Liquid Biscotti aka 'Super Spackle'

I tried a new recipe for my trip to Mt Whitney that is a calorie-dense, delicious treat that can be eaten on its own or added to other meals, like breakfast oatmeal, for a boost of energy to kick-start your day.

Unlike most people, ultralight backpackers do not eat low-calorie snacks. We're not dieting when we're on the trail, our bodies are being pushed hard for long periods of time so we want delicious easy to prepare snacks and meals that are packed with as many calories as possible. My goal is to pack as much nutrition and energy into the least amount of food as I can.

I was excited to read about a snack called Super Spackle in Mike Clellan's new book "Ultralight Backpackin’ Tips: 153 amazing and inexpensive tips for extremely lightweight camping". He likens it to his own version of Gu with a thick but runny consistency.

Illustration from Ultralight Backpackin' Tips

Some of the ingredients were a little tricky to find, like cashew butter. I was unable to find pre-packaged cashew butter at any of my local grocery stores or natural food markets, so I used our kitchen food processor to blend a bag of unsalted roasted cashews until they turned into a thick paste - home-made cashew butter!

To make your own batch of Super Spackle at home, you will need the following ingredients:

• 1 Cup unsalted almond butter
• 1 Cup unsalted cashew butter (I make this myself)
• ½ Cup agave syrup
• ¼ Cup almond oil
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 Teaspoon almond extract
• Pinch salt

Once I had gathered all of the necessary ingredients I started by measuring the almond butter and home-made cashew butter into a large glass mixing bowl.



Then I added all of the wet ingredients which were the two liquid extracts, agave syrup, and the almond oil.



Rather than use a food mixer, I used a spoon to mix all of the ingredients together until they formed a thick paste-like consistency. The final result was visually less than enticing, but it smelled absolutely fantastic! After some trepidation I mustered up the courage to try some and was surprised by what I tasted. The best way that I can describe it is liquid biscotti or a nuttier version of very strong marzipan.



After making the super spackle I stored it in a lightweight plastic container with an air-tight lid until I was ready to take it on my trip. It doesn't require refrigeration.

Mike Clellan recommends carrying the super spackle in a Platypus container during a backpacking trip and employing it like a squeeze tube, so that it can be eaten without using a spoon. I decided to use a Sip'n Go collapsible bottle to carry my spackle.



It took less than 10 minutes to make the super spackle once I had gathered all of the ingredients. Finding some of the ingredients was the hardest part, but it is possible to improvise if necessary.

I'm a huge fan of almonds so this was a big win for me, my kids weren't so excited about the look or the taste as I was. Next time I think I'll blend the whole thing until it's a little bit smoother. On a side note, my backpacking buddies (Jason and Ben) thought this looked more like something that belonged in a WAG bag than something that should be eaten as a snack. Just sayin! With the popularity of Mike's book I wonder if anyone else has tried this or modified it?

Update with Nutritional Info:
Several of you have requested that I provide nutritional information for this recipe, so I have entered each of the ingredients (and measures) into SparkPeople.com in order to calculate the calorific values. I'm surprised it's not as high as I thought it would be.

Continue Reading >>

Follow @bfgreen

Gear Lists - Not Just For Gram Weenies!

For reasons unknown to me, a lot of backpackers think that making a detailed gear list is the sign of an ultralight fanatic or that you've crossed over to the UL darkside and become a dreaded gram weenie. I'm here to tell you otherwise. It's true that a gear list can be an extremely powerful tool for helping you understand, manage, and reduce your overall pack weight, but it's much more useful than that.

It should go without saying that your gear list needs to be constantly updated and tweaked as you adjust the items you carry and make notes along the trail. It serves as the reference point to where you are and where you want to get to with regards to pack weight. Careful observation and experimentation both on and off the trail are key. 

Packing - Leave No Gear Behind
In addition to using a gear list to track weight it can be used as a checklist tool to help you gather, inspect, and pack all of your gear before a trip. There’s nothing worse than getting a few miles into a hike and realizing that you left a critical piece of gear at home on the kitchen table. Your gear list will help you to avoid that from happening. I have three check box columns on the left of the spreadsheet I use that are designed to walk me through the this process: Find, Check, Pack. 

I systematically locate (find) each piece of gear on my list and gather them into one area on the floor. I check each piece off the list using the "Find" column to track my progress. I then inspect (check) each piece of gear to ensure that it is functioning properly. Does it require maintenance, new batteries, or extra supplies? If all is good I'll put a tick in the check column. Once I've found and inspected all of my gear I use the last column (pack) to make sure that I have put each and every item in my backpack. It probably sounds a bit tedious but I can tell you that it works for me - every time.



