After talking a lot of trash on The North Face’s new Minibus 23 Tent and comparing it to the MSR Hubba Hubba, I received a friendly phone call from TNF’s public relations manager who put me in touch with the designer of the tent. He suggested that instead of baselessly slandering their new product in a few sentences, I should try it out and let them know what I think. Upcoming bloggers take note: Baseless slander = Free gear.

I had a chance to try it out over the weekend, and after putting the rain fly on inside out and somehow slicing my finger open on one of the poles, I have to say that I’m reasonably impressed.

The design of the tent is based around a proprietary DAC system. Instead of relying on pole hubs to push the walls of the tent nearer vertical and allow for larger vestibules, the DAC system comes with some built-in hardware that snaps into mating pieces sewn to the tent. It’s an interesting system that allows them to make more headroom in the tent without using more poles. From my days or tent repair at Thrifty Outfitters, I’ve developed an appreciation for things easily fixable, and the Minibus pole system doesn’t exactly allow for it (though, really none of the DAC poles are easy to fix yourself). Not only does the system come with the odd ferules in the middle that snap into the tent, but the ends of all the poles also use a ball-and-joint style DAC snap together. You might be able to fix a broken pole if you can find the part, but stepping on the plastic piece sewn to the tent and breaking it would cause some issues. The system is pretty easy and color-coded (though I still messed up the fly, but that’s my mild retardation), but if things go wrong the parts will need to get sent to The North Face for repair.

The tent body is well designed and has some ports next to the door so you can reach into your pack in the vestibule without opening the door. You could also probably use the port to urinate out of if you know it’s going to roll away from the tent, but I’d only recommend doing that when drunk-just be sure you don’t pass out leaning on the tent with your junk hanging outside as the mosquito bites would be hellish.

The Minibus’s fly snaps onto the aforementioned plastic feet on the tent body making for easy setup but not-so-easy repairs. It also comes with some cheesy vinyl windows on it you can watch any bears rooting through your food.

Overall, the Minibus 23 is a solid tent that offers a lot of room at a decent weight (6lb 12oz). I didn’t get to test it in high winds or in a torrential downpour, but I’m confident that it could handle anything short of tornado-force gusts. Sure, there are a lot of lighter weight tents out there, but if you’re into a mix of car camping and backpacking, this is a good rig. The North Face Minibus 23 (2-person) sells for $388 and The North Face Minibus 33 (3-person) sells for $428.

“Uh, I’m lost. I’m by a tree, and I think I can see a lake off in the distance. Can you send someone in a Jeep to pick me up?” The guy in Yellowstone who has to make that phone call will instead end up walking around trying to find a signal on his phone until the thing (and him) dies. Yellowstone is backing off on a plan that would have blanketed the park with cell coverage. As much as I like that they’re trying to preserve the seclusion of the park and think they’d get a few calls from lost idiots, I think it’d be fantastic to have coverage everywhere in the park. Not only is it a great survival tool, but it would make extending backcountry permits or calling your friends on their way in and letting them know to get another bottle of whiskey much easier.

via Backpacker

Chrome’s new belt mounted Hippouch bag is a holster for riders who draw their U-locks like a gun to bang on car windows or club a person trying to steal a friend’s bike. The Hippouch Utility Bag joins their Hipbone, which had a small seatbelt buckle and longer shape. Get one for your aunt who won’t give up on fanny packs for about $40.

via Trackosaaurus Rex

From a design and environmental standpoint the Rickshaw ZERO Messenger bag might be best bag out there. Rickshaw makes the ZERO Bag with only one piece of locally-sourced fabric and a few cuts, and the result is a wasteless manufacturing process and a fully nylon, recyclable bag. By cutting back on labor and frills, they’re able to sell the basic messenger bag for only $60. From a practical standpoint you have to wonder how well a one-pocket messenger bag would work-and if it doesn’t work and you set it aside to buy another then it’s all for naught. Still, the ZERO is a simple and elegant, locally made messenger bag that’s not too expensive.

A struggling world economy and a democrat in office here might mean it’s time for the U.S. to legalize non-psychoactive industrial hemp. A bill was voted down in 2007, but now that there’s actually a groundswell of support to legalize and tax the hell out of marijuana, the least they could do is legalize the ditch weed. Plenty of clothing makers in the outdoor industry have already adopted hemp (though it doesn’t help the industrial hemp cause when all of your stuff comes with rolling papers), but this bill would move cultivation of the weed into the U.S. and make it cheaper for outdoor companies in the U.S. to work with the material.

The contrarian’s candidate Ron Paul of Texas has introduced a bill called the Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2009. If you want all of your shirts to be made from the stuff, you can voice your opinion at Vote Hemp.

via The Cleanest Line

Chaco has updated their absolutely stellar Flip Sandals with their new Ecotread Outsole. The sole is made from 25% recycled material, and since these flip-flops last about 5 years they truly are good for the environment. What’s odd is that Chaco chose to make the sole available in brown in addition to their normal black. They say it was done to complement new midsole/strap colors, but the top half of their sandals is still black. Uh, I’m not the staple of fashion or anything, but why the hell would I want a two-tone blue/black fade sandal sole?

Tyler Bradt brought the waterfall record out of South America and back to the U.S.A. when he dropped a 186-foot waterfall in Washington. He rolled up at the bottom with a broken paddle and the wind knocked out of him, but he and the barrel kayak he took over the falls were fine. The previous record of a 127-foot fall only stood about a month at a half. If this rate continues, we’ll be at a 2500-foot drop by the end of summer.

via Outside

It’s like the guy who was a jerk his whole life, and then at the very last moment he shoved some lady about to get hit by a bus out of the way and he was killed. The Sierra Designs Cyclone Eco Jacket’s shell is made entirely from recycled polyester and the seam tape is all PVC-free, but you’re only giving that recycled stuff one last gasp before the landfill. And really, I guess one last gasp is better than nothing at all. If you get a Sierra Designs Cyclone Eco Jacket, it means you have to keep it for as long as you can stand it because it’s off to hell when you toss it. The jacket sells for about $105.

The Onion makes it easy to be smug, save the environment, and insult coworkers drinking coffee from disposable cups. This Sigg-looking “Do Your Inconsequential Part of the Environment Bottle” sells for about $18.