Tag: gear
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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 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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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…
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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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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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Headphones are becoming the dominant way people listen to music as people shift from using records and CDs played through a stereo to streaming services played through a smart phone. Unfortunately, many people are using the earbuds provided with their smart phone, tablet, or laptop which has a significantly lower sound quality than most of…
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Review Item: ZPacks HexamidOptions: Cuben with NettingManufacture Year: 2010Listed weight: Cuben shelter, guylines, and bag 8.9ozWeight as delivered: tarp+attached guylines 8.3ozMSRP: US$259, no longer made I have a first generation which uses three zippers that meet at the top peak. Joe has now switched to a single zipper to save weight and reduce the risk of zipper…
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Shelter selection should be based on how much room you need and the conditions you expect to encounter (rain, snow, wind, bugs, blistering heat, etc). For example, if you only camp in mild weather it would be silly to buy a mountaineering tent designed for expeditions since it will be more expensive, heavier, and not…
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When I started hiking as a child everyone knew you should wear hiking boots, ideally made in Italy with Vibram soles and leather.uppers. Only stupid people wore tennis shoes while hiking, though often they were brought for river crossings and for relaxing around camp. This is still a common view in the general public. When…
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There are a number of people who have found using sandals or water shoes to be highly effective. They provide excellent ventilation for your feet, and are ideal when you are in wet conditions because they don’t hold water against your feet. The downsides of using sandals or water shoes are that your feet get…
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Historically people wore heavy weight boots for backpacking, trekking, etc. Your feet need to be protected, and what could do a better job that a heavy boot which will help prevent sprained ankles and give excellent support? Actually, most boots don’t give good “ankle support”. The sides of the boot are flexible. Only extremely stiff…
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Appropriate socks help keep your feet at a comfortable temperature and play a large part in preventing blisters. Blisters come from the combination of friction, moisture, and temperature. You want socks which wick moisture away from you feet and minimize the amount of friction between the sock and your foot which is often best accomplished…
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For most conditions provided you are carrying less than approximately 40 lb, I would strongly recommend trying trail running shoes because they can be quite comfortable and will be lighter than the more traditional hiking shoes or boots. I have heard people express concerns about hiking in trail runners. I will observe that if your…
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In colder weather, people often struggle with their feet getting cold. There are a number of reasons for this Feet are the furthest point from your core which is generating heat. Feet are subjected to conductive cooling through the soles of your shoes/boots. Feet sweat a lot. Many people’s shoes hold in all the moisture. …
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One of my footwear posts. In general you want to keep your feet dry. There are a variety of ways you feet can get wet. The most dramatic are river crossings, followed by rain, snow, and slush. The final issue is sweat from your own feet (feet can dissipate up to 2 cups of water…
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Thought it would be interesting to see how my primary items have changed over time: I am ignoring items that were used briefly or for testing purpose. For a while I was regularly purchasing new gear and trying it our. When I found something that was “better” than what I was using, I would potentially…
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Every year I help organize several backpacking trips for the communities I participate in. Typically we will have several first time backpackers. I often get the question “What should I buy?” Everyone expects the first thing I will suggest is a good pair of boots which isn’t the case. I typically ask people if they…
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If you want to cook food, you need something that holds the water and/or food as you heat it up. They best cookware will vary depending on the size of a group and the type of cooking. My Choice When I am traveling solo I use a MLD 850ml titanium Pot/Mug. I use an Evernew…