Your Gear in Action. Field Pics and Reviews Only.

[the_alias]

Snowpeak TI pot being used to heat my homemade leek and potato soup.
Considering this thing weighs less than my stainless steel cup it is a winner - saving up for it was worthwhile, I think it is pretty great! And in 14 degree weather a warm meal on the go is always welcome!

[xxxDarksidexxx]

here is my 4 ltr MSR dromedary bag with optional hose attachemnt, and it works great. the bag appears to have rock solid construction. it also has cord around the outside of the bag which allows you to hang it from a tree/whatever in basecamp. i use a nylon strap and hang it in my pack from two rings that are attached inside where the radio pouch was attached. the hose/bite valve works great too, and as far as i can tell there was no leaks from any of the connection points. the bite valve did drip a few times, but the valve itself is actually an on/off valve. by twisting the bite valve you actually can "turn off" the valve. i imagine that this feature will come in handy as the bite valve starts to wear and tear as it may want to leak a bit over time. by turning "off" the valve any major leaks should be prevented.

i only have a couple complaints, and that is that my water had a "plastic" taste to it.... this doesnt bother me so much though.

there is only one thing that really bothers me about the bag, and that is, that im not able to guage how much water is in there. this can be a pain in the ass, as if i need/want to purify water in the bag as i have no way of knowing how many tablets/drops to add since i dont really know how many liters i have. i guess the only way to purify in the bag ( if needed ) is to empty any purified water from the dromedary into bottles/bags, or drink whats left. then you could filter water into a bottle/bag and fill the dromedary one liter at a time. now you would have a known amount in the bag that would then allow you to add the correct amount of tabs/drops per liter...that kinda sucks ass.

BUT, its still 4 ltrs of water storage awesomeness! and it looks sexy as hell! i may work on how it hangs it in the pack with the use of some small carabiners or something.

[wyominglostandfound]

cordura 5 man with sidewalls and sodflaps (inside)

[IsotopeGear]

I'm usually a tent camper but I wanted to try out the new ACU improved sleep system that is more available these days on the civilian market. This is the ACU Modular Sleep System from Tennier Industries http://www.tennierindustries.com/rfi-mss.html This is the 5 piece system (2 of the pieces are stuff bags).



I am 6'3" 190 and these bags fit me great with plenty of room still to move in. The Wiggy's FTRSS bags I have, have a little less room to move around in, but I did not get their "wide" version which may make a difference. It was 14 deg F and dry here in lovely ice and snow covered Ohio after yet another Snowpocalypse in the Midwest. I used an old thermarest basecamp 20" inflating mattress inside the bivy along with the the 2 nesting bags (patrol and intermediate). The whole system is supposed to be rated down to -50F per Tennier when used with base layers. Used a thermarest compressible pillow and I wore a beanie on head and socks on feet and long underwear. I have to say I was quite warm. My feet were toasty all night and I had no real cold spots. There was a bit of frost/condensation in the head part of the bivy in the morning, but that is to be expected. All in all, this is a great system. It is heavy (I believe 11lbs) and doesn't pack down super small even with the compression sack tightened, but I really like it.

I got this set off ebay brand new for $180.

[wyominglostandfound]

thanks for the kind comments and i thought you might enjoy looking at the first and only dyneema ripstop tent ever built. (to the best of my knowledge and internet research)

[riverjoe47]

Now that's a tent . Thats a butte... no beaut .

Get it , thats a butte in the background but that tents a beaut .

Well like my wife says Im glad your so entertained by yourself Joe .

If thats ripstop what material does the Cordura use do you spose and how does it compare in weight to ripstop . and where do you buy ripstop in quantity?

Here is my project . A forester tent . Wish I had some ripstop .

[koolaidND]

The power went out for the majority of the afternoon today. It was supper time so I decided to try out my new stove. I bought this stove for bug in use and I think it will do fine.

MSR Stowaway 1.6 liter pot, Coleman Micro stove and fuel canister.

