Digging into Camping and Backpacking Meals

We’ve recently added some new utensils to our lineup of backpacking gear:

The Vargo titanium spork incorporates a handy wiregate clip at the end that allows it to hood onto pack webbing or attach to other cookware:

The Vargo stainless steel ‘Scork’ is a unique spork design that includes a can opener in the end of the handle, handy for those of you who insist on carrying a tin of beans into the backcountry.

The Brunton My-Ti titanium folding spork has a folding wireframe handle that locks in place, making it much more compact than straight-handle implements:

For those of you who cast a doubtful eye on sporks, there’s a more traditional My-Ti Fork and Spoon Set as well:

How Nielsen-Kellerman Gives Back

 

Here at Sheepleg we want to do all we can to encourage good environmental stewardship wherever we can in the conduct of our business, so occasionally, we like to highlight a partner that’s taking a positive lead in the right direction. On our product pages, companies that Give Back have a Give Back logo that links to a detailed description of what that company does to Give Back.

Nielsen-Kellerman is a company that produces outdoor electronic instruments such as the Kestrel 1000 Pocket Wind-meter, a meter crucial for hang-glider and light aircraft enthusiasts, climbers, and expedition teams around the world. The company has a commendable approach dedicated to reducing its environmental impact by triple insulating its facility, using high efficiency T5 lighting (which can reduce lighting energy consumption by 65%), and a policy of powering down equipment and lighting not in use.  Nielsen-Kellerman encourages the return of damaged or discarded products for recycling and reuse of durable components with a customer care discount. Nielsen-Kellerman uses a paperless office software system, minimizes use of printed sales materials, and encourages employee use of public transportation with financial rewards, and has 20% employee participation in their carpooling program. In the future, Nielsen-Kellerman has plans to install solar roof-panels to generate half of the factory’s power needs.

Thanks Nielsen-Kellerman, for being environmentally proactive and Giving Back.

Photon Microlights for a Light and Bright Outing

 

In a world where it’s possible to find $70 police flashlights that put out 120 lumens or more and require batteries that cost $5 a set, it’s good to know that one of the most practical lights for campsite use is lightweight, compact, and very affordable. If you’re not trying to blind perpetrators, but just need to find the snickers in your bear bag, an efficient, low power, bright enough light like the Photon is perfect. The Photon series of Microlights from LRI are made in the USA, and offer a remarkable set of features for such diminutive lights. With an included split ring, they easily attach to your keys, a neck chain or necklace, a beltloop or webbing strap. The basic Microlight I is the simplest of the trio, with a simple squeeze to light button; if you want the light to be on, you squeeze the button. Next up is the Microlight II, which adds an on-off switch in addition to the momentary squeeze button, allowing for hands-free use. The top of the line is the Photon Freedom Microlight, which has the on-off switch, momentary squeeze switch, adjustable intensity, and also comes with an alligator clip and a ball-socket mount that can clip to a hat brim, pocket, or pack strap, allowing for complete hands-free use. I personally wear mine on a dog tag chain and find that just clicking the light on and hanging down on my chest, it provides enough area light for typical campsite use, and because of this I no longer carry a headlamp for trips that don’t require night hiking.

Hammock Camping: Hennessy Hammocks

 

Having what I consider my dialed-in lightweight backpacking system, I have to admit I’ve always been plagued with the curiosity about hammock camping. Realistically, it’s not the lightest weight solution, when compared to something as light as a silnylon or cuben fiber tarp and a down sleeping bag. But it does offer some very real benefits over sleeping on the ground.

First, you’re not sleeping on the ground. Depending on the terrain and weather, the ground can be uneven, muddy, rocky, and otherwise unforgiving; a hammock, provided you have a couple of trees to hang one from, allows you to transcend that problem by elevating your sleeping accommodations above any terrain.

Second, a hammock allows you to sleep with your sore tootsies elevated, which can be a boon to overworked feet needing some recovery time.  But don’t think you have to sleep curled up like a banana, either. By laying slightly diagonally in a hammock, you can actually lay fairly flat and get a great night’s sleep.

Third, it’s a great way to practice Leave No Trace camping, since you don’t have to disturb the ground to pitch a tent or a tarp.

Fourth, it’s a great way to get above all the critters and creepy crawlies that like to explore your ground tarp. I love nature, but if I can cut down on spiders in the mouth, that’s always a good thing to me.

This summer and fall I will be experimenting with a Hennessy Hammock and sharing my experiences with using it on the trail. The Hennessy Hammock is fully enclosed in mosquito netting on the top and includes a unique bottom entry system that seals with velcro automagically when you boost yourself up through the opening. A tarp suspended over the hammock keeps the rain out.

At Sheepleg, we carry two versions of the Hammock, the Expedition, and the Explorer Deluxe. The Expedition is for those under 6 feet tall, less than 250lbs, and the Explorer Deluxe is for those over 6 feet tall and supports 300lbs.

