Tag Archives: camping tips

Mail Call – DIY Gear Tips, Hiking Gloves? & Filterless Backpacking Water Treatment

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Tips, tricks and discussion on various Backpacking, Hiking & Camping topics.

Topics Discussed / Gear Seen

    • Thanks to everyone who supported the limited edition Sintax77 T-Shirt campaign!
    • Shirts are available on Bonfire – ordering ends Thursday, 4/19/18 after which point they’ll be retired.
    • Sara has a snack.
    • Viewer ‘Silent Paul’ makes gives a great tip for sourcing materials for DIY backpacking pot cozies.
    • The winter camping cheers debate rages on.
    • Viewers ‘Bear off the OT’ and ‘GEN2-X’ give some tips on DIY windscreens for camp stoves.

    • Viewer John R. recommends the spoon shaped Nemo sleeping bags over the traditional mummy bag shape.
    • Viewer Andrew S. gives us an update on my Kelty Salida 2 person tent.
    • Using a 3-Season tent in the winter, snow loads, temperatures, etc.
    • Adam want to know if I plan to do more “classic solo” trips and / or head back out to the Rockies for some backpacking and camping.
    • Potential for doing trip videos more often on the channel.
    • We’re heading out to the Denver, Colorado area this late summer / fall for a backpacking trip (3, maybe 4 days on the trail).  Got any suggestions for good camping, backpacking loops, burgers, etc?
    • Somebody sent a pair of Moreok Anti-Slip, Shock Absorbing gloves.
    • Thoughts on fingerless gloves for backpacking and on the trial?  Maybe good for hiking poles, camp chores, etc?
    • Viewer Doreen brings up the subject of wood burning twig stoves for backpacking and camping.  I’ve yet to use one – any thoughts out there?
    • Viewer Deb in Ohio gives a shout out and brings up the dreaded topic of a rainy forecast on your hiking dates.
    • My upcoming backpacking trip video to go along with my recent Budget Backpacking Gear List video.
    • Reason I chose the particular shelter system for my Budget Backpacking trip vs my lighter cuben fiber tarp or other options.
    • My new backpacking and camping water purification system that I’m testing, the Steripen Ultralight.

Mail Call – Thoughts on Snow Trench Trip, Campfires on Snow, Peril on the Trail, Saw Battle!

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Tips, tricks and discussion on various Backpacking, Hiking & Camping topics.

Topics Discussed / Gear Seen

        • Why were we still cold if we had a fire going on our recent Snow Trench Camping trip?
        • Other thoughts on campfires directly on deep snow, camp fire size, balancing fire tending with other camping chores, etc.
        • Josh recommends a Military Surplus Army Bivvy Bag
        • Our tarp type choice and usage on the Snow Trench Trip.
        • Science Time! What temperature does whiskey freeze at?
        • Longer backpacking trip videos vs shorter multi-part vids
        • Viewer Lance M. sent a shiny new camp saw, the Silky F180 for testing!

      • Viewer Steve sent his favorite saw, the Bahco Laplander on a previous Mail Call episode.  Sounds like a saw battle to me!
      • Testing out various accessories for the Dutchware Chameleon Hammock System.
      • Sintax77 T-Shirts – Limited run Sintax77 “Cheeseburger Time” shirts are in the works and will be announced soon. 🙂
      • Congrats to viewer Scott for hunting down the northern lights on a recent Iceland Trip!
      • Z-Bird recently paid a visit to the Pinnacle in PA, where Mike and I camped on a fall backpacking trip many moons ago.
      • Viewer TheSkyttis used to own a SOL Escape Bivvy, like the ones we used on our recent Snow Trench Camping video, but eventually switched to a V3 Trifecta Thermal Bivvy by ‘2 Go Systems’.
      • Viewer Mike is getting ready for a backpacking trip on the Pinhoti trail in Alabama.
      • Viewers Sean and Kelly sent me a book called ‘Where You’ll Find Me‘ about Kate Matrosova, who perished on the Presidential Range during a winter ascent in 2015.
      • Another book I really enjoyed – ‘Not Without Peril‘, about the many tragedies of the White Mountains.
      • Rather listen to these books on the way to the trailhead?
        Use this link to get two free audio books on Audible

    • Packit Gourmet is awesome! They make some of my favorite backpacking foods.
    • More thoughts on the tragedy of Kate Matrosova on Madison Col.
    • Check out Steve’s YouTube Channel, Explorers of the Wild
    • Brian sent some Aqua Clips for testing. They help hold your water bottle on the trail.
    • Bivvy Bags as an emergency survival item, vs  “regular” camping, bivvy tents, etc.
    • Testing out my new H16 Wave USB rechargeable headlamp in sub-zero temps.

Mail Call – My First Solo Backpacking Trip , MilSurp Gear, New Camping Saw

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Tips, tricks and discussion on various Backpacking, Hiking & Camping topics.

