Opportunities

To those of you who have followed this blog, or checked in on more than one occasion I wanted to give you a chance to see where some new writing is going to be taking place.  Some changes have come in the last few months, but they are good changes with more exposure.

I was recently approached about doing some writing for a new Blog on the Seek Outside website.  I decided to jump on the chance and am lucky to get to write with some good people. Below you will find a link and my first blog there will be coming out sometime next week.

Seek Outside Blog

My First Blog for SO


Recently I also had an opportunity to write for Rokslide.com about Antelope hunting.  I focused in how best to hunt rutting bucks while they are behaving in a territorial manner.  Plenty of pictures and some of a couple of my kills.  Go take a look.

Rokslide Antelope Page


So, if I am blogging other places, where does that leave this page. My intentions are to keep this blog primarily for gear reviews, and subject matter that I don't want perceived to have a company name behind it.  Do my best not to be a hometown fan.

This will also be a place where I want to share just plan good photos that most from the hunting community will enjoy.  Pictures speak a thousand words and sometimes all that is needed is a small caption to let the audience enjoy.  My hope is that you will enjoy my growth as a hunting photographer and keep visiting for that reason.

Coming Blogs

Hey all,
First I want to say thank you to all who have visited the blog and continue to do so. The viewership continues to grow which means a lot.

Footwear topics overall are the most searched for, so I plan on finishing out the reviews on the Meindl Perfekt and the Asolo Sasslong boots. Both of the boots have served me well, and I as sit here typing I am wearing the Sasslongs.

This was a tough year for mule deer hunting, with near success on better deer than last seasons.  I have started a blog on some of the lessons learned from this season.  My desire to pursue Mule Deer only got worse this year and plans are already in the works for next years hunts.This will be the next piece that I finish up.

I will soon be including a link to a website I frequent often as a forum member with an article that is in the editing phase.  This article will be on hunting antelope and covers several tactics, and some success and failure as a hunter.  Overall it was a really fun piece to write and has been a very good experience to learn and grow from.

I am also going to be working on a blog series on how to improve as a field photographer.  I have some work to do when it comes to improving my photography.  Documenting this is going to go a long way to help myself and others.  The first in the series is going to be on overtaking pictures, and by that I mean taking more than one picture of the same thing to have plenty to work with when writing and editing.

There is also going to be a comparison blog between the Seek Outside BCS and LBO.  This will be about what each shelter is good for, and why you would buy one over the other.  The shelters have some similar beginnings, and to some extent shapes but overall are very different shelters.

By late this spring there is also another fun project coming up that I hope will really peak the interest of many.  Currently I own a Kifaru Koala standard in black and a friend from Tennessee owns both models of the Hill People Gear's Kit Bag.  We are both going to do individual write ups of each of them and post it here.  Then I will be shipping my Koala to him to look at, use, and then write a review.  After he is done,  they will both be shipped to me for testing and comparison and of coarse a write up.

Finally, my biggest and likely most ambitious blog is going to be about why I hunt.  I don't have any problem admitting that I trophy hunt for Mule deer, but when it comes to elk I am much more of a meat hunter.  Don't get me wrong that I want to accomplish the task of taking a very large Elk.  However, several years ago I wanted to accomplish the task of eating nothing but wild game meat that I or a partner had harvested myself.  Having recently finished "Meat Eater" by Steven Rinella, that desire is back.  Starting in 2013, my goal is to consume as much wild game as possible rather than store-bought meats.  So, this will be where I document that.

Leave any and all comments of what you would like to find out in some of these topics!  Feedback would be great!

More Than A Teaser: Lil Bug Out

The last post I gave on the Little Bug Out(LBO) from Seek Outside(SO) was a teaser to peak some interest.  This post will be about giving a healthy picture of what to expect if you purchase one to serve as your next backpacking/camping shelter.

Bear in mind as you read this, I don't review a product with the intent of selling it, or advertising it.  This is about discussion of quality products and hopefully what is written here will help you make the decision of whether or not you want to add this to your arsenal.

