Tag: travel

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Adventure Therapy

It seems like a while ago now, but once upon a while ago I was in a war, in a far off place. Like many, that war left its mark on me. Once, when a handsome paycheck came in, I bought myself a brand new paraglider, harness, reserve, helmet and all the Gucci gadgets. Even inflated it in the desert to remind myself how awesome my next R & R was gonna be. It was indeed an awesome R & R. My name is Chris and I am addicted to adventure.

Even back then I knew my post war therapy of choice would be called Adventure Therapy, not opiates or sessions with shrinks. I came home, married my bride, went flying in my new home in Southern Cali, things were peachy. Then some kid ran a red, T-boned me at an intersection, rolled my Gen-II Tacoma and popped my shoulder and a chunk of shoulder related stuff out the socket. All good, no major injuries just and a total ban on flying from the Doc…for a year! The bottom fell out of my therapy program.

I’d met an American Adventurist founder through some work I did on disasters. The new Taco arrived, and I get a Facebook message “Want that Taco lifted? For free?” To be fair, I really had no idea what a “lift” was and less of an idea what overlanding was. I agreed to the lift and found myself two weeks later following a nomadic tribe of vehicle born souls across a desert. Despite my shoulder limitations I was on an adventure, once again, and I know this because I caught myself smiling in my rearview mirror.

Years ago, in another life I had been a paratrooper in the back of a truck, in three vehicle convoys into the splendor of the places where the roads end and the scenery (and backache) begins. Back then I was the payload, the trigger puller in the troop bay of our WWII Dodge vehicles—sweaty, grungy, and unhappy with my lot in the universe.

Suddenly—and somewhere on that first trip through the desert with the crowd from American Adventurist—I worked out what I missed whilst bitching about the driver from the bed of that Dodge all those years ago in East Africa.

If you are a Vet, like me, and struggle with civilians, I know a few people called “Overlanders” you should maybe strive to meet.

Got your TNT? (Tent N Truck) Hit up the folks that overland near you. Adventure Therapy does not need to be skydiving or airborne silliness like I got addicted to. I never was “normal,” but the thrill of planning a gig, packing the gear and supplies, dealing with Mr. Murphy (the Irish God of “there goes ye’s Plan-A lads”). It put me in touch, once again with the thrill of being a survivor. Said it for years…you cannot come home from that much buzz without replacing at least some of that buzz.

Somehow.

Overlanding is working for me. So is exploring new places with new civilian friends. Git in y’alls rigs and head on out to meet your local overlanders. Our glory days lay before us brothers and sisters. Not behind us. Never behind us.

My name is Chris. I am an adventure addict. I highly recommend American Adventurist for all your special therapeutic needs.

Chris Wharton is a former Firefighter & Hazardous Materials Technician who’s worked all over the globe. In 2011 he founded Basecamp Expeditions where you’ll find him passing on his skills in disaster preparedness and crisis management, or during an actual disaster, help out with the relief efforts.
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OR Winter Market 2017

I’m not sure that my pedometer is accurate, but I am sure it’s accurate to say that it takes many steps to see all of the awesome products that congregate twice a year in Salt Lake City, UT; where the outdoor industry hosts Outdoor Retailer. This is the event where exhibitors come from all over the world to reveal their new products, and showcase their existing products for retailers and industry media. The Winter Market obviously caters to skiing, snowboarding, and other snowsports—but there are hundreds of products on display that can be used year round.

I walked the miles of red carpet looking for gear that would be of interest to the American adventurist, so please let me know in the comments if there are things that you want me to focus on for the summer show. Now, without further adieu, here are the products that will be lightening your wallet in the coming months.

Adventure Medical Kits

Adventure Medical Kits (AMK) has reintroduced their Mountain Series of medical kits, which set the standard for backcountry medicine when they were originally introduced 20 years ago. Each kit is organized by type of injury, and AMK makes refill kits for each compartment, making the restocking process a snap.

Beyond Clothing

Beyond Clothing is the brainchild of some of the fine folks that played a key part in the development of the Protective Combat Uniform (PCU) program for the US Military. Utilizing top shelf American materials (yes, everything is USA made), Beyond offers a complete layering system that will keep you comfortable no matter what mother nature throws at you.

