Ha, I'm not sure. I've been researching packs like crazy the past few weeks trying to decide what I'm going to bring. We're going to be doing a lot of hostel to hostel traveling, and I'm planning to travel very minimally (no camping gear or anything of that sort) so I've been looking at ~35L sized bags that will be…

Nice! I'll be there until about the first week of December, will you be posting updates about the trip as it happens on IW?

Nice review Chris, as you may remember I've been waiting to see this one for a while. have you used the pack much at all while it's packed at less then full capacity? I've been contemplating getting a either a 3400 or a 2400 southwest for a while, and often I do ultralight 2-3 day trips where I am only carrying sub…

Chris, I'll be in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos) for a few months traveling, backpacking, and exploring this fall, when do you roughly expect to be in that area? I'd love to be able to meet up on the road if our paths seem close to crossing.

While I've never backpacked in Alaska, I have slept out in the middle of winter in Northern Maine, the white mountains of NH, above 10,000 in Yosemite, and many other demanding climates that were quite remote. Those times were spent either in a hammock with a tarp (about 2 lbs), or in my small tent that weighs about 3…

Never had to deal with that, as my friends make awesome homebrew.

North Dakota I'll give you, but Utah? Have you ever actually been there? That state is freaking gorgeous, and there is stuff to do everywhere you go.

Haha ok, a bunch of the stuff in your comments about the tent that you mentioned as great features are things that come standard on almost all tents of that caliber, and a few things weren't quite correct (that tent is a double pole design, not single), plus it's a pretty heavy tent for backpacking purposes... so I…

Awesome, I'll be eagerly awaiting those reviews, especially the southwest one. I've been contemplating getting one for a three month backpacking trip that I'll be taking through Southeast Asia this fall... but it's definitely overkill, as I won't be doing a much technical stuff hiking or climbing, and don't need to…

Great interview Chris, just makes me want to get an HMG southwest pack all the more.

Oh Man, this is awesome. It's been a couple years now since I've slept in my tents. Usually I carry my hammock with a bug net attached to it and a separate tarp as well as a foam sleeping mat, it's a very variable system. Easy to sleep above ground in the hammock (anywhere forested), can use the foam sleeping matt as…

Reminds me a lot of the music video for "The Music Scene" by Blockhead.

That is awesome. I've seen them three times now, and would happily go see them again. One of my friends and I talked to the guitarist for a while before one of the shows, he is also a very chill cool guy.

Damn Chris, I'm more impressed with every article you post. Awesome info on this material, I had never realized what exactly denier was measuring, so that's good to know, and the technical info about the fabric is great. I had it pegged as being a bunch of hype and probably very week fabric, and never really looked…

Sounds like a week trip coild be very nice. Relaxed hike over 4 days, followed by a few days of exploring the surrounding islands by boat.

the manufacturing technique is already widely used in the composites industry.

Just because you can doesn't mean you should. I see no real advantage to having a chair of this type of design made from carbon fiber. If it was a folding chair that would make more sense, easy to pack up and bring places. As it is its not that hard to pick up and move a plastic chair of the same design. This doesn't…

Never heard of Catalina before this post, but it's now at the top of my list of places to visit next time I'm on the west coast. Your photo's look amazing Chris, and your write-up complimented them nicely–useful sounding tips and descriptions. Can't wait till I can get there my self!

I also like the motto, but yeah, there is a lot to use for inspiration on our flag.