Hiking

MSR Windburner Stove System Field Review

Anyone who hangs out in the woods or mountains knows the name MSR or Mountain Safety Research. The Seattle based company has been pioneering innovative and safer outdoor equipment since it was founded in 1969 by Seattle engineer and lifelong mountaineer Larry Penberthy. Their well engineered products are conceived and mostly hand built in their Seattle headquarters. They manufacture lightweight tents, compact stoves, cookware, snowshoes and several variations of their popular water filtration systems.

The product I’d like to introduce you to is the MSR Windburner Stove System. The Windburner Stove System is similar in concept to the JetBoil line of compact stove systems. Where is separates itself from the competition is how it handles the weather. In windy conditions, I’ve found the JetBoil can struggle to effectively boil water in a timely manner. The MSR Windburner Stove System utilizes a fully enclosed radiant burner and a perforated metal wind deflector that leaves conventional burners in the cold. The 1 liter aluminum pot with built in heat exchanger, easily locks onto the burner to make a quick meal or pot of coffee.

Although I didn’t have very windy conditions while on my last hiking trip, I was able to bench test and compare the results while simulating wind. With a big ass fan from Home Depot and an anemometer, I was able to produce a constant measured 10-11 MPH wind. I used .5L of 60 degree water in a completely cool pot and came up with pretty consistent results over several test runs.

0 MPH wind time to boil: 2:25
10 MPH wind time to boil 2:45

The entire MSR Windburner Stove System and (1) IsoPro 4oz fuel canister nests into the pot for a fully contained system. The optional coffee press is a nice addition for us coffee lovers. Just grind your favorite blend of beans and bring it into the backcountry for a flavorful morning brew. The optional coffee press also has a place within the system for storage.

If you need a personal stove system that has the capability to operate in less than ideal or windy conditions, look no further than the MSR Windburner. Wether you’re into backpacking, mountain climbing or just car camping with friends and family, this would be a great option to try out. I’ve owned an MSR Dragonfly stove since it was introduced and haven’t considered anything else until I used the Windburner. The ease of set-up, lack of priming, less working parts and not having to pump the fuel tank to maintain fuel pressure were all things that appeal to me now.

Windburner features:

Lid with Drinking and Straining Ports
Insulated Cozy with Handle
1.0L Pot with Heat Exchanger
Secure Connection with Stove
Ultra-Efficient Radiant Burner
Pressure Regulator for Consistent Performance
Full-Size Bowl: 16 oz. / .47L
Folding Canister Stand
Coffee Press (sold separately $19.95)

Integrated System: Compact, all-in-one stove and cookware solution features a secure-locking pot/personal eat-and-drink mug with cozy.
Maximum Efficiency: Radiant burner and heat exchanger deliver faster boil times and more fuel efficiency than conventional stoves that use convective heat only.
Windproof Performance: 100% primary air combustion, enclosed design & internal pressure regulator work together to make stove virtually impervious to outside conditions.
Compact Design: Conveniently packs the stove burner, 4 oz. (110g) IsoPro™ fuel canister (sold separately), folding canister stand, and PackTowl® inside the 1.0L Pot. Extra full-sized bowl snaps onto the outside.
Modular Versatility: Customizable system works with optional cookware accessories, including the WindBurner 1.0L accessory pot, hanging kit and coffee press.

Get your MSR Windburner here.

(Featured Image and Specs courtesy of MSR)

What You Need To Consider Before Hiking

A few things to consider before heading out:

Where are you are headed?

The Bull Run Conservancy is located a few miles from my house. The trails are well-marked, the park is not overly large in which to get lost and it is close to emergency services such as Rangers, the police and the city hospital. Novice hikers are known to take a tumble and roll their ankles on the trails because of the shifting scree and steepness of the climb. People do get lost. Research the terrain, weather and closeness to outside help before you take a trip.

Packing some first-aid such as a cold pack, bandages and compression wrap for scrapes, sprains, cuts and even lacerations is wise even for a short excursion. Timber Rattlesnakes (TRs) make up one of the eastern-most population of snakes in Virginia. There doesn’t seem to be a need for native Virginians to pack a cooking stove or hunting knife but a snake bite first aid kit might not be a bad idea if you intend to leave the comfort of marked trails. My wife nearly stepped on one on our last long hike; a very close call. We were walking across overgrown paths. Snake bite kits include: bandages, cleaning wipes, venom extractor, tourniquet, ammonia inhalant and scalpel.

Continue reading on Spotter Up

Photo courtesy of Spotter Up

Tru-Nord Compass | The Most Durable Button Compass

The Tru-Nord compass is a precision instrument, specifically designed for use in wilderness areas, day or night where an accurate, dependable quick reading compass is essential. Some assume that the higher grade button compasses – AA – mean higher quality, but that’s not necessarily true. They are generally plastic and give a general direction for all locations.

