Gear Review: Tarptent Squall 2

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The Squall 2 is a non-free standing two person tent that utilizes one or two hiking poles to pitch.  The tent packs small and has a minimum foot print in your pack.  It has a great space to weight ratio, making it popular with ultralight backpackers.  Please note the photos don’t show the tent complete taut.  It was 95 degrees outside at 9:00 AM in the morning when I was pitching the tent in a few of the photos.

Fly Creek UL2, Tarptent Squall 2, Mountain Hardware Scout

Quick and Dirty
Gear Type: Tent
Material: Sil-Nylon
Trail weight: 34 oz
Price: $249
Link:  Tarptent Squall 2
Pros: Light, collapsing tub, uses four stakes to pitch, great wind stability, larger than comparable tents, very small pack weight
Cons: Condensation, misting during the rain, difficult to pitch in rocky or hard packed dirt Continue reading →

Trail Report: Mount Whitney

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The Quick and Dirty:
Location – Eastern Sierra Nevada, California
Distance – 10.7 miles one way to summit, 21.4 miles round trip (RT)
Terrain Type – Rocky, Sandy, Gravel, Switch Backs
Difficulty – Strenuous
Best Time – July-August after the snow melts
Special Conditions – Special permit required for backpacking and day hiking to Whitney summit.

Mount Whitney summit

Summit of Mount Whitney

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Guang Dong, China: Visiting a village frozen in time

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My Guang Dong posts will be a short, focused post exploring my ancestral home. Chinese is not my first language, and I may butcher some of the phonetic translations.

The Quick and Dirty:
Location – Guang Dong, China
Travel Duration: 15 days
Visa needed for US Citizens?: Yes
Vaccination needed for Americans: Routine vaccination and antibiotics
Language: Chinese – Cantonese necessary
Type of trip: Sight seeing, city/urban trekking and museums, family
Top reasons for visiting now: CHEAP and delicious food.

Hong Kong Harbor

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Three Peaks in Three Weeks – Trip Planning on a Tight Schedule

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We both have full time Monday through Friday (sometimes Saturday and Sunday) jobs and it is difficult to break away to do long outdoor adventures.  Over the course of three weeks, we climbed three separate peaks with a few of our friends and family, planning around our work schedules.

We compiled a list of time saving tips we keep in mind when planning multi-day backpacking trips and the best way to take advantage of your weekends if you are busy with your careers like we are.

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10 Things to Pack When Backpacking with a Dog

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Dakota is a great trail companion.  She stays by your side, she knows her boundaries, and she understands her place in the family.   Like us, she has her own special needs out on the trail, and it is important to make sure she is comfortable when we are hiking and backpacking.

It is important to note that everything we pack for Dakota is used.  No sense in bringing what she will not need.  Excess weight, like it is on our backs, will slow down a dog.  Dakota’s pack typically ranges from 10 lbs to 15 lbs depending on the hike.

Below is a list of things we bring with us on our trips (including a leash) with Dakota.

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