I noted in my post about church essentials that God’s love and grace is the heart of a healthy church. Churches centered on God’s love presence invite members to be gracious, humble, welcoming and compassionate. Ironically, as churches get serious about following their Lord, something often goes wrong.  While a church continue to talk about “grace” and to teach and proclaim “the gospel”, their conduct and attitudes seem more like the Pharisees than Jesus.  The people become “religious” and are often characterized by legalism, pride, exclusion, and judgement. The question I have been wresting with is how does one encourage people to be committed to following the way of Jesus, without becoming religious.

On an individual level the secret to being committed and grace filled is keeping in mind what we are committed to, or should I say “who”… Jesus. The “commitment” is to have a vital relationship with our Lord. If we are moment by moment in communion with our Lord, if we are seeing the world through His eyes, we will slowly be more or more like our Lord. We will become more and more like Him, and start to do the things He would do if he was in our context. Of course this is easy to say, and hard to live out.

Man’s original and repeated sin is to be independent, to say “I have got this”. The more mature we think we are, the more practices and systems we devise, the more we are inclined to just go out and “do it” rather than to be in close communion with our Lord. We rely on our experience, knowledge, and wisdom. The people I have met who seem most transformed by Jesus see themselves and beginners, expecting to regularly need correction. A friend wisely told me “The sign of maturity is not the lack of sin because in this life you will never be free of sin, but how quickly you return to the throne of grace”

Christian communities form as people respond to God’s amazing love and join together in celebration and worship. As members mature they look for ways to encourage each other. Having a set of shared vision with common values and practices is immensely powerful. Together these lead to group identity. As is often noted: individual choices < habits < identity

Communities implicitly if not explicitly select a shared set of practices which makes them distinct. Typically these are traits of the most respected members of the community. Sometimes it’s the result of careful examination leading to something the book Practicing the Way describes as a rule of life.

These practices can be good, worthy of engaging in… but they can often turn into a religious activity that produces exactly the opposite of what our Lord would desire. The question is how can we purposely pursue life with our Lord as a community without falling into this trap?

Some ideas that have bouncing around in my head but I haven’t been able to turn them into a clean and concise post:

• Everyone is welcome. No conditions or expectations on people. Response to people in curiosity and welcome.
• Timing is in God’s hand. People are never rushed or pushed. It’s ok to challenge people but never demand or be conditional.
• Commitment is to follow Jesus, not to do what the community wants
• Community trusts God to provide… don’t need to pressure people to keep their commitments
• God reveals Himself to everyone. Everyone has something to share (Parker Palmer model of knowing)
• Goal is God being magnified… people seeing his love and beauty, not our church growing (though it will typically grow when God is at the center).
• Seasons… things change, it’s ok if one thing ends because God is starting new things elsewhere
• Anytime you have a goal and you are measuring KPI, always ask how can that lean in a wrong direction and measure those unintended consequences to know when you are off track.

I really wanted to post something about this topic. Since my thoughts are still jumbled I decided to cheat. Here are a series of interactions with chat-gpt. In the future I hope my thoughts will become clear and concise enough to remove the chat-gpt text and replace it with what I write. Section headings are my prompts. Subheadings and text from chat-gpt.

How did the early church avoid become religious (like Pharisees) as they instituted a rule of life

You’re touching on something profoundly human and spiritually difficult: how to build something beautiful and focused without becoming proud, insular, or unwelcoming. Here’s a way to think about it, rooted in the wisdom of the Desert Fathers, early church, and practical spiritual leadership:

Hold the Mission with Clarity, and the People with Gentleness

A healthy mission needs people who are all-in. But that clarity of mission must be paired with a generosity of spirit. The tension is real—but it’s also sacred.

“If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive.” – Dale Carnegie (surprisingly relevant here)

Invite people into belonging before demanding full commitment. Let them taste the beauty of the community and the mission before they take on its full weight.

Create “Inner Rings” Without Walls

Instead of “in” vs. “out,” think of layers:

• The core: those who are fully committed to the rule, rhythm, and mission.
• The engaged: those exploring, showing up, trying to understand.
• The curious: drawn but not yet involved.

The early church did this naturally. Catechumens were people on the way to baptism, fully welcomed in love, but not yet in full sacramental communion. They weren’t judged for it. They were treasured.

The goal isn’t to lower the bar for commitment—it’s to extend the invitation without pressure.

Model Vulnerability, Not Superiority

Pride kills community. But humility opens doors.

If leaders and core members regularly speak of their own weakness, struggles, and need for grace, it creates an atmosphere where no one feels like they have to “be ready” to belong.

“Come as you are” only works if those inside admit who they really are too.

This is what the Desert Fathers did—they never pretended to be holy. They called themselves beginners even after decades.

Give Space for Slow Conversion

Jesus didn’t demand everything at once. He walked with people. He let them linger. Even his own disciples took years to understand what he was doing.

In any mission-driven community, some will need time. Invite them to:

• Participate in life-giving rhythms (meals, prayer, service)
• Be loved before being tasked
• Share voice before making vows

Rule without relationship leads to rebellion.

Relationship without rule leads to confusion.

But relationship with time to grow into the rule? That’s formation.

See Readiness as a Mystery, Not a Measurement

Who is “ready” is rarely obvious. Often the loudest, most zealous ones fall away. The quiet, hesitant ones become the faithful core.

So a wise community:

• Listens more than it evaluates
• Prays more than it pressures
• Walks alongside rather than dragging or excluding

Think garden, not factory. Let people grow. Water them with presence, patience, and purpose.

How to Engage in Practices that lead to humble and committed members?

Here’s a framework you can adapt to your mission-driven community—whether it’s spiritual, creative, justice-focused, or otherwise. The goal: form a community with clear commitment, open doors, and gentle pathways in.

The Table: Radical Welcome

Posture: Come and see

Who it’s for: The curious, exploring, unsure

Practices:

• Open gatherings, meals, storytelling
• No expectations, just invitation
• Focus on hospitality, beauty, and non-coercive presence

Message:  “You belong here even before you believe or commit.”

Desert wisdom echo: The monks welcomed all visitors as Christ. Even those who were skeptical or sinners.

The Hearth: Shared Life

Posture: Come and be known

Who it’s for: Interested and relationally invested

Practices:

• Shared practices (simple prayer rhythms, meals, serving)
• Gentle exposure to the rule of life
• Safe spaces for questions and real conversation
• No pressure, just proximity

Message:  “You matter. Your story matters. Let’s walk together awhile.”

Why this matters: This is where the seed of commitment starts to grow. Think belonging before believing, believing before behaving.

The Workshop: Gentle Practice

Posture: Come and be shaped

Who it’s for: Ready to grow, but still forming

Practices:

• Intro-level commitments (partial rule, spiritual guidance, regular rhythm)
• Shared projects that matter
• Mentoring, not managing
• Failures treated as normal and expected

Message:  “You don’t have to be perfect—just willing.”

This is like a catechumenate. It’s where the rule of life becomes invitation, not obligation.

The Circle: Covenant Community

Posture: Come and commit

Who it’s for: Those who’ve discerned a call to shared life and responsibility

Practices:

• Full rule of life
• Mutual accountability (gracious, not rigid)
• Discernment in community
• Roles of leadership or stewardship

Message:  “We’re in this for the long haul. Let’s bear the weight together.”

Important: This isn’t exclusive—it’s simply mature. It exists so the community can last, deepen, and bless others. These are your culture-keepers.

The Door: Permeable Movement

At any point, people should be free to move inward or outward through the circles—without shame.

• Someone may step back for a season of rest or grief.
• Another might move inward slowly, or jump forward when grace hits.
• Honor everyone’s pace.

The key: Clarity without pressure. Invitation without judgment.

How do good practices lead to a community that is characterized by legalism, pride, exclusion, and judgement?

This is one of the most important (and heartbreaking) dynamics in spiritual community—and it’s happened over and over again throughout history:

A community starts with vision, devotion, and simplicity,

and over time becomes marked by legalism, pride, and exclusion.

Here’s how and why that shift tends to happen.

What Begins as a Tool Becomes an Idol

The rule of life starts as a trellis to help people grow—prayer rhythms, fasting, silence, shared labor. It’s flexible and pastoral.

But over time, the form can become more important than the fruit. The practices are mistaken for proof of holiness.

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” — Jesus (Mark 2:27)

How it happens:

• Practices become identity markers.
• People forget why the rule was created in the first place.
• The rule gets used to measure others, not humble oneself.

Stability Becomes Rigidity

Early communities are often dynamic, humble, experimental. But as they grow or institutionalize, they fear losing control. So they tighten the rule.

How it happens:

• Structure becomes survival.
• Leaders react to failure or disorder by doubling down on rules.
• Adaptability is replaced with gatekeeping.

“We must protect the mission” becomes a reason to exclude the slow, messy, or broken.

Commitment Gets Confused with Superiority

People who have made serious sacrifices naturally feel invested. But without deep humility, that commitment can morph into pride.

“I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get…” — The Pharisee (Luke 18:12)

How it happens:

• The deeply committed forget their own journey.
• Newcomers are seen as threats or lesser.
• Instead of inviting, people begin filtering.

The Fear of Losing “Purity”

This is a huge one. When a community tastes something beautiful—deep prayer, intimacy with God, close fellowship—there’s often a fear of losing it.

So what do we do? Build walls. Protect the vibe. Keep “impure” elements out.

How it happens:

• Exclusion is framed as “faithfulness.”
• Difference is seen as danger.
• Mercy is sacrificed for the sake of “doctrinal” or “cultural” purity.

Ironically, in trying to preserve the soul of the community, we can kill it.

Judgment Easier Than Compassion

When people fall short of the rule—or resist it—it’s easier to judge than to walk with them. Especially when compassion is costly.

“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” — The Pharisees (Matthew 9:11)

How it happens:

• Rules provide clarity; people are complex.
• Judging gives a sense of control.
• Compassion feels inefficient and emotionally exhausting.

So the “righteous” push the wounded out instead of binding their wounds.

