tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80794709944591354152024-03-09T21:46:31.518-05:00LIGHT & ULTRALIGHT BACKPACKINGJolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.comBlogger214125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-85368307583493518762015-05-20T03:24:00.000-04:002015-05-20T03:24:00.556-04:00Outdoor Products 30L Shasta Weather Defense Backpack
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Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-7641580035855719632014-12-17T06:00:00.000-05:002014-12-17T06:00:07.304-05:00GIVEAWAY RESULTS: Paleo Meals To Go
As announced several weeks ago, Paleo Meals To Go (https://www.paleomealstogo.com) offered one of my readers with the opportunity to try one of their great products via a random giveaway. The offer was for one (1) Nomad Bundle (3-meals valued at $36!).
The winner is: JOHN! (Since we had two entires from people named John, the winner is the candidate with the Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-20811017756330007142014-12-10T09:54:00.000-05:002014-12-10T09:54:00.627-05:00Emberlit FireAnt Three-Fuel Folding Titanium Stove (2.8oz)
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Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-23803102516553240192014-12-03T09:28:00.000-05:002014-12-03T11:15:21.573-05:00JetBoil MiniMo
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Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-45479141512016056212014-11-22T08:57:00.002-05:002014-11-22T09:04:07.919-05:00Paleo Meals To Go and GIVEAWAY!!
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Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-92137162431956886282014-10-25T12:11:00.003-04:002014-10-25T12:11:44.931-04:00WINNER of the Outgo PT Pod Fitness/Utility Sport Towel by McNett is…
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Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-15678987674249667122014-10-18T08:26:00.000-04:002014-10-18T11:48:04.854-04:00WINNER of the Sili-Dripper Lightweight Coffee Filter Giveaway is....
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Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-65482992583609255262014-10-08T09:11:00.000-04:002014-10-10T16:07:33.184-04:00Outgo – PT Pod (Sport Towel) & GIVEAWAY(!!!)
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Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-19240011956908064072014-09-27T08:16:00.000-04:002014-09-27T17:15:09.775-04:00Sili-Dripper - Lightweight Coffee Filter & GIVEAWAY
If you’re anything like my wife, your day can’t start properly without coffee. The inherent problem in the backcountry is that there are few lightweight, safe and convenient options to get your java kick. Some suggest lugging around battery-powered gizmos while others encourage potential burns by holding filters. Then there is “Cowboy Coffee” – placing the grounds straight in the water, Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-16661643694618875132014-07-11T17:45:00.000-04:002014-07-12T06:18:05.572-04:00Emberlit Three Fuel Stove
If you backpack with me at my current age, the first thing you’ll
likely notice is that I have no interest in running down the trail. For me, if I had to rush past the sights and
smells, I probably wouldn’t go backpacking.
If I spend a minute or two observing a blooming flower, a uniquely
shaped tree, a rare and spotted salamander, or having a starring contest with a
bear or deer, Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-45737372782527057142014-06-27T08:25:00.004-04:002014-06-27T08:25:56.799-04:00And the Winner of the StrapSound Bluetooth Speaker is......
As mentioned in my previous blog, RuggedTec (www.ruggedtec.com) generously offered to give one of their StrapSound bluetooth speakers to a reader of my blog.
Congratulations to the winner selected at random ----------------------- Josh Mitchell.
Josh - please contact me through my blog and leave a message anywhere with your name, address, and e-mail. I will NOT publish Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-17839623376914710732014-06-12T18:25:00.003-04:002014-06-15T06:46:52.168-04:00Meet the StrapSound Lightweight Bluetooth Speaker - and Enter to Win
RuggedTec (www.ruggedtec.com) generously offered me
the opportunity to review one of their bluetooth speaker systems in exchange
for this review. I elected to review the
StrapSound
bluetooth speaker which is a product marketed towards cyclists, but is
quite honestly very applicable to many other activities.
Packaging of the StrapSound
was well conceived and elegant. It
Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-83699377844144790612014-04-19T12:52:00.002-04:002014-04-19T12:55:06.039-04:00Ultralight Backpacking Spoon (and it's free)
I knew the sickness had taken hold when a week after ordering an expensive 14 gram titanium spoon, I promptly ordered another singularly because it was only 9 grams. That's right, an "extra" 5 grams was simply too much for me to lug around a moment longer.
And shortly thereafter following months of evasive therapy, I learned that these kinds of little things didn't really matter, Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-10484368299168203502014-03-10T10:30:00.001-04:002014-03-10T10:30:59.942-04:00Inexpensive Lightweight Down Vest
Yesterday it was 67 degrees at my house in central Virginia and later
this week the weather is promising more of the same. This is a bit odd in my neck of the woods for
two reasons. First, the average high in
March is in the 50’s. Secondly, we’ve
had two snowstorms in the last two weeks and the lows have dipped into the
teens and twenties almost every night. Fortunately,
Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-6085962503118058582013-12-28T08:58:00.001-05:002013-12-28T08:58:07.050-05:00Gossamer Gear Q-Twinn Tarp and Ultralight Storage Bag
Gossamer Gear was one of the
first cottage manufacturers to bring lightweight backpacking gear to the
masses. At the time, they embraced
silnylon and spinnaker fabric. In the
following years, while quantities often ran small, what stayed consistent were thoughtful
and functional designs and well made products.
