That number — 480 — is a bit overwhelming at first glance. But if you apply my 1-15 rule (your bag should not be over 1 pound, 15 ounces), you trim the choices to 129 sleeping bags. To help pair this list down further, you need to consider temperature rating. I own a Western Mountaineering [...]
In the Backpacker Magazine 2008 Gear Guide is this year’s winner for lightest freestanding tent: the Big Sky International convertible 1-person tent at 1 pound, 12 ounces with tent, outer shell, and carbon fiber poles. Of course, the carbon fiber poles are an extra $100 and you need to add 2.7 ounces for stakes, 3.0 [...]
Kudos to the editors at Backpacker Magazine who once again have created a must-have annual gear guide. This year, they review 621 packs, 483 boots, 363 tents, 480 sleeping bags and more. As a gearhead and ultralight backpacking hawk, it’s nice to have so much of what’s available out there listed in one place. In [...]
Two-Heel Drive shares a personal experience on his blog about leukemia and notes that the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has planned a Hike for Discovery fundraiser. Check it out.
Wind swept dunes separate Manchester State Beach on California’s North Coast from one of the longest and most beautiful beaches anywhere. Now, it is slated to close under California’s pitiful budget cutting proposal. I’ve been told that California State Parks represent 1/2 of 1 per cent of the entire state budget, yet they continue to [...]
I was checking out Two-Heel Drive, Tom Mangan’s blog, and saw his item today on hiking at Black Diamond Mines in Contra Costa County, Northern California. Reminds that when I lived in Lafayette, in the East Bay of San Francisco, there was no shortage of hikes any season. I’m not sure there is a urban [...]
The February issue of Backpacker Magazine has its editors racing home to see who was fastest to pack an ultralight backpack — for a weekend — with food. Kristin Hostetter came in first at 9 minutes. What caught my eye was Rocky Mountain Editor Steve Howe dilemma of what to take for layers and extra [...]
I took the month off from blogging, but unfortunately not from work. Seems like my public relations consulting business, Lewis & Summers Public Relations, always heats up during the holidays. Just when I think I’m taking a few days of R & R, project deadlines raise their ugly heads. Mostly, it’s been creating 2008 plans [...]
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 [...]
