Jacket Concept Design Converts To Tent

It seems like just about everything that can be done with our outdoor gear, has been done with our outdoor gear. We now have stuff that is lighter, stronger, and more durable than ever before. Heck, it's all designed to go easy on the environment too! Thankfully, some people are still coming up with some interesting designs. Take this interesting concept for an outdoor jacket designed by Justin Gargasz.

The Vessel jacket as it is called, converts from a sling pack to a fairly standard looking shell, before transforming one more time into a tent. Yep, it's like having three gear items in one, and they are traditionally three items that backpackers would take out in the field with them anyway.

Overall, I think it's an interesting design, and better left as a concept that an actual real product. I'm not sure how you would use this on any serious excursion into the woods, although I admit that the jacket converting into a tent idea is great for an emergency situation. The design is top notch though, and I give Justin credit for that, and forward thinking and innovation like this may be in our future gear items. Definitely something cool to think about.

Thanks to The Goat who picked this up via Core 77.

Stephanie Keith | Vodou Brooklyn

Photo © Stephanie Keith-All Rights Reserved

The Guédé are the spirits of Haitian Vodou that include the powers of death and fertility. These spirits include Ghede Doubye, Ghede Linto, Ghede Loraj, Ghede Masaka, Guédé Nibo, Guédé Plumaj, Guédé Ti Malis, and Guédé Zaranye, and the festival of Fete Guédé is the Vodou religion’s version of Day of the Dead on November 2, however the Haitian spirits are more playful and lively.

Vodou believers observe Fete Guédé by laying out gifts such as homemade beeswax candles, flowers and bottles of rum stuffed with chilli peppers. It is in November that vodouists celebrate Gede, the spirit who embodies death and resurrection. Gede dances to the drums, blesses people, drinks liquor rubs talcum of his face.

Every November in Brooklyn, Guédé parties occur on weekends, and photographer Stephanie Keith entered the world of vodou by photographing these parties in the cramped basements of Canarsie, East Flatbush and Red Hook.

Stephanie Keith is an award-winning photographer/photojournalist whose work has taken her to all corners of the 5 boroughs plus the Middle East, South America and Norway. She has a degree in Anthropology from Stanford University, a certificate in photojournalism from the International Center of Photography, and received a Master’s of Photography from NYU in 2003. The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Time magazine and The Washington Post have all published her photos and photo stories. One of her photos was chosen by Time Out NY as one of the 50 most iconic photos of NYC.

The Caribbean Studies Press has just published her photos about Vodou as a book, entitled: “Vodou Brooklyn: Five Ceremonies with Mambo Marie Carmel.”

An interesting interview "The Vodou They Do in Brooklyn" describes how Ms Keith's fascination with vodou led her to these photographs and the book.

The Spring Buying Guide from National Geographic Adventure

Each spring, just like clockwork, a young man's (and woman's!) heart turns to thoughts of sunshine, blooming flowers, and of course new gear! We're all heading outside to take in the great weather, many of us for the first time in months, and nothing gets you excited about playing outside more than new outdoor equipment. Thankfully, National Geographic Adventure is here to help us spend some of that hard earned cash on the best new products for spring. (Economic crisis? What economic crisis?!?)

As usual, you'll find an interesting mix of gadgets and outdoor equipment to keep us busy in the months ahead. Adventure starts the list off with a pair of speakers from iHome Audio, that when paired with an mp3 player, will have base camp rockin'. From there, they move into the serious stuff, including four great packs, like the ACT Trail 32 from Deuter, which is a great daypack with easy access and the ability to carry a solid load. There are plenty of other great items on the list as well, including some suggestions for a new bike, road or mountain, a waterproof camera phone from Casio, and a cool new tent that includes a garage for your bike from Mountain Hardwear.

Obviously Adventure has a few suggestions for all of us, no matter what our outdoor passion is. Whether camping, hiking, paddling, cycling, or just relaxing, they have new items that you'll want to add to your gear closet. Be warned before clicking on over, "Gear Lust" is a vary real phenomenon, and I'm not responsible for increased credit card bills or angry spouses.

Himalaya Spring 2009 Update: Lhotse-Everest Traverse, Tibet To Reopen?

