gear

A look at the funky looking swiss ranger solid fuel stove. It is military quality (and weight). Coming in at 14 oz for a windshield, canteen and 2 cup aluminum cup for about $10, this little unit is a cheap way to get into backpacking.

It isn’t slow, it isn’t fast. It isn’t light and it isn’t heavy. It is cheap. All in all, it is a middle of the line entry level stove to start you off hiking.

Take a look at the demo video below and if you want to buy one, try Cheaper than dirt. Wish I made a commission selling it 🙂

Today I posted my first guest post for Seattle Backpacker’s Magazine. If you haven’t considered Merino wool as a member of your backpacking arsenal then take a looky-see: http://seattlebackpackersmagazine.com/2011/05/24/icebreaker-bodyfit-review/

If you haven’t seen Seattle Backpacker’s digital magazine then why not?
http://seattlebackpackersmagazine.com/

Over the past few weeks here in Bolivia I’ve been eying the backpacks. Most are a pretty decent deal at around $95 with the potential of knocking off another $15 by bartering alone. However, when I noticed that one of the embroidered logos wasn’t straight I got in contact with the manufacturer. After a couple emails an some photos he confirmed my suspicion. It was counterfeit… they all were.

Typically, we encounter cheap knock offs or imitations under different names from the original. Actually, branded fakes have been generally limited to Asia where they are produced. Unless buying from your friend’s cousins neighbour off the street you  often wouldn’t come across anything fake. Unfortunately, those days are gone.

On April 6th, 2011 The Chicago Tribune posted an article about a man in Skokie selling over $250000 worth of sports apparel that he counterfeited himself and sold from his own shop front. No dark alleys, no great deals in his garage. Daylight, storefront fakery. That is a lot of money that being made at the expense of others.

I know, I know, you may be saying, “Hey, it’s all good and I’m saving money.” Well, in some areas, the fake gear can serve the purpose as Erik Fearn notes in this star online article. If you can get by the moral obligation, maybe the down will do you fine… I mean, what’s the difference with fleece? Maybe nothing. In South America I’ve come across several professional looking jackets (supposedly name brand) with “Gore-Tex” hangtags (some with correct spelling on the labels, some without). Now if you’re expecting waterproof and breath-ability get ready for disappointment. 

Don’t expect to save a ton of money either. Everything that I saw was priced between $50-$150 for rain and winter jackets and $90 to 200 for backpacks. Why so much? We’re not talking about cheap imitations, we’re talking about branded gear with fancy hangtags that could pass for the real thing… at least in looks. They leverage the fact that they look pretty good on first inspection and that it bears a name brand.

You can find everything from sleeping bags to outer wear to backpacks to climbing gear… Yes, that’s where it gets nasty. That’s where it gets dangerous. Many have probably heard about Petzl’s problem of imitation gear. In February of this year (2011) Petzl encountered exact duplicates of several of its products, down to the same design, color and logo. Exact duplicates, except for the strength.

For years they have encountered copies which had their logo, but this is the first time that they have encountered exact duplicates of ascenders, carabiners and Rescue pulleys. On the above link, they say, “An end-user will not be able to tell the difference between these counterfeits and authentic Petzl products”. Their gear isn’t made for fashion… it’s made to save lives. The Chinese knock-offs don’t handle the same stress levels and after looking at the photos on the above link, Do you want to save a couple bucks or a couple of bumps?

What can you do? 

• Know the manufacturer’s product line. Petzl’s problem is more of an exception. Most knock offs borrow the brand, but their products look different or have different names. I came across a Deuter ACLANTIC (Christian Lechelmayr, International Sales Area Manager for Deuter says they don’t produce a model with that name). I also came across a Trans Alpine (yes, it is a real model name) but with a 55 liter capacity (they only make up to 30L).
• Buy from a reputable dealer. Go online and find out who the official distributors are. All gear (unless bought through closeouts) should be sold through distributors listed on their website.
• Examine the stitching and labels. Often the labels or stitching are clearly of inferior quality. Several times I’ve come across spelling mistakes in the labels and hangtags. 
• Watch out for online auctions. This is pretty standard, but do your research. Who is selling this? Why? Where did he get it? Is it a realistic deal? 
• Contact the manufacturer with photos. They will be happy to help you out and know their product lines. (Deuter told me that their hangtags were completely different).

The Real Deuter Trans Alpine (unlike the copy to the right)

I  might have bought a pack if the name was different, but blatant counterfeiting just doesn’t float my moral boat. Although these photos are of deuter branded packs, I encountered in the same store counterfeits of the North Face, Lowe Alpine, and more.

