A geek walked into the woods..

LyttleBryan September 9th, 2010

Some background
What? You’ve never heard of Aarn Backpacks? Really? Why, that’s absolutely no surprise at all. In fact if you’d asked me 3 months ago if I’d heard of them, I would have said no. If you’d asked me 1 month ago I would have said only vaguely. Now here I am the proud owner of one. Aarn backpacks are a New Zealand based company started by they’re namesake, Aarn Tate. What makes these packs different is that they threw out most of the conventions of backpacks and started from a pure sport science approach. Being the nerd that I am, I have to admire they’re approach to designing backpacks.

You can read on their website all about the company history and what makes them unique. I won’t dive into that because there is a lot of information to be had by perusing their site. I’ll stick to the topic at hand, the Featherlite Freedom model Backpack with Sport and Photo Balance Pockets.

Pack Features
Some of the basic features of the pack, taken directly from the website, include:

• Flow Motion Technology
• Sport Balance Pockets
• clip torso-adjust, 10 cm range
• Waterproof dri-liner for pack
• U-lite frame with 1 vertical stay
• Stretch side pockets
• Cord-loc compression
• Ice axe and trekking pole attachment

Most of that sounds like basic backpack elements, but there are a couple of things that make this pack truly unique that I want to highlight. The Flow Motion technology, and the Sport Balance Pockets. These are two of the traits of the pack that differentiate these packs from competitors. Below are my thoughts on FlowMo, the balance pockets, and more.

First Impression
They say you only get once chance to make a first impression. And my first impression of my Aarn pack was “wow, this thing is solid.” I wasn’t really sure what to expect of the backpack. After all, I broke one of the primary rules of backpacks (try it on before you buy it) in order to get it. Backpacks come in a variety of materials made by a variety of individuals. Everything from big brand packs to packs made in someones garage. I can honestly say that Aarn is among the top when it comes to quality of production, and quality of materials used. When I feel the pack, and when I handle the pack, I have no doubt that this pack will last me a long time.

Along with the the feeling that this was a well made pack, was the sense that I would need a college degree in order to understand everything. Fortunately I have one of those, so I dove right in to all the information that it came with. Everything from adjusting the aluminum frame to how to add and remove balance pockets was covered. After a solid hour, maybe more, I had a pretty good understanding of all of the adjustment points on the pack. From there it was just a matter of getting it out on the trail for it’s trial run.

Trial by Trail
The test for this backpack was a 4 day, 35.5 mile backpack along the Lakeshore Trail in the Southern Smoky Mountains. The terrain was light with 2-3 sharp spikes in elevation change over the 4 days. My pack weight for the weekend was approximately 33 lbs (fully loaded) and included most of the traditional items needed for a backpack (food, clothing, water, shelter, etc.) and one big luxury item, my Canon t2i DSLR camera with 18-200mm zoom lens.

You see, one of the biggest driving factors to getting the Aarn backpack was that it offered a new solution to constant problem I’d been having: how do I carry my DSLR while backpacking? Most people solve the problem by simply not taking it, and still others create their own solutions. After spending a lot of time, energy, and money, I had tried just about everything I could and still wasn’t satisfied. My hope was that the Aarn Backpacks and their unique balance pockets would give me just what I needed to comfortably carry my DSLR while backpacking. Fortunately for me, it did. And it did it well.

As I first took to the trail I was trying to be as objective as possible. I paid precise attention to any pain points, loss of balance, and anything else I would consider problems. After approximately 2 hours on the trail, I was hurting. The pack was biting my left shoulder and I couldn’t go more than 15-20 minutes before needing to stop and take a break. I was disheartened, but after some cooling off I realized that with the number of adjustment options, I would need to try different things to get it to work. So, I did just that. By the end of the first day my comfort had improved greatly, but some minor irritation remained.

The second day I continued adjusting things and had come to a very happy level of comfort. We covered the most miles of the trip on the second day, so I was relieved to be feeling good by the end of it. Unfortunately my comfort didn’t last long.

The third day was a problem for me. I was uncomfortable carrying the pack, and was having a hard time. Something wasn’t right, but I couldn’t quite figure out what it was. It wasn’t until an hour from camp that I was able to determine that my left FlowMO strap at the bottom of the shoulder was caught inside my hip belt resulting in a tighter left shoulder than right. It may seem like something that should be obvious, but it wasn’t until I had time to really look over everything that it realized the problem. It was at this point that Julie, my wonderful girlfriend, said some something that really struck home. She said, “there’s something beautiful and elegant in simplicity.” You know what? She’s right. It was at this point that I realized my first complaint about the Aarn pack. It’s crazy complex. There are so many straps, so many adjustments, and so many moving parts (literally) that it’s easy for something to come out of whack, and when that happens it can throw off comfort and mojo resulting in unpleasant hiking.

