Für meinen heutiges Interview konnte ich Joe Valesko von ZPacks gewinnen. Er ist seit einigen Tagen von seiner Tour auf dem CDT wieder da und hat durch die Beendigung das Tripple Crown geschafft. Außerdem hat Joe mit ZPacks noch eine Ultraleicht-Manufaktur, wo er Ausrüstung herstellt. Während seines Tru-Hikes hatte Joe seinen Shop geschlossen und startet demnächst richtig durch.
Here we go!!
Could you tell a little bit about yourself for those who don’t know you?
I’m 27 years old. I started ZPacks.com in 2005 shortly after my AT thru-hike. I thru-hiked the AT in ‘04, the PCT in ‘07, and the CDT this year, ‘09. Up until this year I was also a full time software engineer in addition to running ZPacks. I’m building gear full time now.
How did you come to hiking, and how often do you go hiking nowadays?
I hiked a lot as a kid, but didn’t do my first backpacking trip until high school (late 90’s). I had heard about the AT and that is what got me into backpacking. Nowadays, aside from thru-hikes, I try and get out on weekends whenever I can. I probably do more canoe trips that backpacking trips though.
When did you start with lightweight backpacking?
When I first started backpacking in high school I bought a set of the lightest gear I could find (3lb backpack, 3lb tent, etc. uhg!). I did two weekend trips, sold all my gear, and bought materials to replace it all with homemade lightweight gear. The website thru-hiker.com was my first intro into do-it-yourself gear.
Let’s speak about your last tru-hike. Since some days you’ve finished the CDT and now you’re a Triple Crowner. How do you feel after such a long tru-hike?
It has been about two weeks since I finished the CDT. It is strange not having someplace to go, or something to do. I miss the freedom, the friends, and the junk food! I would be outdoors doing that sort of thing all the time if I could.
Can you describe my readers a few impressions of the tour?
The CDT was amazing. The scenery was epic, and the trail was challenging. On the CDT you are constantly navigating with maps, guidebook, and compass since the „trail“ is seldom marked. Unlike the other long trails you have the freedom to choose your own route and go pretty much where you please. I liked that aspect a lot. Towards the beginning of the trip I hiked solo, many days I didn’t see a single human being. There were more animal tracks on the trail than foot prints. The second half of the trip I hiked with a large group (16 of us) and probably socialized more than on the other trails even though there were far fewer people overall.
Have you ever been in great danger on the CDT trip?
Yes! The snow was the scariest part. On a southbound thru-hike the snow starts falling in Colorado in mid-september. We hiked through several blizzards, some days the temperature didn’t go above freezing. We had to take short, standing breaks and then keep moving to keep from freezing. Nobody had winter gear but we all made it ok.
There are grizzly bears, wolves, and rattle snakes too but the wildlife never bothered anyone.
The Triple Crown adventure is now finished. Do you want to realize some other great tru-hikes in future?
Yes! I am hoping to do the New Zealand trail next. Maybe a year or two from now. I would also like to do the Hayduke trail.
Ok let’s speak about a little bit about your manufacture. Can you tell me something how and why you started your manufacture?
I had been making homemade gear as a hobby for a long time. On my AT thru-hike several people suggested that I start selling gear. I didn’t have a „real“ job yet at the time so that is when I started.
Do you manage your manufacture as a second job or as a main job?
Up until now ZPacks has been a second job. I worked full time as a software engineer. I am going to try ZPacks full time now and see how it goes.
What is the philosophy behind your company?
I basically just build gear that I want to use. It turns out that many other people are looking for the same thing. Most of my gear is „simple“ and focuses on utility over appearance.
Do you release new gear in future or do you even upgrade the existing ones?
I am constantly upgrading the existing gear. I get good suggestions from customers, or get new ideas all the time. Some brand new items including tents and tarps are coming.
How many customer opinions do you get and how many customer opinions are incorporated in your products?
I get quite a bit of feedback. Whenever customers report a problem I modify my designs to fix it. Many of the options that can be added on to backpacks were also suggested by customers.
Is environmental impact important for you and what do you do to help minimize it?
I build all of the gear myself, and work out of my home. I suspect that very little energy is being used compared to commercial manufacturing. Many of the materials (including Cuben Fiber) are produced in the US.
Meanwhile, many manufacturers produce lighter gear. Do you think that this is a trend which ends in some years or will ultralight gear conquer the marketplace?
I think the trend towards lighter gear will continue. I don’t know of many people that switch to lightweight gear and then go back.
In which direction will ultralight gear develop? Even lighter and more stable?
I think all of the ultralight manufacturers are coming up with innovations to make their gear lighter, more durable, and more useful. I know my own gear has come a long ways since I started. One of the biggest things I’ve done is to allow customers to pick and choose from many backpack options. They can decide which features are worth the weight.
Joe, I thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there something you would like to say?
Thanks Benjamin for the good questions!
