Ultra-cheap, Ultralight Short/Kids Tenkara Rods

Two collapsed sub $10 5.5' and 7' rods at top with an 9' foot all-fishing-buy rod and 11' fountain head rod at bottom.

I've been an extremely casual fly fisherman since I was a kid. I've always enjoyed exploring mountain streams and practicing casting more then actually catching fish. In the last few years I've found that Tenkara is a great match for my style, the gear is simple and light enough to carry on a hike where fishing is only an afterthought.

A few casts on an overnight trip in the cascades.

Tenkara USA and Tenkara Bum sell a variety of nice rods, I've had good luck with my cheaper 11' Fountainhead Stonefly and a cheap 9' rod I bought from all fishing buy for brushy creeks.

Working my way up a small stream with minimal gear on a warm day.

My young nephew has started to express an interest in fishing so I decided to see what was out there in terms of cheap and short rods. In turns out that you can find a variety of rods on amazon and ebay using searches like"Como Telescopic Fishing Rod For Travel."

I bough two, a "Retractable 7 Sections Telescopic Blue Fishing Rod 2.1M" (about 7') and a "1.7M Length 6 Sections Fresh Water Telescoping Fishing Pole Rod Yellow Black" (about 5.5'). I bought both from the seller uxcell and they showed up in a single package after a couple of weeks.

Current conditions are not the sort I fish in.

 I haven't had a chance to use these rods yet but I'm initially impressed by them for the price. The shorter one feels a bit dead due to the short length but the 7 foot one seems lively enough to enjoy casting with. I'm looking forward to trying them as an ultralight option for myself in addition to teaching my nephew with them.

Both my rods came ready to fish with firmly attached lillians. 

They lack any sort of handle but are extremely light and compact. One user review on amazon compares the rod to an unfinished blank and suggests fashioning a handle on ones own. The small diamater of the grip region will be nice for my nephews small hands though I may add some cork road bike handle bar grip tape.

I plan to set them up with TenkaraBum Hi-Vis Fluorocarbon and tape some paper clips to the rod as a line holder. I'll start my nephew out with a short, easy to manage line but i'm I'm curious to experiment with using a longer line on them for more reach. I may also pick up a longer (12-15') one for myself at some point as even my 11' Stonefly is a bit short for larger alpine lakes. Building ones own "zoom" mechanism to allow a variable length rod would also be a fun project.

Excuse me while I vent

Ryan taking advantage of the full zip vent

It's time to vent about venting because women get the short end of the zip.

Zip base layer tops are a fantastic invention: zipped all the way up they warm up your neck, zipped down they allow a bit of a breeze to cool you.  The longer the zipper, the more options you have to tailor how much venting you get.

The excellent Stoic Merino Bliss 150
Men's (left) zipper length: 12 3/4"
Women's (right) zipper length: 7"

Zippers on men's zip tops are much longer than on the same piece made for a woman.

I understand that there is a balance of modesty and venting for women's clothing.  There are many, many occasions where I don't want to accidentally flash the people around me if the zipper creeps below bra line.  If the zipper doesn't allow for anything but modesty, I won't flash anyone.  But when I'm hiking and sweaty and only the trees will see me, give me a long zipper!  All a good zip top needs is a high quality zipper that locks in place (as most of these garments already have).

Patagonia men's R1 (left) zipper length: 17.5"
Patagonia women's Capilene 4 (right) zipper length: 15.5"

Yes, I could just buy tops made for men.  And I do have a couple.  I love the amazingly long zipper on my men's Patagonia R1 top.  However, I prefer clothing that fits me better and I don't mind when it looks nice on me as well.

Also, it seems like a long zipper would provide nursing access for those adventuring with a baby.

I do own one base top with a nice, long zip: my Capilene 4 top.  The Cap 4 top is great: it breathes incredibly well, dries quickly, keeps me comfortable in a wide range of conditions, is shaped to work with a woman's curves (unlike my men's R1) and has a nice, long zipper.

Here's hoping that more women's tops are made with zippers more than 12 inches long!

Remolding the Toes of Intuition Liners

I've been skiing my Scapra Maestrale boots with the wrap liner from  my old Scapra Spirit 4s when I want a bit of extra stiffness. The Maestrale liner has a flexible soft ankle region which helps them tour well but doesn't give the boot shell a ton of support. When skiing cut up variable snow with the stock liners the Maestrale can collapse forward from lower shell deformation.

