The logo

November 19, 2010
Thumbnail image for The logo

Okay, so there is one part of the Backcountry Boiler I didn’t design: the logo. And it sure is an important part: if the name of a brand is like, well, the name of a person, then the logo is its face. Fortunately, I had a super talented guy to give the Boiler something with […]

Read the full article →

Where they’re going

November 16, 2010
Thumbnail image for Where they’re going

This is really exciting – the orders have been flying in from all over the world. It’s hard to believe they just opened up on Friday night! As you can see, I’m getting big love from Washington and California. And apparently, much like my favorite strategy in Risk, the Backcountry Boiler will start its path […]

Read the full article →

Orders open!

November 13, 2010
Thumbnail image for Orders open!

After much ado, the Montgomery Kettle – now the Backcountry Boiler – is available for pre-order! Details can be found on the Pre-order! page above. I also set up an About page that is still evolving, and between the two there’s a lot of new information. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to give […]

Read the full article →

The quote’s in, now to the calculations

November 7, 2010
Thumbnail image for The quote’s in, now to the calculations

I got the quote from the spinning shop on Friday, but I’ve been out of town all weekend. So I’m still working everything up based on the numbers and specs they gave me. Here’s what I know: They may not be able to make the kettle quite as light as I did. So it will […]

Read the full article →

All you fine people: a shout-out

October 30, 2010
Thumbnail image for All you fine people: a shout-out

I don’t know how many Kurt Vonnegut fans we have out there, but I’m a big one. In his last novel, Timequake, there’s a period where all the people of the world, save one man, are paralyzed thanks to a hiccup in universal expansion and a temporary estrangement of free-will (*that makes total sense, right? […]

Read the full article →

With my dreams in my backpack…

October 29, 2010
Thumbnail image for With my dreams in my backpack…

I walked across the wide parking lot and into E.H. Schwab, a local metal spinning shop with the friendliest dog you’ll ever meet. It’s owned and operated by the Harrison family and, after a short wait, Neal Harrison met me in the company’s conference room – a modest space stacked high with examples of every […]

Read the full article →

The boilerwerks: back from the wilderness

October 28, 2010
Thumbnail image for The boilerwerks: back from the wilderness

Boy it’s been a long time. The message I just sent to those on the reservation and mailing lists is below, and captures the interim pretty well I think. Hi All, I should start off by apologizing to many of you for being MIA for so long. The blog hasn’t been updated since June and […]

Read the full article →

Déjà vu

June 9, 2010
Thumbnail image for Déjà vu

Today I laminated up my fourth mandrel for the chimney piece. The first died of poor construction – made on a flimsy lathe of a single piece of moist wood, it was warped before it was finished. The second died of neglect – it sat unused in a closet for almost a year and slowly […]

Read the full article →

Slow times

June 8, 2010
Thumbnail image for Slow times

A holiday weekend, dog emergency, and the beginning of a part-time summer job kept me from my shop in the trees for all of last week, but I’m back. I rarely do anything that would warrant one of their packs, but I like the company blog over at Cilogear. In May, founder Graham Williams wrote […]

Read the full article →

Tunes

May 28, 2010
Thumbnail image for Tunes

I know that a lot of long distance hikers bring music along to help them power through the miles. My treks are infrequent enough that I try wring the most experience out of each trip, nature sounds included. But I feel no such compulsion to take in every screech, rattle, and hum of kettle construction. […]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →