Last month I heard a story on NPR’s marketplace show about how policies concerning bourbon illustrate the long standing urban-rural divide in our country. It was an interesting piece, but not one I expected would have any impact on my life.
A month later some good friends were cleaning out their liquor cabinet and offered several of their friends the opportunity to take a few bottles. I looked through what they had. Most of the liquor we wouldn’t use, but they did have a bottle of bourbon. We use bourbon when making mulled wine, bread pudding, and bourbon ball cookies.
The bourbon bottle looked fancy. I recalled a bit of the story on marketplace. I thought to myself “Is this that crazy expensive bourbon?” I told my friend about the story and used Google to find the story. Ah, the expensive bourbon was called Pappy Van Winkle, and it looked like we could buy bourbon made by WL Weller for around $70. Since it’s wasn’t absurdly valuable, I took the bourbon home.
Something was rattling around in the back of my head. The story about Pappy’s talked about how the retail price was reasonable but because it was produced in limited amounts, the street price was often much higher, much like tickets to some concerts. I wondered if this bottle was worth more that $70. I texted a picture of the bottle to a friend of mine who loves bourbon and asked him if he knew anything about the bottle I had.
It turns out it’s made by the same distillery as Pappys. It’s not worth $10,000 a shot, but the bottle was conservatively worth $1500. He indicated he would love to buy the bottle from me for that price, but offered to help me find someone who would pay top dollar. He thought it could go for more than $2000. This bourbon probably should not go into a mulled wine, bread pudding, or cookies.
At this point there were several things I could do. I could try and maximize profits and find someone who would pay top dollar for the bourbon. I could give the bottle of bourbon back to my friends and let them figure out what to do. I could’ve opened it to find out what a $1500 bottle of bourbon taste like.
My solution with a three-way win. I offered the bottle to my bourbon loving friend for $1500 since that was what he thought it would be worth to him. We could’ve made more money, but I’d rather my friend be able to enjoy something that he might not otherwise have had a chance to try. He along the few friends agreed to buy the bottle. Next I checked with the original owner of the bottle and found out what their favorite charity was, which turns out to be SV Habitat for Humanity. You can guess who just got a check for $1500. My friends were delighted, because something that they gave away because it was just taking up space funded something they deeply believe in. What did I get? A fun story, and the satisfaction of making some connections.
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
In have an updated list which captures what I am using now.
Minimalism led me to simplify my possessions.This post is the complete list of everything I personally own. At the end of each year I review what I have used in the previous year and decide what to use, retire and add in the coming year. I strive to use items that enable me to have an a healthy, impactful life, while minimizing friction. This list was inspired by one bag lifestyle and Tynan’s Gear posts, though I am not living that lightly.
Items in bold are exceptionally great. I happily use items marked with “*”, but not so much that I would automatically replace them. If I was a “true minimalist” I would get rid of them. The (year) is when this item became a standard part of my life. My traveling list is a subset of these items. Items that are used by the whole family on our family gear page.
Please don’t use this list to fuel consumption or as a challenge to create a curated list of minimalist styled possessions. Do not allow your possessions to become the basis of your sense of security or well being.
On My Person / Day Activities
Flexon (2019) eyeglass frames with Zeiss high index progressive lens. Eyeglasses are an incredible blessing. I used to break frames within a year of getting them. I started to use Flexon frames around 1995. They have lasted an average of 8 years through numerous prescription changes.
Garmin 935 Watch not shown (2017) accurately tracks my activities and measures my fitness level. The watch is light enough that I don’t mind wearing it continuously. It can last ~5 days without charging with 1-4 hours of GPS use each day for runs, hikes, and/or bike rides. Has decent integration with smartphones and notifies when the phone is left behind. There are other good sport watches.
Flowfold Minimalist Wallet (2012) which holds my IDs, 2 credit cards, and a few bills taking up minimal space.
Victorinox Swiss Army Rambler (1999) is the smallest, usable tool I have found with a phillips head & flat screwdriver, scissors, knife, bottle opener, and nail file. When flying I switch to a Swiss+Tech Utili-Key which is not as usable as the Rambler, but for years has made it through TSA checkpoints without being confiscated. I am on my 3rd? Rambler after losing a couple to TSA. I have some notes about other knife options.
Uniball Vision Elite .5mm Pen (2015) and Post-It Notes (1990) for jotted down ideas until I can get them into an electronic system. Has good “feel” and doesn’t leak after plane flights. I have stopped using Pilot V5 (best writing feel I have used) because several have leaked even when I didn’t fly with them.
Apple iPhone 12 Mini (2020) on Verizon. Not as small as the original SE… the upper right corner is a stretch for one handed use but smaller than most phones. Obviously plays well in the Apple eco-system. I used to think iOS UI was superior to Android, but I think Android 10 is pretty close for most things and has superior notifications and speech recognition. Replaced my iPhone SE whose battery wouldn’t make it through the daytime hours. Can someone please make a smart phone with a high resolution screen that is 4″ on the diagonal running a modern OS?
Apple AirPods(2017) have decent sound quality while letting in ambiance noise providing situational awareness, stays in place during exercise, no wires to get tangled, has good user interface with iOS, so/so with Android. They aren’t rated for water resistance, but after more than four years of using them while sweating heavily, rides and runs in the rain they continue to function. In 2020, after three years the battery life was poor, so I paid $98 for Battery Service (which is really a replacement). I used to love the AirPods, but recently the microphone is not always connecting to the phone when receiving phone calls. This is happening with both Android and iOS and I have heard other people complaining about the same things. What’s going on?! When the batteries die for a second time I will investigate alternatives.
Nicore NU25 rechargeable headlamp (2019) Very light-weight when the headband is replaced with cords. Good regulation, bright enough for trail running, a decent electronic lock so it doesn’t turn on accidently. Use it for when I am running in the dark and it has been a backup for when I forgot to recharge my bike light. In cold weather can be powered from a remote USB power supply. If I lost this light I would choose the NU20 for it’s simpler UI. I have a post about other good flashlights.
Sony RX100 VI Camera* (2020). After 2 years of trying to use only the camera on my phone I found that I wanted a better sensor and lens. Great quality image capture in daylight, ok performance in low light situations, with a 200mm optical zoom that fits into my pocket. The features on the VII didn’t justify the extra cost compared to the VI. Geotagging mostly works through Sony’s smartphone ImagingEdgeMobile app.
Original Joby GorillaPod* (2012) for when I need more stability for the Sony.
Purell Hand Sanitizer (2002) Carried for a long time, but more important than ever in the time of COVID.
Zojirushi Double Walled Mug (2013) can easily be used one handed, locks so it doesn’t open accidentally, pours at the perfect speed, the mouth is wide enough for ice cubes, and insulating better than every other mug I have tested. I have a Deep Cherry color mug which I picked up after misplacing my silver mug at work. The striking color make it easy to spot when I forget it in a conference room. When flying you can fill the Zojirushi with ice (no water) and get through TSA security. Once through, add water and you can have icy cold water for your flight. For several years I have been tempted by the very pricy Snowpeak Titanium Kanpai Bottle for it’s beautiful design and versatility. I have resisted because my Zojirushi is working, has better insulation, is already paid off, and the sipping lid doesn’t leak.
Entchin Fanny Pack (2020) Inexpensive fanny pack which is the good size for most of my done in a day activities. Unfortunately, it is cheaply made, the main bucket broke after six months of use. I was able to repair it. All of the items above, a protein bar and small volume jacket fit. I switched to a fanny pack because the strain of a courier bag or sling on a single shoulder would be painful after several hours.
My Office
For the last few years most of these items (and items listed as temporarily retired) were either everyday carry or travel items. Since COVID struck I have been working from home so this is now office gear.
MacBook Pro 13″ (2020) provided by Hashicorp. Been using MacBooks since 2006 as my primary computer because I get the best of a UNIX environment and high quality applications. There are better performing laptops for the money, but I like the ergonomics of the Macbook, especially the touch pad. When I purchase one for personal use I select a configuration with the maximum memory available which has allowed me to use the same Macbook for 4-6 years before it feels too sluggish.
LG 27BN88U 27″ 4k Display (2020) provide by work. Historically I have worked from the display on my laptop, using an external monitor only occasionally when needing to display a lot of data. In the era of Zoom meetings I use the laptop screen for displaying people, and the external monitor for notes, presentations, and general work.
Westone 5ES custom In-ear-monitors (2012) with excellent sound quality and comfortable enough to wear on 14 hour flights. They reduce noise by 35db which makes travel much less fatiguing while being much smaller and having better sound quality than over the ears active noise canceling headphones. Stored in a medium size HumanGear GoTubb with adapters. I have written about other headphones options.
Radsome EarStudio ES100 (2018) bluetooth/DAC/headphone amplifier allows me to use Westone IEM (or other wired headphones) with devices missing a headphone jack. Can also function as a USB DAC. The ES100 is tiny, with good sound quality (though Chord Mojo is better) and can even drive Sennheiser HD800 to reasonable sound levels. I have written about other DAC and Players
Nekteck 4-port 72W USB C Charger (2018) with 1 USB-C and 3 traditional USB ports which allows me to charge every device I use on a daily basis from a single power brick, including the 13” MacBook Pro from work. When the MacBook Pro isn’t being charged can rapidly charge all my devices.
Small fabric tape measure (2012) to measure packages and other smaller items.
Kindle Oasis (2019) Lets me carry the majority of my library and every book can be displayed with large print for my aging eyes. Love being able to quickly search for notes / highlighted passages. I miss physical books and I know knowledge retention is better when reading paper books, but the convenience of the Kindle outweighs this for me. Replaced a PaperWhite because the Oasis ergonomics allows reading with a single hand and I like the warm backlight, especially in the evening.
USB Power Task Light (2020) to replace a task light my wife needed somewhere else in the house.
Portable File Case (2002) Holds current paper items I am working on.
Mikikin Fan* not shown (2020) Gift from my wife for hot days I need some air circulation.
Bathroom
REI Micro Shower Bag (2017) is the perfect size for my toiletry kit while providing just enough organizational features to make it easy for me to find everything quickly. Inside pocket holds a few doses of medicines for allergies or colds. Main area has: a small HumanGear GoTubb to store aleve and tylenol, lip balm, toothpaste, and most of the bathroom items listed below. Outside pocket holds first aid kit which includes waterproof Band-Aids, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic cream, superglue, a couple of safety pins. No longer made: the GOX Organizer looks to be similar.
Gillette Mach-3 Razor + Pacific Natural Shaving Oil (1999). I am sure there are better razors and many people would suggest that shaving oil is a prep step which should be followed by shaving cream… but I have found this combination effective, reasonable cost effective. 1 bottle lasts me a year. When traveling I often leave the shaving oil behind and use Dr Bronners to lather my face.
Listerine Floss (1996) is the most effective dental floss I have used. Gentle to the gums while still getting plague and food wedged between teeth out.
Dr Bronner’s Soap (1978) – small bottle for travel, larger bottle in shower. Large bottle lasts around 1.5 years.
Micro Fiber Cleaning / Storage Bag + Cleaning Fluid (2008). When traveling I typically leave the cleaning fluid behind.