My Spirit liner is a bit stiffer and higher and takes up more volume in the ankle of the shell despite being from a smaller shell sized boot (26.5/27 vs 27.5/28). I have wide feet and my spirits were quite tight lengthwise (too tight for long tours) but snug side to side. The larger Maestrale is around the same width but has more toe room. I decided to remold the front of the liners to give my toes some more wiggle room and better fit the front of the Maestrales.

The process is similar to molding an Intuition for the fist time (see here and here) and should also work if you just need to make more space in the toes (or anywhere else) without remolding a liner.

The basic supplies you need are:

• A Heat Gun 
• Toe caps or padding for the spot you need more space. I used the toes from some old socks and some neoprene bike shoe toe covers I found for cheap but you can get the real thing from Intuition. If you are just heating the toe you can also wear multiple pairs of socks. If you're molding more then just the toe make sure the padding doesn't go too far back or you'll loosen up spots you want to be snug. 
• Ski socks.
• Your insoles.
• A book or bit of 2x4 to stand on.
• A bit of wood or cardboard to work on so you don't accidentally melt your workspace. 

You might also consider using tin foil to shield areas you don't want heated.

Prepare your workspace with a chair to sit on while putting the liner in the shell and some entertainment and a cold drink to enjoy while you wait for the liner to cool on your foot.

First pad the areas of your foot where you need more space and put your foot bed on under your sock:

This padding goes too far down my foot but i'm only heating the toes. If I was molding the whole boot I'd cut the toe cap shorter.

Sock goes over this contraption.

Getting the hot liner with your foot in it without any creases or folds is the most tricky part and you may want to practice before you start cooking. If you are heating a large area or the whole boot you may want to use a couple tricks:

• Tape the inside back of the shell with smooth packing tape to produce a smooth surface you can easily slide the liner in on.
• Have 2 thin plastic grocery store shopping bags and some silicone lubricant spray handy. When the liner is hot put a bag over it and spray with lubricant. The bag covered liner should slide right into the shell.

Also make sure the shells have the micro adjust buckles adjusted how you want them before you start. Loose buckles during molding will yield a tighter end product and tighter buckles a looser one.

When you're ready to cook, carefully and slowly heat the toe with the heat gun until it is warm and squishy throughout. I started with the gun set quite cool but ended up using a temperature setting around 500 degrees. Keep the gun moving and bring the temperature up slowly. I tried to get some hot air into the inside of the toe but mostly heated the outside. Be careful not to get areas you don't want to remold too warm.

Once the liner is hot and squishy put your sock clad foot in it and insert the whole mess into the boot like you practiced. Once your foot is in do up the buckles put the boots in ski mode, give the heel of the boot a kick against the floor and then flex the boots forward to make sure your foot is in the right place. Stand with the toe of the boot on a book or bit of 2x4 while it cools. This last part is intended to form a heal pocket and is less crucial if you're only remolding the toes though you still need to get your foot in the right place somehow.

I started working on the second liner while standing there waiting for the first to cool which worked well. In the end you want to let each liner cool for at least 15 minutes.

I haven't had a chance to ski these since I remolded them but the end result seems good, plenty of room to wiggle my toes but still a firm hold on the rest of my foot and lower leg.

Mounting Dynafit Bindings on Voile Chargers With a Milling Machine

After not riding lifts once last season I've been mostly skiing in bounds this year. This has been an easy decision to make: the early cold snap has left the backcountry snowpack faceted and unstable in many places while our local ski area has had consistently good conditions. (Not to rub things in for our Washington friends).

I love the light weight and shortish length of my 175 Black Diamond Justices in the backcountry but they are a bit short for inbounds use. I sometimes end up feeling "over the handle bars" plowing through variable cut up and snow. I decided I needed a set of skis that were longer and more stable but still light enough to tour with. When a deal on a pair of lightly used 191 Voile Chargers popped up I jumped on them.  

They arrived the day before we drove to visit my parents in Washington so I decided to bring them with and take advantage of my Dad and his milling machine to mount a pair of Dynafit Vertical ST's on them. A typical ski shop will have a set of jigs for each binding that allow the binding to be centered and accurate holes to be made with a hand drill or drill press. A home ski tech might use paper jigs to accomplish the same but is a time consuming and somewhat error prone process.

A milling machine (in this case with edge finder and digital readout) side steps the need for jigs and allows one to precisely position holes by moving the table. The most time consuming part of the process was measuring the bindings to determine where the holes should go. We ended up mounting the boots about 1.5 cm's forward of the line to reuse some existing holes from the previous mount.

