Cirro Jacket-Brooks Range Gear Review

I tested and did a review on this excellent but somewhat pricey jacket over at my other blog:
http://brawnyview.blogspot.com


The actual product page with the company's own specs can be found at:
http://brooks-range.com/cirro-jacket.html




I love this jacket and plan to take it with me on my drive out west. I'll be gone for six months and put over 5,000 miles on behind the wheel.

This jacket will be my mainstay because of the warmth to weight ratio, how sharp it looks, and the generous pockets. It really packs down small, feels luxurious, and never binds. That's very important on road trips. I believe it will look great with jeans.

I have the small jacket. For my personal thoughts on the sizing, check out my other blog. Basically, when in doubt, take the next larger size. I have a small, it weighs 10.6 ounces.

How to Buy a Sleeping Bag

I watched Oprah the other day as they prepared to go camping in Yosemite.

It was hard to image she had never gone camping in her life. Ever.

So, in preparation, off she and Gail go to REI to buy stuff. The camera crew comes as well, and they look at tents (they end up with a state of the art pop up camper) and then they look at sleeping bags.

Now I know the show was not really instructional, but more an entertainment and message to blacks: get out more!

Nothing was said about down versus synthetic bags, men or women's sizing, temperature ratings, or care of this major purchase. Of course, Oprah can afford anything she wants, and it appears she and Gail both chose by color only. The sleeping bags looked very fluffy, so I'm guessing an upper end power fill goose down bag rated about 10 degrees. I believe Oprah's was a Big Agnes. I don't recall them mentioning Gail's brand name.

Anyways, I thought I'd offer a little insight into my experiences buying bags.

First off, get one that fits, more like a glove than an over sized sweatshirt. The body must heat all the air space in the bag so the closer the fit the less air space being warmed. I prefer a mummy style bag over a rectangular bag for this reason.

If its too tight, you'll be cramped and end up stiff in the morning.

I always suggest a 30 degree bag for general use. A twenty degree bag is over kill for late spring into fall weather. A forty degree bag means bringing warm clothing in all but low elevations summer camping.

Most bag ratings are optimistic. Many people, women in particular, say they sleep cold.

Sure, a bedtime snack of nuts and jerky will help you sleep warm because of the extra calories, but having a thirty degree bag makes sense.

If you decide to go winter camping, take a fleece liner for your bag, or invest in an ultralight quilt for a topper. I've used a 40 degree synthetic quilt (weighing 16 ounces) over my 30 degree down bag (weighing 24 ounces) for winter camping with great results.

When choosing a bag, spend a little extra money for a high quality bag. You can and should wash it after a lot of use, to restore the loft. Body oils penetrate the bag lining which causes the feathers to clump, which makes the down shift and cause cold spots.

Both synthetic and down bags benefit from washing after several years. Wash in mild detergent, being sure to get all the soap out. A front loading wash machine works great. Then, put a clean tennis shoe in the dry with the bag and tumble to near dry. Follow manufacturers recommendations.

I've always followed the four layers rule for protecting my sleeping bag from moisture like rain and snow when backpacking. Line your stuff bag with a plastic bag. Stuff the sleeping bag into this, twist the plastic bag shut, then close the stuff sack completely. Place into the pack, preferably not at the bottom, and use a good pack cover.

Protect your sleeping bag as you do your life. It is your main defense against hypothermia.

If you follow the 4-Layers rule above, the decision to buy synthetic or power down fill (800-850) will be based upon:

1-Economics. A superior bag will cost several hundred dollars, but will last many long trails. A good synthetic bag can be had for just over a hundred.

2-Weight. Ultralight backpackers will opt for power fill because not only is the weight incredibly low, it packs down so it can fit in a smaller pack, saving additional weight on the pack itself. If you pack it tight, remember to immediately pull it from the stuff sack when ever possible to restore loft. Shake it out, hang it up.

3-Location. Some fear getting a down bag wet, making it "useless", listening to the adage that a synthetic bag is warm when wet. Not true. A damp down bag will dry with body heat. So, on the wet Appalachian Trail people think synthetic, and on the Pacific Crest Trail they're more inclined to down. Once I changed from synethetic to down, I never went back. Again 4 layers.

4-Color. I always chose earth colors because of the stealth and safety factor.