Big Agnes

How do you make an ultra-light sleeping bag even lighter without cutting down on insulation or compromising durability? Simple. You take the zipper out. Big Agnes has replaced the zipper with a clip system that allows you to close the bag up just like a zippered bag when you want it, and open it up when temps do not require full mummy mode. If you’ve ever caught or broken a lightweight zipper, you need to check out Big Agnes’ new zipper-less bags.

Black Diamond

Black Diamond’s latest update to their awesome LED headlamps packs even more lumens into many of their range of proven models.

Cascade Designs

MSR’s new four-season tents look great and I’m hoping that I’ll get to put one to the test this winter. The Advance Pro 2 is designed for aggressive alpine missions and can be easily setup be one person in technical terrain. The Access Series brings vestibules and other great features to the game and comes in a one, two, and three person version.

Darn Tough

Socks with a warranty—It’s a thing. If you manage to wear out a pair of Darn Toughs, simply send the worn out pair in and Darn Tough will send you a new pair. Their line covers everything from Ski socks to lightweight running socks.

Garmin

Garmin recently acquired Delorme, and they’ve been busy updating the InReach series of satellite communicators and many of their native products. New to the Explorer+ is a TOPO map, making the navigation functionality of the device much more useful. Maps are also making an appearance on the new Fenix 5 series of watches which pack an insane amount of capability into a lightweight watch.

Goal Zero

I’m really excited to get my hands on Goal Zero’s new generation of Yeti Solar Generators. Lead batteries are out, and higher-capacity Lithium Ion batteries feeding much more powerful AC inverters are in. There’s also the Fuel, a 2000-watt gasoline generator that I’m told is Honda-quiet. Other new goodies include the Boulder 100 and Boulder 50 rigid panels.

Groove Ring

Silicone wedding bands are a great option for folks who find themselves scratching and wearing their metal wedding bands down during abrasive activities, and they provide several safety advantages. Groove Ring takes these benefits a step further by allowing the skin under the ring to breathe, which drastically increases comfort.

Helinox

New from Helinox is the Chair Zero, a sub-one-pound collapsible chair that will hold folks up to 250 pounds.

Hydroflask

Hydroflask now offers their proven double-wall insulation in a bottle and cup designed specifically for folks who want to bring wine into the field. The new products feature insulated, food-safe lids that won’t impact the flavor or characteristics of your wine.

Leki

Known for their awesome trekking poles, Leki now makes the XS Lite Table that will allow you to set a beverage anywhere on the table’s surface without gambling on whether or not said beverage will tip over as soon as you look away (because: it’s not fabric).

Mountain Smith

Mountain Smith partnered up with renown lensman Chris Burkard to develop the T.A.N. (Tough As Nails) series of camera bags. Three sizes of camera cubes are great for packing your kit into a larger pack that you already own, and there are two complete packs if you want an all-in-one solution for carrying your gear.

Osprey

New from Osprey is a comprehensive line of products to help you organize your kit for travel, and a line of bomber luggage. According to the Osprey, the new luggage has passed the ‘bags keep their contents dry when placed on a roof rack and driven in the rain test.’

Sea to Summit

Sea to Summit makes everything from collapsible cookware to inflatable pillows, and about 5 million things in between. Their offerings are very well thought out and very innovative. They recently launched a hammock that weighs 4.9 ounces, yet holds 300 pounds. Their new luggage allows you to configure the carrying handles as a backpack, shoulder sling, or as traditional handles.

SOLE

Not only does cork do a great job of keeping bottles closed, but it turns out it is also a great material to recycle and make footbeds and shoes out of. SOLE’s new cork-based products offer several advantages over their EVA predecessors. According to all of their professional athlete testers, the cork footbeds work better than EVA footbeds.

UST

UST has created a lighter that doesn’t create a flame. Instead, the TekFire lighter arcs a current between two poles to set things on fire. The unit is powered by a Lithium-Ion battery and charges from a USB port. UST Survival offers a comprehensive line of survival products and kits.

Western Mountaineering

Western Mountaineering makes some of the most highly regarded down products on the market. Their offerings are known for their outstanding performance and very long lifespan. Western has started having the folks who build their products sign them—just like a hand built motor from AMG.