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So I married a Spax murderer

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:30:00 -0800

Literally the only axe joke I could think of.

I love tools. They’re kind of the original gadgets. The problem is most of their designs have been around for centuries, and in many cases have seen little improvement.

So I’m always a little excited when I find an ancient tool with a new design. The Spax from Ontario Knife Company is a firefighting/rescue axe with a uniquely compact design. The cutout in the middle can be used to operate fire hydrants and gas valves.

Materials are about what you’d expect. Ridiculously tough 1095 carbon steel blade, and a KA-BAR-esque Kraton handle.

Available for around $100 from Ontario Knife with a sweet MOLLE-compatible sheath, or a bit less if you shop around.

Backpack of tomorrow

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:28:00 -0800

There are a few futuristic looking products that always seem to show up in sci-fi. The G36, the P90, the Cx4, Bombo bar stools. A perennial favorite of mine is the Boblbee Megalopolis. So popular in movies that they even mention it in the product description.

Sure the design is a little over-the-top, but it’s a great looking pack, and certainly effective at protecting its contents. The problem with a lot of hard shell backpacks is that the’re basically a rectangular waterproof case with straps. Boblbee avoids that with a slickly designed shell that has plenty of mounting points, and is allegedly even aerodynamic.

Adding a level of functionality and badassery, it’s also certified as a Level 2 back protector for motorcycling. Though that makes me wonder what will happen to your laptop if you slide into the pavement back-first at freeway speeds.

Downsides are about what you’d expect. Interior space is limited and inflexible and the weight is a little high (4.6lbs). Pricing reaches a mildly astronomical $500 for the carbon fiber version, though it will save you half a pound on weight. For the non-carbon versions, pricing is fairly middle-of-the-road for a technical pack.

Various Boblbee packs are available direct from the company for $220 to $500.

Because we have lots of wood and no sun, that's why

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:19:30 -0800

At a friend’s suggestion, I started looking into solar chargers a couple of weeks ago. When I was growing up on a boat, we used solar panels to top off our batteries, and they worked great. As a fan of both gadgets and a free energy, I’ve always wanted to try solar power again. While I’ll probably be writing about that at some point, I didn’t really find any solar chargers that made the must-have list. It comes down to this — portable, powerful, affordable — pick two. Plus most of them take 8+ hours of direct sunlight to charge a phone. And that much sun just isn’t available here more than a couple of months a year.

But we do have a lot of stuff to burn.

The BioLite CampStove is the first of its kind that I’ve seen. It’s a small wood burning stove attached to a thermoelectric device using the Seebeck effect to convert heat into electricity. It outputs as a standard 5v USB outlet, capable of charging phones and other devices, or directly powering an LED light. And since it runs on any flammable material, our perennial lack of sunlight isn’t an issue. Score.

The BioLite isn’t out yet, but will reportedly ship in time for the 2012 camping season. I’m looking forward to trying one out in person. Even if I’m not charging a phone, it would still be handy to have some wood-powered lighting in camp.

Available for preorder from BioLite for $129. A larger home version intended for third world countries is also in production, but with no mention of a price or release date.

Staying warm, dry, moving, and floating

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 21:19:11 -0800

So I got a kayak.

Naturally, it required a few pieces of gear before I could venture out into the harsh northwestern winter.

First on the list was a spray skirt. Not so much for spray as to ensure that my kayak doesn’t simply fill with water when it rains. It rains a lot here, you know.

Ok, so it’s not the one I posted about before. But I needed a PFD, and decided to go with the more middle-of-the-road (and budget-conscious) Stohlquist TREKKer. So far so good, but I’m still considering an upgrade if I start paddling on a regular basis.

Some O’Neill wetsuit. Got it at a garage sale, no idea how old or what model. It’s been great, but it’s starting to die. Time to start looking for a replacement.

Sealskinz waterproof socks. These have been great - I layer them with a normal, thin pair of socks, and tuck them into my wetsuit. Unfortunately I haven’t had occasion to test them very thoroughly.

These NRS Natural gloves are not fully waterproof, nor are they advertised as such. But they are incredibly comfortable and fit great. And they certainly have kept my hands warm. The curved shape certainly takes some of the work out of holding a paddle - fighting neoprene is never fun.

I needed a paddle, and grabbed the nearest one. This is a Carlisle Polypro. It’s working alright so far, but I think it may be too short for me.

