The Lean Approach to Wilderness Travel

by on November 29, 2011

Eric Ries coined the term “lean startup” in the context of entrepreneurship, but most folks think it’s about running a business with as little overhead as possible. Nothing could be further from the truth, or more damaging to the entrepreneur that is assuming that zero overhead is the key to success. It’s not in business, [...]

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The Practical and Natural Simplicity of Backcountry Gear

by on September 25, 2011

Everyone has different objectives when they visit a Wild Place. Some go to escape, some go to return, some go to get exercise, some go to fish or photograph or climb or rest, and some go to play with gear. I love playing with gear at home, in my backyard. I loathe having to mess [...]

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Benefits of Ultralight Backpacking Boot Camp (Why I’m Passionate About Education)

by on June 9, 2011

I enjoy a lot of different things. Scouting, entrepreneurship, fly fishing, making fires, packrafting, trekking, the wilderness, wildflowers, remote places, my truck, coffee, making my own gear – these are a few of them. But two things that get me as excited as anything else are teaching and ultralight backpacking. The motivation for me to [...]

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Group Gear for Lightweight Wilderness Travel

by on May 22, 2011

Introduction Last week I spent four days in the Bob Marshall Wilderness with Scout Leaders from around the country training them in the art and practice of ultralight backpacking techniques for the Backpacking Light / Montana BSA course. Our goal is simpler, yet more profound, than just playing with gear: thinking about the best ways to impart the knowledge [...]

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A 3.7-Ounce Ultralight Laptop Sleeve Case for Macbook Air 11

by on May 6, 2011

Perspective This laptop sleeve case has one third the volume of what it replaces – a Domke F-803 satchel, which weighs 54 ounces with a shoulder strap and padded sleeve from a popular bagmaker in California. This sleeve weighs 3.7 oz. So while the Domke bag can store 3 times more stuff, it weighs 14.6 [...]

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Big River Fly Fishing: Why Tenkara Beats Western Methods

by on May 5, 2011

The big brown’s first aerial leap from the depths of the Madison River made me smile. The second one made me laugh. The third one, at the end of a run in strong current, reminded me that using tenkara gear and methods for big trout in big rivers is as applicable as the practice of [...]

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Kebari (Tenkara) Baetis – A Reverse-Hackle Emerger

by on May 1, 2011

Since it’s high baetis season in Southwest Montana right now, I thought I’d share what I’d fish with during a baetis hatch if I could only have one fly: the Kebari (Tenkara) Baetis. The pattern is presented in the order of construction, and as typical of tenkara flies, is tied reverse-style. Hook: standard wire, straight-eye scud [...]

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