Oral-B/Braun 6000 Electric toothbrush (2016). Oral-B and Sonicare both make excellent toothbrushes which are significantly more effective than using a manual toothbrush. When traveling I leave the Oral-B behind and bring a Violife Slim Sonic toothbrush which isn’t as effective, but is much smaller. On an extended trip I would be tempted to purchase a USB powered charger for the Oral-B.
Linen Towel (2020) Lighter weight, dries faster, and less likely to get less smelly than previous cotton towel but isn’t as soft.
Sleep!
ChiliPad (2019) which cools or warms water which flows through a mattress topper. I need it to be significantly colder than Jackie to sleep soundly. Allows me to sleep without requiring the room to be cold and Jackie needing heavy blankets.
Bucky 40 Winks Sleep Mask (2015) lets me sleep even when it’s not completely dark outside. On my third purchased in 2020. These masks are not very durable. Want to find something as compact but longer lasting.
Sports & Exercise
Withering Body WiFi Scale (2014) makes it easy to track weight which is well integrated to Garmin, Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, LoseIt, and numerous other health tracking eco-systems.
Pullup Bar (2020) – To work our upper body when gym closed
Bowflex Adjustable Kettlebell (2020) – Useful for numerous exercises though a bit too light for me. Max weight is 40lb, would like it to be 60lb. Used for several of sets in the Simple Six workout.
20lb Rucking Plate (2020) – Helps to turn my my daily walks into a workout and makes my pull-ups and squats a bit more challenging. Typically carried in daypack.
Pulse SpO2 Meter* (2020) Purchased primarily for better insight in the face of COVID19. Also used to get a read of SpO2 when doing HIIT.
Grip Strengthen* – not shown (2020) to build my hand strength which has dropped dramatically compared to when I was climbing.
RunScribe Plus* shown below (2020) to capture run’s intensity better than using pace or heart rate and to get information about running form. Jury is out if I am getting actionable insight to justify use. They have been a bit troublesome to use due to bugs and difficulties getting them to sync.
Garmin Swim Heart Rate Monitor shown below (2019) because optical heart rate monitors aren’t sufficiently accurate for HRV measurements and aren’t responsive enough to track interval training. Works when I am heavily sweating and swimming.
Clothing
I have notes about selecting clothing for an active life which goes in detail about how to select clothing for a wide range of activities and conditions.
De Soto Mobius Tri Shorts (2018) works well cycling, running, and swimming. They are comfortable for all the activities I engage in, in a wide range of conditions. They have reduced issues with chafing, dry fairly quickly, and are reasonably comfortable when wet. They have side pockets large enough to hold some nutrition and my phone so I don’t need to use a special cycling jersey. I never need to think about what shorts to wear for vigorous physical activities…. I just grab my pair of Tri Shorts. Earlier used Zoot shorts.
Vroomi River Run Shirt* (2020) ultralight wool poly blend with great air permeability. This years attempt I finding a long sleeve shirt for sun protection which is comfortable in hot weather while active. Resist odors almost as well as 100% merino wool shirt. Downsides are that it is expensive, already lightly piling, and easily stains. When it wears out will try a Rab Pulse Hoodie, Outdoor Research Echo, Patagonia Men’s Capilene Cool Daily Hoody or something made from Polartec Delta.
Columbia/Montrail Titan Trailrunning Shirt (2018) Omni-Freeze fabric that helps cool when working out in moderate to hot conditions. Super light weight and breathable. Dries very quickly! Anti-stink is so/so. Might be replaced by whatever I replace the Vroomi with.
Patagonia Capilene Thermal Weight Hoody (2009) for cool/cold weather outdoor activities. Without wind protection the grid weave lets air flow through speeding the release of heat. With a shell it insulates well. Comfort down to 30F when running without a shell, below that with a shell. When walking around town keeps me comfortable down to 45F when combined with a wind shirt. I am reasonably comfortable engage in high energy activities when it’s 65F by fully opening the zipper and pushing the sleeves up to my elbows. Dries amazingly quickly and feels more comfortable than any other shirt I have used when it’s wet. Mine was actually called Capilene 4 because it pre-dates the renaming to “thermal weight”.
Outlier New Way Shorts – 4 pair (2014) are nice looking shorts which fit me perfectly, don’t have cargo pockets, are durable and dry reasonably quickly. They are pricy but at the time that I purchased them, I hadn’t found any shorts I like as much
Icebreaker Anatomica Tee-shirt – 4 shirts (2014) merino wool with a bit of nylon for strength with just a bit of lycra for a body hugging fit. This tee-shirt fits me perfectly, looks good, is super comfortable, doesn’t smell after several days of wear on the road, and dries fairly quickly. There are two downside. First, they are pricy. Second, they don’t work as well as synthetics when engaged in high energy activities producing heavy sweat. There are a number of other good merino wool shirts from Smartwool, Outlier, and Wool&Prince. My original purchase were replaced when they wore out. The new shirts have a bit of nylon for strengthened are more durable. I get around 600 days of wear from the current version before small holes appear.
Black Webbing Belt (1996) Easy to adjust to exactly the right length and has no metal so metal detectors don’t get triggered.
Icebreaker Anatomica Briefs – 7 pairs (2014) the most comfortable underwear I have worn. Earlier version developed holes after around 150 days of wear :(. All my original pairs have worn out. The newer version has a bit of nylon with the wool. So far none of my new pairs have worn out. They are up to around 600 days of use without holes. Some people prefer boxer style but I see no reason to have extra fabric on my thighs. Good alternatives are the synthetic travel oriented briefs from Ex Offico and the comfortable but expensive underwear from Saxx.
Darn Tough Socks– 8 pair (2013) are unsurprisingly durable since they come with a lifetime warranty. I have a mix of no-show mesh and light cushion crew. Icebreaker and the Smartwool PhD line are good alternatives. Worn out and replaced 2 pair.
Akona 2mm Neoprene Socks (2019) which protect my feet when using flippers or with Keens if I am on a trip which is constantly going in and out of water.
Outlier Slim Dungarees – 4 pair (2014) High-tech nylon pants in the style of jeans. Wonderful fit, looks good, excellent mobility. Thanks to the NanoSphere treatment very stain and water resistant. They are perfect except when it’s >80F and I am active. They seem pricey, but the per day cost of wearing is about the same as denim jeans. I have gotten more than 450 days of wear on some pairs. Maker&Rider and Wool&Prince makes nice alternatives. All my original pairs retired at the request of my wife: 1 looked wore out, 1 stained from a leaking Pilot pen :(, 2 a color my wife didn’t like. Current pants acquired in 2017 and 2019.
Western Rise Evolution Pants (2020) Slight stretch nylon pants in the style of jeans. Think of these as cheaper, lighter, slightly less advanced Slim Dungarees. Find that they are more comfortable in warmer conditions. Don’t know yet if they are as durable as Slim Dungarees. My only complaint is that the coin pocket is too deep.
White Button-up Shirt (2012) for when I need to be dressed up.
Outlier Air Forged Oxford Shirt (2014) Fits me well, made from durable nylon Supplex weave so it dries quickly and doesn’t wrinkle, and looks like a normal dress shirt rather than a “travel” shirt. Used backpacking when I need protection from biting bugs but is also appropriate for business meetings.
Clothing for Jackie
The following are worn because my wife cares more about how my clothing looks than I do. When we are doing a special activity together, I give Jackie the option to select clothing that will match what she is wearing. This costs me nothing and she appreciates seeing some variety in the clothing I am wearing.
Vroomi Running Shirt* (2020) in Bright Yellow
Flower Print Short Sleeve Shirt* (2019) for festive summer outings.
Toni Richards Hawaiian Shirt (2019) Everyone needs at least one shirt for “Hawaiian shirt day”, though some might argue that white and blue with sharks rather than flowers isn’t very Hawaiian. I find the cotton lawn fabric used by Toni Richards is more comfortable than other materials when it’s hot and humid. This is my favorite shirt for when I am in tropic locations.
Peach Button Up Shirt* (2014) for a change from a white shirt when we are going out for the evening.
Wool and Prince 130wt Blue Oxford Shirt* (2014) Slim fit, crisp look while still having all the advantages of 100% wool. Very business casual. I would retire it because it hasn’t been worn: tee-shirts are fine at my work but my wife loves it.
Black/Grey/White Checked Button Up Shirt* (2013) for something that is casual but a bit more dressed up than my tee-shirt or hoody.
Outlier AMB Merino Wool Button Up Shirt* (2019) a bit more dressy than a tee-shirt or hoodie but don’t need to wear a suit.
Mid-Weight, Purple Merino Wool Sweater (2013) for cool days or when some color is called for. Purple is the color of royalty… so it can function as a Christmas or Easter sweater.
Grey Cashmere V-neck Sweater* (2019) for fall and winter evenings when I more warmth than just a shirt and hoody or fleece is too casual.
Muji Sport Jacket* (2013) for dressed up but casual date nights.
Boss Blazer Jacket* (2014) used when going out and it’s appropriate to be wearing something more dressy than a fleece or a sweater.
Boss Wool Suit (2012) slim/european cut. Fits me perfectly though not bespoken. First suit that I wear rather than the suit wearing me. Light enough that it’s usable in the summer. I use it anytime I need to be properly dressed up: weddings, funerals, a very special nights out on the town. I won’t naturally choose to wear a suit, but sometimes it’s the right thing to wear to show respect.
Footwear
Keen Clearwater CNX (2014) are the lightest sandals Keen makes. I liked the minimalist sandals made by luna but the toe protection of the Keens makes them a clear winner for me. When worn with gray socks they can “pass” for shoes most of the time. Comfortable in a wide range of conditions. Replaced pair in 2018 when my original pair wore out.
Altra Running Superior (2017) zero drop, modest cushion, trail running shoe which are light weight with a fairly grippy sole for mixed trail conditions. Wear when I need extra cushion when feet are sore or in the back country when I need good traction. I am on pair 12. Wish I could get more than 400 miles before they wear out.
Merrill Vapor Glove 4 (2019): are the most minimalist running shoes I have found that fits me, “like a glove”. Great for travel because it packs into a very small space. Sole last around 400 miles for street running. Downside is that any moisture (rain, wet grass, etc) goes right through the uppers. For people who need more cushion and a wide toe-box I would recommend Alta Running & Topo, or if you need extreme cushioning Hoka OneOne. Worn out and replaced 7 pair.
Vivobarefoot Gobi II (2017) are comfort, light weight, zero-drop, minimalist ankle boots which I have been told are acceptable to wear with casual clothing through dressed up with nice pants and a sport jacket, but not a full suit.
Booties* (2020) because I shouldn’t be wearing shoes inside according to the rest of my family, and this passed winter my feet were cold wearing just socks.
Carots Shoes* (2017) are formal looking zero drop shoes. These are the only minimalist shoes I have found that looks like traditional dress shoes (heels and and tapered toe) that are sufficiently comfortable for day long wear. Jackie thinks this are much more appropriate with my suits than the Vivobarefoot Gobi boots.
Head and Hand Wear
Visor (2012) keep sweat and sun and sweat out of my eyes while maximizing air circulation for my head.
REI eVENT Rain Hat (2013) a discontinued ball cap made from waterproof / breathable eVENT. Used when hiking or running when I know it’s going to be raining. Keeps rain out of my face and glasses.
