A Word in the Woods

Looks like there’s a new pack in the works. It may be a bit on the pricy side, but some might not mind paying that much for a pack, if it delivers on its promise, and can last them a lifetime. I expect no less from any quality tool, and a pack is just as crucial a tool for your comfort, organization, and mobility in the woods.

Whether it lives up to the hype remains to be seen, since past Ray Mears products have seemed a tad silly (like the ~$50 luggage tag, or the ~$100 belt). I don’t doubt that the products are good quality, but the premium pricing seems to bank only on the celebrity name association, while not bringing any extra value to the table.

By the description of this pack, however, there seems to be promise. I’d be very interested to see this pack in action.

Details:

• Total volume: 90 litres
• Volume of main compartment: 58 litres
• Volume of side pockets: 10 litres each
• Weight: 1.8 kg
• Fabric: Waterproof 1,000 denier Cordura Nylon
• Colour: Olive Drab
• A bespoke item, produced in small numbers
• Designed by Ray Mears
• Exclusive to Woodlore
• Made in Great Britain

Features:

• Large main compartment with PU Nylon snow valance and drawcord closure
• Spacious lid with elastic trim and buckle closures
• 2 x fixed side pockets with buckle closures
• External front pocket with lockable zip closure
• External, slim-profile pocket on lid with lockable zip closure
• Concealed, slim-profile pocket on underside of lid with zip closure
• Drain holes fitted in the main compartment and side pockets
• Heavy-duty YKK zips used throughout
• Contoured and padded shoulder straps with adjustable top-tension buckles
• Adjustable chest strap
• Adjustable, heavy-duty waist strap with extended padding on hip area
• Lightweight internal metal frame, housed in fabric sleeves
• Breathable and padded mesh-lined back panel, for improved comfort and air flow
• Sturdy grab handle
• 2 x full-length internal storage sleeves on back lining, perfect for SAM splints (not included)
• Velcro loops for tidying away excess shoulder strap webbing
• Embroidered Ray Mears Bushcraft logo on front pocket

See the full product page and details on the official Ray Mears site.

Tags: Gear, hiking, pack, product, ray mears
Posted in Bushcraft, Gear, News, Packs | No Comments »

Gear: Fit is everything. Good gear selection comes from knowing what you want out of it, and a large part of finding that out is by knowing what it’s like to deal with an inferior product, or having to improvise to fill an unanticipated need along the way.

I wrestled with myself for quite a bit before deciding how to approach this article. I’ve wanted to write a “getting started” guide for a while, but this post has – like the gear list it touches on – evolved into a direction all its own.

Over the years, I’ve collected and invested in a fair amount of gear, some of it quite expensive, some of it ridiculously cheap, and some not at all used for its intended purpose. With all the gear on offer by outfitters, it can be overwhelming for new and experienced outdoors enthusiasts alike, both from a choice and cost perspective.

So how does one maintain balance? How do you decide what to buy, beg, borrow or build. And then, what to bring?

(more…)

Tags: buying, Gear, improvised
Posted in Gear, Technology, tips | No Comments »

I came across an article on this subject from the Ontario Parks Insider enewsletter. It’s a quick overview of the main tasks to think about when you’re squirreling your gear away for the off-season, or just to give your gear a good clean after some hard use.

(more…)

Tags: enewsletters, Gear, maintenance, Ontario Parks Insider, storage
Posted in Gear, HowTo, tips | No Comments »

So, I’m long overdue on the trip reports. I started a new job last year, and I’m coming up on my first anniversary in a week. The time has flown by, and the crunch of new responsibilities has died down a bit. I’ve gone on a few trips, and I’m ready to start keeping up with the photos and reviews and trip reports. This is a bit of a year of firsts.

The first first on this trip was going to an entrance point I’d never been to: Entrance 16, on the East side of Algonquin.

(more…)

Tags: algonquin, Canoe, canoeing, Entrance Point 16, flickr, Gear, Little Hay Lake, summer, Trip report
Posted in Canoe, Gear, Trip Reports | 2 Comments »

I’ve decided to take a step back and look at this site. I haven’t updated throughout the winter, and although I camp year-round, sometimes there can be big pauses between trips. So to move things along during the slow times, I will be writing reviews of various gear that I’ve tested and used. Further to that, I’m going to actually take the time to design a new site, with a good section for organizing the reviews, and perhaps a gallery. It will give me a chance to test out some new technology as well, and I’m looking forward to that.

So begins the lengthy re-design process.

Tags: Gear, Reviews, site design
Posted in Things to try | No Comments »

So, lots of new things going on… I’ve got a new job and a new phone and probably a lot less time this year to go camping, but I’ll get a chance to check out the iPhone in the woods.

It has a gps, but I’m not sure how good it will be, since it relies heavily on being connected to the net. I don’t know if there’s any way yet to add local topographic maps for use offline.

One thing it will allow me to do is compose updates from remote areas. I know that I could just transcribe written notes, but let’s face it – if I were going to do that, I would have done it already.

One thing I’m looking forward to is trying out some solar cell chargers, since I like the idea of sustainable power. I don’t like throwing away batteries, but I also don’t trust rechargables enough to not bring alkaline spares.

A good solar system that would cover charging headlamp batteries, walkie-talkies, cell phones and cameras would be ideal.

Oh, and this is my first post using the iPhone!

Tags: gadgets, Gear, iphone, solar
Posted in Gear, Questions, Things to try | No Comments »

A friend of mine lent me his GPS handheld unit while he’s away, and I’m going to try it out for the next few days. I’ve been thinking about purchasing a GPS unit for a while, and I have an upcoming trip that would be a good testbed for it. It’s a cute little unit called the Garmin Geko, and looks nice and simple to use. Unfortunately, I’ve been in the subway and the office all day, so I can’t seem to get it to work yet. From what I’ve seen, it’s probably because I haven’t done something right yet. I’ll get around to reading the manual eventually.

I’ll take it for a spin around town, but I suspect that I’ll end up getting something with a map, perhaps something like the eTrex. Still simple, but with an 8MB memory. I may fall for an impulse buy if I find something on sale.

One of the things I don’t like is that these things still use serial connections. Nothing I have in the way of computers has a serial port any more, and that just means a proprietary cable – I can’t just hook it up to any old computer.

I’ll do a bit of a walk and try and figure out how it works, and let you know how things go… If I can get it to work.

Tags: garmin, Gear, gps, navigation
Posted in Gear, Things to try | No Comments »

Most people who like the outdoors have invested in a good hiking pack at one point or another. The most technical and the simplest all have a few common traits that are horrible for use in a canoe. Is there any alternative? Yes, there is…

Tags: canoeing, Gear, Packs, review, shelter, storage
Posted in Gear | 1 Comment »