Did you know that by simply replacing the MSR stainless steel pot I have been using since 2006 with a Vargo titanium pot I could save over a pound of weight? I didn’t either, until the other day when I started geeking out on backpacking kitchenware. It’s not something I’ve thought much about in the past, you know, how heavy my pots are. Now, I’m all a jitter because I figured out an easy way to save a ton of weight.
Of course, simply working out, losing the chub that has developed over the past few years in my gut and getting in shape would probably be a more effective way of getting ready for a 215 mile hike. Well my friends, that is not the American way and you all know how patriotic I am, so I will be buying a titanium pot. Thank you very much.
All this geeking out, as I mentioned, made me gitty. And when I get gitty about something I tend to talk to those around me about those things. I did this at the bike shop and I was accused of being a triathlete. you know, because the conversation is the same. The only difference is the gear that is being geeked out on.
OK. Whatever. I’m a triathlete that doesn’t run or swim. Fine!
I’m a dirty, bearded, cup-carrying, ironic-hat-wearing hobo triathlete that wanders around in the desert in the quest for visions.
Geeking out is quickly becoming one of my favorite past times. Of course, my favorite “sitting at home” past time is typing on this stupid computer and sharing my vast expanse of knowledge with the world. Seeing that I will be playing Moses for nearly a month with no access to internet and only a few spots where I will be able to plug-in to anything, I started geeking out on ways to be able to write while in the backcountry.
I hope it goes without saying that there is no way, in this day and age, that one can “write” without some sort of computer device.
So, I started trying to figure out how I was going to take notes, store photos, do stuff that normally happens at the end of the trip and I return to my home. To my surprise, there are quite a few solutions for this. Of course, you can’t trip in any store these days without falling and cutting your head on a cheap tablet. This makes the device part easy. It’s the “oh shit it runs on batteries and I won’t be near a plug” part that is a problem.
Or so I thought.
I was blown away by how many different solar panel charging systems are currently available. Shit, I even found a little stove/fan thing that converted fire into USB rechargeability.
And there’s a picture to prove it to you. That is the 2/3 of the first row of a search for “Solar” on Backcountry.com. Which pretty much means, I didn’t have to do hardly anything to find six different devices that will solve the problem of losing power on my beautiful little “writing” device in the wilderness.
Being the geek that I am, I quickly started scheming on how to purchase one of the many options. Weighing out the advantages and disadvantages of each. Which one was the lightest? Do I need to be able to roll it up? Will it fully charge my table on a day’s worth of sun?
In the midst of all these questions, one popped up that I wasn’t expecting. Why don’t you just carry a notebook and a pencil? Boom! Going old school. That’s like everyone being excited about film and Polaroid cameras. I just take a pencil and a small notebook and I can take notes on them. It would be like Moses tapping out the commandments on those stone tablets. (Because you know, stone tables were Moses’ equivalent of our paper)
And then I got to thinking. And I thought, “Self, why are there all of these devices available? Isn’t the whole point of being in the wilderness to be cut off from modern conveniences and experience life in all of its uncomfortableness?” (I don’t tend to worry about whether a word exists when I am talking to myself)
A thought that brought the whole geeking session to a quick stand still. I didn’t have a good answer that would let me continue to worry about having my tablet and being able to type instead of write. And while I may still be on the fence about bringing a “device” with me (I mean come on, you can bring a whole library of books, maps, music and a notepad for like a fraction of the weight), I’m not completely sold on the idea.
But one thing is concrete, I will be purchasing a titanium pot.
P. L. and R.
And yes, I realize that I recycled that photo from Interbike and I left the caption just to see if you were paying attention.