Not sure how we're going to settle it. Saran seems like the easy winner. Then a tarp tent. Then, well, hell lets give it to these folks over at Terra Nova who claim to Photo Elite is the "lightest tent in the world", weighing in at a slim 1 lb. 7 oz.; a little more than 4 quarter pounders at McDonalds.
The new Laser Photon is set to break our own record for the lightest two-skin tent commercially available. With a packed weight of just 790g the Laser Photon beats all comers, in the lightweight tent stakes, hands down. With the same shape and dimensions of the Laser Competition user comfort is not compromised and the Laser Photon will still sleep two on an event such at the OMM. New fabrics and pegs create the bulk of the weight saving after painstaking research by Terra Nova. Our new Titanium skewer weighs just 1g and is exclusively available on the Laser Photon. In another first for Terra Nova the Laser Photon features a silicon coated groundsheet, which allows lighter weight fabrics to be used and still maintain waterproof performance
The JMT (John Muir Trail) is one of the natural marvels of the world. Incomparable scenery, strenuous hiking, unbelievable camping spots - a true physical challenge and a great way to 'get away.' While I've done parts of the JMT, I never really liked the parts that go below the treeline. 1) I have this recurring dream of a Sasquatch ripping apart my tent, ransacking my pack to find a pair of size 38 baby blue crotchless panties which he proceeds to put on, then grabbing me, and holding me in a snug 3 hour slow dance whilst my head is gripped betwixt his/her hairy and pungent breasticles while a group of midgets plays Quiet Riot's 'Cum on Feel the Noize' on banjos 2) bugs 3) other people. I find banjos simply strange. The Sierra High Route is different, you're mostly at altitude, there are some more technical passes, alpine lakes abound. We once saw some ptarmigan around camp, stoned one, cleaned it and then had the best meal of my life. Any attempts I've made to be a high altitude fisherman have failed miserably, but this would be yet another bonus for the SHR. Read more here via Backpacker.
Think you can't find life-altering adventure in the Lower 48? Think again. Right under Yosemite's nose is an extra-burly route that gave our battle-scarred veteran more than he bargained for: more scenery, more solitude, and more jaw-tightening risk. Join him on an Alaska-size trek across a landscape of irresistible power.
The pond is so blue I can't tell if I'm descending to a lake or climbing out of a hole into the sky. The question doesn't even seem weird to my oxygen-starved brain, still ditzy from clambering across 11,500-foot Red Pass. I've barely begun this trek, and already things are feeling surreal. They don't get any more normal once I reach the uncanny blue oval, its translucent sapphire water so clear I can see 20 feet down.
When the New York Times wants to report on the best way to make coffee when you're roughing it, they ask Portland barista Steve Kirbach, roughly approximating my theory that the coffee we drink in the West is by far superior to the swill consumed on the East coast (no offense, but Dunkin' Donuts is garbage. A+ donuts, C+ coffee). And they actually took him out into the woods to test all this stuff, by the looks of the slideshow. There is a passing mention of cowboy coffee, the man's man's solution, but then they review a bunch of options for all you weenies to use so you don't have to pick grounds out of your teeth, from $16.95 to $160. Not news: Percolators are crap. News: Kirbach's favorite was the GSI Outdoors 1 Cup Stainless Mini Espresso, not too bad at $29.95, but you'll have to pack a tiny espresso cup so you don't flip the device over while brewing it. And then stick your pinky out the whole time you're sipping your morning brew.
Gotta imagine the iPhone and other touchscreen phones with GPS/mapping
capabilities are scaring the Garmins and Magellans of the world. The
whole casual GPS market was a gravy train for them. Garmin's iPhone
killer, the Oregon, debuted to bad reviews due to the poor visibility
of its screen in daylight. The Magellan Triton 2000 debuted to even
worse reviews, with REI pulling them from stores not once, but twice.
They finally fixed the issues, but still, not an auspicious start by
any means. Now it's Lowrance's turn. Not really a recognized name in
the "outdoor" market, fishing/marine have long been their niche,
Lowrance is shipping their own line of touchscreen GPS this month
targeted at the hiking/backpacking outdoor crowd. The entry level
Out&Back has the basic functions of a touch screen GPS, but
lacks the pre-loaded maps you'll find with the Sierra. All 3 accept
MicroSD and work with various mapping software, though none work
with NGS Topo!, one of the preferred mapping products for the outdoors
set. Sierra also has NAVTEQ for driving directios. Anyway, you can read all about the new Endura line on their
website. If we get our hands on a unit, we'll give you our opinion. Quick check online finds prices starting at about $200 for the Out&Back, $300 for the Safari, and $435 for the Endura.