Summary: A Tragic Drift

What Starts As…	Eventually Becomes…
A shared rhythm for growth	A rigid code for measuring worth
Commitment to Christ	Commitment to community culture
Loving correction	Cold judgment
Invitation to healing	Exclusion for imperfection
Humble sacrifice	Spiritual pride

So, how do we resist this?

A few enduring practices from the Desert Fathers and others:

1. Practice daily humility – Confess weakness, not achievement.
2. Center mercy over rule – Let love guide enforcement.
3. Adapt the rule to the weak – Just like Jesus did.
4. Keep telling the origin story – Remember why you began.
5. Place relationship before regulation – Always.

What are warning signs that a community is drifting into legalism?

Think of these like spiritual “check engine lights.” If you see a few of these, it’s time to pause, reflect, and gently course-correct.

The Rule Becomes the Point

• People talk more about keeping the practices than why they exist.
• The original heart (prayer, presence, humility, love) gets lost in talk of “structure” and “discipline.”

“We fast on Wednesdays and Fridays.”
“We fast to hunger for God and stand with the poor.

Flexibility Is Viewed as Compromise

• Mercy, nuance, and pastoral flexibility are seen as weakness.
• People fear “watering things down” more than they fear becoming harsh.

If someone suggests adapting the rule for the wounded or new, the response is:

“That’s not how we do things here.”

Spiritual Hierarchies Emerge

• Those who follow the rule most visibly are subtly (or overtly) elevated.
• People who struggle feel like second-class citizens—or leave quietly.

The rule is no longer a trellis; it’s a pedestal.

Correction Lacks Compassion

• Confrontation becomes sharp, cold, or public.
• There’s little space to confess weakness without fear.
• Accountability feels more like policing than shepherding.

“We need to protect the standard.”

becomes a cover for shaming those who fail.

Judgment Replaces Joy

• People become more focused on who’s “doing it wrong” than on celebrating what’s good.
• Critique becomes the dominant mode of communication.
• Laughter, warmth, and hospitality decrease.

Legalism kills joy—it replaces gratitude with performance anxiety.

Insiders Stop Noticing Outsiders

• There’s little awareness or care for people not yet “inside” the rhythm or culture.
• Language becomes insider-heavy and unintentionally alienating.
• The door is still open—but no one’s really holding it.

“They just don’t get it,” instead of “How can we help them feel welcome and seen?”

Failure is Seen as a Threat, Not a Grace

• There’s no space for people to be messy, slow, or inconsistent.
• Struggles are seen as dangerous, not sacred.
• The community forgets how much grace they once received.

The focus shifts from formation to filtering.

A Healthy Rule of Life Should Always Feel Like:

• A path, not a pedestal
• A gift, not a gate
• A support, not a scoreboard
• A tutor, not a tyrant
• A shared meal, not a spiritual test

Jesus never built an empire. He healed the broken, welcomed the outcast, confronted the powerful, and loved the world—without trying to rule it.

The church as been it’s best when following Jesus’ example. The church has been its worst when it has followed worldly wisdom to accomplish its goals. The contrast couldn’t be more obvious:

• Cared for the marginalize rather than seeking wealth and power for itself.
• Engaged in acts of service rather than seeking military, legislative, or economic power to bring about change.
• Honoring each person’s freedom to believe, inviting people to follow rather than using coercion to bring others into compliance.
• Treated everyone as a neighbor worthy of love, not being intolerant and establishing an us -vs- them dynamic.

The Temptation to Rule

The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. — Mark 10:45

The desire for control isn’t new temptation for the christians. Jesus’ disciples argued about who would be the greatest (Luke 22:24–27). They expected Jesus to take political power—but he refused it, choosing the cross over the throne.

The church often slips into power-seeking, confusing dominance with faithfulness which has diluted the church’s witness. Tom Holland’s book Dominion documents several of these moments through history.  To call out a few:

• Constantine’s conversion (AD 312) gave Christians legal status, which ended persecution—but within decades, the church became entangled with empire.
• The Crusades (11th–13th centuries) were born from a belief that God’s kingdom could be advanced by force, causing massive harm.
• The Spanish Inquisition (1478–1834) Under the guise of protecting orthodoxy, the Catholic Church—especially in Spain—used torture, coercion, and execution to force conversions and root out heresy. This abuse of spiritual authority in partnership with the monarchy became a terrifying symbol of religious control.
• State Churches in Europe After the Reformation, many Protestant nations established state churches (e.g., Church of England, Lutheran state churches in Scandinavia), where citizenship and church membership were linked. This often led to forced baptisms, religious conformity, and persecution of dissenters—blending national identity with Christian faith in a way that eroded both.
• In the colonial era, missionary efforts were too often fused with conquest, leading to cultural erasure and exploitation.

Tim Alberta’s book  The Kingdom, The Power, and The Glory describes how the modern evangelical church has made the same error.

What Real Change Looks Like

He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor… — Luke 4:18

Jesus changed the world without armies or policies. He loved people. Told stories. Restored dignity. He lifted the lowly and called the powerful to repentance.

The early church followed his way:

• In Acts 2–4, believers shared everything in common, ensuring no one was in need.
• The early church cared for widows and orphans, risking their lives during plagues to tend to the sick—often when even pagan physicians fled.
• Their radical love and nonviolence led Tertullian to write: “See how they love one another!”

In three centuries, the followers of Jesus went from a persecuted minority to a dominion force. What is truly striking is not its rise to power, but how it radically transformed cultural norms. This was not accomplished by instituting policies but by their example. Before the christians came onto the scene, greek and roman culture didn’t have the concept of caring for the marginalized or recognizing inherent human rights. These ideas, now taken for granted, were revolutionary—and rooted in Jesus’ example.

Real change comes not through legislation, conquest or empires, but through acts of love and faithfulness, from compassion.

Love Over Leverage

God’s kindness leads us to repentance. — Romans 2:4
Let all that you do be done in love. — 1 Corinthians 16:14
Let your light shine… that they may see your good deeds. — Matthew 5:16

Power pressures and manipulates. Love transforms. Jesus loved people before demanding change. Jesus didn’t coerce belief. He invited people into truth. He loved before they repented (Luke 19:1–10). He offered healing before demanding loyalty. Leverage might win a battle—but love wins hearts.

The most powerful message is a life of quiet, consistent service.  A few examples of people whose lives illustrate this:

• St. Francis of Assisi gave up wealth to live among the poor, care for lepers, and embody the simplicity and peace of Christ
• Elizabeth Fry who reformed prison conditions in England through consistent, compassionate presence.
• George Müller cared for thousands of orphans in England through prayer, faith, and quiet perseverance—never asking directly for funds.
• Mother Teresa built trust and influence by simply serving the most forgotten.
• Dorothy Day practiced gospel-centered hospitality among the poor during the Great Depression
• John Perkins who worked for reconciliation, education, and racial justice

A Different Kind of Influence

Do not conform… but be transformed. — Romans 12:2
Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.— Micah 6

We’re not called to rule the world. We’re called to love it—faithfully, humbly, and fearlessly.  That’s how we really change it. Christians are called to reflect a kingdom not of this world. The church doesn’t need more power. It needs more presence.

• Be a creative minority — distinct, faithful, hopeful
• Invest locally — serve neighbors, build trust
• Influence by embodied example, not loud opinion 

Related

• Compassion without Control
• Respectful Presence

I have found simplicity to be a useful lens in life. Simplifying my stuff has provided freedom, remove unnecessary friction, while enabling me to pursue what is important to me, aka what I consider a meaningful life. The following is a complete list of everything I own. This list might look minimalist to the average person living in the SF Bay Area, and luxury for people who live in much of the world. Making this list was inspired by zenhabit’s one bag lifestyle and Tynan’s Gear posts. I also have a list of items shared by our family. Please do not allow your possessions to become the basis of your self-worth, security or well being.

Items in bold are exceptionally great. I happily use items marked with “*” but I would not automatically replace them. If I was a “true minimalist” I would get rid of them. The (year) is when the item became a standard part of my life, /year indicates when I re-purchased.

Bags

For the last three years I have been living out of my “bags” as we have continued out semi-nomadic life. We plan to be more settled by the end of this year.

• Gossamer Gear Vagabond – my review (2022) a 23L day pack which is light weight, comfortable to carry for extended periods of time, works well for EDC, and is large enough to hold everything I take when traveling. 46x27x15cm (18/10.75/5.75inches) filled with my normal gear is small enough to squish into every “personal item” sizer I have encountered and under the seat in front of me. While access is not as easy as a clamshell style bag, I have no problem retrieving items by feel because my clothing and stuff sack have different textures. Stands up on its bottom makes access on the go easy. I am using the discontinued Trail model. The current Jet model has some nice upgrades. I have a list of other travel and trek packs because most people will want a larger bag than me.
• Decathalon Packable 15L Courier Bag (2023) Used when most of my gear can be left behind. Easier to access on the go than a backpack and no sweaty back. Large enough to hold anything I might need, unstructured so light loads still feels small and can be worn under my slim fitting coat. Carrying >4lbs for an extended time is uncomfortable for my shoulder. The bag has several small holes in the fabric after 1.5 years of everyday use. I expect I will get a few more years use out of it, but find the lack of durability disappointing. I have used other ultralight bags whose fabric showed no wear after similar use. On the other hand, it was only €8.
• S2S Ultra-Sil Stuff Sack (2017) 2.5l stuff sack made from silicon nylon.  Many uses: keep small items together, hold dirty clothing, washing bag, trash bag. 
• Nanobag Sling* (2023) is a 19l bag which weights just 20 grams and compresses to the size of a roll of lifesavers. Shoulder strap has a tendency to narrow under load, which makes it a bit uncomfortable when used for an extended time. Great for when we are buying groceries which don’t fit in whatever other bags we are carrying. There are many other options such as chicobag.

Everyday Carry (EDC)

Apple Based Computing

I am in the Apple eco-system due to the intersection of security, ease of collaboration/sharing, and quality of applications. I have additional details about the technology I use.

