Great Hikes and nice beaches one hour north of San Francisco.
Stinson Beach
Sculpin at Duxbury Reef Tidepools
Getting through the surf to paddle board
Relaxing in the Sand
Duxbury Reef Tidepools
Duxbury Reef Tidepools
Duxbury Reef Tidepools
Duxbury Reef Tidepools
Duxbury Reef Tidepools
Duxbury Reef Tidepools
Mt Tam above Stinson beach lagoon
Duxbury Reef Trail head
Bay Area from Mt Tam Coast View Trail
San Andreas Fault along the Estuary behind Stinston Beach
Coast View Trail, Mt Tam
Filed under Oware Backpacking Gear
Some of nylon’s stretch can be mitigated by how the fabric pieces are cut out. Curves etc. in seams and hems can help maintain shape. I far as I know, nylon is still the fabric of choice for shock absorption (parachutes, ropes) and does a good job for shelters suddenly loaded by wind or snow.
It does sag a bit at times from temperature drops or moisture. In something like a pyramid tarp, having a method for adjusting the pole upward to take up slack from within the shelter is nice. If your tarp pole is not adjustable, this could be as simple as having a stone handy to place underneath the pole. If you use outside shear poles, reaching under the hem and pulling the two pole bottoms inward can do the same.
Two wooden poles can be lasted to hold the tarp up from outside.
Be sure in any case or fabric type you stake out the hem in the right shape. On a symmetrical 4 sided mid, a diamond shape instead of a perfect square will produce saggy walls with any fabric. Floored shelters are easier to get the stake out pattern correct. On a floorless shelter you could tie tiny cords corner to corner to insure proper and repeatable layouts.
Plastazote Foam
Winter Thickness of 1/2″ (1.3mm)
Dark Grey
Closed Cell Foam Waterproof to a Hydrostatic Head of 3500 mm.
Will not go flat if punctured.
One of the lightest options for your PCT thru hike.
Add it to your summer pad for a winter trip.
R value of 2.
Without dimples or ridges that collect snow in your snow shelter or rain under your tarp and soak your sleeping bag.
Stuffsack (with strap loop for outside carry on your pack or on top of your bike panniers) available on some sizes. Drawstring has keeper mitten hook for outside carry of pad on pack. Stuffsack weight 1 oz.
Use the double wide in hammocks, for two people, or trim and layer for one person to extra width or cushioning.
Three sizes from two person width to torso size.
Torso size 20x40x1/2″ –weight 5 ounces
One person size 20x60x1/2″ –weight 7.5 ounces
Two person size 40x60x1/2″ –weight 15 ounces
Available in the USA only due to shipping costs on bulky items.
Free Shipping in the USA.
http://shop.bivysack.com/Foam-1-2-Thick-130mm-Sleeping-Pads-1FoamWinter.htm
On many Outward Bound courses, toilet paper was left at home and local natural items substituted to cut down on backcountry environmental impact. In some desert environs, where the most popular substitutes of snow or vegetation weren’t available, toilet paper was carried and then burned or carried out. It should be obvious (but unfortunately not to all) that burning toilet paper is a great hazard in forest fire conditions, so carrying it out was then prefered.
In some damper times and places, burning works well. Here is what I like to bring (in addition to using snow and other substitutes). Weighs 23 grams and is enough for 2 weeks.
Tiny cuben fiber stuffsack lined with thin plastic for water tightness.
14 half sheets of paper towel (more durable than tp and burns readily)
7 feet of jute cord
I cut a 6″ section of the jute cord and fuzz it up and use it to catch a spark from a mish metal flint which then catches the paper towel and with care will burn the whole thing to ash.
I bought 4 MSR ground hog stakes for my family to use with a pyramid tarp.
This is a quick simple case you can make to protect the rest of your gear from the stake points.
No drawcord, just a bit of cordura with an opening partly down one side. With 50 feet of light nylon or polyester cord to tie around rocks, logs and trees, I have what I need to anchor the tent in heavy weather.
Filed under Do It Yourself, pyramid tarp, Tips for the Backcountry
Counter Balance Food Hang
How to hang food using the counter balance with retrieval cord method.
Pick appropriate tree and branch. In bad bear areas a proper tree may dictate where you camp. As you near timber line there may not be tall enough trees, so you must plan ahead. The limb should be about 20+ feet from the ground. Higher is better as bears are less likely to jump off a limb onto the bags if they know they will take a long fall. The bags should hang about 10′ out from the tree. Where the rope goes over the limb, the diameter of the limb should be about the size of your wrist or smaller. Larger and they can climb out the limb, smaller and they can break or chew through the limb. Some bears can get any food hang too. Check with local authorities about food storage methods. Food hangs work best with wild bears that have some fear of humans.
Camping with groups, we had to hang as much as 200 lbs of food each evening. It can take several hours, and several trees, to do it right for that much food. A bear resistant canister may be a safer and easier choice for some folks.
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Hear are some custom food hang bags by Oware. Ultralight silnylon and noseeum net made for BackpackingLight.com, and heavy Cordura ones made for various Outdoor Schools.
Note the bright orange throw sacks for holding a rock when setting up, and the cord when not in use. Orange is easier to find if you have a bad throw.
The heavy bags use a reflective loop on the bottom (for a retrieval cord) that can be quickly seen at night with a flashlight when checking for suspicious bear like sounds.
Grateful to a customer who sent these photos of a FlatTarp set up at several campsites.
Flat tarp 7×9 finished size. A solo tarp shelter for 1 person. 12 reinforced web tie outs around hem, and 1 tie out centered in ridgeline. Price includes shipping in the USA, and a stuff sack. 30 Denier Silnylon with stuffsack weighs 12.4 oz. Free shipping in the USA. Works great with a bivy sack for all weather protection. Notes- fabric is NOT flame retardant, keep away from heat and flame.
FlatTarp7x9
FlatTarp7x9 center tie out
flattarp7x9 edge tie out
http://shop.bivysack.com/product.sc?productId=107&categoryId=6
Filed under backpacking tarps, flattarp, Oware Backpacking Gear, oware tarps
Central Washington. A short, steep, 1 mile hike to the top for desert views from steamboat rock. Large reservoir with coots and geese. Very tidy campground.
Steamboat rock at sunrise
Lake from steamboat rock
steamboatrock-coots
Mini-mid at Steamboat Rock State Park. 7×7 ft made to fit on top of National Park service rafting frames for river guides on the Grand Canyon.
Filed under Oware Backpacking Gear, pyramid tarp
Use a 12″ or longer piece of 2-3 mm cord. Use a 2 wrap prussic knot on the Line Lock. Form a loop in the cord.
Girth hitch (Larks Foot) the loop around the tarp or tent tie out.
Buy linelocs here
http://shop.bivysack.com/product.sc?productId=88&categoryId=10
Oware 
