Archive for August, 2008
When doing an outdoor gear review there are certain main qualities that I always look for.
- Durability - Is it in the”Tough as Hell” range?
- Functionality - Does it do what it is supposed to?
- Aesthetics - Will it make me look like a total goofball?
These pants did well in all three categories. They are tough as hell, they function well (breath), and they look decent. I took these on the gear testing trip to the Bighorn mountains of Wyoming a few weeks ago and put them to a two-day high altitude test. The zippers slide down the legs to reveal a mesh panel and didn’t get stuck with all the zipping and unzipping I did to control body temperature. There is elastic around the waste to adjust to different waste sizes, but there are also belt loops and a built in belt if you like that stylio.
I put these pants through the usual backpacking muck. They stretched well when pulling big steps on uphills. The pants also did well for abrasion. I did some scrambling on granite and they held up well with no visible signs of wear. They even kept me at a comfortable temperature when the air temp was around 35 degrees. When it comes to sun, they are 30+ spf, so you don’t have to worry about sun exposure even though they breathe well.
I do wish the bottom cuffs were adjustable, that might make them perfect. But if you’re looking for durable all-purpose pants, these fit the bill. I did some scrambling on rocks with no visible wear. I would recommend these for adventure racing, backpacking, and general camping duty.
The retail is $69 on these, but you can find them cheaper if you shop around.
August 30th, 2008
If you’ll remember we reported a few months ago that Louis-Phillipe Loncke of Belgium was about to attempt crossing a barren stretch of the Australian outback called the Simpson Desert. His plan was to tow a cart with gear 800 km across this no-man’s land. Well he’s finished his journey and gave us a few insights on how it went.
Louis didn’t do the 800 km as the crow flies like he planned. Instead he did a 600 km version. He hasn’t completely mapped out his GPS route though and with the zigging and zagging he may hafe done 800 km or more.
“Was so hard at the start that i had to cut the weight into 2: go with half the weight to a point until sunset, walk back to morning point during the night with empty cart. Go next day with other half and so on.” Louis said of some of the changes he had to make to his trip. On what he learned about water consumption, “I did not wash for 33 days (found 1 foot deep water in Macumba creek). All water was used for drinking. I had 140liter at the start. Finished with 10 at the end. The average consumption of a west European is 150l per day, and 300 l for an American. I can’t ask people not to wash or not to consume water like i did, but I’m sure with proper education and effort, we can all be below 50 liters per day !”
On the terrain, “So the first 2 weeks were hell, even wanted to abandon one day as i had no fun at all. The end was paradise, great, fast, i erally enjoyed it especially the skateparks (well was very hard compact sand-ground in canyons shaped by water (thousand of years ago i guess). Going down with the cart was so fun with bumps and slopes to make every mountainbiker or sk8er jealous).”
You can read more detail at Loncke’s blog. Sounds like a crazy adventure. What’s your next adventure?
August 29th, 2008
Merrell has built a reputation for itself as a make of fine trail shoes, and the Men’s Moab Ventilator keeps this tradition alive.
The Moab is really more of a hiking shoe than a trail runner. You get the grippy vibram sole which is almost standard on Merrells these days as well as a nice upper that mixes cloth and swede leather. There is a rubber toe to keep trail brush and the entire package is presented well in a styling similar to the famous Chameleon.
The name “ventilator” is accurate as well. Although the shoe has quite thick padding on the inner compartment, the mesh allows the foot to breathe nicely.
In our trail test these shoes held up well to the rocky mountains of Utah. The heat crept up into the low 90s the day we tested and the shoes kept up with the heat well. The Moab Ventilator was also used on a 2-day backpacking trip in Wyoming and handled the steep elevation gain nicely.
These are defintely reccomended for moderate trail use and look pretty decent for casual use as well. Good for a wear any day that you think you might do some walking.
Specs:
- Slip Lasted Construction
- Breathable Mesh Lining
- Breathable Ventilator Bellows Tongue
- Rubber Toe Bumper/Heel Counter
- 7.5mm Narrow Gauge Webbing
- 4.5mm Anatomical Footbed
- Nylon 6.6 Injection Molded Arch Shank
- Compression Molded EVA Footframe
- Air Cushion® Midsole
- 5mm Sole Lug Depth
- Merrell Multi-Sport™ Sole/TC5+ Rubber.
