Review: Mountain Hardwear Corners 6 person tent

Mountain Hardwear Corners 6

Factory Specs
Capacity: 6-person
Season: 3-season
Poles: 6061 aluminum
Number of Poles: 2
Pole Attachment: clips
Number of Doors: 2
Number of Vestibules: 2
Interior Height: 87.0 in
Floor Dimensions: 130.0 x 93.0 in
Floor Space: 83.0 sq ft
Packed Size: 14.0 x 34.0 in
Fast-pitch Option: yes, footprint not included
Packed Weight: 20 lb 5.0 oz
Trail Weight: 19.0 lb
Recommended Use: camping, family camping
Manufacturer Warranty: lifetime
Price:

Our review:

Testing in progress - check back soon!

Review: Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2

Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2

Factory Specs

Trail Weight: 2lb 9oz
Packed weight: 3lb 1oz
Packed size: 5” x 21”
Floor area: 28 sq ft
Vestibule area: 8 sq ft
Height: 43”
Price: Roughly $340.00

Our review:



Backpacking on Mt. Hood - Paradise Park

I remember when we first got our tent back in 2008 we were so impressed by this tents weight and pitching ease.  We would chuckle at the other poor souls who were struggling to pitch their tent when we arrived at our destination, be it a backpacking adventure or a car camping trip, most of the time we would already have our camp setup and tent ready to go for the evening with sleeping pads and bags by the time they got done.  That is true – this tent is super easy to put up and we found on many occasions that one person could start pitching the tent while the other started dinner.  It has two poles and a clip system that allow for such ease and aluminum steaks that have always done their job.

The reflective guy lines have helped during those late night excursions or around camp and have even acted as a warning when something large was meandering through our camp.  (Eeek!)

This tent is an ultra-light backpacking tent; don’t expect any frills, lots of room or anything fancy.  It does have a few pockets on the inside to stash gear during the night but beyond that it is a basic tent.  That being said this tent has been super durable.  We have used it on many backpacking and camping trips in Oregon and a couple times in Colorado and have had no problems with durability.  It’s been about 5 years and it doesn’t even show any signs of wear.



Backpacking at Mirror Lake

They say that it’s a 3-season tent and I think that might be a bit of an overestimate.  For the most part it has done well in the rain (we live in Oregon, there’s bound to be some of that), windy, and in summer conditions.  When it’s cold though, it’s cold!  And when it’s cold and windy – you are out of luck and going to have a freezing night.

Also, space is an issue, it’s great for two people.  Period.  If you have a dog, or if you want your packs in the tent with you this is impractical.  Our dog is only 40 pounds, so she’s not huge, but even so it felt like our tent would explode with all the mass inside of it.   I’m 5’9” tall and can sit up in the tent – at its highest point, but most of the time skim my head or have to keep slouched over.  I do feel completely fine and have plenty of room lengthwise when lying down.  My wife is a few inches shorter than me and doesn’t have any problems either way.  We’ve found thought that it’s not a tent to chill in which is unfortunate on those yucky days when you are camping and just want to stay in your tent and read a book in your sleeping bag.  It also has a very cumbersome zipper and vestibule zipper which have not helped first thing in the morning when you are doing the pee-pee dance and wiggling in your pants, or if you need to kick the dog out late at night for fear of her having an accident or retching in the tent…



Camping in Yosemite

This tent also tends to collect condensation and we have never figured out a way to prevent this, so there has been many a morning when you are waking up and accidently jiggle the tent and get a cold drop of water in your face.  We have rearranged guy lines, placed them in different spots and done all that we can think of to no avail.

Overall though, this is actually a really good ultra-light backing tent for two people in moderate weather conditions.  If you have use outside of that, I would recommend looking elsewhere but when long distance backpacking, every ounce does count so you have to weigh the pros and the cons heavily.  That being said, I think we are going to return it to REI (love REI!) and get something with 2 doors and possibly for three people since we do a lot of backpacking with our dog.

Camping in Yosemite - the astute observer might notice the bear cub in the background...

Central Coast - Beachside State Recreation Site

Beachside State Recreation Site
Address: U.S 101, 4 miles South of Waldport
Phone: (541) 563-3220
Sites: 32 electrical, 42 tent; maximum site 40 feet; 2 yurts; hiker/biker camp
Special features: all campsites located seconds from broad, sandy beach.
Dog friendly: Yes
Showers: Yes

Length of stay: 2 nights
Memorial Day weekend 2014

We started looking for a beach side campsite for Memorial Day weekend in March and this was the closest campsite we could find.  It's about 3 hours from Portland when you take the longer, more scenic route along the 101 from Lincoln City.



