Your favorite music to help you sleep or to give you inspiration during an uphill slog can be a welcome backpacking companion. As long as it doesn’t add a lot of weight.The new iPod Shuffle 3rd Generation weighs all of .38 ounces — that’s right, just a tad over one-third of 1 ounce. Holds 1,000 […]
On my last two backpacks, I carried my new Flip Ultra Video Camera from Pure Digital. Runs on two A A batteries, weighs just 5.5 ounces and is compact at 2 x 4.25 x 1.
Takes 60 minutes of video, which you download using the built-in USB plug. Included software lets you grab photos from the […]
In earlier posts, I mentioned that I have three ground pads: a 3/4 Thermarest, a full-size Thermarest and a down-filled Exped Downmat 7. The D7 is heaviest, but is thick and ground-insulating with an ultralight sleeping bag. In a Yahoo discussion group a guy was inquiring about the Gossamer Gear 1/4 inch pad. A reader […]
I discovered a “green” spork (combination fork and knife) made of corn, totally biodegradable and about a half ounce. In our recent trip into the Granite Chief Wilderness, ultralight backpacking companion Wild Bill and I ate two breakfasts and two dinners with the corn sporks. They were sturdy and held up to heat and washing. […]
I head off soon for a backpack in the Granite Chief Wilderness near Lake Tahoe. With some snow still on the trail and nights at 8,500 feet expected to dip into the 30’s, a hand warmer isn’t such an odd suggestion as an added comfort for very little weight. As a kid, I had a […]
Corn feeds us and fuels us. Now, utensils are being made of it. My wife, Gerry, found a set of six Italian-made, corn-based spoon/forks (sporks) that last six uses and then completely compost in 45-60 days. Less than one ounce each. At about 65 cents each (6 for $3.99) a package. Order from Karla@hausfortuna.com.
Be light. […]
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 […]