Since I’ve been skirting twilight almost every time I’ve been out, I’ve been carrying my Petzl Tactikka XP. It’s not quite an official navigation light, but it’s enough to let people know I’m out there.

Now I just need to figure out a safe way to bring my camera along.

Airboats

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:29:09 -0800

I’ve always been fascinated by kayaks, and their versatility as an adventure vehicle. From long-range oceangoing expedition kayaks to the sportier whitewater versions, they’re available in an incredible range of sizes and styles. But I live in an apartment, and don’t really have space for one.

Inflatable kayaks have been around for years, but never seemed to be able to find a sweet spot between expensive professional models and pool toys.

Advanced Elements seems to have established a solid middle ground, with a model that uses the inflatable portion as a frame under a tough nylon skin. The bow and stern are reenforced with aluminum, and it includes a couple of fins on the bottom to improve tracking. A metal “backbone” can also be added for extra rigidity.

As luck would have it, an Advanced Elements AE1012-R showed up under the tree this year. I’ve taken it out twice so far, once in a snowstorm. I’ve been pretty happy with its performance characteristics, and am looking forward to additional testing. Kayak gear post to follow!

Snow gear: snowmageddon 2012 edition

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:27:49 -0800

Ok, so Seattle has a little snow. It’s not much, but I’m excited. I have a chance to use stuff!

Outdoor Research Crocodile Gaiters. I picked these up for hiking St. Helens, and haven’t had much other opportunity to use them this winter. Is the snow deep enough to justify them? No comment.

Khul Renegade soft shell pants. I love these. They’re ridiculously stretchy and comfortable, and even water resistant to a point. Certainly enough to get me to work and back.

The Marmot Variant makes another appearance, and is still going strong. I love this thing. I’ve come to really appreciate the extra insulation on the core of this. It makes for great layering without unnecessary bulk in the arms. Plus thumbholes in the cuffs.

And finally, something I don’t have yet, but am seriously considering. I like my gloves to be waterproof, but I’m not a fan of bulky, insulated skiing gloves. Naturally, to find the most badass of gloves, one must go to that most badass of sports.

Ice climbing.

The Outdoor Research Warrant gloves are waterproof, while maintaining dexterity and durability thanks to a soft shell and leather construction. They also look pretty badass.

So maybe I’m jumping the gun a little on gear, considering we’ve only gotten three inches of snow so far. But if it keeps up I may need something extreme.

Happy Blogiversary

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:10:52 -0800

No, not mine (that’s coming up soon though, I think). My friend Jenny’s blog Figure Mommy is a year old as of yesterday. She blogs about everything from fitness and nutrition, to parenting, and even gear once in awhile. Usually with more thoroughness and enthusiasm than I can manage.

So here’s to a year of making me feel bad every time I decide to eat half a pizza and play video games instead of working out. May there be many more to come.

For your tactical hearth

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:39:31 -0800

Ahh…tactical gear and Christmas. If you find yourself in a war zone this Christmas, or just want the most badass stocking over the fireplace, this is pretty much awesome.

Oddly enough, there are actually several different tactical stockings out there. But these are my favorite. Maybe it’s the drag handle.

A rather affordable $12.00 from LA Police Gear.

Android on fire

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 10:56:17 -0800

Three months ago I wrote about the then-unannounced Kindle Fire, and speculated as to what some of its weaknesses may be. It’s been out for a few weeks now, and reviews seem to be mixed. I’d like to revisit that analysis and see how it panned out.

Lack of Buttons is an issue that was actually mentioned in several reviews. Apparently changing the volume is something of a hassle because the on-screen menu is not responsive enough. In a similar vein, there’s been some grumbling about the placement of the power button and headphone jack. I’m not sure if this is because the bottom of the device is actually a bad place for them, or if people just don’t like it because it’s different from the iPad.

Screen Size also turned out to be an issue. Both in usability and its ability to display non-book reading content. In both instances, although the size gets the blame, the problem really appears to be software-based. I still think 7” tablets are a good size, ergonomically.

The Interface seems to be the biggest problem. With Android hitting a new high in usability and polish, going back two major revisions to a pre-tablet version of the OS, and then throwing their own homebrew skin over the top was a big risk. The Cover Flow-esque main menu moves at a great framerate, but this is countered by its slow loading art on other screens, and stuttering page turns. Were they so inclined, this would be a good place to start the process of improving the Fire.