Making the most of your Outdoor Gear Budget

 

You might think you'd never hear this from a business selling outdoor gear, but let's face it, getting together a complete backpacking kit can be a considerable investment, so let's consider how to best go about making decisions for gear. One thing I found difficult when putting together my gear was the tendency to concentrate on the super cool accessories at the expense of more vital gear. A common example? Getting several iterations of titanium spoon while not yet having a sleeping bag that doesn't have a Disney character on the front. What's the main problem with having this approach, after all, can't you just get gear over time, as you can afford it? Certainly, but consider the fact that while you can carry a regular tea spoon, you're not quite as likely to get into the outdoors with your futon mattress. Try to place a priority on your essential gear, like your pack, shelter, and sleeping bag, and that will allow you to spend more time outdoors, then you can concentrate on getting the creature comforts just right after you get more experience and learn what your actual needs are.

More Water Filters at Sheepleg

 

A while back, we talked about the excellent light-weight, compact Frontier Pro water filter that attaches directly to bottles and hydration tubes.  It’s perfect for the solo hiker or backpacker, but continuing along a theme we’ve been spending some time considering gear that serves a couple or small family that’s out in the backcountry, and for many couples or small groups, other alternative water filter and purification methods may be more appropriate. We’ve recently added the Katadyn Hiker Pro pump filter, the Katadyn Pocket Microfilter, the SteriPEN Adventurer, and the FirstNeed XL water purifier to our store to provide a spectrum of options to suit your particular needs.

The Katadyn Hiker Pro is a venerable solution, a simple and effective pump filter that is fairly lightweight and attaches easily to most hydration packs and 1/4” diameter drinking water bottles.

The Katadyn Pocket Microfilter is definitely the Cadillac option among waterfilters, being of rugged construction and with a silver-impregnated ceramic filter element that lasts up 13,000 gallons and a lifetime warranty, will likely be the only water filter you ever have to buy.

The SteriPEN Adventurer is a novel UV water purification device that destroys bacteria and viruses with UV light rather than filtering them out. With this incredibly light weight system (under 4oz), you draw mostly clear water into your cup or bottle (use a prefilter or strain through a bandana, submerge the activated SteriPEN, and the device will make safe for drinking 16 ounces of water in just 48 seconds. The Steripen Adventurer Solar adds rechargeable batteries and a solar charger.

The First Need XL is the only filter to have a .1 micron filter medium, making it small enough to filter out the relatively rare smaller viruses that most .2 micron filters can let through, so if you are very paranoid about your drinking water, the First Need XL will be your best friend in the backcountry.

The Trangia Alcohol Stove: My Trusty Old Friend

 

We’ve recently added the venerable Trangia alcohol stoves to Sheepleg and I have to admit my heart skipped a beat seeing my old friend again. For those of you who remember geeking out to games of Zork, the Trangia stove belongs right there with your trusty lantern and your glowing, grue-killing sword. Indiana Jones would go back into the Temple of Doom if he’d accidentally left it behind warming up some noodles.  It’s the simplest, most reliable, tough as nails piece of backpacking gear ever.  It’s a brass can with a screw-top lid with a rubber o-ring to seal in the alcohol goodness. The inside rim has tiny jet holes for the burner flame to shoot from. There’s absolutely no moving parts to fail.

To use a trangia stove, you place the burner can inside the windscreen/pot support and pour methyl alcohol (Denatured alcohol, YELLOW bottle HEET, or Everclear are the best) inside and light, the stove does the rest, automagically. First you’ll see a faint blue flame (be careful during the day, you won’t see a flame in sunlight) emit from the big hole in the center, and then, once the pressure is sufficient, the flame will come through the burner jets in a ring of water-boiling, noodle-cooking goodness. The Trangia comes with a simmer ring with an adjustable cover plate that allows you to bring the burner down to a simmer for gourmet cooking or snuff the flame completely when you’re done cooking. One thing that it has over ever other alcohol stove on the market is the leak-proof screw cap: you don’t have to deal with unburned alcohol left in the stove, just put the cap on and save it for later. If you’re planning a solo weekend or overnighter, just fill up the stove and you’ll likely have enough fuel for your water-boiling and cooking needs, no need to carry extra fuel.

The best thing about Trangia burners is they are tough and durable enough to be the only stove you need for life; the other is, since you’re only burning alcohol (not fossil-fuels) and not using disposable butane fuel canisters, it’s one of the best environmentally friendly choices you can make as a backpacker or outdoors enthusiast. The Trangia stove is available in several packages, including the relatively light mini-trangia set that comes with a windscreen/pot support, a pot, a pot handler, and a lid that doubles as a nonstick frying pan. The burner is available alone as a part replacement, but keep in mind that the burner can’t be used without a pot support. If you want to make a friend for life, check out the Trangia on Sheepleg.