Bela Sardines
May 28, 2008
The blog never suffers for lack of testers. You’d be amazed at how many people willingly accept gear samples, even though they have to actually wear and use the gear and then tell what they think about it. You’d think that the obligation would drive people off, but the Geargals are dedicated to our mission and will dutifully accept what comes along with it, even if it’s gear samples from the best outdoor gear manufacturers around. It’s touching, really, our commitment to this blog. We know that our willingness to take one for the team helps other women figure out what gear they need.
Our latest venture was to find out whether or not women need sardines. I have to give it to Verde PR out of Durango, Colorado for shamelessly inserting a few cans of Bela sardines into one of their gear shipments to us. As if we’re going to let gear go untested, even if it is tiny, intact fish stuffed into a can with only marginal relevance to our blog mission. And test we did, gathering around with crackers and our highly toned palates to have what one Geargal called a “perfect balance of carbs, fat and protein” (note: that includes the crackers).
We sampled several flavors: the Sardines in Tomato Sauce, the Sardines in Olive Oil, and the Boneless Skinless Sardines in Olive Oil. You will note that there is one constant in all of the above flavors: SARDINES! If you don’t like sardines, you won’t like these sardines. Fair enough, right? But even if you think you don’t like sardines, you might like the boneless skinless version of them, which are really quite tasty and allow the eater to avoid unsettling glimpses of spines and other bony structures. They kind of taste like packaged tuna, only better. See what I mean about highly toned palates? Sometimes it all just comes down to “no icky bones in this kind!”
Even if you love sardines, the downside to taking them on trips is that they’re accompanied by an aluminum can that, once opened, will undoubtedly a) smell like fish for the rest of the trip and b) have to be packed back out. It would also be difficult to carry around leftover sardines since the can isn’t resealable, so you’d have to eat them all in one go. And that might be a chore, because sardines are not as little as I thought they would be. Who knew? People who have tried sardines, that’s who. Anyway, after giving it a little thought, I realized that these little packets of sea life have their uses beyond mere nutrition. You can bring them along on backcountry trips with overamorous partners and not have to worry about ways to repel them – your sardine breath will take care of that. If you really dislike your partner you can stuff the half-empty can into his backpack and just make sure to run faster than he can, or at least get him in between you and the next bear. Just kidding about the bear thing. But after having been on a few trips with that type of partner, I am starting to think that sardines belong in my emergency kit. Unless anyone out there has a “How To Pick Non-Sleazy Backcountry Partners” manual we can review.
Mountain Hardwear Transition Jacket
May 28, 2008
I’d like to pretend that I am systematic and discerning, carefully weighing the pros and cons of each item I review and presenting my findings in an objective and organized manner. However, I think by now my cover is blown and anyone who reads this blog knows that my reviews are based on personal opinion, random emotional reaction, and hard-won experience. Whatever, I know good gear when I see it.
But seriously, I know it’s good gear when it never sees the inside of my closet because I wear it so often, and the Transition jacket is the leader of the pack right now. The simple, one-pocket design gives it a clean, low profile (except when you put something bulky in that one pocket, which is also, weirdly enough, on the back of the jacket. Yep, the back. This is handy for….something, I’m sure) and it’s made of this special Mountain Hardwear miracle fabric that is perfect in any type of weather. I’m not sure if it’s technically “waterproof” but water has yet to seep through it at all (though I admit I have never worn it in a downpour, so bear that in mind).
The fit is just about right – the body is trim, with nice roomy sleeves. Not too long in the torso, but just long enough. It’s got a hood if you’re into that, but the hood stays out of the way if you’re not, a nice plus. The one heartbreaking flaw is that the sleeves are just a wee bit too short and I therefore can’t make use of my favorite feature, the thumbholes. I really love thumbholes even though I don’t believe they serve any useful purpose (well, have YOU ever had a jacket whose sleeves rode up to your elbows if you didn’t use the thumbholes? I didn’t think so), but the too-short sleeves make the Transition’s thumbholes cut off my circulation and leave rather unattractive thumbhole-marks on my hands. So they’re just kind of a useless addendum to this otherwise outstanding jacket. And for ladies with non-ape factor arms, the Transition is probably perfect.
The North Face Tundra Sleeping Bag
May 20, 2008
This thing is a perfect example of why I started this blog. There is no reason anyone else should suffer with this sleeping bag and with this blog I’ve got the vehicle to get the word out. North Face, usually so dependable, must have designed and manufactured this bag on its annual Bring Your Crack To Work Day.
Now for the backstory (settle in, folks). I am a cold sleeper. So cold, in fact, that I carried a North Face Dark Star sleeping bag, rated as -40, for years and years. I don’t really travel or camp in -40 degree weather, so I was warm in that thing, to the point that I could unzip it and still be cozy and comfortable. I reasoned that since I was too warm in the Dark Star, I could safely dial back the temperature rating by getting a -20 bag, and then sleep in a cozy cocoon of perfect temperature regulation. The Dark Star is heavy, so by carrying the Tundra instead, I could ditch about 3 lbs of weight. Good plan, eh?