Tilley LTM6 Hat (2014) provides good sun protection while offering decent ventilation. I think it’s one of the more stylish hats which provides good sun protection. Jackie says I am wrong… that the OR SunRunner I used before was better looking. I have a list of other hats that you might prefer. I used a canvas Tilley hat for more than 20 years. Purchased the LTM6 when I lost my old Tilley.
DIY Facemask & Under Armor Sportmask (2020) What a year it has been. The DIY is three fabrics as recommended by the Northwestern University study which combines two tightly woven cotton layers with a layer of chiffon.
Mountain Hardware Grub Gloves (2015) medium weight PowerStretch gloves with a quilted mitten cover which folds away into the back of the glove making it comfortable to wear in a wide variety of conditions. Alas, this model has been discontinued. On my second pair. The PowerStretch palms are starting to wear out on the second pair, will likely have to replace in the coming year.
PolarBuff (2003) Sometimes configured as a hat, sometimes as neck gaiter.
Outer Wear
Montbell Chameece Inner Jacket (2004) is a very light weight fleece. About the same warmth as a sweater but much more convenient to put on and take off. On third light fleece (1 worn out, 1 replaced due to weight loss). In the coming year will live in the back of our car for days that are surprisingly cold.
Icebreaker Quattro Hoody not shown (2012) is a medium weight wool sweatshirt which had been living in the back of the car for the last couple of years for days that we experience a surprise drop in temperature. At the request of Jackie it’s swapping places with my Chameece fleece. I will use the Quattro whenever a tee-shirt isn’t warm enough by itself.
ArcTeryx Squamish Wind Shell (2012) is a 5oz windshirt with an air permeability of around 35 CFM. When combined with a air permeable base or middle layer provide comfort over a huge range of conditions. Last few years I had been using a Montbell Tachyon windshirt that is 1/2 the size and weight of the Squamish, and my Squamish went into our car trunk for “emergency” use.
Gore Gear R7 Shakedry Hooded Rain Jacket (2020) is an ultralight and ultra-breathable rain jacket designed for trail running. I can actually wear it and not be soaked by sweat when physically active! Other options are discussed in my post about rain gear. Cut isn’t as form fitting as the ArcTeryx Norvan SL, and has a huge logo which I don’t like, but the zipper doesn’t leak during multi-hour rain storms though you have to be careful, the zipper can easily get jammed by the rain flap.
Zpacks Vertice Rain Pants (2018) are simple, light, breathable, waterproof rain pants. Used when commuting by bike, hiking, or backpacking in the rain.
Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody (2020) is the perfect insulation for me for winter in the SF Bay Area and for 3-season backpacking. When standing around, makes me comfortable in conditions which are 25F lower than without the jacket. This means when layered over a thermal weight base or tee-shirt + light fleece, keeps me comfortable when standing around down to 20F. Reasonably light and compresses reasonably well. Has a good hood. This jacket is long enough to cover my suit jacket on nights that are cold and formal. I am still very fond of Montbell Down Jackets, the low cost down outerwear from Uniqlo, and the great price performance of Cumulus Primelite.
Travel
Tom Bihn Synik 30 Backpack (2020) is my luggage for all my trips (and my daypack around town). Wonderfully designed with just the right amount of organizational features. Large enough for every trip I will taken, while small enough that it fits under seat and is not viewed as “luggage” by transportation operators. Replaced a Tom Bihn Synapse 25 purchased in 2014 which worked for 80% of my trips but on trips that I needed to have a suit and outdoor clothing was too small. Have notes about other travel packs. The pack is also used for grocery shopping in town and to hold a rucking plate when exercising.
Matador Freerain24 2.0 (2017/2019) on v2 now. v1 wore out after 2 years of nearly everyday use which was logging 6 miles each day. Weights only 5.5oz, carries well. easily folds into a small stuff sack, and keeps contents dry in the worst rain. Used for done in a day activities and for when I was primarily running rather than biked to work.
PackTowel Ultralight (2009) Bodysize/XL – dries amazingly quickly, is compact, and is very effective. The XL is large enough that I can wrap it around my waist like a small sarong. For awhile I used a medium/face size which packs in a tiny space. I found the face size sufficient for me to dry myself after a swim or shower, but I am willing to carry a larger towel for the added versatility and ease of use.
Google Pixel2 Phone* on Google-Fi (2020): Android 10 fixed most of the issues I had with audio out being routed to the “right” device. Notification management is better than iOS. Normally left deactivated, but brought out when traveling internationally. Purchased refurbished for less than $100 + a month of Google Fi is cheaper than international roaming on Verizon, and more convenient than purchasing local SIMs in each country. Alas, just after I purchased it our plans for a lengthy international trip were canceled. Will need to retire when Google stops updating the OS.
Tech “Survival Kit” is stored in a small pouch from Muji updated in 2020 to reflect more use of USB-C. RAVpower 10K battery with USB-A&C outlets, Sharge 3-power USB charger which is small, can put out 65W across 2 USB-C and 1 USB-A ports. 6” USB Lightning, USB micro, and USB-C cables with some adaptor tips which let me connect pretty much any two USB devices. Was part of my of my EDC when I commuted to work.
Extra long Lightning Charging Cable, sink stopper, Micro International power adapter (2018). If I was doing more international travel, I would drop my power adapter and swap my USB power supply for the Card Travel Adapter.
Montbell Trekking Umbrella* (2012) has the best balance I have found between small/light and useful canopy size. It has survived 40mph wind/rain storms but one of the ribs has broken (and then repaired). In warm to hot weather much more comfortable than wearing a rain jacket but doesn’t adequately protect my legs in a hard rain.
AWS AC-650 Digital Pocket Scale not shown (2012) is a small scale which makes it easy to weight food on the go. Typically at home so use kitchen scale.
Beach
Every few years we spend extended time near a tropical beach. When we do this I pull extra “beachwear” out of storage which includes:
White Rashguard Long Sleeve Shirt* (2019) to protect my skin from sunburn when swimming and snorkelling.
Yeesam Prescription Snorkeling Mask* (2019) which lets me actually see underwater life when snorkeling rather than just blurs and flashes of color.
Backpacking / Snow
I have a 3-season packing list which makes use of a number of the items on this list and has several items which are specific for backpacking. In addition to the items on my backpacking list, I have several items which come out when I am heading to the mountains and expect snow. I have not taken pictures of any of these items. They are stored in a plastic bin which holds all my backpacking gear except my quilt.
Patagonia Cap 3 Tights (2007): added to my legs when facing below freezing conditions.
Outdoor Research Meteor Mitts (2004): which have a removable 300wt fleece inner mitt which folds back to let you use your fingers and a durable, waterproof shell. Can use the shells without liner when it’s warmer. The magnets on the inner mitt detract from overall comfort. Many people replace the liners. Dries faster than all-in-one handwear.
Unremembered-brand Traction Devices (2020): Gives trail runners and other shoes grip on snow and ice. Picked up when we were facing ice trails in Grand Canyon.
OR Gaiters: (<1988) for keeping snow out of shoes/boots and the lower legs dry.
Bicycling Stuff
Cervelo R3: (2013, identical replacement purchased in 2015 when first was stolen). Pricy but amazing road bicycle. Comfortable enough for an endurance ride, responsive like a race bike, great for climbing. Fitted with an Infinity Seat, and a small seat bag which holds a pump, inter-tube, bike tool, and 2 tire levers.
Giro Air Attack Shield Helmet (2013) provides protection, good ventilation while having a very streamlined aerodynamic profile. Has snap on optical shield which is great because with my eye prescription, it’s hard to find sports oriented sunglasses. These days there are helmets which are more aerodynamic, and also cheaper while providing equivalent protection. If you ride a bicycle, wear a helmet!! I am alive today because I was wearing a helmet when I was in an accident. On my second after a crash broke my previous helmet while preventing a concussion.
Felix BC21R Bike Headlamp (2019) which was purchase when my Expilion 850 was stolen. The BC21R uses a removable 18650 rechargeable battery. I think I slightly preferred the quality of light from the Expilion, but the BC21R works well enough to stick with it, and I do appreciate that the battery can be charged outside light housing.
Power Tap P1 Pedals (2015) because I like objective measures about how my physically condition is changing. The Garmin Vector 2 pedals integrate better into the Garmin eco-system, use standard Keto cleats, and are lighter / more streamlined at about the same price point.
Bicycling Shoes (2013) with Cleat for PowerTap peddles.
Wahoo Fitness Kickr* (2013) is a trainer for when I don’t want to hit the road. Integrated power meter and variable resistance which can be controls via ANT+ or BlueTooth. Wahoo built the Kickr with an open API so there are numerous companies which have applications which can control the Kickr. At the beginning of 2020 I was thinking about selling it, but once shelter in place started, I found having a way to exercise at home was useful and held on to the Kickr.
Sentimental
There are a several items I have kept as a specific way to honor people I love. Serveral are functional, e.g. they are still used during the year.
Wool Blanket originally owned by my grandfather. It has been on countless fishing and camping trips and to virtually every picnic and outdoor concert I have ever attended. Everytime I see the blanket I think of my dad and many wonderful moments.
Various buttons collected over the years related to projects or movements that were important to me.
Libby’s pins (2000) of a nativity scene and of a mother and child. Originally worn by Libby on special occasions, they became daily decorations on the hats she wore during chemotherapy during the last months of her life. They remind me of Libby’s courage and the two things most important to Libby, family and Jesus.
Dad’s (<1980) tie tacks and Alox Swiss Army Knife which remind me of his love of the outdoors and his care for his students.
Gumby (2011) which was given as a reminder that when life is difficult, we need to be flexible.
CatBus Plushy (2018) given to me my Jackie because it reminds me of the gentle film My Neighbor Totoro which has delighted my family. I wanted a real CatBus, but no one can find one for me 🙂
Water Bottle Sling (2004?) which reminds me of our traveling grandmother Nancy, who brought this back from South America.
Computer Wizard’s Tee Shirt (1977) from high school group club… still fits.
Temporarily Retired
Timbuk2 Classic Messenger (2001) The small size is just the right size for my daily needs. My first bag was used from 2001-2017 and was still usable when I switched to a backpack. I gave it to someone in need. I am back to a Timbuk2 which I purchased in 2019. I prefer courier style bags over backpacks because they are easier to access on the go and leave my back with ventilation. I appreciate the water resistant fabric and that the fabric is heavy enough to retain it’s shape, but light enough not to be a burden. It’s been put in storage because I am working from home and don’t need to carry items to work.
Humangear Gotubb small (2012) to hold some medicine
Small combination lock (2012) for use at the gym… but can’t go to the gym right now due to COVID.
Likely Retire
These items have been put away but I still own.
Stryd Footpad power meter (2015) to capture run’s intensity better than using pace or heart rate. Replaced with RunScribe which should provide better information about run form. If I can’t make the data from RunScribe actionable, I will go back to using Stryd and retire the RunScribe. The Garmin Running Dynamics Pod is a cheaper way to get running power metrics.