Background:

This year has been a shorter hunting season in terms of days spent in the hills compared to other years.  However, I have still spent close to 30 nights on the ground in some kind shelter.  Normal year it could get as high as 50 nights depending on time off.   Every trip requires a serious evaluation of what needs are there in terms of the trip at hand.  Things obviously such as number of people, temperature ranges expected, precipitation, etc.  All of this factors into what shelter will be coming with me.

Generally I categorize everything in terms of people/weather.  So for instance if there are three people going on a summer trip, I will be reaching for my SO 6.  If it's going to be cold weather with the same number of people then it will be SO 6 and SO medium wood burning stove.  If it's a solo trip in warm weather then the TiGoat V5 will be coming with me, if there is cold weather planned then the stove makes the cut as well.

When there is wet weather heading my way that could limit me to the shelter for long periods of time the SO 6 with stove will be making the cut.  There is nothing worse than sitting in a tent for long hours waiting for a storm to pass and not having heat or the ability to stand up.

So that brings us to an interesting place with the LBO, this shelter can just about meet any and all needs up to 4 people.  It can go with, or without a stove, or you could put a stove jack in just about any of the separate pieces if you so desired.

Introducing the LBO:

The toughest thing to examine with the LBO is that it can be categorized in the solo, double, and multi person shelter niches.  A stove jack is possible in just about all of the configurations, and could easily be managed in multiple set ups.

List of Set Ups:

Base
Base+ Base
Base+Vestibule
Base+Tarp
Base+Tarp+Base
Base+Tarp+Vestibule
Tarp+Vestibule
Tarp

All of the square footage measurements are listed here:
http://seekoutside.com/products/ultralight-tipis/little-bug-out-shelter/

Really the options are near endless.  Even with standard set ups little things can be adjusted that will allow you to change things even further for features such as airflow during the summer months.

Uses:

This section will come across fairly arbitrary because the shelter can be used for anything, and just about everything shelter wise in the back-country world.  It really is that versatile.  So bear with me as we look at the uses.

To save some redundancy a trekking pole, or one of the poles that SO sells on their website will be up to the task of suspending the shelter.  For testing purposes I was given one of the SO poles to use in combination with the Back Country Shelter pole I already own.  SO's poles are made of carbon fiber that telescopes inside of itself to save space in packing. 

Also for the sake of not being redundant, the nest can be used with any of the combinations that have the base.  The nest gives you the advantages of a floor, and double walled shelter with out having to take off your boots to be inside when combined with the other pieces.  The nest can also offer a slight improvement in temperature, as well as protection from the bugs that are often out in force.

Make sure and set up the Nest ahead of any trip at home inside the base several times to practice getting the correct pitch.  Floorless center pole shelters tend to have a range of pitches that could be considered effective, rather than just one that comes with your standard tent.  When you add the nest the floor needs to be attached to the base ahead of time with some form of cordage.  The correct floor space matches the floor of the nest.  If  the Base is pitched too short, the nest will appear saggy.  If it is pitched it too tall it will be saggy on the back end with the floor not wanting to stay on the ground.

Here is a video link to the correct set up for base and nest:
http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/6880820/1/New_Shelter_Little_Bug_Out

One by one I will look at the effective uses for the many arrangements of the shelter, and make some suggestions to what each would and would not be good for.

Base:

The base alone is a three sided shelter that according to the SO website sits at about 43 square feet.  The measurements provided are accurate and there is plenty of space for two to sleep overnight when the situation calls.  For my height and size it won't be a double shelter in this form.  For me moving solo, light and quick, it will function perfectly. 

When it comes to an emergency shelter this will function very well, as well as a bivy shelter.  When hunting the higher elevations it is sometimes necessary to stay in one place to keep tabs on an animal.  This shelter will function well for that purpose during the early season.

6 stakes are necessary when planning to use the hook off of the beak for stability with a guy-line.

Base +Base 

This is the set up I foresee being most widely used for double trips, and can cover a variety of needs, especially with a stove jack install.  For a solo trip this shelter would be a castle and could certainly operate in that capacity.  At roughly 86 square feet there is plenty of room for one and gear, and for two with gear if you don't mind being cozy.

Dual doors in this set up make for a shelter that is very easy to achieve good airflow as well as not having to trip over your buddy in the middle of the night to visit the bathroom if you laid parallel to the long walls.

