GEAR REVIEW - Bemco® Backpacker's Oven Review

GEAR REVIEW - BEMCO® BACKPACKER'S OVEN

Overall Rating: ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ (out of 5)	Price Paid: $54.90* + 12.00 shipping
Positives: opens up your menu	Purchased from: http://backpackeroven.com/
Negatives: added weight
Weight: 24.6 oz (oven only)	Bottom Line: Recommend

* for deluxe 7inch oven kit with 6" shallow, 6" deep pans, gripper and ditty bag.
I recently had the pleasure of putting this little backpacking oven through its paces on an overnight car camp and then dayhike in Angeles National Forest. I first heard about this little oven from fellow members of the Los Angeles Backpacker's Meetup group of which I am an assistant organizer.

The oven folded up for transport.

The ingenious little folding oven works with most existing stoves** and includes  a thermometer, straps and a baking guide. The oven itself is fairly easy to setup, although I would probably make sure you can set it up and break it down at home before bringing it out into the field.Essentially its a metal box that sits atop your stove which heats up a diffuser plate resulting in a warm oven.
** certain canister stoves require a modified Brunton Can Stand in order to use the Backpacker's oven. Also it is not for use with the Jetboil PCS or any other stove that has plastic near the flame source.

Popping its cherry with a chicken enchilada

I first put it through its paces while camping out overnight at the base of a trailhead. I used it to make a delicious and easy to make chicken enchiladas;the recipe was included in the baking guide that comes free with all ovens.


Next I folded it up and popped it into its ditty bag, along with all the ingredients to make a personal pan pizza and set out on the trail to the bridge to nowhere with some hiking buddies. It is small enough that it fit in my daypack along with plenty of space for all the other necessities. We hiked the moderate 5 miles, navigating our way through numerous river crossings.

letting pizza dough rise

When we made it to the famous bridge to nowhere it was time for me to cook while the others went further up the trailhead. I used the baking guide recipe for a personal pan pizza. The only tough part was the dough although I eventually managed to get it into a ball and let it rise slightly while the oven was pre-heating.

As you can see below the results were fairly spectacular. And boy did it taste delicious. The hot steamy pizza was so welcomed on an otherwise cloudy and slightly chilly spring day.

cooking personal pan pizza

As far as I am concerned this little oven is a game changer in the world of trail food. I no longer intend to be limited to meals I can dehydrate or whose principal ingredient is boiled water. Its small enough that you could assign it to one member to carry on a long trip and also for solo weekender trips. Since it uses your existing stove its pretty easy to bring along.

If you're going to purchase the oven I would definitely recommend getting one of the kits which include the gripper as the pans and oven get very hot during use!! Its also helpful to have a bandanna with you to serve as a substitute oven mit.

a delicious personal pan pizza

For the price this little oven is amazing and certainly well worth it. My only regret is not purchasing additional 6" inch pans to be able to make two pizzas at a time or two enchiladas at a time since the shipping was $12.00 and it wouldn't have cost more.  I also would like to see a miniature muffin baking pan that would fit this oven. I may have to jury rig one by cutting a larger mini muffin pan down.

Gear Review - Katadyn Base Camp Filter

GEAR REVIEW - KATADYN BASE CAMP FILTER

Katadyn Base Camp Filter

4out of 5

Overall Rating: ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ (out of 5)	Price Paid: $55.96
Positives: Good Filtration, little work	Purchased from:  www.campsaver.com
Negatives: a tad bulky
Weight: 13 oz	Bottom Line: Recommend

Used this water filter for a 5 day / 4 night Rae Lakes Loop Backpacking trip in Kings Canyon National Park. It was very nice to let gravity do all the work. Its pretty easy to fill at least it was in a place with flowing streams. It has an opening like the old dry bags of old used for river rafting.

I agree it would be hard in spots with very low or mucky water. In that case you would want another container to first let sediment sink to the bottom.

The flow rate isn't as fast as say the katadyn hiker pro ™ but since you aren't doing any work for it its not that big a deal. My friend had a 96 ounce nalgene cantene that we would fill ( it would take about 20 minutes or so I would say). The filter is the same as used in the hiker pro which is a plus for those who already own the one. I don't see why if you used gloves that you couldn't use one filter for both ( although obviously one at a time).

I kind of wish that this filter had the bottle adapter that the hiker/ hiker pro™ comes with. Sometimes its hard to find flat ground under a tree.

I suppose quickconnect fittings would be nice but not really necessary as by definition almost any time you take this filter out you are stopped for a while and it shouldn't be that big a deal to get your reservoir out. But there is no real reason why one couldn't. I am going to look for a real cheap used hiker / hiker pro just to use the bottle adapter with this base camp filter.

