The Tarp Bivy Combo: Your Sub 1lb Shelter

Making the switch to a tarp didn't happen quickly for me, the thought of creepy crawlies walking all over me while I slept wasn't exactly alluring. Over the years I've slowly reduced the weight of my shelters, mostly tents and hammocks, but eventually I reached the point where tents and hammocks were holding me back from going lighter. I had been wanting to try a tarp for a long time, but needed a way to feel a little more protected from the multi-legged elements.

Transitioning from a tent or a hammock to a tarp can be very liberating. When you take that final step of eliminating the tent and embrace the tarp you are going to end up much closer to your natural surroundings. You'll find that the sights, sounds, and smells of the night are no longer on the "outside", they are all around you and right there with you. This can be one of the most exciting things about sleeping under a tarp, it can also be quite frightening for some people.



To make the transition to a tarp a little easier for me, at least mentally, I chose to combine my tarp with a full bug bivy. Being ultralight and bug free was a lot more appealing than just being ultralight. After a lot of research and debate I chose the Mountain Laurel Designs (MLD) bug bivy for its minimal weight 168g (5.93oz) and so that I could have a fully enclosed space underneath my tarp that would keep out the bugs yet still provide me with a sense of open tarpi'ness.

The Tarp
If there was one thing I've learned about setting up a tarp it's that it takes practice. You definitely do not want to be figuring out how to set up your tarp for the first time in bad weather or as the sun is going down. Having a well rehearsed and familiar routine will make setting up and taking down your tarp quick and easy. I often find it hard to describe the sense of satisfaction and enjoyment a well practiced routine gives me. Try pitching your tarp in your backyard several times before taking it out on the trail.

I chose the Gossamer Gear SpinnTwinn, which is a two person tarp weighing 253g (8.92oz). The SpinnTwinn is comfortably big enough for two people to lay side by side beneath it with room to spare. For me it is the perfect size to set up my bivy and have my trail buddy, Coco the chocolate lab, curl up and sleep by my side.



As part of my tarp practice I played with the length of the guylines so that I could determine how much cord was needed for the corners, sides, and ridgeline. Then I cut off the excess cord, leaving a few inches spare for adjustment. The four corners and sides of the SpinnTwinn have built in mini line tensioners, but the two end (ridgelines) do not. For these I use a simple taut-line hitch that adds no extra weight but can be used to tighten the guylines very quickly. I personally prefer to use knots rather than tensioners or other gadgets, not just because of the weight saving, but because a knot is much more reliable and far less likely to fail.



Another way I save time with my tarp pitching routine is with a little trick I have with my trekking poles. I use my trekking poles as the front and rear supports for my tarp, they're super lightweight and I have them with me on most trips. But the height I have them set at for walking and the height I need to have then set to for my tarp (45in for the front and 32in for the rear) are quite different.

To take the guess work out of making sure my poles are the right height, I have scored very feint lines around the shaft of the lower section of my poles that correspond exactly to the two lengths I need for my tarp - 45/32. Unfortunately it is almost impossible to see the lines in the photograph below, but trust me when I say they are very easy to see by the naked eye. I have a third marker on my poles to allow me to set them back to the perfect height for walking. It takes no effort at all and guarantees I'll have the right height set for whatever I need to use my poles for.



On a related note. In the photo above you will see the mysterious red rubber o-ring that each of the Gossamer Gear LT4s now come with. I'll admit that I had no idea what this was for and had to ask Grant to clarify. It's actually quite brilliant. Before the o-ring was added to the poles, customers had remarked how their poles would occasionally fill up with water over night because it would drip down the pole and into the tiny opening between the two shafts. The smart guys at GG added a small o-ring that could be rolled down the pole to cover the tiny opening and act as a water barrier - brilliant. Mystery solved!

The Bug Bivy
On the underside of the SpinnTwinn's ridgeline, at either end, are two small loops that my MLD Bug Bivy can be attached to via lengths of shock cord. This holds the bivy's no-see-um netting up off of the sleeping bag and me. The base of the bivy is made of water proof silnylon that can be staked out at each corner for maximum space or left loose to lift up slightly and create a bathtub style floor in wet weather.



The Bivy Scoot
Getting in and out of the bivy took some practice too, especially when it's slung tight up underneath my tarp. It isn't necessary to always use the tarp, in some instances when I know the weather is going to dry and relatively warm all night, I'll string a ridgeline between two trees and attach the shock cord of my bivy to that in order to lift up the netting. That's as close as I am currently willing to get to sleeping outside under the stars.

But when the bug bivy is under my tarp there is very little room left to maneuver in and out of the lengthways zipper. This is where you realize why shock cord was used instead of a lighter weight cord that doesn't stretch. So here is the method that I came up with and which works quickly and reasonably effortlessly for me, as they say - your mileage may vary.

I start by scooting under my tarp on all fours with my butt facing down and my front facing up until I am along side and parallel to the bivy. Then I unzip the full length bivy zipper, that is on the upper edge, and lift up my closest foot and put it inside the bivy while holding my butt up off the floor with my hands. I do the same thing with my other foot so that they are both inside the bivy and at the foot of my pad where they need to go. Then I do a quick butt lift and side scoot to land myself inside the bivy sitting down. I pull my arms in, lay down and zipper up the bug net!

