MSR Reactor Hanging Kit: Thoughts on stoves in tents
I recently bought the MSR Reactor Hanging Kit for my MSR Reactor Stove System and had an opportunity to test it out. At this point I guess I need to state that MSR recommends that you do not use their Reactor stove or the hanging kit inside the confines of a tent. For legal reasons I understand why they need to do this, it’s the same reason Q-tips needs to warn on their packaging “Do not insert in ear canal” which I’m pretty sure is the actual use of 90% of Q-tips. It is inherently dangerous and hazardous to operate a canister stove inside a tent. Not only could you melt the tent down around you, the stove is also pumping out carbon monoxide which could kill you. You are also making boiling water in an extremely cramped space, which, if knocked over, could severely scald bare skin. In saying all that, if you are smart, and can effectively mitigate those risks there are benefits to hanging a stove inside your tent. For myself I’d be interested in keeping my stove inside my tent when the weather is extremely bad outside, it’s the dead of winter and extremely cold, outside space is limited (camped on a ledge or ridge crest) or all of the above. The benefits of using the stove in this manner, in my opinion, are: Stove runs more efficiently due to less or no wind and by keeping the canister warmer. Less fuel is needed due to the previous benefit. Heat output by the stove is radiating into the tent raising the ambient temperature. Less body heat is being lost by having to operate the stove outside of the tent and outside of your sleeping bag. More appealing to hydrate. We tend to forget the human factor sometimes. I’ve made the bare minimum amount of water before because I wanted to spend more time in my sleeping bag and less time out in the cold. Making water, especially at higher elevations, can be a pain. Usually by the time you have to make water you are already exhausted and just want to lie down and rest. Being able to rest and have your water boiling makes it more appealing to hydrate more. The better hydrated you are the warmer you’ll be, the better you’ll sleep, the more energy you’ll have the next day… etc. If these benefits seem desirable then here is how I recommend mitigating the risks. Light the stove outside of the tent. Canister stoves can flare up when first ignited. You also don’t want to have a few misfires and fill your tent with gas which will combust when...
Twenty Three
Twenty Three seems to be of some significance to me of late. When I turned 23 years old a few very important things happened to me. I’d just got married and have never looked back, I got my Bachelors Degree and graduated. It was also when I first started to think about moving to Canada from Ireland at some point in the future. During my time at College I had access to a free Gym daily and would spend time working out and running on treadmills during my time between labwork and lectures. I weighed ~170lbs but a lot of that was muscle weight. When I left College, got a job and settled into married life I started to gain more weight. The problem was that I had increased my caloric intake over time because I had been building muscle mass. I suddenly stopped working out when I graduated as it was no longer free or convenient to go to a gym but my body was now used to the larger diet. I wouldn’t say I ballooned over night but over the course of 3 years I believe I gained over 110lbs. The last time I weighed myself I was ~270lbs and then I just stopped weighing myself for months but I know I got a fair bit heavier. I’m going to conservatively estimate I reached 280lbs but it was probably more. I want to be clear at this point that my weight didn’t bother me much, and I don’t look back now and think how awful it was that I let myself get that heavy. I believe that the body is a machine used to achieve the aspirations of the mind. If your aspirations don’t require you to have the body of a gorilla or a cheetah then you shouldn’t waste time trying to make it look and respond like that. It’s like buying a Ferrari just to drive to the Supermarket. My interests back then resided in mostly sedentary endeavors. I loved to consume visual media; Games, Movies, TV. My job was sedentary but I enjoyed it. I worked on and with computers, in my spare time I would build, “tweak” and “overclock” computers and then play PC games on them. We like to laud the thin, fast and strong and chastise the fat, slow and weak and this is unfair. A person should be viewed based on how happy they are, regardless of form or means, and back then I was happy. Then the Financial crisis in 2008 happened. It didn’t drastically affect me, but it soured the milk enough that living in Ireland lost its...