Terrible! Terrible plan. I got my first inkling of what I was in for on a multi day mountain bike trip. The first night we slept in a cabin, complete with a raging inferno of a wood stove. We headed to our bunks while the cabin was probably about 80 degrees inside. Once the wood stove consumed the remaining fuel and the temperature dropped, I COULD NOT stay warm in the Tundra. I’d estimate the temperature in the cabin dropped as low as 40 degrees, which shouldn’t have been a problem with a -20 bag. But it was a problem, and a big one. I shivered through the miserable night with the sinking feeling that my sleeping bag SUCKED and I was stuck with it for the rest of the trip. And that, dear readers, was the case.
Usually I don’t read other reviews before I post, because I want to keep my opinions unsullied by the experiences of others (my, that sounded pretentious). But this time I checked out some other reviews, because I know I sleep cold and maybe the problem was mine. But no, every other Tundra review I read mentioned that the temperature rating was overly optimistic to the point of being absurd. If you’re camping in someone’s spare room or on a friend’s couch, by all means, feel safe in the knowledge that you’ll be warm in the Tundra. But if you want to ever camp outside, look elsewhere for your protection from the elements. Or just carry it on summer trips, but this is one heavy, bulky summer sleeping bag. So if being cold at night AND carrying heavy, bulky stuff is your idea of a great time, the Tundra is for you. I already know it’s not for me. So, Tundra, I am kicking you to the curb with the sound knowledge that it’s not me, it’s YOU.
DTS Tracker Avalanche Transceiver
May 5, 2008
All right, women’s gear even men can use! Just kidding, everyone can and should use an avalanche beacon when traveling and recreating in avalanche zones. Beacon, probe, shovel, the skills to use them and an equally-equipped partner are mandatory for avalanche terrain. Many people shy away from buying a beacon because of the hefty cost. Yes, beacons are pricey, but they can save your life or the life of your partner, so it’s a no-brainer. Us ladies are blessed with a certain je ne sais quoi that statistically makes us less likely to be caught in an avalanche, but it can happen, and it can happen to Other People too, so we’d better be able to help when we can. So, smart Geargals carry beacons and don’t go into the backcountry with people who don’t.
The DTS Tracker is the cheapest and therefore most accessible and most-used beacon (also called a transceiver by the coolest of the cool in the backcountry set), but cheapest doesn’t mean bad. I’ve heard it said that the Tracker is the beacon of choice for beginner users because it is almost entirely intuitive once it’s in search mode. The display indicates the approximate distance to the subject along the flux line (it’s going to be up to you to read and learn about flux lines and proper beacon use) and the five LED lights indicate which approximate direction the user needs to walk to get to the victim. Follow the lights until the numbers don’t get any smaller. Easy enough. It takes a little practice to become proficient, and proficient you must be when lives are on the line, so please don’t shirk your responsibility to get out there and learn the ins and outs of your beacon.
There are a few things about the Tracker that I don’t like. First, the LED lights are seriously bright. So bright that they pretty much blind the user if it’s dark outside. For this reason alone, I am switching to another beacon, but I practice beacon skills many times a week for search and rescue training, and it’s dark in Alaska a lot in the winter which means I end up using my beacon in the dark all the time. I get tired of walking around with a big white spot in my vision for an hour after a beacon drill. It would really be a bad situation to have to try to dig someone out of an avalanche while trying to recover one’s night vision, but most people will not be conducting a beacon search after dark.
The other issue is the harness. Does any manufacturer make a comfortable harness, especially for women? The answer is probably no, but that didn’t stop me from contacting DTS to discuss the possibility of designing a better harness for female users of the Tracker. DTS evidently wasn’t interested since they didn’t write back, so I feel very free to complain about the dreadful harness that comes with the Tracker. It goes over one shoulder and then attaches around the waist. It’s not so bad if that’s all you’re carrying and you have a shirt with a high neck, but if you either carry a lot of stuff (pack, radio harness, etc.) or have the great fortune to ski in weather good enough for T-shirts, you will suffer with the Tracker harness. And if you need to wear the Tracker, you also need your pack with your probe and shovel in it, RIGHT? Without a high-necked shirt, the abrasive nylon strab rubs my neck raw and more importantly, annoys the hell out of me. Because the harness is made for larger people (read: men), it doesn’t allow much room for other things like backpacks and other gear to be worn at the same time as the beacon. The beacon wants to sit right where your pack waist strap is supposed to go. With a radio harness and pack on in addition to the beacon, the beacon gets pushed down by all the other straps and starts dragging at my shoulder, which is seriously uncomfortable over a full day of skiing or training. My MO has been to remove the Tracker from its harness and drop it into the velcro pocket of my radio harness, which isn’t the safest option but that’s how I roll, y’all. It’s better than walking like Quasimodo at the end of the day. In any case, if you’re wearing the Tracker in its harness even under the most benign load-carrying conditions, the poor design of the harness makes it guaranteed to sag, shift, get in the way, and generally annoy you. If you’re really, really small, the harness probably won’t even adjust small enough to fit you even remotely decently. DTS has also kindly sewn a big ol’ label onto the shoulder strap that interferes with adjustment for smaller folk. I’ve even had other skiers look at the harness askance and comment that the harness doesn’t fit me very well. Yes, I know, thank you – now, DTS, how about doing something about it?
One more thing (soapbox alert!) for those of you tempted to find a good craigslist or eBay deal on a beacon – don’t. This is your life and the lives of your loved ones (or at least, people you like just enough to go to the backcountry with). Don’t risk a malfunctioning beacon. Lay down your hard earned cash for a new beacon, and always practice with it and test it every time you use it.
