Product Review: I Can't Believe It's Not Food!

Long before I've actually finished writing this my watch will have passed midnight, so Happy Star Wars day everyone! May the 4th be with you!

Okay, now that I've got that out of the way, on to the "meat" of the post. You'll get the pun in a moment, and I am preemptively sorry. I'm going camping in just a couple of weeks; it's up to Killarney with my Dad to get some fresh air. I thought this would be a good opportunity to do something that I've been meaning to for awhile now, which is to blog about the equipment I travel with. I haven't owned a great deal of travel equipment in my day, but hopefully my experiences can prove helpful to someone out there, and any discussion that this generates could prove influential to my future purchases.

I decided to kick this off with something lively - a bit of an experiment that we conducted this weekend. I was home visiting the folks, so I brought home some freeze dried camping food to try out. The idea is that these pouches of freeze dried food weight VERY little, but when you add hot water they turn into full meals for two. A pretty convenient concept, but one that neither my father or I have ever put to the test. So, as they say, the proof is in the tasting. I picked up a couple of the highly recommended meals from Mountain Equipment Co-Op (check them out at www.mec.ca) and brought them home for a test drive. By the way, Camper's Tip #463, always test out your gear, even if it's just dehydrated food before you leave home, you really don't want to find out that it sucks in the middle of the Canadian Wilderness.

The two meals that we took for a test-drive were the Hawaiian Rice with Chicken from Backpacker's Pantry and Beef Stroganoff from Mountain House. Graydyn decided to join in on the taste test, though please keep in mind that he's something of a Gourmand, and as such has declared food that I thought was perfectly lovely to be quite unfit for human consumption. He took the first crack at the chicken dish and proceeded to describe it in terms that I am too polite to repeat in a public forum. So yeah, that one didn't go over so hot. As usual I didn't find it nearly as bad as Graydyn, though I did see his point of view. There's more garlic and ginger in there than chicken, which makes the taste quite powerful, and quite uniform. If you don't like the first bite, you're not going to enjoy the second one any more. That said, I didn't find the flavour as offensive as Gray, but Dad wasn't too keen on it either, so I get out-voted 2 to 1. I also came out very soupy, as if the amount of water that they tell you to add is a bit too high. Another thing to note is that it has red peppers in it, and I genuinely believe that all colours of Bell pepper should be avoided in freeze dried or frozen foods, they take on a really appalling texture.

Next on the hit list was the Beef Stroganoff, which actually was something of a hit! We all agreed that it tasted like Beef Stroganoff, which may not seem like a glowing review, given that it's supposed to taste like that, but keep in mind that this is freeze dried food - hitting the mark is quite an accomplishment! The water-to-food ratio was more accurate on this dish, so the texture was what you would expect. I was pretty happy with the end result, and so was Dad, so I think we'll be grabbing another one of those to take with us on our trip. We'll probably get another from Mountain House as well, since that one worked out so well.

In general then, I've got a few tips from my limited experience with camping meals. First, try before you camp! Find something you like, because if you really found the food unpalatable in the woods you wouldn't be able to just run out for a pizza. Second, it seems like you're better off getting simple dishes, and avoiding anything with too long of an ingredient list. Third, and this is important, make sure you're hungry when you take one for a test drive so that you get a feeling for how well it will fill you up. Most of these pouches advertise that there's enough food for two people there, but I've read reviews from several people who said that they would consider that only enough food for one. Make sure that if you're planning on splitting the pouch that you won't end up hungry.

All of that said, I think they're a brilliant concept, especially for backcountry camping. They are light weight, easy to prepare, and can be eaten right out of the pouch they come in. Certainly worth checking out if you're planning a lengthy and remote camping trip. Hope that helps, and tune in soon for more gear discussions.

Follow Me

Unfortunately this is not a post about any travel plans.  I'm actually just letting you all know of another way to follow what I'm up to, called Twitter.  Many of you are likely familiar with Twitter, but here's a background for the lay person.  Twitter is a bit like a blog, except each post can only be 140 character long.  The idea is that it will be updated frequently with up-to-the-minute information about what you're up to.  In theory (and I've had no luck with this so far) I should be able to post updates with a simple SMS text message from my mobile phone.  It's something I'm considering the next time I'm on the go.  If I can't get to a proper computer to make full blog entries here, I can still post quick updates on Twitter.  If you're interested in following my exploits just go to www.twitter.com and sign up.  Then follow "Spazmodiar", that's my user name.