It sounds weird and somewhat awkward, but it works great. Don't knock it until you've tried. Getting out of the bivy is pretty much the same things, just in reverse starting again with my feet. I think of it as a similar method of how medical patients are lifted sideways from a hospital bed and onto a gurney - if that makes any sense?

A Sub 1lb Shelter
When you combine the weight of my tarp 253g (including the attached guylines) and my bug bivy 168g you get a total of 421g (14.85oz). I should add that the weights I list here differ from those stated on the manufacturer's sites. These are after I have significantly trimmed the guylines that the SpinnTwinn comes with and after removing some of the excess shock cord from the MLD bug bivy.

I'm glad that I have finally made the transition to a tarp. As I said, it wasn't easy and it took a couple of years to convince myself that it would be okay. Now, after quite a few nights out underneath it, I don't think I could go back to tent camping, at least if it's just me and Coco. When I take my kids, well that's a different story - for now!



I'll be going out to California in late August to climb Mt. Whitney with my friend Jason Klass. I'm planning on taking this shelter combo with me so I'll report back on how it works out for me there, that is if you don't see me in one of Jason's survivor stud videos first!

I know I'm not the only one who has gone through the tarp transition and wonder if any of you have had a similar experience? If you use the MLD bug bivy or other bivy, I'd be very interested to hear how you get into and out of your bivy and if it's the same scoot method that I use. If you have any questions of comments, please leave a response below.

Disclosure: The author owns the SpinnTwinn tarp and MLD bug bivy products and paid for them using their own funds. Gossamer Gear provided Brian's Backpacking Blog with a complementary set of LT4 trekking poles as part of their Trail Ambassador product testing program.

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A Kupilka Like No Other

I'm surprised at how perfect the Kupilka biomaterial (50% pine wood fiber and 50% plastic) is for carving and engraving. It doesn't take very much effort, especially with a power tool like a Dremel, and the results are gorgeous. Since my first attempts at engraving my Kupilka 21 I've wanted to try something a little more adventurous and decorative.

Not too many years ago I used to make and sell my own pottery (I'm pretty good with my hands) and one of my favorite things to do was to carve a small pattern into the wet clay around the edge of the pot.



I thought the same pattern would look cool on my Kupilka, so I marked out two tram lines to help me keep the pattern even. Creating the lines was done by placing the cup upside down on a flat surface, holding a pencil against the edge of the cup at a certain height while turning the cup around. Once the two lines were done it was time to break out my Dremel and have at it.



I didn't use any other pencil markings other than the two horizontal tram lines. I eyeballed the pattern directly onto the cup using my Dremel, starting on one side just under the handle and continuing all the way round until I reached the other side of the handle. It's a very simple, repeating pattern and only took a few minutes. As you can see in the photo above, the Dremel leaves a very ruff finish that needs to be cleaned up.

I used a small piece of fine wire wool to gently rub the surface of the entire engraving. After a few rubs with the wire wool all of the ruff edges created by the Dremel were completely removed, leaving a smooth, clean finish.



The end result looked great in my opinion. The irony is that even though I've got the bug to do even more carving and customizing, this is the only Kupilka piece that I have. I gave away all of the other Kupilka pieces earlier this year. I certainly don't regret giving the other pieces away, it was a lot of fun getting all of your responses, but part of me wishes I had another piece handy to practice on while I'm on such a carving kick. I wonder if Kupilka will ever add any carvings or decorative finished to their Kupilka line up? I think that might be a really popular option, what do you think?

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DIY Skeletonized $3 Pot Lifter

Continuing on my gear hacking spree, the next unwilling victim is my aluminum pot lifter. I've been using an Open Country aluminum pot lifter for the past two years and really like the added security and safety it affords me when lifting my hot Snow Peak 600 cup up off of a stove or out of a fire. No one likes to burn their pinkies.

The Open Country pot lifter costs just $3.25 from REI which is just about the cheapest pot lifter/grabber on the market that I am aware of, but it's far from the lightest. Weighing in at 57g it's almost twice the weight of the MSR LiteLifter which weighs a mere 28.3g and costs a whopping $15. The MSR version is lighter simply because of the design which uses less aluminum - less metal means less weight.



A popular weight reduction technique seen in pocket knives/tools is called skeletonizing and even if you're not familiar with the term, chances are you've seen examples of it such as the Leatherman Skeletool - probably the best example I can think of. It's a simple process; you drill out or remove as much of the material (in most cases that's metal) as you can without reducing the strength or stability of the item. Which got me thinking... hands up if you know where I'm going with this.

Heck I can drill holes! The Open Country pot lifter is made from aluminum, which is one of the softest and easiest metals to work with, and I have a drill press, files, wire wool, and pretty much all the tools I would need in my garage - sounds like a perfect DIY project to me.



The target weight to beat, or get as close to as I can, is that of the pricy MSR LiteLifter (28.3g). I didn't know if that was possible but I was certainly willing to drill the crap out of my $3 pot lifter in order to give it a shot. Being the OCD geek that I am, I took a little time to mark out a center line on the top handle and eyeball roughly where I wanted the holes to go. I used an automatic center-punch to mark where each of the holes would go and to help stop the drill from skipping on the surface of the metal. I also got a little creative with the positioning and size of the holes I wanted to make.