• MacBook 12″ from 2017 (2023) This is the last ultra portable made by Apple. It’s 2lb, decent keyboard, and enables me to complete daily tasks with a minimum amount of friction. Can’t run the current version of OSX but security patches are still available. I could use OpenCore Patcher to run current OS, but not willing to risk bricking it right now.
• Apple iPhone 16 Pro (2024) Too big, but can’t find a usable small phone :(. Camera on the 16 pro is quite good, appreciate the action and camera button, and the satellite messaging might be useful. On T-Mobile (2022) which has good international coverage but mediocre coverage in USA compared to Verizon. Purchased the 16Pro when my iPhone 12 mini’s battery couldn’t last more than a few hours.
• Apple AirPod Pros (2021/2023) are nicely integrated with the Apple eco-system and just works. Noise reduction is “ok”, and the “ambient mode” provides situational awareness. The case is part of the “Find My” eco-system.  Downside is battery can’t be swapped when it no longer holds a charge. I have written about other headphones.
• MacBook Pro 14-inch (2006/2022) When I am at home this is the device I use. When I am traveling it is left running in a safe location and I access it remotely via Tailscale. Holds the family’s archives: pictures, videos, ripped CDs, digitized books, and documents. I could change workflows so everything lived in cloud, but current system is working well. I select a configuration with enough storage for 2x my current usage (4tb at the time of purchase) and the maximum memory available which has allowed me to use the same MacBook Pro for >5 years before I feel the need to upgrade.

Other Technology

“Tech Kit” items are stored in a small litesmith zipza pouch (2023) which is the perfect size, mostly waterproof, light, and a different texture than anything else in my bag so easy to find by touch. I am hoping that I will soon only have devices that use USB-C and will be able to do away with the adapters.

• Nomad 65w Slim Charger (2024) hangs down rather than out so doesn’t lever itself out of loose outlets and packs well. 65W to one slot, 45W/20W when using both. Replaced an Anker 523 which is powering devices in our home. My wife loves her tiny 30w Anker Nano. For people who need three outlets, Anker 735 and Minix P1 and P3 are pretty good. If you need more power / more outlets I would think about getting something that has a removal cord rather than plugs directly into the wall like the Baseus 100W … because heavy watt chargers are getting so heavy that it will leverage itself out of the outlet. Snug plug can help prevent this problem.
• Nitecore 10000 Gen2 (2023) power bank with USB-A out C in/out. Lightest and most compact 10k battery I have found. Comfortable in my pocket while charging my phone. Can slowly charge my MacBook or mostly power the MacBook while charging my iPhone. Supports pass through charging so I can charge this battery while my MacBook is plugged into. Has a bug that when you hold the “low power” button too long it puts the battery in standby mode which is only ended when you plug it in to be charged which is fixed in Gen3. Spreadsheet of many power bank options.
• Cables: A 6ft USB-C cable, 2 6″ USB-C cables
• Adaptor tips from USB-C to (Lighting, Garmin), and 2 USB-C to A converter.
• Mogics Adapter MA1 (2023) is the smallest and lightest universal power adaptor I have found. For type E remember to unscrew and extended the type C prongs. Some trouble in UK outlets due to round pins: sparking until I got it set properly. BTW: The best visual display of outlet types I have found.
• Tempo Logging Thermometer (2022) which lets me keep track of the conditions I experience.
• Etymotic HF3 (2013/2023) Great sound isolation. Provides me with around 40db of noise reduction which is better than any consumer grade active noise cancelling headphones I have tried. Carried with FiiO KA11 (2024) USB-C DAC and airplane double jack adaptors. Second foam eartips for when current pair stops sealing. The AirPod Pros are good enough than I would skip unless I was doing multiple, long duration flight.

In Pockets / On My Body

• Flexon Frames (1995/2020) last an average of 8 years. Yearly replace lens… currently using high index progressive lens with Transitions XtrActive Polarized (2023) that go from almost clear and unpolarized to 90% light blockage which is polarized! Eyeglasses are an incredible blessing.
• Garmin 955 Watch (2022) accurately tracks my activities and measures my fitness level. Has decent integration with smartphones and notifies me when I have left my phone behind. I find the data I get from Garmin to be higher quality than most other wrist worn sensors, being close to medical / lab grade when paired with external sensors. Better battery life than the Apple Watch with physical buttons which work with sweaty fingers. The display on the 965 is a significant improvement but I am happy enough with my 955 not to upgrade. There are other good sport watches.
• Hanchor Mica (2023) a tiny wallet / coin purse which holds my IDs, 1 credit card, 1 debit card, a few bills, coins when needed. Using a Chase Sapphire Reserve card for this season of life. Annual fee is ridiculous, but benefits have more than paid for the fee last few years. Really appreciate that the points can be transferred to the frequent flying programs we use, and the access to airport lounges has been a lifesaver.
• Victorinox Swiss Army Rambler (1999/2015) is the smallest, usable tool I have found with a blade, phillips head & flat screwdriver, scissors, bottle opener, and nail file. I am on my 3rd Rambler after losing a couple to TSA in the early 2000s. I have some notes about other knives.
• Swiss+Tech Utili-Key (2002/2023) Replaces my Rambler when flying and none of my companions is using a check-through bag where I can stash my Rambler. The Utili-Key has made it through TSA checkpoints over 160 times without being confiscated, but isn’t as usable as a Rambler pocket knife. On third Utili-Key due to misplacing them.
• Uniball Vision Elite .5mm Pen (2015/2024) Writing feel approaching Pilot V5 and doesn’t leak after plane flights!

In My Bag

Items are carried in whatever bag I am using for the day. I used to carry the charging and power kit listed above, but my phone’s battery lasts long enough that it’s not necessary.

• Zojirushi Double Walled Mug 16oz (2013/2017) can easily be used one handed, locks, pours at the perfect speed, the mouth is wide enough for ice cubes, and insulates better than every other mug I have tested. When air temp is ~80F and the mug is exposed to the sun, 6 small ice cubes in cool water have just finished melting in around 3 hours – water temp is 35F. In 68F conditions ice lasts most of the day. In many countries you you can fill mug with ice (no water) and get through airport security. Once through, add water and you can have icy cold water for your flight. I have a Deep Cherry color mug which is easy to spot. When I want to go extra light weight, I swapped it for either a SmartWater bottle or a 2L Platypus bottle.
• Passport with a Chipolo Card Spot (2023) so I can use Apple’s “Find My” for my passport. Used to cross borders, checking into hotels, getting cell service, etc. Stored in a loksak aloksak which protects it from water, and is large enough for passport + my phone + my wallet if I go swimming.
• NU20 classic (2024) 38 grams. Adequate regulation on medium and low settings. Has a flood, spot, and red light. Used when I need hands free light: making repairs, hiking at night, etc. Lit our kitchen during a power outage by bouncing light off ceiling. Can be locked to prevent accidentally turning on. Four LEDS to indicate battery level. UCB-C for changing and can be powered by an external source making it useful in extreme cold or when needing long runtimes. Replaced an original Nicore NU20 headlamp which I gifted to someone on our travels. There are many other good flashlights.
• 6 Foot Tape Measure (2023) I often need to measure things. Was confiscated by security in UAE because it’s a weapon?! Replace with the same tape measure I used in the past… moderately priced but not the most durable.
• Fold-it-flat Unitensil Spoon/Fork (2015) Often useful when traveling and we purchase food at grocery stores rather than restaurants.
• Totobobo mask* (2023) which is almost as effective as N95, and easier to breath through. Mask + replacement filters are more compact that carrying a number of M95 masks. I like the BOTN KT94 and the classic 3M N95. For other good options see Masknerd reviews. N95 properly worn provides significant more protection than cloth or the basic surgical masks. Now that masking isn’t a thing will likely be left behind.
• Sleep Mask (2022) helps me get longer / better sleep because it stops external light from disturbing me.
• Small first aid kit, not shown here – travels in toiletry kit shown below, moved to daily use at destination.

Clothing

I have notes about selecting clothing for an active life which goes in detail  about how I select clothing for a wide range of activities and conditions. I often engage in wilderness backpacking and exercise daily which typically includes a run. In normal circumstances my clothing dry overnight after being washed and then squeezed with a towel to jumpstart drying. The following items have been acceptable in every circumstance I faced in the last five years.