[wyominglostandfound]

i needed a better way to carry my binos for horn hunting season (coming up quickly) and nothing i liked was on the market so i came up with this solution. waterproof zipper and padded interior. small front pocket for keys etc. clips onto my shoulder straps with small carabiner clips.

[aa1pr]

Pulk in action

Winter cooking

Winter hammock Camping

[GearSpec]

love my MSR dromedary bag seems pretty bombproof but i'm still testing that concept

re: plastic taste just run water through it for awhile at the house or what not

here is my 4 ltr MSR dromedary bag with optional hose attachemnt, and it works great. the bag appears to have rock solid construction. it also has cord around the outside of the bag which allows you to hang it from a tree/whatever in basecamp. i use a nylon strap and hang it in my pack from two rings that are attached inside where the radio pouch was attached. the hose/bite valve works great too, and as far as i can tell there was no leaks from any of the connection points. the bite valve did drip a few times, but the valve itself is actually an on/off valve. by twisting the bite valve you actually can "turn off" the valve. i imagine that this feature will come in handy as the bite valve starts to wear and tear as it may want to leak a bit over time. by turning "off" the valve any major leaks should be prevented.

i only have a couple complaints, and that is that my water had a "plastic" taste to it.... this doesnt bother me so much though.

there is only one thing that really bothers me about the bag, and that is, that im not able to guage how much water is in there. this can be a pain in the ass, as if i need/want to purify water in the bag as i have no way of knowing how many tablets/drops to add since i dont really know how many liters i have. i guess the only way to purify in the bag ( if needed ) is to empty any purified water from the dromedary into bottles/bags, or drink whats left. then you could filter water into a bottle/bag and fill the dromedary one liter at a time. now you would have a known amount in the bag that would then allow you to add the correct amount of tabs/drops per liter...that kinda sucks ass.

BUT, its still 4 ltrs of water storage awesomeness! and it looks sexy as hell! i may work on how it hangs it in the pack with the use of some small carabiners or something.

[Blackdog]

Reindeer hide is a real nice piece of gear to use as ground insulation and has a long history of use in the artic. Here one is stuffed into a bivy and used in conjuction with a Wiggy's ground mat.

[madwolf]

I'm here to extoll the virtues of my new Hennessy Hammock.

A few months ago I bought the Explorer Deluxe hammock from Hennessy which is designed to hold a 7' 300lb man and I got all the toys with it including the Super Shelter insulation kit and Snake Skins packing system. There are two Explorer models, the normal one is rated at 250lbs and the Deluxe is rated at 300, both fit a 7 foot man. I myself am 6'3" and laid in it with my arms fully outstretched over my head and never touched either the foot or head end of the hammock, so, their height rating is rather understated.

A bit about me: I've hunted, hiked and camped in almost every corner of this country at one time or another from the frozen north to the sunken swamps to the burning deserts and have done so in everything from a trenchcoat to a full canopy canvas tent complete with furniture (SCA anyone? If you can really call that camping ) and I've done so in every season in just about every weather condition. I've torture tested quite a few pieces of gear and learned a long time ago that there really isn't much new under the sun (or so I thought!!!!)

Then I bought my Hennessy Hammock!

Best nights sleep I've had in the wild yet, and the best part? As long as you can find two objects to sling it between you have a comfy, warm and dry place to sleep!

No trees? Back your truck up to a light pole and you're set.

Here's my Hammock with the over tarp rolled up in the Snake Skins showing the added Super Shelter insulation package:

The dark hole is the fresh air inlet. Does a really good job of keeping you in fresh breathing air, letting moisture out but retaining the maximum amount of heat. I had no condensation in my hammock after a good nights sleep.

The part wrapping around the bottom is the undercover of the insulation system, inside that is this:

You can see between the undercover and the bottom of the tarp is a nice foam insulating pad. This keeps your back and your butt from getting cold while you lay in the hammock. For more extreme temperatures the manufacturer recommends adding a thermal space blanket, the kind you get for a buck at the Army surplus, on top of the foam pad to reflect more body heat back to you.