Uniqlo Ultralight Down Vest (2012) is decent quality, low price. Combined with my fleece and a shell keeps me warm enough in the coldest weather I encounter in the SF Bay area. The Patagonia Micro Puff is my go to solution now because it’s more convenient and Jackie thinks it looks better. Lives in car trunk in case someone is cold away from the house.
Xero Terraflex* (2020) are zero drop trail shoes with has a sole reported to survive 5000 miles, rather than the <600 most trail runners. Trying them to reduce the number of shoes I go through in a year. I wear them for hiking, backpacking, and for around town walking. I have experimented with using them for trail running, but lacks the energy recovery of trail runners like Altra Superior and Inov-8 G 270. After wearing them for several weeks my heel started to become sensitive to pressure. Once my feet recover I will try to determine if it was these shoes or something else.
GoLite Snow Cap (2002): polarguard insulated bomber style hat which can be layered over other hats. Fairly windproof, warm, and light weight. Not needed give Micro Puff hood, but hasn’t been made in years so tough to replace.
Knit Cap with 23andme logo (2016) Worn to show company spirit and because Jackie likes seeing me wear bright colors. Back to using my Buff because I now work for Hashicorp. Maybe migrate to sentimental.
Patagonia Down Shirt with 23andMe logo (2015). I now work for Hashicorp! Away with the old, in with the new. My new Micro Puff is a better match for the conditions I regularly encounter.
Refurbished Google Chromebook Pixel LS* (2020) – Tired of Apple prices, the time it takes for OS updates to run / machine to restart, and increasing security threat. Given that most of my work is web based these days seeing if I can make do with an Chromebook as I make a hard separation between work and personal use. Purchased refurb unit for $100 to run the experiment since March 2020. While I prefer a MacBook, it’s going surprisingly well. Just wish was a bit lighter and have biometric unlock. The last OS update will be May 2021.
Retired
Icebreaker Wool Hoodie (2012) Oasis 200wt merino wool hoodie with 1/4 length zipper. Simpler to combining my tee-shirts with a light fleece or sweater so sold them to fellow backpackers who love merino base layers.
ArcTeryx Norvan SL (2016) Shakedry Rain Jacket which was very breathable, but it’s zipper leaks after 2 hours in the rain. Sold on ebay and replaces with a Gorewear Shakedry jacket which isn’t cut as nicely but doesn’t leak.
Smartwool Full Zipper Wool Fleece with 23andMe logo (2018) Team swag. Very nice, but I prefer the mobility and weight of puffy jackets. Donated to a friend at 23andme.
Western Mountaineering Flash Hooded Jacket (2012) When I purchased this jacket it was one of the warmest / weight jackets on the market. Just 10oz but keeps me comfortable <10F when combined with a Patagonia Thermal Weight hoodie… too warm for bay area winters or Sierra’s when I am active. Don’t need a jacket that is this warm in this season of life. A warm base + Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody has taken care of me so far. Sold to a fellow backpacker.
Tom Bihn Synapse 25 (2014) which was close to perfect, but just a tad too small on the last several trips when I needed to mix formal events with outdoor adventures. Replaced with a Tom Bihn Synik-30 and sold on eBay.
Patagonia Ultralight 15L Courier Bag (2008) is perfect size for day use and compact enough that I can pack it away in my backpack when moving between towns. Easy access without taking it off, in hot weather maximized ventilation, and can be used at the same time that I am carrying a backpack. The fabric wore out after being used several months a year for the last 15 years. Jackie said it made me look like a homeless person. When I need a bag while traveling use FreeRain24. Given away.
Sennheiser HD800 Headphones (2012) very high quality sound without bother others too much (sound does leak). Sold because I was not using them, always listening to our KEF LS50 which let family share listening experience. These are the second best sounding pair of headphones I have ever used, at 1/3 the cost of the best (Stax SR-009). Sold.
Chord Mojo DAC (2015) offers a nice design, good quality sound, good price / performance ratio, portability, has enough power to happily drive Sennheiser HD 800, and has an internal battery which enables it be driven via USB from phones and portable DAPs. Sold because unneeded with HD800 are being sold and the EarStudio ES100 being adequate when I am using my Westtone 5ES on the move.
Aukey Ultra Compact USB Charger and Anker 30w GaN USB-C charger (2018) replaced by a single unit which can go to 65W which is in my travel bag. Now with family electronics, the 30w is used to charge battery pack which is by our front door.
RAVpower 6700Mah USB Charger (2014) was replaced by charger which has more power and supports UCB-C. The RAVpower is now used by my wife.
Dreem2* (2020) Interesting data. Found that it matched the graphs from my Garmin. Also interesting is that when I look at the graphs from the Garmin there are times I thought “that looks like deep sleep” but the Garmin didn’t identify it as such, but the Dreem2 did. I don’t know what algorithms Garmin is using, but they really need to be tweaked. Sold on eBay.
Refurbished Apple SE (2019) Retired due to battery life being poor and the iPhone 12 mini being released. For the next year it will be a “backup” phone that family members can use if they break their phone. Apple surprised me in continue to support it with iOS15. It’s a great size and has a headphone jack.
Jelly2 Phone (2020) Purchased to replace Pixel2 (Pixel2 updates ended Dec 2020) while traveling internationally and hopefully my iPhone SE. About the size and shape of an old fashion flip feature phone, e.g. small and nearly 2x as thick as most modern smart phones. I was ok with the 3 inch screen for viewing information, but it was too small for me to effectively type on. I also later realized not all the Google Fi features would work on it. Returned in the 30 day trial window. International travel is at least a year away… will revisit what to do closer to the time we travel.
Added During 2021
Rudy Project Ketyum Frames* with Prescription Transitions Drivewear lens from Sports Optical or better eye protection while cycling.
Apple iPad Air 4 + Smart Keyboard Folio purchased for when I am working while traveling. During the day it functions as a second monitor for my work’s MacBook Pro (via Sidecar) and in the evening my wife uses it as her computing device. iPad is also useful as a controller for Wahoo KickR and to do Zoom meetings while cycling indoors.Pearl Izumi P.R.O. Barrier WxB Cycling Gloves to keep hands comfortable while riding my bicycle in the winter (especially in the rain) and to slow how quickly my MH Grub Gloves are wearing out.
Xenith Delta Shirt feels more comfortable than my Titan running shirt in hot conditions and accumulates less odor.
Castelli Light Arm Sleeves combined with Xenith shirt to replace Voomi shirt on hot days when I don’t want to hassle with sunscreen.
Garmin HRM-Pro because a friend wants to get a HRM at the same time as I wanted to upgrade to a heart take supported bluetooth in addition to ANT+ while doing indoor cycling.
Apple AirPod Pros are nicely integrated with the Apple eco-system and just work with fast and reliable Bluetooth connection. Noise reduction is decent, and the “ambient mode” provides some situational awareness. I preferred the openness of the original AirPods, but I went through two pairs with the battery dying prematurity, the Bluetooth periodically dropping and problems with the microphone somethings not connection during phone calls.
Macpac Nitro Pullover made from Polartec Alpha Direct. Warm, highly breathable. Light insulate without a wind breaker, surprisingly warm under a shell. Good insulation for when active in cold conditions. Worn whenever my tee-shirt isn’t warm enough. I am comfortable down to 35F with a tee-shirt, this pullover and a wind shell when walking on flat ground, and I am comfortable wearing this pullover when sitting quickly inside when it’s 66F.
Specialized S-works 2019 Roubaix an endurance bike with a responsiveness that approaches a race bike while smoothing out the road making it easy to be confident on less than ideal road surfaces.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also
Several items on my personal gear list were used by the whole family, and thus, this page was born. I have excluded our furniture. We keep only those items that are useful and/or are enjoyed which allows our family to focus on doing things that we find rewarding rather than devoting ourselves to managing stuff. When we needed to move, it took less than 10 hours which started with acquiring boxes and included breaks to eat and a bit of play. We were able to unpack even more quickly. By the end of a weekend we were not just out of one place, but fully moved into the new with boxes put away and pictures hung on the walls. Items in bold are particularly great, and those with “*” I am not sure we would replace if they were lost or damaged. The (year) indicates when the item was acquired.
Outdoor Shelter
In our garage we have a baker’s rack which holds most of the gear we use when picnicking or camping.
Enlightened Gear Accomplice Double Quilts (2014), Montbell Down Hugger Super Stretch #3 (2005) and NuntakUSA Ghost Down Blanket/Quilt (2002). Other notes about Sleeping Bag & Quilt
Therm-a-Rest XTherm Air Mattress (2012) Big Agnes Q-Core SLX Sleeping Pad (2019). Other notes about Sleeping Pads
Zojirushi Mr Bento Lunch Jar* (2014) for hot and cold lunch, snack, dinners when we are doing a fun / special “picnic”.
Zojirushi Bottle* not shown (2005) which holds 51 ounces and can keep beverages warm for almost 24 hours. Nice pouring spout with a lid which functions as an insulated cup.
Alife Mayfly Chair* (2010) is a low slung folding chair which works on any surface and doesn’t have legs so it can be used at Shoreline amphitheater. 2 GoChair (2018) which we funding via indiegogo which deploys very quickly.
Insulated Wine Tote (2016) which is a good size for wine and cheese in a park: holds up to two bottles, some snacks, and a couple of glasses, with a small cutting board, bottle opener, small knife.
GoalZero Power Sherpa 100* (2020) High versatile power system. Has been used during power outage to keep our Internet connection up, as a portable power outlet for small appliances and to charge devices on extended trips without access to wall power. This can be paired with a 60w Solar Charger* to provide power off grid over an extended period of time (2020). When people were purchasing excess TP at the beginning of COVID I was beefing up my disaster kit.
Propane Hose* (2020) that allows Coleman grill to run from a full size propane tank rather than the smaller disposable tanks.
Pentax S 8×42 Binoculars not shown (1994) Nitrogen filled, excellent visual quality in a moderately compact body.
Camping Supplies
We have a Kelty duffel (1992) that is approx 40L that has three compartments which holds most of our smaller camping gear. This bag is also part of our disaster kit. One side has our first aid kit, the other end has “electronics” which will be described later, the main compartments holds most of our “outdoor kitchen” described below:
REI Dinnerware Set for 4 (2012) including wash basin, drying rack, and cutting board
Misc utensils for kitchen stored in a ziplock bag: scraper, wine opener, tongs, paring knife, mixing spoon, salt/pepper, Dr Bronner Soap, Hot Sauce, Cooking Oil, Spong, matches/lighter, strainer (1992)
MSR Duralite Cookset* (2003). Inside also our cookset for group backpacking trips: 1.3L Evernew Ti Pot (2001), Snowpeak GigiPower Stove (2001), Fuel Canister, Silicon Cup/Bowl (2010), and MSR folding Foon (2010). Typically the Duralite kit doesn’t get used a lot. We use the built in grill and griddle on our Coleman stove for most cooking.
Foil, Extra Plastic Bags, Steel Skewers
Platypus Water Containers, Gravity Filter, Foldable Water Bucket (2018)
Pack Towel (1988)
Plastic tub (2000) Used to wash dishes and pots. Use the case for the dinner set for rinsing.
Repairs & Power
Black Diamond Apollo Lantern(2018) which is a perfect size and amount of light for car camping or emergency lighting in a house in the case of a power outage. Built in rechargeable battery with the ability to use three AA batteries if the internal battery has been fully discharged and you need light.
