Black Rucksack – The Gear, The Lifestyle and The Pastimes of Men

A rugged jacket for adventuring...

You know that spring or summer rainstorm/monsoon/torrent that we all inevitably end up in at the most unexpected and inopportune time?   Say, when you need to fill the gas tank or just as you arrive at the campsite but haven’t yet setup?  ”Infrequent” may describe how often these scenarios occur, still, they happen. Good news… there is a jacket that you can rough up and will still keep your top half dry. The Craghoppers Bandero Jacket…

There is something you should know about the Craghoppers company before getting to the details of the Bandero Jacket.  Simply, they have a passion for gear.  For 45 years they’ve been producing quality outdoor gear in the United Kingdom, all started by a dream to summit Mt. Everest.  Craghoppers is a company based on a quintessential adventure and because of that, they succeed perfectly in creating worthy gear.

Craghoppers also works with Bear Grylls to create clothing specifically for the extreme conditions Bear will encounter.  While we don’t know for sure whether or not the Craghoppers Bandero Jacket was influenced by Bear, we are pretty sure it would qualify for one of his adventures.

The jacket itself is a thing of beauty… stylish, et al.  Even if Craghoppers didn’t already have a great reputation for creating quality gear, I would recommend this jacket solely on its reliability.  It’s comfortable and the fit is perfect. I am 5′ 10″ with broad shoulders and the large jacket fits like a glove.  All the pockets, flaps, zippers, seams and buttons are NOT flimsy like they can be on many other jackets.  This jacket keeps the bulk down but truly feels rugged.   A side benefit of the Craghoppers Bandero Jacket is that it could be worn in a variety of conditions: hiking, fishing, hunting, a night on the town, urban, rural, treasure hunting, fall, winter, spring and possibly even in the summer.

Specifications:
-23oz. (660g)
-Roll-away hood
-2 zipped hand pockets and inner pocket plus concealed map pocket
-Chin guard and waterproof storm flap
-AquaDry polyester fabric with water-repellent finish
-Lifetime Guarantee!

Bottom Line:
One of the best multi-use jackets at an absolutely great price.

A requirement for any adventure...

As I stomped through a canyon outside of Moab, Utah I stumbled upon an oddly shaped outcrop of red rock. I was intrigued and immediately started examining the surrounding area. As I moved to the sunlit side of the outcrop, my eye caught a glint coming from an object on the ground. I knelt to take a closer look at the object and as I did, I smashed my knee on a piece of glass that I didn’t see because it was covered by dirt. I found that just barely underneath the topsoil there were a number of antique bottles and such. I dug deeper and found no less than six separate bottles, mostly whole. Since I was 3.5 miles into this canyon and had to climb in numerous areas, carrying a bunch of glass out was not going to be possible. Due to this experience back in 2003, I started carrying either a rucksack or some sort of bag almost everywhere I traveled and regardless of whether or not an adventure may ensue. My absolute favorite bag is the Mark VII…

In the early years of the Second World War the British military adopted the Mk.VII bag to carry the standard service gas mask; it’s also the bag that Indiana Jones always carried with him. This bag is rugged and worthy of carrying more than just gas masks. In fact, I can think of no other bag that would be better suited to carry trinkets out of a canyon in Moab. A canvas sack with a leather shoulder strap is one of the most simple yet essential carry-all devices. Measuring roughly 11″ tall, 10″ wide and 3″ thick, the Mk. VII neatly separates gear you’ve carried in and finds that you’re going to want to carry out.

The Mk. VII has utility for a variety of hobbies and adventures. If you’re a hunter, it’s perfect to use as a shell bag in addition to carrying your knife, flashlight and a Snickers. If you’re a fisherman, you’ll find the bag good for use as a creel or to carry all of your misc. fishing gear, ie. pliers, knife, tackle, repellents, etc. And if you’re an adventurer well, it’s good for your many adventures.

I’ve ordered three replica Mk. VII’s (one for myself and two as gifts) from What Price Glory (onlinemilitaria.net) and they’ve all been very high quality.

Turn the light on...

Leatherman, known for their multi-tools, also produces an LED flashlight worth noting… the Serac S3.

As we all know, a flashlight typically has at least a few fragile components. Therefore, often it is essential to take close care of your flashlight. That does not work for me because I treat my flashlight just like any other piece of gear. And therefore, I was breaking a lot of flashlights. Thankfully, my Leatherman Serac S3 has held up very well to the many tests I’ve put it through, ie. hiking, boating, camping and road tripping.

The Serac S3 has three settings and can put out up to 100 Lumen on high. Granted, set that high a full battery will only last about an hour but, the high setting is great for signaling and other short uses. The medium setting pushes out 43 Lumen for four hours per battery and the low (normal) setting 7 Lumen for up to thirty-six hours. The low is plenty bright for most uses including map reading, hiking, setting up a tent, etc.

Also of note, the flashlight body is made of a hard-anodized aluminum, has a 10 year warranty and is resistant to humidity, corrosion and shock. Tough… as… hell.

