GearFlogger

Gossamer Gear Mariposa 60 Backpack

Gossamer Gear was ultralight before ultralight was cool. Founded as GVP Gear by Glen Van Pleski way back before the 21st century was a thing, Gossamer Gear has a much broader product offering these days but its packs are still the beating heart of the company, and their Mariposa 60 is the... left ventricle? OK, analogy fail but read on!

The Mariposa is a 60 liter pack that tips the scales at about two pounds even, depending on size and including the optional hip belt. Now that's light, but we've seen other packs weigh in close to that, so the question becomes: how much can you really carry, how comfortably can you carry it and how durable is it? The answers, respectively, are yes, ja and you betcha.

The Mariposa product description claims "comfortable carry even when overloaded with 35 pounds of gear," so of course we loaded up exactly 35 pounds of gear, including a bottle of prosecco for our tenth wedding anniversary,  and hit the trail for a ten mile hike with friends to an alpine lake near Anchorage, Alaska. We were hiking with kids so the total carry time was longer than it would have been on an adult-only outing, close to seven hours round trip, giving us plenty of time to reflect on how the pack carried. Short answer: on the way up to the lake with the full weight the Mariposa carried wonderfully. Even better, it was a hot day with no overhead cover and despite the unrelenting sun the airflow on the pack was pretty good. There was a bit of sag in the bottom of the pack's main compartment with that much weight, but although it looked a little strange it didn't affect how it carried.

You'd expect an ultralight pack to be minimalist when it comes to organization, but just the opposite with the Mariposa. Seven (7!) pockets let you put everything exactly where you want it. In addition to (1) the main compartment there's (2) a small zip pocket on the rolltop, handy for maps and the like; (3) a mesh pocket on the front for layers/hats/wet stuff; (4 and 5) two quart bottle size pockets on the right side, one above the other; (6) a tall deep pocket on the left, perfect for tent poles and (7) a hydration sleeve inside.

The optional hip belt - not optional if you're carrying >20 pounds - makes heavier loads carry much easier and adds two more pockets for good measure. At this point if you're not organized you have only yourself to blame. Just for good measure, there's an axe loop on the bottom right and two small plastic tabs on the bottom left, into which you can insert the tips of trekking poles. Still looking for an easter egg? Fine, here you are: the Mariposa includes a removable foam pad that makes a great flat seat for two, or with one of the various sleeves on the market you could make a single chair with seat and back.

There are a number of lashing points on the sides of the pack, so you could rig up some 550 cord to carry pretty much anything any way you want to. Alternatively, go lighter by eschewing the hip belt and removing the stay. Really the Mariposa lets you have your pack pretty much any way you want it, so if you're typically under 30 pounds for your trips and looking for a hyper-organized ultralight pack, you have to check it out.

$270.00 at Gossamer Gear

Emergency Preparedness

If you're a regular Gearflogger you know we're based in Anchorage, Alaska, where two years ago on Friday, November 30, 2018 we were hit by a 7.0 earthquake. It caused major property damage but remarkably no loss of life, probably due in no small part to lessons learned - and applied - from the 9.2 Good Friday quake of 1964 that killed 131.

This reminded all of us how important it is to be prepared. Know how to turn off your gas and water, have a communications plan in place and alternate rally points designated. Practice once a year what you'll do, or better yet take a class, and have the gear to do it. Checklists are available at Ready.gov, FEMA and Red Cross to get you started. Here are what we consider the big five basics, in order of priority (most immediate needs to stuff you can deal with later):

1. Medical Trauma kit. Not a first aid kit with a bunch of BS designed for a child's scrapes and bruises, but a real honest-to-Uncle Sam trauma kit that has at a minimum nitrile gloves, tourniquet, chest seals, clotting bandages, shears, surgical tape, sterile gauze, and maybe even a nasal airway. You do know how to use these basic items, right? Think about having one of these in your car as well as your go-bag, and take one with you into the backcountry where you'll be your own EMT.

2. Survival. This should be easy for you backcountry people. Have the right gear and keep it easily accessible. Shell and insulation layers, good boots, gloves, hats, sunglasses; you know the drill. Have the means to build a shelter and start a fire, all in a decent pack that you can throw and go. Think about including some trekking poles, both for walking wounded and supporting those mylar tarps to make a shelter. You'll probably want some 550 cord or equivalent. We're also big fans of a fixed blade knife, multitool and even pepper spray for critters four-legged and two. Oh yeah, light: Black Diamond Spot or Petzl e-Lite for the win. Oh and some N95 filter masks just for fun.

3. Water. After the bleeding stops and you've set up camp you'll be thirsty. Have some Datrex water pouches on hand for immediate needs. Back them up with a Lifestraw or similar - not the UV purifiers which only work on perfectly clear water - and some Potable Aqua tablets just to be safe. If you have a large group to care for, get a bigger Lifestraw or equivalent gravity filter. If all else fails and you have the means, boil your water. If you can shelter in place, maybe get a Water BOB for your bathtub, and fill it at the first sign of trouble.

4. Food. Finally, you're hungry if you've managed to make it this far. This should be really easy: Clif bars for immediate energy, Mountain House for the long haul. We always keep a spare 5lb tub of protein powder at hand, handy if you can shelter in place and have access to water.

5. Communication. Along with your cell phone, FRS radios from Motorola or Midland, or even better GMRS radios - make sure you get the license. Have a crank radio, preferably with a charging function. Maybe a solar panel just for giggles, and a power pack for the first 24 hours.

