Caving is one of my weirder hobbies, and it has introduced me to a fascinating array of tools including one of my favorite possessions; the incredibly durable waterproof roll-top caving pack from Swaygo.

On any trip underground you’re almost guaranteed to ruin one piece of gear or clothing. It’s a tough environment, and as such it requires unusually tough gear. The Swaygo is one of the toughest tools I own. The minimalist roll-top bag is made entirely out of polyurethane impregnated and coated nylon, that is tough as nails (and closer to a car tire than anything else I can think of). It has RF welded seams, and the roll-top is locked by a carabiner (unlike a previous bag I used that had plastic clips that failed mid-trip). The roll-top combined with the impregnated nylon makes the bag waterproof, and the toughness of the skin means that even in scrapes and falls the gear inside is kept safe and sound.

Unlike other roll-top bags, the Swaygo is designed with durability, flexibility and tight squeezes in mind. The shoulder straps are made out of webbing, and connect to the bag via three carabiners. The carabiners provide additional utility in that when you are crawling or climbing and need to drag the bag behind you, the top carabiner can be looped and clipped to your leg; when pulled this shortens the shoulder straps, drawing the webbing through a grommet creating a single long leash that minimizes snags during tight crawls.

While not designed for comfort, the bag itself feels great while caving. It’s designed to be worn with the rolltop on the bottom, minimizing the bulk at the top of the pack when crawling or duck-walking thereby further reducing snagging while also keeping most of the weight at the bottom of the pack.

Swaygo packs come in three sizes. I own the Push (740 cubic inches) which was perfect for my needs (it swallowed my pocket camera, three extra sources of light, a Nalgene water bottle, granola bars, and extra wool underwear). But for those who need something larger on longer trips, they also make the Pit (950 cubic inches) and the massive Sink (1,200 cubic inches) for $10 and $20 more, respectively.

After a recent caving trip I learned of a cave rescue in Tennessee that was made possible, in part, by four Swaygo packs. By inflating the packs with air and lashing them to the injured caver, the cave-rescue team was able to float the patient out of the cave using their packs as pontoons. I mention this only because in a tough situation I know I can depend on a bag as well-designed and built as the Swaygo. It’s built by a caver, for cavers, and as such it has the refined utility that, for me at least, is the definition of a cool tool.

Since learning how to roast my own beans I have come to appreciate the broader art of coffee making. However, I don’t always have time to roast coffee weekly or bring along my burr-grinder and kettle to brew a fresh cup. This is especially the case while camping and travelling.

The best solution I have found for caffeinating while abroad or on the go is Starbucks VIA instant coffee. Unlike the distasteful and often saccharine Nescafe instant coffee (among other brands), VIA tastes like freshly brewed coffee. I recently compared it to fresh brewed Starbucks and found that I actually preferred VIA to the fresher, darker brew (perhaps because food scientists at Starbucks have eliminated the Barista variable).

Not only does the VIA taste better than other instant brands, but it also dissolves better. The fine powder (described in the marketing as soluble micro-grounds) dissolves equally well in cold water as hot, allowing for instant iced coffee in the summer (or when I need to run out the door and don’t have time to wait for the kettle to boil). Each packet is supposed to make a strong 8-oz cup, but I find that it tastes best when diluted in about 12-oz of water.

VIA comes in small foil packets that are very similar to the previously reviewed Smart Spice packets, and like the spices the individual foil packets keep the coffee fresh when compared to the larger containers of instant coffee. The form factor is incredibly small (4 grams per packet) and as such the folks at Backpacking Light swear by it as a replacement for camp coffee.

The only downside to VIA is its expense with each packet costing around 60 cents which when compared to Nescafe’s 12 cents a cup seems a bit costly. However, it’s still cheaper than buying a cup at the coffee shop, and probably on par with how much my beans cost from the store. Finally, I’d recommend that people stay away from the sweetened variety of VIA as they are more expensive, less compact, and not as good as the simpler stuff.

VIA represents a quantum leap in the quality of instant coffee I’ve tried, and I remain blown away that I find myself choosing instant coffee over fresh-brewed stuff. I highly recommend that people set aside any lingering instant coffee prejudice and try a cup for themselves.

I have used a New Trent IMP500 external USB battery for the last two years, mostly in the backcountry, to keep multiple devices charged (you need to make sure you have adapter tips or a short cable for each type of device) and am impressed with its capacity and durability. These batteries work when you need them to work.

New Trent has consistently made the most powerful and reliable external USB batteries for USB-devices like the iPhone. Look at the New Trent website to decide which product is right for you, then look at the reviews on Amazon for confirmation of my first sentence.

The newest battery, IMP1000, has 11,000 mAH capacity, about 5-6 recharges for an iPhone 4. Before I bought my IMP500 I researched extensively before buying. Since then I have used this battery under extreme conditions for the last two years, and am more than satisfied.

The Patagonia Houdini jacket has become an essential piece of kit that I take with me nearly any time I leave the house. Its main function is as a windbreaker, but the DWR-treated nylon fabric works well in light rain. With that being said, in a downpour the jacket will wet out. But because its so thin and light it dries astonishingly fast, especially when compared to my bigger, heavier, rain jacket that feel wet for hours.