Nicht immer hat man auf seinen Touren das Glück, dass die Sonne scheint. Oft genug regnet es und dafür braucht man vernünftige Kleidung, die vor Regen schützt und atmungsaktiv ist und zudem noch leicht ist, weil sie sowieso die meiste Zeit im Rucksack verweilt. Auf der Suche nach einer leichten Regenhose kamen für mich 3 Modelle in Frage.
1. DriDucks
2. RAB Drillium Pants
3. Berghaus Paclite Pants
Die DriDucks halten zwar den Regen ab, jedoch machten sie keinen wirklich stabilen Eindruck auf mich. Einziger Vorteil ist, dass sie sehr leicht und günstig sind. Die RAB Drillium Pants ist eine hervorragende Hose mit einer eVent-Membran, jedoch habe ich mich für die ein paar Gramm leichtere Berghaus Paclite Pants entschieden.
Die Paclite Pants bringt in der Größe L 204g auf die Waage und lässt sich auf die Größe einer Orange zusammenpacken, wodurch sie optimales Packmass erreicht und auch mal schnell in ein Daypack gepackt werden kann, wenn man Regen erwartet. Außerdem besitzt die Hose 3/4-lange 2-Wegereißverschlüsse, um sie bei plötzlich auftretendem Regen schnell und bequem überziehen zu können. Der Reißverschluss ist wasserdicht und hat zudem noch eine Abdeckleiste. Am Bund lässt sich die Hose mit einem elastischen Schnürzug bequem verstellen und mittels Druckknöpfen kann man die Hose noch am Beinabschluss verstellen. Sämtliche Nähte sind von innen abgedichtet, damit Wasser und Wind keine Chance haben durchzukommen.
Erfahrungen Berghaus Paclite Pants:
Mittlerweile hatte ich schon mehrmals die Gelegenheit die Paclite Pants richtig zu testen. Bei starken Regen und warmen Temperaturen hat die Hose mich wunderbar trocken gehalten. Zu dem ist die Hose noch sehr atmungsaktiv, so dass ich nicht drin geschwitzt habe. Über die 2-Wegereißverschlüße kann man für eine angenehme Belüftung sorgen. Auf bei starkem Wind schützt einen die Berghaus Paclite Pants bestens und man kommt immer trocken nach Hause. Die Gore-Tex Paclite Membran ist die einzigste Membran von Gore-Tex bei der ich nicht schwitze, ansonsten ist bei mir immer die eVent-Membran erste Wahl.
Außerdem möchte ich die Hose nur mit einer Isolationsschicht im Winter bei Schnee tragen. Dies hat sich auch schon die letzten Tage bei Sturm und Regen sehr gut bewährt.
Hier ein paar Eindrücke vom 2. MYOG-Treffen auf der Burg Hessenstein.
Ein besonderer Dank geht an die Organisatoren des Treffens und an Extremtextil, die sämtliche Muster ihres Sortiments mitgebracht haben.
Am Wochenende findet das MYOG-Treffen auf der Burg Hessenstein im schönen Hessen statt. Da dies direkt bei mir um die Ecke liegt, werde ich einmal hinfahren, um wieder mal ein paar neue Leute kennenzulernen und um mir ein paar Ideen für meine ruhenden und geplanten Projekte zu holen, die ich noch realisieren möchte. Geplant von mir sind eine Hose, ein Shelter und ein paar Schneeschuhe. Die Schneeschuhe werden denke ich mein größtes Projekt, da sie sehr leicht werden sollen, mich aber trotzdem vernünftig tragen müssen.
Am Sonntag werde ich mit jeder Menge Bildern und Eindrücken zurück sein und euch berichten.
Heute gibt es mal keine Ausrüstungsmanufaktur im Interview. Ich konnte den „Hiking Hero“ und „Adventurer of the Year“ Andrew Skurka für ein Interview gewinnen. Trotz seiner sehr zeitintensiven Planung für sein nächstes Projekt, hat er mir bereitwillig ein paar Fragen beantwortet. Here we go!!
Hello Andrew, could you tell a little bit about yourself for those who don’t know you?
I am a 28-year-old outdoor adventurer who since 2002 has trekked over 23,000 miles. My early hikes utilized the US’ extensive long-distance trails system – I became the first to complete the 6,875-mile Great Western Loop and the 7,778-mile Sea-to-Sea Route, the former of which earned me the „Adventurer of the Year“ distinction from National Geographic Adventure. More recently I have been pursuing more adventurous trips in premier wilderness like Alaska, Utah, Iceland, and the High Sierra of California.
How did you come to hiking and when did you start to go lightweight?
My first true backpacking experience was the Appalachian Trail in 2002. I became a lightweight convert after my first day – my body and my morale were getting brushed by the weight of my pack and I knew if I was going to finish the trip – and enjoy myself – that I would need to lighten up.
Do you have a philosophy, if you go hiking?
Far, fast, and light.
You walked about 23000 miles in the last few years on great trails. Have you ever been in great danger on your trips?
