GearFlogger

Outward Bound Map and Compass Handbook

Those of us with kids are on the lookout these days for fun outdoor activities to keep them - and us! - occupied. Outdoor skills-building is a great way for adults to brush up on skills and for kids to learn them. Outward Bound hands us a tool for doing just that with the 4th edition of their Map and Compass Handbook by Glenn Randall.

MACH is a really well-written manual with eight chapters that painlessly walk you through the fundamentals: reading maps and using a compass first, then topics like declination, altimeter navigation, GPS and orienteering.

Throughout the text Randall draws on his plentiful experience with stories illustrating the points he's making. He fits a lot of instruction in a slim 100-page book, and his clear text and frequent use of simple, easy-to-understand illustrations makes absorbing the information a breeze.

Although we still wish that the 1981 classic "Don't get Lost: How to Travel in the Best Circles in a Square World" booklet was still available, MACH is a modern classic that will inspire adults and kids alike to learn an old technology with timeless relevance.

$8.99 Kindle, $13.99 paperback on Amazon

Solo Stove Bonfire Fire Pit

Solo Stove has been around a while, and we finally got around to buying one of their fire pits for Gearflogger HQ. The bottom line up top: it's not smokeless, but once it's up and running hot it's a lot better than traditional pits, and we like it.

We chose the 14" high by 20" wide Bonfire, their mid-size model between the smaller 12x15 Ranger and the much larger 16x27 Yukon. A friend has the original 30-inch wide Yukon, and that thing just swallows logs and spits them out, it's just too big for anything but the largest space and the biggest pile of split wood. We haven't looked at the Ranger, but it looks like it would be a good choice if portability and smaller groups are your bag.

The Bonfire comes with a carrying bag that could be better designed. It's a bit tight, and after loosening the drawcord it's a bit of a chore to get the slick, handle-less fire pit out. A better design would have a zipper down the side or something to make storing and extracting the Bonfire from the bag easier. At 20 pounds the Bonfire is easy enough to move around.

The only moving part on the Bonfire is the ring around the top, which sits in the pit upside down for storage (or right side up, it doesn't really matter...). It's easy to load standard size logs into the Bonfire, and then just light it up and throw the ring on. Once in operation the stainless steel Bonfire gets up to a hot temperature pretty fast, and although you'll encounter the usual amount of smoke at the beginning once it's hot this thing does a good job of sucking air in through the bottom vent holes to fuel a very hot fire that vaporizes most of your wood during combustion. The result is much less smoke than a traditional fire pit that only gets its air from the top. Keep in mind that it gets hotter than a traditional fire pit, so hot dogs and s'mores should be held a little higher off the pit and will cook a little faster.

We also got a base for it, which raises it up a few inches to protect decks and grass. After running the Bonfire for a couple hours on the lawn to burn up a bunch of small branches and other wood waste, we can confirm that there was no crop circle left on the grass afterwards. It's also nice to have it a bit higher for aesthetics, we feel. One thing to resign yourself to: that beautiful shiny stainless steel finish will discolor quickly, so don't expect it to look like the floor model for long.

The Bonfire does go through wood faster than normal pits because it's running so hot, but it also generates very little ash, much less than normal. It also burns out and cools down faster once you're done, and the ash is easily emptied just by turning it over and shaking it. Overall we really like the Bonfire. It's a great size for the fire pit we built in front of our home, and it's provided many fun nights of social-distancing socializing with friends and neighbors as the temps have started dropping.

$300.00 at REI

Zojirushi Stainless Vacuum Mug

If it's metal and it's used to hold or prepare food, Zojirushi has it dialed in. Their vacuum bottles have always been first rate, and you can bet your bottom dollar that whatever you put in them will be hot or cold as you prefer when you want it.

The new Zojirushi 600ml/20oz stainless vacuum mug is a vacuum bottle with one of their very cool selection of lids on it. This lid has a toggle-style switch on the front, right where your thumb wants it to be. An easy press and the lid pops back on a hinge, revealing a little shaped drinking surface that maximizes lip lock like a hormonal teenager, and minimizes spill.

Speaking of spillage, you'll get none here so move along. When closed you can lock the lid in place with another smaller toggle switch, so it would be very difficult to accidentally activate the lid. Contents will be close enough to starting temperature for the better part of a day; they say six hours, we say at least that long.

There's even a nonstick-coated interior to guard against those salt-heavy energy drinks if that's your thing. And speaking of sticky, the exterior coating has a nice grip to it, not tacky at all but definitely not slick either. So let's recap: Zojirushi knows their stuff = their vacuum bottles rule = get this mug if you need a spill-proof travel companion in your car or in your backpack.

$26.92 at Amazon

Sawyer Micro Squeeze Water Filter

Sawyer knows water filters, having been in the business since 1984. All that great rock and roll must have done something good, because they continue to lead innovation in the important area of helping us not puke our guts out because we drank some skank.

The Micro Squeeze is Sawyer's smallest and lightest filter, at roughly 4.5 inches long by 1.5 inches in diameter and a weight of just over 2 ounces. It's a simple design, basically a standard screw-on pop-top drinking nipple on top of a very small, 0.1 micron hollow fiber filter. The tiny pore size means it can filter out bacteria, protozoa and cysts, but not viruses: for that you'll want chemical tablets - we like Potable Aqua - which you should be carrying anyway as a backup in case your filter goes down.