It was a busy weekend in Kathmandu, as the major teams are now arriving on the scene. Alan Arnette is reporting that the IMG Team has landed, while Billi Bierling reports that Himex is in Nepal as well. Billi will be climbing with Himex on the South Side of Everest this spring, and quite naturally, she was happy to see her team. Billi says that there are 28 clients on the climbing permit, along with 7 guides, 30 Sherpas, 10 base camp staff, a doctor, and two cooks. They're not staying long in the capital however, as they're leaving tomorrow for Lukla, where they'll begin the ten day trek to BC. Billi, being a native to Nepal, will follow them on the 8th of April.

In other news, Alan also reports on his Everest 2009 page that a Kazakh team has set off for Nepal with the intention of completing a Lhotse-Everest traverse. The plan will be to climb Lhotse, then proceed down the connecting ridge between it and Everest, cross over to the South Col route, summit the Big Hill, then go back down from there. It's never been done before, and who is leading the team? Well, none other than Maxut Zhumayev, and Vassily Pivtsov, two names well known in the HImalaya for their bold, and fast climbing. They'll be joined by Serguey Samoilv and Eugeny Shutov, two very strong and accomplished climbers in their own right.

Also, word has begun to leak out that China is preparing to re-open the borders of Tibet, allowing foreigners in once again. I've heard the date ranging from anywhere from the 1st of April to the 5th (Alan reports the 4th), but no matter what the date, it's good news for the teams that have been hoping to go to the North Side. It's still going to be pretty quiet up there, but it's good to see their patience possibly rewarded. It seems that March was quiet, as far as we can tell, in Tibet, which is helping to speed up the lifting of the travel bans.

More soon from the HImalaya I'm sure.

First Results: Zeiss Touit 12mm | Fuiji X-Pro 1

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Photo © Tewfic El-Sawy-All Rights Reserved

Here are two examples of what I intend to do with my newly acquired Zeiss Touit 12mm for my Fuji X Pro-1.

The top image is un-cropped, and was made by shooting from-the-hip at a distance of about 2 feet from the couple who were having a rather intense conversation. They were so engrossed in their conversation that they barely noticed me.

The lower image is cropped, and also made by shooting from-the-hip at a similar distance. The tattoo artist was also too busy talking to a colleague to really notice me.

The only irritant in the Touit 12mm is that the aperture ring moves too easily and, especially that I'm shooting from the hip, I have to frequently make certain that the aperture is set on my chosen f-stop. I may consider using a small piece of gaffer tape fixing it at either f4 or f5.6 (which is probably the lens' sweet spots), but Zeiss engineers/designers ought to have come with a firmer aperture ring.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, I am fond of wide angle photography, and have used the 17-40mm (mostly at the 17-24mm setting) on my Canon 5D Mark II most of the time during my recent photo expeditions in India and Vietnam. While perhaps not optimally ideal for street photography, the Touit 12mm (18mm equivalent on a full frame) gives me a viable alternative to the Fujinon 18mm (27mm equivalent on a full frame) pancake lens I used in the past.

My investment in new gear is a slow and steady one....I'm waiting for the right time and mindset to acquire for the Fuji X-T1. It'll come soon...the real question is whether it'll be part of my Vietnam Photo Expedition in September or not. And whether I move away from the DSLR system completely in favor of the X Series or not.

Top Ten Adventure Twitterers

The Outside Blog, the official blog of Outside Magazine, has released their Top Ten list of Adventure Twitterers, and there are a few names that make the list that you might recognize.

The list is certainly diverse and interesting, with companies like Backcountry.com and REI earning a spot in the Top Ten, as well as individual adventurers like Roz Savage, who is busy preparing for a return to the sea, and climber Steph Davis, who is busy scaling rock faces, and then jumping off them.

The Gear Junkie earns a much deserved spot on the list as well, and our friend Alan Arnette tops the list as the number one adventure twitterer, with is amazing updates on Everest and his own on going climbs.

Look closer on the list, and you might even recognize a certain adventure blogger. Yep, Outside named me the #5 adventure twitterer, and I have to say I'm surprised and honored to be listed with everyone else. My friends will get a great chuckle out of this thanks to my reluctance to try Twitter in the first place. But, I have to admit, I'm a convert, and think it is pretty cool to make this list, despite the fact that my Twitter name makes an obvious reference to how big of a geek I am. ;)

Thanks Outside!

