Cocoon TravelSheets new to Powderfin.com

For the traveler who likes to bring along a little bit of familiar sleep comfort wherever they go, Cocoon's TravelSheets and Mummy Sleeping Bag Liners are indespensible.

They're also great if you travel a lot for work and simply have a phobia of hotel linens!

The most popular model is the Cocoon Coolmax TravelSheet, made with a soft and comofortable, yet techy Coolmax Coolmax moisture management fabric. Coolmax wicks moisture away from your body, keeping you warm and dry. If you're looking for sleeping bag liner to take with you to hot and humid destinations, the Cocoon Coolmax Travelsheet is an excellent choice. It's lightweight, wicks persperation, and easy to wash.

Coccon Coolmax Sleeping Bag Liner Features:

• Machine washable


• 10.8 oz, light and packable!


• 86" x 33"


• Reinforced gussets


• Pillow pocket built in

The next option is made from an amazing Silk and Cotton hybrid fabric with a little something special added called SeaCell....The Cocoon SeaCell/Cotton/Silk TravelSheet

The Cocoon SeaCell® TravelSheet is an ideal companion for any traveler. Adventure travelers will find it indispensable in hostels and “adventure hotels”, protecting them from questionable bedding while helping their skin and body to heal naturally. Business travelers will find it just as useful keeping the harsh chemicals used in today's hotel laundry off their skin while helping the skin and body to heal from the stress of the day.

In cosmetics, it is used to improve the blood supply of your skin and activate your skin cell metabolism thus promoting skin renewal. Moreover, seaweed-based products help to heal skin inflammations caused by infections or allergic reactions. At the same time, it protects your skin against free radicals and harmful environmental impacts. The second fiber found in the new sheets is SeaCell® Active. SeaCell® Active- is a cellulose fiber with incorporated seaweed and silver ions. Even in small concentrations, silver is anti-microbially effective. The antibacterial and fungicidal effects of SeaCell® Active were tested and confirmed by the renowned Hohenstein Research Institute. Additional tests carried out at Hohenstein also show that the positive properties of SeaCell® Active fibers remain unchanged even after many washings. The antibacterial and fungicidal properties of SeaCell® Active make it a perfect fabric for extended trips or trips to humid climates.

We would have never thought that fabrics could do so much, but it's been tested and it makes sense?

So why sleep on rough, nasty hotel sheets when you could be healing your sunburn and sleeping soundly at the same time?

Both Coolmax and SeaCell products are also available in Mummy Liner Sizes....

Griz in Griz Country

It was quite a happy occasion last Tuesday, as an old friend of mine from college, Griz, and his girlfriend Jessi came up to Big Sky Country for a visit. They drove up from Denver, spending a few days in Teton National Park, then making their way through Yellowstone before arriving in Bozeman.

Unfortunately, I had broken my foot playing soccer the a week before they came, and I was (still am) hobblin' around on crutches with a boot on the left foot. Could've been worse, that's for sure, but it wasn't the ideal situation for having the rare occurrence of a visit from good friends. I didn't figure that a bum wheel would hinder my ability to put-in and take-out a boat, untangle knots, or row... so we headed up to the Upper Madison on Wednesday. We got a late start, and didn't arrive in Ennis until around 5:30. After making our own meteorological predictions, we decided that a float that night wasn't a good idea based on the massive storm cloud hovering over the river to the North. It was the right call, we would have rowed into a nasty wind, gotten pounded by cold rain, and arrived at dark. I have to thank Jessie for that judgment call, because if left to Brandon and I, we would've ended up in the dark, drunk and wet. The weather that afternoon did provide a nice reprieve from the recent Montana heat...with temperatures at around 72 degrees when the storm was overhead.



After fighting off the mosquitoes at our campsite during dinner, we were treated to an amazing sunset on the Madison River. Truly amazing.




After a sunset like that, we figured the only sensible thing to do would be to go have a few cocktails in Ennis then retire for the evening.

As suspected, Thursday morning came and it was a beautiful day. Light breeze, pretty mild temperature, and some sunshine that willingly shared the Big Sky with multitudes of cloud gatherings in every direction. For some reason those clouds decided to let us stay warm and dry all day, and the trout seemed to have the same great attitude that afternoon.

Griz is a novice fly-fisherman, but picked up the rhythm quickly. About 10 minutes into our float he poked a nice brownie which told me immediately that it was gonna be a good day.