2011 FREE NATIONAL PARK ENTRANCE

FREE NATIONAL PARK ENTRANCE DATES 2011 

America's best idea (the national parks) just got even better. The National Park Service has announced this years free entrance dates to all National Parks.

Mark your calendar for the following free entrance dates in 2011:

• January 15-17 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday weekend)
• April 16-24 (National Park Week)
• June 21 (First day of summer)
• September 24 (Public Lands Day)
• November 11-13 (Veterans Day weekend)

GEAR REVIEW - REI Compression Sack - 16 Liters

GEAR REVIEW - REI 16 Liter Lightweight Compression Sack

This REI 16L Lightweight compression sack compacts your sleeping bag, insulated jacket or other gear to take up a minimum amount of space in your pack.

REI Lightweight Compression Stuff Sack - 16 Liters

Big Disappointment :)

Overall Rating: ∑	Price Paid: $22.50
Positives: Lightweight	Retailer purchased from: REI
Negatives:  Difficult to Use, Not Durable
Weight: 3.2 ounces	Bottom Line:  Don’t Recommend

1out of 5

Los Angeles Outdoor Events Nov 19-21

Los Angeles Outdoors Events and Happenings:

A quick preview of some events and happenings this weekend that LAoutdoorsers might want to be aware of:

• Saturday November 20th, 2010 
  
• Heal the Bay November Beach Cleanup    at Playa Del Rey Join Heal the Bay for its monthly beach cleanup. Meet like minded singles while cleaning up a beach. No preregistration necessary but they ask that if you bring a group of 10 or more that you preregister. See the website.
  
• 10:00a.m. - 12:00 p.m.m Free, TOES Beach 6200 Pacific Avenue, Playa del Rey, CA 90293 (map)

 

• Free Archery Class at Cheviot Hills Archery Range in Rancho Park This is a reoccurring event held every Saturday at 11:00 a.m. and on the second Sunday of the Month. After taking part in this free class, students shoot for a short period. Then they can shoot for free with free equipment during open shoot times.
  
• 11:00a.m. - 1:30p.m. Free, Rancho Park Archery Range , 2459 Motor Ave. Los Angeles, CA, CA 90064 (map) 

• 5th Annual Great Los Angeles Walk from Downtown to Santa Monica
  This should be on every Angeleno’s bucket list as it’s one of the best ways to enjoy our city. This year’s Walk returns to Wilshire Boulevard, starting off at Pershing Square downtown and ending in Santa Monica — that’s 15.6 miles. The afterparty will be at Border Grill in Santa Monica. Email greatlawalk [at] mail.com to participate.
• 10am-6pm. Free. Start point: Pershing Square in Downtown (map).

• Inaugural Harvest Beer Fest at the Echoplex in Silver Lake
  This boozy charity event will benefit 826LA and feature over 50 West Coast and national beers, unlimited sample pours, food trucks and live music by local bands like Vaud & the Villains and Last Round Down.
• 12-7pm. $30. Echoplex and the Echo, 1154 Glendale Boulevard, Los Angeles (map).

• LA Derby Dolls 2nd Annual Chili Cook Off in Downtown
  It’s supposed to rain this weekend and what better way to keep warm than lots and lots of chili? For just $10 you get all the chili you can eat OR if you’re more the competitive type, you can enter your famous chili recipe for judgment for $20. All proceeds go to benefit the LA Derby Dolls travel team. To compete email bongjovi420 [at] gmail.com.
• 3-6pm. $10-$20. La Cita, 336 S. Hill Street, Downtown (map).

GEAR REVIEW - Camelbak® Hyrdolink™ Filter Adapter Review

GEAR REVIEW - Camelbak® Hyrdolink™  Filter Adapter 

 The Camelbak® Hydrolink™ Filter Adapter is a great idea in principle but we have some issues with it. 

Essentially the adapter is a kit of three pieces. One attaches to the end of your reservoir line. A second inserts in the output hose of your favorite trail water filtration system, and a third connects valve on the reservoir line to the mouthpiece.  

One great feature of the kit is that the quick release valve on the end of the reservoir (item A below) has a valve allowing you to stop the flow of water. This is extremely useful for topping off a partially filed reservoir. The reason is that it solves the one drawback of the Katadyn quickconnect™  fittings which is that the quickconnect™  fittings lack a valve and can thereby get you wet if you accidentally drop the reservoir tube after you have filed it or if you are toping off an already partially filled reservoir.

As previously indicated in the Hiker Pro review, the Katadyn quickconnect™ fittings can get your backpack rather wet if you aren't very careful when filing an already partially filed reservoir or if you drop the reservoir line after filling it. The Camelbak® Hydrolink™ Filter Adapter definitely solves the problem with the Katadyn quickconnect™ fittings but it has a serious problem of its own.

