barefootwalk

 This is my new DIY project. I have been making tents for last 5 years and I've tried different types. When I started backpacking I purchased a double wall, fully enclosed tent  (so called ultralight tent; market crap).  Most people don't really need these tents and they are not ultralight at all. I switched to a tarp when I started thru-hiking and I fell in love with it's simplicity. Tarp is fantastic. I tried copying zpacks solo tents then. It is a great design.   This time I was looking for a larger tent that can fit my dog as well and it's not as miserable looking as a tarp (people think you are broken!). I always resisted the idea of using a pyramid tent but after a lot of thoughts I settled down with a pyramid tent and I must confess this design offers fantastic features. Here how I did it.   Materials: I ordered all materials from:  https://ripstopbytheroll.com/   but I have used https://www.questoutfitters.com/ in the past and I enjoyed doing ...

 You heard "you have to do something stupid, at least one a year". Well I guess I did it. Suddenly out on nowhere I decided to get a packraft. I was looking for a packraft for a long time but I never took it seriously until the last week. Probably 10% off and a small cashback on my card was the main trigger to get the lightest and cheapest packraft in Kokopelli collection. Kokopelli hornet lite is very good deal but it is overshadowed by more serious models like Rouge because Hornet is not rated for a real whitewater. Looking at the features, it is very similar to other models in all aspects but the wall material is not as durable as those heavy duty models. It should serve the purpose for me and Twyla. It was supposed to arrive today but it was delayed as many other postal services during last few weeks. Finally it was delivered at 9:30 pm! I don't have any experience with water except one canyoneering trip many years ago, and many other safe sea trips. So I am looking f...

 It's getting cold. Southern winter is not like other winters I had before. It's like a gray season. Since the green is more dominant during other seasons and there is not mush green in winter therefore you miss all the colors. In other places when you loose greens, there are mountains or snow or something but you don't see those features here, however it has a unique beauty, even though a little gloomy. Today was one of those waiting days. I was waiting for a few packages. The morning started with a bowl of cabbage soup and coffee of course. There was not much activity outside. The construction workers and couple of neighbors, everyone else is gone for the holidays. I have started playing fireplace videos, it feels nostalgic and fun. Twyla doesn't seem to mind and she even may like it. I caught her red handed on my bed. Now I understand where those hairs are coming on my bed. Such a fool I was,...

 A few days of sewing different projects. I had fun and They turned well and cheap of course! An ultralight warm hat, An ultralight balaclava, ultralight hiking rain pant and collapsible dog bowls! Twyla didn't like the noise and she preferred chilling out with her toy and taking a nap!

 Spent a quiet week with the cats, Oreo and Pumpkin.

 The day started as usual, Twyla asking for my attention. It was a cold morning. We walked and we had our breakfast. The city is quiet, there is barely a car passing by. Yesterday I was surprised to see the cats food is spattered everywhere. After a long confusion I found a possum sheltering in the cat's comfortable beds my neighbor put outside. Twyla treated friendly but fortunately it was gone this morning. I went to see the cats and make sure they have their food. All afternoon was rainy, quiet and lonely.

 The day started with a cold morning. Crisp, sharp on skin and a little windy. We went for a walk as usual. She was tired most of the day. 

 It was getting cold. The fall was around the corner and I had a few days in my hand so I could leave the busy city behind and hit the road again. I was missing mountains and I was looking for somewhere I haven't been there before. I also had a company this time. Twyla was coming with me and this was her first long trip with me so I decided to make it lighter, so I was happy to see Arkansas is the randomly chosen destination. This is the new habit to chose the destination with dice. When you travel for a long time, you start looking for new excitements. One of the disadvantages of the information era is the information! Most of the time you can have a solid and predictable plan for your trip and that can spoil the adventurous nature of the experience so I find new ways to surprise myself.   I packed up my stuff in White Dwarf and we headed to Mississippi. I tried to be light but unlike hiking, camping can get heavy very fast because we don't notice the weight we don't carry...