The HECS suit is designed for hunters, by hunters. Works out well that way. They offer two styles, single colored base layer, or camo based layer that doubles as pajamas. That last part is speculation, but I did spend four days strait wearing them, so yeah. My Dad and I bought the camo jams because they are more versatile in a broader range of weather. We also bought the gloves, because it’s only money.

The fabric is light weight and sturdy utilizing faraday technology to block the electrical signature of the wearer. Sounds like snake oil. And they do cost a fair amount for what appears to just be super pajamas. After a year of multi-season use in the field with them I feel qualified to comment on their effectiveness.

As I pointed out in the beginning (The beginning of the post, not the literal beginning), I hunt turkey. And while they may be rather stupid, they do put forth a great deal of effort to stay alive, of which I cannot blame them. They also have extremely keen eyesight when it comes to detecting movement and florescents. It is also postulated (I may need to put on some smart glasses for the rest of this) that some animals can detect and react to the electrical fields put off by other living creatures. Deer and turkey are among those believed to posses such ninja like skill.

Armed with the knowledge that turkeys have crazy peepers and are keeping their eyes peeled for movement, florescent sparkles, and electric fields, most people head over to the local grocer and buy a butterball. For those of us stalwart hunting folk the thrill is in the chase. Camo clothes and a statuesque technique has won the day for turkey hunters throughout the centuries, but this is the future! If you want to get up close and personal, you need HECS.

I’ll be the first to say that even wearing magic PJs doesn’t make you feel any less like a spotlight while out hunting. To accurately depict the effectiveness of the product I shall tell a tale. In the waning hours of a September day, a handsome and charming hunter was setting up for an ambush on the backside of a cattle paddock. Mr. Hunter Charming decided to position himself up against one of the paddock posts and point towards a turkey path that appeared to get frequent use. As has been the case on previous occasions, the turkey jump our dedicated hunter from behind. With the lead hen perched atop the paddock completely unaware of this dashing hunter not ten feet from her, the rest of the flock wandered right past this flaming ball of charisma and had no clue he was sitting right out in the open.

You can bet if I had any doubt about whether this technology had any merits, this experience confirmed it. Later on in the freezing (literally, I’m not just being a whiner) cold of December I was laying out prone for ten minutes while a flock of turkey stood right on the other side of a fence and ended up harvesting two turkey in one shot. After the shot half the flock flew over the fence and landed right next to me.

I’m not sure why I even bother hiding while hunting anymore. Mostly cause it feels weird to be out in the open. My one disappointment with the suit was the fact that I blew out several seams in the not inexpensive gloves. After both gloves pretty well gave up the ghost with very light use I contacted HECS directly. They replaced them immediately, postage paid, and out of the warranty period without question. They also replaced my Dad’s gloves which hadn’t failed yet but had the same single seam stitching. The replacements had double stiching with a sturdier thread.

PRO tip: the gloves are like a blood sponge. Keep a pair of nitrile gloves on you and put them on after you harvest a game animal. I usally just slip them over my gloves so I don’t lose anything in the field.

Consider this hunter convinced. This is a great company and a great product. I try to get out at least twice to three times a year hunting. With frequent trips into the field the cost is well worth the performance. And as I mentioned, they make for a great set of PJs too.

It arrives with a decent storage sack and rolls up quite well. The factory has it split down the middle which produces a short fat roll. For TMEJ I rolled the mattress the traditional way without the half fold so I could stuff it into my pack upright. Call me a worry wort, but I don’t like my sleeping pad outside my pack scraping nature.

The outer portion of the mat has an air baffle, and the main body is 2″ inches of sweet comfy foam. This blend of foam and baffle give the mat its great R value and keeps pushing the weight down each new generation.

I had a chance to sleep on this mat after a long day of heavy hiking and it was on par with the Therm-a-rest Basecamp I use when car camping. That’s saying something. I also didn’t stay up all night listening to a crinckly mess, which is important to me. I also roll around at night and I would say the width on this mattress is about as narrow as I will go, otherwise I’d end up on the ground. I also discovered it was more comfortable with just a kiss of air as opposed to fully inflated. It felt more comfortable and confirming at half or less capacity once I was on it.

I chose to get the regular length so it will fit more tents as the years go on. Even though I’m technically longer than the pad I didn’t have any issues because I used my new pillow to make up the difference.

I’m very happy with its performance and we will be buying my wife the ladies version this coming year.

I had a chance to try it out climbing Mt. Ellinor with Mr.AMX on June 15th. We ran into a good section of snow and were able to test our snow spikes, ice axes (Mr.AMX has the Raven in 75cm), and our snow baskets on our trekking poles. I also did some impromptu glissade work, but that’s a story for another day.

