HikerDeals' Best-of-the-Best Outdoor Gear Deals:
- Sierra Trading Post: Extra 15% Off Fishing, hunting & Work Gear
- Moosejaw: 10% off with coupon code MOOSE, extra 10% off sale items with code SUPERSALE
- Sierra Trading Post: Extra 10% Off Boots, Shoes, Gear, and Workout Apparel + January Coupon 10% Off $100+ Orders
HikerDeals Bargain, Deal, and Sale Archive for 'Quick Tips' Category
Hydration Bladder Care Tip #2: Get Rid of the Funk
The best thing I’ve found to de-funk hydration system bladders, like Camelbaks, is to drop in a several denture cleaning tablets. Even name-brand Efferdent is cheaper and more effective than the cleaning tabs sold by most camping gear shops.
Remember to open the hose valve or to not to seal the bladder completely, since the bubbles from the tablets could burst the bladder otherwise.
Now that your Camelbak bladder is clean keep the funk from coming back with tip #1.
$88.17 - Sherpa Khumbu 30-degree Synthetic Sleeping Bag
A big 40% off this Khumbu synthetic-fill sleeping bag makes for a summer camping bargain from Backcountry Outlet. The Thermolite Extra insulation isn’t the lightest or most-compressible synthetic fill on the market. It’s still survivable though, as the bag’s weight of 3lbs. 6oz. is only about a half-pound heavier than similar long bags and the money saved can go toward a good sleeping pad or a camping chair for non-backpackers. Nonetheless, the shingled construction is higher-end and will prevent cold spots well, plus the bag is still much smaller and lighter than many of the ~$40 bags from Target or WalMart.
The $88 is an even bigger bargain since BackcountryOutlet.com also has free shipping and no sales tax outside of Utah.
Keep the Funk Out of Hydration/CamelBak Bladders
Even if the only thing you’ve had in your CamelBak or hydration system bladder is water it can still get a little funky. Empty it and store in the freezer to prevent weird tastes and funk from growing.
Even with only a bit of leftover water in it, when a bladder sits in the closet half-empty for weeks at a time the weird tastes from water fountains and backcountry water can seep into it. When things are frozen nothing can grow or seep into the bladder material.
$80 & $90 - Victorinox Adventure Convertible Travel Packs
Adventure packs are great for Eurail travel and athletic trips based out of a hotel (instead of a tent). Half backpack and half luggage, the backpack straps and hipbelt are well-padded but can be covered by a zip-off cover or completely removed. Many convertible backpacks like these two Victorinox Adventure models also feature detachable daypacks for really sporty daytrips and pull-out rain covers to keep that dry-clean-only outfit from getting soggy.
Both the 4200 and 3200 cubic-inch models are on clearance at Sierra Trading Post:
- The large 4200-inch Victorinox Adventure backpack is $89.95, 67% off
- The mid-sized 3200-inch Victorinox Adventure backpack is $79.95, 66% off
Save an extra $10: the next link applies a 10% off coupon at checkout, but your order must be $100 or more: 10% off $100+ Sierra Trading Post
$65 - Primus Multifuel Stove - Liquid & Canister Fuel-Compatible
The year the Primus Multifuel stove was introduced it made a huge splash at the Outdoor Retail Expo (the convention where all sorts of gear-store employees and gear junkies beg and borrow to get into each year) when Primus ran it for several days straight on 151-proof rum. A few other stoves could briefly burn “151″, but they would usually clog and need cleaning after just a few hours. In addition to burning on bad fuel and boiling a quart of water really fast, this stove can trim the flame down to a low simmer without sputtering out.
What was even more impressive was that Primus had the foresight to make the stove compatible with both liquid-fuel bottles and compressed gas cartridges. I know most backpackers spending more than a week in the backcountry or out in the winter prefer liquid fuel, but canisters are cheaper if you don’t go camping that often and always easier & safer for new campers to use.
The newest multifuel stoves add the ability to run on vegetable oil (aka: biodiesel) but the original Primus Multifuel is still a fast-cooking, durable stove worth a look when it’s priced at just $65 and ships for free.
$77 - Ground Sirius Men’s PrimaLoft Synthetic-down Jacket
Living in southern California now I often forget about how many cold, wet spring trips cabin fever drove my friends and I to take. If you’re in the same boat either constantly worry about keeping your down parka dry or find a squeeze-dry synthetic fill parka.
A good example is this new, on-clearance PrimaLoft jacket for $77. No direct-links into REI, so search for item # 747636 to see the Ground Sirius at REI-Outlet.com. Same cut and features at most down jackets, a few ounces more weight at 1 pound, 12 ounces, and the lack or worry knowing it will still insulate in a downpour and can get almost dry just by squeezing it out.
One tip on synthetic fill jackets like this: don’t wring or shake them out. Wringing tears the fibers apart and reduces their insulation ability and shaking can redistribute the insulation and leave cold spots.
