Outdoor Gear Thread

[Eye In The Sky]

That makes all kinds of sense when I look at this map of Kenomee.  Again tks for all that info.

Light day today, we're off to Taylor Head for a leg stretch and find a few geocaches. 

'Bora' tells me you and I are in different tax brackets  :blotto:

 

[Scott]

That's the map. So second campsite in going counter clockwise, Murphy's Brook. Loads of space creekside and also sites on the side of the hill. There's also some thunderboxes.

There has been loads of talk about a Kenomee extension but to the best of my knowledge nothing has moved ahead yet. Everyone seems focused on local projects or the Cape to Cape initiative (which I thought Kenomee was going to hook up with, but anyway)

Re: Bora. I had been through several packs. North Face, Black Diamond, Granite Gear, and so on, never finding 'the one'. The Bora is a heavy mofo by itself but it more than makes up for it when it comes to slugging loads over distance, I swear. It's also a dandy for paddling and if you take care you can portage a canoe while wearing the pack - in the unlikely event you need to impress a woman.

It's the only pack from Arc'teryx I'd but at present, likely the only thing I'd get from them at all, but it's sooooo worth it.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

I've been looking for a field sharpener, was having a hard time finding one that was able to "do it all".  This one seems close.  I use the Lansky "Precision Kit" w/clamp at home, and generally speaking I am happy with their products.  Figured I'd give this one a whirl.

Lansky Blademedic

Emailed the customer service folks, these are being shipped to Cdn suppliers (I asked for a list, and they weren't able to tell me *what* suppliers will get it from their Canadian distributor).  Despite the website saying they are not avail now, they actually are directly from Lansky.  Haven't seen them on Ebay, Cabelas, etc yet.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Not a bad way to spend a Saturday.  Despite a change in plans to do Seal Cove from Eatonville Road Trailhead (I hurt my back in the gym this week and Mrs EITS is enjoying her allergies) at Chignecto, we did get to recce the area and do the little Squally Point --> 3 Sisters area this afternoon (Eatonville Day Use Area?), a recce of the trailhead for Seal Cove as well as Devils Bend and Kenoymee Canyon trails, Economy Falls and Ward Falls.    Recce for the fall hikes is done with the exception of East Moose River Gorge, that one completely slipped my mind.  It was hot, muggy and buggy, survived one massive kamakazi attack of black flies by the bailey bridge on the West Apple River road.  Bastards.

Got to chill some at Spencer Beach, eat a few donuts holes from The Rite Stop, and *almost* stopped at Granny's by the little "Masstown Market" in Economy.  Next time I can pull it off if I skip the slice of pizza at TRS I think.

Thumbs up to the Coppertone Sport water/sweat-proof 30SPF lotion, its been worth the $9 so far. 

Hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend.  Play safe!    ;D

 

[Scott]

EITS,

Moose River Gorge, while a nice waterfall, is not a demanding hike, just FYI. It does require some intuition for nav, if you're directionally challenged and easily turned around.

And if you haven't discovered it already, the trailhead for Kenomee and Economy Falls are one and the same, but doing the Kenomee Trail does NOT take you to the falls. The Kenomee trail proper veers off where the Devil's Bend trail meets the staircase down to the falls. I know several people who have gotten confused with that. And the maps they were using were piss poor. Hopefully the extensions will be impetus for new mapping.

--

The planning is coming together for a trek around Cape Chignecto.

I'm in the process of booking rooms for the night before and will likely just cram a bunch of us into Driftwood Chalets in Advocate because of its proximity to the park. We'll have to bring something to cook for breakfast but meh. The folks at Driftwood are very accommodating and this will be about the sixth or seventh time I have stayed there - for those that aren't into sleeping on the ground this is a fabulous getaway.

We're going to try and set out early the Friday of Labour Day weekend to avoid any logjams on the trail and hope that 2 nights out will suffice. We have a pretty eclectic group going, all outdoorsy but only three out of six of us with backcountry/long distance experience.

Now to convince myself my wife that a new stove is required for this trek and finally get my hands on a Dragonfly!

