Inuvik, part II (Equipment)

The "office." Note that N0MAD is going incognito under all that dust! I'm in a bug net.

I spent one VERY quiet day at the campground, swatting mosquitoes and writing. For those who are interested, I'll write a bit about equipment, something I meant to do before I left.

The campground was very quiet, at least until the late afternoon when people started revving up their jet skis on the river!

Old and New Equipment

OLD EQUIPMENT that is working well:
- SOLAR PANEL: AllPowers Folding Solar Charger. This thing is awesome. I didn't use it much last year, since it rained so much, but the few times I did get to use it, it worked well. It has been a champ on this trip so far. With the long days of summer, even with a low sun angle late at night, it generates enough electricity to power both the phone and the laptop. It folds up into a package that is smaller than a briefcase. It lives behind my driver's seat (along with the rain gear), so it is easy to pull out and set up.

- LAPTOP: MacBook Air: So far so good. I love that it is so light, powers up quickly, and can last for a relatively long time on battery power. Keep being nervous that it's going to die from dust or heat or other abuse, but ... so far so good. Honestly, I like it so much I would get another one, if this one croaks.

- ICE CHEST: Yeti Tundra 45: It is a beast. Before I left, I cooled it down for about a week (rotating in ice-filled bottles). When I left, I filled it with: two plastic jugs of ice (one 1-gallon and one 1/2-gallon), plus a "blue ice" flat. The inside is still cool, although it is not cool enough to keep things for long. Unfortunately, here in the hinterlands, there is no ice. I guess most people have campers or motorhomes with refrigerators run on generators. So I'm using the cooler now not so much for refrigeration, but just for keeping water cool. Not sure what people put in their drinks!

- SPOTTING SCOPE: Kowa TSN-884 Prominar. Love it. Images are super clear. Even if I don't know what a bird is, at least I can see it.

- CAMERA: Nikon D7200. Mostly happy, but something happened that I the image on the viewscreen is really dim. Thought it might have been a setting that I inadvertently set, but can't find the problem in the manual or any chat forums. Should probably take it in for repair, but that just didn't happen before I left. Viewfinder works fine, so am just using that for now. Just means that movies from the camera are pretty much out of the question.
--> Looking forward to using the new lenses from Billy and George Boe: THANK YOU!!

- BUG PROTECTION (1): Camo hunter's cap with bug net. Old fashioned, it Just Works. Appreciating it here as much as I did in the Sierras when cooking for trail crew.
- BUG PROTECTION (2): REI Jungle Juice. 100% DEET. It's the only thing that works. Mosquitoes love me. I hate them. The other "pyrethrin" stuff that was recommended doesn't even slow these northern mosquitoes down. Apparently they didn't get the memo about it being a repellant.

New equipment:

- CELL PHONE: Samsung Galaxy S7 phone/Verizon unlimited plan: My aging iPhone 4 from before the purge died from overwork: since I don't have internet at the house back in Mill Valley, I was using its hotspot feature, all the time. Unfortunately at one point the battery ran down to the extent that I couldn't resuscitate it. Since the iPhone 4 is no longer supported, and crucial apps were no longer working, I'd actually been looking at phones for a year. So I bit the bullet and got a new phone. I also ditched AT&T's service, which I'd had forever. Reception was not good in Mill Valley, and I was tired of dropped calls and people not being able to hear me.
--> Bottom line: VERY HAPPY. Phone is mostly great. Service is great. The unlimited plan allows for free calls, text and data from Canada, just as in the US. Come to find out that is not completely true (there is a daily cap), but so far I'm fine with it. I've only gone over once, and they don't cut you off, just decrease the speed to 3G (from 4LTE). Since 3G was all my previous phone could handle, this is just fine with me!
--> End note: I was able to revive the iPhone with the help of information on the internet. I'll be using the iPhone strictly as a camera for the spotting scope, and backup.

- FOLDING CHAIR: Helinox "Sunset" Chair: I have resisted getting a chair, but in the end decided to get one. I want to be able to draw and read in comfort, and this is so small and light (still will support someone weightier than me), that I could find room for it in the car.
--> So far: VERY HAPPY. Used it only once so far (I've been mostly driving), but it is super easy to set up and super comfy. 
This way, I won't have to sit on wet ground, or take the icebox out of the car, and I can easily move from sun to shade or whatever. 

- HAMMOCK: Eno Helios Hammock Suspension System: Although I am wary of anything called a "system," this looked really good to me: an easy way to hang the hammock. I have done my share of knot-tying with crappy rope, and this looked super simple. Plus it's small, light and strong. The straps can also be used for other things, so it satisfies my "everything must have dual use" requirement.
--> JURY OUT: Haven't had a chance to try it yet..  

- BUG PROTECTION (3): Bug Bivvy by Outdoor Research. I knew mosquitoes were going to be a problem, so got this lightweight bit of personal protection to use when sleeping. The idea was that I could set it up in the car. The problem with that logic, I now realize, is that if you open all the windows, you let the mosquitoes in to deal with later (when driving). So, for now, I'm rolling down the window, and using the Bug Bivvy as a screen in the window, rather than setting it up and sleeping in it.
--> For now: JURY IS OUT. I may want to just get some bug netting and make custom window screens. We'll see.

- TIMEKEEPING: Garmin VivoFit 3. Ok, feel kind of silly about this, but the watchband on my old Timex watch broke. I LIKE that watch — it has Indiglo so it lights up at night. But, I've replaced the batteries twice, and it's getting a bit scratched up. So while I did order a new watchband, I wanted to see what other timepieces were available. I settled on the Vivofit 3 as an alternative. It was one of the few devices that works on a regular watch battery so you don't have to recharge it every day or week. Not sure that I trust it's "step" count, but it's kind of fun to use.
--> For now: JURY IS OUT. I can tell time and it does tell me the day of the month, but it doesn't light up at night, and it doesn't tell me the day of the week. I have to consult the phone for that.

I think that's about it. Feel free to contact me and ask about any equipment! I love sharing knowledge!

Robin singing at the campground