GetTheFunOut

Photo copyright - Matt Bonham/http://www.mattbonham.com 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", 235 pounds, dress shirt is 17"x37".    I wear XL-tall shirts and 38x34 pants—as long as they’re not straight legged, boot cut, or whatever else skinny hipsters have pushed the market toward. 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 should still help you find usable gear. Each year I return to the Blue Ridge Mountain area of Virginia to hunt white-tailed deer.    Each year I am c...

If you've lived your entire Phoenix life without knowing the fall wonderland that lies 2 hours to the north, then you've been missing one of the greatest highlights of Arizona.  The trees of Northern Arizona create some of the most beautiful fall colors I've ever seen. 

On Saturday I hiked to the top of the highest mountain in Arizona--the 12,633' Mt. Humphreys.  It's the second time I've done the hike, the first being about 6 years and multiple hiking and backpacking trips ago.  I treated it not much different from any other hike I've done and since I hiked the Inca Trail last year didn't think of it as much of a challenge. I'm going to be in trouble if my Mom reads this, but I've never had a hike where I was more genuinely terrified that I wouldn't make it off the mountain. 

Last year I took my first trip to Havasupai Falls in northern Arizona.  It was a whirlwind 2-day, 1-night trip that included just enough time to see Supai and Mooney Falls, relax in the water, and hike out.  This year I revisited Havasupai, but extended the trip to 4-days, 3-nights, which gave plenty of time to explore further down the canyon to Beaver Falls and almost to the Colorado River.  Read all about it!

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.