One weakness during spring/early summer/summer use would be that there aren't bug screens.  This can be negated with the use of a nest in one side or the other, but bug protection would be limited to the sleeping area. For most that come from the tent with vestibules formed by the rain fly this is not a new concept.

For winter use a stove jack could easily be installed at the peak, with this set up requiring 8 stakes.

Base+Vesibule

This set up can simply be described to some degree as a smaller set up of the Base + Base with some notable differences.   This will be my go to set up for June and early July mule deer solo scouting trips.

Solo trips would be my preference in this configuration, but double without gear inside would be possible.  Because I tend to leave unnecessary gear at camp while hunting, and most of my partners do the same, more than one would be tight for gear and doubling up.  If I am with my wife on a summer overnight fishing trip this would be perfect.

One notable feature is that the Base I tested had beaks that come off the front at the top for several inches and offer very strong protection of the zipper in wet weather.  Simply guy out the base over the top of the vestibule and your zippers are protected from any water draining down them.  Guying out the beak also adds to stability in rough wind conditions.

Beak guy out as seen from the inside without the vestibule.

This is a 6 stake configuration, and possibly seven with the guy out for the beak.

Base+Tarp

In warm weather conditions when 2 people wanted to be able to spread out a bit, keep their gear inside and still have a little extra space, this would be the set up.  If air flow was desired, open up one side of the tarp, or simply lift the bottom of the base as shown in the photo below.

A stove could be used in the middle of the tarp to provide some heat if desired during early hunting season weather.


Base+Tarp+Base

                                  (The photographer requested I mention this isn't pictched
                                          as well as he would prefer)

The is the largest configuration square footage wise and could fit three people and gear fairly easily.  4 users could be done as well if some of the gear were stored outside.  The floor space is close to the same as what my 6 man offers, with a couple of clear distinctions.

 First, a flat sided shelter such as this makes it easier to get closer to the wall with sleep systems. That alone helps organizationally when planning where to sleep.  To some this may be a small thing, but the primary role of any shelter is comfortable sleep.  Placement of every individual matters, especially in the single wall section where rolling into the wall and ending up wet is a risk.

Second, there is a little space lost in terms of storage inside the shelter compared to a tipi of the same floor footage.   The combination of Thermarest NeoAir and space my body takes forces an offset from the tipi wall.  That space is where I tend to store my rifle, spare food, and other needed odds and ends that don't make the daypack cut.  That "dead" storage space is nice when the stove is packed in, stacks of firewood take up room on the floor and its nice to have the extra space to work with.

For winter camping this could be comfortable with the stove jack in place in the tarp and heating the entire shelter from the middle.   There would also be enough space to hang clothes to get them dry during winter hunts.  This is far and away the best feature of any shelter that uses a wood burning stove of any kind. The LBO is no exception.

The biggest challenge in this will be finding the proper place to set it up. Because it is a long rectangular shape in floor space, finding an area of ground that is flat enough to not create gaps where the tarp meets the ground between both bases could be hard in steep country.  The gaps wouldn't be an issue in the bases when a nest is used, but it will require some planning when it comes to placement of the tarp.

10 stakes are required as well as two poles.With all of the pieces it would be wise to split the load between partners when preparing to use this shelter. 

Base+Tarp+Vestibule

This set up is very similar to the BTB, so not much time will be spent explaining it.   Simply substitute one of the bases with the Vestibule and you have it.  It is less floor space the BTB set up but most of the considerations are the same.

3 people would be the max I would want, and gear would be a tough fit, especially with a stove.

This is a 2 pole set up requiring 8 stakes, and possibly nine if you chose to guy out the vestibule end.

Tarp+Vestibule

The tarp and vestibule set up is pretty similar what SO used to offer with their tarps.  The major difference is that the closed end can be attached or detached depending on preferences. This would primarily be a light and fast set up and could easily function as a stand alone shelter or emergency bivy.

The possibility is also there to add a second vestibule to the other end and make it completely enclosed.  When set up this would be very similar to the pup style tent that my Dad grew up using while in the boy scouts.  The biggest differences would be that there is much more space, and you can enclose both ends.  For quick overnight scouting trips, this form of the shelter would perform very well. 

