As someone who loves gear and is always looking for the next greatest ultralight backpacking gizmo, I strongly recommend you consider the SteriPEN Adventurer.
This is Hydro-Photon, Inc’s newest iteration of its proven water purification system, which was first introduced in 2000. I own the first and second generation models, and if you look at an […]
The TrackStick II is a personal GPS data logging and tracking device. The company website suggests you “Find a good camping spot and leave it to TrackStick to remember where it is and the path you took to get there.” Apparently you dowload the data into Google 3D on a Windows PC only […]
Every year my wife, Gerry, wants to know what I want for Christmas. When it comes to ultralight backpacking gear, I have no real needs, but lots of wants. Here are some ideas for you. Some are stocking stuffers, others a bigger investment. All of them I have used for know someone who has used […]
I love gadgets. The latest, from a newspaper clipping my wife dropped on my desk, is a cap with four LED lights built in (sample at left has only two, but the Amazon.com version below has four). One of the reasons I became a ultralight backpacker, besides the weight reduction, was the elimination of stuff […]
The Golden Rule of ultra light backpacking is that every piece of equipment has multiple uses. For example, a bandana is a sweat band, wash cloth, water or coffee filter, a napkin, a tourniquet and sling.
The new iPhone is the ultimate backpacking tool. It weigh just six ounces and includes a phone, digital camera, […]
One of my readers said he was getting into backpacking with his family — there are three of them total — and wanted to know the best choice of a lightweight cooking pot. I’m sure you’ll get lots of opinions on this. But I purchased a pot set four years ago that works great for […]
I was checking out the weblog at Campman.com and came across a review of a new anti-mosquito patch. Campman says it’s ideal for kids. But when he says the patch kept the bugs off him as well, I knew I needed some. Especially, after my miserable backpack recently to Emigrant Wilderness where we were swarmed […]
The list of essentials seems to expand and contract, but conventional wisdom a long time ago figured out “must haves” for survival and / or comfort. One is a pocket knife.
If you’ve read any of my posts you know I big on looking for alternatives, especially lightweight or ultralight weight versions.
I have two beautiful Swiss […]
In a post I wrote last year, I reviewed backpacking stoves and made what I think is a key observation: most stoves now are small and ultralight. But what adds the weight is the fuel. The Esbit fuel stove is my favorite (I also have propane and alcohol stoves) and works great at high […]
A light daypack is an essential piece of equipment for the light backpacker.
I’ve taken many, many three-day loop trips that involve two overnights and 8-10 miles of day hiking wearing your pack. That’s great except for one thing: you’re wearing your pack the whole time. Even an ultralight pack is still a weight on your […]