SERIOUS ISSUE ( no 90°drinking ):

But a serious issue we have with the kit is that the part meant to be in the end of the reservoir (part C above)  doesn't allow for the 90 degree bend that we have come to love from the camelbak hydrolock. It also renders your existing camelbak® hydrolock™  worthless. (At least if you follow Camelbak's instructions).

OUR WORKAROUND:

We have come up with an excellent workaround for this drawback. Unfortunately, it involves purchasing two of the Camelbak® Hydrolink™ Filter Adapters and using two of the Part E's above. You then have to cut the tubing from your reservoir to the existing mouthpiece and use a second Part E.

Essentially the workaround allows one to disconnect the Camelbak bite valve area from the reservoir and filter directly into the reservoir.









The lack of the ability to return to a 90° drinking angle that we are used to is a definite flaw in the kit. But for 6 dollars we feel the closable valve would be worth it by itself. So buying two kits isn't the end of the world to have spill-free direct reservoir filing while maintaining the  90° drinking angle that so many of us have come to love.

TRAIL REVIEW - Sykes Hot Springs

TRAIL REVIEW - SYKES HOT SPRINGS

One of the cemented rock pools at Sykes Hot Springs

Overall Rating:∑ ∑ ∑ ∑	Bathrooms: new pit toilets on route and at Sykes Camp
Difficulty: moderate	Best times of Year: Any
Distance: 20 miles roundtrip	Water: plenty of sources along trail and at camp
Dog : Y off leash	Elevation Gain: 2380'
Solitude: not much	Elevation Loss: 1490'
Map: Wilderness Press

UPDATE LA COUNTY BANS PLASTIC BAGS

 According to the LAtimes blogs the LA County Board of Supervisors voted to ban plastic bags in unincorporated areas of the county.

UPDATE SIERRA CLUB WTC CLASS

The registration is now open for the 2011 Wilderness Travel Course offered by the local Sierra Chapter Club.


We previously described the WTC course here.

LA COUNTY VOTES ON PLASTIC BAG ISSUE

According to LAist the county supervisors are set to vote on whether or not to ban plastic grocery bags. Wehave listened to arguments for and against on the radio. The industry lobbyist and spokespeople claim the reusable bags are dirty and a health hazard.

FREE NATIONAL PARK ENTRANCE November 11

FREE ENTRANCE TO NATIONAL PARKS THURSDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2010

For those of you not possessing a magical Interagency Pass allowing you unlimited entrance to the National Park System and unlimited parking where Adventure Passes are required, you may be interested in this one. On Veterans Day, Thursday November 11, 2010, entrance will be free to the National Parks.

Trail Photography Tips - Autumn Edition

TRAIL PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS - AUTUMN EDITION 

Backpacker Magazine posted these tips today for great Fall Photography on the trail.

The three tips stressed are:  

1. Notice the Details 
2. Shoot Vertical 
3. Get Closer 

Movie Festival to raise money for State Parks Nov 6-7

MOVIE FESTIVAL IN SUPPORT OF STATE PARKS

Even though its too early to make a call either way on Proposition 21, its not too early to show your support for the parks by purchasing tickets to this movie festival taking place on the Paramount and  20th Century Fox studios on Saturday November 6 and Sunday November 7.

Trail Review - Dirt Mulholland Trail

TRAIL REVIEW - DIRT MULHOLLAND

You can see the single track and fireroad.

Difficulty: easy

Distance:1.5 miles roundtrip

Dog : off leash

Solitude: depends when you go

Best Seasons: Fall, Winter, Spring

Directions: Exit 405 Northbound at Mulholland Blvd., Turn left on Mulholland Blvd heading West. Travel approximately .75 miles past Bel-Air Presbyterian Church until Mullholland slopes downward. There is a dirt area that you need to turn left into. Upon turning left take the fire road until you see a chain link fence surrounding a small building and a yellow trail gate. You can park in front of the chain link fence.

Trail Review - Franklin Canyon Ranch Trail

RANCH TRAIL FRANKLIN CANYON:

Upper Franklin Reservoir October '10

Difficulty: easy

Distance:1.5- 2.0 miles

Dog : must be on leash

Solitude: very little

Directions: Take Sunset Blvd East from 405, turn left at Beverly Drive in Beverly Hills. Take left to stay on Beverly Drive. Head straight and Beverly Drive will turn into Franklin Canyon Drive. Enter park at Gates. Drive to junction where Franklin Canyon Drive meets Lake Drive. Park there at the base of the Ranch Trail.