The Google-Free Experience is causing some concern among developers who dislike the Amazon App Store experience, and see this as Amazon’s attempt to break into the wider Android app market. While it’s entirely possible to sideload apps, or hack the Fire to use Google’s app store, I doubt your average consumer will know this.

I was wrong on my last point - that it would sell well enough to cause outages of its related services. If there have been any huge upticks in the usage of Amazon’s services, they’ve been handled smoothly. Though it’s not Christmas yet. Ironically, the opposite problem cropped up. Early reviews of Silk were mediocre, prompting a statement from Amazon that it would get faster as more people used it. If Apple gets a pass for Siri’s occasionally mediocre performance based on the excuse that the system is “learning,” I’m inclined to give Amazon the same benefit of the doubt. This is somewhat new territory, and I’ll be interested to see if the Fire’s browser speed issues clear up in the coming months.

And me? I just grabbed an original Galaxy Tab from Woot. What can I say, it seemed more my style.

Issues

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 07:27:30 -0700

I’m having domain/hosting issues. Eligear will be fully functional again shortly!

Transparency

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:22:00 -0700

Egg Freckles has a post that reminded me of an old favorite product of mine from Apple.

The 17” Apple Studio Display fits an interesting niche in history, having been launched during the period of time when the term “Apple Tax” was coined. Apple was selling a 15” LCD for $999 and a 20” LCD for $3999 when monitors from other manufacturers were going for less than half that. Even the 17” ASD itself was arguably overpriced at $499 - despite its advanced color calibration features. At the time though, it served two purposes - Apple needed a monitor in that price range, and CRTs were still outperforming LCDs in areas like color calibration, bit depth, contrast, and refresh rate. Or at least some die-hard CRT fans insisted they did.

But aside from the specs, it’s simply a beautiful piece of engineering. Its design falls between the Fruit style of early iMacs, and the eventual evolution into the White theme, when graphite grey plastic rather than aluminum distinguished the “Pro” products. This design style didn’t last long - encompassing just this monitor, the iMac DV line, and a couple of G4 desktops - including the legendary G4 Cube. But it did inspire some great Apple accessories like the Harmon Kardon SoundSticks, which have been in production for over a decade now.

It’s rare for a product like this to see the light of day, even from Apple, which increasingly likes to hide the workings of its devices behind layers of aluminum and glass. But if you look at teardowns of their recent products, you can see the same attention to internal details, even if they’re no longer visible.

Variation

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:53:15 -0700

I posted about the Marmot Variant jacket last year when it came out. Mostly I liked the look, but didn’t have an immediate need for it. I just picked one up recently (in the color above) and so far have been very happy with it.

The sleeves and back are Polartec Power Stretch, not softshell. It’s kind of like stretchy, fleece-lined sweatshirt material. This is definitely a mid-layer, as it has no degree of waterproofing. But it’s incredibly warm, fits like a glove, and has sleeves that are actually long enough (this is rare, for me). Also, gotta love those thumb holes.

Pairing the Variant with a heavy hooded softshell would cover nearly any kind of weather condition. My only concern is its long-term durability. The Power Stretch material feels a little fragile, and seems prone to pilling and velcro damage. I’ve had a couple strands of insulation leak from the front panel. This may be the tradeoff for how lightweight it is.

Naturally, I can’t make a full review until I’ve used it for a winter (working on that), but my impression after using it for a few weeks is that it’s going to be a staple of my winter gear.

I'm a Trekkie

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:21:11 -0700

I kind of blew off trekking poles as unnecessary for a long time. But after a couple of hikes where I just wanted to claw my way up the last mile, they started to make more sense.

The Black Diamond Ergo Cork Trekking Poles are aluminum. I seriously considered the carbon fiber version. I mean, I love carbon fiber. But after some research, I was convinced that the durability and repairability of the aluminum version would make them more versatile, as aluminum tends to bend rather than shatter when stressed. And the weight difference was literally two ounces.

Without much to compare them to, I’d have to say I’m pretty happy with these. They certainly saved me from a couple of slips on my last hike, and were indispensable when hiking across snow.

Still, not that exciting as far as gear goes. You’d think they would at least have lights or something.

The Amazon tablet: up the creek?