We finished off the day by stopping by Norris Hot Springs for a soak, where there happened to be this gorgeous blond woman who sang original bluegrass tunes and picked guitar. Then we gorged on Rosa's pizza when we got back to Bozeman. Not badski.

My feeling that it was 'gonna be a good day' was correct. It's not that we caught a ton of fish (although Griz did catch some good ones) it was more of a combinations of things...basically just what happens when good friends get to catch up on a Montana river. I float these rivers so often thinking, "man...'so and so' needs to see this", and when they actually make the trip it's pretty much the beez knees. It means the world to me, actually. So to Brandon and Jessie...thanks again for making the trip, and to the rest of you clucks who haven't made it up, I reckon I'll see you next year.

More music I like...

Two bands outta Portland to checkout....

1. Freak Mountain Ramblers

2. Foghorn Stringband (satisfied mind is an swesome song)

I hear Freak Mountain puts on a free show on Sunday evenings. Catch a show if you're in the area.

"Dog Days of Summer"

The last month has definitely flown by, a common occurrence for us here in Montana. We endure the long winter patiently (and sometimes not so patiently) so we can enjoy the beauty that is Montana Summer. Like most years, there's a laundry list of things to do... float the Dearborn, float tube Clark Canyon Reservoir, backpack into Slough Creek in Yellowstone, go up to Glacier National Park for the weekend, hike up to Pine Creek Lake, go to Targhee Bluegrass Festival, and the list goes on...


And here we are, in mid-July, and there are still a lot of things left on the list! It's actually been so hot around here that backpacking seems a little rediculous unless you gain a good deal of elevation...it's been 100 - 107 in Bozeman for the past 10 days or so! In any event, the past month has been very busy at Powderfin.com, but we've managed to have a great time as well. I had some visitors in town for about a week, which allowed me to get some great river time in on the Missouri and the Yellowstone. Here are some pictures from some recent floats.....








Ricky Bobby with his first ever fish
on a fly-rod....shortly after fumbling
out of the boat.

Right before the warm streak hit us....the last glimpse of snow in Paradise Valley.

4th of July on the Yellowstone River...not a bad spot for reflection.

Smitty and Hazzard lampin' up


Yellowstone Cutthroat - We like it when they eat hoppers!



Neil with a nice foam eatin' Bow.

Kitchen Sink Rapid in Beartrap Canyon

We headed to Beartrap Canyon on Saturday for some of the hydroelectric dam release water and really fun late season run. If you’re a kayaker, Beartrap Canyon has it all… incredible views, seclusion, and a variety of class 3 and 4 rapids.The video is of the Kitchen Sink rapid at 2000 CFS. It was so much fun that we ran it 3 times and it was great in spite of the carnage.

Mrs. Bubbles

Hi all,

Here are a few pics from Mrs. Bubbles, a stationary wave on the Yellowstone River. We surf it in our kayaks and attampt to throw tricks... with varying degrees of success...

Bridger Ridge Run Training

I have a friend who is training for his 7th consecutive Ridge Run, which is widely regarded as the hardest 20 mile race in existence. The race begins by climbing up Sacagawea peak (9,200ft ish), the highest in the Bridger Range, and follows the knife like ridge for the next 20 miles all the way to the “M” (a giant M on the side of the last mountain). It’s not really a run as traditionally thought, it’s more like a fast hike, occasional jog, controlled slide, and a lot of praying. For an idea of what it’s like check out this link, then click on “clients”, then click on “events” for a short movie.

Thankfully, today was only training. We parked at Bridger Bowl and hiked up to the ridge, then hiked/ran/cursed/stumbled the last half of the Ridge Run course. I had skied off of several of the peaks we encountered, but I couldn’t believe that anyone actually ran the whole thing. Hey, it’s 6,800ft elevation gain and 9,500 ft elevation loss… that’s a lot. The record is 3:08… are you kidding me? He rand the entire 20 miles in less time than it took us to do 10. This is loose rock the whole way, huge hills, high elevation, and very high injury risk to anyone who runs it. Roots, downed trees, and the majority of the run is a VERY exposed ridge line. If you fall, it’s going to hurt badly. With that said, we trudged along on our own 10 mile ridge excursion, and we did pretty well for a training run. I had never been up there in the summer time and the wild flowers were really something to behold, and of course, the views were incredible the whole way. The quads will hurt tomorrow.