As you can see from the photos, I drilled a lot of holes in both the top and the bottom handle to reduce the weight. Even without the benefit of making the gripper lighter weight, I actually think that my skeletonized version looks a lot cooler than the original - maybe Open Country could think about doing this themselves to compete with MSR. You're welcome Open Country, I'm looking forward to my first royalty check.



Drilling holes in any type of metal will create a lot razor sharp burs, which will shred your hands and fingers (the voice of experience). So, I took some time to clean up all the edges of the drilled holes on both sides with some very small jeweler's files that I have. Once the sharp edges were removed I gave the entire surface a good rub down with fine wire wool to give a clean, satin-brushed finish.

Oh the new weight? After drilling all of the holes and tidying up, the final weight of my $3 pot lifter was an amazing 28g exactly! That was a hair under the weight of the more expensive MSR LiteLifter (28.3g). I'm pretty sure that I could remove an awful lot more metal without jeopardizing the integrity of the gripper or impeding its function, but for now I'm really happy with the results and will definitely be carrying this with me from now on. I think it looks really great, what do you think?

Disclosure: The author owns this product and paid for it using their own funds.

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Snow Peak 600 - Handle Grip Mod

This is my second Snow Peak 600 cup. My previous one got irreparably damaged (read as "stood on") last season. Obviously I'm a big fan of this cup if I bought another one, but there were always two things that I had wanted to improve about it - by now you should all know that I am a habitual hacker of gear.

The first thing I had always wanted to modify were the handles. For the most part they're pretty darn perfect, but they are bare metal and they get hot! I like to carry a lightweight aluminum pot gripper for this very reason and so that I can safely and firmly pick the cup up off the stove or fire. I wished that handles were insulated from the heat so that I didn't have to carry the pot gripper. There have been lots of really clever modifications posted on backpacking blogs for solutions to this "problem" and the one I have wanted to try was using Plasti Dip (tool dip) to coat the handles.

Plasti Dip, for those of you not familiar with the product, could be thought of as Duct Tape in a can. It's a multipurpose air dry, synthetic rubber coating that can be easily applied by spraying, brushing or dipping. The Plasti Dip protective coating resists moisture, acids, abrasion, corrosion, skidding/slipping, and provides a comfortable, controlled grip. It also provides a thick barrier against the transfer of heat. Note: Plasti Dip is not particularly flame retardant, so I'm not 100% sure how this would work.



With my new Snow Peak cup in hand, I set to work. I chose to use the aerosol version of Plasti Dip for no other reason that it just happened to be on sale at my local hardware store. I used some old newspaper and masking tape to mask off the body of the cup, leaving just the two folding handles exposed.

In preparation for the Plasti Dip coating, I used wire wool to scuff up the surface of the handles and finished by using some denatured alcohol and clean cloth to remove any oil and grease. Then, following the instructions on the can I applied liberal coats of Plasti Dip to the handles making sure to focus the majority of the spray on the upper bend section where my fingers would go. I wanted to avoid having too much Plasti Dip on the lower half of the handles but knew it would be hard to not get a little over-spray.



After several coats of Plasti Dip and waiting the correct amount of time for each new layer to dry, I ended up with a finish that I'm pretty happy with. I've performed an indoor boil test using an alcohol stove and the handles worked as hoped, acting as a protective heat barrier to keep the handles cool to the touch and more importantly it didn't burst into flames. I'll need to conduct some outdoor stove tests to see how it performs when the flame gets blown around more.

The second thing I had wanted to change or improve about the SP600 was the lid, or lack thereof. On my old cup I had struggled along using a makeshift (but ultralight!) lid fashioned out of some aluminum foil. Actually I had crafted several lids like this over time because they are far from durable, even if you take great care.

I wanted a much better solution and was willing to trade a little extra weight to achieve that. Some of you may know that Jason Klass (of Gear Talk fame) designed a superb, lightweight after-market lid for the SP600 some time ago to address the need for a more durable solution. He even went as far as to partner with a cottage manufacturer to have the lid productionalized and made available for purchase in two variants - plain and with strainer holes. Jason is a good friend of mine so I reached out to him to get one of his lids, opting for the version with strainer holes - no, not just to save weight, but I like the way you're thinking!



The new lid arrived a few days later and I was extremely satisfied with the fit and finish. It's made from aluminum, not titanium, but even so it only weighs 16g. I am willing to accept an extra 16g for the added benefits of being able to lift the lid off using the knob on the top, use it as a strainer if I need to drain hot water, and being able to hang the lid on the lip of the cup using the knob. Lid problem solved right? Well not quite...



The wooden knob that comes with the lid is the perfect size and very ergonomic, but it's unfinished. I felt like I had one last quick gear hack left in me, so I removed the wooden knob and gave it a few quick coats of the same Plasti Dip that I had used on the handles. Now it not only matched the color of my newly coated folding handles (did I mention I'm slightly OCD?), it also offers the knob a little extra traction for my fingers to grab on to. Now I'm happy :-)

What's your preferred cooking pot and have you made any modifications or changes to it to better suit your own needs?

Disclosure: The author owns this product and paid for it using their own funds.

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Hydropel vs. BodyGlide Liquified Powder

Is Hydropel really as good as all the hype? I'm sure you've all read about it like I have and probably wondered if it's really as good as everyone says it is, and more importantly, whether it's worth $20 for a 2oz tube? That's a lot of money even if it does last a long time.

