OutInUnder December 2017 Newsletter 
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December 2017 Newsletter
OutInUnder.com
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Mopping up 2017

A quick note: there have been some weird bot subscribes to this newsletter using hijacked email addresses. While I think everyone, even bots, would likely fall in love with what we've got here, I've moved the unsubscribe link up top for those unconvinced.
This hasn't been the best year for the backcountry. Any hope that Sec. of Int. Zinke might be friendly to backcountry sports has dissipated. Today was a benchmark. Patagonia has opened fire followed by many others.

Kind of makes you nostalgic for the old days? Maybe back to the birth of the backpacking boom with Nixon and the draft? Or under Reagan when Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch's mother was in charge of crippling the EPA? If I remember correctly, we turned to nature for renewal in the face of crazy. And that's still working for me.

The Outdoor Industry Association has resources here. Our friends at Peak Designs are encouraging donations here.

Onward.

New Stories

Bruce Hamilton wraps up his series with The North Face and R. Buckminster Fuller Special Connection - Part 3. It reminds us how Bucky Fuller informed not just tent design but a whole ethos of living as part of a whole natural system on Spaceship Earth.
Bob Woodward chips in with a new story of the woolly early days of Sierra Designs retail. Here a hippie backpacking company helps convert a local Sales Rep into Victorinox's Sales Manager. This story has a particular resonance for me. Part of my first job in the biz was keeping these damn things in stock!
OutInUnder is developing quite a collection of early outdoor company catalogs: SD, Moss, GPIW, TNF, etc. Embarassingly enough, not the early MHW catalogs. I've got them somewhere but can't find them. Can someone help me out?!
 

Founder's Notes:  


As most of you know, I'm involved with SlingFin. It's not my scheme to get rich. I'm involved because I appreciate great gear and I appreciate Martin. Have I mentioned that....

SlingFin has a backpack on Kickstarter. It ends soon!

When internal frame packs came out, I was skeptical. And they're still a lot sweatier than an external frame version.

When the ultralight packs came out I was skeptical. And they're still not great if you're hauling a bunch of hard-edged gear. And you often have to baby them. 

At this point I've got one of each from my old Kelty Serac to a Hyperlite ultralight.

Nonetheless, I've been backpacking with SlingFin's Honey Badger for the last 4 years as my go-to pack for short trips. It's so light and so tough and so comfortable, I have trouble even considering anything else on my gear rack. I'll add some photos of my Honey Badger in action below.

If this sounds interesting:

1) check out the page. It's a great all-purpose pack.  It's never going to be cheaper.
2) If you feel okay about it, please forward to gear lovers the Kickstarter link or this newsletter with a note to checkout the Honey Badger.

Hail Xaos,
Al


 
Pack and gear:

My basic kit minus tent/bag/pad and food, ie my stove, cookware, first aid and repair, etc, all fit nicely in the bottom leaving plenty of room for the rest.

Packed and ready to go. I moved my bag out to bring extra food anticipating some screw ups among the folks I was with...which did indeed happen. Slippers are my luxury. I'm futzing with hydration options so haven't locked anything in.

I'm experimenting with all sorts of things. Drawing...stickers...velcro, tape and glue attachments. I've bolted a Peak Designs Camera/Binocular clip to the pack to keep binoculars back out of the way yet accessible. I'm pretty convinced we're just scratching the surface of the pack's hackability both it terms of function and appearance.

Plus it can glow in the dark! Here's the link again: 
SlingFin Honey Badger Backpack and Bicycle Pannier
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