After speaking with a worker there I found out that your only safe bet is Doite (a chilean company), High sierra, and some Columbia gear (that will stick out by price). The rest are just copies.

That said, there are some local Bolivian brands that produce decent quality clothing for a very low price! The quality is the same but because they don’t borrow the logo, you should be able to save a lot more money.

Well the results are in and here’s what people said:

1. Nobody was using UV (e.g. the Steripen) to make their water purdy.
2. 2% of people are using chemicals to make their water drinkable.
3. 20% grit and bare it, drinking straight up from that Giardia dream pool.
4. 31% use the good old fashioned, reliable boil
5. The winners at 44% pack a filter to do the work for them.

This may not be new to many people, but it was new to me. We all want good gear, but don’t want to pay good gear prices.

Steep and cheap is another website that offers great deals on outdoor gear. But this one is one of those ones that could get you fired at work.

They only offer one piece of gear at a time. There are a limited number and are up for a limited time (about 30 minutes each). There’s just enough time to convince your spouse and/or call up your friends asking for that $5 they owe you. Once the time runs out or the product sells out you get a brand new product to buy.

It isn’t necessarily theme based either. I just saw it change from a mountain hardwear jacket to a pair of sandals. Oh, and there are reviews. Right below the listed product there are a list of reviews with ratings. This can really help you make that last minute decision.

For all you iphoners they even have an iphone app that tracks the sales.

If you haven’t heard of this, give it a look.
Happy hunting.
http://www.steepandcheap.com/

Sylvan Sport, makers of the “GO” travel trailer are giving away lots of free of gear from various sponsors all packed up in your very own 2011 “GO”. There’s a few weeks left, so get in on the madness.

• Sign up on www.findthego.com,
• Look at the clues (released every week on Monday),
• Figure out where the go is,
• On the final week they will post the coordinates and it is up to you to get there

Although slightly ironic given some of the material on this site, definitely beware of web reviews of products.

What tends to happen, I’m sure you’ve all seen this, is that a person buys something online and 5 minutes later they give it a 5 star because it “looks pretty”, or maybe “it works fine”. But what will happen on the first trail use? In 3 months of hiking will that review be the same, or will you finally notice that the zippers break? Was bouncing around in your pack, or a 1 foot drop enough to make you reconsider the “it works fine” feature? Or maybe your guilt of buying something expensive is enough to make you ashamed to say bad.

You can consider this an appeal to trigger happy reviewing, but honestly, some websites could use a policy revisal. How many of us have bought something and then received an email from the website where we purchased it a week after ordering? What good is that review, accept to say they company has good shipping policies?

There needs to be some more questions in the review forms. Something like “How long have you had this product?”, or “How many times have you used it?”. With that in mind, there is an alternative: Join a forum.

Forums are usually made up of people who are enthusiasts. They probably bought the product when it first came out and either still use it, or chucked it long ago. So find yourself a forum, listen and ask questions. If you are one of THOSE reviewers, please stop before you post “The packaging is nice” or “It’s pink LOL I luv it forever1111!11!” If you want some real reviews, ask real questions and accept real answers.

Here are two forums that can help out:
Backpacking Light
Backpacker.com’s forum

I Just wanted to share this excellent video on Helle knife production. It is available on youtube.

A while back I got in touch with Jason Klass of Tenkara Talk. As can be guessed by the name of his site (and previous projects like Gear talk with Jason Klass, he’s an outdoor aficionado with a passion for fishing. He kindly agreed to put together an article about Tenkara’s line of backpacking fly fishing rods. I’ll let him take it from here:

Tenkara rods are telescopic and this is probably the greatest advantage for the backpacker.  For one, all the segments collapse in on each other and seal with an end plug.  The rod itself essentially becomes its own protective case so there’s no need carry a bulky, heavy case.  This on only saves weight, but when closed, the rods are extremely compact and will easily fit in the side pocket of your pack.  

 

I like to take advantage of fishing opportunities along the trail on my way to camp and Tenkara rods give the backpacker another advantage:  quick deployment.  You can literally grab the rod from your side pocket, extend it, and be fishing in a minute or two without having to worry about rod sections lining up, the reel, the leader, etc.  I’ve lost many fishing opportunities because it took me too long to get my Western fly rod set up.