There are entire forum threads (like this one on BPL.com) that discuss what the exact ingredients of Hydropel are and whether or not it's possible to make your own at home. UL guru and author/illustrator, Mike Clelland, strongly endorses the product in his new book Ultralight Backpackin' Tips and on his YouTube videos (which BTW are well worth taking the time to watch). With so much good press, forum debate, and general online hype you'd think it was the elixir of life - and for your feet it certainly seems to be.

There has been a lot of specific discussion on the differences between an alternative Brand called BodyGlide and Hydropel, most of which compares the BodyGlide anti-chafe solid stick product to the Hydropel lotion. The two are quite different in purpose and chemical composition. From what I've read, Hydropel is best suited for use on your feet and is especially effective at preventing your feet from getting blisters when they are wet for days at a time. BodyGlide works well to prevent chafing, and is best suited for underarms and "other" friction-prone places (use your imagination), but should only be used on your feet in a pinch.

However, there is another product made by BodyGlide that, as far as I know, isn't as well known or talked about in comparison to Hydropel - but it should be. It's called BodyGlide Liquified Powder and it is a very different product than the anti-chafe solid stick. It's main active ingredient is dimethicone, which is a silicone-based substance that both reduces friction and acts as a moisture barrier. It's also the main active ingredient of Hydropel. The two other active ingredients in BodyGlide LP are aluminum starch (to minimize greasiness) and a petrolatum base (or petroleum jelly). These just happen to also be the two other main ingredients in Hydropel. Correction: BodyGlide LP does not contain petroleum and is a non-greasy "dry" lubricant.

So, if a 1.6 fl oz tube of BodyGlide Liquified Powder only costs $8 at REI, why then does a 2.0 fl oz tube of Hydropel cost $20? Is the hype driving up the price or is Hydropel, with almost identical ingredients to BodyGlide LP, really a superior product? I guess time will tell...

In a few weeks I will be flying to California to make an ascent of Mt. Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous US. During the hike I'm going to do a side by side comparison of these two products by using Hydropel on one foot and BodyGlide LP on the other. My feet will be getting plenty of action over the course of the ascent and descent so I'm curious to see how this turns out. I'll post the results here afterward.

Have you used Hydropel or BodyGlide Liquified Powder? If so, what has your experience been? Do you have any other foot/blister prevention tips and tricks you'd like to share?

Disclosure: The author owns this product and paid for it using their own funds.

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Using KT Tape for Plantar Fasciitis

You may remember USA gold medalist Kerri Walsh sporting KT Tape during the Olympics. She used it to help with her shoulder injuries and in doing so propelled the product into the spotlight. Now it is readily available at most sporting stores and can help you with your muscle pains.

I've been using Kinesiology Therapeutic Tape for the past few weeks to help with my Plantar Fasciitis pain. I'm flat footed and tend to get pain in the underneath/sole of my feet on extended hiking treks and during my weekly martial arts practice. It can be quite painful and the only real way to reduce the pain is to rest and ice the foot, which isn't always an option. KT Tape helps by providing support and lift to my arch when wearing shoes and even when barefoot in dojo. I've also been wearing KT Tape to relieve the calf pain I have been feeling during my transition to a barefoot running style, so far it's been working great.

How KT Tape Works
KT Tape is applied along muscles, ligaments, and tendons (soft tissue) to provide a lightweight, strong, external support that helps to prevent injury and speed recovery. KT Tape works differently for different injuries. KT Tape can lift and support the knee cap, holding it in place for Runner’s Knee. KT Tape can support sagging muscles along the arch of the foot, relieving the connective tissues for Plantar’s Fasciitis. And KT Tape can lift the stress off of shin splints to allow pain release and give the body a better opportunity to recover.

Depending on how it is applied, KT Tape supports, enables, or restricts soft tissue and its movement. By stretching and recoiling like a rubber band, KT Tape augments tissue function and distributes loads away from inflamed or damaged muscles and tendons, thereby protecting tissues from further injury.



KT Tape is made up of reinforced 100% cotton sheathes designed to provide durability and increased strength. These cotton sheathes are embedded into weft yarn to provide uni-directional elasticity- allowing the tape to stretch in length but preventing the tape from stretching in width. The Matrix is a mechanical mesh weave designed to provide precisely 140% bi-linear elasticity along the length of the tape, and no elasticity in the tape’s width. 140% elasticity is critical because it is the same elasticity as human skin.

The KT Tape website has a lot of additional information about how to use the tape, success stories, where you can buy it and most importantly some excellent video tutorials showing how to apply the tape for specific injuries such as shin splints, runners knee, calf strain and dozens more. Here is the video showing how to correctly apply KT Tape for Plantar Fasciitis (this is how I learned).



Have you tried using KT Tape or a similar type of tape for your backpacking and hiking related injuries? If so I'd love to hear about your experience with it.

Disclosure: The author owns this product and paid for it using their own funds.

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Vargo Ti Tent Stakes - Quick Hi-Vis Mod

I've decided I'm not going to lose any more of my titanium tent stakes! Despite taking care and doing a sweep of my campsite after taking everything down, I still manage to lose a tent stake every now and then - argh! They're just too darn expensive to keep replacing, so I'm transforming the dull, grey, satin-finish little buggers into high-visibility, bright yellow tent stakes similar to the prototypes I already have from Gossamer Gear. The ones show here are six new Vargo Outdoor Ti tent stakes in their natural form.