Retail for $75 (not shabby for serious hikers)
August 28th, 2008
Maybe I should work on a new name? This turned out to be a bigger project than I expected. After hundreds of hours of testing and thousands of pre-packaged calories, I’ve made some tough decisions. You may find this test to be a little sport specific, as all of my testing was done either on a bike or a miniature trampoline.
Anyway, I hope it helps you, however you like to party.
Snacks
Best stuff first, the snacks! By snacks I mean the bite-sized energy
treats that are the best thing to happen to refueling athletes since the
invention of Gatorade.
1st Place: Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews. These are so good they
should be an available mix-in at that ice cream place. 100% organic, 1g
Fiber, 1g protein, and so delicious. The only problem with these being
that once I know I have them in my pocket, I can’t stop myself from
eating them all.
2nd place: PowerBar Gel Blasts. In a very close second,, these things
are amazing. Bite sized chewy outside, squishy gel inside! They taste so
good you’ll want to sneak them into the movies (gummy cola bottles) and
deliver fast energy. Plus, they pack enough protein to be a great choice for ultra-endurance .
3rd Place: Jelly Belly Extreme Sport Beans. Really? I really get to eat
watermelon jelly beans on my bike? Awesome! I love the taste and the quick
rush of caffeine these little guys provide. Small enough that you can
really customize your intake. Eat a few now and then or, like me, pour
the whole package in your mouth at once. Vitamins A + B, Electrolytes,
and Carbohydrates make these great for maintaining.
Honorable mention. Clif Bar Shot Bloks. Good taste, plenty of caffeine,
and the most filling of all the snacks.
Gels
Gels are still the #1 go to for fast energy on the go, especially in race situations. Not having to chew really helps when your heart rate is through the roof. For the punch they pack in a small size, gels are a necessary staple for maintaining energy. If you’ve already started to bonk, it’s too late.
1st Place: Accel Gel. Made by Acclerade these gels are packed with 5g protein. After eating what must have been hundreds of gels I really think these are the best overall for energy delivery and extending endurance. I really like that their flavors aren’t too overpowering, a little “chalky” finish, but still good. Too many times I’ve bought something because it sounded good in the store only to find myself gagging as I choke it down.
2nd Place: Hammer Gel. This stuff is delicious. I’ve even used the raspberry as jelly on a few pre-ride PB&J’s. All of their flavors are great tasting, but a little concentrated for some. Natural ingredients help Hammer Gel Digest easier than many of the Gels that leave me with “knotty stomach”. Drink with plenty of water. I hate seeing discarded gel packets / tops on the side of the trail. I love that Hammer is smart enough to sell in bulk so you can fill your flask from their jug.
3rd Place: GU Roctane. Third was a pretty tough call, but I finally chose Roctane based strictly on how well this stuff works. Taste goes out the window, as this is one of the worst tasting gels I have ever forced down. I have always been a big fan of regular GU, which tastes waaayyyy better, so I was anxious to try this new formula. They have missed the mark on flavor, but the new Roctance formula adds a few things to an old favorite and makes it great. Fast caffeinated energy!
Honorable mention: PowerBar Gel. Lots of great flavors and ingredient options including 4X sodium for you crampers out there.
Let me know what you find. Be on the look out for Part 2, the drink reviews, coming soon.
August 27th, 2008
Sad news from the world of mountaineering. The Adventure Blog is reporting that 8 climbers (Austrian and Swiss) have perished in an avalanche. Mt Blanc is the tallest mountain in the alps at 15,781 feet.
“There is no longer any chance of finding anyone alive,” said Michele Alliot-Marie, France’s interior minister, who traveled to the mountains near the Italian border. The search was called off after the risk of a 2nd avalanche became too much for the search teams. It is said that people who are buried in an avalanche have an 80% rate of survival up to 20 minutes. But when the ticking clock reaches 2 hours that rate of survival drops to 10%.
August 26th, 2008
We recently had the opportunity to review the Magellan Triton 2000. This tough little GPS device proved durable enough for mountain terrain, always found satelites, and had an impressive look and feel.
The Magellan Triton 2000 is a hand held GPS with a built in 2 mega pixel camera. The camera has 3x zoom and you can associate pics with points on your trip. This would be a fun little feature for geocachers and hikers alike.
The navigation wasn’t quite as intuitive as I would have liked. You start out with the screen you see to the right. Six options that can be a bit confusing on where to go if you just want to look at the map. One cool feature about the navigation of the device though is that you can use the small pointer to tap the screen and choose options. The screen is also touch sensitive, so you can use your finger to drag the map or select buttons. If the touch screen ever goes out you can still use the buttons at the bottom.