Zebralight H600 Headlamp, SC600 Flashlight (2014) which use 18650 batteries. A bit heavy, but very bright and long run times. Zebralight H51 flood (2009), H52 beam (2012) headlamps which using AA size batteries. Compact, light weight, surprisingly long runtimes due to excellent regulation, and use standard size batteries that are easy to aquire. There are several other flashlights and headlights I recommend.
Eton Emergency Radio (2009). Internal rechargeable batteries can only charge by crank or power quality solar cells on top. Should allow to changing via USB or other external power source or at least let you swap the batteries. AM/FM plus weather band, but not weather alert. Someday would like to replace this with something that is smaller, support weather alerts, and recharges via USB, but haven’t found a good alternative.
Variety of USB cables to be used to charge a variety of devices. Car adaptor, Olight Universal Magnetic Battery Charger (2018) powered by USB, and can be used with pretty much any size battery, and charges both 1.5V NiHM, 3.6 & 3.7V LI batteries
18650 Batteries in Charger (2018) and GoalZero AA Batteries Charge (2007). Both doubles as a USB power supply. Not the most efficient chargers or power pack, but works.
Fallkniven F1 fixed blade knife (2002) and a Leatherman (2000). There are numerous other good knives I would recommend.
Matches and Lighter, Whistle
Rite in Rain Pad and Pen
Gear “Repair Kit” with zippers, glue, grommets, rope, safety pins, etc. (2014)
Disaster Supplies
Northface basecamp duffel small – 50L (1987) which we have filled with food for a week. The food is a mixture of freeze dried food, high density food from grocery store which we eat at home and while backpacking like cous cous and tuna, and some protein bars. The “normal food” rotates grocery store –> duffel –> kitchen shelves. When something gets consumed from the kitchen it gets re-filled from the duffel, new food is purchased and stored in the duffel. This way we don’t need to worry about food expiring. Also in the duffel are some plastic bags, a roll of toilet paper, and some ISObutane fuel canisters for the stove in our kitchen duffel bag.
Tools
Dekopro 126 piece Toolbox convient box with most of the tools I need. Quality isn’t want I have been used to, but mostly good enough. Originally purchased when renting out a house so there would be some on-site tools. Many of my tools (Snapon and Craftsman) were stolen a few years ago and decided to see if I could make do with the Dekopro set.
Milwaukee Hex Electric Screwdriver with right angle adaptor and multiple bits. It is mostly powerful enough to use as a light duty drill.
Additional tools that live the the Milwaukee case (avoiding pulling out the Dekopro case): metric hex wrench, screwdriver, precision screwdriver with multiple bits, box cutter, pencil, sharpie, cresent wrench, hex wrench bits, precision needle nose pliers, nitecore nu20 headlamp
Misc other tools not shown: Fluke IR Temp. Meter, Fluke Multimeter, Soldering Iron, Clamps, Calipers, Level, Micro screwdrivers
Electronics
LG OLED55B6P SmartTV (2017) for family / friends movie night and other group activities that use a screen. I would be content using the screen on my laptop or even iPhone for the occasional video streaming I watch. That said, the picture quality is amazing and the webOS based controls work well. Also used as the display for the Mac mini. 4k works nicely when trying to see a lot of pictures using Adobe Lightroom.
Apple Mac mini (2017) The Mini is compact, low noise, with a good collection of ports, has enough CPU, memory, and disk for our family needs, and plays well in the Apple eco-system which we am committed to until our next refresh in a few years. It is overpriced compared to non-Apple hardware. Used primarily as a media server. Roon for audio, Lightroom for photos, various programs for video / streaming.
Roon software (2017) isn’t really an item, but it effected many of my decisions related to audio playback. Roon integrates my iTunes library which is made up of CDs ripped using ALAC codex with the TIDAL streaming service to provide loseless audio to multiple speakers around the house. Roon would be perfect if the remote clients supported off-line caching of music so playlists and favorite music was accessible when out of the house. I carry music on my phone by exporting play lists from Roon to TIDAL, and then use the Tidal client on my iPhone to do offline playback. If I didn’t care so much about sound quality the family would use Sonos speakers combined with Spotify for whole house music.
KEF LS50 wireless monitor speakers (2017) with a built in DAC and amplifier designed for the speakers. Good quality sound that fills a room, excellent for near field use in a nicely designed, compact package. Can take TOSlink, USB, Bluetooth, analog, and several IP based streaming protocols inputs over ethernet or WiFi. Roon can stream directly to it over the network, but it’s not Roon-Ready so can’t be synchronized with other Roon-Ready systems. The iOS remote application is poor. I drive the LS50 via USB on a Mac Mini running Roon which remove the need for the KEF remote and the speakers can be synchronized with other Roon Ready end-points giving me whole house music. I still prefer the sound quality of electrostatic speakers with audiophile grade full electronics, but I am happy that I downsized our stereo so we can focus on other things.
Pulse Flex Wireless Speaker not shown (2017) allows me to have synchronized whole house music since it’s Roon Ready. It also supports inputs via USB, Bluetooth, AUX, a number of streaming services like Spotify, and many free sites via URIs. Has a iOS and Android remote control app which works but has a somewhat awkward UI. Controls on the top let you select one of 5 user-defined “channels” without using the remote. I have the optional battery pack so it can be used in our backyard. It can be used away from it’s home, but you have to reconfigure it’s WiFi settings which is a pain. Sound quality is significantly less than KEF LS50. For people who aren’t using Roon, I would recommend Sonos: for it’s lower price point, better streaming options, and slightly more processed sound quality which everyone but audio purists like me typically prefer.
Google WiFi Mesh (2017) network access points easily install and just work when you have an area than a single WiFi router isn’t sufficient. There may be faster / more featureful options out there, but the Google devices work flawlessly and are visually appealing. We are using ATT fibre which so far as been a big improvement over Comcast for slightly less money.
Brother MFC-J880W not shown (2017) Multifunction Printer, Scanner, Fax, Copier has been a reliable device for us unlike several other multi-function devices which failed within a year. WiFi enabled, supports AirPrint, Google Print, and several other standards. Connected to a Obi device which lets us Fax over Google Voice.
La Crosse Battery Charger – 2 not shown (2007) which does a great job charging any combination of 1-4 AA or AAA batteries. We generally use Eneloop Pro Batteries. Reasonable power density and power retention when stored.
Small Appliances
Vornado 660 Fan (2008) air ciculation in the garage or living room
Vornado Panel Fan (2014) pull cooler outside air into bedroom to avoid using air conditioner most of the summer
Conway Air Purifier / HEPA Filter (2020) Was a lifesaver during the summer time fires summer of 2020. Took air quality from over 200 down to 25 in our study.
Dyson V10 Cordless Vacuum (2019) Expensive. There are cheaper options but works very well with no trouble.
Breville BOV800XL Smart Oven (2020) is used for nearly all our baking, broiling and toasting needs. We have a full size, built in oven, but this unit heats up more quickly, seems to heat more evenly, and is the perfect size for almost everything we make.
Oxo 11lb Scale (2014) Easy to use, accurate, the display can be separated to enable viewing when weighting oversized objects.
Soda Stream (2017) To avoid purchasing bottled bubble water. Cheaper, cuts down plastic waste, don’t have to haul water back from costco.
Rival RC101 5-Cup Rice Cooker (2017) Simple to use and faster than a rice cookers with fuzzy logic and other advanced features.
Panasonic Electric Water Boiler (2019) Holds 3.2quarts of water. Insulated to minimize energy usage and allows hot water to be used for a couple of hours when power is not available.
Zojirushi electric “Hot Pot” (2005) Hot pot is one of our favorite ways to celebrate holiday or when having a small dinner party with friends.
Waffle Maker*
Amazon 6 sheet Paper Shredder
Pulse SpO2 Meter* (2020) Purchased primarily for better insight in the face of COVID19. my wife sometimes uses to get a read of SpO2 when doing HIIT.
Baking and Mixing
Silicone Oven Mitts not shown (2014) with inner, removable terrycloth liners. Effective, waterproof, durable.
Pampered Chef Mixing Bowls (2007) Light weight, rubber on the bottom keeps them from sliding around. Useful size. Often use the larger as a salad bowl. Have well sealing lids which aren’t shown.
Electric Hand Mixer (2017) Christmas gift for Amber who loves to bake. Used to have a Kitchenaid but got rid of it because it’s ease of use compared to the hand mixer was overshadows by the hassle of pulling it out of the garage.
Measuring Cups
Rolling Pin
Hand whisk (not shown)
Strainer, Collapsing Silicon Funnel
KitchenAid Immersion Blender (2014) for many mixing, blending, and whisking tasks. There are better models on the market, but this one is good enough for my needs. Has several attachments.
Pots and Pans
T-fal 10″ frying pan (2014) replaced in 2019 when first was warped. Modest price. Anti-stick works well and is durable.
A friend recently asked “If you could watch only one movie, what would it be?” This is an incredibly hard question. In the end, my answer was the documentary Weapons of the Spirit, a story of the town Le Chambon that sheltered around 5,000 jews during the Nazi occupation. The cinematography isn’t amazing but the story is compelling. The story isn’t about a larger than life hero, but a conspiracy of goodness and the power of a community.
Hope
Life can be hard, and sometimes it seems like evil prospers while good suffers. I appreciate movies which remind me that love, goodness and truth can triumph over hate, evil and lies. The following movies can be tough to watch but have a message that it’s worth fighting for goodness, and what seems impossible, can be possible.
People are amazing, and the connections between people are precious. I can enjoy movies which capture the simple joys of family and friendship or humble excellence.
Movies which are just fun. Some have too much violence but you just want to cheer for some of the characters. Sometimes the plot is so ridiculous that the movie is hilarious.
The following was extracted from the “preserve life” section of my make a difference post because a paragraph wasn’t enough.
TL;DR
We should compassionately discourage abortions
We should be truly pro-life, not just pro-birth
Abortion should be permitted when the mother’s life is at risk or in the case of rape
Be Humble: We don’t know with absolute certainty when “life” begins nor do we know what legislation will actually be effective. When talking with people who hold a different position strive for understanding. It’s likely you and they actually agree on many things and both of you are trying to care for others. Don’t treat the people holding a different position with contempt.
I believe that we should do everything possible to compassionately discourage abortions. This starts with empathy for the mother. Abortions are rarely a flip decision or a casually selected birth control method. The vast majority of women seeking an abortion are heart broken, trying to make the best of a bad set of decisions. There are several compassionate ways we can discourage abortions:
Prevent unwanted pregnancies from occurring in the first place. The moralists who advocate abstinence as the solution and talk about people being responsible for their decisions lack empathy and any understanding of the human condition.
Education / advocate for regarding all life as precious. It has been noted that many women who were planning to get an abortion that see a beating heart via an ultrasound decide not to get an abortion.