The fourth day had me back on track and I felt like I was flying on the trails. I had my mojo and we covered some great miles in great time. Of course the proposition of Anthony’s Italian in Bryson City would have had me hiking barefoot. Regardless I’d had 4 full days of hiking with the new pack and had a lot of thoughts on it.

Lessons Learned
The Aarn line of backpacks offers some pretty interesting changes in the way backpacks are made. The balance pockets allow quick access to large items, and small, without being uncomfortable or cumbersome. The FlowMo technology allows increased range of motion to make hiking easier. These things don’t come without a cost though. The increased complexity of the pack makes for a steep learning curve and a lot of patience and practice is required to get everything just right. This may not be for everyone, as many people just want a pack they can pick up and start using. I can understand and respect that, after all there is something beatiful and elegant in simplicity.

All those things considered though my Aarn backpack is very cool, and I’m very happy with how comfortable it makes hiking with my DSLR. If I were to give this backpack a grade, it would earn a solid B. It’s definitely a cut above the rest, but the complexity of the pack does take it down as well as it’s cost. It was $275 for the pack and an additional $80 for the Photo Balance Pockets. This is pretty steep even for backpacking gear. In the end I’m very happy with it, and look forward to using it some more.

If you want to find out more information I highly recommend contacting Dana from Aarn USA, the US distributor for Aarn Backpacks. He’s a very friendly person and was able to answer all of my questions to a sufficient level of detail.

Tags: Aarn, Aarn Backpacks, Backpack, Camera, Camera Backpacking, DSLR, DSLR Backpacking, Featherlite Freedom

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LyttleBryan December 31st, 2009

This review is going to be done in three parts. The first part is an introduction to the Winter Yeti and the company that makes it. The second part is the condensed Cliff’s Notes version with simple bullet point facts and thoughts. The third, and final, part is the full, long winded, story. Read both if you want a full picture of the weekend I tested it, or if you are distracted by shiny objects, stick to the cliffs.

Warbonnet Outdoors is a relatively unknown company. In fact, chances are pretty good that unless you’ve stumbled across it while Googling hammock terms, or are a member of the Hammock Forums then you’ve never even heard of it. The company itself is really just one very talented individual making hammocks, and hammock equipment, in his garage. This is about as old fashioned and simple as it gets. If you are interested in a product, or have questions, you send him an email, and he usually responds back in a day or two. If you wanted to have a more direct conversation, then work it out and give him a call. Ordering a product is just as simple. When you want to order something, email him your request. He will give you a time frame on how long it will take to make your product, and then when it’s done he’ll send you a PayPal request for payment. There really isn’t that much more to it. It’s about as old fashioned and straight forward as it comes. If you’re uncomfortable forking over a couple hundred dollars to someone like that, well head on over to the Hammock Forums where there is no shortage of people singing his praises. In fact Brandon’s now gotten more than several hundred dollars of my money and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy other things from him!

The particular item that I purchased from Warbonnet is his new 4 season Winter Yeti Underquilt. An Underquilt is kind of like a sleeping bag for your hammock, only instead of going inside of your hammock, it hangs underneath of it. The bottom of your hammock is where most heat loss occurs. This results in what hammockers refer to as CBS, or Cold Butt Syndrome. It is one of our primary enemies, and it is what keeps you awake at night! Underquilts, just like sleeping bags, come in a wide variety of ratings, shapes, sizes, etc. This particular model is a 2/3 length quilt that’s good down to around 0 degrees. The 2/3 length refers to the size of a average human. This model is 2/3 length meaning it will typically go from your knees to your head. There is much debate on 2/3 vs. 3/4 vs. Full Length. I won’t go into that. If you’re truly interested, visit the Hammock Forums where there is a wealth of knowledge. Alrighty, on to the review!

Cliff Notes

Temperatures and Weather

• The temperatures dipped down to the mid twenties, or 63 degrees if you ask Walter’s (Weisenber) left wrist
• It snowed for most of the night, there was a solid covering on the ground and my tarp when I woke up

All Insulation Used

• Winter Yeti 2/3 length UQ
• GG Thinlite ¼” pad folded over under feet/legs
• Mountain Hardwear Ultra Lamina 15 degree sleeping bag

Clothing Worn

• Synthetic Thermal Pants
• SmartWool Thermal Shirt
• Fleece Lined Rain Pants
• Wind Proof Fleece Shirt
• Balaclava on my head

Note: I had more than this initially, but had to shed layers because I was hot.