Marmot Quasar Down Jacket Review
Recently I was in the market for a new insulating layer to add to my current layering system. I have a heavy Down Jacket by TNF, which is great for Winter use, but through the Summer and shoulder seasons, or even in the Winter when stopping for only a few minutes for a break, it’s mostly overkill. So for a lighter alternative, I narrowed it down to two choices; The Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Down Jacket and the Marmot Quasar Down Jacket. Obviously, I went with the latter. Price point ultimately decided it, as, specifications wise, they are pretty similar. You can find the jacket on Amazon: Marmot Men’s Quasar Jacket, Black, Medium. If I’d gone with the Ghost Whisperer I would have been paying an extra $2.60 for every extra gram of weight saved. Not worth it in my opinion. Since getting the jacket it’s been with me on nearly every trip into the mountains. I commented on a few of the noteworthy features in the video above, below I’ll mention a few of the jackets pros and cons that I’ve noticed so far. Pros: Super light, very warm: It almost feels like wearing nothing and I was skeptical as to how warm this would actually keep me. But, the 900 fill down and windproof Pertex fabric works wonders. It’s very warm and insulates excellently. Color: This is subjective, but I love the almost metallic finish to the color. In the Backcountry I purposefully choose garments that will stand out against the natural colors of the environment. This serves two purposes; one, they stand out better in photographs, two, if I ever needed to be found by SAR I want my clothes to make it easier for them. Durable fabric: I was wary about the super thin fabric used but I haven’t had to baby it at all. I’ve stuffed it in my pack with hard objects like snow probes and shovels and it hasn’t damaged it. The fabric also seems resistant to letting the down bleed out. I’ve noticed no bleeding so far. Compact: I could literally ball it up and make it almost fit inside my closed hand. It’s light enough and small enough that there is very little reason for me to ever not have this jacket in my pack. Cons: Fit: It’s long on the torso. I can understand this as being a benefit in some situations but in most it means the hem works its way below the hem of my waterproof hard shell allowing it to get wet. I usually have to keep the hem draw cords pulled tight to stop this from happening....
MEC Light Degree Hoodie Review
Even when our late Fall hikes turned into a full blown wintry adventure at -12 degrees, it always felt like I was being caressed by warm air in my MEC Light Degree Hoodie. When we spent 30 minutes taking in the “above the clouds” views on Mt Frosty that November afternoon, I never felt the chill of the cold mountain air reach through my jacket. I even wore it for the trip back and found it very comfortable. I am looking forward to doing some proper mountaineering in this jacket and see how it holds up mobility wise. Here is a quick run through the pros and cons of this jacket. Why I like this jacket: It’s super lightweight and with an 800 fill count it’s very compressible. Very warm for the weight as it comes in at only 334g It has a nice snug fit, meaning it’s not boxy at all and fits well around the hips. But it is not too fitted so it does not ride up when moving around. I am someone with long arms wide shoulders and found the arm length perfect. With elasticized cuffs it prevents cold air rushing up the sleeves when you move around. The super deep internal pockets are going to come in very useful for gloves, skins etc. Color options are great. I went with Purple Rain and love the purple/green contrast. As someone who is a firm believer in bright colors in the backcountry I am glad they offer these color options. Good price point. At $195 I feel it is good value for money as some of the other brand name down sweaters come in at a much higher price tag. Why I don’t like this jacket: The hood is described as low profile and they weren’t kidding. With elasticized binding around the hood it comes to a very snug fit. I am not crazy about the way the hood makes you look. But it is warm. I have only worn it a couple times but find a few feathers bleeding each time I wear it. So not too happy with that. Have a look at it for yourself at: mec.ca...
Arc’teryx Alpha LT Jacket Review
“With my Mack and my Merry’s I’m ready to hike!” A silly phrase I coined 2 ½ years ago as I went on some of my first real hikes wearing what was, at the time, my hiking uniform; a North Face DWR Rain mack and a pair of Merrell Siren Song Mid Sport hikers (my “Merry’s”). You can see me sporting these very items in the picture above. The items have changed but the phrase still applies. I now own an Arc’teryx Alpha LT Goretex jacket (and a pair of La Sportiva Evo Nepal Mountaineering boots, but we will save those for another post) which has come to be one of my favorite pieces of gear. Weighing in under 12 ounces, it’s so lightweight that I pack it on every trip, summer or winter. Here are some of the features that I have come to appreciate since owning this jacket and using it in the mountains: - Provides full on weather protection. It keeps out moisture whether it’s rain or snow and works double duty as a windproof barrier for those, more often than not, windy summit days. I have used this jacket in conditions ranging from full on winter snow storm, summit camping, lashing rains of the NWP and dry blustery days. It’s the most essential piece of my layering system. -What’s with the location of the pockets? That’s what I first thought when I put it on, fresh off the hanger, in the warmth and comfort of my living room. But, get out on a glacier or on rock, put on a harness, backpack and all the other gak that goes along with this type of awesomeness, and you soon realize that the strategically placed reach-across pockets are the best thing that just happened to you. The easy access pockets make for great storage of your mobile phone, extra slings or any other items you need to keep handy but out of the way. - Helmet Compatible Hood. I can’t speak for everyone but unless you are feeling some serious frigid temperatures, I personally don’t like to wear a toque under my helmet as I tend to overheat pretty quickly and it’s a real hassle to have to take off your helmet and toque whenever you get too warm. Which is why I love this hood. It fits right over my climbing helmet with room to spare and cinches in at just the right spots for a nice snug fit (which by the way is great for when you’re not wearing your helmet as these adjustable cinch points on the hood keep it from blowing off...
