Hike : American Adventurist

When the UPS or FedEx truck delivers a box and my wife gets to it before me, she’s throwing shade. You know the drill. Thankfully, something showed up here that the boss really likes. Something that throws real shade. The kind of deep, dark shade that provides relief on a hot day at the beach. Or the river. Or out on the trail. We’re talking about the all new Adapter Shade Panel and Sweet Spot Vehicle Kit from Force Protector Gear.

Founded in 2005 and based in California, Force Protector Gear is the designer and manufacturer of the US Marine Corps replacement Sea Bag, “The Deployer“, as well as their ThermaShield® line of products. Their gear is currently in use in extreme environments worldwide by USSOCOM and other demanding, high profile expeditionary customers.

What is the Adapter Shade Panel? The ASP is a thermal reflective specialty product in the ThermaShield family specifically designed for the Overland community. This magical blanket material can make shade that is 20-40° less than sitting in the full sun and ensures 100% UV protection. The real magic is in the special fabrics used in it’s manufacture (1000D Cordura, FPG Desert Cloth®, and FPG Reflectec®) which enable TRUE shade unlike other tarps or awnings currently marketed for overland use. Beyond providing shade, it can easily block wind and rain, and it can reflect heat away from you or towards you depending on what the need is.

As the basic building block for making modular, scalable shelter, the ASP’s tapered trapezoid shape attaches quickly to narrower 4WD vehicles, vans, or even side-by-side roll cages. As a stand alone system, it provides quick shade and protection under its 6’ x 10’ footprint and can be erected in about 5 minutes making it perfect for quick lunch stops on the trail.

The Sweet Spot Vehicle Kit includes an ASP, a ThermaShield blanket, 4 super sturdy poles and all the rigging, and provides nearly 200 sq ft of real shade that can be tailored to any environment. By adding a single Field Blanket to the sides or end of the ASP you can quickly augment your wind/shade/rain protection, and ensure continuous shade as the sun dips low on the horizon.

With standard ThermaShield snap spacing, you can attach additional blankets in minutes adding 60 sq ft of protection each time. In a few short minutes you can build a full Bedouin-style camp with shade and wind breaks. The utility of the Sweet Spot Kit as a basis for shelter is only limited by your imagination and how many blankets you add to it.

One thing that I really like is the fact that the Sweet Spot Kit is not a “one trick pony” like larger and heavier hard mounted awning systems.

Like all ThermaShield products, this kit provides many functions and can provide shelter both on or off your vehicle, help keep track of small parts and protect yourself when lying under your rig in the hot sand, or even just snuggling up at the campfire or keeping warm at a chilly sporting event. Their Desert Cloth is surprisingly soft and lends itself well to picnic blanket or bedtime use as a “woobie”.

It also has medical applications and can help reduce heat injuries, and is helpful for cold injuries or treating for shock by keeping an injured person warm. In a pinch, the Adapter Shade Panel or ThermaShield can even be used as an expedient litter when things go bad in the wilderness.

Testing

Average consumer grade companies make stuff and hope that it works. Since hope is not a plan, and their primary customers are anything but average, FPG took their ThermaShield to the lab at the Army’s Natick Soldier Systems Center in Massachusetts. They tested these blankets in temperatures ranging from -25 to 135 degrees Farenheit. Then they put them in the hands of SOCOM personnel where they were proven in real world conditions. The current Sweet Spot Vehicle Kit is an evolution of this rigorous testing and continued development of the basic ThermaShield concept.

Attachment:

The ASP can attach to anything from racks to shells. It can even attach to rear hatches on SUV’s using the supplied “Belly Band” strap. Padded corners on the ASP allow snapping in additional field blankets while protecting your vehicle’s expensive paint. Hypalon backed “Gromolon” anchor points and steel rings stay centered on the pole tips and provide a 270° stable arc to pull from. Utilizing the ¾” Stake Straps enable you to easily clip in to the MILSPEC anchor buckles and cinch down for a rock-solid standard configuration. Available SmartClip Adapters allow you to lock in paracord or small bungee cords for those non-standard setups fixing to objects, trees or vehicles.

Adapter Shade Panel mounting on Leitner Designs Rack

550 cord loops for extra strength at corners

Hypalon backed anchor rings stay centered on the pole tips and provide a 270° stable arc

SmartClips and Stake Straps

The ASP has Surface Mount Buckles on all four corners that accept ¾” side release male buckles. In most scenarios, simply clipping in the Stake Strap and running the eye to a tent stake gets it done. It’s difficult to express in words what a game changer the Stake Straps are – keeping tension and making one-handed adjustments is stupid simple with these.

The SmartClip Adapter puts their patented aluminum SmartClip® into play giving you a huge amount of attachment options with a no-knot anchoring system for use with 550 Paracord or small bungee cords. You can easily attach to objects further away than the Stake Straps will reach (how much 550 cord did you bring?), or you can even use pliable bungee cords that can flex with high wind gusts in the desert. These incredibly tough accessories provide nearly limitless securing options in a tiny package.

SmartClips or Stake Straps? You choose based on your environment.

Sweet Spot Kit, Extra ThermaShield, and rigging.

Weights and Dimensions

Adapter Shade Panel Dimensions: Trapezoid shape; 112” L x 52” W (vehicle end) and 72” W (pole end).

