Podcast: Download (Duration: 33:07 — 33.2MB)
Show Notes: Episode 054
Today on The First 40 Miles, if you’re looking for a way to avoid eye contact with raisins, we may have the perfect breakup option in our Top 5 List today! Then, the SUMMIT Gear Review turns into the SUMMIT SMACKDOWN…which is kind of dangerous this time because there are knives involved. For the Backpack Hack of the Week, you’ll learn about a great resource for cheap backup eyeglasses to bring on the trail. And we’ll leave you with a little trail wisdom from someone who tries to make the road a little smoother for everyone.
Opening
- Six Word Memoirs
- What is your dream Backpacking trip in six words?
- Taking time to think long thoughts
- Leaving the house, but coming home.
- Didn’t forget to bring my soul
- Everything I need, on my back
- Fight or flight? I choose flight.
Top 5 Weird Superfoods to Take on Your Backpacking Trip!
- Taste like the world’s mildest apple, just a subtle hint of sweetness
- This root vegetable is native to Peru
- It’s naturally high content of inulin, a complex sugar that breaks down slowly
- Chewy and weird…the same sweetness level as gum you’ve been chewing for 45 minutes.
- Made from pure cacao beans that come straight out of the tropical cacao fruit.
- “Food of the Gods”
- Great source of magnesium, also an excellent source of iron and dietary fiber
- Cacao is one of the most antioxidant-rich foods on the planet!
- Crunchy! Awesome! Chocolate with all of the benefits!
- Also known as the wolfberry
- Tastes like a mix of sun dried tomato and dried strawberry
- 18 amino acids, free-radical fighting antioxidants, carotenoids, vitamins A, C, and E, and more than 20 other trace minerals and vitamins including zinc, iron, phosphorus and riboflavin (B2).
- Amazing: Ounce-for-ounce, goji berries contain more vitamin C than oranges, more beta-carotene than carrots, and more iron than soybeans and spinach.
- Tropical superfruit, harvested from a night-blooming cactus that grows in tropical regions including Thailand, Vietnam and South America.
- Also known as Pitaya, the large delicate fruit that sprout from the arms of the cactus have a strange and colorful appearance.
- These chewy, purple slices are low in calories and contain vitamin C, magnesium, protein, antioxidants and iron.
- Just sweet enough, the texture was outstanding, gorgeous fruit!!
- Source of omega 3 essential fatty acids, vitamin C, protein, fiber, magnesium, phosphorus, iron and is known to contain several B Vitamins including Thiamine (B1), Riboflavin (B2), and Niacin (B3), amongst others.
- They are chewy are equally and intensely sweet and tart
- Goldenberries contain a high amount of carotene and bioflavonoids, along with vitamins A and C.
- They also provide dietary fiber, pectin, protein and phosphorous, carotene, bioflavanoids, vitamins A and C as well as potassium.
SUMMIT Smackdown™: Leatherman Multitools
Leatherman is a company which is famous for their multi-tools. And while most multitools are pretty heavy and loaded with features, we found two lightweight, versatile options that still have features that make sense to bring on the trail.
| Leatherman Style CS | Leatherman Squirt PS4 | |
| STRUCTURE | Small, thin and light | Looks like a traditional multitool, only much much smaller |
| UTITILTY | 420HC Knife
Spring-action Scissors Flat/Phillips Screwdriver Tweezers (and not junky ones! Slant tip, they work for first aid!) Nail File Carabiner/Bottle Opener |
Spring-action Pliers
Spring-action Wire Cutters 420HC Knife Spring-action Scissors Flat/Phillips Screwdriver Bottle Opener Wood/Metal File |
| MASS | 1.4 oz (40 grams)
3 inches tall x 1 inch wide |
2 oz (56 grams)
2 inches tall X 1 inch wide slightly fatter than the Style CS |
| MAINTENANCE | Two options on stainless steel knives: highly corrosion resistant and relatively soft (like kitchen flatware), or somewhat corrosion resistant and quite hard.
Leatheman knives are somewhat corrosion resistant and quite hard. Which means, they need to be maintained. |
Your Leatherman product should be cleaned, dried and re-oiled periodically to inhibit rust and corrosion. This is especially true if you use it in a damp or marine environment. After cleaning, re-oil pivoting areas with a light machine or penetrating type oil (such as WD-40). Buff stained surfaces with a polishing cloth or non-metallic abrasive (e.g., Scotchbrite pad or soft bristle brush). |
| INVESTMENT | $24 | $37 |
| TRIAL | Style PS has pliers, this is the CS and it has scissors |
Backpack Hack of the Week™: ZENNI Optical
- Zenni Optical for cheap trail glasses
- All you need is your eyeglass prescription and your PD or pupillary distance.
- The glasses start at $6.95
- Shipping $5
- Great for a pair of glasses that you know will most likely get scuffed, scratched, bumped, bent, dropped, smashed, and lost.
Trail Wisdom
“He who travels the road best is he who makes the road smoother for those who follow”
-Dan Clark