Site 003 - Loop A: Home Sweet Home

We booked site 003 in "A" loop, which was part of the strictly tents only area - or at least no electrical hookups for the big RVs.  This site was directly next door to one of the camp hosts but there was plenty of vegetation between us and the sites around us.  You could see the other sites, but there was a definite barrier - there was also a fantastic hammock tree in this site (something we are constantly on the lookout for) and great trees for coverage.  Even when it was raining there were times that we didn't realize it until we left our site because of the tree cover.  Not a site for star gazing though :)  Site 3 was close enough to the restrooms without being "too" close, but it was also directly on the way which means a lot of people pass by and peak in your camp (I know I'm guilty of that, I like to see how other people set things up or what creative solutions people find for even the mundane tasks).


Good hammock trees

It was overall a nice large site, we were able to set up our 6 person Mountain Hardwear Corners 6 tent (we call this our castle), and our awning over the picnic table and still could have had room for another small tent without feeling claustrophobic.

One of the issues with camping along the 101 is that it is hard to get off the highway, this campground is no exception, the even numbered tent sites literally back up to the highway with only a few feet of barrier between them and the cars, trucks and campers rushing by at 55 miles an hour.  Our site, on the other side of the driveway, was a bit further away but still a bit noisy at times.  But, camping along the 101 this is what tends to happen with limited land you literally get stuck between the ocean and the highway.

The campground has some of the nicest facilities we've seen for any park, in this state or others.  The restrooms were nice and well kept with flushing toilets, sinks with tepid water, and nice showers.  There are two bathroom facilities in this park, the one closest to our site, the hiker/biker camp and the Day Use area was just  a restroom with a couple toilets and a sink, the one in the middle of the park was much larger and had 4 (or 5) nice large shower stalls.  I was amazed to find out that the showers were free as well!

Beach Access

Pros:

• Super close proximity to beach and multiple sites with a fantastic view
• 4 different beach access points
• Nice facilities and free showers
• Leashed dogs welcome
• Large sites
• Close to Waldport for any of those forgotten items, shopping or dinners out
• Fantastic, long, sandy beaches great for walking or running (3 mile walk along the beach to get to Waldport)

Cons:

• Proximity to highway - vehicle noise sometimes overwhelms the noise of the ocean or the crackling of our fire.  That being said, it did get better at night.
• Many of the RV sites (especially in the middle sections) have no privacy between spaces
• Not a quick trip from Portland



Site 063: Site with THE best views

Take away:  If we ever come back here, we will try and get either site 009 which is a tent site with some nice hammock trees, clear skies, and even a small view of the ocean or one of three RV sites: 63, 64, or 66.  These sites didn't have a lot (or any) privacy but what they lacked in privacy they made up for in location, literally beach front sites.  I tried to get a picture of one of the sites with the ocean view and an adorable Airstream, but couldn't get it without being a creeper.



Classic airstream stalker photo :)

Review: Black Diamond Trekking Poles

Black Diamond Trail Back Trekking Poles

 
 

Factory Specs:

Shaft Material: Aluminum
Grip Material: Rubber
Max Length: 55”/140cm
Min length: 27”/66.5cm
Locking Mechanism: External lever lock
Shock absorbing: No
Weight (pair): 1lb 4oz
Price: $80.00

 

Stock photo of trekking poles

My wife and I both agree that these have been the most valuable investment for hiking that we have ever bought.  Many a trip do we comment how much we love having trekking poles and how much we love these ones.  These are a basic, no frills model but from a very reputable company and we have never had any failures.  They are easy to adjust (height and wrist straps) and super lightweight and incredibly sturdy.  They have saved out knees more often than we know on descents and helped us power through ascents with the help of our arms.  Trekking poles, in general, are great for helping with the swelling of your fingers by keeping them moving and not allowing the blood to collect from centripetal motion.  I would recommend a pair of trekking poles to every hiker, even though we occasionally get made fun of from those that are not regular hikers – they don’t know what they are missing!  I would also recommend these poles to anyone wanting to get a basic pair of trekking poles without breaking the bank. 



Helen on Mt. Hood

 

Issues:

If we go on longer hikes we have to wear gloves or run the risk of getting blisters in the nook between your thumb and index finger where you grip.

They do not have shock absorbers – it might be good to spend the extra money to get that option, sometimes our hands do get a little tingly.