The matte finish on the shaft and head is fantastic. If you are going to have extra gear like an ice ax it helps when it looks cool! All kidding aside it is a hardy finish and provide a nice grip. As with other equipment in my arsenal I am no expert with an ice ax but the concepts are fairly simple. If anyone is looking for a good entry level ax that will still be useful after you’ve gained some experience I would recon this is the one to get. I did get it after all.

Not only is my head soft but I sleep on my side. If you have a soft head and sleep on your side then you must have a pillow. And I must have a pillow. Don’t ask me why, but for a man who must have a pillow I’ve ended up in the woods with no pillow far to often. Enter stage left the Therm-a-rest compressible camping pillow. 

I bought many pieces of equipment for TMEJ. Two pieces were part of my sleep system. One is obviously this pillow, the other is my sleeping mattress.  Like the assortment of sleeping pads there are many kinds of pillows out there. Some inflate, some compress, while others have nothing in them at all. My pillow is said to compress to one quarter its size. You can be the judge of that.

I’m pretty particular about my gear. Or certain gear at least. I’ve also established I’m a “spendthrift”. When I buy gear I know they will be used hard and put away wet, so I choose to invest in things that last. Inflatable pillows are all the rage, and seem to get all the glory due to light weight and small pack size. I haven’t met something inflatable that didn’t pop after what I consider a very short usage cycle. I’ve also tried the old “stuff a shirt with other things” method. Needless to say I won’t be buying an ultralight pillow case any time soon.

TMEJ is just around the corner so I’ll be updating with a full rundown of how well this pillow performs. I’m expecting good things. 

UPDATE 07/29/17: I have officially slept on this pillow for a total of one whole night in the backcountry. With my limited experience I can still say with certainty that this pillow and I will become very good friends in the coming years. I’ll continue to update as my usage goes up.

UPDATE 02/11/18: I have been using this pillow in the car for taking naps before work this winter. It’s very comfortable and because it’s chunks of foam it shapes easily to the various contours of the vehicles armrests. I don’t think I will ever give up this pillow. I still feel it is more than worth the weight and space. I can always leave behind something non-essential, like food ;p

The internet will tell you that the Black Diamond Apline Carbon Cork trekking poles are where it’s at. Why reinvent the wheel, right? Just do what the internet tells you and save up for the Black Diamond poles. At one half pound each and full carbon fiber shaft construction they don’t disappoint. 

The first thing I did when they arrived was to remove the wrist straps and mud baskets. Why you may ask? Because the internet told me to. And we’ve already established that we do what the internet tells us. I’ve had a chance to climb Mt. Ellinor in the Olympic National Park with these poles and they were fantastic! The carbide tip barely shows any of the use and the included snow baskets took the abuse from my snow spikes without skipping a beat.

These poles feature the Flicklock Pro steel clamps for a very positive lock. I use my gear hard and these poles are designed to stand up to the abuse. The handle is all cork, with a foam grip beneath if you need to quickly adjust where you are grabbing the pole. I’m all about cork, not so much about foam. If they made an all cork version I would have made that purchase. That being said the foam performs excellently and I was able to transition from the main grip and axillary grip seamlessly. 

I will be putting these poles through their paces with TMEJ and reporting back.

UPDATE 07/29/17: When you have fifty pounds on your back you better have some trekking poles. These poles held up great. After about forty miles of hard trail use the carbide tips still look almost new. The softer plastic housings for the tips are showing wear as would be expected from bashing around on rocks. The cork and foam grips worked flawlessly, as well as the Flicklock Pro adjusters. With miles of long steep descending trails I put full weight on these poles and didn’t experience any issues with locks slipping or poles deflecting. I have and will continue to recommend these to anyone who will listen.

Best way to save weight and stay hydrated is to bring a filtration device. I picked the Sawer 3 in 1 because I like options. Not only does it screw onto a soda style bottle, but it fits inline with my hydration bladder as well. Oh yeah, and as the title suggests, you can drink right from a body of water.

I currently have a Platypus 3 liter low profile bladder. Water gets heavy in a water bladder. . . really heavy. The Sawer comes with everthing you need to start an adventure including a straw (which I’ve never used). Rated for 100000 gallons of water, I’ll all be toasting my good health for many years to come. At just 2 oz (2.6 for me with my hydration lead hose that’s pictured) and .1 microns absolute it the only filtration I pack.

Since purchasing my filter it has joined me on every successive hike and outing. It’s rugged and versitile as well as offering a wide selection of color options. I have been slowly lowering my hydration carry weight and upping my reliance on local water sources to save weight. I have recommended the Sawer to everyone who inquires about emergency or outdoor filtration. Two thumbs up for the sawyer, if I were to adopt a thumb rating system. 