I have not tried that yet since I didn't have any opportunity for a last winter camping trip once I got the hammock

I did however use it this past weekend on the North Country Scenic Trail as it passes through the Allegheney National Forest which is where these pics are taken. At night it reached 38 degrees and the only thing between me and the outside was this hammock, my MSS intermediate bag and a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and I was perfectly comfy, didn't even zip up the sleeping bag! I could feel the cold air come in through the vent hole as I breathed, but not enough to even drop the temperature inside the hammock.

If you're not familiar with them, the hammock is designed so that you lay flat inside of it, instead of on a huge curve like in a normal hammock. It's designed so that when you have the tension on the line correct, and the hammock fairly level (more on how to easily do that in a second) you lay diagonally across the center line of the hammock and you end up laying so flat that you can comfortably roll over on your side and sleep that way if you prefer. Although, rolling in a hammock is a special skill apparently

Here's a great tip I got from a guy who traveled the world in his Hennessy:

Buy a pair of good quality climbing carabiners and four descending rings, one 'biner and two rings per sling (the hammock comes with the nice tree slings). Wrap your sling around the tree, secure with your 'biner, add the two rings and wrap your line through both rings once, then split the rings and pass the line through only one ring. You can now adjust the tension of your line by just pulling the loose end of the line and it will hold when you let it go. Once you have the tension you like on both sides, simply pass the line around both rings again, then through the loop in the line and you are secure from any slippage during the night All for about an additional $12.

Also, as an added bonus the Hennessy comes in natural, unobtrusive colors. I like to keep my camping and hiking gear low key, like my pack:


Not because I'm paranoid or feel any need to hide, but, I also don't like attracting unwanted attention. I hike and camp in the back country to get away from people, not attract them. Also, I really hate it when I come across a nice view in the wild, go to take a picture and it's dotted with sceaming blue, burning yellow and eye melting orange tents and shit everywhere, I really hate that. Also, as a bonus, if you ever really do need to make a low-key bugout, more natural colored gear helps

Also, I'd like to wrap up by saying that of all the pieces of gear I've every owned or borrowed, the Hennessy Hammock is by far the best designed and most well thought out. They guy who came up with this is one smart muthafucka.

Thanks for reading and I hope I didn't bore you too long.

[wyominglostandfound]

modular load hauler on external frame. harness is custom and fully adjustable for torso and the hip belt is a modified mil. surplus. all this was an improv. build that took about 3 hrs. with existing bits and pieces i had laying around. fit like a glove with no sore/ hot spots or load shifting.



http://www.wyominglostandfound.com

[teotwaki]

I generally have a bare minimum BOB pack in the truck but if I really had to head out I'd build up a load in the same manner as a winter expedition. So the only pictures I have are ones that someone else snapped. Here is one from a 3 week Alaskan trip with a fully loaded pack and sled. I had tons of weight but no firearms....


One key thing with hauling a sled is attaching the lines to the waist harness of the pack. Some folks make the mistake of attaching the lines higher on the back of the pack which causes a lot of tugging on the shoulder straps. Another thing that we used was a turnbuckle to keep the haul lines from tangling if the sled flipped over. Some sled systems (pulk style) use more rigid frames/harness to transfer the load to the hauler. Thsoe are well suited fro level terrain and using cross country skis and the rigid harness keeps the sled from ramming you from behind on a downhill.

Here is someone's video and note the crossed harness poles. That allows for better tracking in turns.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyD54nJe09o

design discussion and video
http://drpulk.blogspot.com/

[wyominglostandfound]

30 d. urethane ripstop 5 man multicam Tipi





http://www.wyominglostandfound.com

[04.5]

30 d. urethane ripstop 5 man multicam Tipi





http://www.wyominglostandfound.com

Do you have any pics with people inside for size reference? Did not see any on your website. Wanting to get one in the fall but can't decide on size. And how much. Thanks.

[Woods Walker]

Just a reminder as to the rules of this thread..

If you would like to comment on someone else's gear please start a new thread or send the poster a private message. Please keep discussion out of this thread. The moderator can remove your post from this thread if the guidelines above are not followed.

