Minimalist Adventure Riding

Maple syrup is something that can easily be done at home for relatively little money if you have some maple trees on your property and you fall in the right region.  The Northern United States and Canada fall into the perfect zone for maple syrup.  The main season for maple sugaring is in the spring time when you have nights below freezing and warm sunny days above freezing.  This freeze thaw cycle is what causes the sap to push up from the roots to the branches to help in new bud growth.  The sap typically runs for 4 to 6 weeks.  I am told you can also tap maple trees in the late fall, but I have not personally tried it.  One season a year is enough for me due to the time commitment this process takes.   The first thing you have to do is prep.  Don't wait until the weather is right to figure out your plan for maple sugaring.  If you decide to purchase buckets and spiels (like shown above) you will be out of luck if you try and get them during the season.  Most places w

I have been looking for a camping option that is easily pack-able on my bike.  I have some small tents but because of the poles there is a limit on how small you can pack them down.  So when looking through the camping blogs and forums I came across groups of people who love hammocking.   I read about the benefits of  this mystical hammock thing.  They raved about how they were off the ground and no longer had to worry about that rock that seems to crawl under even the thickest sleeping pad, how easy they were to setup and take down, and how they felt closer to nature.  I'm not sure your any closer to nature in a hammock then a tent, but other than that I figured it was worth a try. I purchased the Eclypse II Backpacking hammock from TBA ($55) and the Hammock bliss extra large rain fly ($55).  I thought this was everything I needed, but being a hammock newbie I didn't realize they generally don't come with tree straps (we will get back to this later). Hamm

This is the Bell MX-9 Helmet.  Personally I have been an HJC fan for the last decade, but alas HJC hasn't caught up to the adventure riding market yet.  If you want a street helmet or a dirt helmet they will sell you a great one with plenty of safety certs to back it up for a very reasonable price.  When it comes to adventure helmets your options are getting better than they once were, but most of them are $400+ or you can go much cheaper and get something with a questionable safety value. This is where I was hoping the Bell MX-9 would be a good fit right in the middle.  I was looking for a reasonable price point, good looks, functionality, and safety.  At a price of right around $200, and DOT and ECE certification it has two of the boxes checked.  Its not the best looking adventure helmet out there, but its half the price of the better looking ones so its close enough for me.  Functionally it scores about a 8 out of ten with me.  The fit is good, and the chin