brian barnes
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Tim – If you are talking about the Drake, Zach just posted a great podcast with Tom Bie and they discuss the topic. I’m cool with Tom’s response.
Neal, Here is a better photo of the fly (image from http://www.darksidedrifter.com) Different color scheme but shows what it looks like with a Schlappen feather. FWIW these rock for largemouth bass as well.
I was guided by Seth Vernon (Double Haul Guide Service) out of Wilmington, NC. He created this variant of the Kwan which is a very successful fly for Redfish.
Vernons Killer Kwan (Rust)
In the above image I used brown marabou, but the recipe calls for a Schlappen feather.
Hook- Gamakatsu SL113H sz. 1
Thread- Uni. thread brown 3/0
Eye- Gold Bead Chain sz. 1/8
Tail- Craft Fur, rust banded with a brown Sharpie marker
Collar- Brown Schlappen feather, webby parts palmered forward
Body- Aunt Lydias Craft Yarn strands tan and brown variegated, figure eighted in place and trimmed round
Weedguard- 25# Mason bent in a V, whipped in at eye & banded with a blk. SharpieI just got a phone call asking me to come home from work early to help the kids open up their fishy kid “special delivery”! The kids are so excited!!! Nice work fella’s…
I think we are all going down with the creative blog posting from Michael Gracie… (posted on fishykid site)… here’s the link:
http://michaelgracie.com/2009/12/15/get-out-the-vote-drive-for-the-fishy-kid-adult-coloring-contest/
I’ve been chuckling about this contest all day. My kids are so excited that I’m a “finalist”.
Spencer and Brian S… with my “mad crayola skilz” you two are going down… Brian B
😉 good luck fella’s
Norm Crisp at one time taught (not sure if he still does) a fly tying class at Johnson County Community College in Kansas City. Here is his website: http://www.streamsideadventures.com/
Charlie Cravens new book “basic fly tying” has a great chapter full of great dubbing advice. Among many suggestions he recommends BT’s wax lightly applied to fingers first.
Zach – The weights are accurate for the Double Rainbow and it can be setup without stakes (if you have two trekking poles). It is quite impressive that these cottage industries (Tarptent, Six Moon Designs, Gossamer Gear, Mountain Laural Designs, others.. see below) have taken their shelter weights down so low. I for one, am very appreciative of their efforts. When packing in several miles to fish in the backcountry I scrutinize every ounce that goes into my pack so as to hike faster, longer, and safer.
My current favorite (doesn’t meet Grants specs but is an incredibly versatile shelter for one) is this:
PIC:
Grant – here is another single wall tent that meets your specs to put on your short list. It is more spacious but less wind stable.
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/shop/shopexd.asp?id=47
I own this shelter as well and love it for 3 season backcountry fishing. Plenty of space for 2 tall guys. This one saves weight by allowing you to use hiking poles to keep the tent up rather than dedicated poles (which you can purchase if you dont use/have trekking poles).
Here are some links to some companies that focus on lightweight shelters:
http://www.tarptent.com/
http://www.sixmoondesigns.com/default.asp
http://www.gossamergear.com/
http://www.mountainlaureldesigns.com/
http://www.owareusa.com/index.html
http://www.golite.com/main/home.aspx
http://www.warmlite.com/start.htmGrant, Henry Shires (Tarptent owner) has a great reputation for customer service and making a quality product. Depending upon your expected use I forgot to mention he has another newer, albeit heavier by 1 pound, tent called the Scarp 2. SEE: http://www.tarptent.com/scarp2.html
If you are willing to carry a pound or 2 more, this tent is very versatile in that it can take a good snow load and you can set the tent up only as a tarp (great for fall), add an all mesh wall inner (for summer) or replace the inner section with a mostly fabric inner for winter.
If you plan to only camp in non-winter seasons the Double Rainbow is hard to beat.
Tarptent Double Rainbow… It’s revered in the lightweight backpacking community. 2.5 pounds, freestanding, $260, packs down to nothing in your pack, very wind stable, see link here: http://www.tarptent.com/doublerainbow.html
During my last binocular purchase I found this link especially helpful:
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publications/LivingBird/Winter2005/Age_Binos.html
I ditched the waist strap and just use the neck lanyard – which are fine with me. The pack isn’t big enough to get very heavy unless you dangle a bunch of accessories off of it.
I have one and like it a lot. I can get a large C&F box (20 row) in the main compartment and a smaller box in the front compartment. This leaves room for leaders etc in a zippered pouch in the main compartment. There are plenty of tie outs to attach various tools (nippers, hemos, etc)
Chris – Its nice to have gear that has got you through some rough weather. I too have my old standbys that I wouldn’t replace. Though, I’m equally excited about how technology and new fabrics are making our pack weight lighter and lighter and not at the expense of safety.
Chris – OR is a great company – no doubt about it. I love their gloves and hats. Regarding the OR advanced bivy – while it may have a lifetime warranty the currently available version weighs 39 ounces – the MLD superlight bivy weighs 6 ounces.
I guess this is a situation where one needs to weigh durability versus weight. My experience with floor of shelters/bivys like the MLD superlight bivy (made from 1.3 ounce per square yard silnylon) is that it is very durable if you treat it with reasonable care. Doing so, it will last a long time (at least a decade).
This boils down to how you are using the gear. If you are not packing it far (from the truck to the car camping site), the 2 pounds difference may not be significant. Though if you lugging it 20-30 miles on your back (up and down several thousand feet of elevation) those 2 pounds become more of an issue… Especially if you are shaving off 2 pound here and 2 pounds there… My son has an equation he likes to quote: “ounces add up to pounds and pounds add up to pain.” As I get older, I tend to agree with him.