I've been out on the skis for two in bounds days now and, while they are definitely different, am really enjoying adjusting to them. Surprisingly, I've found that the increased rocker and shorter turning radius makes them easier to turn than the Justices in some situations despite the longer length. The first few runs I actually surprised myself by hooking/turning too quickly as I had assumed they would require more aggressive skiing then the shorter Justices.

They seem to respond well and playfully to my usual balanced skiing style and soft Orange Maestrale boots while the longer running length and rocker and slightly increased weight does indeed handle chop better and eliminate the occasional over the handlebar/buried tip feeling I got in variable in bounds snow on the Justices. They also carve surprisingly well though I can only compare them to backcountry skis.

(This is in no way a full review as I have only two days on them and haven't toured on them yet. I'll do a more in depth review once I have more time on them.)

View from near the top of Lost Trail.

La Sportiva Vertical K: Inovative, Cushy, Minimal Soft shell Trail Shoes

The designers of La Sportiva Vertical K took some risks resulting in a unique shoe that works really well in some situations. They used a simple, mostly spandex upper and EVA foam midsole to create a light weight shoe that blends weather protection, breathability and a surprising amount of cushioning. 

After testing on a number of runs, hikes and scrambles, I've concluded this is a close-to-ideal shoe for long, big vert days on good trails in inclement conditions. Its light weight (~ 7 oz) also makes it a perfect approach shoe for skiing/climbing days where shoes need to be carried while you're wearing ski boots or climbing shoes. Even heading uphill with skis on my back I found myself feeling light footed and running sections of trail in these shoes.

The Soft Sole

I was initially a little frustrated with the Sole of the Vertical K's as I found my feet getting beat up on long rocky sections of trail. The minimal drop (4mm) blown foam midsole offers a lot of cushioning but the lack of any sort of rock plate means there is very little protection from sharp under foot rocks.

On smoother trails, however, the mid sole provides a remarkable amount of comfort for the weight. I appreciated this pounding down 3000 feet of forest trail after an early season ski day. The flexibility of the midsole allows the foot to flex naturally and feel the trail which is a good thing until the trail gets too rough.

The sole itself is sticky rubber with small lugs and large grooves between the waves of the midsole. I found that it works well on dirt, smearing on slabby rock or wading through fresh snow.  However the softness of the midsole limits the ability of the shoe to edge while scrambling up rocks or to kick steps in consolidated summer snow, limiting this shoe's usefulness off trail and above tree line. It is a running shoe optimized for use on terrain that can actually be run.

The Softshell Upper 

The soft, spandex upper of the Vertical K is my favorite part of the shoe and I hope other designs copy it. It offers an excellent blend of weather resistance, breathability, comfort and durability.

Climbers and skiers long ago figured out that tightly woven stretchy "softshell" fabrics like schoeller and power shield held up best to aggressive use and maximized comfort in all but sustained day long downpours. I'm surprised it has taken shoe manufactures this long to catch on. 

The spandex used in the Vertical K's offers similar comfort. I've been able to run through inches of sugary fresh snow and damp grass and keep dry feet. I've never liked goretex in footwear as I tend to sweat out so the amount of weather protection and breathability offered by these shoes was a pleasant surprise. 

As with softshell garment fabrics, the upper also seems to improve durability in a surprising way. I typically wear out running shoe uppers in the flex zone, just behind the stiff toe bumper where the coarse mesh develops holes from repeated flexing concentrated into a small area of fabric. On the Vertical K this area is still going strong thanks to the easy flexing fabric and minimal toe bumper.

I also often get blisters or hotspots on my toes on long sustained descents as my toes are forced into contact with the shoe. The ergonomic shape and softness of the Vertical K upper have minimized this phenomena and my toes were happy even on a 6 mile descent.

I'm sure this upper won't hold up to repeated abrasion and the tiny toe bumper doesn't offer much protection from kicked rocks but I don't feel either of these things are particularly important in a running shoe. I try to place my feet between rocks when running or hiking and am willing to give up this sort of ruggedness for increased comfort and resistance to wear from repeated flexing.

Tips for picking a shoe for trail running in snow

Trail running for me tends to be during the shoulder seasons, fall and spring, where conditions are snowy, slushy, muddy, icy and beautiful.  Running on a trail covered in snow requires more attention to footwork and a bit of predicting what might lie just under the fluffy white cover: uneven rocks? ice? dirt?  A good pair of shoes goes a long way to help navigate these slippery situations.