Pros of Winter Yeti

• Very, very, very well made – feels solid
• Incredibly easy to setup – Almost idiot proof (too many good idiots in the world)
• Keeps you warm – I fell asleep in it accidentally while testing

Cons of the Winter Yeti

• It slipped off my left shoulder a couple of the times I woke up to roll over/readjust
• The stuff sack is too small for my hand to fit in making stuffing a bit of a challenge at times

Final thought(s)

• Brandon makes remarkable products and the Winter Yeti is no exception
• If I could find something else that is not a pad for under my feet, I’d be in heaven.

Me Being Long Winded

I just got back from my first winter hang this weekend, and with it come my initial thoughts of the Winter Yeti. The trip itself was nothing too special, a single overnight trip with my hiking group, The Great Smokies Hiking and Adventure Group. We travelled to Virgin Falls in Crossevill, TN. This was the 4th in a series of backpacks I did to Virgin Falls which I named “4 Seasons at Virgin Falls.” It’s best not to ask why, how, or where I come up with these things. Just smile and nod!

The weather for the trip was quite enjoyable. During the hike the temps hovered in the mid-thirties most of the day. I stayed warm with just a base layer and windproof fleece on. The temperature at night sunk down into the mid twenties at the coldest. Our camp was at the base of the 40’ Big Laurel Falls. The falls were in rare form with much more volume flowing than the previous three times I had been to them. As such there was a great deal of spray coming off the falls. Fortunately I found some nice trees a distance away and didn’t have to worry about it. It started snowing about 6pm and continued to snow for most of the night. It wasn’t a heavy snow, but enough to give the ground a solid covering. Okay, enough about the weather and the camp, on to the topic at hand: The Winter Yeti.[
I was very skeptical when I purchased the Winter Yeti. Not because I thought it would be a bad product, but because I was breaking one of my cardinal rules: don’t buy something unless you’ve laid your hands on it! This is actually the second time I’ve broken this rule for Brandon, and I can say I intend to break it again, and again. When I took the Winter Yeti out of the box I was absolutely amazed at how solid it felt. It didn’t feel fragile at all. I was very, very, impressed by this. The amount of fill in the WY was quite exceptional, and I just knew it would keep me warm down to the lower temperatures. It wasn’t until I got out into the field I realized just how nice a piece of gear this is.

Setup for the WY was a breeze. In fact I would rank it very highly just for how absolutely idiot proof the thing is. If you can tell the difference between a white snap and a black snap, then you can probably set this thing up correctly, and I only say “probably” because I’ve met a lot of really dumb people. There’s no worrying about sag or hang because the differential baffles ensure you won’t compress your down when you lay on top of it, and this means there’s really nothing more to do with it than put the shockcord loops over the gathering at the ends of the hammock. I’m a big fan of easy setup simply because after a long day of hiking the last thing I want to do is worry about using brain cells to hang my insulation properly.

So it’s easy to setup, but how well does it keep you warm? Well, my first experience sleeping in it was absolutely inadvertent. I setup the hammock, WY, and put the ¼” GG Thinlite sleeping pad under my feet. Then I laid down in it to test the hang and make sure everything was good. I hadn’t gotten my top insulation out, and still managed to fall asleep for a good 30 minute power nap. The only clothes I was wearing were thermal pants and shirt, fleece rain pants, and a fleece wind shirt. I was quite surprised that I’d managed to doze off and that I managed to sleep that long when the temps were in the mid thirties. For the night I used my Mountain Hardwear UltraLamina sleeping bag (yes, sleeping bag, I’m not made of money).

The combination of these things kept me warm the entire night and the only time I was really woke up was when I got up to answer the call of nature. Occasionally I would wake up to roll over or readjust at which point I would check my setup to make sure everything was still good. I woke up the next morning after sleeping from 6:30pm-8:00am. Yes, for almost 14 hours I slept. I hadn’t felt that comfortable and that cozy ever in the back country.

A couple of potential downsides I noticed. Sometimes when rolling over or readjusting I’d stick my hand out to see if everything was okay and to make sure I hadn’t slipped down to the ground. A couple of those times the WY had come out from over my left shoulder. I sleep on a VERY wide diagonal, so this wasn’t that surprising. Additionally, and this is a very minor thing, the stuff sack for the WY is difficult to get my hand in making it a little harder to stuff the thing. Another inch diameter would have been great! It’s a small thing, but the small things count for something. Now if I could just find something to put under my feet that is not a bulky sleeping pad…

Overall this product is absolutely wonderful, and I’m glad I bought it. I fully intend to keep a close eye on any other innovations Brandon comes up with. Below are some pictures. Feel free to ask any questions you may have.

