Brian's Backpacking Blog

How to Tame That Noisy Hydration Bladder

2012-05-30T20:20:00.002-05:00

One of my pet peeves about using a hydration bladder system inside any of my packs is the annoying sloshing sound caused by the water moving around inside the bladder. If I'm walking or backpacking it's not too bad and I can usually put up with it for short trips, but if I'm running - well lets just say it drives me crazy! Whether I fill the bladder up to the top, a quarter of the way, or anywhere in between I still seem to end up with sloshing water. In fact the problem isn't the amount of...

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Rainy Day Projects | Paracord Bracelet Kits

2012-05-22T12:20:00.000-05:00

The weekend before last was rainy and miserable here in North Carolina, so Jack, Maggie, and I weren't able to get outdoors to explore and burn off a little steam after a long week. We discussed a couple of things we could do to pass the time (for some reason tidying their bedrooms did not appeal to either of them) and ended up in agreement that we'd like to make something. Fortunately, we always have plenty of arts and crafts supplies on hand for just such occasions. However, Jack and...

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Winners of CLIF Bar Mother's Day Giveaway

2012-05-20T06:04:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone who entered my CLIF Bar Mother's Day chocoholic giveaway contest, so many great replies and examples of moms, sisters, wives and friends who are everyday athletes. In fact it was hard to pick winners among the entries, so I ended up opting to use Random.org to select three entries among all of the ones I received. The winners were: Whiskersnitch, Robert, and Chris Quick. Congratulations to all three. Please send me an email (address on my home page) with your...

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Are Dome Tents Best For Mountain Hiking?

2012-05-19T06:57:00.000-05:00

I'm considering buying a one-person tent. I think I'm going to need it for my second trip to Mt. Whitney later this summer, but that's sort of a new thing for me having gotten used to a tarp and bivy combo and before that a hammock. The only tents I have are for 'family' camping. Here's the problem I'm facing. Last year when I traveled to California to climb Mt. Whitney I took along my Gossamer Gear SpinnTwinn tarp and Mountain Laurel Designs bug bivy as my shelter combo. At the Whitney...

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How to Choose & Use a Backpack | Infographic

2012-05-17T11:16:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd share this very useful infographic from REI about how to choose and correctly use a backpack. I know the question comes up in discussion all the time, so hopefully you'll find this helpful! Huge thanks to REI and their expert advice team for providing such great content! Full version below :-)

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How to Identify Venomous Snakes (US)

2012-05-14T19:38:00.002-05:00

During a day hike with my two young kids this past weekend, we were abruptly reminded of the fact that we are all just visitors in the great outdoors and there are many creatures that call the trails their home - like snakes! The three of us had been itching all week to get outside and go for an adventure walk. We like to spot flowers, try to identify rocks, look for animal tracks, and generally just do as much 'discovering' as we can. I use this time to share my knowledge and love of the...

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Mother's Day CLIF Bar Chocoholic Giveaway

2012-05-11T11:51:00.001-05:00

In honor of all the amazing moms out there and the fact that Mother's Day, which is this coming Sunday so be ready, is just around the corner I'd like to giveaway three very special packages of CLIF Bar chocolate goodness. What active mom doesn't like chocolate? Each of the three CLIF Bar boxes will include samples of their most chocolatey bars including, CLIF Bar Chocolate Brownie, Chocolate Almond Fudge, MOJO Chocolate Almond Coconut and CRUNCH Chocolate Peanut Butter - yumm! There...

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Help Finding A Watch Strap Compass

2012-05-10T14:29:00.000-05:00

My friends over at ITSTactical recently published a blog post about their search for a high quality watch strap compass to replace the now discontinued Sunnto Clipper. A quick Google search turned up a bunch of alternatives, many of which the readers at ITSTactical have already pointed out via the comments there. As this is something I'd like to be able to find also I thought I'd open this up to all of you to see if you knew of anywhere that still stocks and sells the Suunto Clipper compass...