Certainly, but no particular event in which I thought I was going to die – just a few times where I knew I was going to be really uncomfortable for a while.
Your next project will guide you through Alaska and Canada. How long does it take for planning such a trip?
Preparing for an expedition is like writing thesis paper – it’s not done until the due date. Specifically, I’ll be planning now until the day I leave. It’s a really good feeling when you take that first step – no more planning, just doing.
Could you tell my readers something about your new project and the difficulties that await you?
This is my first expedition that I was describe as a “long-distance adventure.” I’ve done long and fast hikes before, and I’ve done some adventurous trips, but until now I never combined the two respective skill set and bodies of knowledge. The trip is about 4,500 miles long and it will take me 6-7 months to complete. It’s a gigantic loop around Alaska and Canada’s Yukon territory. More info can be found here.
Are you planning other hikes after this one?
Yes, I expect to continue adventuring. I don’t have my sights on another specific expedition right now – I think it would probably be a little cocky to think this next one wasn’t going to take every ounce of my energy.
Andrew you have done your hobby to career. What kind of advice would you give to someone who wants to do the same?
It’s not that hard – you just need to decide to do it, and make sure that all your other decisions allow you to do it. I decided that I wanted to adventure for a living, not get a conventional job. But then I needed to decide that I wouldn’t have a dog, that I wouldn’t tie myself into a mortgage, that I wouldn’t spend money I don’t have, that I wouldn’t have long-lasting relationships with women, etc.
Let’s speak a little bit about ultralight gear. In which direction will ultralight gear develop? Even lighter and more stable?
I think UL designs will continue to get smarter, but not necessarily lighter. In fact, I would say most of the weight gains have already been realized – we’re already using the best materials that exist (e.g. carbon fiber, Titanium, 800-fill down, etc) and big weight improvements in them aren’t likely. The improvements we’ll see will be in a product’s durability, functionality, and environmental impact.
Meanwhile, many manufacturers produce lighter gear. Do you think that this is a trend which ends in some years or will ultralight gear conquer the marketplace?
I think the lightweight industry is here to stay, but I don’t see it conquering the marketplace. When I meet casual backpackers – like at a National Park or when I give a lightweight clinic to a university – I am appalled by the size of the packs that people still carry. The lightweight ethos has probably penetrated the US market on the order of 5 percent, yet we’ve been screaming from the rooftops about lightweight gear for the last 10 years. The reality is that the vast majority of dedicated backpackers and backcountry users (e.g. mountaineers, rock climbers, backcountry skiers, etc.) have all realized the importance of pack weight and have learned to lighten up. But these hardcore users are a small fraction of the overall market – most people are casual backcountry users, and they haven’t figured it out yet and/or are not told about by retail stores when they go to buy equipment. There is a lot of work to do to educate people about the benefits and techniques of lightweight travel.
Andrew, I thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Is there something you would like to say?
Thanks for the interview request. If anybody wants to learn more about my hikes, my gear, or my next big trip, they visit my website.
Wenn man mit Trailrunningschuhen auf Tour geht, hat man früher oder später das Problem, dass sich immer mal wieder kleine Steine im Schuh verirren und einem beim Laufen stören. Um hier Abhilfe zu schaffen, damit man nicht als den Schuh ausziehen muss, habe ich mir ein paar Gamaschen zugelegt. Meine Wahl fiel auf die Debris Gaiter von der Firma Inov-8. Diese Gamaschen sitzen sehr gut am Fuß und schützen exzellent vor Steinen und Dreck im Schuh Zudem sind sie noch sehr atmungsaktiv und trocknen schnell, wenn sie nass sind. Unter dem Schuh werden die Debris Gaiter mit einem flexiblen Gummiband fixiert, so dass sie nicht hochrutschen. Meine anfänglichen Befürchtungen, dass das Gummiband unter starker Belastung schnell reißt, haben sich nicht bewahrheitet. Das dünne Gummiband macht auch sehr schwieriges Gelände mit. Die Inov-8 Debris Gaiter bringen 53g auf die Waage.
Das einzige Problem bei den Gamaschen sehe ich bei sehr großer Nässe und bei Schnee. Da bin ich noch nicht wirklich überzeugt, dass die Gamaschen dicht halten, wenn man Knöcheltief einsinkt. Deshalb ziehe ich es auch in Erwägung hier noch ein Paar anzuschaffen, welche eine Membran besitzen. In die nähere Auswahl kommt da der SuperLight Gaitor von Mountain Laurel Designs. Diese Gamasche besitzt eine eVent-Membran und ist noch leichter als die Inov-8 Debris Gaiter. Mit dieser Kombination wäre ich dann für jedes Wetter zu jeder Jahreszeit ausgerüstet.