Support mothers who would like to keep and care for a baby but aren’t ready. Let’s be pro-life. not just being pro-birth. This goes beyond counseling to keep the baby and providing basic baby supplies for the first week or two. It is likely the mother is going to need help for at least several years. Governmental policies in the USA are far less supportive of parents than nearly every other developed country. Start by look at the paid parental leave in the UK and EU. Let’s work on changing our government policies and programs to support families. Let’s make sure that babies spared abortion don’t suffer from “unwantedness” which has a devastating impact. Lets not heap judgement and shame on these unintended parents. They have a hard and honorable job in front of them. I have heard multiple heart-breaking stories about women who decided to keep their child and were told by churches they didn’t want “people like her” in their church.
We need to seriously overhaul the adoption system. There are baby’s than no one is adopting and people who are well suited to be parents and desperate want to get a child but are unable to and often the adoption process costs are a barrier for families that could afford caring for the child if it wasn’t for the high legal fees for the process.
I think abortion should be permitted in the case of rape or the mother’s health is threatened. There have been a number of stories about how the penalties in states with abortion bands anre sometimes so high, that doctors hesitation leading to mother’s death. What does it say to a woman that we value the life of her unborn child over hers? Likewise, I believe it’s beyond cruel to force a woman to carry to term a baby on top of her suffering the violent and unjust assault to her body and soul. Likewise, Even though I know I won’t have been born if my birth mother decided to get an abortion as she was facing an incredibly difficult situation, I would still advocate that she should have that right.
I don’t think criminalization is the answer because it seems to punish the people with the least means while the wealthy who can afford to travel have no restrictions. It is ironic that in countries outside the USA with the most liberal laws there are less abortions than where it’s illegal. We don’t understand what legislation will actually preserve life. Just look at how effective prohibition was at stopping people from drinking and getting drunk. When I look that the overall abortion data from across the world, I belief that people generally seek an abortion because they feel they its the best of a bad set of options, typically driven by economic issues. What is the answer? I don’t know other than continuing to fight poverty.
An important question is when does human life start? The Bible doesn’t tell us for certain when a human life starts. Bible scholars have debated Exodus 21:22-23 for more than a century. Some believe the passage indicate that causing a miscarriage is of less severity than hurting the mother. This would suggest that a fetus is not accorded the same rights as a “person”. Others argue that this is passage is describing a premature birth which proves the fetus is a person. Possible options for when human life starts: a year after being born (some tribal cultures than had low survival rates had this standard), after a nature birth, when the fetus is viable apart from mother (with or without technology), when there is neural activity, when the fetus looks “human”, when the egg implants in the placental, when the egg is fertilized, when a couple had sex because God know what’s coming? We should be humble in asserting when life begins because we don’t really know, though it could be argued, being conservative will likely produce the least harm.
A modern ethics question is what to do with the extra fertilized eggs which are produced during in vitro procedures. If those eggs are people keeping them frozen seems like it’s in-prisoning innocents and destroying eggs is mass murder.
These are notes I made for myself when I was considering a career change many years ago. Last week several friends indicated an interest my notes so I am sharing them here. At some point I would like to flesh this list out with more references.
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NGOs and other mission driven organizations tend to focus on one, or maybe a few core issues. The reason for this is obvious… trying to take on all the world’s problems would be too hard. The focus must be narrowed or nothing could be accomplished. The same is true for people. You can’t make a difference if your focus is too wide. You need to decide what you desire to change. If you don’t have a focus, you can’t hit a target.
The counterpoint is no issue exists in isolation. The world we live in is a very complex system. It’s hard to address a single issue independently of it’s context. That means to make sustainable progress in one area, you often need to work on related issues. Sometimes, working on a related problem is the most effective way to address a specific issue.
Core Objectives
Preserve Life
If someone is dead, there isn’t much you can do for them. Deep poverty is at the root of many issues. Over time the percent of people in crushing poverty has decreased, but the number of people has staying largely the same due to population growth. Today, something like 20% of the world’s population is at severe risk from poverty.
starvation – short term: relief, feeding programs / long term: agricultural development, land reform, attack underlying poverty
illness – clean drinking water, effective prevention, universal primary health care, drugs discovery / cures for disease, work on life extension
exposure – short term: emergency shelter; long tear: building affordable housing, economic development which makes housing affordable
accidents, etc – emergency services like police, fire, search and rescue, improving safety of things that take lives (product safety)
suicide – interventions, counseling, hope
individual violence – rule on law, mediation, etc
state violence – diplomacy, replace lethal technology with targeted & non-lethal options
Death penalty: Data indicates that the death penalty is not an effective deterrent. It’s also clear that the use of the death penalty is not wielded in a justice way in the US, so minimally legal reform is needed. I lean toward abolishing the death penalty since we have numerous example of innocent people being erroneously convinced… with no way to reverse that. Even if someone is guilty I am divided. On the one hand I believe in the value of each human and the chance for redemption. On the other hand some crimes are so heinous and permitting the perpetrator to live poses a grave risk to society.
Abortion: I believe that we should compassionately discourage abortions. We should support be truly pro-life, not just pro-birth, and avoid devastating impact of “unwantedness”. I think abortion should be permitted in the case of rape or the mother’s health is threatened, even though I know I won’t have been born if my birth mother decided to get an abortion. I don’t think criminalization is the answer. What is the answer? I don’t know. We don’t know for certain when life begins nor do we know what legislation will actually be effective. Look at how effective prohibition was at stopping people from drinking and getting drunk.
Euthanasia: I believe terminating a life because it’s not “high enough quality” / “productive” is wrong. Who says when a life isn’t worth living. How do they know? There are numerous people that some would say should be terminated who had a profound impact and/or found joy in spite of some severe condition. At the same time, medical technology has enabled us to preserve a physical body, even when it seems all traces of a person are gone. In other words, the person being “alive” is an illusion, while at the same time causing great expense and possible pain for those left behind. Everyone is going to face physical death… we should ensure that when that time comes that it is as humane as possible. I believe in a hospice approach is appropriate at some point.
Have Life’s Physical Necessities / Poverty
What is a necessity? This is a hard question to answer because people’s expectations can vary so much based on what they have been exposed to. It is often said that “yesterday’s luxury are today’s necessity”. I believe that many people, after being exposed to images of a rich lifestyle, have allowed their desire for affluence to cloud their judgment about what is necessary. I certainly am not a good judge of what is “necessary”. Before the industrial revolution, necessities seemed to included water, food, clothing, and shelter. Many of these items are listed above under “Preserve Life”. Today, some amount of health care is likely added to the list and access to communication / computing technology.
It seems to be that the very best way to insure that everyone has the basic necessities of life is for there to be a robust, economic eco-system. While capitalism has been very effective, I believe unconstrained capitalism in our modern, technologically leveraged world is leading to winner take all outcomes which are not good. Likewise, I think measuring business exclusively by “shareholder value” is a serious problem. On the other side, so called planned economies are a total train wreck.
Property rights seem to be a key ingredient a healthy system, but unbounded rights seems to lead to unjust distribution which ultimately harms the majority of people. Not sure what the right balance is. The bible has the concept of Jubilee years which forced a redistribution of land. While land was wealth, it was also a key enabler for people to generate wealth (farming). So I think Jubilee was more about insuring everyone had opportunities to earn a good living rather than a sharing of wealth.
There are science informed lessons at poverty action lab which was formed by several luminaries from real world economics community. There is an online course produced by the Coalition Alleviating Poverty Silicon Valley.
Access to capital: micro finance,banks, etc
Affordable housing: building programs, lower cost techniques like 3d printing
Accessible tools / technology:
Affordable / Sustainable / Healthy Power: Much of the world is still using wood and kerosene to cook, heat, and light their homes. These fuels are expensive, produce particles which in a constrained space hurt health, and often are not sustainable. Electrification via solar is part of the solution: barefoot college
Good government policy
Effective distribution systems. Famines to date haven’t been inadequate global food supply, but food not getting distributed to those in need.
some sort of safety net for those people that can’t make it on their own without help. There is fairly good data that suggests providing this doesn’t not reduce peoples interest in working. Maybe carrying the people who are an exception (able to work but rather be lazy) is a small price to pay to be sure everyone is ok.
Technology development: Often technology can address problems. For example, our food yields are 3-4x what they were at the start of the 20th century. Material goods are generally more available in higher quality for less money. Blueprints of sustainable tech/machines opensourceecology.org
Basic Freedoms and Core Human Rights
People are entitled to basic freedoms and justice. At the core is the rule of law. If the law isn’t king, controlling the actions of both individuals and the state, no one will truly have durable rights. Basic security and property rights are the bedrock of a functional society. Without these basic rights people are reluctant to make a personal investment because any results can be taken away by government, criminal elements, or others by the force of arms. In particularly unstable locations making any progress increases the odds that a person will be targeted. Throughout history, there have been people who viewed “conquest” as a means to accumulate wealth. Unfortunately, this method is worse than a zero sum game, since not only is there a loser and a winner, but the pot gets smaller because value is destroyed during most confrontations. “Trade” is far superior since it can actually grow the wealth for everyone, but the results take longer to experience and doesn’t work when there is no security. See The Birth of Plenty for the connection between economic development and property rights.
One attempt to capture what are these basic rights is the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. While I appreciate the entire list, I think it is a bit more expansive than what I would consider “core” rights, but I haven’t spent enough time in study and consideration to make my own list.
What can be done?
legal reform to insure fairness (so people trust rather than take into their own hands)
police to enforce rules fairly
civil society – avoid polarization and keeping people focused on solving problems
peacemaking (negotiations or military/police)
peacekeeping (military or non violent witnesses)
advocacy – for the disempowered
economic development
transparency for power holders (remove asymmetric knowledge) – press, government and private projects such as sunlight foundation
Insure Sustainability of Life
We are called to be stewards of the earth. We need to live not just for our generation, but for the generations that follow us. Having luxuries today which would deny those who come after us the basics of life is immoral. Over the years many people have worried about depletion. So far, we seem to have engineered around things are produced plenty. Can this continue?
Climate Change – Our planet is warming due to human activity and this is causing more severe weather events. See the skeptical science for the evidence and rebuttals to many of the classic myths to suggest this isn’t the case. Address by minimizing the production of green house gasses, finding ways to sequester carbon, and possibly engineers to reflect more of the sun rays. Check out climate labs, read Saving Us for other ideas.
Q: Can developing nations skip over fossil fuel strait to green energy in a cost effective way which doesn’t hurt, maybe helps their economic growth?
Meaningful Life
There is more to life that just physical existence. People need to have the opportunity to see beyond the day-to-day physical life that they live. Life is more than eating, sleeping, and working. I believe humans are wired for “meaning”. When people lose all sense that their lives have meaning, hope drains aways which has a negative impact on the individual, and can corrode society when this is wide spread. Since I am coming from a Christian perspective, many of solutions come from that tradition.
isolation / loneliness – community, church, etc
beauty – good design, art, music, theater, access to nature, etc.
finding mastery – education, internships, communities of learning
finding purpose – coaching, leadership training
have impact – build businesses and organizations which promote thriving/flourishing: programs and products which benefit others
ignorant of spiritual principles – evangelism, teaching, church planting, mentoring / discipling, counseling
Be Joyful
Ultimately, we would like everyone to experience contentment and joy. This goes beyond having our basic needs met. In fact, it can exist in the face of great deprivation. Part of being joyful is loving others. If someone is concerned only about themselves, they will never find happiness or joy. There is good evidence that many people don’t know what will make them happy: ex: give or spend $50… which will make you happier. – need to know what will make them happy and practice those things. Flow, http://www.authentichappiness.org, etc.