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:54:00 -0700

For not having been announced yet, the until-now theoretical Amazon tablet has produced a lot of buzz. The reason for this is basically twofold. Amazon’s aggressive pricing of the Kindle speaks well of their ability to source and competitively price electronics - a necessity in the tablet market. And word was that they would have some significant ways to differentiate their new tablet from the current crop of Android devices. General consensus is that these two things lend it the potential to, at the very least, top the Android tablet market.

But a hands-on preview by a TechCrunch writer and a blurb from Business Insider point to several potential problems that may make it a less competitive device than originally expected.

No buttons
I’m a fan of sparse design. But one of the biggest complaints I hear about reading on the iPad is its lack of physical buttons for page turns. Since it’s being positioned against the Nook as an ebook reader, this could be a strike against it that will be lamented by everyone who reviews it. Oh, and

Some of the page-turning touch mechanics still needed a bit of work in the version I used.

For a device that’s theoretically being positioned as an advanced ebook reader, that worries me. Especially considering the existing page turning mechanics in the Kindle iOS app.

Screen size
I would love a seven inch tablet. The iPad is just barely too big to hold comfortably in one hand. But so far only one seven inch tablet has produced decent sales - the aforementioned Nook. The question is if producing something that isn’t a “standard size” tablet will hurt or help sales. It’s differentiation (and certainly helps the price), but maybe not the right kind.

The interface
Again, potentially a key aspect of differentiation. I’m not arguing that the Android UI is a shining pinnacle of usability. But I’m also not convinced that Amazon can produce a compelling user experience based on what I’ve seen of their work with interfaces. If they do pull it off, more power to them. I’ll reserve judgement on this until I try it.

No Google anything
Not an awful idea on its own, but by removing it from the greater Android ecosystem, Amazon is betting awfully heavily on their ability to manage their own app/music/media system. Based on their past performance, that could become a problem.

It’s going to sell really well
I think based on the popularity of the Kindle, and general reputation that Amazon has right now for producing solid hardware at a decent price, their upcoming tablet will sell at least as well as any existing Android tablet, possibly even better. This will lead to any and all flaws being magnified, publicized, and whined about incessantly. It also means Amazon will have to be really on the ball about the online components of their system. I foresee outages around Christmas when massive influxes of new users cripple the system.

I’ll admit, after reading these articles, I’m not necessarily less likely to buy one of these things. I’ve wanted a Kindle for a long time, but couldn’t justify it because I have an iPad. This is cheap enough and capable enough to be worth it — even if I end up rooting it and installing Honeycomb. Or add Whispernet and I’m all over it.

Thunderbird 6's broken attachment pane

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 08:25:00 -0700

I don’t know what it is with email clients. It seems like no one can make a frustration-free one. And that’s just day-to-day use. Ever tried to actually migrate your mailboxes between clients?

Anyway, the latest version of Thunderbird added something I’m hesitant to call a feature. Attachments no longer show up in messages - you just get a box with a toggle at the bottom of the window—

It also doesn’t show the full filename and extension - it truncates it.

While I understand that some people don’t get a lot of email, or a lot of email with attachments, I get both. And this is a problem.

So like usual when I update Thunderbird, I spent some time this morning fixing it.

This is what I like about open source software. If this was an Apple program I’d be out of luck, but with Thunderbird, for each questionable design decision made, there’s usually a way to fix it.

This can be fixed by creating the file userChrome.css in ~Library/Thunderbird/Profiles/(profile name)/Chrome and adding the following code:

#attachmentView > [collapsed="true"] {
  visibility: visible !important;
}

#attachmentToggle {
  display: none !important;
}

This permanently expands the attachment pane and removes the toggle. I also added this:

.attachmentBox { 
width: auto !important;
 max-width: none !important;
 min-width: 15em !important; 
}

Which removes the truncation on the file name.

It also has a bug that prevents it from creating new windows in some multi-monitor setups. But that’s a story for another post.

A Crippling Titanium Addiction

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:15:21 -0700

Jetboil makes pretty much the best camping stoves I’ve seen. They’re lightweight, easy to light, and have none of the hassle of liquid fuel stoves. Besides, the container is (optionally) made of titanium.

Everything pictured fits inside the container, and weighs under a pound, including fuel.

And even though I have no use for it, I really want this awesome hanging kit. You know, in case I find myself bivouacking on a sheer rock face.