Aufmerksam auf die Seite Suluk 46 von Steve Evans bin ich durch ein Video auf Youtube geworden. Da schneidet er doch tatsächlich die Therm-A-Rest NeoAir auseinander, weil sie ihm zu groß ist. Im ersten Moment, als ich das Video gesehen habe, dachte ich, dass dieser Bursche doch recht verrückt ist. Ich mein wer schneidet schon seine teure NeoAir in Stücke. Doch ein paar weitere Berichte und ein Besuch seiner Seite Suluk 46 zeigten mit, dass Steve es richtig drauf hat und 1A Ultraleicht-Gear entwirft. Freundlicherweise hat er sich bereiterklärt, mir ein paar Fragen zu beantworten.
Here we go!
Hello Steve, could you tell a little bit about yourself for those who don’t know you?
I’m a 32 year old Mechanical Designer who resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As far back as I can remember, I was always building or designing something and knew at a young age that I wanted to be involved in engineering somehow. I originally worked in the aerospace industry as a machinist until I realized that I would enjoy being the person who designs things as well as builds them. I returned to school and achieved a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and afterwards a Bachelors Degree in Manufacturing Engineering Technology.
What is the meaning of your company name, Suluk 46?
When I was looking at creating a name for the company, I wanted to incorporate a term that implied light weight, but I also wanted to include a personal meaning in it. The word Suluk is a term used in the Inuktitut language. The language is spoken by the Inuit who inhabit the Canadian Arctic and Sub arctic Regions. Suluk can be translated into „Feather“. The ‘46′ at the end of the company name corresponds to the line of Latitude that crosses a small mountain located in Killarney Provincial Park known as Silver Peak. It was in this park that my father used to take me as a child and while I did not get the chance to climb this small hill while he was around, it was a mutual goal for us. I visit this area at least a few times each year. Put these two together and Suluk 46 is created.
How did you come to hiking and when did you start to go lightweight?
I began hiking as a child with my father. Every year he would plan a backcountry trip and take me along with him. Being that I was young, the trips were less ambitious then my current endeavors, but still involved a couple of hours of hiking or canoeing and several days in the bush. I have extremely fond memories of these trips. Through high school, I strayed away from hiking for the most part but before I hit my 20’s, I began planning some trips. I pulled out some of my old gear and went for a 3 day trip. I never weighed my pack or had a gearlist, but I can tell you that I have never had a more miserable time. I thought my back was going to break and I’ve never had such sore shoulders. I finished the trip, but just barely…I decided that something had to change. For my next trip, I did some research and tried to replace all my old gear with lighter gear. My research led me to a 4 lb tent and 5 lb backpack. Not exactly lightweight, but an improvement on what I was currently using. Then one day while in my local outfitters I spoke with a gentlemen who told me he carries less then 10 pounds of gear. I couldn’t believe it…and asked what it consisted of. When he told me he uses a homemade alcohol stove and slept in a hennesey hammock, I thought he was crazy. But guess what, I bought the hammock that day. The hammock didn’t work for me so I returned it in exchange for a poncho tarp. At this point I was well on my way to an ultralight gear list. The rest was just a matter of continuous improvement – dropping weight little by little. In 2006 someone told me to visit backpackinglight.com and through the use of the forums and discussions, I brought my baseweight down even more and now typically bring about 5 lbs of gear for 3 season trips.
Do you prefer the long trails like the PCT or short trips at the weekend?
I think that a long hike like the PCT would be a great challenge for me, and I love challenges. I can’t really say I would prefer a PCT style hike as I haven’t completed a hike of that length before. Perhaps one day, if time permits, I would undertake a trip like that. I think, at this point in my hiking career, my favorite length of hike is about 5-9 days in length. This allows for about a week in the bush and no need for a re-supply, so you can really get away from the crowds. I also enjoy quick overnighters, as they let me get away from the office and is a good way to test new gear. I guess, in the end I just love to get out and hike!
Your manufacture is really new I think.Can you tell me something how and why you started your manufacture?
I have been in the manufacturing industry for many years but have only recently started to apply it to my backcountry interests. This was a result of having a need for products that were not available on the market. I started to design and build gear that was lighter, stronger, smaller, or just unavailable anywhere else. The Tica Ice Tool was the first product that Suluk 46 officially launched. Initially, only a small batch was to be manufactured but continued interest lead me to building more and eventually offering them for sale on the website. I am still very much in the development phase and am working hard to bring creations from the „R&D“ section into the „Products“ area.
Do you manage your manufacture as a second job or as a main job?
It is very much a second job for me. I spend my days designing automated tooling and systems for the automotive and nuclear industry.
What is the philosophy behind your company?
It is quite simple – to design and build backcountry gear for the ultralight backpacking community. But not just any type of gear, most everything you’ll see from Suluk 46 will push the limits of the materials used, have a high strength to weight ratio, and of course be ridiculously light.
How did you get the idea to modify the Therm-A-Rest NeoAir?
