Water Filters
LifeStraw Personal Review: Long-Term Testing From a Retired SAR Coordinator
Two seasons of field use, one retired SAR coordinator, and a filter that has never once let me down.
Cal Hendricks shares practical field notes, pros, cons and who it suits.
Two seasons of field use, one retired SAR coordinator, and a filter that has never once let me down.
Cal Hendricks carried both filters through the Cascades and the high desert for a season. Here is where each one wins, where each one loses, and which you should carry.
Cal Hendricks on why a LifeStraw earns its place in every kit he carries, and the honest limits you should know before you trust it.
Cal Hendricks shares practical field notes, pros, cons and who it suits.
A practical field guide to planning your water before you leave the trailhead, built around the LifeStraw Personal Water Filter.
Cal Hendricks spent a full season carrying the LifeStraw Personal in the Cascades and the high desert. Here is what actually worked, what did not, and who should buy something else.
Two seasons of field notes on the Midland ER310: what held up, what didn't, and who should buy it.
Two emergency radios, two philosophies. I carried both through a Central Oregon winter and one of them is still in my 4Runner.
Cal Hendricks has carried a Midland ER310 in his truck and his garage kit for years. Here are the ten reasons it earns its spot.
Cal Hendricks on why the Midland ER310 became a permanent part of his 4Runner kit, what it handles well, and where it falls short.
Cal Hendricks walks through a practical five-step plan for staying informed when the power goes out, built around the Midland ER310 emergency crank radio.
Cal Hendricks tested the Midland ER310 for a full year through real outages and campsites. Here is what works, what does not, and who should buy it.
Two seasons of drops, rain, and winter nights, and the headlamp I still grab first.
Two headlamps, two philosophies. I carried both through a wet Cascades season so you don't have to guess.
Ten field-tested reasons to keep a rechargeable headlamp in your kit, from a retired search-and-rescue volunteer.
One flat tire on Highway 97 taught me more about this headlamp than any spec sheet.
Cal Hendricks walks through the five steps he uses to plan campsite lighting around a rechargeable headlamp, with the Coast XPH30R as the working example.
Two seasons of field use in the Cascades and high desert. What the Coast XPH30R does well, where it falls short, and who should buy it anyway.
Cal Hendricks put the MSR PocketRocket 2 through two seasons of Cascades trips. Here is what held up, what did not, and who should buy it.
Cal Hendricks spent two seasons with both stoves in the Cascades and the high desert. Here is which one earns a spot in his pack.
Ten reasons the MSR PocketRocket 2 earns a permanent place in a backcountry kit, from hot coffee to emergency backup, with honest tradeoffs from a retired search and rescue coordinator.
How the MSR PocketRocket 2 earned a permanent spot in Cal Hendricks' vehicle kit, with honest field notes and practical advice.
A five-step plan for hot backcountry meals, built on years of Cascade trips with the MSR PocketRocket 2.
Two seasons with the MSR PocketRocket 2, including the trips where it let me down.
Two years, four seasons, one ferro rod. What a retired SAR coordinator actually thinks of the bayite 4 inch ferro rod after real use in the Cascades and high desert.
Cal Hendricks compares the bayite 4 inch ferro rod and the Uberleben Zunden after a season of wet and dry trips in the Cascades.
Two seasons, dozens of fires, zero failures. Here is why the bayite 4 inch ferro rod stays in my truck kit, home kit, and pack.
Cal Hendricks on why the bayite 4 inch ferro rod lives in his vehicle kit year round, and what it took to earn that spot.
Cal Hendricks shares the field-tested routine he uses to get a fire going in rain, sleet, and snow with a bayite ferro rod.
An honest two-season field review of the bayite 4 inch ferro rod, including what the listing does not tell you about the coating, the technique, and the included striker.
Two seasons of field use, one retired SAR coordinator, and a filter that has never once let me down.
Cal Hendricks spent a full season carrying the LifeStraw Personal in the Cascades and the high desert. Here is what actually worked, what did not, and who should buy something else.
Two seasons of field notes on the Midland ER310: what held up, what didn't, and who should buy it.
Cal Hendricks tested the Midland ER310 for a full year through real outages and campsites. Here is what works, what does not, and who should buy it.
Two seasons of drops, rain, and winter nights, and the headlamp I still grab first.
Two seasons of field use in the Cascades and high desert. What the Coast XPH30R does well, where it falls short, and who should buy it anyway.
Cal Hendricks put the MSR PocketRocket 2 through two seasons of Cascades trips. Here is what held up, what did not, and who should buy it.
Two seasons with the MSR PocketRocket 2, including the trips where it let me down.
Two years, four seasons, one ferro rod. What a retired SAR coordinator actually thinks of the bayite 4 inch ferro rod after real use in the Cascades and high desert.
An honest two-season field review of the bayite 4 inch ferro rod, including what the listing does not tell you about the coating, the technique, and the included striker.