Product reviews

As many hikers know, hauling a lot of weight in a backpack is not much fun. Which is the reason driving the innovations behind much of the lightweight gear and clothing. In the last few years there have been major advances in production of lightweight tents, backpacks, jackets, sleeping bags and more.
Most of the weight savings come from better designs, but a good share also comes from new materials and philosophy of “less is more”.
Since I subscribe to the idea of lightweight hiking being more enjoyable, I’ve done some research in order to buy two light tents: a one person tent for when I’m hiking on my own and a two person tent when I’m with someone else.
So what else besides weight did I take into account? Price! I don’t have much money in the bank, so the tents needed to be reasonably priced. They also had to be double wall type to help with  condensation,  warmth during cold nights and bugs during warm ones.
After much searching around I’ve found two tents that I liked and eventually purchased.

One person tent: MSR Hubba
The weight clocks at 3 lbs. 4 oz but it can be reduced further by removing some of the stuff sacks and replacing aluminum stakes with titanium ones. The tent has a ver clever design that minimizes the number of poles, yet provides very rigid structure.  The tent two vertical sides (left and right) and two very steeply sloped front and back. Due to these steep walls, the tent feels much roomier than most others. In fact with my height of 6’3” – I can sit inside and have a light attached above my head shining down during the evening.  Such roominess in a single person tent is invaluable as it allows one to change clothes easier while inside, stretch and simply have more air inside the tent.
When lying down, my head and bottom of the foot do not touch the sides of the tent unless I really try to stretch and point feet down. The last thing you want is to touch a wet wall while sleeping in a down bag, as it will absorb the water and become less effective.

    I’ve just received Rab Summit 500 sleeping bag that I’ve bought for review. This is a minimalistic, high quality bag hand packed with down in England. It is rated at 15*F and -10*C
    As you can see here in the PDF file here Summit Alpine line is last “ultralight, all use” product line before serious expedition grade bags made for some extreme temperatures.

First the specs:
Material:[shell] Pertex Endurance; [lining] Pertex Microlight (polyurethane)
Insulation:(top) EU750-fill down (US 850+), (bottom) EU560-fill down (US 750+)
Shape: mummy
Draft Collar :yes
Stuff Size:12 x 6 in
Stuff Sack: yes, compression
Storage Sack: yes
Bag Length:82 in
Degree:15 F
European Norm Comfort Rating:-10C 15F
Weight:2 lb 1 oz
Recommended Use: mountaineering, backpacking, camping
Manufacturer Warranty: lifetime
Price: $235

    The outer shell is one of the best on the market – Pertex Endurance! It allows for water vapors to exit the bag, yet it repels water from the surface. This material ensures that if you have condensation in your tent or if you have slight drizzle while sleeping without a shelter – you will remain dry. This doesn’t mean that the bag will not get wet in a serious rain, but it will repel some water instead of absorbing it.

    The inner and outer shells are also very light – contributing to a pretty light bag all around. The 2lb total weight comes in big part from the down fill instead of the synthetic. Down is lighter and warmer per unit of weight. In this case the bag is filled with 750 fill on top and 560 fill on the bottom. However, these are European ratings which are more conservative to those used in the United States. In US these are equal to 850+ and 750+ fill rating respectively. This kind of high quality down is expensive and is only used in top of the line products by such companies are Marmot, North Face, Western Mounteneering, GoLite, Sea To Summit, MontBell, Exped, Valandre, etc.

Everyone is familiar with flashlights, but not many people own or have used a lantern. Flashlights are a lot more common and many people think of lanterns as strictly an accessory for camping trips. However, this little guy can actually pull off the double duty. You see, this is a dual mode lantern with a single LED.
CampChef CREE LED Lantern

•  LED lantern itself
•  4x AA Duracel batteries
•  Aluminum carabiner
•  Leash

In normal operation mode a super-white LED shines towards a convex reflective surface which disperses the light all 360 degrees around. This is a standard operating mode for the lantern as expected. However, with a turn of a knob on the side of the unit - the LED turns from pointing down into the upward position where it shines through a slightly mate clear plastic. This way, you can use the lantern as a flashlight for more directional light. Pretty clever solution, wouldn't you say?

I didn't think I would be writing a review for a cup on this site, but here it is. Just a week ago I've received a Sof-t tumbler cup by Loquid Solutions. So why the excitement? Well, the this tumbler is an inexpensive, neat tumbler what has a few properties that I would like to point out.

Sof-gel exterior with marine-grade stainless steel liner

When Liquid Solutions said it was soft they were right - the rubber has a very pleasant soft feel to it. But here is something you will not know even if you own the cup - the rubber is not smooth on the inside. It has quite a few little stubs pointing towards the metal. This does two things, first -  it helps to maintain the temperature in the metal cup by creating an air pocket and lowering heat transfer rate. Second is that it makes rubber give slightly under your fingers when you hold it, improving the feel and creating an illusion of very soft rubber. The rubber exterior makes for an excellent grip on the cup and it won't sleep from your hand - dry or wet.

Just got this interesting product in the mail - this is CampChef Everest camping stove. Everyone who takes camping trips knows that having a good, tasty meal ensures fun memories and fewer complaints during the said trip. So let's take a look at what this stove has and how it works.

The stove came in a simple carton box with the following items inside:

1) the stove itself
2) stove-to-tank connector
3) manual

The first thing I've noticed was how solid and hefty the stove felt. It appears to be all steel construction, except for brass connectors and plastic knobs for flame control and an igniter. Inside the stove you will see two stainless steel burners (more on this later), a chrome plated pan support and stainless steel drip pan. Clearly people at CampChef did a good job here.

As you can tell by the previous review - I'm getting ready for camping/hiking trips this summer. At this point I'm buying the basics in order to get going again after a long break from outdoors. I've bought a Suisse Sport Ultra Compact bag and needed a tent as the next most essential item. To see what is avaliable and what kind of tent was needed, I took a trip to all the local sporting goods stores - REI, Adventure 16, Sports Authority, Sport Chalet, etc. This game me a good idea of features and properties I should be looking for in a new tent:

Light enough for backpacking
Big enough for two people
Have a vestibule for protecting gear
Have anti-mosquito screen
Easy to put up and take down
Be water resistant/proof

I'm a big fan of outdoors in general and camping in particular. Since most of my recent years have been spent in offices among computers, servers and networks, it was time to get back to the nature. The issue of equipment came up right away, as I didn't have much. Sleeping bag is one of the most crucial and essential items for anyone sleeping outdoors. There are a few qualities that make one bag better than the others. Here is what to look for in a good bag:

    * Temperature rating

- You really want bag that will keep your body within a comfortable temperature range. While most people often chose a bag that provides the most warmth, they often overlook the other side of this choice - bag being too hot. Do not get one rated at 0F if you are really going to be using it during warm summer nights.

    * Size

- The bag should fit you comfortably. If it is too narrow for your body - it will be hard to fall asleep due to lack of space for arms, shoulders or feet. When you are in the bag - it should not be taut as a string.

    * Weight