Tweet As with many pieces of outdoor equipment, the average outdoor person would think something like a sleeping pad would be simple.  Place a sleeping bag on top, curl up for the night and off to the land of Sandman you go. But, as it seems with every piece of gear, what should be simple [...]

Tweet Ground cloths are an item used for backpacking and camping that is often not thought about too much.  You buy a tent, get some sort of plastic to go underneath it, and call it good.  But is a a ground cloth really needed? Are there more choices beyond the expensive ‘tent footprints’ sold at [...]

Tweet Every year, there seems to be a series of questions via e-mail and forums about hiking the Colorado high country  in May and into early-mid June. Many of these questions are specifically hiking the Colorado Trail in May or June.

Tweet About mid-April to mid-June or so, is an interesting time in Colorado. The high country is still full of snow and a bit too much for hiking.   The snow can be fun to ski, but turns slushy and concrete like by mid-day. The foothills beckon and it is invariably what calls to many of [...]

Tweet A look at my gear, that while accurate, is probably not the most serious.  My gear reflects simplicity, lightness and using whatever works. Some items are expensive (Feathered Friends bag, Montbell Windshirt), some are  at the other end of the spectrum (soda can stove, thrift store shirt). I don't look at ALL my gear; [...]