Evaluate Your Gear
Another huge benefit of having a detailed gear list is using it for keeping track of what works, what doesn’t work, and what doesn’t even get used on the trail. There’s only so much elimination and weight reduction that can be done at home, so at some point you are going to have to validate this by getting outside and using your gear.

Keep accurate notes using your notepad so that you don’t have to rely on memory to recall what it was that didn’t work and you thought could get left behind next time. Getting into the habit of good note taking will help you in the long run.



After Each Trip
Use your notes to assess your gear list and make determinations on what you can adjust for next time. You may need more of one thing but less of another. Practice, practice, practice!

Based on a combination of your trail notes and what’s left in your pack, you can identify the pieces of gear to eliminate and leave at home on your next trip. Look at your notes to see if there were things that only got used occasionally and might be able to be substituted by another item that can serve double duty. For example, don’t carry a bowl and a cup when one or the other will serve for both purposes.

These are just some of the benefits of using a gear list that don't really even involve weighing your gear. Do you have any other suggestions on how a gear list can help?

---

Download a blank version of my gear list:  BBB Gear List Template (.xls)

---

Continue Reading >>

Follow @bfgreen

Bushcraft vs. Leave No Trace (LNT)?

I'm conflicted. I enjoy getting outdoors with my kids at the weekend, going on day hikes, and practicing our bushcraft skills like making firesticks, carving pot hangers, and learning how to properly build and start a camp fire. BUT - when I go on my multi-night or longer distance ultralight backpacking trips (typically without my kids) I'm careful to practice and adhere to the core principles of Leave No Trace (LNT) as much as humanly possible. However, it recently struck me that these two schools of outdoor ethics may actually be at odds with one another.

Bushcraft, in my mind, is about surviving and thriving in the natural environment. It's about using natural materials to practice age old skills like fire starting, hunting, shelter building, foraging, twine making, and wood carving. It encourages us to use the available natural materials in a responsible way even though that may include cutting down and altering our original surroundings.

The seven key principles of LNT,  (plan ahead and prepare, travel and camp on durable surfaces, dispose of waste properly, leave what you find, minimize campfire impacts, respect wildlife, and be considerate of other visitors), preach a "touch nothing" ethic that must be adhered to at all costs. LNT practitioners will go to extreme lengths to ensure that they do not disturb or harm the natural beauty of their surroundings. I know several 'hard core' LNT'ers that openly scoff at Bushcrafters.



Is there any middle ground? I want to teach my children to both respect their natural surroundings and know the basic skills of how to use them should they ever need to. Is it really necessary to follow the principles of LNT to the letter, or is it good enough to simply do your best to be responsible and respectful?

I'm struggling to find the right balance for myself and my children. What do you think about Bushcraft vs. LNT? Are they at odds, or is there a way that the two can work together to compliment each other? I'd love to hear your thoughts either way.

Continue Reading >>

Follow @bfgreen

BioLite Thermoelectric CampStove Update!

Earlier this year I wrote a blog post about a revolutionary new type of backpacking stove called the BioLite Thermoelectric Camp Stove. The BioLite is revolutionary because unlike nearly every other type of wood burning stove on the market, the BioLite claims to have reduced the smoke emissions from burning wood by 90% through clever engineering, and their patent-pending thermoelectric-fan technology that practically eliminates the black carbon (soot).

Not only does the BioLite stove burn anything you put into it with incredible efficiency, it can also use the leftover heat that it generates to power up your cellphone or even a small light by converting a small amount of the fire’s thermal energy into electricity using the solid state thermoelectric generator.

Back in January there were very few updates being posted about the BioLite, and despite all of the interest and comments asking how to get one and when it would be available, the BioLite stove and its inventors seemed to disappear without a trace. I had several emails and comments asking if this was real or just a prototype that would never make it into production? Well, I have some great news!

I was contacted today by the BioLite team to let me know that they were sorry for the delayed response, but had been busy field testing their production versions and getting ready for the release in Spring of 2012. Here is the comment they left on my previous blog post:

Brian, thanks for the great article. We apologize for the delay in answering folks' emails as we've been overwhelmed by the positive response to our product. The great news is that the CampStove is now in manufacture and we will begin taking pre-orders in December for early spring 2012 delivery. If you haven't already, please sign up for our mailing list to keep up to date on both CampStove and HomeStove developments. www.BioLiteStove.com/contact

Thank you again to all of our loyal fans and we look forward to getting stove in your hands in the coming months.

All the best,
The BioLite Team

I don't have any additional information on the price of the CampStove or HomeStove, but I'm very excited to discover that the stove has gone into production and that it will be available for pre-order in a few months. As I learn more I will be sure to post updates.

Here's a great video that shows you how the CampStove works. If this doesn't get you interested in one I don't know what will.

Continue Reading >>

Follow @bfgreen