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Duluth Trading Co. Oil Cloth Packer Hat
A good hat keeps the sun out of your face, the rain off your head, and guarantees the wearer always be presented with a sort of respectability and cunning. With a hat on your head, the world seems a more acceptable place.
You see, a man should always wear a hat. I've noticed, of course, that you people up here never wear one. But you should, so that you can tip it whenever the occasion demands. - Thomas Mann, The Magic Mountain
In years past I was a boonie hat man. Mine would be with me where-ever I went. But I was quick to discover that it did no good in the rain. The cotton would simply suck up the water and chill my head. In the rain, I’d be better off hat-less. For a year thereafter I experimented with synthetic offerings from the likes of Outdoor Research and REI. They have hats for sun and hats for rain, but none that suited me well enough.
Then, a year and a half ago, I tried out Duluth Trading Co.’s Oil Cloth Packer Hat. It has rarely left my head since.
It is crushable, packable, breathable, water-resistant, and stylish.
The paracord chin strap is my own addition. It’s needed whenever there’s any wind, and provides a useful attachment point for hooking to my pack. When not in use, it’s stowed as shown in the pictures.
The original color is a deal darker than represented in my pictures, for it’s seen much sun and has been washed a few times throughout the years. Usually I wash it by hand with a bit of Bronner’s Magic Soap in the sink, then let it hang dry in the sun. At the end of last summer, the leather band surrounding the hat was entirely covered in salt crystallized from my sweat, so I tossed it into the washing machine with the rest of my load. It survived, faded but not damaged. Throughout all this wear and washing, the oil finish has thinned and is gone in some places, so the water resiliency is lessened.
I will probably have to replace it before the year is out. Though I have no complaints for Duluth, I think I’ll try a Filson packer hat next. They’re a local brand and have a reputation for quality. Tilley Endurables‘s reputation is unsurpassed by other hatters for quality and durability, but they’re a bit pricey and none of their models have the classic style of the packer hat.
One word of warning for any considering the style: random people tell me at least every other week that I look like Indiana Jones (or, if they’re more intoxicated, “hey, you look that guy with the whip!”) – this despite the fact that Indiana Jones’ hat is clearly a fedora, and my hat clearly is not. With the new film coming out, I imagine these occurrences will only increase.
Tramps like to lie down on their sides a lot. They like to be in the shade and the only way to lie in the shade is on your side. You're a lucky tramp if you have a hat, that's good shade, but if you don't have a hat you're gonna have a sunburn and not just your face and your arms but your eyeballs, your eyeballs will get beet-red because lots of times there just ain't anywhere to go to get out of the sun. A tramp ain't gonna have a cigarette or a drink when he wants one and he don't think about getting old, he just thinks about getting by, and if a drink of bourbon replaces a drink of water and he's in the desert, well then he needed that bourbon more than the water, but he'll take the water with him, case the bourbon dries up. So do yourself a favor and get a good hat. - Eddy Joe Cotton, Hobo
Sit Spot Challenge
A sit spot is an important part of Wilderness Awareness School’s Kamana program. Today, the School announced a challenge to visit a sit spot, 20 minutes a day, for 30 days:
The Sit Spot (also known as the Secret Spot): a surefire way to get to know nature and yourself more intimately... For some of us, going to this place is easy, like breathing. For others, we really want to visit a secret spot regularly, but it is a struggle, and we give up. No matter where you fall on this spectrum, I invite adults and youth of all ages to join Wilderness Awareness Schools' first 30-Day Sit Spot Challenge! Go to your Secret Spot every day for at least 20 minutes. The starting date is Friday, February 15, 2008 and will continue to March 15, 2008. Rain (or snow), or shine, night or day, blindfolded or sighted, go to that beautiful place and the sky's the limit. Do a sense meditation. Stalk up on the black cat that stalks the winter wrens. Dance. Build a fire. Whatever it is that you do when you go there, just do it! Even if you're traveling, sit somewhere each day.
I’ve accepted. Would anyone else like to join in the challenge?
Water
For the past month, I’ve been observing a sort of water diet.
An Iranian fellow, by the name of Dr. Batmanghelidj (or, as most refer to him, Dr. Batman), was of the belief that a deficiency of water in the body can be cited as the cause to near all illnesses and afflictions. A search of his name turns up numerous criticisms of the method, but I thought I’d try it. It’s clear that dehydration can contribute to, if not cause, many ailments, and it’s no leap of faith to call our society chronically dehydrated, what with all the shit we shovel down our throats.
I’ve yet to read Dr. Batman’s book, but built my schedule from the ZehChill blog, which claims the regiment consists of drinking half one’s body weight in ounces per day, along with 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt per 32 ounces water, and avoiding alcohol and caffeine. Now, as I mentioned above, Dr. Batman was Iranian. He was also trained in Scotland and practiced in England. So, it would follow that if he tells us to measure our drink based on body weight, he would be referring to body weight in kilograms, no? Well, the aforementioned blog uses pounds, and, as an American, it’s expected of me to be stubborn and not recognize that the French invented a superior system. So, I’m sticking with pounds.