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EasyKlips Make DIY Tarps Much Easier

2012-05-10T14:26:00.001-05:00

Like many of you I love sleeping under a tarp when I go backpacking. The benefits of being able to travel light are obvious plus there's added bonus feeling of getting closer to my surroundings - being exposed at both ends like I am. Sure, pitching a tarp requires some practice (Rule #4) in order to get good at it, but most of the high-end ultralight tarps available today have superb fittings, cord tensioners, and tie out loops that make adjusting the tarp tension incredibly easy...

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Hoboroll by GobiGear | Urban Packing Light

2012-05-08T11:09:00.002-05:00

Regular readers of my blog will know that I like to travel light and minimal, as much as feasibly possible whenever or wherever I go. That could mean traveling to and from the office, to the gym, personal travel, a day hike, or a multi-night backpacking trip - I like to only carry what I will need and be able to organize it easily. I'll admit to being more than a little OCD about it. And it's not only me. My minimalistic habits and approach to packing has rubbed off on my kids too,...

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CLIF Bar | Gary's Panforte Limited Edition

2012-05-04T11:39:00.002-05:00

CLIF Bars are ubiquitous with backpacking, camping, and just about any form of outdoor activity that requires refueling. The CLIF Bar line up offers some of the most flavorful and nutritious snack bars on the market, in my opinion, and I've been a fan for a very long time now. In fact, to my total surprise, the CLIF Bar company has been cranking out their snack bars for 20 years. To celebrate their 20th anniversary CLIF Bar is releasing a special limited edition flavor called Gary's...

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2012 Gorilla UL Backpack | Updating a Classic

2012-04-30T21:27:00.000-05:00

It's hard to improve something when you hit a homerun on your first attempt, and as impossible as it sounds, that was exactly the goal that the guys at Gossamer Gear set for themselves; update and improve the award-winning Gorilla ultralight backpack while staying true (as much as possible) to the original. The Gorilla ultralight backpack has been my personal 'go-to' pack for a long time now. It has just about every feature that I need and none that I don't. It's simple, lightweight, easy to...

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Dokka | Helle's First Folding Knife in 80 Years

2012-04-27T10:48:00.000-05:00

For 80 years, Helle of Norway has operated exclusively as a fixed-blade knife manufacturer. Folding knives simply never fit in with their strict quality standards. However, this Spring that is about to change with the (upcoming) release of the Dokka, Helle’s first folding knife. The Dokka will feature their signature triple-laminated, razor sharp stainless steel blade measuring 3.5 inches long. The blade folds nicely into the 4.6 inch curly birch handle making it safe and easy to...

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Gear Repair | Dog Damage Part II

2012-04-25T08:53:00.000-05:00

I'm beginning to think that my beloved old LLBean rain jacket is jinxed. I've fixed this jacket pocket once already after my trusty trail buddy, Coco, chewed right through it about a year ago. To be fair to her, it was sort of my fault. I had left one or two small doggie treats in the pocket after taking her for a walk, she saw my coat hanging on the back of the chair, smelled the treats and figured she'd eat them - pocket or no pocket. I was pretty proud of the first repair I had made. I...

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Taste Test | CLIF Mojo Trail Bars

2012-04-22T20:26:00.001-05:00

It was a gray and day here in NC, so it was the perfect opportunity to catch up on some trail bar taste tests that I've been meaning to finish up. Usually I would be doing all of the taste testing myself based on the fact that I'd most likely be the one eating them on one of my trips - that's why I try various different trail bars after all. Today, however, I had a few extra helpers in the form of my two children; Jack and Maggie who were very excited and overly willing to help when they...

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Flat Foot Rehabilitation | Four Months Later

2012-04-20T07:20:00.000-05:00

Back in December I was asked by my friend Damien Tougas of ToeSalad.com if I would be interested in testing an insole system designed to help rehabilitate feet with the types of conditions I have. Before that Damien had been instrumental in encouraging me to take a different approach to dealing with the shin splints that had plagued me most of my adult life... you know how that story goes. Despite being able to run without shin splints, I still suffered from the side effects of...

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Coffee Brewer Starter Kit Giveaway!

2012-04-18T15:32:00.001-05:00

It seems that my recent blog post about the the Grower's Cup trail coffee pouches has created quite a stir (pun intended) among the outdoor and backpacking community and for very good reason. In fact you may want to brace yourself for a flurry of new blog reviews being posted in the coming weeks - I can't wait to see what others think of the coffee and how easy the pouches are to use. While many of my fellow bloggers are hitting the trails, brewing coffee, taking photos and writing...