First step was to give them a good rub with fine wire wool to provide a key for the paint to bite into and then clean them thoroughly with denatured alcohol to remove any grease and dirt. Next, I used an old cardboard box as my stand to hold the tent stakes while I sprayed them and shoved them into it evenly spaced apart.



Painting metal can be a little tricky because it's such a hard surface and paint tents to flake off very easily.  To combat I gave them all a coat of self-etching metal primer. The primer chemically etches the surface of the titanium and provides a matte surface for the paint layer to adhere to.

Tent stakes tend to take a heck of a beating, so rather than use regular paint that might chip easily I chose to use Valspar Tractor Enamel which is a premium quality, heavy duty anti-rust enamel designed for use on farm equipment and machinery. I used the spray can version to make it easier.



I applied three or four even coats of the enamel until the stakes looked heavily coated and glossy. I wasn't worried about the bottom half of the stakes because they'll be in the ground and taking a lot of abrasion anyway. All in all it took a couple of hours to complete this simple modification, most of which time was spent waiting between coats of paint drying. I'm really pleased with the end result and plan on testing the durability of the tractor enamel coating over the coming weeks. I just hope this will make the tent stakes bright enough to be more easily spotted on the trail floor! What do you think?

Disclosure: The author owns this product and paid for it using their own funds.

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Kupilka Kustomizations

Once I get in the mood to start modifying gear anything is fair game. In fact you might want to brace yourselves for a flurry of mod/hack posts in the coming days.

Ever since getting my hands on a Kupilka 21 cup I've wondered what it would be like to work with it as a material. It's made of a biomaterial that is 50% pine fiber (wood) and 50% plastic, so it's probably something that could be carved, right? A quick trip to my garage and some futzing with the bits to my Dremel tool and I can tell the answer is most definitely "yes!"

But why would you want to do that? Well it's not so that I can put the name of my blog on the bottom of the cup,although after doing it I kinda like it - without a doubt it's now a one-of-a-kind. No, the real reason why I've been wondering about working with a Kupilka vessel is too add some marking - more specifically measurement markings.



The Kupilka 21 is quite small. In fact it holds just a little over a cup (8oz) of liquid despite being listed as 7.1 fl oz on the Kupilka website. I've measured this countless times to make sure I'm not screwing up and every time my K21 easily holds more than 8oz.

So, I decided to mark a line with my Dremel tool on the inside edge of the cup where 8oz comes up to. I very often need to measure a cup of water or something on the trail and can now do it with my K21. I also added a line for where a half-cup comes to so that I can accurately measure in half cup increments too.

I deliberately made sure that the measurement markings were on the inside edge, facing directly opposite me when I help the K21 in my left hand. That way, when I pour something into the cup using my right hand I can always see where the markings are.



I was toying with the idea of putting some jimping on the flat section of the top side of the handle, but instead added a version of the favicon that I use for my blog. It's mostly for aesthetics but does provide a little extra traction.

If you could make some changes to any of the Kupilkaware that you own and use, what would you do?

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Ultralight A-Z | Help Fund An Amazing Project

Have you ever noticed how small the UL backpacking blogging community is? We tend to either know one another or, at the very least, know of one another.

I like to think of us all, bloggers and readers, as a pretty close-knit community of helpers and givers. I can think of numerous examples where I have reached out to my fellow bloggers and readers to seek advice or ask for help and on every occasion I've received much more in return than I had asked for. Whether it's gear, advice, help or just moral support, we know how to rally together and help one another. It's great to be a part of the UL community even in my small, humble way.

So when there is an opportunity to help one of our own with a project they are working on I like to do whatever I can to pay it forward.  Whether it's helping to get the word out and raise awareness, sponsoring the project with a small donation, or offering to help in some way it just feels good to help. So here is your opportunity to help a great guy with an awesome project that the entire UL community will benefit from for years to come.



Hendrik Morkel is an ultralight backpacking evangelist, entrepreneur, author and certified wilderness guide. You've probably heard of him already or read his hugely popular backpacking blog Hiking in Finland. He hikes, packrafts and bikes in the outdoors whenever he can, sharing his experiences with us all via his beautifully written blog posts and stunning photography. He's been there, done that and spread the UL gospel for a very long time.

Now Hendrik has a new goal. He wants to spread the UL word via the web's best medium - video! He calls it the Ultralight A-Z (#ULAZ) a series of 26 video episodes about the lightweight backpacking philosophy and principles. If you've ever watched any of Hendrik's videos you know it's going to be well worth watching. In his words:

"Ultralight A-Z will introduce you in an informative and entertaining way to lightweight & ultralight backpacking, and teach you the necessary knowledge and skills to hike safe & comfortable in the great outdoors. It really will help you to embrace a new mind-set which in turn will let you to walk more freely and healthy while furthering your enjoyment out hiking."

But he needs our help to raise the funds necessary to make his Ultralight A-Z a reality. He's using Kickstarter.com, the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world. On Kickstarter, a project must reach its funding goal before time runs out or no money changes hands. Creators aren’t expected to develop their project without necessary funds, and it allows anyone to test concepts without risk.



