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Showing posts from September, 2016

Links, Links, and more Links!

Cairn: A camping/hiking themed subscription box-- http://www.getcairn.com/pages/how-it-works Every Day Carry: A website based on gear that is useful for everyday purposes and is great for getting ideas--  http://everydaycarry.com / Knife Box: A subscription box service where they send you a new knife for camping/hiking porposes every month--  http://www.knifebox.net/ REI: A great online store where you can get a lot of different gear for different interests-- https://www.rei.com/ Cabelas: A great website for a great store where you can find all kinds of different gear for activities like camping, hiking, hunting, fishing, and more: --  http://www.cabelas.com/ L.L. Bean: A store/website that has some awesome gear that is also a little expensive but most all of the gear is good quality. --  www. llbean .com/  Trails.com: A website for finding trails near you: --  https://www.trails.com/trails.aspx National Park Servie Trail Finder:  https://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm

Deuter ACT Zero 50+15

I was given this pack 2 years ago for christmas and have used it on countless trips since. This pack has a lot of room for gear but the pack it self weighs very little. The top part of the pack can be removed and turned into a small summit pack. I use that feature when I want to bring a daypack but don't want to have to bring a whole new pack. This pack is also compatible with most hydration reservoirs. This is a very high quality pack and my only complaint is the lack of sleeping pad/tent straps (This feature is added in the newer version of the pack.) Some pics I took of the pack: The front of the pack without the top on  The back of the pack without the top on The top of the pack converted to the summit pack The back of the pack with the top on

Gear review: Survive Outdoors Longer® Thermal Bivvy

I bought this product on Friday and used it Friday night. The temperature went down to 49º Friday night. The Thermal Bivy kept me very warm and as far as I could tell no condensation got into the bivy. I would rate it 4/5 because the bivy would be better if it had a drawstring instead of velcro to close the top of the bivy when you are in it. The bivy comes in a nice little stuff sack. I used the stuff sack to hold my rain jacket when I went hiking and left the bivy itself at camp. Some pics I took of the bivy: The bivy spread out on the grass with the stuff  sack on the bottom left of the picture The bivy with the foot vent open Close up of the foot vent. The foot vent is made of a tough mesh surrounded by velcro. The velcro is used to close the foot vent The bivy with the top portion partially opened. The opening on the bivy goes from one top corner to the other and down to the orange tag The bivy in its stuff sack An other view of the bivy in i

Weekend On Cow Island

I spent last weekend on Cow Island taking part in the Ripple Effect programs with my friends. The programs were awesome. The activities we participated in include zip lining, kayaking, raft building, and more. All of these activities were very awesome and all of the staff were very nice. After the activities our schedule left us time to explore the island. There were beautiful views all over the island and I was able to watch one of the sunsets while on the beach. The other sunset I couldn't see because of heavy clouds. For a great view of the sunset I went to the northernmost point of the public use area and watched the sunset from the rocks. The beaches were very rocky but that just added to their awesomeness. From our campsite we could see the ocean and walk right out onto the beach. There is an unobstructed view of the stars from the beach in the public use area. We went for a swim  but the water was very cold and so we got out of the water pretty quickly. My weekend was super

Gear review: Nalgene - 32oz narrow mouth water bottle

I bought this water bottle at the end of the summer and have used it on a few hikes and constantly when not hiking. Its performance has more than met my standard for a water bottle. The Nalgene narrow mouth is in my opinion better than the wide mouth versions because you don't end up spilling water all over yourself every time you want a drink. This water bottle NEVER leaks. I have used many cheaper alternatives in the past but at one time or another every one of those bottles has leaked. Not this bottle. The bottle also does not dent as far as I can see but does scratch fairly easily. This is not a problem because the bottle is so thick that the scratches really don't do anything other than improve the appearance of the bottle. The only con to this water bottle is that it is harder to fill with a trailside water pump, water jug, or stream than any of the wide mouth alternatives. Keep in mind that it can be filled just fine with a faucet and is also great for indoor uses as w