Traction

From left to right: old Patagonia Nine Trails with the tread underfoot worn smooth, Brooks Cascadia 8s, La Sportiva C-Lites.

The most important aspect of a good snow running shoe is traction: will the sole grip the snow or just slide right off?  This is not the ideal time to break out your three year old beater shoes with the tread worn smooth in order to save your nicer pair for less mucky conditions.

Serious tread on the C-Lites

La Sportiva C-Lites (see photo above) are a good example of a shoe with excellent traction: the tread is deep, almost like rubber spikes that confidently grip snow, mud and pine needles.  These were Ryan's top choice for running all last winter.  I use the Brooks Cascadia 8, a shoe with less aggressive, but still quite good, tread.  I find they are more comfortable on harder surfaces.

Decently sticky rubber on your shoe's sole is also an asset, especially when running over wet rocks and talus.  However, the stickier the rubber, the faster it wears out.  The stickiest rubber is often on shoes with less aggressive tread - and I'd choose great traction with semi-sticky rubber over mediocre traction with really sticky rubber for trail running in the snow.

Good fit, not sloppy

I searched long and hard for a shoe with a comfy fit, snug heel and just enough (not too much) room in the toes.  These Cascadias fit just right.

When the snow covers the trail, you can't always see what your foot will land on, or how it will land. A loose and sloppy fit can increase your chance of stumbling when the shoe lands in a way you were not expecting.  Don't size tightly, you still want enough room for your toes, but don't use a very loose and sloppy fit.  If you are shopping for new shoes, try on a few different pairs in different sizes to get the feel for a shoe that has room for your toes but not lots of extra space at different parts of your foot.

Log some miles in your shoes prior to the snowy season in order to get used to your shoe and how it responds in different situations.  Your strides will feel much more confident if your shoe doesn't give you any surprise responses.

Stable heel, stable shoe

Compare width of the La Sportiva Quantum (left) with the Patagonia Tsali (right).  The heel on the Tsali is wider compared to the width of the shoe.

Most trail runners have a relatively wide and stable heel, and this is especially helpful in slick and snowy conditions.  A wider, more stable heel helps prevent you from rolling your ankle when the heel lands on a rock or an uneven patch of ground.  To test heel stability, rock from side to side on flat ground.  How much effort does it take to roll onto the side edge of your shoe?  It should take a little bit of effort.  I have found that the Patagonia trail runners, like the Tsali above, are lightweight and stable shoes.

Footwork

Ryan using footwork to send a boulder problem

I carry the concept of footwork over from climbing, but it is just as applicable to running and hiking. There are better and more secure ways to place your feet on different types of surfaces.  You get better the more you practice, and the more you pay attention to what works well and what does not.  Good footwork is the most important factor in secure footing on the trail, even more important than good shoes.

A more sensitive shoe (you can feel the ground through the sole) or minimalist shoe will help you practice footwork.  But you can have great footwork in any kind of shoe.  An example of footwork is digging in and gripping with your toes while ascending a slippery hill.

Waterproof?

Yep, snow melts through the mesh uppers of most running shoes.  If this bothers you, a waterproof shoe may be the thing for you.  I don't use waterproof trail runners because my feet would probably get wet with sweat if they were encased in a not-so-breathable waterproof membrane (even if they are advertised as breathable).  Also, if the snow is deeper than the ankle on your shoe, snow will creep into the shoe anyway and the waterproof membrane will keep the wet in with your foot while the mesh will allow some of that moisture to escape.  In my opinion, a better alternative is a short, light gaiter to keep snow out of your shoe and a good pair of socks.

An interesting alternative to a waterproof shoe is a shoe with a less permeable upper, like the soft shell on the La Sportiva Vertical K Miles (full review coming soon).  The softshell upper is more breathable than a waterproof upper, but also repels snow melt much better than mesh.

Adding Rocker to my Rock Skis (a TR and How To)

So I added some rocker to my old Black Diamond Voodoo skis on Sunday as I waited for the first arctic blast of the season. The process was surprisingly easy and seems to have went well though only time will tell if the shape holds or if the tips break off.

The Rationale

Digging trenches with the Voodoos in Cascades Concrete.

