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Category: Kit & Clothing 🧳 (Page 2 of 3)

Google Maps tips for adventurers

2021-04-01 /

Google has published tips on how adventurers might better use Google Maps »

Do you have the urge to take every fork in the road and leave no trail untraveled? On the road to adventure, Google Maps can help guide the way — no matter where you’re going.

  •  Be prepared for all conditions: There’s nothing like a surprise rain storm to dampen adventure. Use the new weather and air quality layers to your advantage. See current weather conditions and temperatures, or check the air quality better plan your fresh-air outings.
  • Don’t miss your train or plane with Indoor Live View: Airports and train stations can feel like a maze. Starting this summer in Zurich and Tokyo, use AR cues to see where the nearest platform, gates, elevator and escalators are, as well as baggage claim, restrooms, and ATMs.
  • Pedal to your next adventure: Planning a hill climb or beach cruise ride? Check how flat or steep a route will be with biking directions. And if you don’t have a two-wheel companion, you can access bike-sharing stations in more than 100 cities thanks to integrations with CitiBike, Lyft and Lime integrations.
  • Tabs are your new tick list :Use the tabs at the bottom of the app to keep track of your travel bucket list and find your next must-see destination! Check out the Updates tab to see trending, must-see spots from local experts and publishers — so you can find the best things to do no matter where you are.
  • Remember where you’ve been: From the new trailhead you found to the hidden campground you want to revisit, we love to use Saved Places to view all these spots in one place. It’s perfect for reminiscing and sharing recommendations with friends.

More »

Heads Up » Primus wants to keep your back country stove out of the landfill by sending you repair parts for free

2021-03-10 /

Primus is offering to send users needed parts to repair their Primus stove, for free. They are doing their part to keep stoves out of landfills and to remind users that they can fix things when they break.

The past few decades have introduced a throw-away culture that was strongly influenced by consumerism and the thought that products should be disposable. With the current state of the environment, more people than ever have shown interest in sustainable brands/products and are interested in maintaining and repairing their belongings when they wear out. We never subscribed to this trend and have instead ensured the opportunity to service and maintain our stoves since 1892!

While human life expectancy has increased drastically the past 100 years, life expectancy of the products around us appear to decrease. We know that between 55% and 65% of greenhouse emissions come from the handling of material, resources and products from cradle to grave. By extending the life of our products, it has a substantial positive impact on the climate and environment.

Continue reading

PIEPS and Black Diamond announce a product safety recall of the DSP avalanche transceiver beacons

2021-03-05 /

PIEPS and Black Diamond have announced a voluntary product recall of their DSP avalanche transceivers.

Recently, PIEPS, the European producer of the avalanche safety device, and Black Diamond, its North American distributor, came under fire with concerns the DSP avalanche transceiver beacon could inadvertently switch from “send” to “search” mode, rendering the device useless to the wearer should they be caught up in an avalanche.

From the PIEPS website »

PIEPS has conducted extensive evaluations of the safety and performance of the affected products, including internal and third-party testing. The results conclude that the products comply with international standards, are properly designed, and perform as intended.

Nevertheless, PIEPS has recently developed a hardcase carrying system to be used with the DSP PRO, DSP PRO ICE and DSP SPORT that the transceivers can only be used when set and locked in the “send” position.

More information about the product safety recall program can be found at both the PIEPS and Black Diamond websites.

Both PIEPS and Black Diamond also announced the recalls on Instagram.

A guide to backpacking stoves

2019-03-14 /

Note: Clicking the above image will load and play the video from YouTube.

Something that I had to consider for my upcoming adventures is availability of fuel. I chose a multi-fuel stove over an alcohol or propane/butane stove as they offer me more flexibility.

In some areas of the world, denatured alcohol and ethanol are not available, at least not legally. And when you are in a foreign country, the last thing you want to do is disrespect the rules and regulations of that country.

The same thing applies to propane and butane. You might find yourself someplace that doesn’t have your brand of butane canister. Plus I’m not crazy about carrying around pressurized fuels in non-refillable canisters that I’ll have to dump into a landfill.

The GPS wars are here, or why you need to learn to use a compass

2019-03-03 /

It is important to recognise how vulnerable our technology is and how over-dependent we have become to fragile systems, some of which was built during a more trusting era.

Many things we do today, and much of our economy, relies on global navigation satellite navigation and time keeping. Much of the western economy relies on the Global Positioning System (GPS), an aging, fragile, and vulnerable US military project. Turns out that it can be easily be jammed, hacked, and turned off. And has been. Sometimes unintentionally.

All this makes for a good argument to learn how to use an old-fashioned compass and read a map. Continue reading

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Be.

Do interesting things. Be bold. Adventure. Explore. Respect. Listen. Question. Learn. Try. Fail. Try better. Your mileage may vary. You are unique. Be yourself. Appreciate. Be kind. To others, with an equal measure to yourself. Do good. Do what’s right. It’s a one way ticket. Enjoy the ride. You are limited to one.

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