My brother owns a green construction company, so he has some pretty cool products at his offices every now and then. He has a new water cooler in there that would be great to have, from several aspects. It is actually a dehumidifier, so it pulls in moisture from the air, filters it, then treats it using UV and turns it into potable water. It heats and cools the water as well, so you have a full featured water cooler that you don’t actually have to add water bottles or a water line to. The product literature said that it can do ~4 gallons a day, which is plenty for the average family’s drinking needs. Obviously, it will work better in more humid conditions (sorry, Arizonans).

So you have ecological benefits, self-sustaining benefits, and badass gadget benefits. If only it weren’t the cost of four car payments…

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Like many other things, I have an unnatural obsession with containers. I keep most sturdy, usable containers from products that I buy, and I will even admit to buying stuff [i]just so I can get the container it’s in[/i]. One feature I look for and rarely find is that the container is watertight. Watertight containers are usually big, bulky, and heavy, or crappy zip or press seal plastic bags. I kept on seeing these sweet little watertight containers in the food container section at WalMart, but couldn’t handle the ~$10 they were asking for three tiny little 1-2 cup containers. Enter Aldi, the quirkiest grocery store I have ever seen.

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I love my Fisher Space Pens. They are small, feel nice in the hand, the ink never skips, and they can write under water and upside down. I always have a pen on me, whether I am at work, out and about, or even on the trail. I like to be able to write things down if necessary, so I keep a couple of slips of paper in my wallet, and take a small Moleskine plain notebook (lined paper is the devil) on the trails. My Space Pens have been faithfully working for me for many years, but I saw the inka and was intrigued.

The version I bought was the titanium one, which runs about $23 shipped on ebay. The tube is the only titanium part, which the rest of the body being plastic and the split ring being regular stainless steel. With a large portion of it non-titanium, the part that is actually titanium seems to be just for looks, which is fine, since it does not exactly tear a whole in my pocket with its immense weight.

The problem with the pen is that, unlike the Space Pen, you do not just remove the pen portion and stick it in the cap to make a full pen. Let’s take a look at the Space Pen, apart and assembled:
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I picked up an Arc’Teryx Beta LT (ignore that link if you are not familiar with the brand, or you might have a price induced heart attack) recently, finally buying into the Arc hype. The Beta LT is replacing the Theta AR that I recently sold, since the Theta was just too much for the temperatures and humidities I am exposed to in the southeast. I have several Precip-ish jackets, but wanted something that didn’t feel like Saran Wrap in the constant 100% humidity of the region. Weight was also a concern, since it needed to be a jacket that would always be in my pack, since more often than not, there is a surprise rainstorm on a hike in the southeast, especially during the summer.
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Per Sanyo, Eneloop C and D sizes are coming soon. The capacities are pretty wonderful, at 5700 mAh for D and 3000 mAh for C. AA Eneloops are 2000 mAh, just for reference. Sure, other companies have released low self discharge batteries in this size, but none have had that Eneloop goodness. Low self discharge batteries are ones that do not lose their charge rapidly after being charged, like most NiMh or NiCad batteries. Eneloops are widely regarded as some of the best LSD batteries on the market, with their ability to handle high currents, super high quality, accurate capacity ratings, and small size (some rechargeable batteries are larger than regular AA alkalines and will not fit in certain gadgets). The press release only mentions Japan for now, but they are being released on my birthday, which would be an awfully convenient time for them to start selling them in the US as well.

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I have been fascinated with the concept of using a vest for hiking for a while now, and along comes Camelbak with one that has an integrated 3L hydration bag, the Delta 5 Tactical Hydration Vest. I like the idea of being able to have all those pocket and organization options for the gadgets I take on a trip, especially now that I take 50 lbs of photography gear on every hike. Having all of the weight close to my body, and where I choose for it to be is also a bonus. It would obviously not work in the summer months unless I want to sweat more like a pig than I already do, but it would be great for colder weather.

The only problem is that it is a little too, well, tactical. I don’t have a problem with military gear at all, but I prefer not to look like I am about to storm a terrist stronghold on the trails (although, in the South, that might help me). Makes it difficult to approach another group of campers and ask them to borrow their shovel without having them reach for the (dull) 1.5″ blade on their Swiss Army Knives. Every similar style of a vest that is made to carry more than a fishing lure or two that I can find is oriented toward the military or law enforcement. Has anyone ever seen such a vest system that is made for the outdoor type crowd or am I the only person that has ever wished for such a crossover product? I might have to resign myself to buying lots of MOLLE pouches…

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I saw this blog a while back, and promptly forgot about it when something shiny distracted me. A timely post on BF reminded me of its goodness.

Stormdrane apparently loves tying knots, and has great videos, pictures, and written tutorials on how to tie all kinds of useful knots for turning paracord, string, wire, etc. into lanyards, straps, leashes, and other cordage based items. Go forth and learn!

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I usually avoid Target’s Dollar Spot like the plague, since it is mostly complete garbage that would not last past a single use. During the summer, however, they sometimes get some halfway decent stuff meant for the outdoors. This year they have mostly crap, yet again, but a couple of useful nuggets are there if you look hard enough. Avoid the compass/whistle/match case/flashlight/knife/first aid kit/trekking pole/radio combo, the camping first aid kit, and most of the other stuff they have. The splinter kit and emergency blanket are at least worth $1 each though.

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We have talked a little about favorite gear in the forums lately, but I want to narrow it down to see what people really like. If you had to pick just one piece of clothing/outerwear to go along with you on a trip, what would it be? Ignore climate, season, conditions, elevations, etc. Assuming you had a bunch of icky cotton, what is the one thing you would want to have that might make life a little more comfortable?

Mine is easy. I would take an Icebreaker Conquest Hoody. From the day I bought it to the day it stopped being cold enough to wear it, I wore the thing a good 1/2 of the days at least. It was probably closer to 2/3. I would have worn it more if I didn’t get shit about wearing it every day.

I have never liked another piece of clothing as much as that scrumptious merino wool hoody. It is extrememly comfortable. It fits well. The quality is superb (not unusual for Icebreaker). The hoody is tight, which is the way a hoody should be if you want it to actually keep you warm. The weave is tight, so it did a decent job of blocking wind. It is 100% merino wool, so the body temperature regulation is like no other fabric.

I balk at Icebreaker’s retail prices normally, and The Gear Revival has definitely not helped that viewpoint, but the Conquest Hoody is the one thing that I would wholeheartedly recommend to anyone at full retail price without a second thought.

I bet everyone has something like that. What’s yours?

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I have been taking whistles on trips with me for so long that I take for granted that not everyone does. A whistle weighs next to nothing and can be extremely useful in the wilderness in a normal situation, let alone in an emergency. It is nice to be a good way away from your friends on a hike and be able to give a short whistle blow to let them know you found something interesting.

Before you go on a hike, give everyone a whistle and have them attach it to a zipper pull or somewhere else where they are sure not to lose it and will always have it readily available. Work out a system of whistle blows with them, where 1 long blow means ‘come here,’ 1 short means ‘I’m over here,’ 3 short bursts means ‘emergency,’ etc. Keep it simple. You don’t need to invent the next Morse Code. The usefulness of a whistle is defeated if someone can’t remember what 3 long, 2 short, 1 long, 4 short means.
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