Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Raffle: Photon Freedom Micro Light



In the meantime: take care and go out and hike!


  1. Cotton bandanna review: 21x21" cotton square with a cool squiggly pattern. With this simple square of cotton (the only cotton in my kit!) I can dry my feet, grab my hot cooking pot, protect my sunglasses, turn my cap into a sun shade, filter dirty water, wipe down the inside of my tarp, dress like a pirate etc, etc. The ultimate piece of multi-use gear? In summer I wouldn't leave home without it.

  2. My favourite new UL kit is my pair of Fizan Ultralight Compact poles. Quoted as 158 grams each, mine are actually 168g but they are still the lightest 3 piece poles you can buy (I believe). Aluminium, but still somehow lighter than my previous Alpkit Carbon Fibre poles and just as stiff. The lack of plastic collars on the ends of each section makes them much easier to slide down inside a pack. Finally, they are actually quite cheap compared to the competition.

  3. One of my favorite lightweight items is my CRKT Peck (in the dark).
    It's just the right size to be totally useful for anything I'd need it for. It has kept an edge for a long time (maybe 2 years?). I like that it has a "built in" money clip (or pocket clip). I keep a twenty dollar bill in there at all times, so the knife could REALLY be useful in an emergency, even if not needed for cutting something! Also the $20 kind of disappears behind the clip so as to not be very obvious (if you fold it up properly). The blade shape is great for its usual use, too, which is opening boxes. :D

  4. One of my favorites is possibly one of the lightest, thinest knives around. A.G. Russell's 3.0 Titanium Lockback.

  5. As of this moment, the item of gear that has a special place in my heart is my new Mountain Laurel Design Burn pack. The careful attention to detail, streamlined design, small volume and durable construction and material(s) is an excellent balance that owner/designer Ron Bell was able to effectively juggle with this new pack. For the super ultralight and ultralight hiker alike, the MLD Burn is an excellent pack for overnight use to multiday trips with a tight kit.

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