A sleeping bag is one of the greatest investments you'll make in outdoor gear selection. Try it on if you can before purchasing, and be prepared for sticker shock. Remember, with proper care, they will last a long time.

New Hobo Gear Page

My http://brawnyview.blogspot.com/

has a new page added, The Hobo Series. On that page I have embedded five different videos I have made for my

http://www.youtube.com/user/brawny03

http://www.youtube.com/user/brawny03 channel.

My first project was an ultralight wood burning stove made from a tin can.I used simple tools: a hammer, a regular screw driver, and some heavy work gloves.

When I completed the stove, I found it only weighed 3.5 ounces. When I used it on the Foothills Trail, I did not need to bring fuel, a pot support, or windscreen. This was a good trade off in terms of weight.

Because it did rain a little, I had to select my fuel from branches that were off the ground. Once the fire is going, it is easy to maintain indefinitely. This is really handy for folks that love endless piping hot cups of coffee, and a simple campfire which takes little fuel.

You can keep this stove system in a plastic bag which is then placed into a ditty bag. I found it to be very useful.

Preparing the Peanut Butter Jar for Trail

I heated water in my coffee pot just to pour into these two plastic jars. Once the near boiling water was in the container, I screwed on the lids so that they would maintain their shapes.

The plastic will shrink, and deform if the lid is not used in this process.

I allow the water to completely cool before dumping it.

This plastic container is very useful in an ultralight cook set. The lid can become a spoon holder, the plastic a mixer, coffee cup, or solar cooker.

I used a plastic peanut butter jar extensively when I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail.

In the desert, I discovered solar cooking with my empty peanut butter jar. Ramen noodles were broken into bite size pieces, placed in the jar and covered with water. This filled jar was placed in the sun for about an hour, and became the perfect afternoon lunch. Many days when the temperatures soared over 100 degrees, resting during the heat of the day, and hiking til near sunset became the method of operation, allowing us to make good miles while carrying only 5 quarts of water for the long stretches. During this resting and waiting period a person could solar cook and take a nap.

Later in the Sierras, a couple friends and I crested a snow covered Forester Pass. At 13,000 plus-feet it is the highest point on the PCT. As we began our decent down its slope, we stopped in the snow for a home made ice cream break. We each pulled out our trusty empty peanut butter jars and each a package of hot coco powder mix. We filled our containers with snow, each emptied a package of hot coco mix into it. Stirring with the trail spoon, our ice cream was complete.

This larger plastic container is from instant coffee. Either one could be used in a hobo cook set. Because they contained dry goods, not liquids, they can't be considered leak proof, but will make a great powdered pudding shaker, too.

Final Day Packless System

I call the above clip the Nitty Gritty. If you've been following along and perhaps even revamping your external frame, today is the day we put it all together.

It can get a little strange at first, making sure everything is secure, will carry well and fits. Silnylon is slippery, so having the main bag full creates a ledge for the top bag to rest on. This helps when cinching it down.

As you can see in the video, my tent is in a long skinny bag. This helps keep things on as well. If you want, you can add the anchoring loops in the long seam as well to pass the cinching straps through.

You can use bags that are not necessarily waterproof. Just be prepared to cover with a pack cover. You can get ultralight silnylon pack covers at Campmor for a very reasonable price.

Even if all you bags are waterproof, pack covers are recommended. Those three day rains on the Appalachian Trail have a way of soaking everything unless you seriously compensate. I always line the stuff sack which will contain the sleeping bag and sleeping clothes with a plastic bag.

Its good to have this project completed. Write me if you have any questions.

Make a Gear Loft or Survival Cabin

Today I hiked up to my new survival shelter on top of what locals call "clear cut mountain". Years ago the trees were all logged leaving just a few trees on steep slopes. Now, all the trees are small and spaced close enough together so I could chose a grouping to create a cabin style shelter. I saw an old Appalachian Trail Shelter similar to this: no floor and open on one side. I decided not to sleep in it on my thru hike, prefering to use my tent.

To build my survival shelter, I found long dead branches and layered them log cabin style. This fall I'll continue to visit my shelter utilizing the fallen leaves for bedding and insulation.

I made this gear loft from an onion sack. The directions are posted on my other blog Brawnyview. It only weighs 6 grams, less than 1/4 ounce. Easy to make, and inexpensive, this alternative gear project is simple enough for anyone to tackle with success.

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Thanks for reading.