First Look – Hammock Gear Incubator 40 Underquilt

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Sintax77

Unboxing my new hammock underquilt, the Hammock Gear Incubator 40 Under Quilt.

This is just a quick look the latest addition to my hammock camping gear list. I plan to take this down under quilt on my next multi-day backpacking trip video, so look for more to follow!

Winter Hammock Camping in the Adirondacks

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Sintax77

Three days of Winter Hammock Camping and backpacking in the Adirondacks High Peaks Region.

GPS track data for the full trip was recorded using my new Garmin 650 gps unit, and can be found on the Trip Data page, for download in GPX format. (All photos in this post are geo-tagged as well)

Parking Location: At the end of Upperworks Road 44°05’20.6″N 74°03’22.7″W

The Upperworks Trailhead Parking Area

Trails Used in Order:

Day 1 (Hike In)

Begin at Upperworks Trailhead
Calamity Brook Trail
Cross frozen Lake Colden towards the Ranger Station
(If lake is not frozen, the Algonquin Peak Trail can be taken instead)
Take Avalanche Pass Trail to visit Avalanche Lake
Reverse course on Avalanche Pass Trail back towards Lake Colden
Camp near intersection of Ranger Station Spur Trail and Cold Brook Trail
Campsite coordinates N44 07.494 W73 58.912
Mileage Total: 9.16 miles

Elevation Profile for Day 1

Day 2 (Above Treeline Excursion)

Avalanche Pass Trail
Algonquin Trail via Lake Colden
Enjoy the views (or summit fog) and head back down towards campsite
Mileage Total: 4.16 miles

Elevation Profile for Day 2 (Ouch)

Day 3 (Hike Out)

Head out across frozen Lake Colden back towards car
Calamity Brook Trail
End back at Upperworks Trailhead
Mileage Total: 6.38 miles

Elevation Profile for Day 3

Returning to the Upperworks Parking area, via Calamity Brook Trail

Mileage & Elevation Profile for Full 3 Day Trip

For a look at my winter gear, check out my Winter Gear List Video. Notable changes: Hammock instead of Kelty Salida 2 Tent, MSR Rapidfire Stove instead of generic upright canister stove, and I picked up another pair of fleece lined hiking pants as an alternative to the backup sleeping pants I used to pack.

: The Upperworks Trailhead Parking Area

: Hiking in from the Upperworks Trailhead

: View of Calamity Pond

: Memorial marker for David Henderson at Calamity Pond

: One of several Lean-to’s in the Lake Colden area

: Heading across Lake Colden towards the MacIntyre Range

: View from atop the frozen Lake Colden (Mount Colden to the Left)

: Another view from atop the frozen Lake Colden (Mount Colden to the Left)

: View seen while standing on frozen Avalanche Lake.

: Trail Junction near Campsite that was chosen.

: Fog on the Algonquin Trail

: Ice flow along the upper portion of the Algonquin Trail

: Returning to the Upperworks Parking area, via Calamity Brook Trail

All video content, photos and music are original works by myself, Sintax77.

Renovo TRIO Water Filter – Sawyer Squeeze Killer?

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Sintax77

Taking a first look at the Renovo TRIO Water Filtration System. Has the Sawyer Squeeze / Mini met it’s match? Time to do some testing…

UPDATE: Following a large amount of comments and feedback on the YouTube video, I reached out to my contact, Bastian, at Renovo to share some of the feedback and questions that everyone was sharing. In response, he created a FAQ page to address the most frequent questions at http://www.renovowater.com/pages/faq

Specs and Water Filter Description as per Manufacturer:

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RAVPower 10,400mAh Power Bank – USB Battery Charger Review

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Sintax77

In this gear review video, we’ll check out the RAVPower 10,400mAh Element Series Power Bank, model RP-PB07.

Manufacturer’s Specs:

Capacity: 10400mAh
Output: 5V / 3A
Input: 5V / 1A
Weight: 8.04oz
Size: 4.4 x 2.76 x 0.83 inches

Comes with 2 Micro USB Connectors for compatibility with:

SmartPhones: Samsung / HTC / LG / Motorola / BlackBerry / Nokia / Google / Sony
Tablets & eReader: Google Nexus 7 / Nexus 10 –
Other cell phones, MP3 players, and digital cameras that use DC 5V input
iPad 4 3 2,iPad Mini, iPhone 5S 5C 5 4S 4,iPod (using original 8Pin / 30Pin Cable from Apple)

I’ve been using and testing this USB battery charger pack to keep my gear charged up in a variety of backpacking and hiking conditions, in in both warm, indoor conditions as well as several multi-day cold weather backpacking trips – a worst case scenario for those battery powered gadgets we love so much. So far It’s proven itself to be a reliable workhorse without breaking the bank!

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Backpacking Gear on a Budget – What to Prioritize?

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Sintax77

What backpacking gear list should you choose if you’re on a tight budget?

High Winds Hiking – Winter Camping in the White Mountains

Posted on March 19, 2014 by Sintax77

Join us for some Winter Camping and high winds Backpacking in the Pemigewasset Wilderness.

For this backpacking trip, we’ll be hiking the Pemigewasset Wilderness, within New Hampshire’s White Mountains National Forest. Our primary summits of choice will be the Twin Mountains – specifically, North Twin Mountain, and South Twin Mountain.
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