To make it short, Andrew Skurka is embarking on the Alaska-Yukon Expedition, a seven month, 4,500+ mile expedition around Alaska and the Yukon. And he's leaving in four weeks.
Please join the conversation about his gear: BPL Gear Discussion. As of this post, the forum is seriously considering Skurka's initial shelter choice, a MLD 2010 Alpine bivy. My comments are posted.
Also, given Roman Dial's response to use a 'mid throughout the whole thing, I'd like to posit this question for later discussion here and eventually on BPL: is a pyramid-style shelter, in some form or another, the be-all and end-all of shelters?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Problems with Montbell website, explained
Montbell locked down their US website on Jan. 29, 2010 because of, as they call it, fraudulent access to their Japanese site. (There has also been criticism of Montbell's response: the company posted an explanation in Japanese on their US site (discussion at BPL).) However, Montbell recently updated their US website with an explanation in English. Montbell is sending the same posted explanation to inquiring customers.
I'll let the explanation speak for itself.
I'll let the explanation speak for itself.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
New toy: Black Diamond BetaLight pyramid shelter
My BD Beta Light came in the mail today. It is, as my seller described it, a circus tent. The blue and gray alternating panels don't help that effect. The 30d silnylon is a lighter hand then the 70d SilLite GoLite uses in its pre-2010 Shangri-La shelters Poncho/Tarp, too). The total weight is 20.11 oz, with a stuff sack that is 0.46 oz (I removed some elastic straps and swapped out the cord for some Kelty Triptease). [edit: GoLite is now using 15d silnylon in their 2010 Shangri-La shelters and Poncho/Tarp]
I'm going to MYOG the corner anchors a little bit. At current, there is a short webbing loop on the corners and a longer cord wrapped around that. Although this creates a long anchor, it cannot be tightened once the deadman anchors are in the ground (or snow).
I plan to remove the longer cord and cut one half of the webbing loop. I'll then attach a ladder-lock buckle, and re-sew the webbing loop back on. Finally, I'll create a webbing loop that goes through the ladder lock. The purpose is to be able tighten the strap to tension the anchor, giving the tent better stability. This set-up is what GoLite uses on their Shangri-La shelters, and it is effective for a tight pitch.
The BetaLight has an elongated hexagonal floor plan that is interrupted only by its central pole supports. I have used a similar floor plan in winter camp in some mid-90's Marmot Haven mountaineering tents. The tents had a similar floor plan (wider, al beit), but because it's elongated hexagonal floor plan, it was a real three-person tent - and a palace for two. Contrast that with, say, a pure hexagonal shape, and you have a three-person shelter that only sleeps two. In practice, it is really a long rectangle with short and wide triangles on the sides.
The first run with the shelter is going to be in two weeks at scout camp. After that, it's going with me north to where ever my backpack takes me.
I'm going to MYOG the corner anchors a little bit. At current, there is a short webbing loop on the corners and a longer cord wrapped around that. Although this creates a long anchor, it cannot be tightened once the deadman anchors are in the ground (or snow).
I plan to remove the longer cord and cut one half of the webbing loop. I'll then attach a ladder-lock buckle, and re-sew the webbing loop back on. Finally, I'll create a webbing loop that goes through the ladder lock. The purpose is to be able tighten the strap to tension the anchor, giving the tent better stability. This set-up is what GoLite uses on their Shangri-La shelters, and it is effective for a tight pitch.
The BetaLight has an elongated hexagonal floor plan that is interrupted only by its central pole supports. I have used a similar floor plan in winter camp in some mid-90's Marmot Haven mountaineering tents. The tents had a similar floor plan (wider, al beit), but because it's elongated hexagonal floor plan, it was a real three-person tent - and a palace for two. Contrast that with, say, a pure hexagonal shape, and you have a three-person shelter that only sleeps two. In practice, it is really a long rectangle with short and wide triangles on the sides.
The first run with the shelter is going to be in two weeks at scout camp. After that, it's going with me north to where ever my backpack takes me.
Monday, February 8, 2010
I. Will. Go. Snowshoeing. this. Winter.
I haven't been able to get out on a non-scouting trip since October (gasp!). So I've carefully planned a trip to northern Minnesota the last weekend in February.
On my sidebar at right is my current winter gear list. Critique away. Most of the stuff has been used in some capacity or another for the past two or three seasons.
The major new addition is the BD Beta Light, which will be coming in the mail from a BPL guest. I have been drooling over pyramid shelters ever since Ron Bell came out with his Duomid, which when made of silnylon and combined with the mated net tent just might be the lightest, most versatile shelter out there.
