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Dyneema Obsession and Sewing Wallets

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      Even after the arrival of proven Ultra 100 and 200 fabrics (which my Durston Kakwa is made from), I am still attracted to Dyneema. I must have caught the bug from "window" shopping for all the newest ultralight tents online. I am just obsessed with its translucency and alleged properties. It was like I was in grade school again, and I got a little taste of the newest fad with my Dyneema Eno Helios straps and longed for the day when I could buy some more of this material.      Ever since I began my job in purchasing at a metal fabricator, I have fallen in love with material science. Learning all the ASTM standards and nuances within chemical and mechanical properties was a lot of fun to learn while in my first job post-grad. This has translated very well into my obsession with ultralight backpacking in the months that followed. Now, over a year later, it is cool to hear that Dyneema is 15x stronger than steel by weight. I should know the strength of st...
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Remembering Koda, the Goodest Boy and Adventure Partner

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      On November 17th, my wife and I had to say goodbye to our dog Koda. I can't even begin to describe the type of bond that we had, but he was truly my companion. We hiked together, chased bears together, and took on the wild adventure of life together. He was a year and a half old when he passed, but I can confidently say that he was living in GSP paradise when he was here.      I've significantly delayed posting because I knew I had to give him a proper tribute, but I didn't even know where to start. My family has never owned pointers or hounds before, and as long as we live on land, we will continue to own German Shorthaired Pointers in honor of Koda.      It all started when I wanted to socialize our older dog, Tucker (then a 3-year-old mini Goldendoodle). We tried bringing him to dog parks, but he would never play with other dogs. That's when I knew that Tucker needed to have a little brother. I also wanted a dog that was more than a ...
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GSI Outdoors Ultralight Java Drip Coffee Maker TRAIL REVIEW

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      The long-awaited trail review is here! So much to cover and so little time...  I will keep it simple and answer the most burning questions about this ultralight coffee filter to date. Keep in mind, this is based on a 3-day 2-night weekend trip and NOT an extended thru hike.  Was packing in/out coffee grounds too much of a hassle?       Not at all. I stored all my grounds in two plastic ziploc bags (one for each day) and simply dumped the wet grounds back into the bag after use. I understand that this is a leave no trace item, but the extra few grounds stuck to my filter were washed off along with my regular dish cleaning at a safe distance away from the shelter.  How did I grind the coffee?      I ground the coffee beans before I left for the trip and stored them in airtight bags. Was it abiding by the 15/15/15 rule for coffee? Definitely not, but everything tastes better in the backcountry anyway. I didn't notice a ...
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Gearing Up for a Chilly Weekend in the Smokeys

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      This weekend, my brother-in-law and I are braving the cold and backpacking to two different shelters along the top of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I wanted to do an overall pre-trip view of what I will be taking. I think this will be very interesting, as every outdoorsman knows that what ends up going in the pack or being used on the trip is usually different from how the scenario plays out in your head.       The conditions near Mt. Le Conte are hard to predict, mostly due to the fact that I am unable to find a weather station accessible on Google that is on the mountain or at least nearby. Gatlinburg and Cherokee weather can be vastly different after taking into account wind chill and thousands more feet of altitude. There is one source I was able to find. It is beautiful, but scary. Pictured below are two recent posts from High on Le Conte that show some pretty cold conditions.  Source:  https://www.highonleconte.com/dail...
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Update to the Southeast Section Hiker Map 10/26/25

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      This afternoon, I was able to locate an open download of the Appalachian Trail map that includes shelters, trailheads, water sources, resupply points, and, most importantly, the trail centerline. This map is a significant addition to the map project and will continue to be a free resource for everyone to use!         I have been on a few trips around the AT using other maps to plan, and I now won't need anything else but the Southeast Section Hiker Map to plan. Who doesn't love a great free resource!      The planner can be found here , and the map has been auto-updated on the cloud. Credits: Huge thanks to u/ Giveaway_Guy on Reddit for sharing their map.  Link to the original map and post on Reddit  here
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Southeast USA Section Hike Planning Tool 10/24/25

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         Over the last few years, I have done a lot of great day hikes, road trips, weekend cabins, and section hikes in the southeast. Heck, I even got married in the mountains of NC as a result of my love for the Blue Ridge Parkway (thank you, wifey<3). I have accumulated a lot of hiking knowledge and spent a lot of time on Google Earth and other GIS systems in the process.      One boring day, I decided I'd record some of my mapping shenanigans to help me plan trips. What spawned is more of an idea generator than a comprehensive list. This is meant to get the ideas flowing, while other, more documented hiking maps carry the rest of the way. I will detail more of my section hike planning tips in future posts, but I wanted to get this out there to be able to refine and add to it as a tool for the general public. Most of these places I have been multiple times, but there are a few on here that I have never been to but desire to cross off the bu...
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From the Office to the Trail: GSI Outdoors Ultralight Java Drip Coffee Maker

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        I recently have gotten into coffee. I got into coffee because I was tired of energy drinks and ready for something more nuance. I am not the greatest fan of espresso drinks due to the nature of non-portability. I wanted to drink coffee better the the K eurig in our conference room at work, without having to invest a ton of money into a desk setup.      The idea that I could kill two birds with one stone was a great thought, but I didn't feel like breaking the bank on Aeropress just yet. I even tried designing my own folding ultralight pour over funnel out of 0.063" 5052 aluminum, but alas I gave in to the near $13 alure of the GSI Ultralight Drip filter while making a routine trip to REI.     And boy am I so glad I did.          The craziest part is that it isn't even Chemex pour-over or boutique French-press and I've completely forgone my EDM playlist to revisit John Mayer's 2012 Born and Raised album to soa...
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