Vietnam Travel Tips - Tour VietNam travel

Settlement: Hostels begin at $6 USD for every night. Private rooms normal about $18 USD for a twofold room.

Sustenance: By consuming at road stalls and markets you can get a dish of pho or a rice dish for $1 USD. Take a seat restaurants are additionally economical at around $2-4 USD.

Transportation: Bus travel is exceptionally shoddy in Vietnam. As an illustration, the general population transport around Ho Chi Min City will cost a most extreme of $.15 USD. The train is likewise an alternate cheap approach to go with the 791km long prepare venture from Danang and to Hanoi costing $26 USD.

Exercises: Many of Vietnam's attractions are based around its regular excellence and in that capacity, cost practically nothing. For sorted out trips, for example, visiting the Cu Chi burrows you can hope to pay $5 USD. Halong Bay visits from Hanoi begin at $24 USD for two-day excursions and increment exponentially from that point.

Road Food – The sustenance is generally great, truly shoddy and you can watch it being cooked before you. Stick to the nearby nourishment and you'll spare cash.

Late-night travel - If voyaging long voyages, attempt to take the late night transport or prepare as this will spare you the expense of a night's convenience.

Take the Tourist Bus – It is really less expensive to take the visitor transport around the nation than taking neighborhood transportation on account of the "vacationer" value you get at the transport station.

Deal Hard - Tourists have a tendency to be charged more than local people for everything from cyclos to road sustenance. Deal harder than you would normally, and don't disparage the benefit of strolling ceaselessly.

Respect the Pagodas – Vietnam's most different construction modeling can be been in the pagodas which are discovered everywhere throughout the nation. They are prominent for their lovely and many-sided carvings. Pagodas are utilized as altars and sanctuaries and are loved by the Vietnamese individuals.

Meander Hanoi – Vietnam's capital, Hanoi consolidates French imperialism with Eastern impacts. Revel in an evening investigating the restricted avenues of the Old Quarter or visit the innumerable sanctuaries and displays specked around this clamoring city.

Unwind in Dalat – Dalat is settled in the slopes of the Central Highlands and is mainstream with voyagers who need to unwind in the mountain air. Individuals run here to appreciate its tranquil air and common magnificence. The slopes around Dalat are loaded with customary tribal towns which you can visit yet there is bounty to do inside the city itself as well.

Visit the Mekong Delta – The delta is a 60,000km long web of interconnected conduits which compasses over three Vietnamese areas. The zone is loaded with little art towns, Khmer Pagodas, mangroves, plantations and the trademark skimming markets. The most ideal approach to encounter delta life is to go on one of the numerous pontoon or bicycle visits. Use a perspective days investigating the locale.

Related post: Vietnam travel

Slither through the Cu Chi Tunnels – Crawl through the broad system of almost 500 km of passages used by the Viet Cong in the war with the USA in the 1960s. Visits include a depiction of the passages, after which visitors are permitted to slither about the maze and blaze Ak47s at shooting targets.

Covering 61,000, this spot is home to in excess of 2000 types of trees and some really uncommon untamed life including the Clouded panther, Delacour's Langur and Owston's Civet. It was my most loved stop in all of Vietnam and the main spot I could evade crowds of voyagers.

Hang Out in Hoi A – Hoi An is a standout amongst the most well known ends for voyagers setting out to the nation. The spot is pressed with authentic homes and structures and curious bistros. It's little and extraordinary for strolling, purchasing suits (they have a tremendous design and tailor business sector), consuming, and unwinding by the stream. It was effortlessly my most loved place in Vietnam.

Investigate Ho Chi Minh City – Also known as Saigon, Ho Chi Minh is Vietnam's biggest city and is doubtlessly worth investigating. Like most urban communities in Vietnam, you'll be met with the thunder of motorbikes speeding through pilgrim boulevards. Ben Thanh business sector is an unquestionable requirement see for astounding nourishment and there is an extraordinary buzz of action inside the spot.

Climb in Halong Bay – More than 3000 islands sit inside the emerald green waters of Halong Bay, one of the nation's most famous visitor ends of the line. Feline Ba island has incredible for trekking and numerous travelers end up taking one of the hollow visits. Attempt to discover a decent administrator as numerous oversell or lie about what their vessels look like.

