I know what I'll be asking Santa for this Christmas… except it doesn't ship until May 2008.
Snow Peaks website lists this stove as weighing in at 3.3 oz – which isn't that great. However, I'm hoping it's a typo. Earlier this year Backpacking Light saw this stove at a trade show and reported it as weighing 2.15 oz.
I would love to hear from people who stumble on my site what software they use to manage their gear lists.
For day-day management, I simply have an Excel spreadsheet with stuff in. Then for my blog, I wrote a bunch of custom php code to allow me to easily edit my gear list page without dealing with HTML formatting issues.
What does everyone else do? Any one use Google Docs spreadsheets? Anyone found a gear-list management application that they like? Anyone found a web-based list application that can be used for gear-list management?
I'm noodling on the idea of adapting my php/wordpress code into something that could be used by others.
Anyone out there? Hello? …
GoLite responded to my customer service inquiry about their Sun Dragon shoes.
The general manager responded to my post and pointed out that the first production run used a fabric treatment that left the uppers somewhat brittle. This is very consistent with my first impression of the shoe – the fabric seemed somewhat stiff and thin – and (with hindsight) probably prone to tearing.
I'm going to take them up on the offer and exchange them for a different pair with the new uppers and will report back. I hope they work out – as I really want to keep these shoes!
You can read the full response in the comments section of my previous post.
I've had several folks ask me how I do the 'tilted' Polaroid effect on my image thumbnails, including a popup for the larger version.
Until today the answer was somewhat complicated: "using some tools and scripts I wrote that run manually on the server".
I exchanged some email on Friday with an old friend Greg Friedman – who is the Development Manager for several Windows Live products and who has Windows Live Writer under his command. He inadvertently prompted me to think about using Live Writer for editing.
Live Writer is a very cool WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor that allows people to author blog posts seeing them in the style of their site. I use WordPress as my blog platform – which I love – but often the editor and the 'published' view differ quite a lot.
Last night, I downloaded the Live Writer SDK and hacked up a plugin that allows me to compose Polaroid images on the fly.
To get the 'popup' style, I added the Thumbnail Viewer WordPress plugin. With this technique any images that are marked with rel="thumbnail", get automatically lightboxed. My Live Writer Plugin sets this attribute for you, so you don't have to do a thing. It also generates an 800×600 sized image to go in the lightbox automatically. So you can shoot big photos, and publish them in seconds.
If you use WordPress and are interested in trying this out, do the following:
1. Download and install the WordPress Thumbnail Viewer.
2. Download and install Windows Live Writer.
3. Download and install my Polaroid Plugin from the Live Writer Gallery.
4. Run Live Writer, and there should now be an "Insert Polaroid" option.
Oh… and I made a few upgrades while I was at it – a new drop-shadow effect, and also the option to put a caption on the Polaroid.
I'm sure there are bugs – so if anyone uses it let me know and I'll fix 'em.
OK – enough geeking out – I did promise myself I'd try not to post any tech-related articles and so far I'm doing pretty good.
– options dialog to configure defaults
– added support for transparent backgrounds
– transparent backgrounds don't work if your blog is hosted on windows live. the windows live blogs don't allow uploads of PNG files that support alpha-blended transparency needed for the drop-shadow. you can change to a different solid background if you use windows live – or complain to MSFT 🙂
– support for some border styles
just bug fixes, including:
– improved performance when tilting images by caching last image
– reduced temp-files generated
– resize-bug fixed
– fixed some weird font-measurements where the captions were taking up more vertical space than they should with some fonts.
This is my list of gear that I no longer use. Usually means it's been replaced by something lighter or better IMHO.
