GetTheFunOut

First Course posts are my thoughts after my first time dining somewhere. While some may think it harsh to judge a restaurant  after one visit, my first impressions play a large role in determining if I will return.  Restaurants have to realize that about their customers and always bring their A game. Verdict: might as well stop by. Patio is amazing, good beer list, and tasty cocktails make it worthwhile.

Big Guy Gear Reviews are what the sound like--gear reviews focused on the usability for big guys. If you're a proportional six-footer, congrats: you can use literally every piece of gear on the market. If you're a big guy, however, you know it's a frustrating marketplace. I'm here to help. For reference, here are my basic dimensions: 6'5", 260 pounds, dress shirt is 17"x37".  I wear XL shirts and 38x34 pants.  I'm built with more of a weak-man's barrel chest than a fat-man's beer belly. I  have what Lululemon calls "hockey butt." If you're tall and not broad, or broad and not tall, these reviews will still help you find usable gear. Being a big guy and finding a sleeping bag mix like oil and vinegar, with no option to emulsify. At this point I've tried and returned so many bags that I'm keeping my current bag out of embarrassment more than complete satisfaction (though it is pretty comfortable comparatively).

There are few items more foundational to camping or backpacking than a sleeping bag. And contrary to what I expected, it's not entirely realistic to just order a bag and get something that works for you. Sleeping bags are unlike clothing or tents or backpacks where fit mostly affects comfort; with a sleeping bag fit can easily affect function. Too big of a bag, resulting in too much dead space, can reduce the warmth of your bag. Go too far to the other extreme with too snug of a bag and you'll compress the insulation and get cold spots. Trying on sleeping bags is as close to playing Goldilocks that most people will ever get.

This is real and it's in Arizona.  Yes. Over Easter weekend some friends and I backpacked to Havasupai Falls on a 2 day/1 night trip.  It was an amazing trip and I highly recommend it.  In the past I felt it was a daunting excursion based on anecdotes from acquaintances who had made the trip.  Whether they had tales of woe about getting a permit, or waxed hyperbolic about the rigors of the hike, or showed their ethnocentric side about the Supai community, it just seemed like a trip that was quite an undertaking.  Well, it's not.  So, if you had the same impression as me go ahead and try again.