 

Gabi at Crater Lake

Benefits:

Light weight

Easy to adjust height and attach to bag when needed

Stabilizer for us klutzes and a major knee saver

Gives me some sense of security to use it as a weapon if need be… I don’t think the bear would be too intimidated but at least it gives me something

Eagle Creek to Benson Plateau Loop - training hike

May 27th, 2012 - Prep

     Gabi and I have always wanted to try and hike the very popular Eagle Creek Trail since we moved to Oregon in 2009, so we are excited to finally have the chance.  According to the Day and Overnight Hikes: Oregon's Pacific Crest Trail, the loop is 29.2 miles with a difficulty of 3 out of 4 stars.

We are planning to take the loop at a leisurely 3 night pace with our dog to test out some of our gear, recipes, and ourselves.

Examples of Equipment:

1 Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2 tent

2 Mountain Hardware UltraLamina 32 degree women's sleeping bags

2 ThermoLite sleeping bag inserts

1 Therm-A-Rest Z-Lite sleeping pad

1 Therm-A-Rest X-Lite NeoAir sleeping pad

2 REI Venturi backpacks

2 pairs REI thermal underwear

2 paris Black Diamond Trekking Poles

1 MSR waterfilter

1 Freshette

2 REI Revel Cloud jackets

1 homemade alcohol pop-can stove

1 REI Ti-Wear 1 L cooking pot

2 REI Titanium sporks

Gatorade bottles for water (testing these since we have heard that water bladders frequently puncture and then you are sans water.)

Examples of Food:

Breakfast

Carnation Instant Breakfast - with dehydrated milk

Kashi Granola Bars

Pop-Tarts

Lunch/Snacks

Tortillas and peanut butter

Tuna Pouches

Cheese and sausage

Beef jerky, dehydrated apples and mangos, GORP & candy bars

Dinner

Ramen soup with dehydrate veggies

Burritos with dehydrated refried beans and cheese

Angel hair pasta with dehydrated creamy pesto sauce

My bag: 28.4 pounds

Gabi's bag: 31 pounds

Cinder's bag: 6 pounds (she carried her own food, water, booties, and medication!)

May 28th, 2012

     We got off to a late start today - we wanted to be on the trail by 9:00 am but by the time we drove to the trailhead, found parking, got geared up, and walked 0.5 miles to the actual trailhead (yay Memorial Day Weekend) it was already 11:00 am.

On the docket for today: an easy 7.5 mile journey to get to aptly named 7.5 mile camp.

Helen and Gabrielle

     The hike started well, Oregon truly is beautiful and this hike showcased some of it's finer points.  We passed numerous cascading waterfalls, traveled along moss outlined trails, hiked under giant trees, and over an abundance of streams and creeks.  This truly is a popular hike and there were several dozen other day hikers enjoying the beautiful weather and scenery.  However, this hike was not an easy hike in that it was marred with rocks... not the occasional rocks here and there but the trail WAS rocks!  Hard to watch the scenery when you have to watch every footfall!

     Not to mention this hike is dangerous.  I have some issues with vertigo and certain points in this trail certainly brought that fear out, especially when the trail is only 2 feet wide with a sheer cliff drop-off on one side and a shoddy, rusty iron cable handholding on the other.  Perhaps, this was not a hike for a pair of anxious moms to take their furry kid on!

Tunnel Falls

     Despite these shortcomings the trail did have some amazing highlights:  

• Punchbowl falls (1.8 miles) was a nice respite for lunch and a beautiful view - a must see
• High Bridge (3.3 miles) was just that - a high bridge crossing over a very deep gorge - don't look down!
• We cautiously trekked behind Tunnel Falls (6.0 miles) - an amazing and frighting experience.  The falls were so loud and you could feel its thundering power!

One of the more rockier sections

     It was a very long 7.5 miles due to the rocks and our sore feet, because of that we almost missed the side-trail to our campsite (thank you twisty tree for catching our attention and making us look up!) that would have been demoralizing.  We found a great little campsite near the river with an amazing view and access to it in order to filter fresh water.  For dinner we used Gabi's pop-can stove to boil up some water and have ramen with dried veggies, however we did not test this before leaving home and added too many vegetables and ended up with a ramen/veggie mush - it was tasty until it wasn't and then it was awful.  Oh, since we were only doing a few days of light backpacking we decided to individual sized Bota Boxes (boxed wine) with us, they were well worth their weight in ounces!