There are just 19 days left (as of this blog post) to fund Hendrik's project which is about 30% funded. There are lots of levels of funding available ranging from $1 all the way up to $2,500. Every dollar raised counts and everyone benefits from a successful completion of this project. So if you want to be a part of one of the coolest UL projects around and be able to say "I helped make that happen" please help Hendrik to reach his project goal of $6,000 by funding Ultralight A-Z and showing your support. If you're unable to make a pledge you can still help by Tweeting about it (#ULAZ), sharing it with your friends on Facebook or blogging about it.

Let's get the word out about Hendrik's project and help make Ultralight A-Z a reality!

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Kupilka Giveaway Entry - Peter Gulbranson

I thought I'd share one of the entries from my recent (now closed) Kupilka giveaway that wasn't published during the giveaway period. Many thanks to Peter for his excellent post and to all the other readers of my blog who submitted complete entries. I'll continue to share them from time to time.



Peter Gulbranson - St. Paul, Minnesota

1. How long have you been backpacking and what got you started?
   I started backpacking in the late 90’s while I was in high school.  A group of fathers and sons from my church planned a 3 night 4 day trip to Northern Minnesota’s Superior Hiking Trail.  That trip was disastrous and ended badly, mostly due to inexperience and over-packing.  The 90° F temps didn’t help either. Most of the group swore off backpacking for life. I was inspired to do better next time and took that experience and began revising my gear and my approach to backpacking altogether.  Which ultimately led me to several lightweight backpacking communities online.
   
   
2. Describe where you currently are in the "going lighter" process. Are you just getting started or at the point where you're down to shaving of individual grams here and there? What are some of the restrictions you've encountered to going even lighter?
   Like most people, I am constantly looking for ways to improve my current gear list and lighten up where I can.  Finances are my main inhibitor. With a family to provide for, I am on a strict budget when it comes to new gear purchases.  This leads me to a lot of DIY and MYOG blogs and forums online to see what’s new and interesting.  So far I have been able to completely revamp my cooking system, and my sleeping system weight has been cut in half from where I started.  The two big items are still my pack and my tent.  My torso is long (23”) which makes finding a mainstream market pack to handle 30lbs difficult.  Most of the smaller packs around 3000 ci are built for shorter torsos, 19-20”.  My North Face Granite pack might weigh more than I’d like, but it’s comfortable and serves me well.  I choose to stay with a tent for now because I can’t convince my wife that a tarp/bivy combo is worth the investment for the amount of time that we actually use it.
   
   
3. What type of shelter do you currently use? Please include the make and model and a little bit about how you settled on the choice you have made. For example, what other shelters have you tried?
   Currently I use a Gander Mountain’s Guide Series Dragonfly backpacking tent.  Weighing in at just under 6lbs, it is on the heavy side for a backpacking two person tent, but when split between the two of us, it makes for a decent carry weight.  The deciding factor to go with this tent was primarily based on the price. I got it on clearance for $30 several years ago.  It’s served us well and is decent for our summer back-country needs.
   
   
4. Where are you located geographically and what type of terrain and weather do you normally encounter on your backpacking trips?
   I am located in the Twin Cities of Minnesota.  Most of our backpacking takes place up on Lake Superior’s north shore, the Superior Hiking Trail in the summer months, temps range from 50-80° F.
   
   
5. How long in duration is a typical backpacking trip for you? One night, two nights, or more?
   Typically our trips last no more than 2 or 3 nights.
   
   
6. What best describes your method of cooking? Do you mostly re-hydrate freeze-dried foods (i.e. just boil water), reheat actual food, or do "real" cooking/simmering?
   Primarily my cooking is restricted to re-hydration. Freezer-bag cooking or one-pot dishes are the staple for our dinners on the trail.
   
   
7. What make and model of stove do you currently use and why? What stoves have you tried in the past and what made you stop using them?
   Right now I use an MSR Pocket Rocket canister stove.  I like its simple design and fool-proof summer use.  I do enjoy tinkering around with alcohol stoves at home, but I have yet to take one out on the trail with me as my only stove.
   
   
8. What type of fuel do you use and why? Alcohol, Esbit tabs, liquid fuel, gas canisters, wood?
   I use regular canister butane/propane for the Pocket Rocket and I use denatured alcohol for my tinkering stoves.
   
   
9. Have you tried wood burning stoves? If so, what are you thoughts on the soot that they create? Do you care about the soot, or is that an acceptable trade off for a readily available fuel source?
   No, I have not used a wood burning stove. I plan to make one this summer but I am concerned about the soot.  And I am not sure I want to sacrifice a cook pot just to play around with it.  The soot alone is enough for me to rule it out as a viable trail option for me, regardless of the weight savings in fuel.  I suppose I could start carrying my pot on the outside of my pack.  Even then, I don’t see it being more than just a fun hobby to try at home.  But that’s just me.
   
   
10. What type of cookware (pot or cup) do you use? Do you carry more than one cooking container?
    I use a Brunton IB Cookset.  Weighing 8.5 oz and made of anodized aluminum, the pot set comes with two nesting pots and one universal lid.  The larger pot (1000ml) is usually enough for my needs so I leave the smaller (800ml) at home to save 3.5 ounces.  I also carry a 16oz. Nalgene to use as a "thermal mug" for coffee or tea.

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Trekking Pole Camera Mounts

Somehow I seemed to have ended up with a lot of different trekking pole camera mount gadgets. I don't think it was deliberate but I have quite a few, so thought it might be fun to look at some of them and compare their pros and cons.