That aside, I’m  a man who likes to hike with the finer things in life. You know, like something to sit on. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for long grueling hikes and sparse camping setups, but I need something comfy to sit on in the field. Not only do I need a place to sit, but it must have four legs. I can’t do all the two legged ultralight chair stuff. I’d bite it big time before I could even get settled. As luck would have it my in-laws bought me one for Christmas for the trip.

My chair happens to be Wealers ultralight camp chair. According to my scale it comes in at 2 lbs 2 oz, which is 2 oz over the advertised weight. The materials themselves appear to be quite excellent, except for the feet which are made of a cheap hard plastic. I’m not sure how long they will last. I’ve manage to not do a single bit of camping in this chair which may have you asking why I’m reviewing it. Well I’ve spent a fair bit of time in it aside from camping. It gets a lot of patio and beach duty around my house and neighborhood. my wife has used it several times as well will positive results.

The chair is a breeze to assemble, with the most difficult part placing the cover over the  last two parts of the frame. This gives the cover some tautness and support. As with anything that purports to be “ultralight” and made of aluminium a certain level of care is needed. I end up refraining from my usual plop, which does take some restraint on my part.

Once you are done the chair packs up easy peasy. The best part is the case is just the right size for the chair without any extra to add needless bulk. While on TMEJ I plan to leave the case behind and pack the chair in one of the pouches my pack has. It’s easy to wrap a tie around the frame and cover to save a little extra weight and bulk.

This stove weighed in at 10.4 oz on my home scale with the included case, which is a nice blaze orange. I spent an inordinate amount of time searching for a quality wide stove that had a remote locating fuel hose. This keeps everything low and helps prevent tipping. It also allows for the use of a wind barrier, which I don’t presently own

She folds up nice and tidy but it takes some practice getting the hose wrapped just right to slip back in the case. All three legs fold up under the stove and then rotate tight to the base to make it nice and compact.

The level of flame control is superb, especially for a stingy guy like me. I’m a rather thrifty person so I use my fuel sparingly. I’ve run about one 8 oz canister in my three trips. with the dial knob you can run a nice simmer flame or a “roaring” blaze. I usually go for something in the middle.

As mentioned before, when I got into the field and started using the stove it’s built in striker was less than impressive. After spending some time at home bending the mounting bracket I was able to achieve 100% operation. I always bring matches and a lighter for making fires, and it helps as a backup.

I have three trips under my belt with this stove and I will gladly admit it is fantastic. I’ve prepared ramen, dehydrated camp meals, eggs, oatmeal, hot grape nuts, soup, and I’m sure a few more things I can’t even remember. I pack pretty light when I go out,  and the stove usually cooks either a hot breakfast or hot dinner.

I bought the stove on amazon, but it is currently unavailable. Thems the breaks kid. “Fire-Maple Fms-105 Portable Camping Stove with Piezo Ignition”

So, how does any of this apply to my upcoming journey? Well I’ve already established that I wear hats. Now I’ll mention that I don’t like sunburns. What would be better than to pick up a boonie style hat with neck protection for Summer. Now I know what everyone is thinking. There are some great name brand boonie hats that would cover most of my needs. But why pay retail when you can get a cheapy hat from amazon, right? And being a prime member I got my amazing hat in two days! If I being more attentive I would have taken some pictures of the hat in the package. It happened to arrive folded into quarters, which worked “great” for a fully brimmed hat, if you can imagine doing such a thing.

sometimes you buy something and feel like you got a great deal. Sometime you feel a little cheated. I paid $9.99 for this hat, and as part of a feeling I rarely have concluded that this hat was worth exactly what I paid for it.

The Good:

The material is light weight with a ring of mesh around the crown portion of the hat. It breathes well and even offers some light rain protection. There is a shock cord for adjusting the cinch around your noggin for a “custom fit” that does the job. A neck strap offers some versatility when the wind kicks up. A neck cover comes with the hat that hooks up easily. I even like the color.

The Bad:

As mentioned the hat came folded. Poor decision making at the shippers, though I was able to get the creases out by working it for a few days. The brim buttons up in a rather clumsy poorly designed way that pulls at the unstructured upper portion. The inner lining seems to be made for someone else’s head because it’s sewn a little too far out for probably anyone.

The Internet:

The moment of truth. Is this amazingly priced, committee designed, bargain assembled hat worth owning. Well considering I wear it out fishing, and for some yard work, as well as out with my son to the lake, I have to say it is fairly comfortable. It is definitely the most ten dollaryist hat I’ve owned, but it will serve it’s purpose quite nicely. Now I too can look good on the trail, and I’m saving money!

DISCLAIMER: I purchased this hat with my own money and provided this review for everyone’s reading pleasure without compensation. If you would like to purchase this item from amazon you can use my link below that will provide me with a small commission from their affiliate program.

Fashion Summer Outdoor Sun Protection Fishing Cap Neck Face Flap Hat Wide Brim (G)