Key Enablers
Hmm… right now I have these listed as enablers but I could easily argue for them to be core objectives as well. For the time being I will leave them as enablers, because I think they cut across a number of the objectives listed above. I suspect that trying to solve any or all of the above issues will fail because our world is a system and addressing things as individual issues rather than working the system will fail. More thought is required.
Child Development
The first three years of life is critical when it comes to setting. Harlem Children’s Zone has been very effective. See research by Todd R. Risley.
Education
Education is a powerful enabler… but does not guarantee a good outcome since the content of education and how people then use their education can become either a force for good or for evil. Great good has come from education, but educated people have also stood by and let great evil be done by others if not led the way (see observations of Michael Polanyi). How to improve the linkage between doing good and education?
Strong Families & Communities
Humans are social creatures. We were made to be in community. Family is one of the core building blocks for an effective community. Family does not necessarily equal the American “nuclear” family… especially given how many American families have blown up. There is good evidence that intact families are extremely beneficial.
Arts, Music, Culture
Humans are made to create and have the capacity for great expressions. Often music, poetry, and other art can touch the heart in a way that nothing else can. I love the thought “beauty is a tangible encounter with God’s goodness” which can energize and give hope.
Women’s Rights
In much of the developing world, half the human resources, women, are not empowered. Changing this could be powerful as detailed in girleffect.org
Open Society
Track down research on correlations between society trends and terrorism. Seems like terrorism is more closely linked with repressive governments than with poverty which is the classic link.
Making a difference starts by recognizing a problem and ends when the overall situation has been improved. The challenge is that many issues are inter-related. To solve one issue, often means you have to deal with a number of related issues. Often times, working on these related issues might be more effective than focusing on a specific area.
Also need to consider what motivates people and not prompt things in a way that produces un-intended side effects. See Drive by Pink for rewards basis & intrinsic motivation.
An Alternative Approach
Since I made this list I have wondered if there might be a more humble way to have impact: to in the moment love my neighbor without a plan or agenda. Some musing about what this would look like was in my post relational openness. At some point I will write something about the exponential impact of love to further develop this thought.
Other Questions / Ideas
Birth of Plenty
Book has an amazing graph showing huge raise in standard on living since 1820. Claims that this was powered by four factors:
Property rights (which include civil rights)… otherwise tragedy of the commons
Scientific method
open source funding – capital market
efficient communication and transportation infrastructure… and access to developments happening elsewhere
I believe in a meritocracy, I don’t believe in the society run by technocrats. It’s easy for technocrats and policy wonks to become isolated, caught up in their ideologies. Time after time we have seen the value of the wisdom of crowds. We need to find a way to harvest the collective wisdom of the community without falling into popularism. To benefit from the diversity.
Businesses for Impacts
The only way to have sustainable impact is for something to be a government program of self supporting business.
I have been reading Thinking Fast and Slow which I would highly recommend. If you have read a summary and think you know what’s in the book you are wrong. I think it takes example after example to actually internalize how easily we are influenced by things we don’t notice. I am writing up some personal notes but they aren’t done. This is a placeholder using an experience I had today.
I need to replace my trail runners. I have very hard to fit feet. I had narrowed down the choices to Altra Superior 4.5 and Inov-8 G 270. I have been wearing Altras for several years, but they keep tweaking the shoe which means I never know if the next shoe I purchase from them will work as well as the previous. They also wear out more quickly than I would like.
I was excited by the Inov-8. First, Inov-8 don’t change shoe designs. I wore their Flyroc-310 for several years… the 14th pair was just like the first. Second, they were using space-age materials which was suppose to add durability and performance. I read that they were using an improved foam which has better energy returning properties. They had updated the design of the 260 G including a wider toebox, which seemed like it would fit my foot. The 260 G toebox was a bit too narrow for me. Seemed like a winner.
So… I took these shoes out for several runs. It seemed to me that the Inov-8 was was performing better than the Altras… they felt more energetic and had a better “ride”. Later I put one of each on a foot and walked around. Both feet were happy… nothing stood out, but when I was concentrating on the feel, I prefered the Inov-8.
Then I looked at metrics gathers from RunScribe sensors. The Altras were performing better. More efficient, lower shock and braking Gs, slightly better form. Hmm… later I put one of each on my feet and went for a run while listening to an engaging podcast. I set an alarm so that 3/4 of the way through the run I would pause to consider which foot felt better. When the alarm went off I had forgotten which foot had which shoe. My assessment… the right foot felt a tiny bit more comfortable. When I got home I looked down. The right foot was the Altra.
So it seems my expectation (and hope) that the Inov-8 was going to be superior made me look for confirmation this was true. Objective metrics suggested that the Altra were better. My attempt to do a pseudo blind test resulting in a slight preference over the Altras. Was this a new confirmation bias? I don’t trust myself to know.
What am I doing? The Altras are cheaper and Jackie prefers their color… so that’s what I am going to use for now. If I have trouble finding the Altra Superior 4.5 in the future, I know the Inov-8 270 G will be an acceptable alternative.
I strive to be grateful for my material possessions and not fall into the trap of consistent consumption. For the last several years I limit my purchases to consumables and replacing items that wore out for most of the year, aka a shopping diet. Think of this as intermittent fasting applied to purchasing.
When I break from my shopping diet every 6 months or so, I normally review items that have accumulated on my “wishlist”. Typically 70% of the items that made it on to my list get dropped, they just don’t feel compelling after the “cooling off period”, 20% stay on the list, they seem relevant but aren’t compelling. 10% of the items on the list I decide to purchase. Then I take some time to reflect on my spending patterns to see what I can learn. This year my lessons were:
Mindset has an huge impact on behavior
I can be lured into “retail therapy” just like everyone else.
Retail therapy give a small boast to a sense of control, this is fleeting
Pausing the shopping diet only needs to be for a week to process wishlist
During the break only purchase items that are already on my wishlist. New items should go on to my wishlist to be reviewed in my next break after a cooling off period.
Mostly Compliant “Before”
I was doing pretty well on my shopping diet for the first part of 2020… then it started to fall apart around two months into shelter in place. More on this later. Until May I avoided falling into a shopping mindset, successful resisted calls to “check out great deals” or spend a lot of time researching products I would ultimately conclude I didn’t need. There were some purchases made that weren’t consumables:
Merrell Men’s Vapor Glove 4 Sneakers (2 pairs), and Hoka Trail Runners to replace worn out runners – actually, maybe these are consumables 🙂
Battery for 2012 MacBook Air – only ran when plugged in
Several books selected by reading group, not available through the library
Pixel2 for trip to Europe that was later canceled. Buying a refurbished Pixel and using Google Fi for a month would have been cheaper than Verizon roaming charges and less hassle than getting multiple local SIM cards. My first generation iPhone SE battery is mostly dead so the Pixel is now my primary phone.
Shelter in Place
Like most people, “shelter in place” changed my day to day life. The biggest change was in-person gatherings were replaced by Zoom calls. Using the built in speaker on my MacBook was OK when it was just me, but when Jackie and I were doing calls with groups it just didn’t seem to be working. I purchased a Jabra 510 Bluetooth speaker. It didn’t help significantly, but ended up being extremely useful when then the speaker in Jackie’s old MacBook Pro died.
During the shutdown it wasn’t possible to go to the gym. I didn’t want to lose fitness and gaining weight. For a couple of months I was running (Little Sprint Intervals) which was helping overall fitness, but I could tell I was slowly losing muscle in my upper body. I thought about doing a pure body weight exercise, but I felt overwhelmed by the countless possibilities I found on the web and in the recommended book Overcoming Gravity: Systematic Gymnastics Bodyweight. In May I decided to going with something simpler:
We also picked up a Pulse Oximeter on the theory that it would be one of the best measures of whether going into the hospital would be prudent.
Compliance Breakdown
Stuck at home during shelter in place and not meeting with people face to face led to more time using the computer. When I can’t DO things, I tend to research things. For example, since my favorite locations for backpacking were closed and international travel was near impossible, I look at sites about backpacking and travel. Alas, many sites which are about activities ends up having a fair amount of content about the gear one uses for the activity. I found myself reading more gear posts then I have for several years, which led me to want to buy, even though I was previously happy with the items I currently owned and I won’t be able to use the items I purchased given shelter in place. My rationalizations:
This company might not survive, I should get this item now
Supply chain might be disrupted, it might be a year before I could purchase this
People are losing jobs… buying things supports companies I believe in
I also justified several purchases saying “this really needs to be replaced” when it was clear it could hang on for months or years. In reality, I was just looking for things that I could control, or that would give me that little dopamine rush of making a purchase:
Voormi River Run Shirt
Outlier Slim Dungarees to replace a pair that my wife tells me was worn out.
GORE Wear R7 Goretex Shakedry Hooded Rain Jacket to replace ArcTeryx Norvan SL which I ebayed because the zipper isn’t waterproof
GoalZero Sherpa 100AC + SUAOKI 60W folding Solar Array (sort of like people buying too much toilet paper… prepping for things going badly).
Breville BOV800XL Toaster/Oven to replace our Krupps Toaster Oven that was still working but was having a problem with the door
Mohu Leaf Antenna… old antenna was failing to work, but we weren’t really needing it because we rarely watch TV
Grilling tools. Ours went missing, but could have used kitchen utensils
Glass Storage Container to replace cracker acrylic canister
Bucky 40 Eye Mask because old one was falling apart but still working
For the last few years I have a month when I give myself permission to purchase items which aren’t replacement or consumables. This year there was only two items I would have purchased following my normal process:
Sony RX100 Mk VI Camera + Batteries because I want optical zoom and better low light performance than a camera phone.
Voormi River Run Shirt (which I purchased before the break month)
This year I was in a “shopping mindset” which started during the shelter in place. I had a hunger to buy things. There were a number of items from my wishlist that I had deferred in past years and would have continued to defer, but since I was in a shopping mindset I choice to buy:
RunScribe to get better analytics to understand my running stride.
Second Patagonia Thermal Weight Hoody
Dreem2 to improve sleep
Obihai Obi200 VoIP Adaptor: lets me send and receive faxes over Google Voice
Small Buddha Board to exercise some creativity
Worse, I found myself looking at “deals” posted on social media and doing all sorts of product research which led me to make a surprising number of impulse purchases. When I started my retro I realized what was happening, and was able to return several of my purchases which I really didn’t need. Here is what I purchased:
Tom Bihn Synik-30 for extra room on trips that the Synapse was just a smidge too small and the ease of the full zip opening would be nice.
Sharge Portable USB Charger to consolidate my on the go charging needs into single device
Used Google Chromebook ($150 dollar experiment) to see if I could live on just a Chromebook… getting tired of Apple’s prices and my 2012 Air is really feeling slow.
Ventilated Back Panel for GG Gorilla
Water Bottle Fanny Pack because my wife really wanted me to retire my Patagonia 15L Ultralight Courier Bag… she said it made me look like a homeless person.
Replacement Milwaukee battery… old ones weren’t holding charge as well as they used to
Drop 40L Backpack… returned. My 2009 Gossamer Gear Gorilla is fine.
