Had this mix this weekend and wasn't thrilled as it was the only dinner I brought. Although it is low in fat and is one of the healthier options, it is made with brown sugar and I'm not a big fan of chicken and rice that has a sweet taste. Residue from the bag is rather sticky as well. Anyway...that's just my taste preference. I prefer the beef stroganof. Now there's a nummy meal!

Just took this tent out last weekend and was again happy with its performance. Sets up in about 5 minutes and is definitely stable in the wind. The center zipper along the middle of the tent is great for loading and unloading gear. It's also great when the weather is hot as you can roll the fly back and stare up at the stars. Only slightly unnerving if you imagine a large animal standing over your tent and slobbering at the nummies inside :-) In any event, I haven't found a standard footprint for it but I've cut Tyvek to fit and it works well. A good tent for the money.

I'm new to hydration systems so after much research, I opted to go with the Platypus 2 Liter. I was a little nervous about the ziplock top because I couldn't imagine it would stay closed with the pressure that is exerted from being inside the pack. I filled it and it immediately began to leak at the ziplock top. I figured I must not have closed it well so I laid it down and used a hard object to seal it shut. I picked it up and sure enough...same problem. Perhaps I just got a poorly molded seal? In any event, I realized that I had purchased a hydration pack many years ago and now I use that instead. It has served me well. Anyways...I'm not sure I'm a big fan of the design.