Jamaican Me Crazy

Okay, let me start by apologizing for the title of this post... I've had that one loaded up for weeks.  :)

Just got back from Jamaica!  I was there for my cousin's wedding.

I've gotta say, that's a brilliant concept.  A small wedding in a beautiful setting with a built-in honeymoon.

I think there were about 28 people there for the wedding; just family and close friends.  It was really great as a bit of a family reunion, since we don't all get together very often.  I can't think of a nicer place to get together either.  I've got a couple shots that I've uploaded here:

Dad in front of a Traveller's Palm

A shot of the resort, Riu Club Hotel Negril

I really didn't get many pictures.  I spent a great deal of time scuba diving, which I didn't have my camera for.  It was a funny (and serendipitous) turn of events that lead to the scuba diving.  I just went into a dive shop near work in order to pick up a new mask and snorkel, just in case I wanted to do a little snorkeling in Jamaica.  They mentioned that they offered scuba courses, and invited me to come out and try a bit of scuba in their indoor pool.  I tried it out on the Wednesday of that week, and enjoyed it so much that I signed up for the course of Saturday and Sunday.  That weekend was filled with classroom study, and practice in the pool.  In order to complete my PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) scuba certification I just needed to complete 4 open water dives with a certified instructor.  Unexpectedly I was actually able to complete all 4 dives in Jamaica!  That was really exciting!

It was pretty wavy out in the open water, and it made for a bit of sea-sickness on the boat to and from the dive sites.  It got a little easier each time though.  Something I'll just have to get used to I guess.  Unfortunately the wave action also stirred up the bottom a bit, so visibility wasn't at 100%, but it was still excellent.  I saw many rays, an octopus, and a baby Morray Eel.  It was a new experience, and one that was totally unplanned for, but I've really fallen in love with scuba diving.  I'm really excited about local diving opportunities this summer.

Well, that's all for now.  I just wanted to give a quick overview of the trip.  I might come on later and get into some more specific details.  I'll also be back with some details of my next trip once I've started getting things ironed out.

Coming Up

Well, the next vacation has been decided on. I'm using the word "vacation" quite specifically here, as there will be no adventure in this one. In January I'm heading to Jamaica for my cousin's wedding. Should be very nice; I haven't been to the Caribbean in quite a long time. I'm actually looking forward to a vacation where I won't be doing anything more strenuous than lifting a margarita glass.

I've been checking the area out on Google Earth, and I think there might be some reef action right off the beach, but it's always hard to tell. Sometimes a darkening of the water can be coral, sometimes it's just seaweed. Here's the coordinates if you are interested:

18° 21.351N, 78° 20.290W

I'm going to have to start posting coordinates for all the places I visit. Google Maps will accept standard GPS coordinates, but if you really want good detail I recommend downloading Google Earth. It's a pretty sweet program. The camp on Deacon Lake in Killarney was at:

46° 10.303N, 81° 13.857W

Well, that's all the news for now. I'll keep you posted as the Jamaica plan comes into greater focus. Also, I'm also planning the next great adventure so I'll keep the discussion on that open. There's been a lot of talk about Iceland lately, so there may be some news on that front soon. Stay tuned for further updates!

Killarney

Been back home, and back in action for a week now, so I wanted to get on a get a few photos uploaded. We managed to get an internet connection a few times at the lodge, but there was no way I was going to attempt to upload photos.



This is a shot of the base camp on Deacon Lake. We're actually on an island in the middle of the lake, which was pretty sweet. This shot is facing roughly North East, so you can't see, but the camp was quite exposed on the West side, which ended up being a bit of a problem since there was a STRONG wind coming out of the West. Not a huge problem though, it was just a little tricky getting the tarps up.



I wanted to put up this shot because before I left I was going on and on (and on) about my new tent. The forest green triangle that looks a bit like a stealth aircraft is my awesome hammock-tent! For those who aren't familiar that's a fully-enclosed hammock with bug netting on the top, and what you are seeing is the tent fly that goes over it. It makes for a weather-proof, bug-proof shelter, just as good as a tent, but it's only 1kg, and you don't have to sleep on the ground. Obviously it has a few downsides, such as not having anywhere out of the weather to put your packs, but I just threw it in the vesibule of my brother's tent (yellow and orange in the background) and I was good to go.