Six Moon Designs Gatewood Cape & NetTent… returned. My 2010 Zpacks Hexamid still gets the job done.
Titanium Double Walled Water Bottle… returned. No better than my 2013 Zojirushi.
Bugforce Scale as proposed by Paul Wagner is an attempt to describe how annoying mosquitoes are from a qualitative perspective. An example of one of my level 9 experiences was descending into the basin around Dick’s Lake is Desolation Wilderness. While walking down the trail I briefly stopped to get something out of my pack. In less than one minute I counting more than 100 mosquitos land on the parts of my body I could see. DEET didn’t prevent them from landing on me, but thankfully they couldn’t penetrate the Supplex clothing I was wearing or get my face because I was wearing a head net.
0 is Zero. Really. No mosquitoes or other biting bugs
I think I may have seen one. But maybe it was a gnat.
OK, I saw one, and heard one, but didn’t actually get bitten,
Yeah, there were some in a few spots. Only the timid put on organic bug juice.
Got a few bites, but I got more of them than they got of me.
Time for DEET at dawn and dusk. Hiking, we just slapped and sped up.
DEET while hiking. Headnets at dawn and dusk
Pick your camp spots carefully, up on the ridge in the wind. Bites between hat and sunglasses–how do they get in there?
Long sleeves and long pants, I don’t care how hot it is. Pray for wind.
Headnets while hiking, or you’ll breathe in at least one bug per mile. DEET dissolves sunglasses
Clouds of mosquitoes waiting on the trail and on the screen of the tent. Open warfare. DEET dissolves watchband, and it’s stainless steel.
No mosquitoes or if there are some, but not biting yet
Very light during the day, moderate at dawn and dusk
Moderate during the day, heavy at dawn and dusk
Heavy during the day, heavy at dawn and dusk
Unbearable all day, no breaks, cannot eat outside of tent. If you stop, hundreds will descend on you; when looking thru a camera viewfinder, you see more skeeters than lake. If you slapped your arm, you’d smear blood from all the dead gorged bodies
My Approach
I typically wear long pants and long sleeve shirts which are hard for bugs to bite through with Permethrin treatment to add to the effectiveness. I will use a head net when bug pressure is high. I use Picardin on exposed skin.
Picaridin finally entered the US market. Picaridin has a number of advantages over DEET: it doesn’t destroy plastics, it doesn’t smell bad, and doesn’t leave that icky feeling. From the studies I have read Picaridin is slightly less effective than similar concentrations of DEET. I have found that 8% Picaridin is effective against modest mosquito pressure for a few hours but not effective in heavy mosquito areas, and >20% worked well for medium to high mosquito pressure.
I have tried a number of the natural insect repellents. Lemon Eucalyptus seems to have been the most effective. In locations which have only minor mosquito problems they can be effective, but if you are somewhere with lots of mosquitoes (say in the Sierras when the snow is melting, Canada during the summer, etc), you will get eaten alive if you use “natural” repellents.
Permethrin infused clothing can provide reasonable protection when the bug pressure is moderate, but I found it to be inadequate when the mosquitoes are out in force. Several companies sell clothing with permethrin pre-applied. You can self-apply Permethrin (it’s sold many places including at REI) or ship clothing to Insect Shield for professional application.
Ticks
Start with prevention. Spray your cloths with Permethrin and use DEET based repellent if you are in a location which has a lot of ticks. You should remove ticks by gently pulling them off with a pair of tweezers or using one of the special tick removing devices which are designed to lift ticks off your skin (such as the Pro Tick Remedy). Using hot match, Vaseline, nail polish is extremely counter production. Not only do these techniques risk killing the tick and leaving part of the tick in the victim, but ticks will often expel their stomach contents when distressed, the very thing you want to avoid. There is a belief that Lyme disease isn’t transmitted for 24 hours, so make sure you do a tick check each night. If you have been bit by a deer tick, check with a doctor. There is now an anti-biotic treatment which is more than 80% effective. I collected some info about tick removal tools from backpacker.com forum. Of course, treating clothing with Permethrin helps keep ticks away.
The following is a reference I use when selecting the next hiking or backpacking destination with a bias toward Northern California. I make it in 2002 and just now moving it from my old site so it is easier to fix broken links and add new places to try.
Each year I say “This year I will do trip reports with the pictures I took.” At the end of the year I look back an realized I didn’t write up even one trip. I have said I would start writing up trips once I retire. Sigh… I didn’t succeed with my first post retirement trip… or second, or any except walking The Frances Camino because we promised family members. Maybe I will never get around to it.
Years ago I would plan trips using National Geographic’s Topo! and then Caltopo. Decent for desktop use but the UI isn’t great. I have been using Gaia, but it seems like now that they have been purchased and charging model was changed many are trying to figure out what mapping software to use. I have hopes that Organic Maps or mapy.cz might be good enough for back country use.
I will never tire of going to the Sierras. This is my favorite destination and the place I will most likely take my next hike. Yosemite and Kings seem to be my most common destinations. I have spent more time on the west side due to driving times. Now that I have more time I hope to spend more time on the east side.
Air Quality: airnow.gov – wish this wasn’t needed :(. smoke from firing increasing impacting my trips
Coastal Camp, Pt Reyes… not to far a drive, less than 3 miles each way, beach, rope swing, horses. If you want a longer hike going to Wildcat is also very nice which just a bit of elevation change. You are much less likely to see horses and no rope swing, but there is still a beach which has some whale bones and a waterfall pretty close by.
Twenty Lakes Basin via Saddlebag Lake, Just East of Yosemite… further drive but worth it. Loop is 11 miles, thou you can shorten that by 2 miles if you take the water taxi. Modest elevation changes. Lakes, fishing, rocks to climb, good place to learn about going cross country because the basin constrains how far you can go wrong.
Lake Margaret, Near Tahoe… 3 miles each way, modest elevation changes, nice lake with fishing, common day hiking, but evenings can feel like you have the place to yourself. Rocks to climb on
Rancheria Falls in Hetch Hetchy, Yosemite… 6.5 miles each way, modest elevation changes, nice campsite, pretty falls. Good for early spring when snow isn’t cleared at higher elevations
RecommendedTrips (Close-ish to Bay Area)
Sykes Camp, Ventana Wilderness. A nice walk (10 miles in, 3000 ft climb along with a 2000 ft descent), beautiful and rugged country, mild weather, and a hot springs at the end. No quotas. What more could you ask for? How’s about a stream filled with young trout? Downside? Too many people during summer weekends, poison oak. I have passed through Sykes more than 50 times on solo trips, and likely brought more than 10 groups in. Everyone has enjoyed it. Fire->landslides closed it ~2018-2022 but open again. While the trail was repaired the “non-natural” sandbags which made the hot springs pools luxurious were removed making them smaller and less deep.
Emigrant Wilderness just off rt 108, one of the closest destinations from bay area with on-demand wilderness permits / no quotas. Crabbtree trailhead has heavy traffic first few miles but drops off significantly after Gem lake. My no think weekend trip is a 37 miles loop out of crabtree going past jewelry, emigrant, huckleberry, wood lakes. Gianelli Trailhead – to chewing gum lake, then cross-country to Granite Lake, then to Leopold Lake or connect to Crabtree Trail by traveling south from Granite, then to Long Lake or Buck Lake via Crabtree, then Relief Valley Trail back towards Gianelli. Lots of options out of Gianelli.
Lost Coast, King’s Range. One way it’s 23 miles, or you can make it in a loose loop by taking the crest trail. Known for rain, wind, and fog, this area can also have wonderful weather. Very pretty with nice views. When it’s not cloudily, great night time sky. Did this more than a dozen times. Used to be easy to get a permit, uncrowded (numerous trips I saw some surfers and maybe a few backpackers), and the weather almost always gave me at least one storm day – great for testing limits. Now is challenging to get a wilderness permit. All permits are released Oct 1 for the following year. It seems that most weeks someone cancels, so if you are OK heading out on a Wednesday, you can often snag a 1-3 person permit with a week or two warning.
John Muir Trail. 222 miles of the prettiest country known to man which also happens to be graced by some of the mildest weather of any mountain range. Used to be easy to do, now it’s become so popular that wilderness passes are issued by lottery. Doing South Lake to North Lake is a short trip which will let you see of the best parts and is easy to get wilderness permits.
Yosemite National Park: The valley is over-crowded with people and traffic, but you can hardly blame people. The valley is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. If you want to get away from people I would recommend backpacking from any of the trailheads which are not connected to the valley floor, or Tuolumne Meadows to a lesser extent. Jeffrey Schaffer’s 100 Yosemite Hikes is the best guide I have found. There is a Yosemite NPS web site. Hikes out of Tuolumne Meadows can be very peaceful after Memorial Day because the crowds are gone. Nice images at extreme resolution: yosemite.
Redwood National Park & Associated State Parks. Simply beautiful. The ocean side of the hills are cool, windy, and mostly fogged in during the summer. Inland just a bit over the hills and you can actually see the sun.
Lillian Lake Loop, Sierra National Forest. 13 mile loop through pretty country. A great way to introduce people to the Sierras. Not nearly as crowded as Yosemite. Good fishing. In the summer some of the lakes are quite warm because they are pretty shallow, perfect for swimming.
Pt. Reyes: Close in to the bay area. Great place to introduce people to backpacking, with it’s short to moderate length hikes. This place is especially great for introductory trips for kids because there are good beaches to play on, tide-pools to explore, and sea mammals to see. Booked during the summer: make reservations three months in advance.
Skyline to the Sea: Maybe the best known trail in the bay area. If you are looking for solitude, this isn’t the trail to take. The top section is close to roads and you go right through Big Basin, one of the most used state parks in the area. On the other hand there are some good views and it can be a fun trail to hike. After the fire of 2020 likely closed.
Henry Coe State Park: Just 1 hour from the mid peninsula… a surprising large park. The 2.4 mile “forest trail” has 28 markers highlighting interesting features of the trail which is perfect for small children. For more serious backpacker there are a number of trails with a lot of elevation change which will give you a good work out. Great in early to mid – spring. Very hot and dusty during the summer which so/so water supplies.
Henry Cowell State Park, Santa Cruz Mountains: A great place for low-key car camping trip with friends and family. You can walk down to the San Lorenzo River via the pretty Eagle Creek Trail and wading in the water.
Day Hikes
Black Mountain, in Santa Cruz Mountains: 4.5 miles up with approx 2500ft gain. The first mile is somewhat steep. A good place to train for climbing hills in the sun. If you continue on just a bit you come to the backpacker camp which is a nice little space. I saw a pair of foxes playing in the grass. I have only once seen the campsites in use.
Other Recommended Destinations (mostly from my distant past)
I did a lot of climbing and backpacking in the 70’s through the mid 80’s. My favorite destinations were the Bighorn National Forest, Glacier National Park, Grand Teton National Park (especially Teton Crest Trail) , Rocky Mountain National Park, Pacific Crest Trail (especially from Kennedy through Tahoe), Red River Gorge in Kentucky, Bartram Trail in North Carolina, and sections of the Appalachian trail (though I would have liked less rain in the Blue Ridge Mountains).
