Camp Breakfast in Scotland: Kedgeree and Cranachan Recipes

Jul 24, 2023

The green walls of our tunnel tent glow, light shimmering and flowing in waves, the dawn chorus ebbing, reminding us that time is a-wasting. Waking slowly in cocoons of silk, down and nylon there’s a delicious sense of lethargy. We’re slow to get moving.  Here, beneath stark basalt mountains on the Isle of Skye, the scent of sun-warmed earth and heather flows into the tent. Still in our bags, there’s good-natured banter about who must leave the comfort of a warm bag to light our stove and get breakfast going.   Grumbling slightly, one of the team wriggles out of the tent, the fly taut with the heat from a cloudless sky; a rare and unexpected joy here in the far northwest of Scotland, where one day of sunshine is a thing to…

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Living Large—The Habiscape™ Family Camping Tent

Jul 5, 2023

I blinked my eyes open on a chilly morning in Colorado and peered out of my sleeping bag. The tent walls sloped high up above us, a small palace to temporarily call our home. My partner, our dogs and I finally started using the Habiscape 6-Person camping tent after tiring of camping in coffin-like tents. Although I wondered if this tent would be overkill for the four of us, I quickly came to love the red and gray fabrics and the safety they provided. With this tent, we no longer had to compromise. We could comfortably sleep in the woods without cramming ourselves into a small space. Yet it still came with all of the necessary protection we needed to rough it in the woods. Since one of the greatest…

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Fly Your Tent Down the Freeway

Jul 3, 2023

The original Mountain Safety Research Newsletter (1969-1982), written by MSR founder Larry Penberthy, is a fascinating read. The newsletters are filled with extensive and technical product testing and mountain safety information. However, Larry and his team were also known to have some fun. One of our favorite features in this vast newsletter archive is the makeshift “wind tunnel” testing report in Issue 7 (April 1973) for the new MSR Mountain Tent. Important performance features of the tent are profiled under the headings “More Room,” “Condensation,” “Doors,” “Ease of Erection,” “Wind Stability,” “Cookholes,” “Materials” and “Weight.” Within the “Wind Stability” description, the reader is given this glimpse into MSR’s rigorous and fun DIY testing methods. Larry was never satisfied until he personally put gear through the ultimate paces. The original color…

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Liquid Fuel Stoves 101: How to Choose the Right Fuel for Your Liquid Fuel Stove

Jun 28, 2023

Despite the popularity of small, canister-fuel stoves, liquid fuel stoves are still the best option for many people due to their unrivaled cold weather performance, low cost, (arguably) lower environmental impact, and worldwide fuel availability. Their exceptional field maintainability, legendary durability and in some cases, multi-fuel compatibility are also why liquid fuel stoves are an excellent choice for emergency preparedness kits. But which of the many liquid fuels should you use? If you have a multi-fuel stove like the MSR XGK-EX, Dragonfly, or WhisperLite Universal, you have several fuel options to choose from. Depending on where in the world you plan to use your stove, the options may vary from what you’re used to at home. Pros & Cons of the Common Liquid Fuels White Gas (Naphtha) White gas (aka…

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The Ins and Outs of Canister Fuels

Jun 26, 2023

What is in those fuel canisters, anyway? Is Brand X’s fuel really any different from Brand Y’s? In this article, I’ll discuss what makes up MSR’s IsoPro™ fuel and why it’s some of the best canister fuel on the market.

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