As you can tell from the photograph above, my trekking poles of choice are the carbon fiber Gossamer Gear Lightrek (LT4s). I've actually made a couple of modifications to these (big surprise, right?) that I'll share on a future post with a much closer look at the LT4s.



Gossamer Gear LT4 Camera Mount
The Lightrek Camera Mount is made specifically for use with Gossamer Gear Lightrek poles that have the adjustable strap option. It's made of stainless steel and can be used to turn the pole into a monopod for filming or shooting still pictures. To install the camera mount, simply remove the black plastic machine screw that holds the strap on to the top of the pole. The thread size on the mount is a standard 1/4-20 which will fit almost any camera.



As basic as this mount is, it is beautifully finished with very precise tolerances - the knurling is almost perfect. Simple but very effective.I use my trekking poles as the two supports for my GG SpinnTwinn tarp, so I have to either remove the camera mount from the top of the handle when I am using my poles for the tarp (which means the strap comes off temporarily), or put up with the camera mount sticking into the ground and getting all muddy and chewed up by rocks. So far I have removed it each night, but I'm considering putting the original black plastic screw back in and leaving that until I need to use the pole as a monopod. That's really my only niggle.



Trekmount by Brian Boorsma
The Trekmount camera adapter is a relatively new device that was created by Brian Boorsma of California. He says he had the idea for the design of the Trekmount while backpacking for several weekends in the Los Padres National Forest.

What's unique about the Trekmount is that it offers a monopod conversion option for a wide variety of trekking pole brands (including Leki, Komperdell, Black Diamond, REI, and most others), without the need for any assembly. As you can see in the photos, the Trekmount attaches to the side of the trekking pole handle and is secured in place by a strong velcro strap. The clever contours of the Trekmount allow it to fit around the form of the trekking pole handle very snug which in turn helps keep it in place.



I found that the Trekmount did a perfect job of holding my small camera securley in place for taking still shots. The plastic washer/nut that comes on the thread is a little rough around the edges and may not be the best type of plastic to use, but it did do the job. As a side note the Trekmount came with a spare washer/nut which was a nice touch.

However, I did experience a bit of a failure with my Trekmount. After using it for the very first time, I tried to unscrew my camera from the mount and ended up pulling out the metal thread that was embedded into the body of the mount. In hindsight I have to confess that this was probably more user error than a defect in the product. I may have simply over tighten the camera instead of using the washer/nut to tighten it.



A small amount of crazy glue later and everything is as good as new. I'll be more careful next time. Rumor has it that Brian is currently working on a Trekmount adapter for smartphones, which as an iPhone camera addict I look forward to seeing.



The StickPic #2
Readers of my blog will most likely already be familiar with the StickPic. I've been a big fan of it since the day I got it. It's simple and extremely well made. Here's a previous post I wrote about my first encounter with the StickPic.

Unlike the previous two camera mount options I've mentioned, the StickPic attaches to the tip of the trekking pole. Because of this and the variation in the diameter of trekking pole tips, you have to make sure that you order the right size StickPic for your make and model of trekking pole. My GG LT4s use a size #2 StickPic for example. If you're not sure what size you need there is a simple sizing chart on the StickPic website.



Another significant difference between the first two camera mounts and the StickPic, is that this one allows you to turn the camera back at yourself to take point of view photos with you perfectly framed in the shot. Great for scenic photos when you don't have anyone to take your photo or for taking video of yourself on the trail.

So there you have it. Three different types of trekking pole camera mount options that I had lying around. If you know of any other good trekking pole camera mounts that are worth sharing with everyone else, or if you have any feedback on the ones that I've mentioned in this post, please a comment below.

Disclosure: Gossamer Gear and Trekmount provided Brian's Backpacking Blog with complementary trekking pole camera mounts to review. The author owns The Stickpic and paid for it using their own funds

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DIY - Single Use Antibiotic Packs

The ongoing trend in the consumer market of providing small, ready-to-go, individual size packages of consumables has been a win-win for the lightweight and ultralight backpacking communities. Always looking to shave a few extra ounces or grams off of our overall pack weight, these individual servings are the perfect fit for trail snacks, drinks, condiments - you name it.

However, these nicely packaged individual servings can come at a premium. They can often be pricy or difficult to find without going online and ordering in bulk +shipping. That's when the creative types among us come up with ingenious solutions that lets us make our own alternatives using things we usually have lying around.



Which brings me to today's topic - individual size packages of antibiotic cream. I've carried a few of the Neo-to-go (Neosporin) packets with me as part of my first aid kit for quite some time. They're small, handy and easy to use, but they have some downsides. Firstly they are expensive, secondly each packet contains way more ointment than I need for a small cut or graze - an awful lot more and once it's been opened it shouldn't be reused or saved.



I recently stumbled upon a really clever solution to this problem that involves a tube of antibiotic ointment (generic), a plastic drinking straw, a Bic lighter and a pair of needle-nose pliers. For the life of me I can't find the website that I saw the original version of this on so I'm going to repeat it as best I can remember - apologies to the original author.

We're going to make very small, single use packets of antibiotic ointment using a generic alternative to Neosporin and a clean (unused) drinking straw. If you're like me and have kids, chances are very good that you have an open tube of antibiotic ointment in your medical cabinet. On its own it is too large to carry on a backpacking trip, so we're going to re purpose it.



