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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…
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Like hats, hardware seem to be one of the more “personal” pieces of gear. Unlike “hats”, fit and function rather than style seems to drive most people’s decision making. The fit of handwear is much more important than say, a jacket. Less than 1 cm of extra length in the fingers can be the difference…
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TL;DR As of Aug 2025 the best rain gear in terms of performance have their membranes on the outside. They don’t wet out, and dry amazingly quickly, and have ok to superior breathability. Other reasonable options Don’t try to use a wind jacket like the Patagonia Houdini as a rain jacket. A real rain storm…
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Often people will have a single layer of clothing for their legs. Generally legs need less protection from weather than the torso for several reasons. Moisture management is typically less challenging and in most activities, your legs generate more heat than your arms because you are using your legs to propel yourself. Legs also tend…
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The purpose of the insulation layer is to keep you warm. (I have brief notes about layering clothing). The Right Amount There are a number of factors which affect how much insulation a person will need to be comfortable for a given set of conditions. The most significant is the level of activity, or what…
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Everyone has their own definition of “softshell” which makes the marketplace quite confusing. My definition of soft shell is any single layer garment which is designed be worn in a wide range of conditions putting an emphasis on breathability over absolute protection from external conditions. I consider unlined windshirts a part of a softshell system. Contrary…
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Windshirts, sometimes called windbreakers or wind-shells are one of the most versatile pieces of clothing you can use. A simple, unlined windshirt can ounce per ounce provide more warmth than many other clothing items because it helps prevent convection cooling which increases significantly as the wind speed increases. In many cases a windshirt over an…
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I should probably have called this “next to the skin” layer since I cover more than what is classically referred to as “base layer”. I used to believe a good base layers will move moisture away from your body. In warm weather a wicking base will help keep you cool by provide more surface area…
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In extremely cold vapor barriers can be part of an effective clothing or sleep system. According to the book Secrets of Warmth by Hal Wiess, the human body gives off moisture for three reasons: (1) as a fear response, (2) as sweat to cool us down when overheating, (3) to maintain adequate humidity (~79%?) for the skin.…
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I recommend clothing that can be comfortably worn day after day for a wide variety of activities while still looking good. When in the outdoors no one cares how you look, but in urban environments it can make a difference in how people treat you. When in doubt, dress up rather than down. My packing…
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Make sure that you use footwear which is comfortable and appropriate for your chosen activities. Nothing has the ability to spoil your entire activity like wearing uncomfortable footwear! Shoes are extremely personal. Just because a shoe is well regard doesn’t mean that it will be good for you. There is no substitute from trying on a pair of shoes/boots,…
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Our feet are well engineered and actually do a better job at removing stress from knees and hips than cushioned shoes. Traditional shoes with heels forces you into an unnatural position which is more likely to result in injury. There are a number of experienced long distance hikers and ultra-runners who logged thousands of miles…
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Today there is a wide range of ultralight shelters including traditionally designed tents using exotic materials to move them into the ultralight weight classification. Many of the ultralight shelter designs came from people’s experiences on long thru hikes combined with a desire to find the lightest possible shelter while still providing adequate protection. I think…
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The dominate culture in the US prizes freedom and choice above all else which has led us to have one of the most individual oriented cultures. Garret Kell’s article entitled The Second-Most Important Book for Every Christian is a great antidote to the individual focus we are exposed to. What is the second most important book? Your…
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A number of my younger friends have asked for advice regarding personal finance. This is an attempt to summarize what I know. If you want more in-depth information I would suggest checking out my goodreads “personal finance” shelf. UPDATED in 2024 to reflect some changing thoughts about real estate, the under performance of bonds as…
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The best source of information is your EARS. Form your own opinions, don’t just accept what other people say. Believe what your ears tell you when listen to music! Remember that many people who write about audio are biased in one way or another. Beyond that, There is often a lot of hype to justify very…
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You should always chose your speakers first, and then select components which work well with the speakers you have selected. All speakers have flaws which you must choose between so speaker preference will be extremely personal. This is often demonstrated by people who agree about the relative merits of a amplifiers or DAC but disagree about speakers. It’s also useful…
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Audio Communities Audio Asylum Audio Circle Audioholics avforums diyaudio Hydrogen Audio Steve Hoffman music forums Headphone Community Sites head-fi.org super best audio friends head-case.org headphone.guru “Magazines” Stereophile The Absolute Sound (TAS) What HI*FI? Enjoy the Music Positive Feedback tnt-audio – old school website Audiophile Style – Podcasts and articles Sound on Sound 6moons – site…
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Today, most music content is digital. This content might be stored locally in a computer file system, on CD/DVD media, or is streamed from some service such as Spotify, TIDAL, Apple Music, etc over the Internet. To play this digital content you need a device which as able to read or receive the digital content…
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Headphone amplifiers were almost un-heard of until the 1990s, though many receivers and integrated amplifiers had fairly good quality headphone jacks. As headphones have grown in popularity, and fewer people are purchasing classic stereos, headphone amplifiers have emerged as a product category. The “headphone jack” on smart phones and laptops tends to have mediocre sound…