Once we got back to the lodge things were a lot more relaxed. Just hiking, kayaking, and generally taking it easy. Mom and Zoe stayed at the lodge while the rest of us camped, so obviously the shot above was once we were back. It's not often that you can get a good shot of Zoe since she's oddly camera-shy, so I thought I should post this momentous shot. This is actually on a short hike we took along lighthouse trail which, obviously, heads out to a lighthouse a little way outside of the town of Killarney. There was a great place to swim there, which was the ultimate goal of our hike.



Of course, we had to do one serious hike on this trip, so we headed up to The Crack, shown above. It's a bit tricky to see the main point in this photo, but it's slightly left of centre, and it's the split in the rock face, you end up on the right (from our perspective) of the crack. It was a great hike, with a fantastic view from the top.

Well, I'm going to go easy on my total upload space and leave it at that for photos. Needless to say we had a great trip! I'm looking forward to my next trip, though I'm not absolutely sure what that will be. It looks like there's a very strong chance that I'll be heading to Jamaica in January with my family for my cousin's wedding. I'm not sure if that will be my next trip though. I'd actually like to make another run up to Killarney in the fall. I was up there with Dad and Graydyn last September and that was a great time of year to be camping. I wouldn't mind having another climb up Silverpeak, just like last September. If we can get Bell Lake it's possible to get a camping spot that's only about a 20 minute paddle away from the trail to Silverpeak, and just as close to the launching point. Obviously not much of a paddling vacation, but it allows for a lot more focus on the actual camping. Giving that one some thought, but I'll have to see if the other guys are interested in another Killarney camping trip so close to the last one.

I'll keep you all posted!

On The Road Again... FINALLY

Okay, so I just logged in and Blogger reminded me that I haven't posted anything since January. That's a little embarrasing... especially since I said I was going to be getting into the habit of regular posts. In my defense, I've been a bit busy. In my prosecution (opposite of defense?) I've mostly been busy playing World of Warcraft. Sorry. :)

Well, I'm finally doing something worthwhile again.. travelling! I'm up in Killarney right now with my parents, Graydyn, and Jay. Oh, and of course Zoe is here too. :) Gray, Jay, Dad, and I have just come out of the interior of Killarney Park where we camped for a couple days of lovely Deacon Lake. Now we're at Killarney Mountain Lodge where we are going to spend the next week relaxing. From here on in it's nothing but good food and lots of hiking and swimming.

Had a great camping trip. It was about a 4 hour paddle in to the lake, with a few lift-overs to actually get into the lake, so we didn't see very many people once we got there. I got to try out my newest piece of gear; a very cool hammock-tent. The basic idea is that it's a hammock that is completely enclosed by a bug net and has a tent fly that sits over it. The end result is a hammock that is also a fully functional tent. No sleeping on the ground for me!

I'd post pictures at this point, but the net connection here is very slow (roughing it) and I think it would take forever. I'll try to get some pictures posted when I get home. With any luck I'll actually remember to do it too! :)

That's all for now. I might try to make it on a few more times during the week for brief status updates.

-Colin

The Votes Are Rolling In...

...okay, so maybe not "rolling" but thanks to all those who have responded to my request for travel suggestions. :) I haven't really got around to telling everyone that I've started posting here again, but hopefully we'll start to see traffic picking up soon.

It's nice to see such a wealth of travel destinations suggested... equally nice is the number of perspective travel companions that I now have. I've gotta say, the British Isles have always been high on my list, but they are starting to edge their way to the top. I've got family there who I'd like to go meet, and family here who would be willing to go introduce me. :) Also, Andrew and Polina have both visited England in the recent past as well as my Grandparents and Aunt, so I've been getting a lot of jealousy from the stories I've been hearing, and pictures I've been seeing. Maybe it's time for a trip... :)

Anyway, I promised more photos for those of you who haven't seen mine yet. I like to keep each post manageable, so once again I'm only going to post a few. Keep coming back for more!

This picture from Tokyo goes very nicely with the next one. I'm standing on a street corner, and 180 degrees, directly behind me is this:

Stunning park right in the middle of Tokyo. Love it! This was during my one full day in Tokyo where I was on my own, before I headed to Nobeoka.

After all the moaning I did about how trying it was to get up Mt. Fuji, I thought I should at least show you all what I went up there to see.

Of course, I also have to temper that with a shot of what I climbed with/through to get up there. I say again, climb in the off season!!!

Anyway guys, I'm off. Thanks for stopping by, and keep the suggestions flowing. Where do you want me to blog from next? :)

-This is Colin, over and out.