Fiona McIntosh profiles Africa’s Greatest Hiking Trails. The Malalotja Reserve in the north of Swaziland is a pristine wilderness where you can go for a short day hike or lose yourself for up to a week. Take a tent and…
Hiking
Drippy bladders
by tmangan • January 19, 2006 • 3 Comments
No cracks about bodily functions this time. I’m talking about water bladders for hiking/biking/canoeing, etc. I’ve been hiking about 18 months and have had to pitch two heavy-duty 100-ounce Nalgene bladders that became worthless after springing leaks. I bring this…
Go not so Lite
by tmangan • January 12, 2006 • 3 Comments
GoLite seems to have had a big role in popularizing lightweight backpacking. Its frameless packs weigh next to nothing (pound and a half, max), which is inviting to all those who sleep under tarps and trim their sleeping pads to…
Bare your naked sole
by tmangan • January 11, 2006 • 0 Comments
Here’s a whole site devoted to leaving your shoes behind.
Finding the cheap stuff
by tmangan • January 11, 2006 • 1 Comment
I’ve been tracking HikerDeals.com for the past couple weeks. I wanted to see if it was legit or some kind of automated spamblog. Seems to be on the level — the discounts are pretty good and the site commentary looks…
Mud, if you must
by tmangan • January 4, 2006 • 0 Comments
The sane thing to do about muddy trails is hike someplace else. I try to be normal but there are times when I’m repulsed by the easy, sane choice and beguiled by the difficult, ludicrous one. My mom is still…
Gear up for your next trek
by tmangan • December 30, 2005 • 1 Comment
Treknologies is a blog about nifty gadgets for outdoor travel. The author has an interesting post about MREs, those packaged meals made for the U.S. military. Each meal typically contains around 1,200 calories in a 13 to 18oz package. An…
Christmas giftage
by tmangan • December 29, 2005 • 0 Comments
While the bells are still jingling in my head, I might as well gloat over the hiking-related stuff I got for Christmas. Melissa gave me the National Audubon Society Field Guide to California. It’s got the most common flora/fauna you’ll…
Put some bounce in your hike
by tmangan • December 29, 2005 • 0 Comments
Next time out, try this high-tech pogo stick. Allegedly its users can get up to five feet of air on each bounce. I know, sounds like quadriplegia waiting to happen. Reviews at amazon.com and just for fun, somebody doing a…