• Outdoor Research Ferrosi Transit – 2 pair (2023/2024) Acceptable looking in urban settings (wish didn’t have the OR logo on the pocket.. though typically hidden by my shirt) while providing great mobility. Unless it’s 99% humidity, dries in a few hours and is comfortable in hot weather. I have some concerns about long term durability… noticed some light pilling near my knee after around 120 days of wear but only noticeable when my eye is inches from the fabric. Time between washing required varies between 1 day (muddy trails in hot weather) to 5 days (urban, low activity, cool temperatures). Other good pants.
• Patagonia Hydropeak Hybrid Walk Shorts (2023) dry in a couple of hours while hanging, faster when wearing. They are very comfortable, give me good freedom of movement. Not excessively “technical” looking. They can function as a swim suit – no drawstring but snug enough fit that they stay on when I dive from a high board, but if I am going to be on a beach for multiple weeks I will retrieve my Bluesmith board shorts described in the “beach section” below from as not to offend my wife’s sensibilities. My Outlier New Way Shorts fit me better, but are less versatile.
• Icebreaker Anatomica Briefs – 2-7 pairs (2014/2021) the most comfortable underwear I have worn. They dry overnight and resist odor. I get around 600 days of wear before the waist band deforms and small holes appear. Only downside is that they bunch up a bit in hot weather when carrying a backpack. Tommy John’s Air Briefs (2022) are really wedgy-proof and dry quickly except for the waist band. Duluth Trading Buck Naked briefs are decent but don’t dry as quick as the Anatomica briefs. In the past I found the synthetic briefs from Ex Offico were pretty good but their quality has dropped. I have heard Uniqo Airism and 32 degree mesh are good values but I have no personal experience. When going light I bring two pairs: one to wear, one to wash/dry. When someplace long-termI will have 7 pairs so I can machine wash once / week.
• Icebreaker Anatomica Tee-shirt (2014/2021) merino wool with a bit of nylon for durability and a bit of lycra for a body hugging fit. This tee-shirt fits me perfectly, is super comfortable, doesn’t smell after a week+ of wear, dries overnight, and my wife likes how the shirt looks on me. UPF between 15-30? I get around 500 days of wear before an Anatomica Tee looks tired, and 600 days before the first small holes appear. This is my default shirt unless I am want something covering my arms (sun protection or warmth). I think Icebreaker makes the best merino tees, but there are a number of other good options from Smartwool, Outlier, Wool&Prince, and several other companies. While I love merino wool, there are advantages to synthetic technical-tees: absorb less water, dry more quickly, and are more cost effective because they tend to be cheaper and longer lasting.
• Arcteryx Cormac Hoodie (2023) A casual UPF 50 shirt. Slightly textured which I find reasonably comfortable when I am hot and sweaty. When using a crystal deodorant resists odor for 3+ days of normal activities, 2 day of vigorous activity. Provides full sun protection. Resists stains pretty well so spills generally clean with a quick rinse, but after 130 days of use there were stains which won’t come out. Thankfully light stains on the heather mostly blend in. I found this shirt dries in less than 3 hours after being squeezed, rolled in a towel and hung in a cool indoor room with modest ventilation. When hung in bright sunlight it dries in less than 1 hour. Also dries in less than 1.5 hours when I am wearing it in moderate temperatures and humidity. This is my default shirt for “outdoors” / “athletic” activities. The Outdoor Research Echo is a good alternative for many: lighter, cooler feeling, with a slimmer fit, and good anti odor. Unfortunately for me, the Echo’s UPF is 15-20 has resulted in me getting sunburn when I spend all day outdoors in locations which have >10 UV Index. I have notes about other base layers.
• Outlier AMB Merino Wool Button Up Shirt (2019) Very comfortable. Nice looking, resists wrinkles and if I don’t spill food on it can be worn for more than a week without washing. Dries overnight. Good air permeability, surprisingly comfortable in warmer conditions. My default long sleeve shirt when in urban environment. No longer made.
• OR Astroman Button-Up* (2023/2025) UPF 30-50, light weight long sleeve button-up shirt. Jack of all trades, master of none. If I could only have one shirt for adventure travel, this is what I would take. Good sun protection and reasonably comfortable in hot conditions, but not as comfortable as Cormac Hoodie. Reasonably dressy, but the slash pocket, tendency to wrinkle, and lack of fabric structure isn’t as dressy as a good wool, cotton, or linen button-down shirt. Resists odor for 2-4 days at “normal” activity levels, 1-2 when highly active. Dries in a few hours when hung up after washing. First shirt not durable: shoulders piling after just 10 days of backpacking, but OR replaced it under warranty. We will see if I had a defective shirt.
• Xoskin Toe Socks – 2 pairs (2022/2024) prevents blisters forming between my toes when walking or running for extended distances. I have worn one pair 30 days in a row doing 16 miles of hiking each day without blisters, even when my feet are wet. They weren’t too stinky after six days of continuous use and not washing (yes, this is gross, but I was backpacking and running an experiment), though they are more prone to pick up odor after several hundred miles of use. Gets 700 miles before first hole appears. With darning can often make it to 1100 miles.
• Shammas Elite Maximus (2024) I love the feel of running almost barefoot and the small space they take when packed. The Shammas replace a pair of Luna Venado Sandals which wore out after 1400 miles. I find the Shammas lacing system more comfortable and they have better traction than any Luna I have used, and they have better ground feel than Bedrock sandals… hoping they last as long.
• Inov-8 Trailfly G 270 (2022/2024) Zero drop trail running shoe with a 12mm stack. Great fit for me: just enough room for my toes to splay while gripping my heel perfectly. Used for backpacking or trail running when the terrain is too challenging for my sandals or when I need to wear closed toe shoes. They have been acceptable footwear in snobbish establishments and no one has ever commented about them. I wear in transit and pack my sandals. The graphene infused soles are more durable than typical trail runners. At 1400 miles the uppers still look good and there is still a bit of tread on the highest wear areas of the sole. Discontinued and replaced by the Trailfly Zero which I haven’t tried yet. Hopefully same great fit and durable. Alas, not available in black, or any discreet colors. For people who need more cushion and a wide toe-box I would recommend Alta Running & Topo, or if you need extreme cushioning Hoka OneOne. I have heard it claimed that Nike Pegasus Trail 4 might be even longer lasting though I am highly skeptical.

Sports / Exercise

• Garmin HRM-Pro (2021) gets higher accuracy during interval training than built in optical sensor on smart watches and works when swimming. Also provides running power which has been somewhat useful. Supports ANT+ and Bluetooth.
• Foam Visor (2023) Keeps sun, rain, and sweat out of my eyes when running or hiking and doesn’t absorb water when worn in the rain. Typically combined with a hood which protects neck and ears.
• Xoskin Compression Shorts (2023/2024) Great for many highly energy activities. Has eliminated chafing on long, hot runs, and of course work fine in less demanding circumstances. Ok as a swim suit. No pockets, but items placed on the leg are held in place by compression. Not durable enough to cycle in without shorts over them. When not subjected to extreme abrasive conditions, first hole appeared after around 600 hours of use, but performance is still good.

Outerwear

The following clothing allows me to be comfortable at all actively levels when the temperature is 25F or warmer, and colder if I am engaged in high aerobic activities like running or cross country skiing.

• Montbell DryPeak Jacket (2022) made from Shakedry. I can actually wear it and not be soaked by sweat when active! I have done zone 2 runs for 2 hours in 48F rain with just 1 gram of water accumulating. Waterproof and doesn’t wet out. Works well as a wind shell. Shakedry is somewhat fragile and is discontinued… hope something equally performant comes out soon. Other options are discussed in my post about rain gear.
• Macpac Nitro Pullover (2021) Made from Polartec Alpha Direct (90gsm). Almost no water absorption and dries super fast. Very air permeable… I can feel air flow at walking speed in still air. Very light insulate without a shell, surprisingly warm under a shell. Great when active in cold conditions. Worn whenever my shirt isn’t warm enough. I am comfortable sitting in 68F wearing the Nitro and a tee-shirt, but when I pull up the hood and layer on a shell I am comfortable down to 40F doing light work (walking 2mph flat terrain), and in colder conditions when more active. Not as fragile as it looks but guessing 1/4 the lifetime of a classic fleece. There are lots of good options for an insulation layer.
• Montbell Plasma 1000 Down Vest* (2021) Incredibly light weight vest which provides moderate insulation for my core. I have the Japanese version which has pockets. With a long sleeve shirt and shell I am adequately comfortable down to around 45F. When combined with a tee-shirt, Macpac Nitro, and a shell allows me to be comfortable while walking down to 30F. Combined with Nitro and Micro Puff keeps me warm enough in any winter conditions I am likely to encounter in the next few years. More acceptable looking over button down shirt / under blazer than my hoodie. Less than perfect for me: cut is a bit too boxy the neck doesn’t seal well.
• Zpacks Vertice Rain Pants* (2018) are simple, light, breathable, waterproof rain pants. Have used them occasionally in cool rain when commuting by bike, hiking, or backpacking. In the last year I found myself leaving them in my pack. I was adequately comfortable wearing Terrebonne or OR Ferrosi in the rain and then allowing them to dry on my body. After a few years of light use I am getting some minor leaking in the seat, and the bottom cuffs are fraying / delaminating. Likely replace with something more durable.
• Enlightened Gear Visp Rain Mittens* (2022) Super minimalist protection for hands. Keeps my hand comfortable from freezing to around 50F when engaged in modest activity. They are not particularly durable and have little grip. When they wear out, will likely replace him with REI minimalist shell mitts.
• Montbell Umbrero Rain Hat (2021/2023) is a 1.8oz folding hat which fully shades my face, ears, and neck. It’s fully waterproof but still provides the best ventilation of any hat I have used. It deforms but usable in <25mph winds. I paint the inside for UV protection. I think it’s silly looking, and periodically have people point and laugh… but I have also received compliments and have had people chase me down to ask where they could purchase one for themselves. The tube inside the brim breaks after 2-3 years of everyday use. There are lots of other good hat options.

