The EU finally launched its second Galileo test satellite. Why is this significant? Because the much-delayed project will eventually (currently by 2013) provide an alternative to the American GPS system. It is supposed to be more accurate, and complementary to GPS, which will mean more satellites to receive signals from.
I am a self-confessed outdoor gear addict. I believe in having few but high-quality pieces of gear. But because their are several seasons and sports to cover, that still means that I have many containers of it.
One of my favourite brands has to be Seattle-based Outdoor Research. They have always made a range of great accessories. But nowadays they don’t only make accessories, but also jackets, shelters and sleeping mats. My favourites:
Omni glove liners. Most importantly for me, I can operate my camera with them, and they are more water-resistant than other liners, They have a grip patern on the palms, which is made of a cool glow-in-the-dark material.
One of Outdoor Research’s best selling points: their unconditional lifelong guarantee. When my crocodile gaiters wore out after just twenty years, they replaced them with new ones, no questions asked. To me that’s worth spending a few extra dollars on!
GPS has come a long way since I first saw someone use a unit in 1992 on the crater rim of the Mt. Bromo volcano in Java, Indonesia. By 1995, we had a Garmin 45 while exploring a previously unvisited alpine valley near Koropun, New Guinea. At the time, the average error was still 30-100m, and the unit took a long time to lock onto 8 satellites simultaneously. But it worked, and showed us exactly how far we were from a friend’s house with cold beer.
I recently retired my trusted Garmin 12, which took me on an epic drive through the southeastern Gobi desert of Mongolia. It was a great unit, but lacked built-in maps. As a result I always knew where I was, but it was hard to pinpoint the location on a map. For the Gobi trip, I hooked up the unit to a laptop running scanned 1:100,000 Russian maps on OziExplorer. That worked very well, and allowed us to navigate through one of the most deserted parts of the Gobi without trouble (other than many flat tires!). The unit worked well, except in the forest. Not exactly a problem in the Gobi, but certainly an issue when trying to map hiking trails in the dense forests of Bhutan.
I now have a Garmin eTrex Vista HCx, which has mapping abilities. It allows you to upload any vector-based maps. The Garmin Mapsource 1:50,000 maps for Canada work well, but don’t have everything one wants on them. Bring in CGPSMapper, software that allows users to create their own Garmin maps from any vector-based data. It includes a map database, where users have uploaded their maps. Cool.
I find that even with a mapping GPS you need paper maps to get an overview, but you should have a map (and a compass!) with you anytime anyway in case the GPS dies on you.
One huge advantage of the new crop of GPSs is that they are much more sensitive, so they even pick up signals inside a house, or better yet, in the forest.
I don’t see detailed maps of Mongolia yet, though, so next time I drive through the Gobi (I’d love to visit the far southwest next time!), I’ll go the laptop route again. Still unbeatable compared to anything else out there.
Now that MEC has pulled all their polycarbonate bottles (including most of the famous Nalgene bottles, right) off the shelf, due to fears over health risks of these bottles, it is time to look for alternatives.But first, how do you know if your favourite bottle is polycarbonate? Just look on the bottom for a #7 recycling logo, often accompanied by PC.
It turns out that #7 types of plastic are the hardest to recycle. HDPE, which is used in the original Nalgene bottles (picture below), is a #2 type plastic, and much easier to recycle. Another good reason to not to buy bottles made from #7 plastics.
Alternatives to polycarbonate bottles
Sigg offers stainless steel bottles. Their latest line looks like the Swatch of waterbottles. Create your own favourite design.
(from Ben Miller, on Gravsports) :
1. Guyot Designs Stainless steal bottles. Classy, indestructable, and the only thing better to store liquids in than stainless steel is glass or titanium. [BluePeak: only problem is that they are about twice the weight of a plastic bottle… ]
2. Camelbak just came out with some new Bisephenol-A free bottles. [BluePeak: they are CamelBak Performance bottles, made of a #5 polypropylene]
From Marsha on Besthike:
Swellz offers an interesting alternative - based on the European wine bags. [BluePeak: Although by the looks of it, they’d be hard to clean.]
Guess it is time for an expedition to MEC or REI for some new containers!
According to an article in the Globe and Mail, MEC has supposedly just pulled all their polycarbonate bottles (including most of the famous Nalgene bottles) off the shelf, due to fears over health risks of these bottles. They are said to leak Bisphenol A into the contents.
But do also read this entry on the Besthike blog and especially the comments. This is a heated debate, with no clear answer either way. Will Gadd offers a good opinion as well. I agree with him: there are good alternatives, so no need to take too much of a risk with PC bottles.
How do you know if your favourite bottle is polycarbonate? See my next posting on alternatives to Nalgene bottles.
Along with the Alpaca rafts, The Trak Kayak also gets a spot in the category of cool outdoor gear. I grea up with foldable Klepper kayaks, but they took a while to set up, they had a lot of parts, and we punctured the boats many times on the rocls of Belgian rivers. Fast forward 30 years, and enter this very cool foldable kayak. Made of very durable material and only seven pieces, it sets up in 5-10 mins.
And what is extra cool is the hydraulic steering mechanism. You can hydraulically alter the shape of the boat to change direction, or paddle in a sidewind. Now, how cool is that? The $5000 pricetag is a bit of a problem, though…
There is lots of great outdoor gear out there, but every so often a really cool new toy comes along. Alpaca rafts qualify for the “real cool” label. They are small, ultralight inflatable rafts. Why are they cool? Because they allow you to hike through remote areas, and cross large rivers along the way in style. Especially in the north this is pretty useful. Check out the kinds of trips people dream up with these.
Until now, Patagonia has been the leader in environmental conciousness in the world of outdoor gear. That is about to change, if the folks over at Nau have their way. This new Portland, Ore based company is making outdoor clothes out of recycled pop bottles and corn-based fibers. To top it off, they plan to donate 5% of their profits to charities (Patagonia currently donates 1%). The company still faces a lot of challenges, but they just may pull it off. At least their clothes look pretty cool. They plan to open a slew of stores in the coming years. No word about expansion into Canada as of yet, though.
Read the Outside arcticle and reviews.