Topics Discussed / Gear Seen

    • My very first solo backpacking / camping trip.
    • Hurricane Irene’s effect on the White Mountains back in 2011.
    • Military Surplus gear for backpacking and hiking. My experiences, pros and cons, etc.
    • Link to the bushcraft channel I referenced, ReallyBigMonkey1
    • Maybe I should do an old-school military surplus only camping trip some time?
    • Speaking of old-school – Dan’s been watching for 6 years now.
    • Shout out to the person who sent me a big ol’ box of cool knives and gear for future trips.
    • Backpackers should hug a hunter.
    • Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is pretty cool.
    • So is the National Wild Turkey Federation.
    • I totally forgot that Mike once broke a defenseless Gomboy Silky saw years ago.
    • Viewer Steve is the man – he sent me a brand new Bahco Laplander saw to replace our recently broken Coleman folding saw.
    • Mystery box from Nomadik.
    • Checking out the Olight H16 Wave Headlamp with hands free on and off function.
    • A hater brings up a great topic! – Hit that bell button for upload notifications!

Mail Call – Camping Stove Types & Fuel Options, Mid Layers for Winter, Where’s Sara?!

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In this episode, we go deep on the subject of Camping & Backpacking Stoves. Stove Models, Fuel Types, Winds Screens and more with a heavy emphasis on Cold Weather Winter Camping Stoves as well. http://www.sintax77.com

Topics Discussed / Gear Seen

  • Facebook Live Event! hang out with me live on Katadyn’s FB Page – Thursday 2/15/17 at 1pm
  • One solo winter backpacking trip down (PA Appalachian Trail), one to go (White Mountains snow camping).
  • Am I coming back to the southwest for some desert camping?
  • Mid layer clothing for winter backpacking.
  • Military Surplus Micro Fleece Jackets
  • Packable down jackets (down jacket seen – Montbell UL Down Parka)
  • Camping Stove Choices for 3-season and Winter Backpacking, colder temps etc.
  • Camping Stove fuel choices.
  • My new stove – Optimus Polaris Optifuel
  • Where’s Sara?!

Links for staying updated on the Facebook Live Event

Sintax77 on Twitter
Sintax77 on Facebook

Mail Call – Angry Bushcrafters, Drip-lines, Chameleon Sidecar, UL Flashlight, Novice Camping

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Tips, tricks and discussion on various Backpacking, Hiking & Camping topics.

Topics Discussed / Gear Seen

  • Sleeping Pads for Winter Camping? (I double up two summer ones)
  • Big Agnes Q-Core SL Sleeping Pad (inflatable)  I used it on the ground at -25F by itself.  …not a great idea. I had a pretty cold butt, but I lived 🙂
  • Therm-A-Rest Z-Lite Sleeping Pad (foam) I’ll be stacking this with the Q-Core on my upcoming New Hampshire winter trip.
  • How to get started with your first overnight backpacking / camping trip.
  • “Mickey Mouse Boots” – military surplus boots for extreme cold weather and snow.
  • Bushcraft is cool, but like many niche hobbies, it can cultivate some arrogant attitudes. Emphasis on some, but it’s out there. And no, I’m not even necessarily talking about Joshua’s comment. His was relatively mild but a good segue for discussion.
  • Fires starting / campfires on camping trips.
  • Survival skills (great to have) vs just having fun in the woods (great to have as well).
  • Winter sled camping is a ton of fun.

Mail Call – Viewer Comments, Iceland, & 2017 Deer Camp Vid on the Whiterook85 Channel

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Discussion of various Hiking, Camping & Backpacking tips / topics. I guess it’s kind of like a low budget Backpacking Podcast using viewer mail and comments to pick the talking points. Or something like that.

Topics Discussed on this Episode

  • Where I’ve been the last few weeks.
  • 2017 Deer Camp Cabin Video out now on my dad’s channel, Whiterook85
  • Our recent trip to Iceland with a camper van.
  • Incorporating viewer comments into Mail Call episodes.
  • Carol gives us some life advice.
  • Various playlists available on the Sintax77 channel homepage.
  • People want to see cheeseburgers.
  • Two Bobs on YouTube
  • EDC Knives?
  • Thoughts on Hiking Poles / Trekking Poles for backpacking and hiking.
  • Hiking Poles for 3-Season vs Winter / Snowshoeing Trips
  • Water containers for backpacking water filters.
  • New Sawyer Micro Water Filter that came with my Saywer S3 Water Filter.
  • Gravity water filters vs smaller personal use filters.
  • Michael L. loves the sound of my voice.
  • Proper use of carabiners, Dutch Clips, etc when setting up hammock suspension straps.
  • Subs vs Hoagies?
  • Bringing “real food” on backpacking trips for your first meal or two.
  • Winter Ultralight Backpacking?
  • Gear List Videos
  • Finding Trail Maps
  • Some viewers think I quit making hiking / backpacking vids? (nope)
  • Using the “Subscription Bell” to get notifications for my new vids.
  • Winter Survival Topic – Beer Strategy
  • Never wear a Pittsburgh hat in Philly
  • 2 liter bag options for Katadyn BeFree (HydraPak 2 & 3 liter wide mouth bags)
  • Snowshoeing and courtesy to cross country skiers.
  • Dealing with “mono-rails” on winter snow hikes.
  • Doing a winter summit in 80mph winds (my High Winds Hiking Video)


Items Seen in the Video

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