Camping Trick: Boil Water in a Plastic Bottle
I’ve cooked muffin mixes and sweet breads by putting the dough in a ZipLoc-type freezer bag and dropping it into a pot of boiling water.
Try that one sometime, it never burns the dough and won’t melt the plastic bag as long as there’s enough water that the bag doesn’t rest on the bottom of the pot - and don’t seal the top of the bag or steam will pop it open & keep the open top of the bag out of the water unless you want to make dough soup.
Then, if you really feel like showing off it looks even easier to boil water in a plastic bottle. Watch out for splashing hot water on your mitts though. Anyone who can go try this in the backyard firepit or who doesn’t mind possibly getting a bit of plastic in their grill please leave a comment below:
$19.95 - Black Diamond NightRay LED Headlamp (While Supplies Last)
A Steep and Cheap-class deal from Backcountry.com today (I think both sites are run by the same people anyway). The Black Diamond NightRay LED headlamp is marked down 50%, from $39.95 to $19.95 - starting today, 1/25/2007, and ending when current supplies are out. Hopefully supplies will last a while because the Backcoutry webstore says they have quite a few in stock, right now: “Quantity on hand: 946″.
Update, Feb. 6, 2007: Per our reader’s comment, the headlamp price is up to $27.95 (even with 505 of them still in stock). That price is still a 30% discount, but so much for the super-low price “promise”
The NightRay headlamp follows in Black Diamond’s tradition of making excellent headlamps. It’s light at 4.2 ounces, but the 5 LEDs and high-intensity should replace bigger and heavier traditional bulb headlamps instead of keeping this LED lamp just as a backup or ultralight. The 5 LEDs get 60 hours of burn time from 3 AAA batteries in a back-of-head battery-pack, giving the lamp good balance and better comfort than ultralight headlamps. The center LED is also focused with a separate lens to keep its light beam narrow and working for a longer distance than non-lensed LED headlamps.
What Waterproof Gear Ratings Mean
Ever wondered what those labels “5K waterproof rating” or “20,000mm waterproof coating” mean?
It turns out that even Gore Tex and similar waterproof membranes can soak through eventually. Those fabrics are typically rated to 20,000mm (or 20K, it’s the same thing). That means they can withstand at least 20,000 millimeters (about 66 feet) of rain over 24 hours. I did say “at least”, but a few hours under a high pressure hose could eventually soak through even the best membranes. The 5K or 5,000mm ratings mean the fabric can withstand 16-17 feet of rain over 24 hours.
Thanks to Backcountry Bob over at Backcountry.com for the explanation. Check out Bob’s article “What’s the deal with these waterproof ratings?” for a more detailed description than I wrote.
Amazon.com Customer Service Phone Number
The toll-free phone number for Amazon’s customer service phone number
1-800-201-7575
My experience with their customer service rep’s has been good. They can’t pull miracles out of thin air, like making packages with “guaranteed delivery” that are four weeks late appear on my doorstep, but they are friendly and don’t seem to be reading from a script like at most other customer service centers.
Half-Off Victorinox Swiss Army Knives and Multitool
Always useful when something goes wrong, all Victorinox knives and multitools are 50%, or more, off at Amazon.com this week. Some of my favorite models are the Swiss Huntsman knife
Welcome to Hiker Deals! RSS Feed Links
Hiker Deals has been linked by the WSJ today. Welcome new readers and sorry to any regular readers who are finding the site a bit slow. If you’re familiar with feeds and/or what RSS is, here are some easy links to subscribe to the site with:
$10 Off $30+ at Sierra Trading Post - Google Checkout
News about Google Checkout is already all over the web, but Hiker Deals readers may be interested to know that if you can get $10 off any order of $30, or more, at Sierra Trading Post if you use Google checkout to pay for a purchase.
Instead of entering your credit card with Sierra Trading Post you need to sign up for a Google Checkout account (ie: give them your credit card info) and then Google pays for your order by using your credit card. It’s supposed to be more secure than giving your credit card to “any old web store” … I agree, except that Sierra Trading Post isn’t just any web store. Still, it’s worth an extra $10 off camping gear or outdoor clothes.
Coupon: 25% Off Endurox and Accelerade Sports Drinks
I’m a big fan of drinking sports drink on the trail. It helps me to drink more than plain water and the extra flavors hide the funny taste of of iodine treated water (I’ve been treating water with iodine even after filtering it, ever since I watched a Pur promo-video of about animals and bacteria in the water). Getting in a few extra calories seems to help too, since I’m not quite as starved and rushed to get a meal cooked in the evening.
If you’ve ever used either Endurox or Accelerade drink mix you may like their new vanilla and chocolate flavors. You’ll also like that the coupon code SAVE06 knocks 25% off the price from www.accelerade.com.
One tip though, keep all sports drinks out of your hydration bladders or you’ll be replacing them every time you dump your gear in a hot trunk for the drive home.