Ryan Jordan

Archive for the ‘The Ultralight Life’ Category

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

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 […]

Reflections of an Ultralight Life: Interviewing Andrew Skurka

Andrew Skurka and I met “online” (who didn’t, these days?) what now seems like a long time ago, while he was preparing for a trek across the CONUS from the Atlantic to the Pacific Coasts. At that time, he was asking me questions about how to keep his feet warm during the winter while trekking […]

The Futility of Going Ultralight for Ultralight’s Sake

I love whiteouts. When I ski in a whiteout, especially in a wild place, I often think, “now what”? In a whiteout, everything else has been stripped away. There’s nothing to look at, no particular place to go (it all looks the same anyways), and your world has been reduced to the size of a […]

Home Ownership: Broken Dreams and Delusions

This could be your home someday! No, I don’t mean that you can buy it, spruce it up, and live in it. (That door has been closed, because this neighborhood is slated for re-engineering into a green community, which is another way that developers make big profits in historic districts.) What I mean is that […]

Tracks, Crud, and Powder

Climbers and fishermen seem predisposed to becoming philosophers, driving their daily lives between guide lines emblazoned in their brain chemistry from epic memories. “Thanks for the belay on that project deadline, man.” “Chossy meeting, eh?” “Watch your presentation, she’s pretty spooky this time of day.” etc. But skiers keep it simple. To a skier, it’s […]