Yes on Proposition 21

Do you live in California? Have you ever been annoyed at how high day use and parking fees are at State Parks & Beaches? Then you need to vote yes on Proposition 21. 

We here at Outdoors Los Angeles have already voted yes for Proposition 21. What you need to know about this proposition is that it would allow all Californians with a registered vehicle to access all California State Parks for free. The proposition would add an $18 fee to everyone's vehicle registration.


$18 is a bargain for unlimited access to every California State Park. Currently many of the State Parks Charge as much as $12 for single day parking. That means if you use two of these State Parks a year you come out ahead by $6.


The folks at Yes for State Parks created a $5,000 contest for videos in support of proposition 21.
Below is our favorite user created Yes om 21 video created by Christopher Grant Ward of Folk4Parks.org. LAist actually picked up the Folk4Parks story.





Make up Your own Mind. Below are some resources to help you make an informed decision.

click here to download the Iniative Text.

click here to view the state voter guide for and against arguments

click here to visit the official YES on 21 website
click here to visit  a  NO on 21 website

Free Mountain Biking Skills Clinic

To all those who would like to take some actual instruction on basic mountain biking techniques there is a free class that you need to know about. CORBA - the concerned offroad bikers association holds monthly free beginning mountain biking clinics the first saturday of every month at Malibu Creek State Park.

NEXT CLASS Saturday November 6, 2010 8:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.

We here at Outdoors Los Angeles took the class over a year ago and learned quite a lot. That was before we had clip in petals. We just might take the class again with pedals to see if we can avoid falling while going down the stairs this time.

The instruction was top notch and they even provided us with air and lube for our bikes.

Imbibing Outdoors - How to Drink on the Trail

friend enjoying a cold one while soaking in a hotspring

A Recent Backpacking trip I organized to Sykes Hot Springs got me interested in how to drink in the backcountry. Although we at Outdoors Los Angeles believe in everything in moderation we have been known to get our drink on while on the trail.

Unlike Car Camping, when you're lugging everything you need for the weekend on your back, weight becomes a serious issue. We at Outdoors Los Angeles are also into leaving no trace so the weight and size of the container which has to be carried out have to be taken into consideration.

There are essentially three main types of alcohol we've taken into the backcountry: (1) Beer (2) Wine and (3) straight Spirits.

Climb Smart 2010

Friends Of Joshua Tree and longtime sponsors Black Diamond, Adventure 16 and other supporting organizations invite everyone to their annual climbfest aptly named Climb Smart 2010 from October 22-24,  2010.

The event invites you to "kick off the climbing season in Joshua Tree right with skills clinics, pro athlete presentations, swag giveaways, costume contests, a new festival format and much more!"

As totally novice climbers we at Outdoors Los Angeles are not sure we would find the event interesting. But we're sure if we were climb enthusiast this event would make us mess our pants from excitement.

CamelBak Cleaning Kit Review

Well here at Outdoors Los Angeles we like reviewing our gear to let others know the pros and cons of various items. There always seem to be lots of options for the same product function. For Reservoir's there are Camelbak, MSR , and Platypus and countless other less visible brands. 

With that in mind here is my review of the Camelbak cleaning Kit

Originally submitted at REI

This kit contains all the cleaning accessories needed to keep a reservoir in optimal condition.

CamelBak Cleaning Kit

Useful but not essential

By Chris from Los Angeles, CA on 10/15/2010

4out of 5

Pros: Easy to Use
Best Uses: Hydration Packs
Describe Yourself: Avid Adventurer
Was this a gift?: No

The camelbak reservoir cleaning kit comes with four items:

• a big brush for inside the reservoir body
• a small brush for inside the tube
• a yellow two piece reservoir drying rack
• 2 camelbak cleaning tablets

Its fairly easy to use once you get the hang of it.
I am sure there are many other cheap ways to dry your camelbak reservoir. If the money isn't a big deal this is a nice kit to have. I wish it came with more cleaning tablets but seriously each of my three reservoirs get fully cleaned with a tablet like once a year at most. But with the brushes and the drying rack its fairly easy to clean it out with water and soap and then let it fully dry before putting it away.

As for the drying rack its in two pieces. The first piece holds the tube and allows you to hang the reservoir upside down. The second piece keeps the large hole open so the inside can dry out.

drying rack in use

The drying rack in use.

The second piece of the drying rack holding it open to air out the inside.

Although we soon hope to be able to create our own Youtube product review videos we are not quite at that stage yet. But I did find the following video on Youtube that I agree with for the most part. 

I wish my cleaning kit had come with the nifty pouch this guy got. Since its not needed that much in the field its really not a big deal. I just store my cleaning kit in a gallon zip loc bag.