| Review | Item Description | Weight (Oz) | Pack |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
1.9 | W | |
 |
0.8 | W | |
 |
0.8 | B | |
 |
0.9 | W | |
 |
3.2 | B | |
 |
8 | B | |
 |
5.7 | B | |
 |
6 | W | |
 |
2.4 | B | |
 |
5.1 | B | |
 |
1 | B | |
 |
1 | W | |
|
2 | B | |
 |
25 | W | |
 |
3.6 | W | |
|
3.6 | B | |
 |
1.2 | B | |
 |
15.5 | W | |
| Total Worn | 3.42 lbs | ||
| Total Pack (Brett) | 2.06 lbs | ||
| Review | Item Description | Weight (Oz) | Pack |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
2 | W | |
|
0.8 | T | |
 |
7.5 | T | |
 |
3.4 | T | |
 |
2.8 | T | |
 |
5 | T | |
 |
6.2 | W | |
 |
3.8 | T | |
|
5.9 | T | |
|
1 | T | |
|
1 | W | |
|
2 | T | |
 |
22 | W | |
 |
7.2 | W | |
|
3.6 | T | |
|
1.2 | T | |
|
15.5 | W | |
 |
2 | T | |
 |
2.1 | T | |
 |
2.5 | T | |
| Total Worn | 3.37 lbs | ||
| Total Pack (Theresa) | 2.73 lbs | ||
| Review | Item Description | Weight (Oz) | Pack |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
19 | T | |
|
19 | B | |
 |
30 | T | |
 |
16.9 | B | |
 |
13.1 | T | |
 |
4.7 | B | |
 |
38 | B | |
| Total Pack (Brett) | 4.91 lbs | ||
| Total Pack (Theresa) | 3.88 lbs | ||
| Review | Item Description | Weight (Oz) | Pack |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
0.5 | T | |
 |
0.4 | T | |
 |
0.6 | T | |
|
0.6 | T | |
 |
7 | B | |
 |
2.5 | T | |
 |
0.6 | T | |
 |
3.7 | B | |
 |
2 | B | |
 |
1.2 | T | |
| Total Pack (Brett) | 0.79 lbs | ||
| Total Pack (Theresa) | 0.4 lbs | ||
| Review | Item Description | Weight (Oz) | Pack |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
0.7 | T | |
 |
5.6 | T | |
|
5.6 | B | |
 |
1.3 | B | |
 |
0.6 | B | |
 |
4.2 | B | |
 |
0.2 | B | |
|
0.2 | T | |
 |
0.3 | B | |
 |
1.1 | B | |
 |
2 | W | |
 |
0.3 | B | |
 |
3.2 | B | |
 |
1.4 | B | |
 |
1.4 | B | |
 |
0.6 | B | |
 |
3.2 | B | |
|
3.3 | T | |
 |
0.3 | B | |
 |
1 | B | |
 |
1 | B | |
 |
0.1 | B | |
 |
0.3 | B | |
 |
0.5 | B | |
 |
0.2 | B | |
 |
1 | B | |
| Total Worn | 0.13 lbs | ||
| Total Pack (Brett) | 1.74 lbs | ||
| Total Pack (Theresa) | 0.61 lbs | ||
| Review | Item Description | Weight (Oz) | Pack |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Brett Base Pack Weight
Base Pack without food or water |
152 | B |
|
Theresa Base Pack Weight
Base Pack without food or water |
122 | T |
| Total Pack (Brett) | 9.5 lbs | ||
| Total Pack (Theresa) | 7.63 lbs | ||
| Review | Item Description | Weight (Oz) | Pack |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Brett Base Pack Weight
Base Pack without food or water |
152 | B |
|
Theresa Base Pack Weight
Base Pack without food or water |
122 | T |
 |
Brett Full Water Weight
Full 60oz Platypus |
60 | B |
|
Theresa Full Water Weight
Full 60oz Platypus |
60 | T |
 |
Brett Food Budget
Assume 4 lbs for 3 days |
64 | B |
|
Theresa Food Budget
Assume 4 lbs for 3 days |
64 | T |
| Total Pack (Brett) | 17.25 lbs | ||
| Total Pack (Theresa) | 15.38 lbs | ||
I bought these GoLite shoes a few months ago, and wrote a very excited and optimistic post about them.
Today I have a different story to report. 🙁
I hiked a grand total of 3 hikes in them: a quick overnight to Kendall Katwalk, a day hike to Annapurna in the Enchantments, and the West Coast Trail.
Comfort and trail-use wise they performed really well. As I said in my first post – they are amazingly comfy and had excellent traction on a lot of terrain. However, durability wise, they were appalling. I'm amazed how badly they appear to be falling apart after a total of 7 days on trails.
Read on for more pictures of the damage.
On our recent WCT trip, Theresa and I had base pack weights of 9.10 lbs and 9.96 lbs respectively. Fully loaded with 6 days of food and water, we came to a max-weight of 17.5lb and 22.2 lbs respectively.
Our ultralight gear list changes from time-time and we try and keep it mostly up-to-date, so here for prosperity is a record of the exact gear we took on the WCT.
This was the first 6+ day trip I have done Ultralight and it involved a bunch of gear tweaks and adjustments to hit our target weight.
Read our full trip report here.
A Quick Stroll Around Green Lake.
B: "Wake up – Wake up! It's sunny! It's sunny!"
T: "Ugh… it's 5:45am – go back to sleep."
