I think it's mainly an Aussie thing. It's a one person tent made from canvas. It's designed so you can have all your bedding setup inside when rolled up, and when you're out in the bush you can just unroll it and prop it up in a few minutes. They are comfortable and pretty warm in winter.

You can unzip a large section of the top and just have the fly mesh closed, for hot nights during summer.

Mine's similar to this:

i want one

That is pretty convenient, assuming it rolls up and fits on/in the pack. I may do this for solo excursions in the future.

This was pretty awesome. I kinda expected them to go all "city kid" on me, but they actually really enjoyed the whole experience. This was just at your standard National Parks camping area. Next time we're gonna do a full-on hike/camp in the San Francisco Peaks with full gear.

Glad that went well! I hope to one day torture my kids and drag them to some of my favorite spots in the mountains and see how much fun they have!

The wife has been away interstate since last week, and it's school holidays, so I've had the kids at home with me. I've also been trying to work from home for the bunch of monkeys that are trying to run (destroy) my old work, (while I'm looking for another job on the side).

The wife is back in a few days, so I'll be hauling the swag and the new bedding away with me this coming weekend, to go away with a few friends in the high country.

I may never come back. If I never return to RM, you'll know why.

So I reluctantly returned to civilisation. The new mattress and sleeping bag were definitely money well spent, I've never been so warm and comfortable when camping. Highly recommended.

What's this mattress that you speak of? I'm hoping it can be the wife's saving grace for sleeping in the tent.

OH, where'd you go in the high country? I was on the tundra yesterday, and the evil Altitude Sickness reared it's ugly head...

This is the mattress here: viewtopic.php?f=24&t=3240&start=20#p347173

We went to the Mount Baw Baw National Park. We camped not far from where there'd been some recent logging, so the fire wood was bountiful.

nice... this is pretty much exactly what I need for the wife. Thanks!

I'm going for a proper hike, then camp with my son this weekend. After a week of hiking in Montana, it'll be nice to not have to worry about get mauled by a grizzly. I'm generally not afraid of wildlife (I've actually encountered brown bears before), but, holy fucking shit, a grizzly is a whole other beast.

Luckily I haven't crossed paths. Grizzlies and Mtn Lions are two I rather not know are in the area. Unfortunately, for certain, Mtn lions are in my area.


Planning this trip to do in a month: http://www.hikingwalking.com/destinatio ... _pass_loop

There are no Grizzlies in Colorado anymore.

Plenty of black bears and lots of cats, though.

That 4-pass loop looks nice. I probably won't be able to fit it in, though, till next summer. In about a week, though, I'm doing a backcountry overnighter at Lawn Lake in RMNP.

Things didn't go so well. I had about an 8-mile hike planned out for the day on the legendary Zane Grey Highline Trail on the Mogollon Rim near Payson, AZ. About 3 miles in, my son twists his ankle. I did the "don't be a pussy" thing. About 10 minutes later, I look down and his ankle is about twice the size it should be. We struggled back.

It wasn't a complete bust however. We found a steakhouse with several microbrews on tap by a river. I got some beer and my son was able to soak his foot in the river. His ankle is wrapped now and it looks like we'll avoid a trip to urgent care.

I'll be camping one night at the Gorge for the Arcade Fire show next Friday.

That is all.

Sunday funday

Story on two people i know. Pretty sad

http://www.aspentimes.com/news/13343782 ... lls-maroon

When another climber couldn’t make the trip to the Maroon Bells this week, Avon resident Jarod Wetherell stepped in to take his place. On Friday, authorities recovered Wetherell’s body from the upper portion of a section of North Maroon Peak, which is commonly known as the “Rock Glacier.”

“Another guy was supposed to go, and for whatever reason, he couldn’t,” said Alex Burchetta, spokesman for the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office. “So the deceased stepped in on the climbing trip.”

Wetherell, 37, was climbing with partner David Richardson, 32, of Vail. Mountain Rescue Aspen members brought Richardson, who injured his pelvis and ribs, to safety at 11:15 a.m. Friday. He was located in the Bell Chord area on the east aspect of North Maroon Peak and was transported to Aspen Valley Hospital by a helicopter from the High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site in Gypsum, authorities said.

Hospital spokeswoman Ginny Dyche said Richardson was listed in good condition. He declined an interview request by The Aspen Times.

Authorities said the two were last known to be on top of North Maroon Peak around 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday. The climbers took a selfie after they topped the peak, sending it to a friend in Vail. The friend grew concerned when she didn’t hear any more from the climbers, prompting her to call Pitkin County authorities that night.

On Thursday, Mountain Rescue Aspen volunteers began the search, but it was hampered by bad weather that rendered an air search unfeasible. They were out of the field by 9:15 p.m. Thursday and resumed the search Friday.

Burchetta said details of the climbers’ fall were not available. A deputy was to interview Richardson some time Friday at the hospital after he received medical attention.

“There was very limited information at the time Mountain Rescue were on the scene,” Burchetta said. “They were really concerned about getting the surviving climber transported to the hospital.”

Burchetta couldn’t say when the fall happened, but “in some capacity,” Richardson spent two nights in the wilderness. Burchetta had no information on either climber’s ability or experience with 14,000-foot or higher peaks. He said it appeared that they were equipped with the proper gear.

Bells keep Rescuers busy

The Maroon Bells are two peaks rising above 14,000 feet about 12 miles southwest of Aspen. The climbing community regards them as two of Colorado’s most treacherous and dangerous peaks, a claim supported by a U.S. Forest Service sign, located at the Bells trailhead, calling them “The Deadly Bells.”

As recently as Sept. 21, Mountain Rescue Aspen members were dispatched to the Bells for the report of a 59-year-old climber who fell 50 feet while attempting to ascend North Maroon Peak. The climber survived. And on Sept. 8, a 42-year-old hunter from Littleton died from a 60- to 80-foot fall.

“It’s very unstable there,” Pitkin County Sheriff Joe DiSalvo said. “It’s shale; it’s screed.”

DiSalvo couldn’t speak directly about the most recent incident on the Bells, but he noted that Mountain Rescue has had its hands full in recent months.

“Anything from a twisted ankle on the Ute Trail or a full-blown rescue, we’re seeing a lot,” he said Friday.

Since May 1, Mountain Rescue Aspen has conducted 45 search-and-rescue missions in Pitkin County, the sheriff said. The reasons for the high number of missions can’t be pinpointed, DiSalvo said, but he has some theories.

“It’s either because our community is ‘back’ and we have more people in town, or there’s just more interest in exploring the backcountry, or people are seriously underestimating the terrain,” he said. “It might look harmless, but it can eat you alive. You’ll see experienced mountaineers who fall, and then you’ll see people who don’t belong out there.”

My 7-year-old son hiked the long trail (Echo Canyon) at Camelback Mountain with a broken arm in 1:42. I actually had to force him to stop and take breaks and told him he couldn't run because the trail was pretty packed and, you know, the broken arm thing. I'm guessing that if I were to just let him have at it, he'd finish in under an hour.