North Manitou Trip

Woke up Friday morning to 38°. We had to meet at the dock at 9:30 to head out at 10. So we knew the boat ride was going to be a chilly one. What we didn't expect was the amount of people also going to the islands. 4 of our group where not able to get tickets. They used on of the alternate plans and did the Manistee River Trail loop.

We got to the island around 11:30. Had to wait around for the orientation talk. We then came up with a plan and headed out. We had 9 with us, all but 1 where hammock users. The hiking wasn't bad, though this was really the first time pushing the right knee after the break in February. We hiked 6.5 miles and found an area to camp. We did our set-up and got water from Lake Michigan for the group. After dinner, most of us hit the coast for the sunset. There was some dramatic clouds so the sunset was really great.

Saturday morning was a slightly lazy time. We took our time having breakfast and breaking camp. The goal was about a 3.5 hike to the next hang area. That wasn't quite what happened. We generally became separated during the hiking. A few stuck around and picked blackberries for awhile, while others continued to go. Turns out I missed the gather spot and walked another 2 miles. Meant up with 2 others that did the same thing and we ended up finding a great spot to hang. The bonus was that we where only a 20min hike to the dock to pick up the ferry.

Got up Sunday to a nice sunrise and headed to the dock. Really great weather, lot's of great guys. Turned to be a fun time.

Load out for North Manitou Island

Meant to get this up before leaving but stuff like work got in the way. Sorry about that. So I did a load out video of the equipment going with me on the N. Manitou trip. Not the lightest but things went well.

Lawson Equipment Cuben Tarp

So I started looking around for a Cuben fabric tarp. Cuben fiber is a dyneema fabric layed between layers of a high strength mylar. This material was created for the America's Cup sail boats. A super lightweight but strong fabric. The issue I saw for me was that the material tends to be virtually see-through. After looking around, I found that Lawson Equipment (one of the highly recommended cottage industry companies) was using a cuben fiber that had a reflective material also in the layers. So I ordered the tarp.

I have now had a good number of times to use this tarp and really like it. The concerns for a lot of people was the sound of the material. People have referred to the sound as a potato chip bag. Loose, it does tend to have that sound, but once you have the tarp set-up tight, I would say it's even quieter than a silnylon tarp.

Overall, the tarp with ridgeline, guylines, and stuff sacks weigh in at 11oz.

Here is a short video right after I got it.

Intro

Thought I would start a blog on the path I've been taking back into the woods. I have rediscovered my love for backpacking and all things outdoors. I have also found the joys of using a hammock to sleep in while camping. So you don't get any weird ideas, it's all about the comfort. I also found that I have a bit of a knack for making a lot of my own gear.

So I hope to share with you some reviews of equipment, some talk on how to make your own gear, and to share some of my photography.

Hope you like it.

Thanks
Kevin (Dblcorona)