15 minutes later, and Theresa caved in. We were up and about camp for an early start, and the skies were indeed blue.
We ate a good breakfast, some nice hot coffee, packed up our bags for the last time and were on the trail by 7:30am. Last last 12 km – "a quick walk around green lake", right?
Swept to sea
It was 2:13 am and the tide rolled in fast and hard. The first set of long crashing waves breeched the lower walls of our tarp tent and rushed in – soaking our sleeping bags with the sea. We woke suddenly, but knew just what to do. We had rehearsed the emergency plan in our minds. We both quickly evacuate the tent, leaving our gear inside. We are lower on the beach than Bill & Tim – so must alert them too. Theresa's job is to roll the rocks off the pegs and free the lines, while I drag the entire tent and its contents to higher ground. There we will collect our wet gear and take the emergency scramble up the steep cliff to the bluff. We will assess the situation in the dark and decide if its safe to go back and retrieve the food.
Forecast: Rain
It started raining sometime during the night, and we woke up to a light but steady drizzle on the tents. So far, we had successfully avoided getting wet from above, but it looked like our luck was about to change for the worse.
Tim was quick to break out the umbrella and tried some advanced “tuck the handle down the back of the jacket” maneuvers. They didn’t work out so well.
A Lazy Morning
5am came fast, and we were
woken by the sound of footsteps trudging on the pebble beach. We watched from the safety of our cozy sleeping bags as many groups started to eat breakfast and break camp to get an early start on the trail ahead. The group of four that were ahead of us were shooting to be done in 4 days – and so were off to an early start. We didn't pass anyone else on the Day 1 and were first to get on the trail and last to arrive at Camper – we figured that all of the other groups must be heading South to Gordon river. Getting an early start to ensure they make the ferry crossing before dark.
We chose the lazy morning option – this was a vacation after all. We were the last to arrive at camp and close to the last to leave. Were we setting a trend for the remainder of the trip? Certainly we lived up the the last to arrive part, as you will discover…
Trip Date: September 1st, 2007
Our trip started early. We awoke at 5:45 am, took a quick shower and headed down to the bus depot at 700 Douglas St. to catch the 6:30am trail bus.
It seemed like a nice clear morning. We arrived at the bus and waited for others to load their packs to the driver at the back. Two girls were there discussing a “fuel issue” – they had forgot to bring fuel for their camp stove and were wondering if there were options on the way to the trail head. Fortunately, they had a stove that could run on gasoline so we were able to make a pit stop and get some on the way. They were hiking the shorter Juan de Fuca trail instead of the West Coast Trail. When we mentioned we were hiking the WCT they looked at us with great confusion – “then, how come our packs are so much bigger than yours?” … and so began a trend for the rest of the trip.
Q: What food do you pack for 6 days on the west coast trail?
A: Good food.
Read on for my full menu.
I read a blog recently from a guy who 2 weeks ago, ran the WCT in a single day!
Not only did he do the WCT, but he also "tacked-on" the near by 30m Juan de Fuca trail to make it more of a challenge.
His write-up is excellent – check it out:
http://garyrobbins.blogspot.com/2007/08/stage-one-75km-west-coast-trail.html
Tim got me started on this… I don't normally drink coffee on the trail, and to be honest, I have never really missed it. I do drink it daily at work, and Tim wants coffee on the West Coast Trail trip. I'm always up for a new "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder" mission to squeeze into a spare hour here and there.
So what, are the options?
At the 2007 Outdoor Retailer Show, Aquastar announced the mÃœV (pronounced "move") water filter.
It looks like an interesting alternative to chemical treatment.
It's a simple UV device that you submerge in water to kill bacteria. Drop it into a bottle or pan of water for a few minutes and wait while the UV ray zap all the little critters.
It can be recharged by simply attaching the leads to a battery. A single charge will treat about 15-20 litres of water, and a single Duracell D-Battery will provide enough juice to re-charge the filter 10 times.
Weighs in at a respectible 2.4 oz.
Available at Aquastars website.
Wow. No, really – wow.
I don't think I have ever put a more comfortable shoe on my foot. Not even big furry slippers. These fit like a glove and it feels like I'm walking on springs.
The GoLite Sun Dragons have been getting all sorts of interesting reviews – most notably for the crazy new suspension sole that was co-developed by GoLite and Timberland labs.
Check out the sole in this picture – it's quite unique:
Available from Backcountry Gear for $95.