 

[Eye In The Sky]

EITS,

Moose River Gorge, while a nice waterfall, is not a demanding hike, just FYI. It does require some intuition for nav, if you're directionally challenged and easily turned around.

I've read a few posts/descriptions from ppl who've done it online, including 1 guy who just went basically straight up the river itself.  Hard to gauge how 'hard' it is from their comments not knowing their fitness/experience levels.  Nice photo op one to do though.  I don't know, it doesn't seem too bad at all from my Google Earth/Topo recce's.  Safety bearing = hitting the road at some point if you get geographically handicapped.  The 62s makes stuff like this too easy and I'm happy I went ahead and got it.

And if you haven't discovered it already, the trailhead for Kenomee and Economy Falls are one and the same, but doing the Kenomee Trail does NOT take you to the falls. The Kenomee trail proper veers off where the Devil's Bend trail meets the staircase down to the falls. I know several people who have gotten confused with that. And the maps they were using were piss poor. Hopefully the extensions will be impetus for new mapping.

Actually I was alittle confused with that, mostly because of the trail info in the Hiking NS 8th edition wording (pre-bridge over the falls) which has you heading back down the DB trail, fording, etc.  Got myself sorted out with more recent info though.  Trying to decide if its going to be an overnight (likely solo) combined DB - Kenomee Canyon, or 2 day trips, which more depends on Mrs EITS I guess.  Looking forward to the fall either way, which hopefully is going to include (1) Refugee Cove (2) North/South Granite (3) Bluff Wilderness complete (4) DB/Kenomee and (5) Mount Carleton/Head/Sagaamook. 

The planning is coming together for a trek around Cape Chignecto.

I'm in the process of booking rooms for the night before and will likely just cram a bunch of us into Driftwood Chalets in Advocate because of its proximity to the park. We'll have to bring something to cook for breakfast but meh. The folks at Driftwood are very accommodating and this will be about the sixth or seventh time I have stayed there - for those that aren't into sleeping on the ground this is a fabulous getaway.

We're going to try and set out early the Friday of Labour Day weekend to avoid any logjams on the trail and hope that 2 nights out will suffice. We have a pretty eclectic group going, all outdoorsy but only three out of six of us with backcountry/long distance experience.

Now to convince myself my wife that a new stove is required for this trek and finally get my hands on a Dragonfly!

Sounds like an awesome Labour Day Weekend.  Definitely seems like a good enough reason for the Dragonfly purchase.  8)

Latest shipment from MEC arrived earlier this week, Frontiersman 325g.  Never carried one before except on BSERE, but why not.  1 for me, 1 for Mrs EITS.  Anyone who gets these though, do some research on them, and bear behaviour, so you don't get a false sense of security.  They are a last line of defence, not a 100% solution.  Smart woodslore/bush knowledge, understanding difference between bear being defensive or predatory and proper 'actions on', etc are the best defence IMO.  :2c:

 

[Scott]

Actually I was alittle confused with that, mostly because of the trail info in the Hiking NS 8th edition wording (pre-bridge over the falls) which has you heading back down the DB trail, fording, etc.  Got myself sorted out with more recent info though. 

I think they might be talking about the escarpment trail. I never foudn it save for references in print.

DO NOT camp at Newton Lake, if I haven't mentioned that already! 

Sounds like an awesome Labour Day Weekend.  Definitely seems like a good enough reason for the Dragonfly purchase.  8)

Might be in the cards and it might not be...waiting on word from the boss ;D

 

[Eye In The Sky]

You did mention that  8)

Curious though, what is wrong with Newton Lake?  Does this have something to do along the lines of the Blair Witch movies? ('cause they were true, ya know).

 

[Scott]

I jyst found it to be much less desireable compared to the creekside campsite as an alternative. Plus, when heading counterclockwise it's at a silly distance, not near enough-like. We investigated thr sites and found them lacking and the place was a haven for bugs.

If I mentioned Newton previously then I must have brought up the creekside place (a name which escapes me)...there aire pads up on the hillside by the thunderboxes but we pitched tents right by the water's edge and had no issues.