The Micro Squeeze is as easy to use as it is to carry: just attach it to the included 32oz bag that you've filled with water and squeeze firmly but gently. Out of the box it takes a bit of effort, but it gets faster once you've used it a bit. The Micro Squeeze is also versatile: you can attach the included straw to the the filter and drink directly from a water source, all survivalist-like, or you can attach it to your hydration bladder hose.

The Micro Squeeze comes with the bag and cap, straw, cleaning syringe and coupler and an extra gasket. For the price it's a great deal and with proper care and maintenance should last a long time. As with all filters, read the instructions to find out things like, for example, you're not supposed to freeze it. Overall we really like the Sawyer Micro Squeeze, because it's effective, versatile and won't weigh you down.

$28.95 at Amazon

The Prepper's Medical Handbook

And speaking of timely, this title from William Forgey, M.D., certainly fits the bill. The Prepper's Medical Handbook is a very handy one-volume reference for anyone who wants to be prepared to solve their own medical emergencies, written by someone who knows what's what. Forgey is a full-time doctor of family medicine, past president of the Wilderness Medical Society, author of a number of wilderness medicine books (including Wilderness Medicine 7th Edition from Falcon, a favorite of ours and upon which TPMH is based) and a decorated combat veteran. So yeah, let's go with this guy.

TPMH has prepper in the title, but this is a good resource for anyone to have at home. These days when most of us are practicing social distancing even if we're not in outright quarantine, it certainly doesn't hurt to be prepared. And let's face it, being able to look up a condition in the table of contents or index and flip to the appropriate page can be much quicker than finding - and vetting! - a piece of internet advice. Assuming your internet connection is up, that is.

Organization is the strong point of TPMH. Right off the bat the author tells you how to use the book: start with your initial assessment (pages 6-8) and progress to your focused assessment (pages 8-9). These pages include redirects to appropriate treatment options, and there are additional diagnostic aids in each chapter. Need more? At the end there's a Clinical Reference Index that allows you to cross-reference symptoms, conditions and treatments.

We won't go into detail on the various sections, suffice it to say it's all in there and well-organized to boot. The last chapter will be of particular interest to gearheads as it covers the assembly of an off-grid medical kit. Forgey starts off the chapter with a quick word about alternative medicine: in short, he sees some value there but it's too complicated and environment-specific to cover in any detail, so he focuses on what you can get from the grid to prepare for when there is no grid. He takes a modular approach, with five different "sub-kits" for topical bandaging, non-Rx oral medication, Rx oral/topical medication, Rx injectable medication and Rx cardiac medication. For each module Forgey shows what you'd need for a bug-out bag (2 weeks), settlement stock (1 year) and 5-year supply.

For the price there's no reason you shouldn't have this book at home, ready to grab when you need it. You'll find yourself consulting it early and often, and that its utility extends far beyond TEOTWAWKI.

$14.90 at Amazon

Arc'Teryx Russet Short 12

Are ya basic? Like, in a good way? Then you'll appreciate the Russet short 12 from Arc'Teryx. It's got just what you need and nothing more.

The Russet is a 12 inch inseam short that's soft, light and flexible, with articulated construction and a flat waist that's designed to slip under a climbing harness for all-day comfort. Billed as a climbing short, it also sports a flat nylon belt loop in the  six o'clock position for hanging a chalk bag.

Front and rear pockets are open to the world, and a zip and snap fly keeps everything where it's supposed to be. Construction is typical Arc'Teryx, very polished and built to last. The Russet 12 will work for any high-movement activity, from yoga to mountain biking, especially in hot weather thanks to its breathability. One feature that we did find ourselves wishing for is a small zipped inner pocket for ID and such.

The sleek design and durability may help you tolerate the price of entry, which is admittedly steep, although as of this writing you can find some colors and sizes on sale. At this price we'd like to see a basic belt included for casual wear, because let's face it: you're not going to change after hitting the crags, or really anytime soon you dirtbag climber you.

$99.00 at Backcountry (some sizes and colors on sale from $59.40)

Pearl Izumi X-ALP Launch Flat Pedal Bike Shoe

It's no secret, we're big fans of Pearl Izumi biking gear. One thing we haven't tried is their cycling shoe line, but that changed when we tried on the X-ALP Launch flat pedal shoe.

We decided to make the switch from clipless - goodbye Eggbeaters, we loved you so! - to work on our flat pedal technique for a change of pace. The Launch seemed like a good shoe on paper, and once we had it on our feet it proved to be everything we needed.

The Launch has a Vibram Megagrip grip zone on the sole that gives you the positive engagement with your pedals that you need to maintain control. You don't have to think about your feet so much when you're clipped in, but that all changes with flats. Even with our aggressive Race Face Chester pedals, the Launch is tough enough to not get shredded even with aggressive riding.

The Launch looks as good as it performs, and as it turns out the one area we were nervous about - comfort - was no problem at all. The Launch easily switches from trail to tarmac, and you can wear it out on the town after a hard day of riding with no worries. The winning combination of performance, durability and just plain good looks makes the Launch our go-to flat pedal bike shoe.

$104.93 (on sale from $150) at REI