Place the straw over the opening of the ointment tube and carefully squeeze in a small amount of the ointment that is approximately one quarter of an inch in length. You'll notice that transparent straws work best for this.

Use you fingers to squeeze the end of the straw so that it pushes the ointment further up inside the plastic straw. This will provide a clean area for sealing the end of the straw without having the ointment ooze out while you are holding it with your pliers.



Hold the end of the straw with your needle-nose pliers so that a small amount of the straw is protruding. This will be used to melt and seal the end of the straw. Take your Bic lighter and carefully melt the end of the straw so that it forms a seal. I like to quickly pinch the melted end with my pliers to ensure a good seal.



Turn the straw around and find the point where the ointment went up to inside the straw. Pinch just past that with your needle-nose pliers and cut off the excess straw with a pair of scissors making sure to leave a small amount of the straw protruding for sealing with your lighter just as you did in the first step.



Now you have a single use packet of antibiotic ointment that you can carry with you as part of your UL backpacking first aid kit. These are also perfect for EDC carry in a pocket or even your wallet.



I've yet to have one of these burst or fail on me. Simple, affordable, and very convenient. A great way to make use of those open tubes that are lying around with just a small amount of ointment left in them. Pretty clever idea that can be used for other purposes, what do you think?

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Evernew Titanium DX Stove Set

This is the stove that I wanted to fall in love with. It was supposed to be the answer to all my geeky stove dreams; lightweight, multi-fuel, compact and durable. It promised me stove nirvana, but in reality it was unable to deliver on that promise.

Over the past year I've had the chance to use this stove in all of it's configurations. I was drawn to it for its versatility and because it is one of a very short list of commercially available cooking sets that can be used as an alcohol stove, Esbit solid fuel burner, and a wood burning stove. So no matter my fuel preference the DX was supposed to be able to handle it.



One of the very first things you notice about the Evernew Titanium DX set is that it's small. Not just light weight, but physically very tiny. When I first held the box in my hand I thought there had been some sort of mistake and that it only contained the alcohol stove itself (the stove is sold separately as well as part of a set). But the entire DX stove set was inside the cardboard box that fit into the palm of my hand.

The Evernew Titanium DX stove set is made up of four components:

• Ti DX Alcohol Stove (1.25oz). As mentioned this can be purchase separately or as part of the set. It has two layers of jet holes that kick out a very stable heat stream
• Upper Stand (0.875oz). Servers as a wind screen and pot support. It can also hold the Ti Turbo plate in position above the alcohol stove
• Lower Stand (0.875oz). Is the base of the wind screen and support for the Ti alcohol stove
• Ti Turbo Plate (0.25oz). The turbo plate sits on the support feet of the upper stand and disperses the flame pattern of the alcohol stove for a slightly more efficient burn

Total Listed Weight - 3.03oz
Total Measured Weight - 3.25oz

For comparison purposes, here's my Bud-Light MYOG stove set:

• Bud-Light Stove - 0.875oz
• Trail Designs Primer Pan - 0.25oz
• Pot Stand - 0.5oz
• Windshield - 1.125oz

Total Weight - 2.75oz



Even though I bought the DX for use as an ultralight wood burning stove, my first uses of the stove were in the alcohol burning configuration as that was what I was most familiar with and had sufficient past experience to be able to guage performance against.

Burning Heet as my alcohol of choice, I was able to bring an Evernew Titanium non-stick DX2 pot containing 2 cups of cold water to a rolling boil in 5 1/2 minutes and that was without using the turbo plate. When I repeated the process with the turbo plate my boil time was reduced by roughly 30 seconds. The two part windscreen/pot stand provides adequate protection from the wind.



Used as an Esbit stove, the DX performs admirably with boil times comparable to using the alcohol burner. I like that I can leave the alcohol stove behind and still have the option of an Esbit and wood burning stove.

It was during my use of the DX as a wood burning stove that I began to question whether or not this really was the answer to my stovey dreams. Even though the DX is built with ever attention to detail and should, on paper at least, be the perfect design for use as a wood burning stove, it just doesn't work.



What do I mean by that? Well it's small remember? Really small. In fact its diminutive size works against it in a wood burning configuration because it requires constant attention and careful feeding of fresh wood in order to keep it burning and to maintain sufficient embers. I found it very fussy as a wood burning stove, unlike my experience with the bigger (and heavier) Littlbug Jr stove. The problem seemed to be that there just wasn't enough capacity inside the stove to hold the amount of wood necessary to maintain a strong fire.

On a number of occasions where I didn't pay constant attention to the stove (it happens) the fire got snuffed out by a slight breeze that passed through the vents in the walls of the stove. I didn't notice immediately and by the time I had the embers of the wood fire had completely burned out. I was forced to take my pot off the stove and start all over again - much to the amusement of my hiking buddies with the Snow Peak Giga Power stoves.



I'll probably still carry the DX with me on most of my trips and even continue to try using it as a wood burner. I just know going into it that I need to make sure that I have an ample supply of ready to use firewood that I can feed into the stove at a constant rate. I'm not ready to give up on this little gem, but I am bummed that it didn't turn out to be quite as perfect as all of the hype and reviews had lead me to believe. It just goes to show that you have to try things for yourself to see if they work the way you want them to.

Disclosure: The author owns this product and paid for it using their own funds.

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