Base Camp

The Panasonic Toughbook CF-74 is a rugged computer that is built to be used in the outdoors by people with jobs that require a rugged computer such as contractor, police officer, construction worker, etc. The toughbook is encased in a magnesium alloy case and comes protected with sealed port covers and a shock resistant enclosure around the hard drive. These features make the toughbook water and dust resistant as well as shock resistant. The toughbook that I own comes with a touch screen and stylus. However, the touch screen requires you to press rather hard and works much better with the included stylus. I have my toughbook running Windows 10 and it runs mostly smooth, except encounters a few problems when streaming video or music over Wi-Fi. These problems are usually minor and most of the time these problems consist of buffering. However, if you plug the laptop into an ethernet cord or use a PLC (Power Line Communication) box, streaming works fine. The monitor of the laptop is anti-...

There are right and wrong ways to pack for backpacking. I have had some experiences in the past where I have packed incorrectly and have had to carry an unbalanced pack or have had to rifle through my whole pack to find one item I need. Luckily all of these misfortunes have happened on trips where packing properly was not essential but I learned from these experiences nonetheless. Step 1 : Find a pack In order to fit all of your gear for hiking and backpacking you have to have a fairly large pack. For most circumstances a regular, everyday backpack won't cut it. I recommend at least a 50 liter pack. For a pack I use the Deuter ACT Zero 50+15. The 50 liters is the main compartment while the 15 liters is a detachable summit pack. Packs are made in sizes all the way up to 85 liters. There are a few packs larger but I recommend staying in the 50-75 liter range. Make sure the pack has a good hip belt and sternum strap unless you are planning to carry a very light load. The hip belt h...

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:...

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

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 ...

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...