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Garmin Forerunner 210 Warranty Repair

2012-04-16T14:11:00.000-05:00

My trusty Garmin 210 Forerunner is no longer able to hold a charge after only just over a year of use. I have to say that the folks from Garmin have been right on top of this with their communications back to me since my very first inquiry about a potential way to fix this. I've tried the factory reset button combination they provided, but that only lasted for one full battery charge. They're very next option was to simply return the whole watch for a warranty replacement, no...

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Tent Stake Storage Hack | Cardboard

2012-04-12T19:01:00.000-05:00

Here's a simple trick that I use to make storing my titanium tent stakes a little more fabric-piercing friendly. I've had too many pieces of expensive gear accidentally stabbed by these thin tent stakes that I really care to mention, so this hack is a great solution that you might find useful too. Cut off a small piece of corrugated cardboard from the flap or unwanted section of an old box. Turn it round so that the corrugations are running length ways and use the small opening...

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Blog Makeover From Young Artist

2012-04-07T21:01:00.001-05:00

A few months ago I stumbled upon the work of an aspiring young artist that immediately caught my eye. I was classically trained as an illustrator and while I may not work in that field anymore, I still enjoy drawing, painting and looking at art of all kinds - chances are you've seen some of my sketches and drawings throughout this blog. The drawings that I had discovered were by a young artist named Laurent Tougas. If that last name sounds familiar to you it's probably because Laurent is the...

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Reader Poll: What Sunglasses do you Wear?

2012-04-03T13:48:00.001-05:00

Did you ever hear of the term 'form blindness' used for people who have trouble filling out forms? Well I'll admit to having 'sunglasses blindness' - no pun intended. For some reason I have never been able to spend more than a few bucks on a pair of sunglasses. Which is borderline ridiculous considering I wouldn't hesitate to spend a few hundred dollars on just about any other piece of good quality outdoor gear (Rule #3), but sunglasses overwhelm me. Or more accurately, choosing them...

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April's Fool Day Joke | Couldn't Resist!

2012-04-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

My announcement yesterday, in case its tone and the date it was published didn't tip you off, was an elaborate April's Fool Day joke, in cooperation with Hendrik Morkel of Hendrik's Hiking Blog Hiking in Finland. We both set out to fool you in an attempt to bring a bit of humour back into the outdoor blogosphere. We both hope you had a good laugh and start to your April 2012. By the looks of some of the concerned emails and tweets I received, I'd say that quite a few of you fell for the joke...

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Scandinavia Bound... Goodbye USA

2012-04-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Today marks the start of an exciting new chapter for myself and my family, something I thought I'd should share with all of you too. Today I will be leaving the USA behind and making a monumental move to a country of I have long dreamed of living in but never thought would actually come true, Finland. An opportunity has come up for my family and I to relocate to Tampere, Finland and pursue a technology career in one of the most beautiful places on earth. I'll miss living on the East Coast...

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Patagonia Forerunner Quick Look | Win a Pair!

2012-03-28T12:16:00.004-05:00

I'm currently test driving a pair of Patagonia Forerunner trail running shoes as a potential candidate for an upcoming GORUCK Challenge that I am doing in June - more on that another time - so I thought I'd share some of my initial thoughts and impressions. After just a few weeks of wearing the Forerunners I'm digging them. I've been wearing them for mostly road/hard surface running with some occasional trail runs. I have not had an opportunity to test their ability to drain after getting...

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Hydropel vs. BodyGlide LP | The Results!

2012-03-26T13:42:00.000-05:00

It was recently brought to my attention that I did not report back on the results of my 'Hydropel vs. BodyGlide Blister Challenge' post from Aug 2011, just prior to my trip to Mt. Whitney - shout out and thanks to 'dkramalc' on the BPL forums for keeping me honest. For those that are new to my blog or who missed my previous post, here's a recap: As part of my upcoming trip to Mt. Whitney in a few weeks, I'll be doing a side-by-side test of Hydropel (right foot) and BodyGlide Liquified...

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