At 88 underfoot with minimal tip and tail rise, the Voodoos are fun in powder but distinctly not in heavy or crusty snow where the tips tend submarine. Even with the vertical din on my Dynafit ST bindings set to 9 I've released out of them just by getting them stuck in a wet snow bank. In heavy slop they tend to want to stay stuck and go straight more than turn. 

Justice vs Voodoo before the Mod.

I haven't really skied them much since I got my much fatter, rockerd Black Diamond Carbon Justices which are a great ski for backcountry descents in the Cascades or here in the Northern Rockies. They surf over soft snow be it mid winter powder or spring slop. Part of this is their 111 underfoot width and part of it is their modern rockered shape. In cut up refrozen and remelted Cascades styrofoam snow you can just tilt them on edge and ride the rocker around in big turns. 

The Justices can be a bit much on the up though. At 8 lbs for my 175s they are only 3/4 of a pound per pair heavier then the Voodoos but wider skins and more snow on top add weight. A bigger issue is the increased effort to side hill on firm snow while skinning. This all adds up when you're trying to pull off a long day of powder skiing.

After the Mod

This has lead me to wonder about skis with a modern soft snow geometry in a skinnier package. There are actually a few of these out there with the Black Diamond Current being the most intriguingly modern powder ski shaped I've seen and coming in around 6 lbs in 175 for the new 2013/14 model (last years is heavier). The La Sportiva GTR, Dynafit Cho Oyu and G3 Zenoxide C 88 also offer a bit of rocker and impressively light weights but look to be a bit more hard pack focused which is not what I want.

None of these skis are cheap so I decided to see if I could make my Voodoos into something even more powder focused and give them a test in the full on blower powder on rocks conditions our early season snow pack is sure to entail. Whats more, I can add as much rocker as I want and see if I can come up with a true skinny soft snow ski instead of trying to balance hard snow performance which I really don't particularly need. I think backcountry ski manufacturers are too often held hostage to the fact that their skis will be reviewed and demoed on groomers at events like Outdoor Retailer. The vast majority of my skiing is on soft snow and I'm willing to have to pick and sideslip my way down scraped out egress trails if it means I can surf over slop and breakable crust.

The Supplies

• Bit of closet rod or wide dowel.

• Handscrew Clamp (also know as an adjustable crack machine)

• 2 Voile ski Straps

• Heat Gun Capable of reaching around 1000 Degrees F

The Process

The First Bend

The Second Bend

Here is the process I used. I think this would differ widely for different types of ski material but this seems to have worked well for my wood and fiberglass Voodoos. I also would only do this with skis you don't mind risking total destruction as there is a possibility of weakening the ski or causing delamination. 

1. Rig up the ski as shown, include a Voile strap between the bindings to hold the camber flat. You may want to make a few bends to get an even rocker, start near the tip and work back.
2. Set up a work station with a chair on either side of the skis and grab some entertainment. I watched Futuama on netflix on my phone. The time remaining counter doubles as a timer which is nice.
3. Turn the heat gun on and let it warm up. I set mine to the max around 1100 F and slow air flow.
4. Heat each side of the ski for 5 minutes keeping the gun moving and being careful to avoid the voile strap. Be precise and watch the time (this is where the Futurama comes in) to keep things even. At first I tried switching back and forth every two minutes but I think doing each ski for a full five minutes at once works better. You only need to get the inside of the skis to around 200 degrees so keep the air moving. I got some top sheet bubbles but I think that is fine.
5. Allow the skis to cool for at least an hour before removing the forms.
6. Remove the forms, inspect and repeat steps 1-5 for any additional bends needed. If the skis get uneven, repeat the steps but only heat the less bent side (maybe for less time depending on how uneven the skis are). I made 4 bends plus one bend to only one ski to even things out. If you need to make a bend further up towards the tip than one of your existing bends, loosen the strap around the bindings to release the camber so that you aren't flattening your existing bends at the same time.
7. Rig up the clamp and dowel to be outside your widest bend so that all the beds are under tension and leave the skis overnight. I plan on letting them sit for a while longer before testing them to make sure the epoxy has reset and because we still need more snow.

The Results

I'll do a follow up once I've had a chance to ski them and see if the shape change lasts but the difference is visibly noticeable and i'm excited to try them. I'm debating adding a bit of tail rocker though the twin tip on the Voodoo already works a bit like that. After I have a chance to ski them I may also add more rocker to the front either pushing further back towards the binding or adding more curve towards the tips.

Before

After

Oh yeah

Soon