By now you might be wondering how you would catch that trout in the middle of the lake that’s 70 ft. away if you’ve only got an 11 ft. rod with an 11 ft. line.  The answer is simple.  You can’t.  Well, actually you could if you waded out there.  It’s important to keep in mind that Tenkara fishing is not meant for distance.  It’s meant for small streams and to be a simple technique that connects you more to the stream and the fish, rather than your equipment.  If you backpack near streams and small ponds or lakes, Tenkara is perfect.  If you need to cast 80 ft and fish in 20 ft. of water, not so much.

 

There are some really good deals and discounts to be had at theclymb.com. Get on their mailing list and get outrageous deals. (For example, golite’s shangri la 1 tent was up for $75 ($200 at golite). They get exclusive deals with producers and because of that can offer huge discounts. Plus, they’re now offering new sales 3 times a week (M,W,F). 


To get in you can be put on their waiting list or through an invite. I believe yo may be able to get an invite through their twitter too. Any referral that ends up in someone buying something means that I will get a $10 discount on my next purchase. (Thanks in advance). If you are interested in getting on their mailing list and want to support me as well, please click the link below and start searching for deals.
http://www.theclymb.com/invite-from/PaulOsborn


Oh, be quick! I wanted a sleeping bag for my daughter and it sold out by the time I ran upstairs to tell my wife!

In 1999, Henry Shires started a road that has lead him to be a well known name in the Backpacking world. Why? He made a tent. an 18 ounce solo shelter that is still working after 3000 miles of use.

He made that tent design available for others, but that wasn’t enough. People wanted him to make the tent for him. Over the past years he has developed a whole line of tents. From solo tents like the first one he made to the 2009 released Hogback that sleeps 4 and weighs in at only 4 lbs.

Henry’s tents aren’t for your car camper (although they’d do fine). They’re really targeted at your backpackers and thru-hikers who want to shave pounds off their base weight and save space in their pack. Why not take a look at the product sheet for their current line.

Being an avid hiker, Henry is very involved in not only the design of new products but tests them all himself. “I do trail testing on everything.  Snow load testing happens in my backyard.”

Being a father of 3, I had to ask about his Hogpack. When you are carrying diapers and children in and out, you need to look at ultralight options. Why did he add this niche item?

The Hogback was inspired by my own need for a family tent.  My wife and I have a (now) 5-year-old boy and a 100-lb chocolate labrador retriever. None of our other models fit my family and since I’m the designated family mule I wanted something light enough to fit all of us on overnight trips.   I/we are very pleased with it.  I haven’t seen anything else out there that competes for space/weight in a double wall shelter that sleeps four.  Four-person shelters will never be as in demand as solo and double shelters but we’ve sold more Hogbacks than I ever thought we would. It’s more a niche product than our other shelters and really targeted at similar families looking for “togetherness.”

 Togetherness isn’t just his attitude towards family either. The cottage industry is key for the backpacking world as it is a small niche market. Henry keeps involved with those in his field. “I do an annual hike with fellow gearmakers and we’re definitely going somewhere but we haven’t picked a location just yet.” A great idea and the best meeting room.

Small scale and low overhead allows Henry to keep the Tarptent manufacturing in Seattle, Washington. Henry used to live there and remembers it fondly. When asked about manufacturing and hking in the area Henry offered:

We live and work in the Sierra foothills (California) but, yes, manufacturing is in Seattle.  We lived in Seattle for 5 years back in the mid 90’s and the Cascades are near and dear to my heart. In good weather It’s hard to go too far wrong wherever you go.

What about new products?

We spent the last few months expanding our office building (while working out of a very cold and cramped garage) so product development has been on hold. We moved into our new space a few weeks ago so I now I can get back to design.  Fall/Winter 2011/2012 is about when you could expect to see something new from us.

Whether or not you buy the gear or just use the idea to make your own, check out the Gossamer Gear cookset.

For one person, this 5 oz set is a pretty cool idea.  Here’s what it contains:

• .95 oz. (27 g.) Caldera Cone
• .88 oz. (25 g.) Fosters Can
• .2 oz. (6 g.) Lid
• .1 oz. (3 g.) Gram Cracker Stand
• .17 oz. (5 g.) Small BeerBand
• .28 oz. (8 g.) Large BeerBand
• .01 oz. (.4 g.) Stuff Sack
• .2 oz. (6 g.) Cozy
• 2.6 oz. (75 g.) Caldera Caddy
• .6 oz. (16 g.) Add-on Alcohol Stove (optional)

stats taken from the gossamer gear site: Caldera Keg.
Take a look at the site to see what it looks like.