Following on from earlier, here are some more photos from my visit to the Callanish
Standing Stones on New Year’s Eve 2009. The weather lightened up and s...
Sunday, November 30, 2008
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About Me
- Jason Klass
- Denver, Colorado, United States
- I'm a fanatic when it comes to backpacking gear and DIY projects. This is my "e-soapbox" for sharing my ongoing discoveries and ideas about all things related to backpacking, hiking, snowshoeing, and camping. If you have similar interests, feel free to connect with me. Please give me your feedback by leaving comments and be sure to check out the archives too!
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Interview with Jason Klass
In this podcast, Jerry Schleining from the Scoutmaster Minute interviews me about DIY gear and my thoughts on commercial backpacking gear
What's Happening in the Backpacking Blogosphere
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Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) kits, or young, playing and play-fighting, sunset, on the coastal plain, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, ANWR, Alaska.
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Spring is making me start to think about planning some hiking trips. With a family these vacations need to include more than a backpack and tent. REI, y...
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Backpacker Magazine has an article out featuring recipes submitted by their readers. This is a great article for other readers to see what kind of recipes ...
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I just received my GooseFeet. I’ve been looking for a product like this for years. The perfect sleeping socks for the cold footed camper. That would be ...
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Last year Mora of Sweden decided to discontinue the Mora #510 and #545 model knives from their line. Since then they have still been fairly easy to find bu...
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In the winter, I love to walk, hike, trail run… you name it. I have had several people ask me how I stay active in the winter, and frankly, it is pretty si...
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A good loss this week. I am kind of surprised to see it too. Yesterday Was my fathers 60th birthday and I made a 100% homemade carrot cake. I made it Mo...
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Kooka Bay UL pillow arrived today, very light weight and compact, hopefully won't be too long before I can get out on the trail and test it out. More info ...
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I normally ignore PR mail that I receive but this one concerns an area of the Country, that I have a soft spot for. An invitation to explore Swanage & Purb...
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I’m a little sorry to keep harping on Anza-Borrego here, but I really want to let LA hikers know about this little gem to our southeast. Also, the wildflow...
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Like Hendrik, I had the chance to get away for a quick over night trip. The focus of the trip was very much on testing some gear for up coming longer tr...
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Last Sunday, I took a break from the woods and went fossil hunting. The area I went to was Walton-on-the-Naze in Essex, which is about an hour away from wh...
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Last week I upgraded to a new REI 1.3 L titanium pot with a non stick coating for easy cleanup. For years, all I did was boil water for freezer bag meals o...
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In january the entire family went on skiing vacation to Orsa Grönklitt in Dalarna, Sweden. From experience I knew that transporting the children back and f...
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With our base camp established somewhere over 8,000' and a well earned night's sleep behind us, it was time to get down to the business of training. The ne...
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Canada Geese Finally, the geese have come *back* to Carpenter Lake Nature Park! Today is the beginning of a wonderful time! Even though yesterday started ...
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Today was maintenance day for my old 2003 Specialized Stumpy FSR. Very little of this bike is stock anymore. Basically just the frame, fork, and rear sho...
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Hey Everyone, What a killer day. I spent the day talking fly with two of the most respected fly fishers in the sport. Not only did Anthony Hipps show me ...
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Recently I had mentioned how we picked up some new items from Frontier Foods Co-op. New recipes were developed to see how they worked and here are two of t...
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In my recent trip to the Wallawas one of my fellow hikers brought along a little fire starter with a flint. It involves vaseline and cotton balls.
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Can’t imagine I’ll get any hiking done this weekend, as we’re moving to our new place. Next weekend, though, I should be all settled in and ready get out t...
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Drove to Grendon, just outside Northampton. The tarp was set up in no time at all and a meal on the go. Then over to the pub for the evening. A pretty cold...
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Balloon Pump on a Diet About 4 years ago when I first starting playing with the idea of making my own Down Air Mattress or Balloon Bed I looked for a light...
6 comments:
I've experimented with different pack stays as I didn't like the way the carbon fibre rods pulled the sack away from the top of my back. I've tried aluminium rods (shaped to my back) and nylon rods.
http://blogpackinglight.wordpress.com/2008/06/03/gg-mariposa-plus/
I think the nylon rods are the best and a definite improvment on the carbon and aluminium ones. I've been in contact with Gossamer Gear and they are trying them out. The GG aluminium yoke is unlikely to appear as they can't find a manufacturer.
http://blogpackinglight.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/winners-and-losers/
Wait, I'm confused. You say the nylon are better than the aluminum but the new GG prototypes are aluminum (I have the prototype version now). Am I missing something?
GG have been playing about with aluminium ones but can't find a manufacturer. I got fed up waiting so I made my own. At the same time as ordering the aluminium stays, I ordered some nylon rod. I tried the aluminium ones in the summer and they were an improvment on the carbon fibre ones, but tended to twist. I used the nylon ones in Novmeber and to my surprise found them to be better. Because they flex, they seem to allow the pack to move more naturally. Other manufacturers such as Osprey have used similar materials for frame stays. I contacted Grant at GG and he is now trying a pair out. They cost next to nothing and are worth trying. Hope that explains the sequence of events!
Yes, thanks for explaining. Are the nylon ones straight or curved?
They are straight, but are flexible. Vertically they are quite rigid but horizontally they flex, if that makes sense. Although I bent the aluminium stays into a lazy "S" shape and they fit the curvature of my back better, they have no flex and therefore the pack feels quite rigid (although comfortable) on my back. They nylon ones flex as I walk and I find are more comfortable. This is similar to the old style Osprey Aether 60 that I have, which is also fabulously comfortable.
Great idea Jason (and thank your wife for me). I've been using the compression cord on the back of the Mariposa Plus but it's been getting in the way. This configuration makes a lot more sense.
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