Tarp 

The tarp alone is just that, a rectangular piece of waterproof material that can be used with poles and guyouts, guy outs alone, etc.

 The only disadvantage to this tarp could be the possible weight added by the zipper attachment points. The advantage to using this tarp for extremely lightweight travel is that you own it as part of an entire LBO system rather than having to own an entirely separate shelter to take this role.

Packed Down:

The LBO can easily compress down to fit in just about any pack.  Below you can see that a full Base+Tarp+base as well as a nest could easily fit in my Dragon Slayer from Mystery Ranch.  The Dragon Slayer's claim is 2300cui and you could easily fit whatever LBO design you chose inside.

 For relative size you can see the Primus Fuel canister placed next to the LBO.  For any of the smaller set ups it can be stuffed into just the one stuff sack, and with a little effort nest base and vestibule could fit.

Another nice feature is that the stuff sacks are directly attached to Base shelter.  No more wondering where the stuff sack went in high wind conditions.

To Sum It Up:

This is a shelter from a quality company that functions in many roles.  Buy with confidence if you have defined what you expect from every set up.

Seek Outside LBO: Teaser Blog

I haven't put anything up because I honestly have a slew of blogs coming.  This has been a busy hunting season and I have much to post on.

However, I wanted to keep new information coming for the sake of the blog's viewership coming back.

Several months ago I was approached about testing out the Little Bug Out for Seek Outside and I said absolutely.   After a week with it I am going to post a few pictures just for fun.

A longer blog of initial impressions is coming and hopefully some solid information on how to best use this shelter.

This picture was taken in obnoxious winds as you can likely tell from the one side taking the largest hit.  It handled the wind flawlessly and performed very well in rough conditions.

That is all for now, but more is on the way on this shelter.

Current Gear List: The Shelter Blog

There are currently three big names in the Ultralight Floorless Shelter world.  Kifaru, Titanium Goat, and Seek Outside.  I currently own two of them and have owned all three at one point or another.

Current: Titanium Goat Vertex 5, and Seek Outside(SO) 6.  The SO is the old model not the new one.

The Vertex 5 has been reviewed here at a surface level, and will be further later after a few more field uses.  It will be exactly what I was looking for in a solo/duo shelter.

The SO 6 is a great addition to the family, and will be what my wife and I use on our excursions to the back-country and the not so back-country.  I have set it up three times now and there is more than enough space for 2-3 people and a LOT of gear.  It would even be possible to fit 4 and SOME gear, but not nearly as much, especially if used with a packable wood burning stove.

In comparing the TiGoat to the SO I would say they both have some different qualities worth noting.  First the TiGoat is a much more basic shelter, but functions well for what it is.  All of the tie outs are double stitched and the cordura is round in shape.  The SO uses a triangular shape that has singular stitching on the cordura, but is doubled on the actual attachment point for the loops.  Having not tested them both in extreme conditions yet... there isn't really an edge to give to either, just note that they are different.

The SO has more features internally such as the sod skirt which will be nice, and can easily be used with a nest that has internal guy out points.  The new models will have different levels of what features you can buy to say customize it to a singular person's needs.  The stove jack came installed, and the only thing left to do is buy the actual stove.  The TiGoat needs to be sent in to have the stove jack installed.

Past: Kifaru Paratarp/Annex-  The problem was that it was just too small for me even as a solo shelter.  I ended up selling it because it was not going to serve the purpose that I intended for it.  I will be honest, the tie outs didn't seem to have as much thought as what my TiGoat and SO both have.  Maybe I am comparing apples to oranges here based on relative sizes of the shelters, but it just felt like there was potential for issues with the Paratarp.

The pros to the entire package was how small and packable it was, the ability to make it cooler during warm weather conditions by not bringing the annex, and the ability to use trekking poles to put it up.

I suppose, if necessary you could get two guys in there, if you had to and wanted to be really crowded.  For me it just wasn't going to cut it.  Hence the sale and purchase of the TiGoat Vertex 5.  The Vertex 5 will still be close quarters with two guys, but not nearly as close as just one.