Luckily, I’m a small guy, so the required amount of water is not difficult to consume. I already avoid alcohol, and the only caffeine I take is the occasional bit from green tea, which I don’t drink terribly often. Pretty much anything I cook involves obscene amounts of sea salt, making hyponatremia not much of a concern, though I’ve upped the amount, regardless.
My regiment has been to drink 16oz of water with 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt second thing upon waking (first thing is a piss), doing the same in the evening (including the pissing), and fill the rest in during the day (I piss a lot here, too). Actually, I usually end up going a bit over half my body weight (though I probably piss twice that amount out).
The most noticeable result of all this, in case you haven’t gathered, is that I have to piss like a man just cut for the stone every few hours – and it’s always clear, or bordering on it. Which is actually quite satisfying (both the pissing and seeing how clear it is). But, there have been a few results beyond that.
I first started this thing on a Saturday. The Thursday previous I had come down with what could have been an exceptionally bad cold, but felt to me like influenza (I don’t get vaccinated). By Monday, I was fine. Whether it was a cold or the flu, I’m impressed.
I feel I have more energy throughout the day since starting. I also began playing with my diet (solids) at about the same time, though, so I can’t contribute the energy solely to water.
My skin, particularly my hands, have the habit of becoming extremely dry and cracked (occasionally painful) during the winter. This ceased a couple weeks into the water diet. My knuckles are still a little cracked (driving my barehanded fists into focus mits probably isn’t helping in that regard), but nothing near like what they usually are.
All in all, I see no reason not to continue. It is quite clearly not producing any negative effects, and possibly producing positive ones. I’d be curious to hear any other experiences.
TrueCrypt Now Cross-Platform
TrueCrypt is finally available for OS X! Though my primary OS was Linux up till just last November, I’ve been waiting on this for a while longer. Last year I used a Mac at work, and would frequently want to decrypt TrueCrypt disks that I carry around on my flash drive.
I’m plan to donate to the project when my next paycheck comes in.
Lowa Renegade Mid Hiking Boots
2011 Update: Although I still wear the Renegade boots, and claim that they're the best hiking boots on the market, my reasons for doing so differ from those I expressed three and a half years ago. (And I don't like Superfeet anymore!) The following is left for posterity.
Early last Fall, it became clear that my old pair of boots – 5.11 HRTs – were at the end of their life. New insoles bought me a little while longer, but the fact had to be faced.
I knew exactly what boots I wanted to replace them. Trouble was, I couldn’t afford them. (Still can’t, in fact.) So I had to search for something else to hold me over for a while. I’d heard much positive review of Lowa and Vasque, and thought this an excellent opportunity to try them out. After much research, I settled on the Lowa Renegade GTX hiking boot.
REI happened to carry them and, rather conveniently, I had a pair of boots that I’d been given a while ago but never been very fond of (Montrail Torre GTX – I wore them in Thailand). So I took (perhaps unfair) advantage of REI’s lenient return policy, and ended up with a pair of Lowa Renegades for only $30.
The craftsmanship is excellent. I can spot no failures of any kind along the boots. Most any other boot I’ve worn for this amount of time has shown some small failure: a broken stitch, or a bit coming unglued somewhere. Not so with the Renegades. The Germans, I think, know a thing a two about making boots. (Actually, they’re made in Slovakia, but I’m Am’r’can, damnit, so that’s close enough for me.)
The soles are Vibram, like most other boots, and provide excellent traction on varied terrain: concrete, dirt, rocks, etc. Snow is a little iffy, but that’s been the case with any boot I’ve had.
The Gore-Tex liner is great. Verifiably waterproof and breathable (though I’ve not had the opportunity to wear the boots in hot weather).
The break-in period was non-existent. They were comfortable and supportive as soon as I put them on.
My feet registered no complaints concerning the standard Lowa insoles, but they were small and flimsy, like those provided by any other boot manufacturer, and I’ve been in a love affair with Green Superfeet since the Summer (more on that later), so after a couple weeks I swapped them out, and have been happier for it.
Some people report Lowa runs slightly large, but I found this to be untrue. I ordered my normal boot size, and they fit perfectly.
The absolutely only complaint I can offer for the Renegades is the lacing system. Lowa is quite fond of their D-rings. I am not. They allow for slightly faster unlacing, but slower lacing. And if you lace too fast, without paying attention, the lace may not make it’s way entirely inside one of the rings, and pop out eventually. This happens every now and then to me. It’s not enough to turn me off from the boots, or dissuade me from recommending them, but it is a minor annoyance. (And I had to find something to complain about.)
