pack with 75 liters of capacity and a max recommended load of 40 pounds. While the Catalyst looks quite similar to the ULA Circuit and can be used for thru-hikes, this pack is best used on expedition trips that require carrying more food between resupply points than thru-hikes. The Catalyst is also a good backpack for professional guides or trip leaders because it has extra space for larger first aid kits and technical equipment.
The ULA Catalyst has a much burlier frame system which gives it a slightly less nimble feel than the Circuit. It has two aluminum frames stays instead of one, in part because the Catalyst has a wider and larger pack bag. Having the two aluminum stays means that you can carry much heavier loads with the Catalyst than another of ULA’s other backpacks (other than the Epic and Camino 2 which are also built on top of the Catalyst frame system.) Read my review of ULA Catalyst Backpack ULA Ohm 2.0 BackpackThe ULA Ohm 2.0 has a minimalist frame and suspension system that best used by hikers who’ve already made the transition to less bulking and lightweight gear, not those starting down that road. It’s a great backpack, but it requires a more nuanced packing and gear strategy than the ULA Circuit or Catalyst backpacks, which have much heavier stiffer frames.
The Ohm 2.0 is laid out in like other ultralight backpacks with side water bottle pockets and a rear mesh pocket. While the pack back comes with a draw string closure, a roll top is also available. The side compression system is much more streamlined than on the Circuit or Catalyst and uses cord instead of webbing. However, the Ohm 2.0 also gives you many different attachment points so you can rig up a custom compression/attachment system that fits your exact needs. The Ohm 2.0 frame has a thin foam back panel and a fiberglass/carbon fiber loop to help the pack bag keeps it’s shape. It’s very fragile however and you should avoid sitting on the Ohm 2.0 or checking it as luggage on an airplane because it can break easily. The pack bag is also narrower than any of ULA’s other backpacks, so it really conforms to your body and moves with you. The Ohm 2.0 is my favorite ULA backpack, but it is easy to overwhelm if you load it up too heavily or have very bulky gear that doesn’t compress well. Read my review of ULA Ohm 2.0 Backpack ULA CDT BackpackThe ULA CDT is a classic frameless ultralight backpack, one of the few still available from cottage ultralight gear manufacturers. It’s a streamlined backpack with less closed storage than ULA’s other backpacks, but one a very durable one, with great external storage.
While the ULA CDT is technically frameless, it has a foam back panel that prevents packed items from poking you in the back. But the secret sauce that makes the CDT so comfortable to carry is the fact the hip belt is sewn directly to the backpack, so you get a carry that moves when you move, provided you don’t overload the pack with gear and consumables. If you need a pack that can carry more weight than the CDT, I’d recommend choosing the Ohm 2.0 instead. Read my review of ULA CDT Backpack Specialty BackpacksULA makes a number of specialty backpacks that are quite similar to their other backpacks but are “tuned” to specific uses. ULA Camino 2 BackpackThe ULA Camino 2 is a panel loading backpack designed for hostel-to-hostel and travel hiking, where luggage like access to your gear and airplane carry-on spec compatibility are the chief requirements. Panel loading backpacks let you unzip the main compartment of a pack from the exterior, much like a suitcase, so you can pull out the gear you need without having to unpack your backpack through the top. They’re super convenient for travel or when you’re sleeping indoors in a hostel and have limited closet space.
For all practical purposes the Camino 2 is identical to the ULA Catalyst except it has a different pack style pack bag. The shoulder straps, the hip belt, and the frame system, are all identical, so it can carry up to 40 pound loads comfortably. While the Camino can be used as a top loader since it has a roll top, the back of the pack can be opened by opening a zipper that runs around the perimeter of the rear mesh pocket. ULA Epic BackpackThe ULA Epic Backpack is designed for packrafting and canyoneering where you want to be able to store all of your clothing, gear and food in an industrial strength dry bag designed for water sports. Instead of a conventional pack sack, it incorporates a 65L Sea-to-Summit Big River Dry Bag, which is cleverly sandwiched to the backpack frame using compression straps and fabric panels to hold it in place. The Epic also has a mesh rear pocket with a zipper down the middle to store gear you want access to during the day. However, unlike ULA’s other packs, it does not have side water bottle pockets or a hydration sleeve.