Toiletries

• Decathlon Ultralight Toiletry Bag (2024) is the perfect size for my toiletry kit and make it easy for me to find everything quickly. Replaced REI Micro Shower Bag (2017) which made it hard to find what I was looking for. Top section holds first aid kit, middle things for teeth/lips, and the larger bottom section holds everything else.
• First Aid Kit: Band-aids, single use benzoin tincture, compeed blister pads, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic cream, superglue, a couple of safety pins, and a few doses of nyquil and benadryl, small HumanGear GoTubb to store aleve.
• Philips One Toothbrush (2024) Electric toothbrush that is compact, easy to use, comfortable in the hand, and reasonably effective. Use a full size Oral-B I am not flying to my destination. A charging adapter, though picture shows the original charging cable. Why doesn’t the Philips use a standard USB-C socket?!
• Reach (rebranded Listerine Woven / Ultraclean) Floss (1996/2022) is the most effective dental floss I have used. Gentle to the gums while still getting plague and food wedged between teeth out. I believe it has been discontinued but still possible to find stock. My dentist has recommended coco floss as a good replacement though it’s more than twice as expensive.
• Toothpaste and Toothpicks
• 100senses body bar (2019/2024) which takes care of all my cleaning needs without drying out my sensitive skin or making my hair feel like straw. One bar lasts around six months. There are better shaving creams and detergents to wash clothing, but it’s been good enough and simplifies life for me.
• Matador Flatpack Soap Case (2020). The Flatpak lets the soap dry out better than a ziplock bag, but it’s far from magical. In high humidity conditions I have had soap fail to dry after a couple of days. It doesn’t work very well as a case while showering.
• Gillette Mach-3 Handle (2024) and enough blades (1999/2021) for my next trip segment. Use around 11 blades / year. Costco often sells large packs of the blades at a discounted price. The handle I have used since 1999 broke.
• PaRaDa Nail clipper (2014) are large and heavy but effective and the trimmings catcher is brilliant. I have been saying for years that I will replace it with something lighter and more compact but I haven’t done it yet.
• Retractable Bristle Hairbrush (1994) Compact and more effective than a comb for me.
• Daily Medicine – not shown (2024) – Comprehensive preventative medical checkup in TW recommended some medicines to take daily.
• Crystal Deodorant (2023) Simple Potassium Alum crystals. Years ago I ran an experiment and discovered if I showered regularly, no one could tell that I didn’t use deodorant. I suppose I have lower BO than some people. After >10 years I gave this deodorant a try after reading about them on /r/onebag. I notice that my shirts go a day or more longer before they pick up body odor. Carrying a 1.5 oz stick which shows little wear after 2 years of use. It’s best to apply right after a shower since it needs to be wet and works best on clean skin. It’s not an anti-perspirant nor doesn’t cover up existing odor. Rather it produces it environment that is hostile to the odor creating bacteria. Removed from case… rubber band to make it easier to grip.
• A micro fiber cleaning / storage bag for my glasses
• PackTowel Ultralight Body Size – discontinued (2009) Dries in less than 3 hours after I dry myself when hanging indoors, faster in sun, is compact, weights just 3oz. Large enough that I can wrap it around my waist like a small sarong. I found the face size sufficient for me to dry my body, but I am willing to carry a larger towel for the added versatility and ease of use. There are other travel towels.
• I acquire sunscreen wherever I am. I try to select SPF >=50, considered very low risk for health, and reef safe when near the ocean. The sun screens in EU are way better than in the US because the FDA hasn’t approve some of the newer options. Such a shame since they are reportedly are safe, feel better on the skin, and often don’t leave you looking like a ghost. If the trip is short and I don’t have any sun screen from the EU left I will bring a Neutrogena Mineral stick. Around town where I don’t need to worry about form factor or TSA I will pick up whatever is the top rated sun screen that is liked by both consumerlab and ewg.

Putting it Together

Below is a picture of everything ready to be packed. Sandals, hat, and water bottle typically go in the side pockets, but can also be packed in the top of the bag if I need to put my bag in an airline sizer box. The bottom row goes into the bottom of the pack, vertically. On top of my clothing goes toiletry kit and outerwear. Top row is sometimes carried in the Decathlon bag, or sometimes laptop is inserted into my backpack, the Decathlon bag is packed in the backpack, and the other items go into the two zippers pockets of the Vagabond.

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Used When I Drive From “Home Base”

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Household Items

The following are used whenever they can be easily transported to where we are staying for >2 weeks. If we are flying to a destination, they are stored in our car until we return. We also have a cooler and some kitchen tools and staples we have put aside for when we travel by car.

• Tom Bihn Smart Alec (2022) durable bucket style day pack. Stands up by itself and is easily accessible through the top zippered opening without spilling. In this season of life this pack has two functions. When we are using planes as our transportation it is filled with the items I am not using, and is stored in the trunk of our car. When at home or at destination we drove to, it functions as my office storage. It is also the perfect size to hold two folding chairs and food for a picnic and works well as a grocery bag.
• Oral-B/Braun 6000 Electric toothbrush (2016) and USB powered charger. A recent meta analysis concluded that the rotational approach of Oral-B is likely superior to approach of Sonicare, but both are significantly more effective than manual brushing and the electric toothbrushes like the Quip which relies on a brushing motion. Battery lasts less than a week now. Will need to replace at some point.
• Pulse Flex Wireless Speaker (2017 & 2022) allows us to have synchronized whole house music and plays nicely with other BlueSound products and can be combined into a reasonable quality stereo system. We have the original Flex speaker and the updated Flex 2i. It also supports inputs via USB, Bluetooth, AUX, a number of streaming services like Spotify, and many free sites via URIs. Has a iOS and Android remote control app which works but has a somewhat awkward UI. Controls on the top let you select one of 5 user-defined “channels” without using the remote. I have the optional battery pack so it can be used outdoors. Sound quality is significantly less than KEF LS50 but better than most portable speakers, the speakers on our phones and the built-in speakers on TVs. When using them away from home primarily play lossless music which is stored on a thumb drive plugged into the back of the speaker. For most people I would recommend Sonos: for its lower price point, better streaming options, and slightly more processed sound quality which everyone but audio purists like me prefer. Even cheaper are products from Audio Pro.
• Withering Body WiFi Scale (2014) makes it easy to track weight which is well integrated to Garmin, Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, LoseIt, and numerous other health tracking eco-systems. Body composition numbers not accurate. Having trouble getting it to switch WiFi networks.
• ChiliPad (2019) which cools or warms water which flows through a mattress topper. I need to be significantly colder than Jackie to sleep soundly. When under our bed the heat exchanger not able to hit the cooling target, but it has been fine when sitting out. We tried an eightsleep system which much quieter but not worth the added cost to us. I didn’t find the automatic temperature adjustment of the eight sleep particularly helpful and the sleep tracking wasn’t significantly better than my Garmin watch.

Variety “Travel” Clothing

Extra clothing which is normally stored in our car during this season of nomadic existance, which is useful when we drive to a destination. Most of these items are not as versatile as what I carry with me all the time, but typically superior for specific conditions. When I am not space constrained they get added into my clothing mix. As we end our nomadic existence, will be part of my everyday clothing.

• Merrill Vapor Glove (2019/2025) Are the most minimalist running shoes I have found that fits me “like a glove”. Great for travel because it packs into a very small space. Downside is that any moisture (rain, wet grass, etc) goes right through the uppers. Worn out and replaced 7 pair after around 400 miles of use. Stopped wearing for a few years after a battle with plantar fasciitis (not due to these shoes) and just started using them again.
• Darn Tough Socks – 4 pair (2013/2019) are unsurprisingly durable since they come with a lifetime warranty. Icebreaker and the Smartwool PhD line are good alternatives. Worn out and replaced 2 pair of the no show light socks after >4000 miles of use for each pair. None of my light crew have been worn through yet. They don’t prevent blisters like Xoskin toe socks, but they are much less of a hassle to put on and take off
• Outlier Slim Dungarees (2014/2019) High-tech nylon pants in the style of jeans. Gives me an almost tailored fit, looks great, good mobility and durability. Thanks to the NanoSphere treatment very stain and water resistant. Dry overnight. They are perfect when it’s <75F and I am inactive, <55F when active. When highly active and >70F the seam that runs along the inner thighs chafes. In hot weather prefer OR Ferrosi Transit pants. Over time the pants stretch out a bit especially around the knees which make them a bit less slim fitting. I get more than 550 days of use before there is any signs of wear: light pilling at the top of the pocket I use the most. I have yet to completely wear out a pair though I have retired a few pairs after a pen leak created a large stain and after I lost weight and needed to switch to a smaller waist. When paired with nice shirt, and blazer have been accepted in situations which called for semi-formal dress. The hiking pants I wore in the past couldn’t do that. I have repeatedly had women say “Where did you get those pants? They look great. I want to buy a pair for my husband.” SD seem pricey but it depends what you compare them to. When considering the cost / day of wear ($0.07/day)… they are 5x the cost of mass market nylon pants which don’t fit me that well, 2x the cost of higher quality nylon pants from companies like Prana and Patagonia, and about the same cost per day as Levi 501 jeans if you retired them when the knees are blown out. Maybe an indulgence, but I don’t think them as a luxury item when I see $1390 nylon shorts from Prada. Current pairs I am wearing were acquired in 2017. They are going to be discontinued. If you want a pair, buy them now.
• Outlier New Way Shorts (discontinued) 2 pairs – (2014/2017) are nice looking shorts which fit me perfectly, are durable, and resist stains. The first place place for wear to show up is the mesh to drain the pockets develop holes. These shorts feel like they were tailored for me. I can’t put into words how “right” they feel each time I put a pair on. The fabric is thick enough to prevent items in my pocket from really standing out. They are pricy but I hadn’t found any shorts that I liked as much. They can function as a swim suit but aren’t ideal for that use because they take 2x times to dry as some of my board shorts and my wife observed “they don’t look like a proper swim suit.” Still wearing the first pair I purchased.
• Patagonia Cool Daily Hoodie (2022) Comfortable hoodie, resists odor for 4 days when modestly active, provides moderate sun protection which I believe is good enough when I am indoors much of the day or in locations with moderate UV index. Patagonia removed any UPF claims because between their initial testing and production the UPF performance dropped / was inconsistent (from >50 to 17-45, average 34). Use when my Cormac hoody is dirty.
• Second Icebreaker Anatomica Tee-shirt in grey which is sometimes used for high intensity exercise or when my other shirt is being washed.
• Xenith Delta Shirt (2021/2022) is the most comfortable shirt I have worn when sweating heavily. The shirt maintains air permeability and doesn’t stick when wet. The shirt dries at the perfect rate: faster than wool or cotton, but slower than classic “fast dry” shirts, and feels cool against the skin. I have also found that is it the most odor resistant shirt I have tried that isn’t made from merino. Only UPF 30. Use a ArcTeryx Cormac when outdoors for longer duration activities. Burgeon Outdoor makes some nice Delta shirts.
• Jolly Gear Triple Crown Shirt (2024) Button down shirt with hide-able hood and thumb loops, UPF 30, modestly stink resistant (it’s polyester), and fast drying. A flashback to the 1970s. Works on the trail and in the city. The pattern is printed on the outside, so when you roll up the sleeves plain fabric is revealed. Not as cool wearing as my Cormac or Astroman sun shirts, but certainly more “stylish”. A bit much for me, but my wife loves it and I regularly get compliments from people when I wear it.

Lives in Car

I leave some items in car trunk in case we encounter unexpected conditions. I rarely use these items personally, but have often loaned them out to friends who weren’t prepared for the weather we encountered.