I’ve been wearing them daily for close to 5 months now. Though this Fall and Winter, regrettably, have seen me mostly in urban areas, not logging any serious mileage over mountainous terrain with heavy loads, I am very pleased with the Renegades and whole-heartedly recommend them to anyone looking for a mid-to-light hiking boot, or footwear for every day urban wear. (Plus, they look quite snazzy with TAD Legionnaires, no?)
3-3-08 Update:
I wore these boots yesterday on a 23 mile hike, with about 1300 ft elevation gain, under a 75lb pack. My feet aren’t too happy about it, though they’ve ended up worse after shorter humps with lighter loads in lesser boots. Last week I did 12 miles under the same load with no problem. They’re definitely light hiking boots.
Nordkalotten 365
Norwegian Broadcasting has started to release high quality episodes of their show Nordkalotten 365 on bittorrent. As near as I can tell from the first episode, the show is of Lars Monsen, who seems to be some sort of Les Stroud type of fellow, filming himself during wilderness travels in Norway. Suffice to say, he punches a few fish. And the theme song seems to be a remix of the theme from The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.
Any Norwegian speakers care to subtitle it?
Ruminations on the Act of Shaving
While not growing beards to spite The Man™, those of us of the XY variant must adhere to a regiment of shaving. Up till about a month ago, I’d always used an electric shaver. (How they work is beyond me. You can take the thing apart and there’s not one sharp object in it. It’s as if they just vibrate the hair to death, perhaps combining that a verbal threat or two, all of which seems little better than rubbing an electric dildo along one’s face.)
About a month ago, then, I switched to a double-edged safety razor, modeled after Gillette’s 1901 invention.
My purchase consisted of a Merkur “Classic” Safety Razor (closed comb), Vulfix Pure Badger Shaving Brush, and a 10-pack of Merkur “Double-Edge” SS Platinum Blades.
Initially, I also went with an unscented soap cake, but the back of the packaging listed ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce (never a good sign), so I switched that out for a bar of locally made goat milk soap. It doesn’t provide such a thick lather as the shaving soap did, but seems to work just as well in all other respects.
I was worried about cuts and burns a good deal at first, having heard many horror stories from those who switch between electric shavers and the new-fangled-triple-bladed-cheap-plastic-crap razors. To my surprise, there was none of that. My skin has not complained, nor have I managed to place a cut.
The process, detailed below, takes me roughly 20 minutes. Certainly much longer than an electric shave, but adds to the act a sort of timelessness – though the double edged razor was only invented a century ago – and elevates it to ritual. It is an act of meditation, an escape from the mundane – the repetitive, brain-dead, electronic processes of our time. It is moment unto itself, not merely a pause or interlude till the next scene. Instead, something to be planned for, to be appreciated, and to look forward to, and that, in the end, is what truly matters.
Procedures for the Operation of a Double Edged Safety Razor
(It is assumed that the following is completed after stepping out of the shower, as a face soaked in warm water is the first requirement.)
- Fully dampen your badger hair brush by holding it under a stream of warm-to-mildly-hot water, perpendicular to the flow, and slowly twisting it. After it seems to be fully soaked, remove the brush from the water and turn it parallel to the stream, so that the bristles are pointed down. Allow excess moisture to drip out, taking care not to flick or otherwise encourage any additional water to drip than the brush is willing to give on its own.
- Now that the brush is only dripping the occasional, non-continuous drop, move it to your soap dish/mug. Gently move the brush about atop the soap, in a circular motion, applying little pressure and taking care to not circle too vigorously and flick off any additional moisture. The objective here is not to generate a lather on the soap, but to gather soap in the brush's hairs. If a lather does begin to develop within the dish, the brush has enough soap. I circle for about 30 seconds.
- Bring the brush to your face and begin to circle in a wide motion around the area to be shaved. Apply only gentle pressure. Here, you are attempting to build up a lather, but patience is required: it may take up to 2 minutes for a sufficient lather to develop. (It usually takes me about a minute). After the lather has achieved the desired covering and consistency, place the brush into the soap dish.
- Now, bring the razor to your face. The objective is to run the razor down the lather-covered area (from top to bottom, or north to south), applying no pressure, whilst maintaining a 30° angle to the skin. I prefer long strokes along the face, but resort to short strokes around the contours of the neck and chin. To start, it is easiest to place the razor's safety bar perpendicular to the skin and raise it slowly till the desired 30° angle is achieved. Then, begin the stroke.
- The first pass having now been completed, it is likely that a second is wanting. A second lathering may be required, though I omit this step. On this second pass, the stroke should be from bottom to top, or south to north.
- With these two passes complete, any remaining patches of stubble may be removed with a diagonal stroke
- The shave now being complete, I finish up with a splash of cold water on the face, which, I'm told, closes the pores (and provides opportunity to remove any excess soap), and pat my face dry.
- As an aftershave, I only splash my face with a bit of Witch Hazel in liquid form.
- For the clean up, the badger hair brush should be thoroughly rinsed and dried. The razor gets a rinse, though a complete disassembly is only required once a week when the blade is changed.