MSR Whisperlite

(1) A liquid white gas stove that has been in production for over 25 years. It has an external fuel tank (fuel bottle) connected to the burner by a tube. The basic Whisperlite burns only white gas but the "International" version burns multiple types of fuel. It has three foldable metal legs forming both the base of the stove and the pot stand. Before use the fuel bottle has to be pressurized by pumping air into it, and the burner needs to be pre-headed by burning a small amount of fuel before the stove is lit. A properly functioning stove will have a blue flame and sound something like a jet (aircraft).

(2) Most amusing liquid fuel stove ever made. Camped across a small lake, we arose one fine, still morning in early fall to admire the sunrise and begin preparing breakfast. Suddenly from across the lake came the sound of a jet plane warming up for takeoff. It was another group firing up their "Whisperlite" stove, as it's called. Love them marketing folks. Our ears still ring a little most days.

 

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Have anything worth adding? Then try sosayseff+eff@nullabigmail.com
Me? Recently noticed that my pants are on fire again.

 

Etc...

so says eff: sporadic spurts of grade eff distraction
definitions: outdoor terms
fiyh: dave's little guide to ultralight backpacking stoves
boyb: dave's little guide to backpacks
snorpy bits: nibbling away at your sanity
last seen receding: missives from a certain mobile homer
noseyjoe: purposefully poking my proboscis into technicals

Lunch

(1) One of the primary reasons to go backpacking is that it feels really good when you stop, and one of those times is around the middle of the day, when you can both stop and also eat. This activity is called "lunch", and since you will be outdoors when you do it, you are thereby officially out to lunch.

(2) A merging of the terms "lunge" and "lurch". What you do when you are standing somewhere and eating a big messy sandwich full of tasty, wet and sloppy goodness and the filling just sort of foops out of your hand and heads for the ground. Even if you are successful at catching it you will still be at least a little upset, and your hands will be messy, though you will still be fed. If you do catch it.

(3) A meal at midday, especially when not the main meal of the day. Any small meal, especially at a social gathering.

(4) A mid-day repast, dating from 1829. This is a shortened form of "luncheon", originally from the 1650s, referring to a noonish-to-afternoon meal eaten by those whose main meal is eaten about then.

(5) "Out to lunch" is slang. Its meaning of insane, stupid, or clueless was first recorded 1955. Applies to backpackers as well.

 

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Have anything worth adding? Then try sosayseff+eff@nullabigmail.com
Me? Fighting the cat for the last scraps.

 

Etc...

so says eff: sporadic spurts of grade eff distraction
definitions: outdoor terms
fiyh: dave's little guide to ultralight backpacking stoves
boyb: dave's little guide to backpacks
snorpy bits: nibbling away at your sanity
last seen receding: missives from a certain mobile homer
noseyjoe: purposefully poking my proboscis into technicals

Knit Fabric

Interlock For Your Socks

A textile made of loosely woven fibers created by interlocking rows of yarns. This special structure gives the fabric extra bulk and stretch, which makes it especially useful for base layers, socks, and fleece fabrics.

This stuff was originally was called nonits (no nits), nognats (no gnats), or knats (know gnats, which is what you had to do if you forgot your knittenwear and were reduced to simply outsmarting the bugs, which isn't always so easy).

Now the label has been trimmed down to just knits, after a standard bit of linguistic decay that happens everywhere because of humanity's determined efforts to stamp out the most entertaining aspects of verbal corruption and depravity.

In olden times before window screens or bug netting, knit fabric was the first line of breathable defense against the buzzing hordes of suckers, pokers, stingers and biters that make backpacking into the top-notch sport it has become.

Knits in those days (the olden ones) were made of any stray fuzz that came to hand.

Horsehair, dog whiskers, goat beards, cat lint, and corn silk were all pressed into service with varying degrees of success until someone tried sheep fuzz and became not only pretty good at making knit goods but also immensely wealthy in a neolithic sort of way. (I.e., was suddenly easily able to buy a second spouse for use on rainy days.)

Following the invention of shears it was no longer necessary to drag sheep behind horses to rub off the fur, and life proceeded with much less friction (and howling) until the invention of explosives (or the cat grinder — no one is exactly sure which produces the most noise, though the latter was quickly outlawed as unsportsmanlike).

The prime qualities of knits are that they are soft, drape well, come in various thicknesses, are now usually made of durable, easily washed and rotproof synthetic materials, and they don't bark.

No known fabric does verifiably bark, but still, why quibble over details, or take a chance either? The real key item about knits is that the yarns going into them loop around thither and yon, locking and then yet again interlocking with one another, and end up not only agreeably barkless but pretty cushy too.

We could do worse, and lots of us have already, so take a look at the knits. They might help you with your recovery.

 

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Have anything worth adding? Then try sosayseff+eff@nullabigmail.com
Me? Recently nominated for something by someone, somewhere.

 

Etc...

so says eff: sporadic spurts of grade eff distraction
definitions: outdoor terms
fiyh: dave's little guide to ultralight backpacking stoves
boyb: dave's little guide to backpacks
snorpy bits: nibbling away at your sanity
last seen receding: missives from a certain mobile homer
noseyjoe: purposefully poking my proboscis into technicals

Jackknife

A large pocket knife. Often a large one. Or sometimes one not-so-large, but a pocket knife.

The jackknife may have gotten its name because it originally was associated with sailors, formerly called "tars", or "jack tars". "Jack Tar" being an English term for seamen. (Sea men, sea-men, men who go to sea in ships, but not that other stuff you might be thinking of. Keep it clean and tidy, 'K?)

Or "tars".

They were also called "tars" because they put tar on stuff. A lot. It's what they did a lot of. To seal up the leaky ships, which once upon a time were made of boards. Boards of wood. Which were kind of leaky, you can imagine. (Right? Are we right?) But they didn't want to sink down with the ship, the tars didn't, if the ship sank, so they slathered tar all over the place. And likely the knife business came in somewhere, 'cuz guys like knives an stuff. Who can say?

Also known as: "pocket knife". Mostly because it's a knife that fits in a pocket, maybe? Yeah, prolly.

Anyhow, handy. A handy thing. A tool.

Handy to cut stuff with, and because the blade or blades fold into the handle, you don't cut your hand while handling it. Unless it's unfolded and the blade is out. Which is when you don't want to put it in your pocket, so you "jackknife" it and get it all folded and safe. And then you put it back in your pocket. If you're not stupid. (Good luck there, Bud.)

All of which seems kind of complicated, but that's life sometimes, isn't it?

Bye.

 

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Have anything worth adding? Then try sosayseff+eff@nullabigmail.com
Me? Working on my situps. For some reason they expect you to be upright at work, but it's a hard attitude to maintain. Working on it.

 

Etc...

so says eff: sporadic spurts of grade eff distraction
definitions: outdoor terms
fiyh: dave's little guide to ultralight backpacking stoves
boyb: dave's little guide to backpacks
snorpy bits: nibbling away at your sanity
last seen receding: missives from a certain mobile homer
noseyjoe: purposefully poking my proboscis into technicals