I’d like to thank Brian Green for the opportunity to be a tester for a product called Altitude Adapt. This product is promoted as an aid to reduce altitude sickness. My background: I’ve been an avid hiker / ultralight backpacker since 1993. I have been on many trips that were rated strenuous and have experienced [..Read More..]
Jetflow Hydration Pack | Guest Review
In 1998 I was living in Kailua Kona Hawaii and had been running a little bit off and on but got super fired up after watching the Kona International Triathlon. The start and finish line was less than a quarter mile from the Pizza joint I worked at and for about 10 days before the [..Read More..]
Camelbak Marathoner Vest | Guest Review
I was recently asked by our good outdoor blogger friend Brian Green of Brian’s Backpacking Blog to review the Camelbak Marathoner Vest. He saw that we had gotten back into the running scene, and though it would be perfect for us to review. When I received the vest from Brian, I couldn’t wait to try [..Read More..]
Camelbak All Clear UV Water Purifier
I’m really note sure what to make of the Camelbak All Clear UV water purifying bottle. It strikes me that this must have been one of those genius ideas on paper that managed to make it through development, testing and into production only to find that it kinda doesn’t fit the need of the customer [..Read More..]
Hydration 101 | Water Enhancers?
One of the biggest problems I have with staying hydrated is that water on it’s own tastes bland. There’s nothing better than when I’m on the trail and I have the luxury of drinking from an ice cold mountain stream. Even after being filtered, the crisp, cold taste of the naturally flowing water is hard [..Read More..]
How to Tame That Noisy Hydration Bladder
One of my pet peeves about using a hydration bladder system inside any of my packs is the annoying sloshing sound caused by the water moving around inside the bladder. If I’m walking or backpacking it’s not too bad and I can usually put up with it for short trips, but if I’m running – [..Read More..]
Ultralight (17g) 1-Micron Water Filter
Water filtration systems can be bulky and heavy. Depending on the type that you choose they can also be expensive. Pumps and mechanical devices are prone to blockages or failures and chemicals alone result in a less than desirable end product. So what should you do? I’ve grown more and more dissatisfied with many of [..Read More..]
Evernew Water Carry Bags
As you reach the point where you pretty much have all the gear you need (and then some) for backpacking and hiking, your focus typically shifts to improving on the gear that you already have or tweaking it to be more effective or to shave off weight. I’m always on the lookout for new or [..Read More..]
Nalgene Duct Tape Mod
Here’s a photograph of my favorite Nalgene OTG bottle that as you can see I’ve slightly modified. I’ve been carrying short lengths of duct tape on my backpacking drinking bottles for a long time now, it comes in very handy in a pinch and my water bottle is typically always within easy reach unlike carrying [..Read More..]
Ultralight Platypus Dog Chews
Platypus hydration bags are relatively indestructible and are definitely known to last a long time even with heavy abuse. However, leave one where your 85lb Lab can get to it and it becomes just another dog chew, albeit a rather expensive one. Lesson learned, one half of my ultralight water gravity filter (my clean bag) [..Read More..]
