From an article praising that miracle silver stuff: That’s the weird thing about duct tape — it might fix things too well. The tape is often tougher than what is being patched together, and I’ve seen that happen with tents,…
Gear
Recycle your old shoes
by tmangan • June 6, 2006 • 0 Comments
It works like this: This summer Chaco and Backcountry.com are making it easier to kick it in style. No, they aren’t negotiating for Chaco Friday’s at the office – you’re on your own for that. What Chaco has come up…
Mind over mesh
by tmangan • June 2, 2006 • 1 Comment
A few weeks back I mentioned buying some new trail shoes. They’re a mostly mesh design from Salomon (XA Pro 3D is the model). If you’re on the fence about mesh-intensive shoes, here are some things to think about: Your…
A look at the Miox water purifier
by tmangan • May 29, 2006 • 1 Comment
National Parks Traveler on that battery-powered Miox gadget: The beauty of this pen-shaped unit is that it’s so lightweight you won’t know your carrying its 3.5 ounces. The downfalls? Well, for starters it doesn’t filter your water, so if you’re…
Solar battery chargers: anybody use them?
by tmangan • May 23, 2006 • 3 Comments
I happened across this post on a UK blog about a folding-panel solar recharging kit and it made me wonder if anybody actually uses such a thing on the trail. It sounds like one of those “great ideas” that people…
Daddy’s got some new brand new shoes
by tmangan • May 11, 2006 • 0 Comments
I’m breaking in a new pair of the Salomon XA Pro 3D trail runners I picked up over the weekend. My feet don’t really enjoy hiking in running shoes, whether they’re made for the trail or not. They simply adore…
Rugged digicams
by tmangan • May 9, 2006 • 3 Comments
Gear Guy suggests a few that might survive a mild beating. My el-cheapo Canon A510 is tougher than I figured it’d be: I dropped it on a rock in a dry riverbed a few weeks back and it’s still shooting…
Does a tent need a footprint?
by tmangan • May 8, 2006 • 2 Comments
Since I dumped on Outside Magazine’s Gear Guy last week, I may as well make up for it in response to a consumer-friendly response to a reader who wonders if there’s really any need to buy one of those special…
Back from the wilds
by tmangan • April 14, 2006 • 0 Comments
One of the first blogs I ever linked from here is called The Great Out of Doors, and its proprietor promptly stopped posting a couple weeks later. After a six-month break, a fesh post appears at the blog — an…