GoLightWeight

I first spotted a carabiner mug clipped to a stranger’s pack at a social gathering in the woods. When I ran across the same mugs in a hardware store later, I picked one up. You can find them around the internet for less than 8 or 9 bucks. I don’t recall what I paid for mine, but I believe it was even less.

The cup is simply a stainless steel double layer (air inbetween the layers) cup with a carabiner attached to the side. I’ve seen some with the carabiner soldiered on, but mine was attached using two small screws.

I frequently clip my cup to my packs for both urban and primitive trips. I’ve sipped morning coffee from my cup more than once. I also found another extremely useful place for this cup – Burning Man and related gatherings. Oftne times, at these events, folks provide free beverages; however, you’re expected to bring a cup.

The carabiner itself can be pretty useful. If you find yourself needing one more carabiner to clip something to your pack with – just use your cup! It seems like such a simple little solution, and it is… but wow, I’ve found it very useful.

I was at one of my favorite gear shop / army surplus stories the other day and I ran across the neatest little multi-tool I’ve seen in a while. Under the glass counter, they had a Guppie and a Lil’ Guppie by Columbia River. Both were amazing, but the Lil’ Guppie (shown in the photo with this post) impressed me the most.

The Lil’ Guppie is under 2oz and is extremely compact. It sports a flathead, phillips, knife, c-wrench, bottle opener, and handy little holes and clips all over it. Guppie, the big brother, has a slightly broader range of tools and sports replaceable driver bits and an led flashlight. Both tools are made of high quality metals and are both strong and lightweight.

Personally, the only reason I didn’t snag one immediately is the c-wrench. I currently have a multi-tool with a c-wrench that I rarely use. Typically, I find pliers to be more universally useful. This is more of a “what do I typically do” concern. As such, if you find yourself handling a lot of nuts, this is an excellent lightweight tool.

Thanks to Seth at Trek Light for passing along word of a special on their fabulous hammocks, here’s the scoop:

Save 30%!!

Usually a one day sale only, this year we’ve decided to go a step further and begin our Cyber Monday sale on Black Friday and give you 4 full days to take advantage of our big savings.

You no longer have to worry about sneaking in some online shopping when you’re back at work on Monday, just visit our site anytime between Friday November 28th to Monday December 1st, enter the coupon code CRZYSALE08 and you can save big!

Get your holiday shopping done early this year and enjoy the great savings!

The coupon cannot be combined with other offers and can only be used once per customer.

So this Friday, head on over to the Trek Light Store and pick up your hammock!

On an adventure to Mexico about a year ago, I stopped in the city of Merida. The city is often proclaimed as “the hammock city” by various hammock vendors. You see, hammocks are the way to sleep when you’re trekking across the Mayan routes.

Thus, I bought my first hammock in Merida. Since then, I’ve packed it on a few trips. Unfortunately, this amazing, hand-woven, hanging bed of happy consumes a ton of space in my pack. I’ve since stopped carrying it with me only because of weight and space.

Recently, I ran across a company called Trek Light and one of their key products: extremely lightweight hammocks. These hammocks are made from parachute nylon. The “single” measure 5′ by 10′, holds 400lbs, and adds a single pound in your pack. If you want a snuggle buddy, the “double” stretches 6.5′ wide. An additional aspect of this very smart design – the “bag” for the hammock is part of the hammock itself.

The products aren’t cheap. The single comes in at $54.95 and the double at $64.95. However, this seems to be the kind of backpacking item you only purchase once. After just a couple of trips with my traditional hammock, I would gladly put a few more bills on the table to gain back all that space in my pack, not to mention the weight.

Find out more (or order) from Trek Light’s website.