Check out the Ridge Run Homepage or Stats

Beehive Basin and Ousel Falls

Hi all,

The weather in Montana has been incredible recently. A lack of posts usually means that we’re spending all our time outside and the last few days have been no exception. The first shots were taken in Beehive Basin, which you may have seen in previous backcountry skiing posts. In the summer it’s equally beautiful and covered in wild flowers. Sometimes we get a little artsy with the camera. The last picture is of Ousel Falls in Big Sky. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

The National Music Review/Suggestion

My sister insisted that I listen to The National, and I’m glad she did. The music is incredible and I like it the more I listen… so, listen to it.
Here is what Alec Hanley Bemis has to say about their music (an excerpt from the myspace page)…

“What exactly is The National going on about? Why are songs about love and war intertwined with songs about money and office life? Are these songs about all those topics at once? The only certain thing is that, like boxers, The National are making their way in a rough trade—a sport, a pastime, a violent thing. They get cut up and caught up in the ropes. They rip out the stitches though friends urge them not to. I won't lie. The National’s music is not easy to describe, but it’s very easy to listen to. It’s an antidote for uneasy times.”

Go to their myspace page and listen to “Fake Empire”, then others. I agree, "an antidote for uneasy times". Let me know what you think.

Cheers

Tagged: Powderfin, Outdoors, Outdoor Gear, The National, The National Reviews, Music Review, Bozeman, Montana

Kayaking Hyalite Creek

Hyalite Creek lies about 20 miles south of Bozeman and offers some excellent low-volume creeking. We were on it at medium levels. The run is a short and fast paced class IV+, with pinning, piton, broaching potential all over the place. It is a very bad place to be upside-down, and several of us were very thankful for our helmets and elbow pads. If you’ve never been down the creek but you’re thinking about going, I recommend doing it with someone who has been down it before and knows the lines. A class 5 boater could probably read-and-run most of the creek, but I had my hands full just following a seasoned veteran. The section is only 1.5 miles long, but it is full-on the whole time; we ran it twice. When it was all done, everyone had cuts and bruises. One person snapped their paddle trying to brace and ended up swimming a very difficulty section of the creek. We had to z-drag the boat out from a snag in the middle of the creek. It’s an incredible run and we were smiling in spite of our soreness.

Tagged: Powderfin, Outdoors, Outdoor Gear, Hyalite Creek, Creekbating, Hyalite, Bozeman, Montana

June Maddy Blooms

Bear Trap Canyon
Madison River, MT - June 8th

Aquapac Joins the Mix

Powderfin launched another line of solid products today, Aquapac 100% Waterproof Cases. If you want to keep it dry, Aquapac has a case for it...

• Cell phones
• GPS
• MP3 Players
• PDA's
• Digital Cameras
• SLR Cameras
• VHF Radios
• Maps
• Keys
• Wallets
• Passports

Ranging from $10.00 - $120.00, you can find a waterproof case to either keep your cash dry at the beach, or allow you to shoot underwater photography...and everything in between!

The Key to all Aquapac Waterproof Cases: The Aquaclip® Sealing System

Sealed with a Twist

The Aquaclip is the key to all Aquapacs. An amazing little device which seals the case with a simple twist of a lever.

It has a V-groove in one half and a raised V on the other. When the levers on the male half are turned they run up a ramp on the female half – squeezing the two together. The pressure’s not sufficient to cut the soft plastic case material, but just enough to make a totally hermetic seal.

The two halves are attached to the case by a pair of ‘flexible clips’ in such a way that the whole case stays in one piece, even when open.

Award Winning

The Aquaclip was awarded Millenium Product Status by the British Design Council. A government initiative to recognize "one of the most innovative products created in Britain for the new Millennium".

Tested to Destruction

The Aquaclip is made entirely of light injection-moulded plastic. So it can’t rust.

The Aquaclip has passed the two most demanding of all waterproofing standards – IP67 and IP68. Find out more

In tests at Bath University the lever mechanism was tested for 10,000 cycles of opening and closing, with no loss of function.

User Friendly

When you open an Aquapac everything stays in one piece. No loose screws. No need to fold the end of the case. Simple.

Fully Patented

The Aquaclip is fully-patented in the USA and most of Europe, and the subject of pending protection all over the world.

Gorillapod Product Review

“The Joby Gorillapod is an excellent replacement for your travel tripod. Our company field-tested these in March/April and after positive reviews from our Agents in the field we bought a half-dozen. The Gorillapod is sturdy and compact and stores easily into a side stow pocket. I especially like the adjustable legs that allow placing the tripod on the most uneven of surfaces. It also has a detachable/locking foot mount that when attached to the tripod securely locks the camera in place. I have used this for both still photography and video and have was able to securely mount a camera and flash weighing as much as 2.5lbs. This is a recommended must-have for every travel photographer.”