Coleman OneSource 10x10 Canopy Shelter

Let us be the first to admit we were a bit skeptical about the premise: adding power and lighting to a pop-up canopy? Sounds like tryharderism. And yet... we're intrigued, tell us more about this Coleman OneSource shelter idea.

So after trying out the shelter on a recent weekend family car camping trip we have to admit, the OneSource shelter was a big hit with adults and children. We adults appreciated the spacious usable covered area, a true 10x10 space that easily allowed eight of us to get out of the rain and extended the evening for a few hours that we would otherwise have been confined to tent and trailer.

Setup was a breeze, just pull it out of the wheeled soft case, extend the monolithic accordion-style frame and pop the cover on. It was quick and even doable by one person with a little patience and creativity (hint: pick up one corner while balancing on opposite corner to expand/contract. There are easily operated large red buttons to lock/unlock the upper frame and legs, and holes in the feet to stake it out if needed. If things get really gusty you can guy it out as well, but for shedding rain the cover is more than taut enough without any modification needed.

The children - OK, adults too - also like the built-in light bars on the ceiling. After charging and inserting the OneSource battery in one corner you can use an easily operated dial to adjust brightness with a push and color with a twist. It's really a neat feature and provided much entertainment for the kids. The OneSource battery lasted easily for two nights of operation, and bonus: the battery has a USB out too, so it can function as a power bank to recharge your smartphone in a pinch. There is a range of OneSource compatible gear available including fans, lights, tents and a pump. The only downside is that the cable, while USB on the charger side, is a proprietary connection on the battery side. Micro USB or even USB C would have been much more convenient for when you lose the cable or it malfunctions.

Overall we came away impressed with the utility and thoughtful design of the OneSource shelter. It's weight at 38 pounds and size - think small bag of golf clubs - relegates it to car camping, but we do a lot of that with young kids and we have it available for home and event use as well. Come rain or shine, the OneSource shelter does the job.

$277.23 at Amazon

DIY Plyometric Box from a Half Sheet of Plywood

If you're homeschooling a kid or, god forbid, kids during this pandemic, you're undoubtedly looking for ways to burn off some energy, for them and for you! Box jumps at home can be a fun way to do that, and constructing a box from a half-sheet of plywood is fairly straightforward.

The box is usually called a plyometrics box, plyometrics being a fancy word for jump training. The vertical jump is an excellent measure of the power you can generate, power meaning speed and strength expressed simultaneously. Like VO2max, the vertical jump is considered a good measure of your natural genetic potential because it doesn't respond well to training. Put another way, you would need to spend a lot of time and effort to get fairly incremental improvements in both your VO2max and vertical jump. Box jumps aren't strictly measuring vertical jump because you're also drawing your feet up to land in a squat position, but that's a nitpick.

Box jumps are still worth doing, just make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. What are the wrong reasons? Glad you asked! Don't use plyometrics for strength or conditioning unless you really have no other options. Strength is a general adaptation (i.e. don't do stupid things like practicing throwing with a dumbbell or "functional training")and is best acquired under a barbell. Conditioning is a specific adaptation (don't run long distances to prepare for interval-based sports and vice-versa), and although you can certainly do box jumps as intervals it will also accumulate a lot of impacts that you probably don't need.

So what are the right reasons? Well, box jumps are fun, both for kids and adults, meaning it doesn't seem like so much of a chore. Box jumps train a natural movement pattern, one that adults in particular are prone to lose as they age and forgo the running and jumping they did as kids. Box jumps are mentally challenging and thus will build confidence and courage, because standing in front of a box set at a height that stretches your abilities requires you to fully commit; don't underestimate the joy to be gotten from landing a high jump you weren't sure you could! And finally, even though you might not end up with a five-foot box jump you can still improve your jump to the limits of your natural potential.

The box in the picture above is made from a half sheet of plywood, 4x4 feet and 3/4 inch thick. We used sanded plywood from Lowes because we're lazy. It's 16x19x24 inches, giving you three heights for jumping. Standard plyo boxes are 20x24x30, which weighs more, takes up more space and requires a full sheet of plywood. This guy gives instructions for making three different sizes, and although none are the half-sheet version we built the process is the same. Our 16x19x24 box used six cut pieces, two of each: 16x24, 17.5x24 and 14.5x17.5. You can see in the picture how they're arranged to get to 16x19x24. Here's the cool thing: you can get extra height out of your box by building a simple cradle out of a single eight-foot 2x4. It will hold the box in it's tallest position and can raise it to at least 32 inches or so, depending on how high you screw in the legs.

For training we do two warmups: first, stand in a standard jump position, heels about six inches apart, arms down and back and hinged slightly at the waist. Explode upward on to your tiptoes without leaving the ground, reaching your arms upward and holding that stretched out position for a few seconds. Drop quickly back into the jump position, and after you've done a few reps bring your feet off the ground as you're dropping. Second warmup: same as the first but actually jump, trying to bring your knees up as far as possible in front of you.

When you start jumping, just progress from the lowest comfortable height where you know you can land it, do 2-4 jumps and increase the height. Try to land softly on the balls of your feet, bending your knees with good lower back control, both on the jump up and more importantly the jump down. Limit your volume to a few reps at each height. You can either step down off the box, or walk off it if you're OK with the impact of landing. Bonus tip: remember to limit forward motion while jumping, as that increase forces and difficulty.

Some basic safety tips: round the corners of the box to eliminate sharp edges. Make sure it's on a level surface. Aim for landing on the center of the box. Make sure there's nothing you can fall into in the immediate vicinity. And watch your arm swing: we cracked our hands pretty hard on the box by swinging our arms straight forward as we jumped, a mistake we will not repeat. Be safe out there!