Lafuma Micro Popup chair

Super comfy Lafuma Micro Popup chair

Worth every dollar.  This little chair fits in the duffel and on the side of a day pack  and is ultimately comfortable.

 2013 Update:  Still love the lafuma chairs, but there is a new winner for our pack backs.   See our new blog entry on the BSA UL chair.

2012 Update:  Having these at the 2012 Summit Shakedown @bechtelsummit made a world of difference. Light enough at 2.5 pounds to carry strapped to the day pack or to a meeting where standing or hard chairs are available.  We got tons of complements and "where did you get those" questions.  The answer is at REI.com, however we have a direct link to Amazon which sells them as well.  (Steve has decided that if it ever breaks he is ordering another that very moment.) They seem very strong and sturdy.  The chair is surprisingly easy to get up from compared to the pad type on-the-ground chairs.  Putting boots on and changing socks from this chair is a breeze.

See more pictures after the jump including an update.

UltraLight Backpacking for Scouts

Mike Dubrall (miked@50miller.com) brings us a good read on scouts getting into ultralight backpacking.  (HT http://www.scoutingnews.org/2012/07/10/ultralight-backpacking-for-scouts/).  He says "The only way to significant lower your pack weight is to replace your backpack, tent/shelter, and sleeping system – often called the “Big Three of Backpacking” and pay the price at the cash register."

I will never get my pack weight down to 15 pounds, but he is right that significant changes can be made in the sleeping system, pack and tent.  Elsewhere, we have reviewed our Big Agnes tent (4.6 lbs), our small sleeping systems (mine is 2.47 pounds) sleeping bag, pad and pillow, Kimberly's is 3.4 pounds), and my pack is an REI flash pack (REI link) (3 pounds) and Kimberly's Gregory Jade (REI link) is 3.97 for a total of 7.7 lbs for me and 9.7 for Kimberly -- that is tent, sleeping system and pack.  Not so bad for a couple of aging scouters.

Here is Mike Dubrall's chart from his blog for your comparison.  Where does your stuff fall?

Source:  50miller.com

Big Agnes Copper Spur 3 UL Tent Review

The big Agnes Copper Spur 3 is the ideal tent for us.  We saw this as the Backpacker Magazine tent of the year 2011 and loved its features.   We went to REI in Pittsburgh and with our substantial member rebate purchased our most expensive tent so far.

We have purchased quite a few tents and this is absolutely our "go to" tent for all outings.  It is worth every penny, er, dollar.

See our review after the jump.

Best Purchase(s) Ever

Earlier in this blog, Steve told you about his small sleeping system. This post is about my system.

After spending a 4 day camping trip laying on rock in the early 2000's, I had decided camping would require cots and a very large tent to accommodate them. The large tent then begged to be filled up with more and more gear. On scout trips the scoutmaster was easy to find because all you had to do was look for the largest tent in the group. It wasn't long before our camping accommodations were referred to as the "Taj Mahal". We had all the comforts of home, but being the last ones to set up and the last ones to tear down was getting old.

7 Habits of a Comfortable Aging Scouter

My family used to camp when I was a teenager and I hated it and avoided it as a young adult. When I married a scoutmaster, I knew it was time to give it a second chance. It's amazing what you can learn from an Eagle scout. If you ever have a chance to camp with one, I highly recommend it!  To see my 7 habits read on after the jump.