Update:  After one trip with the SO Six, I can say that I am very pleased.  It endured some solid wind conditions, and was easy to set up as well.  I am looking forward to several more trips with it in the coming month.

TiGoat Vertex 5: Running Review

For this coming hunting season I have made some necessary upgrades to the gear set.  My Ledge Recluse tent that I was given two Christmases ago was nice, but had a major problem in cold weather.  It liked to let the wind in from the bottom, and wasn't nearly as tough as it needed to be to stand up to the elements I intend to throw at my shelter.

After doing some research, I settled on the floorless tipi style shelter.  I don't think I am done buying this style as I am going to need a bigger model than this 5, but that will be another blog.

My first attempt at meeting my solo/double shelter needs was the Paratarp from Kifaru.  I am sure some of you are giggling a little bit reading that I thought I could do double anything with the Para, but the measurements suggested I could when I bought one off of the Kifaru Forums.  One set up and it was pretty clear that it would have been a great shelter for solo trips, but it did not suit the dual purpose role.  

I had looked at TiGoat before, and they were on the short list  when a good deal came up for a Vertex 5, I jumped on it.   I hadn't found any negative reviews on it, but it doesn't appear they have the popularity of the Kifaru shelters.

My plan then for this blog is to do a running review through this summer into the fall for hunting season.   Today will be the first installment of likely many to come. 

I set up the 5 in the yard today and am very happy with what I see.  The instructions for set up were detailed enough, and accurate.  You start by staking down both loops at the door, and then the back loop.  Then the rear loop is staked down by stretching the 5 all the way across, then coming back roughly 2 feet from that point.  Then you stake out the opposite direction tightly getting it set up as a square on the ground.

The pole comes next, and I would highly suggest using a legitimate pole and not trekking poles.  You will see in the photos that this is a pretty tall shelter as compared to others that utilize trekking poles.  Tying two poles together just isn't going to cut it in some of the wind that we experience above 10k feet.

Also of note here is that I am not using the pole from TiGoat.  I am using the telescoping model from Seek Outside, and so far I haven't found any weakness.  The plan at the moment is a BCS next from the same company, so to save some cash later I bought the correct pole now, as it will work for both shelters.   When I buy the BCS this should cut roughly $140 off of the purchase price when placing the order, and it saved me $75.00 from TiGoat.  So roughly a $65.00 savings overall when you take the $75 from the $140.  I will do a write up on my plan for all 3 shelters I want soon, and look forward to comments.

Back to the TiGoat.  The install of the pole itself is pretty self explanatory, open the door, lift up the center of the tipi, put in the pole,  adjust the pole to get the correct height.  You will want to get it fairly tight, but not too tight.  I suppose this is that perfect pitch that everyone talks about with other tipis.

After that you simply pull the remaining stake out points to the desired spot.  This takes some practice to get it right, but is fairly easily done.  After a couple rounds with the Vertex 5 my preferences is that all of the tent appear as smooth as possible.  

Next up is the guy-outs.  The rear guy out should be the first to pulled, and you will quickly find out whether or not you placed the rear stake in the right spot.  This stake can be adjusted after the guy out is in place as well to get the desired angle on the pitch.  It took me a few tries to get it right. 

If you look at the bottom of this picture you can see that I didn't have it quite right in this picture.  Once I removed the lower stake, pulled it out an inch or two the pitch was then correct.

The side guy outs are a unique set up, but effective.  They are 3 loops along the main seam, which you run 1/4 inch tubing with loops sewn in the ends to create 3 larger loops.  On these you hook up a set up of 2 plastic hooks and simply hook them to all three loop points, and pull it tight.

The last thing to look at for an initial perspective is the inside of the shelter, where most of the time will be spent.

A factor that goes into just about every decision made in regard to my gear is the simple fact that the world is built for a man 6' tall.  For a guy who is 6'5" this can present many a problem.   The Vertex 5 has plenty of room for the taller than average human being from the door to the back end of the shelter.  For the picture above I was in the doorway of the shelter, if that helps give a little perspective.

Next weekend I am hoping to get out and sleep in it, and may even get a little ambitious and get the stove jack sewn in.  Send whatever questions you have my way.