We used this device in the Bighorn Mountains of Wyoming. The area is pretty remote so it was nice to see that the device always picked up several satelites and was very accurate.
A built in flashlight also comes with the device which can make it pull triple duty on the trail for the lightweights out there. You have your GPS, camera, and flashlight in one package. The casing is tough as well with a rubbery material coating it. There is a small handle at the top of the device so you can use a biner to clip it to your pack.
One thing that I found odd with this device was Magellans decision to use 2AA bateries. Many devices today are using rechargable lithium batteries. I understand the reasoning here however. If your lithium battery goes out, you won’t likely have easy access to a replacement. But a combination would be nice for this particular GPS. It would be great to have a 2AA option as well as a built in lithium. Then you have the option and a back up if needed. Disposable batteries just seem so old school these days.
I had an issue a few times on the trip with the battery showing low. Then if I rebooted the device it would show full again.
The built in maps are not much to get excited about. If you like to see where the state borders are and where the interstates are you’ll be happy. Otherwise be ready to immediately go out and buy map software or download maps. The good thing here is the Magellan is very compatible. We used the National Geographic TOPO! map for this trip to the Bighorns which worked well with the Magellan. The two companies have gotten together to make it easy to grab full color maps and use them on your Magellan. TOPO! is also releasing a powerful online tool to download quads for $1 soon. We’ll be reporting full details on that soon as well.
The Triton 2000 retails for $499.99 and can be found at Magellangps.com or at most outdoor retailers.
Other cool features…
- SD card expandable
- Audio Jack (add your digital music to the Triton)
- Barometer (watch for approaching weather)
- External Antenna capability
August 25th, 2008
Admit it… when picking a guide book for a big trip, a big factor can be the cover photo. For some reason it gives the book a sense of credibility. It also gives you an emotional boost and gets you hyped about your trip.
Imagine being that rock star photog who took the cover photo. Lonely Planet and Pikeo have teamed up to make that happen for four lucky travelers.
London, Paris, Barcelona and Istanbul are the destinations they are recruiting for.
In addition to the cover hoto, the winners of each cover will also receive a free trip to India, Russia, Morocco or Kenya courtesy of Intrepid Travel. And twelve runners-up, will receive prizes as well.
The search for traveler-generated photos will span the globe with the competition open to those in the UK, France, Spain, USA and Canada. To assist travelers in the process, Pikeo has developed a unique geotagging feature, allowing users to map the locations of their shots and upload them direct to their accounts via mobile.
The winning images, plus Lonely Planet and Pikeo’s favourite shots, will be launched and showcased at a gallery exhibition in London when the guides go on sale next year.
To enter, simply click here to visit the competition page on Pikeo at and follow the instructions. Entries close on September 8th 2008.
August 22nd, 2008
Last week an 86 pound black bear attacked a boy in Smoky Mountain National Park. The boy was scrambling up an embankment on a dayhike with his brother and father. The bear was at the top and raised up when the boy, Evan, came into view. The bear bit the boy and started slinging him around.
The father and older brother heard the commotion and ran up to the incident. The father, John, freed the son by pulling the bears mouth apart and pushing it away. Evan ran, but was caught again by the bear. The father and older brother then began to throw rocks and sticks at it to keep it at bay. They then escaped.
The boy and father were treated for cuts, bruises and puncture marks. The bear was found a short time later by rangers and killed.
The North American Bear Center lists 61 people killed by black bears in North America since 1900, with 46 of those in Alaska or Canada. That means only 15 fatalities in 100 years in the lower 48.
There have been two fatal attacks in eastern Tennessee: A Tennessee school teacher was killed in 2000 by a female bear and cub during a day hike in the Great Smokies and an Ohio family was attacked in 2006 in bordering Cherokee National Forest, killing a 6-year-old girl and injuring her 2-year-old brother and mother.
The attacks in National Parks are odd since the bears are protected and have a large food source. Is it the traffic in the park? Is it that there are too many bears in such a small habitat that we’ve pushed them too?
August 21st, 2008
I saw an ad for this shoe in the latest issue of Outside magazine. I guess the ad did it’s job since it is getting a shout out on ODZY. I can’t even begin to understand how these things would be to walk on. They do have some pretty nifty flash pieces on their site which speak to the benefit of these wacky shoes. If you think about it and the way you walk, these probably make sense. I dont’t think I could run in them or play basketball, but for everyday use, these might be perfect.
Anyone every tried these?
August 19th, 2008
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