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LyttleBryan June 30th, 2009

So I got my new camera. It’s the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1. This is the first rugged camera from Panasonic and all I can say is WOW. I love this camera. I really love this camera! I was actually really lucky to have it at all before this trip. It was due to be delivered the next day, but it was in the shipping facility. After putting out an SOS for information on facebook I got ahold of the shipping facility and had them hold it for me. A mad dash to North Knoxville to get it before the camping trip and all was fine…almost. Amazon shipped the card separately so I was stuck using a 512meg card for the weekend. This translates to about 70ish pictures at full resolution…not a good thing! I lowered the resolution for most pictures and I have to say, even at lower resolutions the pictures turned out very, very well.

This camera features much of the same rugged style features that my failed Olympus camera had. It’s waterproof (10′), freeze proof, crush proof, shockproof, and dust proof. In other words just about everything proof that I subject my digital cameras to. After my first run around with the Olympus Tough-8000 I was nervous about another new camera. I greatly feared the picture quality on this camera was going to be low too, but as you can see form the photos, it’s pretty good! I subjected it to just about everything I could this weekend except freezing it. I’ll have to stick it in my freezer later and let you know how it fairs! The pictures I selected really had no rhyme or reason to them other than to show what the camera is capable of. These aren’t meant to be comprehensive and I’m sure any professional photographer would shoot holes in them until they are blue in the face. However I’m not a professional photographer, I’m just a geek in the woods. On to some of the pictures!

These three pictures were some up close and personal pictures I took just to see how the camera could handle up close pictures. The mushroom and shirt shots were done without a macro setting while the one of my finger was done using the macro setting. Don’t worry, my finger’s fine! The shirt shot I thought was really great because you can see the actual stitching of the shirt which, in my book, is some really great detail!

This next picture shows the under water capability of the camera. Despite the contents of the shot, it actually served a purpose. Since my memory card space was limited this go around I was having Guen hold out her hands so I could get an idea of how far the flash would go. As luck would have it some minnows were investigating her at that same time. I liked the minnows in the shot so I decided to keep it. Thanks to Guen for letting me post it. At least, I think she said it was okay! hehehe

These last three pictures are both great pictures and they show the wide angle capabilities of the camera. The camera comes complete with a 28mm wide angle lense and 4.6 optical zoom. While the optical zoom is nothing to speak of, the wide angle lense made for some EXCELLENT photos this weekend! The first two pictures were taken from IN the river while I was floating around on an inner tube. It was nice being able to just strap the thing to my wrist not have to worry about it getting wet. I’m really fond of the 2nd picture looking at our campsite beach front property from the river. It really kind of shows the weekend I had and how wonderful it was! The third picture was taken from the edge of rock outcropping on the side of Virgin Falls. This was shortly before I took a little fall that left me with the finger you see above.

Well, there you have it. This camera gets two thumbs up from this outdoors person. I did my best to destroy it and it just kept coming back for more pictures! Expect to see a lot more pictures on the blog no matter where I go.

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LyttleBryan June 22nd, 2009

I know I’m not a tech site, but this camera falls in the realm of this site. It’s a camera that is designed to be waterproof, shockproof (7′ drop), dust proof, freeze proof (-14 degrees), and curshproof (220 pounds). This is definitely the kind of camera I would love to have at my hip while outdoors, unfortunately it just didn’t get the basics right. I really want to give this camera a positive review, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. Over the three weeks of use this camera saw (ranging from backpacking trips to picnics) I took some really awesome shots. However, in the end I just couldn’t justify keeping it when it seemed to get all the basics wrong. I am not a photography expert. I don’t know what aperture means and if you start talking about spot metering you’re likely to lose my attention to something shiny. Of course, those things are the reason that I purchased a point-and-shoot camera in the first place. I read some of the early reviews (this camera premiered in April 09) and thought I had found a camera to fit my very active outdoor lifestyle. A friend has the 790 SW and I really liked it, but it seems they made some mistakes when upgrading.