I also was pretty convinced after Sam and I stayed in a GoLite Shangri-La 2 in Montana. It had plenty of room for two, cook space if necessary, and set up reasonable quickly. The only issue (this is not confined to mids, by the way) is set-up time for the stakes in the snow. Because the shelter is not free-standing, the stakes are necessary for the shelter to be supported. In Montana, we set the stakes in and the poles out and went and cooked dinner. By the time we got back, the stakes/deadmans were set up and the shelter was solid.
On my sidebar at right is my current winter gear list. Critique away. Most of the stuff has been used in some capacity or another for the past two or three seasons.
The major new addition is the BD Beta Light, which will be coming in the mail from a BPL guest. I have been drooling over pyramid shelters ever since Ron Bell came out with his Duomid, which when made of silnylon and combined with the mated net tent just might be the lightest, most versatile shelter out there.
I also was pretty convinced after Sam and I stayed in a GoLite Shangri-La 2 in Montana. It had plenty of room for two, cook space if necessary, and set up reasonable quickly. The only issue (this is not confined to mids, by the way) is set-up time for the stakes in the snow. Because the shelter is not free-standing, the stakes are necessary for the shelter to be supported. In Montana, we set the stakes in and the poles out and went and cooked dinner. By the time we got back, the stakes/deadmans were set up and the shelter was solid.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Stats from running everday
Today is February 1, and I ran every day last month. Here's the statistical breakdown:
Distance: 129.91 (miles)
Time: 17:55:54 (hr:min:sec)
Average pace ~ 8:17 (min:sec)
Average daily distance: 4.19 (miles)
The distance, average pace and average daily distances are up for debate. One of my routes Mapquest calculates at 3.45 miles whereas Google has the same route at about 2.9 miles. I need to check it on my car to get another figure (assuming that's accurate, too). Since the Mapquest stat was the distance I entered in to LogYourRun.com, I'm going to keep it that way.
These stats do include a fair bit of days where I minimally ran just to say that I ran that day. These runs were rarely longer than 20 minutes, but they were refreshing nonetheless.
Looking forward, I have begun my last semester in academia and am just now adjusting to the schedule. This initially complicates running until I get into a routine. Tonight, I have a long run planned, for example. Normally, I hit those up on weekends were I can do back-to-back longer runs. But alas.
I do not (and will not) put in place a formal training goal for mileage, distance or other statistical number. I have thought about kicking around big round numbers like 1,000, 1,200, 1,500, 2,010, etc., or a percentage increase from my last year's running (Running 954.1 miles in 5:14:19:33 at an average pace of 8:30 min/mile). Whatever that percentage is, I haven't come across that number yet. All I will do is run every day. And that includes my wedding day.
That said, extrapolated out I will run 1,558 miles this year if I stay at my January mileage. However, as the winter months come to a close I will run more and longer and race more (ultramarathons are really good at boosting yearly mileage). Hence, I don't think 2,000 miles is entirely out of the question. Or more.
Distance: 129.91 (miles)
Time: 17:55:54 (hr:min:sec)
Average pace ~ 8:17 (min:sec)
Average daily distance: 4.19 (miles)
The distance, average pace and average daily distances are up for debate. One of my routes Mapquest calculates at 3.45 miles whereas Google has the same route at about 2.9 miles. I need to check it on my car to get another figure (assuming that's accurate, too). Since the Mapquest stat was the distance I entered in to LogYourRun.com, I'm going to keep it that way.
These stats do include a fair bit of days where I minimally ran just to say that I ran that day. These runs were rarely longer than 20 minutes, but they were refreshing nonetheless.
Looking forward, I have begun my last semester in academia and am just now adjusting to the schedule. This initially complicates running until I get into a routine. Tonight, I have a long run planned, for example. Normally, I hit those up on weekends were I can do back-to-back longer runs. But alas.
I do not (and will not) put in place a formal training goal for mileage, distance or other statistical number. I have thought about kicking around big round numbers like 1,000, 1,200, 1,500, 2,010, etc., or a percentage increase from my last year's running (Running 954.1 miles in 5:14:19:33 at an average pace of 8:30 min/mile). Whatever that percentage is, I haven't come across that number yet. All I will do is run every day. And that includes my wedding day.
That said, extrapolated out I will run 1,558 miles this year if I stay at my January mileage. However, as the winter months come to a close I will run more and longer and race more (ultramarathons are really good at boosting yearly mileage). Hence, I don't think 2,000 miles is entirely out of the question. Or more.
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