The Tru-Nord compasses are compensated in the USA according to your shipping address and zip code in order to provide a corrected “grid north” for map navigation in your specific area. The Tru-Nord Compass base and top are manufactured on a precision CNC machine from 360 Half Hard Brass rod. The jeweled bearing movement floats on a polished tapered pinnacle, which is attached to a full direction information dial covered by a Lexan lens. The brass cover ring is then threaded to the brass case for a watch-type seal, making the Tru-Nord Compass truly water and shock resistant. This makes the Tru-Nord compass one of the most accurate and rugged button compasses available.

Model: 150C Zipper Pull / Key Ring Model

Compact Compass at 1.062″ in Diameter x .4650″ Thick
Compass Weight .60 ounces
1″ inch Thumb Tang Riveted to Case.
CNC Machined with a threaded case.
Lexan Lens
Phosphorescent Glow in the Dark Dial.
No Fluid in Compass
Both water and shock resistant
Manufactured in Brainerd, Minnesota USA
MSRP $44.95 direct from Tru-Nord

This compass has found a permanent home in the belt pouch I use for day hikes. This small compensated compass is more durable and accurate than most baseplate compasses and is my backup to my Garmin GPS. Included with this compass is a split ring allowing you to attach this to a jacket zipper, key ring, or daypack.

Danner Footwear | Factory Tour

If you’ve served in the US military or have spent significant time hiking trails across North America, I’d bet dollars to doughnuts you have at least a passing familiarity with Danner footwear. While in 2nd Ranger Battalion out of Ft. Lewis, I was issued a set of Danners (the Acadia I believe) as my cold weather boot. They were such an improvement over the jungle boot, I kept wearing them long past winter, trekking all over Afghanistan and Iraq in them even in the dead of summer. They held up through 5 deployments and countless miles, missions and mountains. Now that I’m living just a short drive from the factory, I had to arrange a time to stop by.

Charles Danner started the company in 1932. Originally in Wisconsin, Danner moved to Oregon when Charles saw the future of the company’s sales in logging boots. Having eventually moved into hiking, military, duty and lifestyle markets, the company’s pedigree and reputation for toughness remains.

I met up with Pamela Lo at the Danner booth during SHOT show while I was drooling over their new Tachyon; she arranged for Erin Braun to give me a tour of the factory near Portland International Airport. I went into the tour knowing that Danner made some kick-ass boots, but came out having a great deal more respect for the craftsmanship and hard work put into every pair of boots and shoes that rolls off the factory floor.

It all starts with the slabs of leather shown above. They are tested a few different ways while they’re still almost a full cow-length. Any that don’t meet the stringent requirements for pliability are immediately sent back.

A giant “cookie cutter” form is placed on the leather sheet and hydraulically stamped down. Each piece is cut from the piece of leather that corresponds to the appropriate measure of thickness and flexibility.

Some of the sewing (triple-stitch) is still done on a machine far older than anyone reading this article. The stamp on this machine reads 1893 from Puritan MFG out of Boston and yet it is still in service nearly every day.

Machines and craftsmen work hand-in-hand every step of the way. I didn’t see a single automated process the entire day. From stitching, punching in eyelets or affixing the midsole to the Gore-tex booties, very little of the process has changed over the years: nearly everything is measured out by hand and fit to exacting specifications.

Above is the work of that antique triple stitch sewing machine.

An employee runs each boot through the sewing machine by hand in just a handful of seconds.

A finished boot, shaken not stirred. This is one of Danner’s “famous boots”, the Mountain Light II worn by James Bond in Spectre. This is a company that embraces every aspect of their history. Ancient logging equipment, antique tools and the flags of every branch of the US military adorn the factory. From hunting footwear, to size 150 boots for an injured elephant, these dirt slappers have been around the world.

Although Danner has a long and storied history to lean on, this isn’t a company content to rest on accolades from years past. I’ve seen what they’ve been working on at the factory and I’ll be testing out their newest boot, the Reckoning, as well as the one that caught me eye at SHOT show, the Tachyon.

Stay tuned..

(all images in this article were taken by the author with the exception of the featured image, courtesy of Danner.com)

These boots are made for Girls With Guns

As the ol’ saying goes: if you don’t like the weather in Northern Michigan, wait 10 minutes and it’s bound to change. This winter has proven the cliche, with wild swings between wintery weather and spring-like thaws. Climatalogically, 2017 has been warmer and wetter than typical. Consequently creating a perfect testbed for boots. Enter: The Original Muck Boot Company’s Girls With Guns – Artic Hunter Tall. Designed for the true female hunter, this boot promises rugged performance over tough terrain and warmth to -40º. Big shoes to fill. Let’s put them to work…

I’m used to working around guys. Actually, I quite prefer it for all of the reasons you’d expect. Less drama, more realism. Less gossip, more tell-it-like-it-is. I hold these virtues in high regard. I graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the mid-nineties with a ratio of 9:1, guys to gals. My transition from aviation to our family business in heavy-construction brought new equipment, but essentially the same workforce: mostly men. However, these Girls With Guns boots fit right in! All of the function, none of the fuss; similar to working with guys. Whether sloshing through the equipment yard, checking-in at the maintenance garage, or visiting a job site, these boots keep me sure-footed in mud and snow while remaining dry and warm. Plus, they work just as hard in the office, cleaning easily to avoid tracking mud, and wicking sweat as they adjust to indoor heat.