Andrew Liakos
www.proxibid.com

New Product Intro: AquaFlo™ Hydration Systems

We launched an interesting new product on Powderfin.com today, the MPACK AquaFlo™ Disposable Hydration System.

My first reaction may have been similar to yours..."disposable"?! It seems to stray from the trend of responsible manufacturing and earth friendly products. However, upon closer examination, AquaFlo makes sense. First and foremost, it's entirely recyclable, from the caps, to the tube, to the reservoir. To find out more about how to recycle AquaFlo, check out their recycling program.

So then why would someone want a "disposable" hydration system?

• Disposable: less time cleaning equals more time playing
  
• Taste and odor free right off the shelf
• Convenient and cost effective
• Hygienic design
• Designed to retrofit most existing hydration systems

We think this last item is pretty important. I've been using a Camelback® for a few years now, and it's still in pretty good shape. I've only used water in it, and I've cleaned it a few times to keep it fresh. I broke the bite valve cover off on a snowshoe trip, and my valve often leaks when hiking or snowboarding. I was considering replacing the unit with another Camelback® product, but I decided to try the AquaFlo™ instead.

The most impressive feature of the AquaFlo™ Universal Starter Kit is the Bite-Me Valve®. It simply works well when you want it to, and doesn't leak. I've been using the same AquaFlo™ reservoir for nearly a month now, and I've had zero problems with leakage, odor, or bad taste. To me, it makes more sense to purchase 3 recyclable reservoirs, a drink tube, and a superior bite valve for $26.99, rather than spend $28.00 on a single replacement reservoir, drink tube, and inferior valve.

I thought that since the reservoirs were "disposable", that they might be flimsy, leak easily, etc. It really hasn't been the case, I've been tossing mine around the boat, in the suitcase, around the house, in my backpack, without a protective cover, and I've had no problems with this product holding up well.

June in Montana...

This is the weather report for today and tomorrow...

... Heavy Snow Warning in effect from noon today to 12 PM MDT
Thursday above 6000 feet...

The National Weather Service in Great Falls has issued a Heavy
Snow Warning... which is in effect from noon today to 12 PM MDT
Thursday. The Winter Storm Watch is no longer in effect.

Snow... heavy at times... will develop over the mountains above
6000 feet. Snow accumulations of 8 to 12 inches are possible with
local accumulations of 1 to 2 feet on higher mountain peaks.

A Heavy Snow Warning means severe winter weather conditions are
expected or occurring. Significant amounts of snow are forecast
that will make travel dangerous. Only travel in an emergency. If
you must... keep an extra flashlight... food... and water in your
vehicle in case of an emergency.

Environmental News and Commentary

Interesting takes on environmental issues.

www.grist.org

NEMO Equipment Losi Tent - Built for Speed

The NEMO Equipment LOSI Tent is a spacious 2 person, all season backpacking and camping tent.

Your tent is your home in the wilderness, so don't sacrifice comfort and stability for a few ounces. NEMO used the lightest weight materials and a unique pole structure to build the Losi™ tent extra sturdy and extra spacious. Two doors and two vestibules eliminate jostling for position and gear storage, and an optional Pawprint™ liner joins sleeping pads to make a double bed. With a full mesh canopy for summer evenings and large side vents for continuous airflow on rainy nights, Losi™ is essential for the avid backpacker.

For the ultimate in camping comfort, check out the LOSI Pawprint Floor Accessory, featuring pillow pockets and sleeping pad sleeves, it's also machine washable!

NEMO Equipment LOSI Tent Specs:

• 4.9 lbs, (2.2 kg)
• 32 sq. ft.
• 26 sq. ft. vesibule
• Optional Carbon Fiber Upgrade

Gallatin Good Times

Hi all,

We were testing out our creek boats on the Gallatin this weekend before heading to Hyalite and other more burly creeks around. The water levels have been pretty crazy. A Bozeman Daily Chronicle article a few days ago indicated that the snow pack was about 20% of last year at this time, which results in a much shorter spring runoff and lower rivers. Luckily, we’ve been getting a lot of rain here and it’s helping keep things green, and the rivers alive for a while. Cheers everyone and I hope your Memorial Day was a great deal of remembrance and good times.

Tagged: Powderfin, Outdoors, Outdoor Gear, Creekboat, Gallatin, Hyalite, Bozeman, Montana