Suprisingly REI is starting to stock GoLite gear, and has these shoes in stock. I went to the Flagship store in Seattle recently and tried a pair on – I was sold. I wore them for a week to work to try and break them in – they really didn't need it. However, I did feel quite weird walking in them for a while – it's hard to describe but somewhat loose and bouncy. I took them up Kendall Katwalk for a quick overnight this weekend and they performed really well. I submerged my feet before starting the 7mi hike down to see how well they would dry out. Not bad – they were moist still after 3 hrs, but dried reasonably well.
REI was a terrible place to buy these. The guy that sold them was clueless about how they worked (they have a special insole that adjusts to your feet that doesn't take a rocket-scientist to figure out) and was adamant that we could not possibly think of doing the WCT in these shoes.
They got quite a bad review by Raymond Estrella, as they started to fall apart after 5 days of use. So I'm curious to see how they hold up. I'll report back after the WCT trip with my findings.
Staggeringly light at only 2.4 oz., these pants promise to protect from a fair amount of rain and plently of wind.
I suspect that they would also be a better mozzie barrier than my current pants.
I wish they made them in lighter colors to help keep the bugs away – but it's hard to complain at this weight.
Not sure these would stand up to a morning of bushwacking, but I usually only wear pants at night to keep bugs out and an extra layer of warmth.
Available from prolite gear for $68.
Palm sugar is a secret weapon in making the best Thai curry.
Palm sugar is far less processed than your typical brown sugars, and retains an intense caramel-like taste.
Look for a Thai brand – you can find one like this at Viet Wah or Uwajimaya. Sometimes it is sold in smaller tubs, or packets containing little 'half-tennis-balls' of sugar.
I prefer the jars as it's a little easier to keep it soft, which makes it more workable when scooping.
If you get the jar – they are sealed with a wax layer ontop of the sugar. Makes sure you scrape off the top 1/16" layer of wax before using.
"Blisters & Bliss" is, by all accounts, the definitive guide to the West Coast Trail.
The best way to purchase it is direct from the authors – Dave Foster or Wayne Aitken – at their Official Website.
I recently exchanged a few emails with Dave, who was very helpful and more than happy to share a few tips about the WCT. Here is what he had to say:
Brett: "I'm not sure how familiar you are with the ultralight movement – but basically – our plan is to carry a ~18lb pack (including food & water) and do the trail in 5 days. with this light of a pack, we get the luxury of wearing trail running shoes vs. boots. i've done tons of hiking in washington and the homeland (uk), but very little beach hiking. how soft is the sand/beaches on the WCT – and would you consider trail runners to be problematic filling with soft-sand etc. my two thoughts to combat this are a) gaiters over the trail runners and b) a pair of sandskins ( http://www.sandskins.com/) to hike on the beach in. i'm not worried about water or mud – i hike for many many miles with soaked muddy trail runners. :)"
Dave: "I admire your move on the 18 lb pack. I think that's great. Beach hiking can be tough on the lower legs and feet. Blisters often build because of the repetitive steps. The soft sand lasts for intervals of 2 hours or so in a couple of places. Same problem, ie. no variety in the step can cause tiring of thighs etc. Sand and grit in your trail runners will be a problem but gaiters should remedy it."
Brett: "we're planning on setting out of gordon at 11am and making it to camper by evening (taking the high-trail as it will be high-tide at owen), perhaps squeezing in a back-trace to owen once we get down on the beach. how realistic is that? everything i read says people barely make it to thrasher – but they also seem to be carrying 80lb packs :)"
Dave: "Many hikers begin at Gordon and reach Camper late the first night. You should have no trouble. Hiking back to Owen Point without a pack is a possible option. You'll want to play this as a last minute decision depending on weather and how your first day goes. You could do part of the beach rather than all the way to Owen."
Brett: "a lot of the camps sound quite crowded. to avoid the crowds and retain a bit of solitude on the trail, i'm hoping i can eat dinner at a primary campsite, fill up with water, then hike a mile or two beyond and find an more remote ad-hoc site on the beach (with no water source) to spend the night. how realistic is this in most places w.r.t terrain and tidal issues? i read a lot about a 'shelf' vs. 'beach' and it sounds like i would not be able to pitch a tent on the shelf easily. any other tips for quiet or special camps spots?"
Dave: "There are several places where you can avoid the popular spots and move on to an equally nice site with fewer hikers. This year hasn't been very crowded so the choice can be a last minute one. We've tried to mention most viable campsites in Blisters and Bliss. The one's to avoid if possible are Camper and Tsusiat. Camper you might not have an option but Tsusiat is a great place to stop for a break and then move on."