When I first started taking pictures with it I thought maybe it was my own doing. I, admittedly, don’t know what I’m doing so I thought maybe I’d set some funky settings. However, simply putting it on “iAuto” and focusing/shooting resulted in photos that only seemed good if the person(s) in them was standing completely still. I gave it the benefit of the doubt though and tried it a few more times. Unfortunately the result was consistent. I was throwing out 3/4s of the pictures I was taking. Those numbers are unacceptable when some of the places you go take days of hiking to get to. For an example of what I’m talking about please see the photo here. I asked a friend to simply walk across the room while I took a picture with the Intelligent Auto feature on. This is not a cool shot, AT ALL. I repeated the process only using some of the scene settings (action specifically) and the result was a washed out noisy photo that I wouldn’t think of posting.

http://ageekinthewoods.com/upload/P6190335.JPG

I decided to give the camera two stars because it does do some things really well. For instance, it survived a couple of drops, my chalky hands while rock climbing, and a river swim in the Smoky Mountains (with complete submersion). However at the end of the day it’s supposed to do those things AND take good pictures. I have returned my camera to Amazon (awesome return policy) and will purchase another rugged style point-and-shoot soon. I’m considering the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 or even considering “downgrading” to the Olympus 1030SW. I will post reviews when I have made a decision and tested the cameras out.

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LyttleBryan June 10th, 2009

Some time ago I had the opportunity to borrow the Deuter AC lite 15 from fellow group member, and organizer, Nick. I have been unhappy with my current day pack because of it’s tendency to rub on my back and general discomfort when carrying large loads (and equally awkward when carrying a small load like just a first aid kit and water bladder). For those that were there on the Mount LeConte Trip, you probably know what kind of glowing review this piece of gear is going to receive.

Just looking at the outside of the pack you begin to see just how this differs from other ordinary backpacks. All of Deuter’s packs include their air comfort system. Your back is actually resting on a mesh screen with a completely open area behind it for air to flow against your back. This is quite possibly one of the best features of the pack. When you’re hiking up a mountain (Mt. LeConte in this case) having some space between your back really does create the ultimate in “breathability.” Some of the other nice features include several loops and straps on the back to hold whatever you may need to. This actually came in handy on this trip when the air got so cold and wet that I had to collapse my hiking poles so I could put my hands in my pockets. The pack also includes the ever present mesh pockets along the sides. These are great for carrying water bottles of just about any size. In addition to the mesh pockets the pack has a lid pocket that is great for easy to access stuff that you may want zipped up. Now, this is very much a personal preference, but the fact that this pack uses a lid enclosure instead of a zipper or roll/clip enclosure just makes it all the more awesome. It really reminds me of my Gregory Triconi 60 which I am also very happy with. The inside closes with a draw string after you cram as much as you want in it, and then the lid closes over that. All together an “above and beyond” touch for a simple day pack.

The inside of the pack has it’s own unique advantages, but overall isn’t anything above and beyond special. As I mentioned above when you unclip the lid you get a draw string enclosure that you can open to cram your stuff inside. This makes it really nice because you aren’t stuck with the “same size” bag all the time. If you’re carrying just a few items (like I was yesterday) then you can cinch the bag down and it compresses nicely against your back. If you’re carrying a full load (for two people, or a lot of layers), then it simply expands to fit the gear. There’s also a place for your water bladder so it’s not sitting in the same area as the rest of your gear. I can’t stress how nice this is as no matter what you’re carrying, it’s comfortable.

On the topic of comfort, the strap system on the pack is very nice for a day pack. The shoulder straps are a comfortable mesh shoulder strap with an acceptable amount of padding. What I really enjoyed about this pack was how and where it sat against your back. Instead of being a full hip belt that straps around and rests on your iliac crest, it has two larger lower back pads that sits nicely against your rear ilium (Nikki/Jon correct me on this if I’m wrong). I found this very nice for a day pack, especially one of this size. The pack actually uses a mini-internal frame. There are two pieces of steal that keep the pack holding it’s shape so that it rests against your back consistently, and comfortably.

The one downside I would have against this pack would be the size. 15 L was nice, but I just can’t help but think of a few times the pack would be too small. Granted those times and occurrences would probably be rare, but when I purchase a pack for something like this, I want to own one pack for that purpose. However, when I ventured out to find out about purchasing one of these packs I was very surprised to see that the AC Lite 15 has been replaced by the AC Lite 16. Additionally there is an AC Lite 20 that offers all of the same features, but 5 L more space. Another nice surprise was that the new packs come with their own rain cover, a major bonus that would have been very nice yesterday on LeConte!

The prices on these packs are definitely higher than you would pay for an ordinary backpack from Target, but at around $80 for the AC Lite 16 and $90 for the AC Lite 20, it’s definitely a modest price for these features. As someone that does a lot of day hiking (with the most awesome hiking group in the world), I have to say that it would be money VERY WELL spent.

Thanks to Nick for letting me test out this pack.

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