I was excited about the release of the Neoair but I wanted something shorter and lighter – I always do! I think it was only a matter of time until some one modified it, and there was some talk on the forums about it. One day I took an iron and without cutting the pad, I applied it to the corner and sealed it down. When I saw that the heat sealed the two fabrics together, I concluded that the heat activated adhesive must be applied to the entire inside surface of the pad’s material. At that point, I set up my digital camera and decided to do a small episode on how to modify it. This became Episode #1 of my web videos „On The Trail“. Since I only had the one Neoair, what you see me doing in the video is actually the first time I am doing it. If the pad didn’t seal at the end, I would not have released the video. Lucky for me, the process is quite easy and straight forward.
What kind of new innovations can we expect in the future?
Like most engineers, I have no shortage of ideas, so you can always expect something cutting edge to be released on my website. I am still working hard on my Titanium Crampons and have several other projects on the go. I would give release dates, but when designing and building products of this nature, which use high end materials such as titanium, carbon fiber, and cuben fiber, it is quite costly to make prototypes. For this reason alone, I usually have to wait a few months between manufacturing them.
Is there a company that manufactures your products to your specification or do you do the manufacturing yourself?
The only products I have made outside of my facility are products that I am unable to make or areas of a manufacturing process that I am not able to perform. I have a fully equipped machine and fabrication shop but processes such as laser cutting or tig welding are something I am not able to do. In this case, I would use a local company to perform this for me. The majority of my material is purchased from the U.S.A. and I pride myself on manufacturing these products in North America as it supports the economy. I would urge manufacturers all over the world to maximize the use of their local businesses.
Is environmental impact important for you and what do you do to help minimize it?
Being a small company, the production of S46 gear in our facility has very little impact on the environment. However, environmental impact is always an issue to look into. The most efficient way to reduce our environmental impact is to reduce waste. A reduction in waste is also a reduction in cost, so there is more then one reason to go this route. At Suluk 46, all manufacturing and material processes are leaned out as much as possible and material is used as efficiently as possible. All scrap is recycled and dry machining techniques are used to eliminate disposal of coolants and cutting fluids. In the future, as more products are designed and produced, the manufacturing processes will be looked at carefully. If areas of the process are too demanding on the environment, new options will be looked at.
Meanwhile, many manufacturers produce lighter gear. Do you think that this is a trend which ends in some years or will ultralight gear conquer the marketplace?
I guess it really depends on what you consider to be ultralight. I can go to my local outfitter and put together a ~15 lb base weight using off the shelf items, so in some ways the ultralight gear is already there. When we start talking about base weights in the 5-10 lb range or even lighter, then equipment becomes a bit more specialized. Gear that falls into this category is typically going to be made of exotic fabrics and materials. Most major manufacturers steer clear of the ultralight materials as they are expensive, difficult to work with, and some of them require careful handling. I would enjoy seeing a boost in the ultralight marketplace, however, it requires some research and skills on behalf of the consumer to take advantage of this type of gear. So, while I don’t think the ultralight trend will end any time soon (it’s been around for a long time), I do not believe it will conquer the marketplace.
In which direction will ultralight gear develop? Even lighter and more stable?
As new materials, manufacturing technology and processes are invented, you will see a potential for lighter and stronger products. It will then be the choice of each individual manufacturer to apply these new developments to their backcountry gear. I obviously can’t speak for all companies, but I will tell you that I will continue to design and develop this type of gear. If the products manufactured by Suluk 46 were not cutting edge, then there would be no reason for an engineer to be involved…or should say there would be no reason for an engineer „like me“ to be involved. I believe it is natural to always want to push the limits. You’ll see this in most all industries – everyone wants to go further, faster, and with less energy. One common factor involved in achieving this is weight reduction, which can be accomplished by either lightening pieces of your gear or eliminating it all together. Steve, I thank you for taking the time to answer my questions.
Thank you Steve for answering these questions. Is there something you would like to say?
I would like to thank you for inviting me to participate in your blog. I very much enjoyed answering your questions and I hope the readers will enjoy it as well. As always, if you or anyone else has any questions, you can always send me an e-mail. See you on the trail, Steve Evans
Diese Woche war es endlich soweit. Mein lang ersehnter Kocher, der Trail Designs Ti-Tri kam mit der Post. Dabei war noch der neue Inferno Stove, der eine bessere Verbrennung gewährleistet. Zwar habe ich schon einen MYOG Hobo und einen MYOG Caldera Cone, jedoch war beides nicht wirklich das Wahre. Mit dem Ti-Tri hat man einen Allroundkocher der sowohl mit Esbitwürfeln und Spiritus, als auch mit Holz geheizt werden kann und zudem ist er noch sehr sehr leicht.
Sofort habe ich alles ausgepackt und aufgebaut, um zu schauen was wie und wo hingehört. Die Bedienungsanleitung wurde auch noch sorgfältig durchgelesen, um keine Fehler zu machen. Der Caldera Cone ist gegenüber meinem MYOG Cone nochmal deutlich dünner vom Blech. Nachdem alles ausgiebig getestet wurde habe ich mir erstmal die Waage zur Seite geholt, um das tatsächliche Gewicht zu ermitteln. Meine Gewichtsangaben beziehen sich auf einen Trail Designs Ti-Tri der mit einer Tibetanium 900 genutzt werden kann.
