Backpacking Technology
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The Backpacking Technology blog is created and updated by Bob Shaver. He started backpacking in 1967, when he was 17 years old. He has been in Boise for 20 years. In Boise he thought a backpacking class at Boise State U for 12 years, and a class in winter mountaineering and camping for 12 years also.
Backpacking Technology
1y ago
Fourth of July Lake: This hike is signed at 1 mile distance, but I think its more like 2 miles one way. Its at high elevation, but not much elevation gain. To get there you go through Stanley, past
Redfish Lake, past Obsidian, and look for a sign that says Fourth of July trailhead. Its about 15 miles on dirt road to the trailhead, and an easy 2 mile hike from there. there are camp sites at 3 o’clock (with the outlet being 6 o’clock), 8 o’clock, and 12 o’clock, and maybe others in the nearby woods. The lake is shallow, not very swimmable, and fishable for small trout.
Hellroaring Lake is an ea ..read more
Backpacking Technology
1y ago
If you are thinking of a no cook breakfast, consider one of these to munch on as you pack up and hit the road. These are cooked at home and eaten on the trail.
• 1 1/2 cups raw walnuts, chopped
• 1/3 cup whole-grain flour
• 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup dried Turkish figs, quartered
• 1 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preparation at home:
1. Preheat oven to 325 °F and line an 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan with parchme ..read more
Backpacking Technology
1y ago
This is time consuming, but a delicious treat. Its all about trial and error with your stove. A cannister stove would have a hard time making scones because they have such a point source of heat, and their fuel economy is terrible at simmer. For this trial I used my 1.9 L Evernew pot, and TrailDesigns alcohol stove and support cone, and also an Outback Oven to evenly distribute and hold the heat. Shown below is my stove setup.
Ingredients to make 4 scones:
1 cup Sticky Fingers complete scone mix
1 Tbs sugar
15 blueberries
4tbs water
Equipment: parchment paper, spatula, Outback oven, TrailDesi ..read more
Backpacking Technology
1y ago
This is for when you have a lot of time and want a delicious change of pace. Making scones is as much about figuring out a good stove setup, as it is about the scones. I used TrailDesigns sidewinder stove, which has an alcohol stove with a simmer ring which stops down the flame, and a cone for supporting the pot, or in this case a fry pan. I used the lid of an Evernew 1.9 L pot as the fry pan
To a bowl, add half a cup of a complete scone mix by Sticky Fingers, about 2 Tsp water, 1 tsp of brown sugar, about 13 blueberries, and mixed to a thick paste.
In the fry pan I added 1/2 oz of olive oil ..read more
Backpacking Technology
1y ago
This breakfast breakfast breaks up the steady diet of oatmeal, and is sweet and tasty, and easy to make.
At Home:
In a pint ziplock bag, put:
2/3 cup (total) dried chopped mixed fruit such as apricots, peaches, nectarines, prunes, pears, apple.
3 tablespoons brown sugar
contents of a packet of apple cider
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
pinch ( 1/16th of a teaspoon) ground cloves
Put in a small coin envelope or snack sized ziplock bag:
1 teaspoon cornstarch
In a snack sized ziplock bag, put:
1/4 cup instant polenta (Italian ground cornmeal) or grits
Needed At Camp ..read more
Backpacking Technology
1y ago
In some places I think its perfectly fine to have a campfire, but in other places, like alpine areas, its not OK. If you are winter camping a campfire is pretty important, for warmth and for entertainment. Especially for winter camping, you will need to cut some wood for the fire. A folding saw like the Sven saw below is an example of one type of folding saw, and with it you can effortlessly cut logs up to 8" thick. It doesn't tire you out, it folds to a compact size, and is very light weight.
Below that is another type of saw, a pocket chainsaw. These things are useless. To cut wood you have ..read more
Backpacking Technology
1y ago
This is the first time I’ve had this meal, but not the first time I’ve used PackIt Gourmet products. Dried beans are hard to pull off without having little hard pieces in the beans. This chili was obviously dehydrated, but most of the beans were soft and plump, and very tasty. I ate the entire serving and enjoyed it. This dish comes with corn chips for garnish, and grated cheese, and hot sauce. I highly recommend it ..read more
Backpacking Technology
1y ago
I tried a meal from a company which I had never tried before, RightOnTrek. It was Chicken Alfredo Pasta, and it was delicious. I was pleasantly surprised by this meal, and enjoyed the flavor and ease of cooking. This package is for one serving, and to prepare it you:
heat to boiling 6 oz of water
add the dry ingredients to a pot
add the 6 oz of water to the pot
heat for 4-5 minutes
let set for 3 minutes
They offer many dinners, lunches and breakfasts on the website, as well as meal and trip planning.
The RightOnTrek site, at rightontrek.com, has a rather complete backpack planning service, wi ..read more
Backpacking Technology
1y ago
Aqua Mira chemical water treatment
This product is an essential part of your water treatment strategy. It can be a backup to another filter, or can be your main water treatment tool. To use, you add 7 drops of part A to the mixing cup, and 7 drops of part B to the same cup. Swirl the 14 drops around, and let it sit for 7 minutes. Add to 1 liter water, let it sit for 15 minutes. The wait time is the only draw back to the process. The taste of the treated water is better than the original water!
This treatment works in silty water, unlike Steri Pens, does not have batteries to run down, does no ..read more
Backpacking Technology
1y ago
In the 60s and 70s our gear was definitely heavier, but we carried less of it. We didn’t usually carry tents, hammocks, bear canisters, water filters, camp chairs, stoves, or fuel, We hiked the entire JMT cooking on wood fires, and with no freeze dried foods. We often were so hungry that we spent more time in camp cooking and eating.We learned how to cook better on each trip, but generally we had great food. We had a small metal grill which we put between two rocks, with the pot on it, to cook over a fire. The weather in the Sierras was generally clear and dry, so we didn’t need tents and coul ..read more