[the_alias]

Scrapivore CG knife from SYKCO. Simply beast of a little knife. Has pry bar tip on the end, is light, razor sharp and backed by a lifetime warranty. These are still on sale from SYKCO - I'd grab one now whilst they are still in production (check the ordering process - you order and it can take a while for you to get it but it was worth the wait for me) - they will no doubt fetch a higher price on the secondary market.
Basically think a ESEE Izula with a longer handle and a pry bar tip for less money!


My pimping the ZS bottle and my new day pack - Mystery Ranch Sweetpea - simply amazing pack. It is my EDC pack for work and doing stuff. It can hold a surprising amount of gear as well. Can't recommend it enough - if you want a solid pack save up for a few months like I did and buy this one. This is a pack you use though not one you just let lie around the place.
[s]*will add better pic of the pack soon.[/s]

[foxfyre841]

The whole setup is posted here with additional pictures. I will post ... "action shots"... when the wife gets back with the fancy camera.

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=79749

Here is the review per the topic request.

The Rush 72 is a great big bag. Amazingly well made, the yoke system is extremely comfortable. It is the right height for it to sit exactly where I want it. The back is padded and contoured to help prevent wet-back sweat patterns: it is mildly helpful (i've sweated while playing around on ice drifts in alaska with nothing but a thin tech shirt and nylon pants) It is somewhat heavy unloaded, but it's heavy duty so that's to be expected.

The new color, sandstone, is actually a very faint yellowish olive drab (I've seen similar colors called foliage green solid camo): non-reflective nylon fibers in the cordura that makes up the fabric actually makes this mono-color blend in quite well in my area (Mesa, Arizona - Tonto National Forest). Multicam models looked good but makes the bag standout too much in non-SHTF situations (except when you don't want to be seen, MC is amazing stuff). The MC models have the usual 20% up-charge for all CRYE MC.

The hydration compartment also contains a rigid polymer plate that prevents you from feeling all those randomly packed lumps in the main compartment. It's also removable.


The bad
The quick access flap-front is interesting but is not my favorite design feature. It is used to provide a stuff area for just about anything: using it to store a shemagh for dust storms. But the front flap is also used to compress the main compartment and because it shifts a bit up and down, so to do the contents of the main compartment. If it is under-filled, (and unless you are carrying way too much gear, it will be) you will find that the packs contents have fallen to the bottom and causing the pack on a whole to bow outwards at the pack's bottom. This oddly pear shaped bag puts the COG for the bag farther out than I prefer. I am experimenting with thin and long stuff sacks made of DWR nylon, but restraining /compression straps extending from the back of the main compartment would have been a welcome addition. I also wouldn't miss the snap/buckle attachment of the front flap at all. As shown in the pictures, it interferes with access to the main compartment. In my personal opinion I would have liked to see the flap removed or utilize a zipper to become a smaller main compartment and make the compression buckle/strap system a pass-through type focusing on the two main compartments.

I've invested in the bag and will definitely keep it. see what additional compression straps will do when threaded behind the flap.

James

[Kevin_T]

Breakaway Tarp on a camping trip




Information on the seekoutside breakway tarp is available here http://seekoutside.com/lightweight-silnylon-breakaway-tarp/

6 Person Tipi on a spring trip

[wyominglostandfound]

coyote cordura 8 man w/ eagle khaki sidewalls and 4 inch stove jack...



http://www.wyominglostandfound.com

[whisk.e.rebellion]

Your Gear in Action. Field Pics and Reviews Only.

Take the jibba jabba to PM, folks.

[andygates]

Terra Nova Explorer (now discontinued in favor of the Voyager and Quasar) - home for the last three weeks as I biked 1100 miles to this spot:


Tent sunset at John O'Groats by andygates, on Flickr

...and then the sun came out and lit the inner up like a big old smiley lemon, and I had to grab the shot.

It's a serious ten-pound 2/3 man tent, so one guy with lots of gear = perfect. Utterly reliable, worth every ounce over those little one-man coffin hotels for a long gear-heavy trip.

[wyominglostandfound]

8 man custom...


8 man custom with sidewalls...



www.wyominglostandfound.com