Hier die trockenen aber wichtigen Fakten:
Caldera Cone 44g
Gram Cracker + Bodenschutz 6g
12-10 Spirituskocher 16g
Inferno Stove 56g
Titan-Sticks 16g
Feuerschutz 22g
Esbitwürfel 43g
Spiritusflasche mit Messbecher 20g
Aufbewahrungsbox 75g
Sicherlich nimmt man dies nicht alles auf eine Tour mit. Man schaut sich vorher die Tour an und wählt dann den dazu passenden Brennstoff. Den 12-10 Spirituskocher kann man aber immer gut als Backup mitnehmen, wenn man den Ti-Tri nur mit Holz heizen möchte, denn man kommt immer mal in die Lage, dass man kein geeignetes Holz findet und dann froh ist, wenn man noch eine Alternative zu Hand hat.
Nachdem ich alles gewogen hatte, musste ich natürlich den neuen Kocher ausprobieren. Also ging es gleich raus in den Wald. Kocher aufgebaut und Holz gesucht. Hierbei ist zu beachten, dass der Inferno-Stove auf den Kopf gestellt werden muss, um ein optimales Brennverhalten zu erreichen. Nachdem das Feuer an war brannte es dank des Inferno-Stoves prima und 0,5l Wasser waren ruck zuck heiß. Zum Schutz der Natur sollte man natürlich den Bodenschutz unter den Kocher legen. Dieser hat rechts und links jeweils ein Loch, um ihn im mit Zeltnägel oder ähnlichem zu fixieren. Ansonsten ist vielleicht noch zu sagen, dass man mit dem Ti-Tri sehr vorsichtig umgehen sollte, da sonst die gefalzten Verbindungsteile sehr schnell verbiegen. Alle Teile lassen sich am Anfang noch recht schwer zusammenfügen, jedoch geht dies bei mehrmaliger Verwendung immer leichter.
Leider ist der Inferno Stove noch nicht auf der Seite von Trail Designs erhältlich, jedoch bekommt man eine schnelle und freundliche Antwort über die Kontaktadresse, wenn man einen benötigt.
Einen ausführlichen Bericht über die jeweiligen Brennstoffe wird in Kürze folgen.
Schon auf der Outdoor 2009 in Friedrichshafen kam mir abends die Idee ein paar Interviews mit Herstellen und anderen Bloggern zu führen, um einen besseren Eindruck von den Personen hinter den Unternehmen und den Blogs zu bekommen. Leider verlief sich dieser Gedanke erstmal im Sand und ich habe mich mit anderen Sachen beschäftigt, obwohl ich damals schon ein paar Fragen zusammengefasst hatte. Vor kurzem bot sich durch einen netten Kontakt zu Rand Lindsly von Trail Designs an, endlich mal ein Interview zu führen. Ich werde ab und zu und spontan immer mal wieder ein Interview mit einem Hersteller oder anderen Bloggern führen und dann hier auf der Seite veröffentlichen.
Die Interviews werden je nach Interviewpartner in Englisch oder Deutsch erscheinen.
In den folgenden Zeilen erzählt uns Rand Lindsly etwas über sich und das Unternehmen Trail Designs und beantwortet noch ein paar weitere Fragen.
How did you come to hiking?
Like many kids in the US, I was first introduced to hiking and backpacking through the Boy Scouts, though my family did do a lot of „car camping“ throughout my childhood. As I grew up in Texas, with college and early career activities taking more of my attention, I spent less time on the trail. It wasn’t until I moved to Silicon Valley in California, and trips to Yosemite National Park started to occupy more and more of my free time, that I revived my hiking and backpacking interests. The spectacular scenery, weather, wildlife, and trail system of Yosemite is pretty addictive.
Do you go hiking on the weekend or rather do you prefer the long trails like the PCT??
Well, with my increasing addiction to Yosemite as mentioned above, I ended up buying a house in, and moving to Yosemite a number of years ago. Being that I’m physically here and trailheads to the park are right out my front door, it is pretty convenient to just wake up Saturday morning, rub the sleep out of my eyes, and decide on the trail I want to do. This leads to a higher percentage of day hikes and weekend trips than the longer through hikes. With that said, I did attack the JMT last year going north to south and made it to the Le Conte Ranger Station before my increasingly mangled feet forced me to bail out over Bishop Pass. Suspect I will try again in the next year or two.
How did you meet your partners from Trail Design?