The ULA Epic is also built on top of the Catalyst frame, shoulder strap, and hip belt system so it has a max recommended load of 40 pounds. While it does come with a dry bag, you can also use the stripped down frame system to carry other things such as coolers, elk quarters, boxes of food – pretty much anything you can wedge between the frame and compression straps. The Epic isn’t for everyone, but if you need a pack like it, it provides the right level of modularity to fill a wide variety of needs. ULA FastpackThe ULA Fastpack is ULA’s newest and smallest capacity backpack, designed for adventure racing, day hiking, or peak bagging. It doesn’t have a hip belt and features a vest-style shoulder harness instead of the J-shaped and S-shaped shoulder straps used in ULA’s other backpacks.
The Fastpack is laid out like an ultralight backpacks with 1 liter side water bottle pockets, a rear mesh pocket, and a roll top. It has a foam back panel like the frameless ULA CDT backpack, but with less capacity. If you’re interested in using the Fastpack for overnight trips, I’d encourage you to way its pros and cons against the CDT which provides a bit more flexibility because it has a higher volume. Additional InformationBackpack VolumeMany ultralight backpacking companies, including ULA, measure the volume of their backpacks differently than mainstream backpack manufacturers, which is important to know if you are trying to compare the weight-to-volume ratio of a conventional backpack to a ULA backpack. When measuring backpack volume, companies like Gregory and Osprey only measure the volume of the closed storage and don’t include the volume of external mesh pockets, pockets without lids, or the added volume of an extension collar in their volume specifications. So if ULA’s backpacks seem large in terms of volume, it’s because they include a lot of storage that other companies don’t count. There is an industry standard for pack volume computations, but almost all of the cottage manufacturers ignore it. Shoulder StrapsYou have the option of selecting J-shaped or S-shaped shoulder straps when purchasing a ULA backpack, on all of their packs except the Fastpack. J-shaped straps are traditionally used on men’s packs and S-shaped straps on women’s packs, although they’re also good for men with athletic builds. S-shaped straps wrap around breasts rather than mash them, which is the key difference between the two. See my article on Women’s Lightweight Backpacks, for more information about S-shaped straps and how they differ from J-Straps. Separate Hip BeltWhen ordering a ULA backpack, you can choose from several hip belt sizes. If you’ve every purchased a pack that only comes with one hip belt size (that doesn’t fit you), you’re in for a treat, because you can get a highly personalized fit with a ULA backpack. If you’re unsure how to size your pack, call ULA support. They’re very experienced and helpful and will help you get a good fit. Torso LengthsULA also offers their packs in a number of different torso lengths, but you can further refine the fit by adjusting the height of the hip belt on their Circuit, Catalyst, Ohm 2.0, Epic, and Camino packs. The hip belt attaches to the backpack through a slot in the lumbar area and is secured in place using velcro. The height of the slot has about 2″ of vertical adjustability to it, so you can raise or lower the hip belt, and reduce or lengthen the torso length of the pack beyond the torso length you purchased. This is good if you’re between sizes or you need to adjust the torso length when carrying big loads. Contact ULA support for more information about this feature and how to adjust it. Wrap UpThere’s a lot of information in this post, so leave a comment if you have additional questions I can help you answer. And do consider calling ULA support directly if you have questions. Those guys and gals can talk about backpacks all day.