Things we learned today:

• Our groin muscles were very sore from all the uphill hiking and began a mutiny.  Sartorious muscle Y U no work?  
• Gabi christened the Freshette today and loved being able to pee like a man - writing our name in the snow, here we come!
• For being almost 10 years old, Cinder dog you are amazing!
• Need to drink more water, hard to drink without Camelback, perhaps straws in our Gatorade bottles would work just as well?
• Eat when hungry!  We got to camp and were starving, "Eat ALL the food!!"
• Test all recipes before leaving home (this is a reoccurring theme this trip).
• Even though we are used to wearing our Vibram Five Fingers and minimalist shoes, the Nike Free Runs that we were testing out did not pass the muster and are not strong enough for all the rocks or durable enough.

May 29th, 2012

Brrrrr... more on that later. 

On the docket for today: 7 miles to Wathum Lake (Wathum is Indian for lake, so we are going to lake lake)

     We woke up this morning about as refreshed as one could be when backpacking and sleeping on the ground, but were in high spirits.  Cinder must have had a cold night because after going out for her nature call she came back in and just wanted to cuddle - very unusual for her!  We choked down a Carnation Instant Breakfast and a Kashi bar, Gabi is none to pleased with the prospect of using dehydrated milk while backpacking.  I can't say that I blame her since it smells and tastes pretty awful.

Stream crossing

     The trail after 7.5 mile camp was much improved, and almost rockless for the majority of it.  We skipped across numerous streams/creeks with some of them being more treacherous on account of having to watch out for the dog with no personal safety instincts.  Thank goodness her backpack has a handle on it - used that thing more than once!  We pushed a little too far without eating this morning trying to find an elusive viewpoint at the 3 mile mark, that we must have passed inadvertently.  By the time we sat down to eat we were famished "Eat ALL the food!"  We made tuna salad burritos, ate 1/2 Snickers each, several bites of cheese, summer sausage, fruit leathers and GORP. 

     After lunch we started seeing patches of snow; "how novel," we though to ourselves and even took a few pictures of us standing in the snow on the side of the trail.  Boy did we not know what was in-store for us!  Soon the trail was covered in snow and we can honestly say that all three of us are no longer posthole virgins. (Post-holing is when you break through the surface of the snow and sink to the ground below, sometimes waist deep).  Gabi almost lost her shoe and again thank goodness for Cinders handle as she post-holed and had to be plucked out of her quandary.  Hiking in snow is difficult and tiring, "boy I hope we don't have to do a lot of this!"...

Snow, how novel!

     When we finally reached the lake shore Cinder decided it would be a good idea to get a drink of water fresh from the lake edge.  Remember that lack of personal safety instinct we mentioned earlier?  What she did not realize is that she was walking out on a snow shelf above the water and when she got to it's edge - SPLOOSH - into the drink she went.  Handle to the rescue as I fished her flailing body out!  Boy you should have seen her little face!  Handle: 4 Cinder: 0.

Due to the bone chilling wind we decided not to camp on the lake shore as we had planned, but instead hiked up a side trail to the Chinidere Mountain Recreational Area.  We encountered our first humans of the day, three men that had hiked up the snow blocked road to the area with the intent of camping down on the lake.  Good luck boys!  One of them unbeknownst to him, gave Cinder her trail name: Tater Tot because of her nub of a tail.  Even though camping was not allowed at the Recreational Area we decided that since nobody was going to be coming up due to the closed road, and that it had an outhouse we popped our tent up right in front of the no camping sign anyway.  Ha!  It was still fairly windy and cold and there were patches of snow on the ground, it was going to be a cold night so we tried to fortify our tent by blocking the wind with logs and large rocks.

     Once camp was up, we tried to make a bean burrito recipe that we had read about in Backpacker using dehydrated beans.  Instead we ended up making bean soup and trying to dip our tortillas in it.  Not as satisfying as we had intended but still tasty - you should have seen us hunkered down around the stove though for heat!  It was cold!

     After we ate, even though it was only 6:30 p.m., into the tent we fled for what was certain to be a long, cold night.  We put two fleece vests on Cinder in an attempt to keep her warm.  Here goes nothing!

Things we learned today:

• Dehydrated milk by itself is not a viable option!
• Ibuprofen is your friend.
• Hiking in snow is difficult and tiring
• Proper hiking socks are imperative to hiking success - even after stepping in countless puddles/rivers/streams my feet still felt warm and dry.  Thank you REI hiking socks.

May 30th, 2012

So tired! So cold!