Get the Leatherman Serac S3 Flashlight:
-at Cabela’s
-at Amazon

Breathe right...

Snowboarding is one way I know I can relax. I snowboard mostly in Michigan but, many years ago I ventured to Durango, Colorado. I learned a lot from that experience including how the difference in the snowpack was drastic. One concern in Colorado, that we don’t see hardly ever in Michigan, was avalanches.

If an avalanche did occur and you managed to get yourself buried, Black Diamond, a company largely known for their snow gear, has a simple item that could save your life… the Black Diamond AvaLung II.

The AvaLung II is meant to extend your breathable air supply once trapped in an avalanche. When you inhale through the AvaLung’s tube, you’ll receive oxygenated air from one area of the snowpack. Upon exhaling, the AvaLung diverts the airflow to another part of the snowpack, not contaminating your breathable air supply and extending the time you can survive until a rescue team locates you. And, to help that rescue team find you sooner rather than later, consider carrying a locator beacon such as the SPOT Satellite Personal Messenger.

Get the Black Diamond AvaLung II:
-at MooseJaw
-at Amazon
-at EMS

Spotted...

Editor’s Note: Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

When my brother and I were kids, we lived on 20 acres of property on the western side of Michigan’s lower peninsula. We first moved to the heavily wooded property when I was six and my younger brother was four years old. For fun we often riled up the dogs, built tree forts and explored (or wandered) the property and adjacent property until we would inadvertently (and inevitably) get lost. Now that we’re adults, we still enjoy riling up the dogs, we build decks and garages instead of tree forts and we never get lost… at least not without a GPS and/or a SPOT Satellite Personal Messenger.

The purpose of the SPOT is simple… location, location, location. In a two step process it will locate you via GPS satellites and then use commercial satellites to send out your location. You can send out a request for an emergency response using the “Alert 911″ function or you can simply send a “Check in” location update. Using the location update, you can tie-in Google Maps plotting to chart the path you’ve taken.

The SPOT Satellite Personal Messenger requires a $99 annual subscription which seems inexpensive for what the unit offers; a return home. It weighs approximately 8 ounces and is very rugged, capable of surviving extreme temperatures and being submerged up to a meter deep.

SPOT Satellite Personal Messenger
$150

at Amazon
at Eastern Mountain Sports
at REI

Light my fire...

The Princeton Tec Apex Pro LED Headlamp is a mid-level headlamp well-suited for a lot of very different activities.  Camping, expeditions, spelunking, climbing, orienteering, general travel and road running are just a few of the activities the Apex Pro is perfect for. It’d also be acceptable for trail running, but don’t expect to use it while doing something like night cycling or adventure racing.

This headlamp will flood an area with bright white light up to 91 meters down a path and has varying focuses; narrow through wide.  It runs on two lithium batteries which are monitored by the included power meter. It also has five LEDs producing 130 lumen and is all contained in just 173 grams.

Princeton Tec Apex Pro LED Headlamp from REI.com
$90

Bear necessities...

Watching Man vs. Wild with Bear Grylls is almost like being on an adventure but from your home. The host of the show, Bear, is mind-blowing to watch as he goes through many extreme challenges in some of the most remote places on Earth.

Man vs. Wild just wrapped up its third season with a jaunt through the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. Amongst his other terra-triumphs from season three are the Yukon in Canada, Belize and Hells Canyon in Oregon, USA. Bear perfectly balances information and entertainment all whilst eating things most of us will never have to eat and facing tough physical challenges.

In some cases, Bear enters into a situation to demonstrate specific survival techniques.  His shelter craftsmanship is quite impressive as is his climbing ability. Though there are a lot of things that you’ll learn from Bear, it is important to keep in mind that a key part of survival happens before you even embark on the adventure; research is critical to going into the field.

Enjoy this show… it’ll take you around the world and you’ll be able to glean some knowledge from it as well!

Man vs. Wild
Monday at 10pm ET on Discovery

All-in-one...

In the toughest situations, it’s essential to have the right communication gear. But sometimes, the battery power in your gear doesn’t last as long as you do. For those situations Eton Corporation has the perfect answer… a two-way radio that can be powered by a hand-crank with several other features… the FR1000 Voicelink.

First off, this radio has several features worth noting: 22 channel two-way radio (GMRS and FRS), NOAA weather radio and weather alert system, AM/FM receiver, siren, flashlight and cell-phone charging jack. The weather alerts and AM/FM receiver will keep you informed while the siren and light can act as an SOS beacon, saving your voice.

All of these features can be powered in one of four, redundant ways. The FR1000 has a built in Rechargeable Ni-MH battery.  Additionally, it is possible to power the system using 4 “AA” batteries, the included AC Adapter or, in the case all other power is depleted, the dynamo hand crank.

At 3.6lbs the unit is a bit heavy for light hiking however, if you can spare the weight in your pack, it’ll be a welcome gear addition.

Eton FR1000 Voicelink
$94