from http://sectionhiker.com/ula-backpacks-how-to-choose/ A compass is one of the 10 essentials and while many hikers and backpackers carry one, many don’t know how to use it to navigate in the backcountry. This is something I hear often when I teach map and compass skills courses and describes my experience as well: I carried a compass for years but never knew how to use it. I could get away with not knowing how to use a compass because I hiked well-blazed and well-marked trails in good visibility. I only got interested in compass navigation when I ran out of new trails to hike and was forced to expand my horizons to off-trail destinations, since I prefer hiking to new places and not repeating the same old hikes over and over. Learning how to use a compass or GPS isn’t difficult. What’s difficult is finding a class where you can learn how to use them, since so few people teach navigation courses anymore, even in big outdoor organizations and clubs. Well-blazed and well-signed trail systems are partly to blame. You don’t really need to know how to use a compass or GPS device if you can follow the trails marked on a map, follow blazes, and read trail signs. It’s only when you step off-trail that getting lost becomes a big issue. Given advances in smartphone GPS navigation and the convenience of easy-to-use apps like GaiaGPS, is it even worth learning how to use a compass? That’s a valid question, but it misses the point. The device you use is irrelevant as long as you can count on it to be functional when you need it. The truth is that experienced navigators need a compass or GPS a lot less frequently than you’d imagine. While learning how to use them is useful, the most important navigational skill is how to plan and follow a route without a compass or GPS. I call this learning the logic of the landscape and it’s the focus of the backcountry navigation classes that I teach. The Logic of the LandscapeThe most important skill in learning how to hike off-trail is understanding how to plan a route that minimizes the amount of physical effort and the uncertainty that can occur when hiking cross-country. Minimizing EffortHiking off trail is a lot harder than hiking on a well-maintained trail and a lot slower. For example, if you can hike 2 or 2.5 mph on a trail, the best you can hope for is 1 mph off-trail. Sometimes, it’s as low as 0.25 mph in dense vegetation, which is why picking a low energy route is such an important skill. What makes hiking off-trail energy intensive? Vegetation including bushes, dense tree cover, and dead trees lying on the ground will slow down your pace considerably, since you need to scramble over or detour around them. Boulders and rocks at the base of steep hills or cliffs are best avoided for the same reason. Hiking sideways across a hillside with one leg higher than another is also much more difficult than hiking perpendicular to a slope. These are a few of the terrain features to avoid. These obstacles are not shown on maps, but you can infer them if you’ve been trained to think about what you’re likely to encounter when planning a route. Minimizing UncertaintyYou can often tell where you are on a map or stay “of course” by following landscape features around you. But most people need to be trained to recognize them. For example, if you’re hiking up a cone-shaped mountain, the summit is always going to be uphill and there’s little need to change directions en route, except to avoid debris. When you eventually get to the top, you’ll know exactly where you are on a topographic map and what your elevation is. When hiking longer routes, consider breaking up your hike into segments, hiking from one obvious landmark to another, so you always know where you are. Another strategy is to follow so-called handrails in the landscape, like walking beside a river, stream, or a lake. As long as you keep the water within sight or earshot you’ll have a pretty good idea of where you are. Track the time you’ve been hiking on your watch and you can further refine your approximate location based on your pace. Ridgelines are another common handrail, especially in mountainous environments. What’s a ridgeline? It’s a narrow swath of high ground with lower elevations on either side, like Franconia Ridge (see the picture and corresponding topographic map representation, above). Note how the elevations on both sides of the Franconia Ridge Trail increase until they reach their apex, the ridgeline, which has a trail on it. If there wasn’t a trail on this north-to-south ridge, you could still follow it easily by staying on the highpoint. You can tell this by sight since the horizon slopes down on either side of you, or by feel, since you’ll quickly detect it if you start walking down a side slope. Ridgelines commonly link multiple mountains in the landscape and are therefore a common handrail to follow if they run in the direction you want to travel. A ridgeline is also a useful handrail to follow up the side of a mountain, like this example route on Mt Lowell. The blue-marked route follows a ridge that has westward facing cliffs. If you keep the cliffs in sight as you climb, you’ll have a pretty good indication of where you are without ever having to refer to a compass or GPS. Compass and GPS Use in Uncertain ConditionsIf you can plan routes that follow landscape features, you can limit your reliance on a compass or GPS-enabled device. One of the reasons we advocate doing this is so you can move faster. If you’re constantly referring to your compass and a map, or a smartphone GPS/dedicated GPS unit, your pace is going to slow down considerably. Hiking off-trail in the dark really sucks, so speed can be a significant safety issue. But you still need a compass or GPS when hiking through less differentiated terrain where the landscape features are less obvious and the direction you need to travel is more uncertain. For example, when hiking across gently rolling hills covered by grassland or forest, across indistinct arid areas, and even large saddles between mountains, it’s handy to use a navigational device to stay on your desired bearing. Becoming an Expert NavigatorIt’s this interchange in being able to navigation by landscape features vs. navigating by instruments, or though certainty and uncertainty, that’s the mark of an expert navigator. It takes a little mentoring to learn, and a little practice to become proficient, but once mastered, you can hike anywhere your feet can take you, on-trail and off. That’s an amazing feeling.