• Gossamer Gear Vagabond Packable (2021) 23L pack which is comfortable to carry and easily packs away in my larger bag. This is by far the most comfortable carrying packable day pack I have ever used. Most packable daypacks feel like a sack with straps designed to fit a non human.
• Tilley LTM6 Hat* (2014) durable hat that provides good sun protection. I prefer the LTM8 which has more ventilation. Replaced a 20 year old canvas Tilley that was lost on a river trip.
• Icebreaker Quattro Hoodie* (2012) is a medium weight merino wool sweatshirt. After several years of near constant use starting to pill and is a bit stained, so has been “retired” to the car.
• ArcTeryx Squamish Wind Shell* (2012) is a 5oz windshirt with an air permeability of ~30 CFM. When combined with a heavy base or light middle layer provide comfort over a huge range of conditions. Comfortable against the skin. Best replacement would likely by the Mountain Hardware Kor.
• Montbell EX Wind Shell (2023) Weights just 56grams and easily fits in my pants pocket. Provides decent wind protection while still being fairly breathable. Used for done in a day activities that have no risk of rain.
• Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody (2020) Keeps me comfortable ~25F lower than I would be without the jacket. Provides just the right insulation for me for winter nights in the SF Bay Area and shoulder season backpacking in the sierras. Combined with down vest or Nitro Hoody it’s just right for winter trips in the sierras. Reasonably light and compressible. Long enough to cover my blazer.
• Keen Clearwater CNX* (2014/2018) are the lightest sandals Keen makes. The toe cap has been effective at protecting my toes. When worn with gray socks they can “pass” for shoes most of the time. Keens ground feel is a bit “dead”.

Backpacking Gear

I have a 3-season packing list which makes use of a number of the items on this list and has several items which are specific for backpacking. I have not taken pictures of any of these items. The “winter gear” is not used “at home” because the Bay Area never gets cold enough to need these items, but they are pulled out when traveling to winter destinations. These are stored in a old Coke crate in the garage.

• Hanchor Tufa (2023) 40L pack which weights 26oz and carries up to 22lb with great comfort, usable up to around 27lb. I found it more comfortable than the HMG SW2400. When the rolltop is fully cinched down qualified as carry on for most airlines. When lightly packed has passed for a personal size item, can scrunch into many personal bag sizers. Beautifully made. Most of the body is 100D PC so highly water resistant without the risk of delimitation. [In mid 2025 replaced this with a Zpacks Arc Hauler 50L size M which is also carry-on sized and is more comfortable for me to carry.]
• Gossamer Gear Whisper (2023) Ultralight shelter for one person which weights 9oz. Uses two hiking poles to stay up, and 7 stakes. Has bug netting around the perimeter, and you provide your own floor (I typically use polycro). Provides bug and rain protection for typical 3 seasons use, 2.5 above treeline? Lots of room with easy access and exit.
• Durston X-Pro 2 (2022) Ultralight shelter for two people that weights 20oz. Good performance for 3+ seasons. Used it in moderate snow without problems. Easy to set up provided there is a flat space. Footprint in a bit larger than some 2-person shelters. Large vestibules. Very easy to use.
• NunatukUSA Ghost Quilt (2003). 16oz, comfortable to 30F, have comfortably pushed it down to 15F when wearing my clothing and outerwear. This is the second version of one of the first backpacking quilts commercially made. A bit narrower than more modern quilts with a tiny footbox which I like because it makes it easy to ventilate my feet when I get too hot.
• NEMO Tensor All Season Insulated Pad (2023). 13oz. Warm enough for me to use down to 10F. More comfortable and less noisy than NeoAir pads I used I’m the past. Replaces an Therm-a-Rest NeoAir UberLite which repeatedly develop leaks.
• Trail Designs ULC Caldera, Gramcracker esbits Stove, MLD 850ml Pot. (2009). 4.5oz cooking set which fits inside the pot. Easy, efficient, compact. Couldn’t ask for something better, except the Tri-Ti version which can burn wood as well as esbits and alcohol.
• HydraPak 28mm Water Filter (2023). 2oz, can push more than 1l / minute through it with modest pressure. So little pressure is required that I can actually use it inline between a water bladder and a hydration tube. Attaches to SmartWater and Platypus water containers. Huge improvement over my old filter whose flow requires much more force as it has been clogging. Just remember to give it a good soak if fully dried out before the next trip, otherwise you will have very slow flow for around 60 minutes during the first use.
• Garmin InReach (2020). 3.5oz. Satellite communication device. Can send an SOS and do short 2-way text messages. Take on solo trips when in locations without a lot of human traffic so my family doesn’t worry about me. I have found it works with tree cover and in most canyons, but in these conditions will often take 30-45 minutes to get a message out or receive messages. There were time it did not work in a slot canyon. Much faster when it have a broad view of the sky. Can be using with a smartphone, or the numeric pad on the device.
• Patagonia Terrebonne Joggers (2023) Very light weight polyester pants which provide a good range of motion, are very light, pack up small, UPF 40. Dry in less than 2 hours when hung indoors, less than 1 hour when wearing after being completely soaked in a rain storm. Very breathable and comfort in hot weather. Downside is that the pockets are a bit shallow so items fall out when sitting down.
• Patagonia Cap 3 Tights (2007): added to my legs when facing continuously below freezing conditions.
• Outdoor Research Meteor Mitts (2004): which have a removable 300wt fleece inner mitt which folds back to let you use your fingers and a durable, waterproof shell. Can use the shells without liner when it’s warmer. The magnets on the inner mitt detract from overall comfort. Many people replace the liners. Dries faster than all-in-one handwear.
• Buff PolarBuff (2003) Generally I use the hoods on my garments, but sometimes I want extra insulation for my neck or head.
• Manzella Power Stretch Touch Tip Gloves (2023) Light weight gloves that I can mix/match with shell mittens. Hands have been ok Visp mittens down to 20F.
• Traction Devices* (2020): Gives trail runners and other shoes grip on snow and ice. Picked up when we were facing icy trails in Grand Canyon without footwear with sufficient traction. Don’t remember the brand and it’s not stamped into the chains. When doing a lot of winter trips I would use screw shoes.
• OR Gaiters: (<1988) for keeping snow out of shoes/boots and the lower legs most dry.
• Hostel sleep system: 48″ x 62″ piece of Polartec Alpha Direct (2022) used as a compressible warm blanket and insulation during the day which is a $20 piece of bulk fabric, MLD Bag Liner (2023) 3oz 10D nylon sleep sack. For stays in basic hostels and alberques that don’t provide bedding of any sort. For a complete description see my poncho+liner page.

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Stored during our travel (2022-2025)

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Bicycling Gear & Clothing

• Cervelo R3 (2013/2015) not shown. The Roubaix in the picture was stolen so I am back to using the R3 for all my riding. My original R3 was replaced with identical bike when my first was stolen (sigh… I seem to have a bike stolen every 10 years). Comfortable enough for an endurance ride, responsive like a race bike, great for climbing. Wore out drive train which has now been mostly replaced… still looking for Rotor chain rings. Fitted with an Infinity Seat (weird looking but the most comfortable seat I have used), 2 water bottle cages, and a small seat bag which holds a pump, tubolito, bike tool, and 2 tire levers.
• Felix BC21R Bike Headlamp and Cygolite Hotshot Pro 150 (2019) The BC21R uses a removable 18650 rechargeable battery. I don’t love the Felix but it’s getting the job done and the swappable battery is very handy.
• Bicycling Shoes (2013) with cleats for PowerTap peddles. No idea the brand.. they were the cheapest shoes I found at a local bike shop. They are near the end of their life, but I haven’t found a shoe that is as well ventilated so I continue to squeeze a few more miles out of them by regluing the seams.
• De Soto Mobius Tri Shorts (2018/2021) Can be used forcycling, running, and swimming. They used to be comfortable for all the activities I engage in when the temperature is above freezing. For many year reduced issues with chafing, dries fairly quickly, and are reasonably comfortable when wet. They have side pockets large enough to hold some nutrition and my phone so I don’t need to use a special cycling jersey. I get around 1000 hours of use from each pair before the elastic no longer provides any compression. Never had a pair develop holes. For many years I loved using these because I never need to think about what to wear for vigorous physical activities…. I just grab a pair of tri-shorts. Recently I have been chafing on my male parts when running in hot conditions so now not used for hot weather running.
• Black Diamond Alpine Start (2021) is a 6oz hoodless ultralight soft-shell which is very air permeable (30-60 CFM depend on who did the measurement… feels like 45cfm to me) and extremely water resistant thanks to the Schoeller NanoSphere treatment. Very comfortable in high wind <60F doing normal activities, bicycling at tempo pace (~220watts / ~18mph) when it’s <55F or doing a zone 2 HR runs when it’s <50F. In a light rain find it easier to manage moisture than a Shakedry shell because the higher air permeability helps me dump heat (reducing the amount I sweat) while resisting the rain. Normally I like a hood, but the lack of a hood is useful when cycling and running with a hat. Windshirts are great!
• Pearl Izumi P.R.O. Barrier WxB Cycling Gloves (2021) Keep hands comfortable on rides when it is cool and maybe wet. Cheap thanks to a clearance sale at sierra.com. Likely better gloves but they are getting the job done.
• Giro Air Attack Shield Helmet (2013/2016) provides protection, good ventilation while having a streamlined aerodynamic profile. Has snap on optical shield. On my second Air Attack helmet due to a crash which broke the helmet but protected my head. If you ride a bicycle, wear a helmet!! I have been able to walk away from at least two accidents thanks to the protection of a helmet. Helmets don’t lead to more injuries due to a false sense of security. These days there are helmets which are more aerodynamic than mine, and also cheaper while providing equivalent protection.
• Wahoo Fitness Kickr (2013) is a trainer for when it’s not convenient to hit the road. Integrated power meter and variable resistance which can be controlled via ANT+ or BlueTooth. Very useful if doing structured training based on power.
• o2Trainer – not shown (2022) Working on improving my breathing. Not used enough to have an opinion.