Vest joke here

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:58:59 -0800

We’ve discussed my love of vests before. Tactical vests are cool, but you can’t wear them in public without people looking at you funny.

The Flight Vest by Ogio is designed to hold tools, goggles, a water bladder and other gear used for motorcycling. They used to market it to photographers, but that doesn’t seem to have worked out. I still want one though. Those front pockets look like they could hold lenses, and I need a good water carrier. If only it came in a more interesting color.

Available from Motorcycle Superstore for $129.

Curves

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:10:58 -0800

This monitor first made the rounds about two years ago, first attributed to Alienware. Of course, Alienware doesn’t actually make hardware, so I did some digging and came up with their source - NEC. I even saw one at CES one year. But then they sort of dropped off the radar.

Alienware never released it, and I don’t know what happened with NEC, but they’re now being sold by a company called Ostendo.

At 43” and about 45 lbs, this is a hefty desktop monitor. It also has a less than impressive resolution of 2880x900. But…who cares? Stick three of these together and you’d have one of the most impressive, naturally immersive computing setups available. Stack em two high if that 900 pixel vertical resolution is getting you down.

I would probably have one of these right now….but they’re $6500. Available now, and direct from Ostendo.

I've been adventuring - wrap-up

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:01:24 -0700

I’d just like to finish off with a couple of miscellaneous items that came in handy.

The Nexto DI eXtreme is…aggressively unattractive. But it can back up 250gb of photos directly from a memory card, it has an amazing battery life, and they have somehow perfected an interface that only uses one button (using long and short presses to navigate). I drag this along on any trip where I’ll be taking a lot of pictures, and may not have access to my laptop for long periods of time. Fortunately, I’ve never had a failure that necessitated having a backup, but it certainly makes me feel better.

I’m not going to mention my iPhone, because…well…it’s been covered. But I did use it constantly, and my favorite app from this trip (besides Angry Birds) was Yelp. Being able to see every business in my immediate vicinity that’s open was great, especially at 11:00 on a Sunday night in Missoula.

“Once more upon the waters! yet once more! And the waves bound beneath me as a steed That knows his rider.”

We are modern day adventurers, and our vehicles are our steeds. For this trip we mounted up in a 2009 Kia Sportage. It actually managed to seat five people in relative comfort, even with all of our gear (and I’m guilty of bringing a little more gear than everyone else). Gas mileage was great, performance was decent, and and amenities (MP3 player connectivity, etc.) were plentiful.

All of my photos from the trip are viewable on Flickr. And now back to your regularly scheduled program!

The Sportage at night in Wyoming.

I've been adventuring - part 3

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 10:49:49 -0700

Ok, time to talk about camera gear.

Like usual, the D90 made an appearance, and performed as I’ve come to expect. I can see how photographers get attached to their cameras - when you use a tool that often, and rely on it that much, you come to respect it. For its features, its durability, and the things it allows you to create.

Surprisingly though, the fisheye only made it out of the bag a couple of times, and only produced one photo that made my final cut. Am I done with that phase, or did this trip just not provide many opportunities to use it? Who knows. But there was a surprising underdog.

My version of the Tamron 28-300mm is so old, I couldn’t even find a decent picture of it. And this link will take you to a review of the stabilized version. I got mine as part of a trade several years ago - it’s not stabilized. And I’ve hardly used it. I’m normally not a fan of superzooms, so this one sat in a box for quite awhile - I brought it along as a backup, but a combination of factors kept it on my camera a lot more than I would have expected. It actually produced better images at long range than my usual telephoto lens, and offered a lot of flexibility without having to swap lenses. It made me reconsider both superzoom lenses, and getting a real telephoto lens, especially if I’m headed back to a national park. As for downsides, well, it’s still a superzoom, which means it’s useless in low-light situations. 28mm isn’t really wide enough for a lot of my photos, and lack of active stabilization makes shots at the 300mm end a little difficult.

The photo in the header here was taken with this old friend.

I’ve had this Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 for a couple of years now, and it rarely lets me down. Something about the layout of the park didn’t look right through the fisheye — it had lots of straight lines and sweeping vistas that I wanted to capture without (much) distortion. The review I linked to mentions only a couple of problems with this lens - inconsistent sharpness (yep) and distortion (yep). I can live with both of these, mostly because this lens was about $400, and the Nikon equivalent is 2-3 times that. It’s a solid performer, and one that I use constantly.

Next: Photos.