from http://sectionhiker.com/how-to-become-an-expert-navigator/ Climbing Mt Israel is close to becoming a spring pilgrimage for me. Located in the White Mountains Sandwich Range, it’s a 52-with-a-view summit with great views of Sandwich Dome, Mt Whiteface, and the rocky summit of Mt Chocorua. I climbed Israel via the Mead Trail, coming up the more remote north side of the mountain from the Guinea Pond Trail. I chose this hike because I wanted to visit a remote pond and do a little fly fishing to see if the resident trout had woken from their winter slumbers. Getting to this spot is a bit challenging however, requiring a white knuckle drive down a very rough backcountry road and a wet walk down a flooded trail, which is probably why relatively few people visit it. While most hikers in the White Mountains climb the 4000 footers, many of the best views in New Hampshire can be found on shorter mountains like Israel and a surprisingly large number of them can be more challenging to climb than their loftier peers. My hike started on Sandwich Notch Road, probably the worst road in the White Mountains, about 0.9 mile from the beginning of the Guinea Pond Trail trailhead. This is a far down the road as I dared drive with my low clearance two-wheel drive car. Built in 1801, Sandwich Notch Road is notorious, but a great shortcut if you have a high clearance vehicle. I came to the Beede River bridge and started hiking down the Guinea Pond Trail in search of the spur trail to Guinea Pond. The trail was swamped by water from the beaver damns and marshes that border the trail and snowmelt. My feet were quickly soaked, but I’d half expected that on this hike. I forded a few streams that were running high and arrived at a beaver pond, which has swamped this section of trail. A detour trail has been cut that rejoins the main trail on the other side of the beaver pond, which is marked as a swamp on local maps, and continues on to Pond Brook and the Flat Mountain Trail. I followed it around the pond and admired the huge beaver lodge that’s been constructed by the current residents. The swamp was past the point where I’d expected to find the Guinea Pond Spur trail, so I backtracked to look for it. I found what looked like an unsigned, abandoned trail and followed it for about 0.2 mile through another swampy area and came to the pond. It was much larger than I expected, but looks like it’d be worth a return visit with some packrafts, fishing rods, and a grill. Very isolated with a pretty view too. Onto Israel. I backtracked to the Mead Trail and started to climb gradually at first and then more steeply as I approached the summit. The leaves are just starting to bud in the Sandwich Range, the southernmost part of the White Mountains. I’ve found that spring arrives here a few weeks before it does in the northern part of the National Forest, making it a good place for spring hiking when you’re ready for winter to be over and need to get out. Some history: Mt Israel is named after Israel Gilman, an early explorer of the Sandwich Region, who camped in the Sandwich Notch area and built a nearby home in 1768. It was subsequently given to the state by a landowner named Jack Mead and is now part ofthe White Mountain National Forest. (Source: Seventy Annual Excursion of the Sandwich Historical Society, 1992) The summit ledges were free of snow when I broke above treeline near the junction between the Wentworth Trail and the Mead Trail. Being a weekday, I had the summit to myself and pondered the big peaks before me: Sandwich Dome, Mts Whiteface and Passaconaway, and Chocorua in the distance. Later, I did catch a few nice brookies on the Beebe River. Spring has arrived in Sandwich. from http://sectionhiker.com/hiking-to-mt-israel-and-guinea-pond/ The Princeton Tex Helix Backcountry Rechargeable Lantern is an excellent luxury item for camping that’s lightweight enough for family or couples backpacking. It’s also a remarkably well-designed product that can be use in many ways: as a hanging lantern, a spotlight with its glow-in-the dark lampshade removed, propped up on two legs as a directional lamp, or compressed flat for easy packing. Weighing just 6.4 ounces, it’s easy to rationalize the a comfort item like this when sharing a tent because it frees you from having to wear a headlamp and its built-in lithium battery is easily rechargeable using the USB-battery that you’re probably already carrying to keep your smartphone or Kindle charged up. Being a rah-rah ultralighter is fine when I’m backpacking alone, but when I camp with my wife, adding a few lightweight luxury items helps puts her at ease. I also like using really well designed product and this little green Helix, also available in a wide variety of sizes, is packed with cool innovations. Just 4″ tall, the Helix fits in the palm of your hand, but can compress down to 2″, if you push down the translucent, honeycombed lite diffuser for packing. It has four legs, each with a hook, so hang it in multiple ways from a cord or tent gear loop, or from the hinged hang loop at the top. If you remove the light diffuser, the Helix turns into a spotlight, which you can point directionally by flipping the lantern on its side on two legs or at an angle. The switch on the Helix is swipe operated and provides a white light, red light, with a dimmer, and flashing mode. There’s no explicit switch lock on this model however, although the larger Helix models have one. Burn time is 6 hour on high in white mode and 18 hours on low, or 7 hours on high in red mode and 22 hours on low. To recharge, there is a USB port on the base of the lamp and lighted battery indicators which tell you the battery’s current charge status. My favorite aspect of this LED lantern is that the translucent globe glows in the dark, a light green color, which make it very easy to find at night but doesn’t keep me awake. When the white light is fully lit, it fills our tent with a warm light, that at a max of 150 lumens, is bright enough to read by so we don’t have to wear headlamps in our tent. Disclosure: Princeton Tec provided the author with a lantern for this review. My wife has packed it as part of our standard car camping gear.