1:00 am - "Babe."  "What?"  "The dog is shivering."  Oh great, the vests kept her torso warm but not anything else. Poor Cinder was shivering so hard and must have been freezing!  I unzipped my sleeping bag and tucked her in with me - instant bag warmer for both of us!  This helped until, in my sleep, I rolled over and must have uncovered her "why is my back vibrating?"  I rolled back over and covered her up and didn't sleep another wink due to my aching shoulder.  If you have ever gone backpacking or camping you may know that you have to move frequently because body parts that you don't even realize you have on a day-to-day basis, go numb and hurt like the dickens!

5:30 am - dawn breaks, both of us are awake, LETS GO!

On the docket for today: 15 miles out

Due to lack of sleep, and the cold temperatures all three of us were ready to go home and decided that we would finish the loop and try to get back to our car by days end.  This meant, 15 miles of hiking mostly downhill, which we felt was doable

7:00 am - after breaking camp and eating a small breakfast we were on our way to find the PCT and continue our journey.

8:00 am - due to the PCT's inability to properly mark their trails (and perhaps a bit of snow), we bushwhacked through swampy, muddy, snowy, thorny bush infested marshland, trying to find the trail but only found frustration instead, and lost my camp shoes along the way in some awful thorny bush somewhere.  We finally decided to hike up the mountain knowing at some point we would have to intersect one of the numerous trails that went around the lake.  

     After finding our trail we thought we were home-free and almost started skipping along the lovely, now snow free trail.  We took a short break to filter water and grab a more substantial breakfast and we were on our way!  Soon, as we gained elevation, snow began reemerging, first on the sides of the trail and then started encroaching the trail itself.  Soon the entire forest floor was a blanket of snow and our trail was under it somewhere and due to poor trail markings who knew where that was!  We did however, follow what appeared to be a trail and some sets of footprints until we crossed a stream and realized that the footprints were as lost as we were.  It's an eerie feeling not knowing where to go and being surrounded by a wasteland of snow.  What to do?

9:00 am -  After hiking a mile and a half, we decided it wasn't worth the risk.  We've heard so many horror stories of hikers getting lost and we didn't want to be one of them!  Unfortunately we decided our best option was to turn around and go back the way we came.  This meant through all the rocks, over all the water crossings (20 in total), and along the treacherous cliff sides, something I wasn't too keen on repeating. 

Wathum Lake (Lake Lake)

10:00 am - we returned to our starting off point at Wathum Lake from that morning (only 3 hours wasted, right?).

As we came to lower elevations the temperature steadily got warmer and our spirits improved, the thought of sleeping in our own bed that night pushed us on and the joking, talking, and singing began again.  We got back to 7.5 mile camp around 1:30 p.m. and felt pretty good.  After taking a small break to filter water and eat a snack, Gabi took Cinder's pack.  It didn't seem fair to ask an almost 10 year old dog to hike a total of 17+ miles with the added weight and burden of it.  Then we hit the portion of the trail that we had found so difficult only two days prior due to the abundance of sharp pointy rocks.  Gabi's feet began to ache with only 4 miles left but felt that she could continue on.  The thought of the bed was luring her on!  But after only 1.5 miles more she reached her breaking point.  Every step was excruciating and she said it felt as though her feet were on fire.  She tried cooling them in puddles, to no avail, and time appeared to slow down and the car grow further away.  We kept hoping that around the next bend we would see the trailhead, but it had only been 4 minutes since the last time check and we still had at least 45 minutes to go.  

Sleepy Cinder-Lou

6:30 p.m. - I did not realize how much pain she was in until we finally reached the car and she told me that for the last 2 miles she was literally trying to not vomit due to the excruciating pain that she was in.  This from the girl who went through Army Basic Training!

Once we arrived home we dumped our stuff, took a hot shower and rubbed icy hot onto sore muscles. It was going to be an early night for us as we collapsed into bed.  Why did we do this to ourselves again? :)

Things we learned today:

• Must carry Desitin for chaffing :)
• It's not fair to hike the dog more than 10 miles a day, even though she's a trooper and did fantastic!
• Must have shoes that are light, breathable, durable and protect against the constant insult of hiking thousands of miles.
• We don't want to be on the 10 o'clock news for missing hiker alert, stay safe and practical.  Know your limits.

Total miles hiked: 33

Soreness fades, tired muscles heal but these are memories and experiences that we will cherish forever.  We get to experience things that few people do through our love of backpacking and nature.  Even though the trip was not what we expected, it was still worth every step and we were able to learn so much and enjoy our beautiful state.

Punchbowl Falls

Helen and Cinder