Adapter Shade Panel Weight: 2.2 lbs.

ThermaShield Blanket Dimensions: 112″ L x 72″ W

ThermaShield Blanket Weight: 2.2 lbs.

Our Thoughts?

We really like the fact that we can carry a MASSIVE amount of shade in a very small and very light package. The fact that it can be tailored to the conditions so easily is a huge plus for me. Windy? Sun blazing hot and low on the horizon? Need privacy? It’s as easy as snapping another blanket onto the ASP and staking it down.

I’m convinced that there is no better shade option available given the light weight, simple form factor and limitless applications this kit provides. Add in the SOCOM proven, made in USA quality and the science inherent in the 1000D Cordura, FPG Desert Cloth®, and FPG Reflectec®fabrics and you have a true “best of breed” product that has applications across the full spectrum of adventure travel from hardcore 4×4, overland, motorcycles, UTV’s, hiking, kayaking, and more.

CONCLUSION: The argument for the Adapter Shade Panel and/or the Sweet Spot Kit versus other options is unbreakable. There is no other shade system on the American market today that provides more scalability, more UV protection, or more heat reflective properties than this kit. If you only have one way of making shade, or if your life depends on being able to make shade or shelter anywhere on a moment’s notice, this is the clear choice.

FULL DISCLOSURE: The Force Protector Gear products featured here were provided at no cost to the author or American Adventurist for the purpose of this independent gear review.

“Oh wow! That looks like real food.” Adam exclaimed as I poured the contents of a package labeled Classic Marinara with Penne into a bowl. We both leaned in for a closer look. What we saw looked just like pasta and sauce you would eat at your dinner table—and it also smelled excellent. Spoons were quickly employed and seconds later we were staring at an empty bowl, contemplating what we had just eaten. It turns out the folks at Good To-Go weren’t kidding. Their dehydrated backcountry meals are awesome, and completely redefine what a meal in a bag can be.

If you’ve done any sort of backcountry adventuring, you’ve no doubt had an experience with freeze-dried food. Most folks tend to pack freeze-dried food on their backcountry outings because it’s light weight, easy to pack, and easy to cook. But if we’re being honest, we all know that freeze-dried food isn’t the most enjoyable culinary experience out there, which is why you’ll see folks crush a whole meal on day one and struggle to finish a third of a meal several days in. What gets me is the sodium overload that results from eating an entirely freeze-dried diet. Sure, you can pack other, bulkier, less durable, heavier foods, but that can quickly turn a fast and light trip in to an expedition loaded for bear. Planning your meals is an art and a science, because if you fall into a calorie and/or nutrient deficit on your adventure, your enjoyment of the adventure can really take a beating. Thankfully, Good To-Go has figured out how dehydrate backcountry meals that you’re actually going to look forward to eating every single meal of your trip, meals that will keep your belly full and your body well fueled.

Good To-Go is dehydrating flavorful, chef-created meals, and that makes all the difference in the end product when compared to a freeze-dried meal. In other words, Good To-Go is recreating dishes from all over the world and packaging them in a way that the dishes’ original awesomeness is just minutes away from a reunion with some moisture. You’ll notice the difference the second you crack the seal on a Good To-Go package—your nose is hit with tempting aromas. When you’re done salivating over the smells, look in the package where you’ll find recognizable ingredients instead of assorted colors of cubed something. Heat up some water and pour it in. While you’re waiting for your meal to rehydrate, take a gander at the ingredients on the back of the package. Here you’ll find words you recognize and a nutrition label that adds up to better for you than other backcountry meal options. Try this: Pay attention to what’s in your first few bites. You’ll be blown away by the taste and texture. Each ingredient tastes like the real thing, and you won’t spend your time wondering what cubes you’re eating.

Dehydrated meals will take a longer to cook than freeze-dried meals, and if you’re in a cold or windy environment, you’ll need to take some extra steps while cooking or you’ll be eating a cold meal. Start with using water that is at a full boil. Give the meal a quick stir and then insulate the package in a hat or a pannier box, something that keeps it out of the wind and cold and you’ll be in good shape. Dehydration also doesn’t produce quite as light of a meal as freeze-drying, but this token weight penalty is more than worth it for far superior food. Once you’re waiting on the clock for your meal to cook, make sure you follow the part of the instructions that tell you to hang out and think about how big the universe is—enjoy where you are and that you are outside.

Good To-Go meals taste great, and the simple experience of eating food that has the texture and the other properties of real food is will completely reset your expectations of what backcountry food can be. All of the meals are made with natural ingredients that have real nutritional value, so you won’t be eating pounds of sodium and countless mystery cubes over the course of a multi-day trip. Better fuel for your body also translates into better performance on your adventure and keeps the group’s morale up. Take a second to insulate your meal to keep it piping hot, and then take a few minutes to take in where you are. Hopefully, you’re in an awesome spot outdoors and you’re about to eat a meal that you’re actually going to enjoy. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself reaching for a Good To-Go package when you need an easy meal at home—they’re that good.

You can learn all about Good To-Go by checking out their website. You can order Good To-Go’s excellent meals directly from their website, or drop into your local outdoor gear shop.

Tag: Hike

Throwing Shade

Good To-Go Backcountry Meals