But my guy-time doesn’t end at work, dudes surround me at home too. Erik and our two sons definitely tip the scales, making ours a male-dominated home. Like most boys, my guys and I subscribe to the notion: work hard – play hard. The only way to survive and thrive through a Northern Michigan winter, lasting from October to May, is to get outdoors to play! A local Up North outdoor retailer says it best, “there’s no bad weather, just good gear”. Truth. These Muck Boots fall into the “good gear” category.

In addition to working, the Girls With Guns boots have become my staple footwear for recreating, too. You know you love your boots when you long to wear them. That longing, for me, happens after Wednesday night Ski League when all I want is a cold beer and slippers. The liberation of unbuckling my calf-strangling downhill race boots and slipping into warm cozy boots that feel like slippers. It’s bliss. These Mucks are my winter-bliss slippers.

Best of all, they are like slippers with grippers; tried and true. Our husky, Kayla, challenged these boots through every weather condition. A February thaw first brought melting snow, then came the rain leaving puddles of slush, and finally the temps plummeted promising horrendous driving and a Snow Day for the kiddos until winter returned again with an old-fashioned blizzard. Weather be damned, Kayla’s a husky, always ready to run! Thankfully, my trusty Mucks were up for the task, maintaining traction and keeping me on my feet for our adventures around the neighborhood.

Girls With Guns Arctic Hunter Specs: courtesy of muckbootcompany.com

5mm CR Flex-Foam
Warm Fleece Lining
Extended Rubber Exterior
Comfort Insole
Slip-Resistant Rugged Outsole
Comfort Range -40F / 40F
100% Waterproof
MSRP $184.99

As the song should go… these boots aren’t just made for walking. They are meant for hunting and shooting. And that’s just what they’ll do. Multiple days at the Range have secured my appreciation for the Girls With Guns fit and function. With soft fleece lining and a wide footbed, my toes have plenty of wiggle-room keeping me comfortable all day. Finally, you likely noticed, they aren’t just camo but the ever-popular Mossy Oak Break-up Country camo. I’m not sure where you live, but in our neck of the woods camo isn’t just a pattern but a fashion statement worn far and wide. I think the girls from Northern California who launched the Girls With Guns clothing concept would agree.

In closing, as much as I like having guys around, I’m still a girl. That means, the stuff I wear needs to work well AND look good. My final analysis: Girls With Guns – Artic Tall by The Original Muck Boot Company is right on target. Highly recommend.

Written by Brandie Meisner (wife of author Erik Meisner)

Kershaw Westin | Daily Duty

Kershaw has been a big name in the knife industry for a long while now. Founded in 1974, these knives have earned a solid reputation among end-users. The Tualitin, Oregon based company offers a lifetime warranty on their knives- even the most inexpensive models. Having heard of Kershaw many times over the years, I was excited to take a crack at testing one of their blades. The model for evaluation: The Westin.

Inspired by the character Michael Westin from the t.v. show Burn Notice, this blade was designed by Les George. When the Westin jumps out of your pocket, it reveals a 3.5″ blade made from 8Cr13MoV steel with an asymmetrical blade grind. The edge flips out using the speedsafe feature and locks in place when a small piece of the frame moves in behind it, the handle is half glass filled nylon and half stonewashed steel.

I’ve had this knife for a couple months now and have carried and used it every day. Whether cutting notches in wood, using it on projects in the garage or taking a slice out of lunch the Westin hasn’t shown signs of slowing down. Normally after a couple months, a lesser quality assisted open knife will lose the force with which it opens or will occasionally fail to lock up. This Kershaw knife operates as smoothly as the first day I pulled it out of the box. The glass filled nylon handle is secure in hand and doesn’t get too slippery when wet. The Westin came out of the box with a very sharp edge, though there was one (tiny) ding out near the tip. After a couple months of constant use (and a little abuse) this blade is still exceptionally sharp.

Coming in just under $45 the Kershaw Westin is a great mid-sized assisted open folding blade. The Westin has convinced me that the reputation Kershaw has earned is no longer just rumor or gossip, it is now for me a tangible fact. I will keep using this for my EDC carry blade with the confidence that it is made well and will last quite a long time.