The jacket weighs around 3-ounces, and packs into its own chest pocket forming a baseball-sized bag that takes up minimal room. The fabric, despite being ultralight, is tough enough to survive most branches and scrapes seen while hiking, and it has found a permanent place in my pack while camping.

Above all else, it is the versatility of the Houdini that really sings. In the spring, I only need a light base layer and the Houdini when I go out. If I get chilled I toss it on to cut the wind and stay warm. Alternately, it works beautifully in the summer after a hot day when the temp starts dropping, or when I need a bit of lightweight sun and wind protection at the beach.

There are no doubt cheaper wind breakers out there, but for my money the Patagonia Houdini provides an incredible bang for the buck. Not only does it work just as well in the spring as it does in the summer, but its so light I know I’ll actually have it with me when I need it.

I’ve used lots of headlamps, and there’s a common problem when the light comes from a point source: brightly lit areas with inky black shadows behind the lit objects coupled with a narrow field of view. This Foxfury headlamp uses a bunch of LEDs spread out horizontally so the light washes in and around irregularities while lighting a wide field of view.

I’ve used this headlamp on a hardhat for at least 3 years when I’m lowered down into holes drilled through landslides. It’s amazingly dark below around 25 feet, and these lights just flood the walls of the boring so we can find the bottoms of landslides and map them.

They are great for changing tires, snowshoeing, and even yard work at night. My neighbors think I’m weird. They sell different models for fire fighting, forensic work, SCUBA diving, you name it. Plus they tune the spectrum to the need: natural light, infrared, etc. In addition, most of the models come with a red LED on the back for safety purposes.

This little saw is excellent, fast cutting, light weight ( at 3 oz without the case), and folds up small making it highly portable. It can quickly saw branches and trees up to about 4-6 inches in diameter with its 28 inch long chain.

To use it, wrap the chain around whatever you want to cut and then grab the handles and pull back and forth. This flexibility means that it can take on logs and branches too thick for smaller camp saws. I’ve used it in the back country as well as around the yard.

When one of the metal loops that attaches the saw to the handles came apart at the weld point the company very quickly responded by sending me a new set of loops. It’s an excellent product supported by a conscientious and responsive company.

[Note: An even lighter weight military model can be purchased here.--OH]

This chimney like kettle is able to boil water extremely fast because of its design in a camping/survival situation. The stainless steel chimney has a hollow center and has double walls that are filled with water. When placed over the included stove, the water begins to boil on average within 3-5 minutes.

– Matt

The Kelly Kettle is not “lightweight” by Backpacking Light standards, and it’s bulky (nature of its design: water vessel is integrated). I primarily use it for watercraft (drift boat, pontoon boat) float-camping trips, and seldom take it hiking (too bulky), although I do take it camping in the spring/fall when the focus is on basecamping). The 1 pt version does not have enough water capacity for anything but solo use.

At 13 oz, it’s light enough to take on long trips in wet, cold conditions where I want to make a lot of hot brews.

Having used the Zip Stove and a variety of hobo cans, I’ve found the Kelly Kettle to be the best performing wood burner so far. The volcano effect really does work, and chimney throughput is outstanding. Having the chimney go up through the center of the water vessel is sheer design brilliance for maximizing heat exchange, and the Kelly Kettle does regularly give me a pint of boiled water within 4 minutes of striking the match.

I take small bits of Esbit as firestarters, which means I can pretty much use any fuel I find: twigs, leaves, cones, needles, grass. A few handfuls of reasonably dry crud off the forest floor is about all I need, with the edge given to dead pine needles. Fuel that burns FAST and hot is what you want: twigs are actually the least useful form of fuel because they burn slow.

The Kelly Kettle is very well made, has a wonderful history about it, and just plain works.

– Ryan Jordan

The Sven Saw is an ideal camping saw. I grew up watching my Dad use one to make short work of the tree limbs I dragged through the woods to the campsite. Now I take mine on every backpacking trip. It makes gathering firewood easier, because you don’t have to search for logs you can break or hack through. Larger logs left by others or downed trees that you’d never be able to hack down or break are fair game. I leave my hatchet at home, because this saw is so efficient and well-designed. I’ve used mine extensively for almost ten years without replacing the blade. It’s also great for pruning tree limbs and taking care of downed wood at home.

The original 21″ saw weighs less than a pound and folds down to 24″ x 1 3/4″ x 5/8″, which slips easily (and safely) along the inside of an internal frame backpack. A 15″ version is now available, which saves even more weight on long treks.

[While similar to the previously reviewed ultra-portable Fiskars Pruning Saw, the slightly less packable Sven comes with a significantly longer blade capable of tackling larger logs at the cost of added weight and size. -- OH]

Made in Sweden, the Light My Fire firesteels are a remake of a classic. Use them to light dry tinder if you are in Daniel Boone mode. For the rest of us, they cast off a perfect spark to light any sort of gas camp stove, from the 2 burner Coleman car camp special to the micro backpack models. They also work for the previously CT reviewed DIY alcohol stoves.

Firesteels come in 2 sizes, small for survival-backpacking and a slightly larger size for those other times. Some of the most distinctive advantages are that it works when wet, it has no moving parts, no fuel to run out of, and lasts nearly 3,000 strikes.

I’ve used them for everything from car camping in the VW camper van to mountaineering stoves on Rainier climbs and they always are flawless. The smaller one always has a place in my first aid / survival kit; the larger one comes on car camping trips.