Gossamer Gear continues to press into the cuben fiber market, Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-93408318452610252013-12-11T02:00:00.000-05:002013-12-11T02:00:02.977-05:00Gossamer Gear Air Beam Sleeper
In the not too distant past, I raved about a very small cottage
manufacturer of sleeping pads. I won’t
mention the company here, because unfortunately the owner/operator fell behind
on his work and his solution was to keep taking orders (customer money) without
providing a product. His business is now
defunct.
One of the products he offered was something that the Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-85505284749749023002013-12-04T07:24:00.005-05:002013-12-04T07:24:58.356-05:00BIO EARTH RUNNERS SANDAL
Michael Dally with Earth Runners
was kind enough to send me sample of their new Bio
Earth Runners Sandal which is currently associated with a Kickstarter campaign. If you choose to contribute, sandals start at
$60 (or 20% off). Orders will be taken
throughout December and dispatched in January.
After January, they will be available on the Earth Runner website (Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-37864639172911228792013-11-24T16:20:00.001-05:002013-11-24T16:20:09.425-05:00MLD / Klymit Pillow X (1.9oz/$30)
While I’m not
sure the perfect backpacking pillow exists just yet, Mountain Laurel Designs teamed
with Klymit to offer a very viable option in the form of MLD’s Pillow
X.
Pillow
X is a 1.9oz/$30 pillow that uniquely has an “X” chamber design which
enables the users head to be cradled in a manner standard backpacking pillows simply
can’t offer. It valleys in the middle to
alsoJolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-5466650440619641292013-10-23T04:49:00.000-04:002013-10-23T04:49:00.899-04:00Sawyer Mini Water Filtration System
The folks over at Sawyer
were kind enough to let me test drive their new Sawyer
Mini Water Filtration System ($18-$25/2oz).
The “mini” was a bit of a surprise to me because Sawyer seemed to
already be leading the industry with the Sawyer Squeeze Filter which received
quite a bit of press in the last year.
The beauty of both systems is that they are reliable, effective, and
flexibleJolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-15538415339120362282013-10-01T01:30:00.000-04:002013-10-01T17:39:47.967-04:00Gossamer Gear Warm Sack
At the recent Jolly Green Giant
National Lightweight Backpacking Symposium and Convention, participants
reviewed the Gossamer
Gear Warm Sack ($14.95/(17g). All
participants, to include me, myself, and I, unanimously agreed by verbal attestation
and hand-raised oath, that the Gossamer Gear Warm
Sack was deserving of the highly prized Saved
A Few Grams Award.
The Gossamer
Gear Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-53289451595613395542013-09-07T18:52:00.003-04:002013-09-08T06:33:29.179-04:00Luke's Ultralight Gore-Tex Limited Edition Shell
When I was growing up, I was always at the front or back of the line in
school when headed out for recess. When
picking sports teams, especially basketball, I was always picked first. When someone needed help moving, I was always
reluctantly volunteered. When it came to
family photos, I was always in the middle/back.
When ordering airline seats, I always look for an Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-28999023351905774692013-07-10T01:00:00.001-04:002013-07-10T06:58:30.818-04:00County Comm
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margin-right:Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-71046363962497500352013-07-03T02:00:00.000-04:002013-07-03T06:58:32.440-04:00CleverHiker.com
In December
I wrote an article about Dave Collins of CleverHiker.com
from Portland Oregon who was working on a series of tutorial videos concerning lightweight
backpacking. If you are an avid reader
of backpacking blogs, you’ve likely seen a handful of articles recently about
his series.
So why does CleverHiker.com
deserve any airtime, or more clearly, your attention and Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-52971688977313761892013-06-26T01:00:00.000-04:002013-06-26T01:00:05.274-04:004Sevens Titanium Whistle
Looking for possibly the smallest and lightest whistle on the market? Well, check out the Titanium Whistle by 4Sevens. It is an investment at $20, but the return is a 100 decibel pea-less whistle about the size of a few wooden matches. It weighs .2 oz, or 5.6 grams. As far as I know, this is the most elite of whistles for lightweight backpackers – small, Jolly Green Gianthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02784130095157180086noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8079470994459135415.post-87168213457169969562013-06-19T03:58:00.000-04:002013-06-19T03:58:00.607-04:00REVIEW - Vasque Mindbender Trail Running Shoe
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