from http://sectionhiker.com/princeton-tec-helix-backcountry-rechargeable-lantern-review/ A trekking umbrella is a useful piece of backpacking gear for rain and sun protection. But an umbrella can be a real pain in the butt if you have to hold it up for hours at a time using one arm, especially if you use trekking poles to hike. Here’s a simple technique to attach a trekking umbrella to your backpack so you can use it in “hands-free” mode. This really works and it’s simple to do. If you have to hike in rain for a few days, you’ll find that the extra 8 ounces of a trekking umbrella is well worth the added weight. The same holds for protection from desert sun. You’ll need two pieces of cord for this trick and two cord locks. I find that stretchy cord works best, but your mileage may vary. It really helps if you have a backpack that has daisy chains sewn to the front of your shoulder straps because they’re hold the cords at the spot where you attach them and won’t slide down the strap. I also prefer using the classic Chrome Trekking Umbrella (currently sold by MyTrail Company) because it has a ridged handle which holds the cord in place better than a smooth handle. While you can buy trekking umbrellas made by the same manufacturer (euroSCHIRM) elsewhere, check the handle. The ridges made a huge difference in keeping the umbrella from slipping down your shoulder strap.
from http://sectionhiker.com/how-to-attach-trekking-umbrella-to-a-backpack/ The Sierra Designs Divine Light 1 FL Tent is a trekking pole tent that weighs just 2 pounds and 7 ounces. It takes the best features of Sierra Designs’ groundbreaking Flashlight UL 1, Clip Flashlight and Tensegrity tents and combines them in a new solo shelter that’s roomy, easy to set up and has great ventilation. Specs at a Glance
DesignThe Divine Light 1 is lightweight, single wall tent with a tunnel-like design, but with hard angles instead of curves. While the interior has excellent headroom and near-vertical sidewalls, the one-person version of the tent is laid out primarily for sleeping, with a large front vestibule that can be propped open like a porch for additional ventilation or kept zipped up in storm mode. While the Divine Light is a trekking pole tent (two optional side poles are included anyway), it still requires a third curved pole to set up, at the foot end of the tent. This curved pole creates more space for your feet and provides a small vent to help eliminate condensation at the foot of your sleeping bag or quilt. While there are two collapsible poles included with the tent, you can discard them and use trekking poles that can be adjusted to 46″ in length instead. The pole tips fit into the grommets that normally secure the bottom of the tent poles, while the handle fits into a reinforced areas in the ceiling corners of the tent. When zippered shut, the front vestibule provides plenty of gear storage for your backpack and loose gear. It’s accessible through a screened door to keep the bugs and creepy crawlers out of the sleeping area. The vestibule door can also be opened from outside the tent, so you can stash sopping wet gear in the vestibule without having to drag it through the dry sleeping area. If you want a maximum amount of ventilation you can also roll up the front door completely. While the vestibule’s angled side walls help block side breezes and add some privacy, they provide much-needed structural support to keep the front of the tent secure. This is a big improvement over the SD Tensegrity Tent design, which was less stable and much more difficult to set up. While the Divine Light has three screened windows, only two of them open and can be used as doors: the window inside the front vestibule and the window to its right, in the photo above. Both of the side mesh windows also have solid fabric panels that you can zip up behind the bug mesh to prevent blowing rain and cold breezes from entering the tent or to enhance privacy. While the awnings above the side windows do help block light rain, you still need to be careful not to brush up against the awning when entering or existing the tent to avoid getting drenched. The side guyline that provide lateral stability over the side door also gets in the way of the side entrance, although it can be angled for increased clearance. The Divine Light is pretty good at shedding light winds, but it’s vertical side walls and large sloped roof compromise its wind-worthiness in stormy conditions and shifting wind directions. While there are several spots on the tent where you can secure extra guylines for additional stability, I’d recommend you use the tent in more protected campsites. RecommendationThe Sierra Designs Divine Light 1 FL (Feather Light) is a lightweight tent that provides superior ventilation and excellent comfort for backpacking and camping. Weighing just 2 pounds and 7 ounces when set up using your trekking poles, it has a large front gear vestibule that can be rolled back for stargazing or set up in a porch configuration for a bit of shade. The interior is also quite roomy, with 44″ of headroom at the tent’s highpoint, more than enough space to hold a wide 25″ sleeping pad with room to spare. Convenient guy line adjusters, optional tent poles, and the included tent stakes make the Divine Light 1 FL an easy tent to set up and tailor for a wide variety of uses and preferences. Disclosure: Sierra Designs loaned the author a tent for this review.
