biffnix

Hey, thanks for the update. I run a VPS myself over at inyo.space just to run a phpBB instance, and am aware of the costs involved. Maybe one day I'll try to get a lemmy instance running there, but I'm happy that others are getting lemmy off the ground now. I'm not sure how best to promote your instance here, so more users can subscribe to it, but if I can help, just let me know.

Cheers.

So, as a long time backpacker, I found my holy grail series of packs from Nunatak gear.

A couple of seasons ago, I ran into someone beta-testing a Nunatak "Bears Ears 50" model pack. It carries a bear canister at the bottom of the pack, at the hip. It's such an obvious and simple idea, and it's amazing that no one else really ever designed it. But Jan over at Nunatak build this for himself, as a climber as well as a backpacker, who often spends time where a bear canister is required.

I live in Bishop, California, and all of the areas nearest me require bear canisters for overnight trips. So, I was intrigued.

I checked out the pack that this guy was beta testing, and when I asked what he liked best, the answer surprised me. I thought it would be the weight distribution, or the minimal pack weight, but instead he pointed out that the hip-belt water bottle holders were the best he'd used.

I was using an Osprey Exos at the time, and this was a major frustration for me. Water bottles slid easily into the side pockets, which are angled for ease of use, pulling a bottle in or out. But it turns out that if you bend over (to tie your shoe, or pick something up off the ground, or even lean over to take a photo) then a full bottle would slide out. I use Smartwater bottles, as most do these days, and when it happened one one trip, the darned bottle hit a rock and cracked, making it useless to me. Frustrating.

The Nunatak uses a water bottle holder that is just foolproof. They don't fall out, are ultralight, and are mounted slightly behind the hip, making it so your arms don't hit them when hiking, but are still very easy to reach.

The unique bear can system is also perfect for me. Having a canister lowest in the pack makes for a much more natural weight distribution while hiking and especially when climbing or boulder scrambling. The Nunatak Bears Ears is perfect for that.

The original Bears Ears 50 is frameless, and that works fine for me almost all of the time, but Jan has designed framed versions that are now available, as well. For a pack with up to a 30-lb load rating, it is ultralight, and durable.

Oh, you don't HAVE to carry a bear canister, either. Nunatak sells a bag-in-lieu-of-canister solution, which I have used in areas that don't require a bear canister. It's basically a bag roughly the size of a standard bear canister that you can stuff with anything you like, and put it in the place where the bear canister would go. I've stuffed it with my quilt, and extra water bottles, when I was hiking in an area that didn't require a canister.

Anyway, here's the link to their site for their Bears Ears series of packs:

Nunatak packs

Lol. I waited a good long time before upgrading from the 6D. The price is finally coming down on the R5, but probably because there is a a R5 v2 coming sooner rather than later. It's still an expensive upgrade, though. I'm finally in a place in my life where I can afford it, so I did make that leap. It's a big upgrade from the 6D. It's probably not as big an upgrade from 5D Mark IV, though, if that's what you've got. The 5D MkIV is a great camera, and still takes incredible shots. I passed down my 6D to my son, so we'll see if he ever even uses it...

Heh - I think this is just an old drainage ditch. I imagine post war it was mostly a sewer…. ;)

Thank you!

Thanks. This was from a dirt pole line road where I walk the dog in the evening. You never know when an interesting composition will catch your eye…

Thank you. I’ve been there before, but never really timed it right, and so missed the prime blooming season. But going in June turned out to be excellent timing. It is an incredible garden when everything is blooming as it was when I was there. Just lucky.

Please do post your photos from France! I have some from Monet’s garden in Giverny when my wife and I visited a few years ago that turned out well. I’d love to see yours.

Ah, gotcha. I was just reading an article last week about how Yosemite saw record crowds over the Independence Day holiday. (Local paper, the Inyo Register). Lovely photo, thanks for sharing it.

Thanks! It really surprised me as well. This was taken from the balcony of my son’s apartment in Portland, the evening I first got my Canon R5.

And if you wanted to teach Korean in another country, would you rather teach in Syria, an African country, or the US or Europe?

I’m sorry you feel that way. Cultural exchange programs such as the JET programme in Japan, and whatever equivalent there is in Korea are wonderful programs which promote and encourage understanding amongst nations. And the world can certainly use more understanding instead of less. I appreciate the perspective, though.

When were you there last? I hadn’t been since 1990. A lot has changed, of course. But, it’s still a great place to visit.