“Variety” Clothing

While I normally like to wear my “uniform”, I know my wife likes variety in my clothing, and likes when I get “dressed up”. I sometimes call the following my “Jackie clothing”. All of these items can be rolled over their hangers and be stored in a $4 Ikea Frakta Duffel (2022) along with my beach items and stored “replacement” clothing items.

• Toni Richards Hawaiian Shirt (2019) Everyone needs at least one shirt for “Hawaiian shirt day” though some might argue that white and blue with sharks rather than flowers isn’t very Hawaiian. I find the cotton lawn fabric used by Toni Richards to be one of the most comfortable materials when it’s hot and humid. Alas, UPF is quite low.
• White Cotton Button-up Shirt* (2012) Was my default when I want to wear something more formal than a tee-shirt. Appropriate in almost any setting. Shirts which have more sun protection and dry more quickly have replaced it.
• Muji Black/Grey/White Checked Button Up Shirt* (2013) for something that is casual but a bit more dressed up than my tee-shirt or hoody. Gift from Jackie.
• Western Rise Unlimited Button Down* (2022) Blue Merino / Polyester blend button down shirt. My wife tells me it also looks like it was just ironed as it comes out of the my pack. Reported to be UPF 40. Fairly air permeable, resists odor, comfortable in a wide range of conditions. Dries quickly enough to hand wash at night and be ready to be worn the next morning. Can wear 4 days without any odor. It’s a great shirt for “urban” use.
• Wool and Prince 210wt Burgundy Oxford Shirt* (2020) Slim fit, classic oxford cloth look while being 100% wool. Christmas present.
• Minus33 Mid-weight Merino Mock Turtleneck (2023) Purchased for cooler days when I want something bit more casual than button down shirt but dressier than a hoody. Warm enough that I don’t need a sweater when it’s cool, but not overly warm when sitting around indoors. Have been able to wear for more than a week with no noticeable odor retention.
• Banana Republic Purple Merino Wool Sweater (2013) for cool days or when some color is called for. Purple is the color of royalty… so it can function as a Christmas or Easter sweater. Gift from Jackie.
• Grey Cashmere V-neck Sweater* (2019) for fall and winter evenings when I need more warmth than just a shirt and my hoody is too casual. Love cashmere but durability is low, it pills very quickly.
• Boss Blazer* (2014) for dressy events in the fall and winter that don’t require a formal suit. Have found that it doesn’t wrinkle when packed carefully in my backpack while traveling between locations. Christmas present.
• Bluffworks Hopsack Blazer* (2022) Blazer which doesn’t wrinkle, can be washed in a machine, and is light enough to wear in hot weather. If the Bluffworks Telex model existed when purchasing a travel blazer, I would have purchased it rather than the Hopsack.
• Boss Wool Suit (2012) slim/european cut in super 140 wool. Fits me perfectly though not bespoken. First suit that I wear rather than the suit wearing me. Light enough that it’s usable in the summer. I use it for weddings, funerals, and special nights out on the town. I won’t naturally choose to wear a suit, but sometimes it’s appropriate.
• Alpaca Blend Socks* (2021) are soft, warm, and cushioning with non slip “dots” on the bottom.
• Vivobarefoot Gobi II (2017/2022) are comfort, zero-drop, minimalist ankle boots which look good with casual clothing or dressed up in a suit. I have used them around town, hiking in the backcountry and even run in them. Sending my original pair to be resoled after walking more than 1500 miles. With an occasional brush and polishing the uppers still look good after repeatedly soaked in rain storms, covered in mud, etc. Unlike shoes with breathable nylon uppers, keeps sand and dust away from my feet and socks. They are generally not needed given current dressing standards, I can typically get away with trail runners.
• Softstar Zen Moccasin* (2021) Comfortable slippers for cold days.
• Ultrafino Santa Fe Hat* – not shown (2021) is “Panama” straw hat. Alas, this hat’s weave is so tight that the ventilation is minimal, and the brim isn’t large enough to consistently shade my face and neck. The function of this hat isn’t as high as I expected, but I have held on to it because it’s a great looking hat that I will sometimes wear to a party when the UV index isn’t too high (like early evening).

Beach / Water Clothing and Gear

When we spend extended time near a tropical beach these get pulled out.

• Bluesmith Spartan Board Shorts* (2016) For days that I am living in swimming suit, going in an out of the water. These shorts dry very quickly. Could use my other shorts if I was trying to minimize more.
• Patagonia R0 Longsleeve Shirt* (2022) UPF 50 shirt for water activities. Tight fitting, dries quickly. Jackie approved. Picture has my retired Bluesmith shirt rather than white R0.
• Matador Pocket Blanket* (2019) to sit on when at the beach.
• Matador Droplet Wet Bag* (2019) which holds items on the way to the beach, and wet items on the way home.
• Yeesam Prescription Snorkeling Mask (2019) which lets me actually see underwater life when snorkeling rather than just blurs and flashes of color!
• Akona 2mm Neoprene Socks – not shown (2019) Prevent my toes from getting ripped up when using flippers. Sometimes used with sandals if I am constantly going in and out of water or with my cycling shoes if doing an extended ride is cold rain.
• TYR Corrective Optical Performance Goggles not shown (2012) so that I can actually see when I am swimming in pools.

Sentimental Items

There are a several items I have kept as a specific way to honor people I love or past experiences.

Box which I store these things, my spare glasses, some old documents, etc.

• Various buttons collected over the years related to projects or movements that were important to me.
• Libby’s pins (<2000) of a nativity scene, a mother and child. Originally worn by Libby on special occasions, they became daily decorations on the hats she wore during chemotherapy. They remind me of Libby’s courage and the two things most important to Libby, family and Jesus.
• Gumby (2011) which was given as a reminder that when life is difficult, we need to be flexible.
• Dad’s (<1980) tie tacks and Alox Swiss Army Knife which remind me of his love of the outdoors and his care for his students.
• Knit Cap with 23andme logo (2016)
• CatBus Plushy (2018) given to me by Jackie. It reminds me of the gentle film My Neighbor Totoro. I wanted a real CatBus, but no one can find one for me
• Computer Wizard’s Tee Shirt (1977) from high school group club… still fits. Not shown: 23andme Tee-Shirt (2016) Hashicorp Cycling Jersey (2021)
• Grandpa’s Yamaka (<1980)

Stored – Replacement Clothing

These items will be pulled out when my current clothing wears out. Most of these items were purchased on close-out, on sale, lightly used. A few were purchased at full price when I realized an item was “perfect” for me, and there was a risk that I won’t be able to repurchase due to the model being discontinued or changed by the manufacturer. A few of the items were used for time, and then I decided to drop the number of items I have in a weekly rotation so they were sent to storage. It’s useful to have have an unused items purchased at the same time as one which is in “heavy rotation” to see how much wear and tear accumulates over time.

• 1 pair of outlier slim dungarees (2019)
• 2 outlier new way shorts (2014-8)
• 2 western rise evolution pants (2022)
• 2 icebreaker tee shirts (2018-2021)
• 1 arcteryx cormac shirts (2023)
• 3 pairs of icebreaker briefs (2019-2021)
• 6 pairs of darn tough socks (2015-2019)
• 2 pairs xoskin socks (2022)
• GoreWear R7 trail running jacket (2020/2022)
• 1 Montebell Peak Dry Jacket (2023)
• Macpac Nitro hoodie (2022)
• 2 delta tee-shirts (2022).

Stored – Possibly Retire

• Tom Bihn Passport Pouch (2022) Small pouch which is large enough to hold my passport, phone and everything that might be in my pockets when passing through security checkpoints. In high crime cities I wear it under my shirt. Haven’t needed it.
• Entchin Fanny Pack (2020) Inexpensive fanny pack which is a good size for half day activities. Can hold a headlamp, mini first-aid/emergency kit, water bottle, a protein bar, and small volume jacket. Use rather than daypack so my back is ventilated. The bucket has broken three times and is being held together by tape. Looked at a bunch of much more expensive fanny packs, but not work as well. Closest was the REI Trail 5 but when I put my water bottle in a holster it gets in the way of my arms as they swing.
• Gossamer Gear Gorilla (2012) An older version of the Gorilla which I used when doing multi-night backcountry trips or urban travel when I am carrying more weight / volume than appropriate for the Vagabond. Its weights just 28oz, comfortable carries up to 25lbs for tens of miles in a day, has survived thousands of miles, and works as a carry-on bag. My size L is actually 23″ long, but has been able to fit in airline sizers and overhead luggage bottom in first if not overpacked and placed at an angle. Sidenote: The first generations of the Gorilla carried pretty well, the current generation connects the frame directly into the hip belt which has been stiffened compared to the first generation improving it’s carry characteristics. Likely being replaced by Hanchor Tufa which is more carry-on friendly and as comfortable to carry up to 22lb which is the most I typically have.
• REI Swiftline Running Shorts Shorts* (2022) are very light shorts which dry quickly and pack down into a tiny space. Useful for running, working out in the gym, and as sleep wear. They can be used for swimming in a pinch. Over the years I have purchased these sorts of minimalist shorts, used them a bit, ultimately sold them because they weren’t being used, only to re-acquire a pair. I now know to store these away until the next time I think they would be a good idea.
• Patagonia Capilene Thermal Weight Hoody (2009) for cool/cold weather outdoor activities. Without wind protection the grid weave lets air flow through speeding the release of heat. With a shell it provides some insulation. Comfort down to 30F when running without a shell, below that with a shell. When walking around town keeps me comfortable down to 45F when combined with a wind shirt with hoods up. I am reasonably comfortable engage in high energy activities when it’s 65F by fully opening the zipper and pushing the sleeves up to my elbows. Dries amazingly quickly and feels more comfortable than any other shirt I have used when it’s wet in cool conditions. Mine was actually called Capilene 4 because it pre-dates the renaming to “thermal weight”. Likely retire because light base + macpac alpha direct hoody is more versatile and has better performance.
• Castelli Light Arm Sleeves* (2021) and Leg Sleeves* (2022) UPF 50 sun protection I combined with short sleeve shirt and shorts to avoid hassle of sunscreen. When in direct sunlight, limbs actually feel a bit cooler than when uncovered. Using the Arcteryx Cormac hoody so don’t need arm sleeves.
• CoolNet UV Buff* (2022) Protects my neck and ears from sun and also functions as a headband to keep sweat out of my eyes. A set of magnets made to “pin” race bib to a shirt keeps the buff from riding up and exposing my neck. Often using the Arcteryx Cormac hoody so don’t need any more.
• HiFiMan RE800 Silver IEM (2022) Light weight, good quality sound which doesn’t completely cut me off from my environment. Used when I want to listen to music without disturbing family. Great deal at $90.
• Apple iPad Air 4 + Smart Keyboard Folio + Magic Keyboard for iPad (2021) Purchased as a second monitor (via Sidecar) for MacBook for when I am working away from home. I have found the iPad also works well for consuming media. The Folio keyboard is compact making it compact for onebag travel, but the keyboard feel is mediocre and not stable enough to use on the lap. I tried to do most of my “personal” computing on the iPad with a Magic Keyboard to see if a iPad could replace a laptop: it was a failure. There is too much friction integrating information from several windows and often the app experience on the iPad fell short when compared to the experience on a real laptop or Chromebook. [Even with PadOS26’s overlapping windows I struggle] This is my third iPad since they were first introduced. While each was useful for a particular task, I have yet to find it a compelling device for general use. A portable UCB-C powered screen is more effective for me as a second screen. I have mostly abandoned using the iPad. Jackie tried and gave up on “live on it”. Lives in garage for when exercising using Kickr and is taken to meetings when I want to take notes and a laptop would be too intrusive.
• Osprey Ultralight Drysack (2021) Used as a liner to protect against rain, can be used to wash clothing on trips if I am sharing a bathroom and can’t soak my clothing in the sink, and as a giant “clothing packing cube”. Sometimes used to separate dirty from clean clothing.