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from http://sectionhiker.com/sierra-designs-divine-light-1p-tent-review/ The Thermarest Slacker Hammock Bug Shelter has a large zippered opening and floor making it easy to enter and exit, while protecting your gear, shoes, and clothing from bugs and creepy crawlers at night. It also works with any camping or backpacking hammock, including the Hummingbird Ultralight Single Hammock (shown above), the ENO Sub 7 (shown below), the Thermarest Slacker Hammock, and other parachute style hammocks that don’t have a ridgeline to hang a bug net from. The large zippered opening makes entry and exit a cinch. The zipper is bi-directional with large zipper pulls on the inside and outside, making them easy to find at night and in the dark. Specs at a Glance
The bug shelter had an integrated strip of webbing as a ridgeline with end loops that clip into your suspension system carabiners or attachment points. The webbing is exposed inside the hammock so you can hang lights or other items to it. The ridgeline length is also adjustable so you can raise the bug net off your face and body, giving you plenty of room to move around underneath. Setup is super easy and can be done before or after you hang your hammock. The two ends of the bug net open, so you can run your hammock suspension through them, before cinching the netting closed using a cord lock to keep bugs from entering. The Slacker Hammock Bug Net also has a floor, which I consider a major plus, because you can store gear within easy reach and off wet ground. It also provides a good way to keep critters away from your gear and clothing that you don’t want to deal with at night or the next morning like spiders and slithery things. I don’t own a dog, but the floor of the Slacker bug net is certainly large enough so that your dog can sleep inside on an insulated pad. In a pinch, you could even use the bug net as a tent (floor) if you needed to go to ground in cold weather since it’s 60″ long or a shorter person can sleep below you, double-decker fashion, using a common bug net. While the ridegline does an excellent job at creating interior volume and keeps the mosquito netting off of your face and body, you can create still more volume by tying the sides of the bug shelter to your tarp, the ground, or adjacent trees. So how does the Slacker Bug Shelter stack up compared to other hammock bug nets? Having a floor is a fairly unique feature, but one that adds significant weight to the bug shelter. While the side zipper entry is convenient, it also adds extra weight, bringing the Slacker in at about twice the weight (a half pound heavier), of the pull-on, sock-style, ultralight bug nets that are available from cottage hammock manufacturers. If you’re backpacking and an extra 4 to 8 extra ounces trump the benefits of the Slacker, I’d opt for a lighter weight alternative. But if you’re hammock camping and gear weight is less important, than the comfort and convenience of the Therm-a-Rest Slacker Hammock Bug Shelter is a nice upgrade that’s compatible with a wide range of hammocks. Disclosure: Thermarest provided the author with this product for review.
from http://sectionhiker.com/thermarest-slacker-hammock-bug-net-review/ The Exped Lightning 60 ($229) is a high-capacity, lightweight backpack, suitable for a wide range of adventures. Weighing just 41 ounces (2 pounds 9 ounces) and sporting an adjustable length frame, this minimalist backpack is capable of hauling 40+ pound loads while providing excellent load transfer to the hips. Numerous external attachments points and the compression system make it adept for technical adventures that require hauling extra gear, without compromising on comfort or control. If you are looking for a high-capacity backpack for multi-night trips, I’d give the Exped Lightning 60 a serious look. It’s hard to find a lightweight backpack that can haul heavy loads while providing the adjustability of a near-custom fit. Want to learn more? Check out my complete Exped Lightning 60 Backpack review. Deadline to EnterThe deadline to enter this raffle is May 23, 2017, at midnight PST.
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ABOUT MEHello my pleaseure to introduce myself, I am Jose Johnson. I am 26 years old from Monroe, LA. I love to got for hikings with my friends on holidays. Archives
April 2019
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