If you read Outside Magazine or the easily padded comments on Amazon, you'd think the Garmin Iphone like Oregon 400t was the greatest thing since, well, the iPhone. If you read the comments on GPS Magazine from the nerds that have 5 different GPS units and sit home at night in their beds playing with them under the covers, the 400t is a rush job, waste of money that pales in comparison to the old trusty 60csx. Biggest complaint is you can't see the screen in daylight. Yeah, that could be a problem for normal folk, but these guys just use them under the covers. But, even REI customers, except novices who don't know better, don't really have good things to say about the Oregon 400t. Probably doesn't help that Garmin is giving $50 rebates, brining the price down to $350 if you buy the Oregon 400t on REI. Can't give them away it seems. But baa, what do we know. Outside Magazine is always right. Always. As is Backpacker Magazine, which also gives it a thumbs up. We give it a thumbs sideways, probably down based on all the bad reviews, until we test a unit ourselves.
Ahh well, it was fun while it lasted. After years of declining overnight stays in the front and backcountry, it looks like the hordes are returning. Damn this recession, damn this recession to hell...
Outdoor camping's popularity jumped 7.4 percent between 2007 and 2008,
according to a report from the Sporting Goods Manufacturers
Association. Overnight backpacking is up 18.5 percent, the report said.
On the first day reservations became available, 20,407 people reserved
a July trip to a California state park, she said. That's up nearly 13
percent over last year's reservation numbers. By comparison,
reservations were up 4 percent from 2007 to 2008.
Press release for this tent came through today, and of course gets handed to me, because I'm the "family guy" and "family guys" get to post about all the non hard core stuff. "Screw you," I said. Then they said, "You read the news lately, you want to keep your job?" And I said, "OK." And they said...Well you get the picture. The Quick Set Tent reminds me a bit of the Two Second Tent, that had a brief and storied run in the States before being pulled off the shelves due to not passing U.S. fire hazard regs. You can still buy it in Europe, though, where strangely people aren't setting themselves on fire as much. Like the two second tent, the Quick Set Tent raison d'etre is quick setup, though it takes about 60 seconds versus 2 seconds. Now, in the past, I've always scratched my head and wondered where the market need was for this? Seriously, how hard is it to setup a tent? Well, five years later and many family camping trips under the belt, I get it. One less thing to worry about while your kids are off picking poison oak and falling into storm drains. Check out the video to see how it work. The Grand Trunk’s three-season Quick Set Tents may just come in handy for you "family guys" as well. MSRP of $229.
The Utah House voted 58-2 on Tuesday to allow the sale of full-strength draft beer in bars and restaurants, taking a significant step toward eliminating one of the major complaints about Utah's quirky liquor laws.
In Utah, draft beer can contain no more than 3.2 percent alcohol by weight, or 4 percent by volume. Most beers contain 3.6 percent to 3.9 percent alcohol by weight.
The bill now goes to the Senate. Other stuff going on in the Utah legislature: "A measure awaiting a vote in the Senate would require that cocktails be mixed behind 10-foot-high walls in restaurants, in an effort to keep children from being tempted to take up drinking."
Trailspace posted about Youbars.com, a site that lets you concoct you own nutrition bars and shakes via a customized, a la carte ordering system. Choose your ingredients online, and they put it all together and ship it out to you. Best thing about the bars is Doogie Howser loves them. So they must rock. Because Doogie Howser does. Rock.
The Australian company Seat to Summit has been quietly building up an impressive line of backpacking/camping gear. Perhaps more well know for their award winning dry bags, their line of kitchen gear -- everything from a portable kitchen sink to collapsible dinnerware -- is equally impressive. Watch Ryan Secrest walk through the line of kitchen gear including the water carriers, collapsible plates/cups, cutlery, and of course, the kitchen sink.
great way to 'get away.' While I've done parts of the JMT, I never really liked the parts that go below the treeline. 1) I have this recurring dream of a Sasquatch ripping apart my tent, ransacking my pack to find a pair of size 38 baby blue crotchless panties which he proceeds to put on, then grabbing me, and holding me in a snug 3 hour slow dance whilst my head is gripped betwixt his/her hairy and pungent breasticles while a group of midgets plays Quiet Riot's 'Cum on Feel the Noize' on banjos 2) bugs 3) other people. I find banjos simply strange. The Sierra High Route is different, you're mostly at altitude, there are some more technical passes, alpine lakes abound. We once saw some ptarmigan around camp, stoned one, cleaned it and then had the best meal of my life. Any attempts I've made to be a high altitude fisherman have failed miserably, but this would be yet another bonus for the SHR. Read more here 
If you read Outside Magazine or the easily padded comments on Amazon, you'd think the Garmin Iphone like Oregon 400t was the greatest thing since, well, the iPhone. If you read the comments on 
Looks like your whining about 3.2 beer at Eddie McStiff's and the Moab Brewery could soon be over, 
