Archive for the ‘Equipment’ Category

The Case of the Disappearing Golite Pinnacle Backpack

May 7th, 2012 / 0 Comments

Golite Pinnacle

What happened to the Golite Pinnacle backpack?

Recently, I noticed the Golite Pinnacle is increasingly unavailable from camping gear retailers. Campmor? No longer available. Amazon? Out of stock. Campsaver? Not any more. EMS. Was never there to begin with.

It has even vanished from the Golite website.

As readers of the Bushwhacking Fool well know, the Golite Pinnacle has been my workhorse backpack for many years. I love it so much that I rarely fail to promote it. It is the perfect bushwhacking backpack, with its sleek design, rugged materials and elegant simplicity.

Now, this is not enough of a mystery for the eminent detective Sherlock Holmes, or the Dark Knight, for that matter. I did do a cursory search of the Interwebs for a clue to mystery of the vanishing Pinnacles though. Unfortunately, I found nothing.
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Equipment

Perfect Note Recording System for Bushwhacking/Backpacking Adventures

Jul 18th, 2011 / 0 Comments

Keeping notes while out bushwhacking can be a rather tedious task. From carrying a notebook and writing utensil where they are relatively handy to making sure the notebook does not get wet during inclement weather, there is a lot of necessary juggling involved to keeping notes. Unfortunately, note taking is a necessity if one wishes to chronicle their adventures for a blog or just for their own information.

Note taking can become increasingly difficult in wet conditions. During wet conditions, such as during or after rain showers, paper can become difficult to write on or pens can stop functioning. Although writing in the rain can become almost impossible, it is still very difficult to keep notes in under any wet conditions such as the morning after a night rainfall or even periods of very heavy dew. In rather wet areas like the Adirondacks, this could result in a large portion of a trip being completely without note. Unless you have a very good memory, the lack of notes can be real problem.
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Asides, Equipment

Review: Leica Ultravid 8×20 binoculars

Jun 27th, 2011 / 0 Comments

Leica Ultravid 8x20 BR binocular

Compact binoculars are an ideal choice for the ardent backcountry enthusiast. Their small size and lightweight allow for easy access even when bushwhacking through dense vegetation. Leica Camera AG manufactures a perfect example of a compact binocular in the Ultravid 8×20 BR.

Leica Camera AG is an international company in the optics industry with a reputation for superior optics used in binoculars and camera lens. The company has produced innovative cameras since the early 20th century and is responsible for the first practical 35 mm camera produced intended to be compact enough for mountainous landscape photography.
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Equipment

Gear Review: Golite Tumalo Pertex 2.5-Layer Storm Pant

Jun 22nd, 2011 / 0 Comments

Golite Tumalo Pant (photo by Golite)

After an entire winter of procrastination and a swiftly approaching bushwhacking season I was left with no other choice but to find a replacement for my now ineffectual Golite Reed rain pants. I narrowed it down to two different rain pants: the Marmot Essence and the Golite Tumalo.

And the winner was….the Tumalo Pertex® 2.5-Layer Storm Pants!

The reasoning behind my choice:

With weight being about the same between the two pants and the color of both identically black, the decision was made mostly based on price. Price was especially important given my lack of experience with either product and the scarcity of information on their durability for bushwhacking purposes. Since durability was in question for both rain pants I decided to manage my total cost by choosing the one with the lowest price.
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Equipment

In Search of New Lightweight Bushwhacking Rain Pants

Jun 20th, 2011 / 1 Comment

Golite Tumalo Pant (photo by Golite)

Decisions, decisions….

After getting soaked from the knees down last summer while bushwhacking in the Pepperbox Wilderness of the Adirondacks and again this spring hiking out of Trout Pond in the Catskills, I knew I had to start shopping for a new pair of rain pants.

I put this off since last summer because I knew how much of an ordeal making the decision on a new pair of rain pants was going to be. I dreaded giving up my wonderfully lightweight and gorgeously colored Golite Reed rain pants, which were no longer on the market. These rain pants weigh only 6 ounces but have proven to be quite durable over many years of bushwhacking.
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Equipment

Is Black the New Black in Backpacking Rain Pants?

Jun 7th, 2011 / 0 Comments

Golite Reed rain pants

Recently, I was in the market for a new pair of rain pants. In fact, new rain pants were an imperative since late last summer when I discovered my old rain pants were no longer doing their duty while bushwhacking on a wet morning in the Pepperbox Wilderness. Unlike previous trips these well-worn and much loved rain pants were now leaving me good and wet below the knees.

The dread of shopping for new rain pants escalated throughout the winter months but the urgency of this purchase was hammered home in April when hiking out in a cold, torrential downpour from Trout Pond in the Catskills. It took less than 20 minutes before everything below my knees was soaking wet. What I prayed was a fluke last summer was apparently a cold, hard reality. Luckily the hike out was short enough so I was just uncomfortable and not hypothermic.
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Asides, Equipment

Aside: Packing Backpacking Gear for an Airplane Flight

Apr 2nd, 2011 / 0 Comments

Kuna and Koip Peaks from Alger Lakes

Going to California to hike a portion of the John Muir Trail back in the summer 2009 (read about my trip out there here) required doing something I had absolutely no experience with: packing backpacking gear for an airline flight. In fact, I had not even flown on an airplane in almost a decade prior to the trip. Many changes occurred since my last flight, which was pre-911, pre-shoe bomber, pre-liquid ban, and, well, you get the idea.

Naturally, I consulted the Internet for some material on packing backpacking gear for an airline flight. Surprisingly, there was very little.

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Asides, Equipment

Gear Addiction: Is there such a thing as too many snowshoes?

Mar 7th, 2011 / 1 Comment

Michigan-style snowshoes

I have a problem. It used to be much worse but I pretty much have it under control now.

Hi, I am the Bushwhacking Fool and I am a gear addict.

As part of my therapy I thought I would start a series of occasional blog posts about all the duplicate gear I have accumulated over the years. In honor of the winter season, which is in its final stages now, I thought I would start out my therapy posts discussing the many different pairs of snowshoes I currently own.

I have seven different pairs of snowshoes. They come in all different sizes, materials and shapes. Two pairs are Michigan-style, two standard bearpaw and three Green Mountain modified bearpaw. Four pairs are made of wood, one is plastic and the final two pairs have aluminum frames.

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Equipment, Gear Addictions

Bushwhacking Fool News

Sep 12th, 2010 / 2 Comments

There have been some exciting changes at the Bushwhacking Fool over the last few months. Hopefully these changes will enhance the enjoyment and usefulness of the information presented on this website. These enhancements include a greater visibility for trip photographs, more advertising opportunities, some changes to post formatting and an increased exposure for the Bushwhacking Fool.

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Equipment, General information, News

New bushwhacking toys….uuuhh….I mean, equipment.

Jul 7th, 2010 / 0 Comments

Recently, I purchased several new bushwhacking related products (i.e. toys that I rationalized purchasing based on their use during bushwhacking trips). They included a new handheld GPS, a tripod (head and legs) and a personal digital voice recorder. I purchased each of the products for different reasons. The GPS replaced (and upgraded) my previous GPS unit since the old unit was starting to display the irritating tendency of blinking out during the most inopportune moments. The tripod was purchased to allow for increasing the quality of my digital photographs and therefore increasing the aesthetics of this website. Lastly, the personal digital voice recorder was supposed to replace the need for me to take written notes during bushwhacking trips. Although I will definitely write up a detailed review of each product when I have thoroughly experienced them in the field, I thought I would report some information about the new products including some of my rationale for choosing them.

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Equipment