FWIW

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Murphy's Brook   

Ya...Newton seems more like a 'lunch break' distance-wise...plus...lake vs lil waterfalls.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Not sure if anyone has ever seen or heard of The Kelly Kettle before, but before this morning I never had.  I'm starting to like the idea of it. 

 

[Scott]

We met a couple of Engineering students from RMC who had one while on our Pollett's cove trek. Pretty neat rig and low/no impact, if that's a concern. Just a word to the wise, it will not get you past any fire restrictions/bans, so don't be dumb.

If we get full blown into a second canoe booklet I might pick one up but for now it's the Whisperlite and potentially a Dragonfly down the road (maybe with an Outback Oven to boot).

There is a guy with CKNS who has a simple design for a trash wood cooker that is no impact. He makes his out of old pot sets. I've seen similar done for ice fishing shacks and small cabins using old BBQ bottles but that adds a pile of weight.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Curious, did it work (or seem to) as well as the website says WRT boil times?

 

[Scott]

Seemed to. It wasn't as fast as my Whisperlite (with ground and wind shields in place) but very little is going to be

When we compared sizes and weights of the stove and fuel bottles against the Kelly it appeared that the Kelly wins for weight (granting that I carry almost 1 kilo of fuel/bottle) but packing it for a hike made it a little more awkward than the stove bag tucking into my large pot and the fuel bottle hiding in the sleeve on my Bora. Then again, I saw that they simply lashed theirs to the outside of a pack and cracked on - I just HATE having stuff bounce around when moving.

Like any other piece of kit, I think it has its own applications. But being that I already own the WLI and may add a Dragonfly I do not see me ''needing'' this, but sometimes the line between need vs. want, as far as outdoor gear goes, gets blurred for me ;D

As said, I will make room for one should I find the time for more long distance canoe treks.

 

[Kat Stevens]

Go here and have a look before splashing out on the Kelly... http://www.theboilerwerks.com/about/

No idea on the cost, as they're behind on construction of the NIV (new improved version), but if concerned about weight/size, here's your huckleberry.  Also North American made, and a whole metric sock load of cool accessories.

 

[Scott]

Awesome descriptors ;D

Thanks for the link. It's always great to see other options so you don't end up paying shitloads for the accepted ''brand'' when a perfectly viable alternative is available. As a side note: that's why I see MEC gear getting better and better, because people have faith and are willing tot ake a chance - that most are not disappointed with.

If I decide to go for this type of boiler I'll be looking into both models and further for more options.

 

[Scott]

Win: D9er mentioned she'd like a camp stove, like one of the Coleman's so many of us are used to. I mentioned that we already have a stove that goes Krakatoa and so perhaps another with a simmer function might round out our compliment well enough and serve all of our needs (car camping, hiking, canoeing, kayaking). Lo and behold, she agreed.

Order placed within five minutes ;D

I also ordered a service kit for Krakatoa (MSR WLI) and a polyester lined bodum type appliance for java as my perk is a pain in the arse for two people.

Shipping times should see it arrive home when I do so hopefully we have it all for the Cape Chignecto trek, if it is still doable for us.

Reports to follow.

 

[GAP]

Go here and have a look before splashing out on the Kelly... http://www.theboilerwerks.com/about/

No idea on the cost, as they're behind on construction of the NIV (new improved version), but if concerned about weight/size, here's your huckleberry.  Also North American made, and a whole metric sock load of cool accessories.

I sent the guy an email because the unit price is NOT listed anywhere on the website, just the accessories.....the basic unit is 99.00...then, when all the accessories are added, it probably the same price as the earlier one mentioned....plus, it sounds like delivery is a problem.

 

[Kat Stevens]

I sent the guy an email because the unit price is NOT listed anywhere on the website, just the accessories.....the basic unit is 99.00...then, when all the accessories are added, it probably the same price as the earlier one mentioned....plus, it sounds like delivery is a problem.

Fair enough.  my brother got his a while back, and he raves about it, especially the alcohol conversion dealio for wet nights.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Lookin' at them both, I think I like the one Kat showed us for 'backpack' stuff, and the basecamp Kelly one would be great for car/canoe camping.

Still want the WLI too though.