Category: outdoors
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Wind can make it feel significantly colder than the measured air temperature. This is one of the reasons that an ultralight windshirt can seem to provide a significant amount of warmth. On a recent trip to Iceland we face nearly continuous strong winds which required more clothing than I normally wear. I wanted to recalibrate…
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Take Less, Do More is a refreshing departure from the typical books about voluntary simplicity, ultralight backpacking, or minimalism. Rather than centering on our relationship with “stuff” the book focuses on how we engage the world around us influences our life. Many books in this genre would go into great detail about downsizing possessions, selecting…
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When I first hear the Japanese term shinrin-yoku, which is forest bathing in English, I pictured a outdoor onsen that was in the middle of a forest, or maybe a deep soaking tub which was part of an outdoor bathroom attached to a hide-away cabin in the woods. I was wrong. I failed to read…
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This post has been extracted from my camino page because the most common question we have gotten from friends was about what we carried. They already knew something about the Camino itself and most wanted to understand how we managed to “go so light” for a trip in May (temps were 37-72F). If you want to…
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I have carried the Gossamer Gear Vagabond Trail more than 2500 miles over last few years for EDC, done in a day outdoor activities, and onebag travel which included walking 500 miles of the Camino Santiago Frances route from SJPP. Between Jan 2023 and March 2025 I lived out of a Vagabond Trail as we explored…
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Combining a poncho, alpha direct “poncho liner”, and sleep sack can provide an extremely light (10.8oz) and versatile system, ideal for hut to hut treks in moderate weather: I used this systems on the Camino Frances with good results. Since then I have been experimenting with it in the back country / wild camping. Contents1…
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TL;DR. If you are looking for a small, light, fast drying towel to use while backpacking or traveling, I recommend the PackTowel Ultralight which now seems to be discontinued. I found I can effectively dry my body with a 25″x35″ towel, but the body size lets me wrap the towel around my waist or be…
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Trekking packs are similar to travel packs, but put more of an emphasis on carry comfort and typically optimizes the volume to weight ratio. Trekking packs are often a bit narrower than typical carry-on sized travel packs and taller than typical personal sized daypacks. Travel packs typically have an “urban vibe”, prioritizing organizational features, ease…
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The Camino de Santiago is an amazing experience for nearly everyone. For some, it’s a once in a life time experience. For others, it is repeated regularly, it’s part of their life’s rhythm. Almost all are touched by what is called the Camino spirit. This is the combination of kindness, curiosity, and openness without judgement…
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Outdoor activities often requires dealing with biting bugs such as mosquitos which are annoying, but generally not directly life threatening (though they can be a disease vector). There are also ticks, black flies, spiders, scorpions, and some ant variants. Appropriate preventative measures vary by the “Bugforce” that is expected. Contents1 Qualifying Bugforce2 My Approach3 Physical…
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The following is a reference I use when selecting the next hiking or backpacking destination with a bias toward Northern California. I make it in 2002 and just now moving it from my old site so it is easier to fix broken links and add new places to try. Each year I say “This year…
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Yosemite is arguably one of the most beautiful places on earth. I have been then tens of times, and never tire of visiting the park. While the Valley floor can be crowded, it’s still worth visiting. For a first time visitor to Yosemite I would recommend staying in the valley if possible. Lodging options range…
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Every Saturday Jackie and I take at least a couple hours to walk in one of the parks in our area or we might be further afield at some state or national park. Within a few minutes of beginning our walk I can feel myself relaxing. I periodically go on solo backpacking trips, my version…
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Minor Update: 2022 I define sports watches and wrist worn instruments which collect and display information that grants insight about health, fitness, and/or physical activities. My experience is that in most cases Garmin make the category leading watches. There are also “smart watches” which can be used as sport watches, but they focused on integration…
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ArcTeryx Norvan SL Rain Jacket is one of the lightest, most breathable rain jacket currently available. I originally purchased the jacket in 2016. I have made some updates my original post based on longer term use. The Norvan SL works brilliantly when biking or hiking when it’s cool (say 55F). When running I can go for…
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I think most people are best served packing light, and using a carry-on size “travel pack” which is a cross between a backpack and soft-side luggage. Most travel packs are designed for urban use with an emphasis on ease of use, convenient access when at your lodging, fitting efficiently into carry on luggage compartments, and…
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Updated November 2024 Flashlights and headlamps let you continue your activities once it is too dark to see. The ability to expend the hours that we can do things is invaluable. Today, virtually all flashlights and headlamps use LEDs to produce light. I strongly encourage people to retired any lights which aren’t using LEDs. LEDs…
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Many activities benefits from having some sort of sharp object to cut things. Examples of this include food preparation, opening packaging, trimming material to cover a blister, preparing kindling, or hacking branches to build an emergency shelter. My Choice My every day carry (EDC) knife is a Victorinox Rambler Pocket Knife which is the smallest…
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Next to staying warm, the most important survival and comfort factor is drinking an adequate amount of safe water. Many, but not all cities around the world have safe drinking water. For the urban environments without safe water, and for most back country adventures you need to be prepared to produce safe water, and have…
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Hats seem to be one of the more personal pieces of gear. People seem to care about the style of their hat than many other clothing items. There are a huge number of options with a wide variety of styles, colors, materials, etc. Hats are highly effective at fine tuning thermal comfort because they are…