Get Active in Mui Ne – Despite being an angling town, Mui Ne has got a huge tourism scene, because of its ubiquity as a wind- and kitesurfing goal, and due to the pretty sand ridges that lie close-by.

See My Son – My Son is a situated of Hindu destroys in Vietnam which go over to the Cham Empire. The Champas governed over Central Vietnam from the third to the nineteenth century. The sanctuaries here are of extraordinary verifiable imperativeness, however they have been generally recovered by the encompassing wilderness, and have fallen into an incredible state of decay.

Visit the Caves in Phong Nha-Ke Bang - Hang Son Doong is rumored to be the world's biggest cavern, and is spotted in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park. It was found by a nearby in 1990, and "rediscovered" by a British giving in group in 2009. You can mastermind outings to see this staggering cavern. Be arranged to be passed up its excellence.

Ache - A Short Story

The sudden jerk of the train made Meera wake up from her dreams to realize that the coach was  completely empty.

The path she had traveled was not often tread, the route of her travel not often taken, the feelings that drained in her heart, not often felt.

For the first time, since she had begun her journey for souls, she would meet Heena, her confidante, amid the stalking overcast sky and thudding winter chill.

She stepped out, her heart beats missing aloud, the engine whistling rather suggestively, of the ashes that were left behind from the coal, burnt or alive, or rather both, the smoke that existed there within the coal, albeit in the latent form in the same black coal.

Heena was standing there, right there, Meera wanted to meet her eye to eye, through form to form, by matter to matter, Heena had no eyes and  Meera had a heart attache.

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This post has been written and shared for the series 'Five Sentence Fiction'.

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Looking forward to your comments.

Patrick de Wilde | Faces

Alessandra Meniconzi, a friend and herself a fabulous photographer, introduced me to the photography of Patrick de Wilde...whose work she liked very much, and one whose type of photography counterbalanced the recent commercialism in the realm of travel and cultural photography.

Naturally, I checked the website out...and in its gallery simply titled Faces, I found brilliant portraiture of ethnic groups ranging from Omo Valley's Mursi tribals, to Kyoto's geishas, to Brazil's Amazonians, to Malian Tuaregs, and to Vietnam's Caodaists...and of course, Sadhus from India and Nagaland tribes people.

Simple ethnic portraiture has been, in some sense, maligned recently and described by some as too simple. However, portrait photographs have been made since virtually the invention of the camera, and will continue to be one of the most sought after photographic styles. Lighting, of course, is one of the main techniques in portrait photography, and these portraits have all made in the same way.

All the 265 portraits are vertical...none are in my favored landscape format, as the photographer sought to focus on nothing but the faces of his subjects. Simple, no stagecraft, and powerful.

Patrick de Wilde is a French photojournalist, and has served as editor-in-chief of several French travel photography magazines. He has contributed to international travel and wildlife publications including BBC Wildlife and Géo for over twenty years, and has photographed thousands of men and women on five continents over the past decades. He started his professional life as a photojournalist in Asia, and focused on the Buddhist and Jain religious traditions, and shared the life ways of Buddhist monks in Thailand and Burma.

Cameron Karsten | The Vodou Trail

Photo © Cameron Karsten-All Rights Reserved

"The Engungun spirit enters the body and becomes a direct translation of God".

Readers of this blog will know of my interest in documenting vodou or voodoo for quite a while, and until I'm able to finalize my research, and allocate some time to do so, I have to content myself with the work of others...often magnificent work...about this age-old, and misunderstood,  religious practice.

Both Cameron Karsten and Constantine Savvides produced a multimedia project that documents the origins of this belief system in West Africa to the shores of the New World. Cameron's website has a ton of still images of vodou practitioners in West Africa.

Voodoo, or Orisha, as it is practiced today, originated many hundred years ago among the Yoruba people who live in the region of modern-day Togo, Benin and parts of Nigeria. Followers of voodoo believe in an unapproachable god and an array of spirits who serve as intermediaries. Slaves, forced to leave Benin's sandy shores in their millions, took such beliefs to the U.S. and the islands of the West Indies, where they spread and formed the basis of religions like Candomblé, Macumba, Santería and Umbanda.

The Vodou Trail is the dedicated website for Cameron's and Constantine's documentary work on vodou, exploring the misconceptions about the practice, and about its clandestine aspects.