My primary career in Mechanical Engineering led me to a job at Sun Microsystems in Silicon Valley. It was there that I struck up a long standing friendship with Russ Zandbergen, another Mechanical Engineer developing computer enclosures and racks. When we each independently found our way to Lightweight/Ultralight backpacking, we started to spend more time together discussing and developing designs to help ourselves in our various forays into the Sierras. At the same time, Russ engaged his brother Lee, a Tooling Engineer, to develop and build machines to automate and streamline the production of the various designs. Around 2005, it became more obvious that we needed to incorporate and put up a website to see if anybody else might be interested in our ideas. Also around this time, we met George Andrews at AntiGravityGear. He has been an endless source of support for us and we often refer to him as the „Fifth Beatle“.
Do you manage your manufacture as a second job or as a main job?
Originally, we all were doing this as a side project. However, as time passed, Trail Designs became more successful and started taking more time. Then one of the team moved full time into supporting the business, and the rest of us, while continuing to do our day jobs, are spending more and more time in the evenings and weekends working the business as well as taking our vacations to go to trade shows, flying around to meet vendors, and just build product. We have also started to employ some family members on a contract basis to help with the production work lately.
What is the philosophy behind your company?
Well, to the extent that there is any kind of conscious philosophy, it would likely be to pursue projects that we find exciting, innovative, and fun, and to do that with people we enjoy hanging out with. The ultralight backpacking gear „industry“ accomplishes all that for the moment in that it is really just now coming into its own, there is a lot of room for growth and improvement and it involves getting out in the backcountry to test gear and come up with new ideas. Further, the people we have met and worked with in this business are some of the nicest and most giving folks on the planet.
How did you get the idea to develop the Caldera Cone?
As we were already playing around with alcohol stoves, we recognized the inherently lower BTU content of the fuel and knew there had to be a better way to capture the escaping heat and direct it into the water where we wanted it. Our Mechanical Engineering training and experience in thermodynamics led us to evaluate the various major components (stove, pot, windscreen) to see what could be done to maximize the thermal transfer. Somewhere along the line we were working with a Sierra Cup and a straight sided windscreen supporting it on its upper lip and getting very good results. We realized that this approach wouldn’t work for straight sided pots because the windscreen would be right next to the pot. However, it occurred to us at this moment that the idea of an angle sided pot and straight windscreen, if reversed to a straight sided pot and an angled windscreen would give us the wind protection and all-over-heating of the pot we were looking for. The incredible stability of the cone was really just a bonus!
Do you release new stoves and other things in future or do you even upgrade the existing ones?
We do have a notion of where we want to go with the product, but we really don’t publicize it very much. We have found that our strength is to react to customer input quickly rather than stick doggedly to a road map.
How many customer opinions do you get and how many customer opinions are incorporated in your products?
I am answering email from customers every day who provide ideas and suggestions on how to make our products better. It is a fantastic group of folks that use ultralight gear. Everybody is willing to jump in and help one another with ideas and suggestions. As to: „How many customer opinions are incorporated in your products„…..I would say quite a few. While the bulk of the customer input we receive is mostly in the form of problems, issues, or desires from the field, a few come in as specific design suggestions. The early packability desires pushed us to the UL Compact, the Fissure and the Caddy. The early closure concerns pushed us to design the dovetail joint. Early testing also gave feedback that led us to bias the lower venting to one side to make more of a wind break. In all, we get a ton of user feedback and try to constantly evolve the product to improve the end user experience.
Is environmental impact important for you and what do you do to help minimize it?
Yes, as with all companies involved in the Outdoor Industry, the environment is central to everything we do. To that end we are constantly seeking ways to re-use (not just recycle) waste. The bodies of our alcohol stoves are made of reused drink cans…..and alcohol as a fuel is itself renewable. The Caldera Keg obviously reuses large beer cans as the cooking pot. All scrap aluminum is recycled and all scrap titanium from Ti-Tri production is reused to build Gram Crackers, make dovetail re-enforcements, and floors for the Ti-Tri. The titanium floors themselves are provided to minimize scaring the earth with wood fires and we provide drip pans with our solid fuel kits to further help our customers Leave No Trace.
Meanwhile, many manufacturers produce lighter gear. Do you think that this is a trend which ends in some years or will ultralight gear conquer the marketplace?
That is an interesting question. Surprisingly enough, my answer to that is…No….I do not think that UL gear will conquer the marketplace. Lighter gear would naturally be preferred by any customer if given an equal choice, but their choice will rarely be equal. For one, as you get into lighter and more exotic materials (like titanium and carbon fiber for hard goods, and cuben fiber for sewn goods) prices tend to go up. As prices go up, your customer base starts to compromise on their natural preference for lighter gear and begins to consider heavier, less expensive gear. Further, there is a lot of ultralight gear on the market that, by the very nature of its ultralight construction, will never be as rugged and sturdy as some of the heavy weight „bomb proof“ gear. Because of the VERY liberal return policy of some of the larger retail chains, they will never carry this gear because they can’t absorb the returns of these products when introduced into a customer base that isn’t trained in how to take care of this class of gear. Both of these drive the production, distribution and sales into the cottage industry where the thinner margins can be more easily absorbed. So, in summary, there will still be a market for inexpensive, heavy gear, and a retail distribution model geared up to support it.
