We had a chance on our 8 day backpack to do some comparisons between some stoves, namely my Caldera Cone with a 1.9 L Evernew titanium pot, an MSR Pocket Rocket, a Snow Peak Giga Power, and a JetBoil. The latter 3 stoves are canister stoves, and the Caldera Cone is an alcohol stove. Each [...]
Outdoor Gear, Patents, and Outdoor Trips by Bob Shaver, Patent Attorney
Category Archives: Backpacking
The REI Flash 65 Backpack- a product review
I got an REI Flash 65 because I wanted to lighten my load, and I could save about 3 pounds over my previous pack by using the Flash 65. My friend Kevin Anderson had said he bought one, and really liked it. So I bought one for an 8 day backpack we did with the [...]
Handy Survival Bracelet
A friend of mine and adviser to our scout troop makes and sells some really cool survival bracelets, which look great and also are a great survival and woodcraft tool. Since they are made of 7 feet of paracord, which can hold 550 lbs of weight, they can be taken apart for use as cord [...]
Kane Lake in the Pioneer Range of Idaho
Over Labor Day we repeated our annual trek to the nicest lake I know of in Idaho – Kane Lake. Its only 3.5 miles, but its uphill, rocky and an unmaintained trail. The views from camp at Kane lake are unsurpassed in Idaho. This is the view looking back down the valley as one nears [...]
Some Berries seen on our Fall hike to Kane Lake
These are all conspicuous berries we saw on our fall hike in the Pioneer Range. Some are edible, some not so edible. These are gooseberries, which are the same genus (Ribes) as currants. If the plants have spines they are gooseberries, if not they are currants. These are tart berries, getting a little sweeter as [...]
White Cloud Mountains, Idaho, Castle Peak Loop
We finished a great 8 day backpack in the White Clouds, and were surprised to find lakes there that are better than any in the Sawtooths, and in general had a great time. Below is the gang, 5 adults and 6 youths. We started at 4th of July Lake, with camp sites at Washtington Lake [...]
The Yutes have Grown Up
In 2007 I took 3 scouts on a great 4 day backpack, the Alice Toxaway Loop in the Sawtooths of Idaho. Those same 3 yutes were on a trip last weekend. The purpose of the trip was to help Lars with his Eagle Project. Malcolm has also done his Eagle Project. Jim is the last [...]
Canoeing on Owyhee Reservior
There is still 10′ of snow at Sawtooth Lake, so its good timing that we have been doing some canoeing. We launched our boats at Leslie Gulch, and headed up the lake toward a hot springs. We turned around before the hot springs, because the wind was picking up and we would be fighting the [...]
Scout Backpack to Wilderness Hot Spring, and Morel Mushrooms
I led a scout backpack on the Middle Fork of the Payette in Idaho, and was reminded how delicious morel mushrooms are. It has been a wet spring here, and we found maybe 30 morels around our camp, and it added a bit of interest to the freeze dried menu. We hiked about 2 miles [...]
Bob’s Survival Kit
This survival kit is put together so that a hiker will have greatly improved chances of surviving a few days in the mountains. It is small and light enough so that a hiker need never hesitate to take it along on even a day hike. I have been on many mountain rescues where a hiker [...]