Search results

We'd like to thank the ski3pins for loaning their charged-up jump starter. It worked perfectly on our Tacoma when, in a remote area, we couldn't start our truck. We used it three times in the next couple of days. Later, I read the instructions which said it could start quite a few times (I...

We were in Butte Valley and up the Racetrack road last week, turning at Teakettle Jct and quite a ways up via Hidden Valley and Ulida Flat. All those roads were in very reasonable condition. The crux of all of that was a bumpy, muddy area near Ubehebe Crater where clearance was handy, but it's...

Our SOK battery with heater gets it energy from the charger, not the battery. I found out it needs 4.5 amps though, so our lone 100W solar panel isn't enough to heat the battery. Its BMS won't let it charge below 32F, and then it has to rise to 41F before it'll start charging.

For future reference: It's possible to get the waypoints out of Backcountry Nav. The .bcn files are "sqlite" files, an open-source file format. Use the free software at SQLiteStudio to edit the file, which can display a spreadsheet of all the waypoints. Then you can paste them into your own...

If you want to hear another voice, try changing the Google maps to UK English. Maybe that'll be sexier. Once I rented a car-drivin' GPS for a work trip to Australia. That one also had multiple voices, so to get used to it, I tried it at home for practice. I also wanted to get used to the accent...

Speaking of external shunts, I just realized when our battery is heating, the shunt thinks it's being charged. Our battery uses about 4.5amps when heating.

Neato part one report! We wonder if the "interesting shapes in the sandstone that I’m curious as to how they form" are tufa like the caves near Grimes Point, Nevada. But I ain't no geologist and can't even play rock music. I can think of only one excuse for new petroglyphs. If Native Americans...

I used to use Gaia but a few years ago switched to CalTopo. Its really good for hiking and works ok for planning driving, but downloading Google Maps areas often works better for driving out of cell range.

That sounds like a really long trip... hmmm... Let us know when to meet you! Now that I think of it, we have made rough driving routes on our device out in the field. No need to follow the road curves exactly as long as the junctions are at vertices of the lines.

This may not be much consolation, but we can sure fit a lot of food in our little 65L fridge. I suppose you could put a small fridge in your truck if your fridge isn't big enough. But these comments may not feel like any consolation...

I've been using Caltopo on the computer in a similar way, and it sure makes driving easier. I find navigating in a car more difficult than bushwacking through the North Cascades. I'll see if this is possible in the field on a handheld device. Lately I've been drawing the driving routes in the...

Using 15% is pretty typical per night with our 65 liter fridge (front door, not top door), for our 100ah battery, on moderate temperature nights. Then again on a recent trip in 17F temperatures, our fridge didn't have to do work ! Our salad froze... but we ate it anyway.

Sorry to hear Gaia has been such a hassle, and support slow and complicated. The MVUM is a really nice thing to have downloaded, once you get it working. Will Gaia have the ability to create a route along roads from point A to point B? As far as I can tell, CalTopo doesn't do that on a handheld...

We cook inside, but try to keep the coffee cup capped, and lids on the pots. I even grab a bite in between putting the lid back on. And pour milk over hot cereal right away to cool it down. Our major moisture source is hot flashes (oy!) and breathing, sweating, etc. I'm not allowed to crack...

This one, made from scrap lumber I had laying around, has thinner plywood and a frame of 2x6s. The mid brace keeps the 2x6s from rolling, but honestly due to the stiffness of the dolly vs. camper, the load really piles up on the corners above the wheels. So far it's shown no flex issues. It's...

Vic, does your mattress have a vinyl bottom cover? I'm thinking not, since it would block the moisture flow into the hypervent. ckent, Perhaps an inflatable bag with down inside, like what might be in some of the new insulated backpacking mattresses, would provide insulation. We also get...

We've wondered why we haven't found moisture, and the reason is because we didn't look in enough places. Today I unzipped the foam inside the mattress. The cover is vinyl on the bottom. Yup, plenty of mold in the foam. Reading online, there's advice on hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, baking soda...

I think shoe fit is more critical than how a harness fits. The harnesses I've used are pretty adjustable. The issue with nylon or whatever material is used, is its age, and how much sun (UV) it's had. But harnesses and ropes and other climbing gear are rated for big loads, and if you are...

Doesn't that mean your blog is unavailable 25% of the time?

By the way, North Pass to Saline Valley to the springs just opened.

We missed the Black Friday deals while out in the boonies. Oh well! We absolutely love our lithium battery, but boy was it expensive, despite doing the installation myself. I have to say it was worth it. One nice thing about lead acid is it would charge at low temperatures. Our lithium...

I like the "temporary" table option a lot. But if getting a dinette, the only real way to decide is to spend some quality time in one. Perhaps there's someone in your area who can show you their setup. We are so glad we sat in some at a dealer, and were able to compare them.

Indeed, we heard about an upcoming storm in the Cascades, 12-36" worth, while south of Salt Lake City. That much snow usually closes the highways in Washington due to avalanche control. We hemmed and hawed which way to go. The storm looked like it would hit from the Siskiyous to the North...

My son-in-law, computer expert, was recommending a NAS. However, that means keeping a machine on all the time. It just bugs me to have electrons burning. In fact, if I'm not going to use my computer for at least half a day, I don't even like turning it on. Makes me go outside. But a NAS probably...

The front dinette puts the seat backs against the window, blocking the view. However, the windows are below shoulder level anyway, so you have to move to see them. We got the side dinette so we could fit a bike inside, and be able to see out the windows. I'm not sure we'll use the bike inside...