Ultralight is becoming more and more popular in England. Does the UK pass the USA as UL gets more popular?
Well….I think this question is really one of raw numbers. With the USA having over 300M people, and the UK about 60M……there are basically 5 times as many people in the USA. Statistics would tend to lean toward the US in terms of total sales given that they enjoy a 5X larger customer base. As a „percentage of the population“ question, I wonder if the US land mass being something like 35X larger than the UK, would draw more outdoor activities? It’s an interesting question that I suppose only time will tell. Now, it is noteworthy that the UK has some spectacular publications like TGO and Trail that speak to the UL community and the cottage gear companies arguably as well or better than the larger US publications. Also the UK is the second largest consumer of Trail Designs products (behind the US). So, again time will tell, but it wouldn’t surprise me!
In which direction will ultralight gear develop? Even lighter and more stable?
Well….taken to its most philosophical extreme, the lightest weight gear is the gear that is never in your pack. In other words, if the hiker can fully outfit his campsite with „gear“ found on site that would be the lightest possible. You will never get to that philosophical extreme because lean-tos and fire rings start to violate other tenets like LNT. However, we do see some inklings of that with a push toward wood stoves that eliminate carried fuel…..fishing that eliminates carried food…..hammocks that take advantage of existing trees….etc. Now, I don’t believe that philosophy will drive the UL direction. Personally, I think that the next evolution will be in the realm of further gear cross pollination and re-use. There is still quite a bit of „quantized“ gear out there. I suspect you could cut into your weight even more if you started looking at pack, tent, sleeping, cooking, and clothing systems less as individual systems onto themselves and the complete system as a whole. Could pack stays be used as cooking or tent gear? Could the pack body also double as a tarp? Could bear canisters be used as a pack body? Not sure where all this goes, but I get the feeling that a look at the system as a whole might take us in some interesting directions.
Thanks for the great interview!!
Nachdem mein Lightwave Wildtrek 60 sich bei meiner Tour in den Alpen recht gut geschlagen hat, er aber für Wochenendtrips doch recht groß ist, bot sich die Gelegenheit einen kleineren und leichteren Rucksack mit sehr vielen Features zu testen. Die Firma Bergzeit stellte mir freundlicherweise den Osprey Exos 46 zu Verfügung.
Den Exos gibt es in 32l, 46l und 58l. Er wird in den Rückenlängen S, M und L ausgeliefert. Bei Diesem Trekkingrucksack hat die Firma Osprey ordentlich am Gewicht gespart, jedoch nicht am Komfort. Der Exos kann sich zwar nicht mit den ganz leichten Ultraleichtrucksäcken messen, da er ein durchdachtes Belüftungssystemhat, was man bei normalen UL-Rucksäcken nicht vorfindet.
Ein spezieller Rahmen erlaubt maximale Belüftung und erhöht die Luftzirkulation. Außerdem sind der Hüftgurt und die höhenverstellbaren Schultergurte aus einem perforierten Schaum, der mit einem Netzmaterial überzogen wurde, um eine gute Belüftung zu gewährleisten.
Desweiteren besitzt der Exos 46 an den Seiten angebrachte Kompressionsgurte, um den Rucksack optimal komprimieren zu können. Im vorderen Bereich besitzt der Rucksack noch zwei große Taschen. Eine davon ist mit einem Reißverschluss versehen, um beim Trekking Kartenmaterial oder ähnliches zu verstauen. Alle eingesetzten Schnallen sind sehr leicht gebaut und die Riemen zum komprimieren des Rucksacks.
Desweiteren gibt es noch zwei Öffnungen für das Trinksystem, welches im Rucksack befestigt werden kann. An den Seiten sind zusätzlich noch 2 große Taschen aus Meshgewebe angebracht, in denen Wasserflaschen oder kleine Snacks untergebracht werden können. Außerdem besitzt der Hüftgurt auch noch 2 große Taschen, um zum Beispiel eine Kamera zu verstauen.
Ein besonderes Feature des Osprey Exos 46 ist das „Stow on the go“ System. Durch dieses System kann man sehr schnell die Trekkingstöcke am Rucksack befestigen und hat die Hände frei.
Als Fazit kann man sagen, dass der Osprey Exos 46 ein sehr gelungener Rucksack ist. SIcher hätte man ihn noch etwas leichter machen können, doch seine ganzen Features machen den Reiz aus. Hier muss jeder entscheiden, ob er diese Details benötigt oder nicht oder ob er sich einen leichteren Rucksack mit weniger Ausstatung zulegt. Ansonsten ist der Rucksack sehr sauber und im ersten Augenschein robust verarbeitet. Dies wird sich aber noch auf einer Testtour zeigen, ob der Osprey Exos hält was er verspricht.
Zuletzt noch das Technische. Der Rucksack wiegt nachgewogene 1095g und hat laut Herstellerangaben in der Größe L ein Fassungsvermögen von 49 Litern.
