Backpacking: It’s Not Just For Backpacking Anymore

Posted on April 26, 2011 by

My man Kevin Durant clearly understands the concept of Ready:Hike better than most, and the erstwhile Sonic is definitely looking Seattle, if feeling Oklahoma:

Kevin’s posture suggests that he may need to adjust his load and pack his postgame meal and other heavy items directly between his shoulder blades: this will provide greater load balancing benefits from his pack’s sternum strap, ideally replaced with the Most Awesome Sternum Strap I.T.W. from our friends at Mountain Laurel Designs. A smart move would be to attach an ultralight pack cover such as the Sea To Summit Ultra-Sil (small) which would ensure that #35 could quickly adjust to any unexpected mid-postgame interview precipitation he might experience. Lastly, to help with those really long press conferences I would recommend that Kevin swap out the stock back panel insert for the Therm-a-Rest Z-Seat, which would simultaneously improve the comfort and reduce the weight of his pack, while increasing the total utility of his gear. Good luck on the dais Kevin, we hope to see you back on a Pacific Northwest trail soon.

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South Sister Climb – August 7, 2010

Posted on August 8, 2010 by

My brothers and I have been discussing a family climb of South Sister for about a year. In late July, we finally agreed on a weekend and made formal plans to ascend the 3rd highest peak in Oregon! Fortunately for us, the Rooster Rock fire that burned 6,000+ acres in the Deschutes National Forest was contained and didn’t threaten our trip!  Our climbing quartet included me (ploss), my two older brothers (Mr. Picky and Chef), and nephew, Grunt.  Continue reading →

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Hiking in Sandals

Posted on August 8, 2010 by

This year, I’ve become a huge fan of hiking in sandals, putting a ton of mileage on my Keen Newport H2‘s. These have been my shoes of choice for weekly hikes through nearly every condition with the exception of snow. The fit of these sandals has been great and with the shielded toe, they prevent toe injuries from inadvertantly kicking a rock on the trail. From a blister perspective, these “shoes” have been better than any others that I’ve worn on the trail keeping my feet in pristine condition even on a 30+ mile day hike. Apart from blisters, the cushioning is fantastic, preventing bruising of the bottom of my foot. Continue reading →

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UL Beer Concentrate? WTF?

Posted on July 27, 2010 by

UL backpackers have been waxing poetic about dehydrated beer for a long time. Now, apparently, there’s a concentrated beer that is nearly beyond the vaporware stage and will be available for you to buy from your computer ONLY if you live in Talkeetna, AL AK.

Concentrated brew is brewed like a spirit without all the water. On the trail, all that’s required to enjoy a microbrew is to add water, carbonate and enjoy. As one of my 8th grade peers once noted, all one needs to do is “stick it in and enjoy!” This, patent pending, process saves water and is purported to be more cost effective.

Find out all the details here @ Pat’s Backcountry Beer site. Only time will tell if this is the backcountry panacea that all thirsty backpackers have been looking for!

Pat's Backcountry Beer

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