Renovo TRIO Water Filter – Sawyer Squeeze Killer?

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Sintax77

Taking a first look at the Renovo TRIO Water Filtration System. Has the Sawyer Squeeze / Mini met it’s match? Time to do some testing…

UPDATE: Following a large amount of comments and feedback on the YouTube video, I reached out to my contact, Bastian, at Renovo to share some of the feedback and questions that everyone was sharing. In response, he created a FAQ page to address the most frequent questions at http://www.renovowater.com/pages/faq

Specs and Water Filter Description as per Manufacturer:

Continue reading →

RAVPower 10,400mAh Power Bank – USB Battery Charger Review

Posted on April 6, 2014 by Sintax77

In this gear review video, we’ll check out the RAVPower 10,400mAh Element Series Power Bank, model RP-PB07.

Manufacturer’s Specs:

Capacity: 10400mAh
Output: 5V / 3A
Input: 5V / 1A
Weight: 8.04oz
Size: 4.4 x 2.76 x 0.83 inches

Comes with 2 Micro USB Connectors for compatibility with:

SmartPhones: Samsung / HTC / LG / Motorola / BlackBerry / Nokia / Google / Sony
Tablets & eReader: Google Nexus 7 / Nexus 10 –
Other cell phones, MP3 players, and digital cameras that use DC 5V input
iPad 4 3 2,iPad Mini, iPhone 5S 5C 5 4S 4,iPod (using original 8Pin / 30Pin Cable from Apple)

I’ve been using and testing this USB battery charger pack to keep my gear charged up in a variety of backpacking and hiking conditions, in in both warm, indoor conditions as well as several multi-day cold weather backpacking trips – a worst case scenario for those battery powered gadgets we love so much. So far It’s proven itself to be a reliable workhorse without breaking the bank!

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Backpacking Gear on a Budget – What to Prioritize?

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Sintax77

What backpacking gear list should you choose if you’re on a tight budget?

Backpacking Water Storage – Nalgene, Disposable, or Hyrdration Bladder?

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Sintax77

What’s the best backpacking water storage option for you? Nalgene, disposable, or hydration bladder?

Hiking & Backpacking Water Storage Options shown in the video:

Standard Nalgene 1 liter bottle (glow in the dark model)
Nalgene Canteen 1 liter
Camelbak Eddy Insulated .6l Bottle (Magenta)
Surplus GI Canteen 1 liter

1 liter disposable water bottle
16oz disposable water bottle
Gatorade Bottle 1 Liter

Osprey Hydraform Reservoir – 2 liter
EMS water bottle carrier (fits standard 1 liter Nalgene bottle) , insulated

Classic Gear Find – MSR Rapidfire Stove

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Sintax77

A quick look at my latest used gear find, the MSR Rapidfire stove.

I picked this stove up for an upcoming winter trip in the Northeast, where melting snow will most likely be my primary, if not only, water source. Why did I buy a 25 year old canister stove when I have a modern version that cost and weighs a mere fraction? Liquid feed mode, that’s why! By running a gas stove with the canister inverted, I can manage to run my gas canister stove at considerably lower temperatures. Which is kind of a good thing when your only water source for several miles is in the form of fluffy white snow.

Now, you can buy a modern version from MSR that weighs less, no doubt about it, but it will also cost 2 to 3 times as much and won’t have anywhere near the historical geek value, so let’s give this a shot.

And yes, it does look remarkably similar to the MSR Whisperlite stove. We’ll get into all that in the full review video, I promise…

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Fenix LD12 G2 Flashlight Review

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Sintax77

My review of the Fenix LD12 G2 Flashlight for backpacking, camping, hunting and EDC (every day carry).