Retired

• Carots Shoes* (2017) are formal looking zero drop shoes. These are the only minimalist shoes I have found that looks like traditional dress shoes (heels and and tapered toe). They are sufficiently comfortable for an evening, but I won’t want to walk or stand for an extended period of time. My Gobi II are formal enough for any events I am likely to attend in the future.
• Luna Oso Flaco Sandals (2022) I can walk 25 miles / day for a week on hard surfaces and my feet are still feel good. Has decent ground feel and pack very compactly. Good traction on trails. The wings are must more convenient that the “traditional” lacing. They irritate the side of my foot when I run without socks (fine for walking). Bedrock Sandals are very similar. I find Shammas sandals more comfortable. Worn out.
•  Tommy John’s Air Briefs (2022) are really wedgy-proof and dry very quickly except for the waist band. Lost.
• Radsome EarStudio ES100 (2018) bluetooth/DAC/headphone amplifier allows me to use wired headphones with devices missing a headphone jack. Can also function as a USB DAC. The ES100 is tiny, with decent sound quality (though Chord Mojo is better) and can even drive Sennheiser HD800 to reasonable sound levels. Not in situations that require a BlueTooth receiver or improved sound quality over the earphone jack.
• AWS AC-650 Digital Pocket Scale (2012) a small scale which makes it easy to weight food on the go.
• Kindle Oasis (2019) Lets me carry the majority of my library and every book can be displayed with large print for my aging eyes. Love being able to quickly search for notes / highlighted passages. I miss physical books and I know knowledge retention is better when reading paper books, but the convenience of the ebooks outweighs this for me. The Oasis ergonomics allows reading with a single hand and I like the warm backlight in the evening. I have been tempted by e-paper Android tablet such as those made by Boox which are a more versatile devices.
• Rudy Project Ketyum Frames with Transitions DriveWear manufactured by Sports Optical* (2021) provides excellent protection for my eyes while cycling and any other daytime activity. Ketyum is one of the few wrap around frames that can handle a prescription as strong as mine. The lens are thick but not too heavy. Transition lens work well during daylight but are a bit too strong at dusk.
• Trailbum Gnu Rain Cape (2023) Ultralight 3.5oz rain protection. Nice because it protects me and my pack. I wrote up a description of using this poncho combined with a piece of polartec alpha direct as a poncho liner. My wife “stole” it.
• Specialized S-works 2019 Roubaix (2021) an endurance bike that smooths out the road making it easy to be confident on less than ideal road surfaces with a responsiveness that approaches the Cervelo R-series. A huge improvement from the 2013 version of the Roubaix. I have a charger for DI2 which is powered via a micro USB cable gets used every month or so. Stolen
• Power Tap P1 Pedals (2015) because I like objective measures. No longer made. The Garmin Rally pedals use standard Keto cleats, and are lighter. Stolen.

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

Matthew 6:19-21

The book Dominion traces the very mixed history of the Christian church through history. When the church emphasized caring for the marginalized, humble service, and freedom for the individual it has been a force for good. When the Church cared more about its institution than the people, removed people’s freedoms through authoritarian decrees, and worst, when it pursued political power, things went very badly. This is my attempt to identify the most essential factors people should keep in mind when thinking about church. Summarizing what I have learned about “church” over the last forty five years is like trying to tame a hydra… as soon one head (topic) is addressed, two more pop up. 

TL;DR

• Church is not optional: You aren’t going to find a perfect church, but get involved in a church that allows you to build a community of love and draws you closer to God.
• God and his grace is the heart: The start, end, and middle of the church is God’s amazing love, His grace toward us. It’s God who initiates, and we respond. A great tempted of humans is to go our own way, to try and be self sufficient. It’s so tempting to become religious and judgement. We need to resist this.
• God is the head, not human leaders: Don’t let human created rules, programs, initiative, etc step on people. Leave room for the Spirit to lead and grant individual freedom to respond to what God is calling them to. When a church becomes authoritarian and/or pursues power: especially political or economic power, things go badly.
• Everyone is important: The church is to function like our body, each person has a unique and valuable role to play. All gifting is important. Everyone should have a way to contribute to the church, not just “clergy” / “staff”. No one should be marginalized. People who have been marginalized by society should be embraces and supported by the church.
• Love is the measure: Put simply by Jesus: the world will know we are His followers if we are loving each other. The mark of a Christian, and the mark of a healthy church is one that is characterized by love and care.

Church isn’t Optional for Christians

I know many people today who have become disappointed with institutional churches. They see originizations driven by humans who hunger after power, money, sex, and/or fame. A place that uses fear to control people rather than love to empower.

This is tragic… but Jesus doesn’t want us to give up. In John 13 He said the world will know we are His by the love we have for each other. The author of Hebrews urges us not to abandon the gathering together.

Don’t give up. Find a local church you can be part of. The question I would encourage everyone to asks is  “What church is God calling me to in this season of life”? Don’t be constrained by things like denominational alignment, narrow theological orthodoxy, or a particular worship style.

God and Grace are the Heart

I am working on a separate post on this so just a quick note for now. God is the one who initiated our relationship with Him. We experience life because of His love and grace. He asks us to extend His grace to others. Since everything we have has been a gift from God, we have no room to be proud or judgmental. Ironically, and people become more serious about grace, they have a tendency to become religious, proud, and judgement. This can only be avoided by continuously engaging with God in our daily life. To seek to see the world through His eyes.

God is the Head

Too often members of a church, especially the leaders, forget that the church is God’s. It doesn’t matter what we want, what we think is best. The questions are:

• What is important to God?
• What does God want us to do?

I have seen numerous churches lock in on a very particular theology, methodology, or program, and insist that this is “the way” to believe, to act, or orginize. Everyone is expected to “fit in”. While this can produce a very “efficent” and “effective” orginization… this is not God’s recipe.  It’s ours.

Likewise, when a church become authoritarian, tries to impose it’s will into the lives of people, things will end badly… not matter how “good” what they are advocating is.

Several things which help us live into the truth that God is the head of the church:

1. Focus your attention and worship of God. Fall in love with, be amazed by God’s wonderous nature. Look to please Him, no one else.
2. Major in the Majors.  Simply put, recogize what’s important to God and focus on those things, not on human created orthodoxy.   Learn the most important lesson from the parable of the prodigal son.
3. Leave room for the Spirit to work. Grant people freedom to follow after how God is leading them. Don’t use a one size fits all program, system, etc. People who are living this way will exhibit humility. Those to are driven my their self will be arrogant.
4. Remember that God’s law is written on our hearts. Cultivate a practice of seeking God, not of pleasing others. Be open to God’s leading.

Everyone is Important

I Cor 12, 14, and Ephesians 4 makes it very clear that the church is strongest when every person uses the gifting God has granted them to love and serve others. Leaders’ job is to equip and encourage every person to live into God’s calling, not to do all the “work” themselves, or to tell everyone else what to do. Likewise, we need to value everyone. There are people who are marginalized by society. They should be embraced by the church.

There are several practical applications for this.

• There need to be meetings / gatherings that are small enough that everyone can contribute using their gifting.  See notes about group size.
• People who are marginalized should be embraced, welcomed, given a prominent spot “at the table”.
• Significant roles must be availible to people who aren’t “on staff” or “clergy”.
• The church leadership needs to value all gifts and roles in the church. Too often I have seen churches that placed excessive emphasis on numerical growth and focus on leadership gifts to the exclussion of the other gifts. Other church emphasis “power” gifts or speaking in tongues, even though Paul pointed out that there is no gift that everyone has.
• The church needs to recognize that God gifts people, and calls them to service. There need to be opportunities for “grassroot” initiatives from people who aren’t “leaders”.

The book The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church by Roland Allen looks at the growth of the early church. Roland argues that the church doesn’t need complex structures and systems to be effective. Rather the church needs to free its members to follow after God. Too often, church leadership trying to control what is happening and how it’s happening. This is a mistake. The church is a group of people who are together, trying to follow after God and responding to what they are learning. The work of George Patternson and others has applied this lesson to the mission field. I think the out of print book The Church Unleashed by Frank Tillapaugh did a great job explaining what this might look like in a “modern” church in America.

Love is the Measure

Put simply by Jesus: the world will know we are His followers if we are loving each other. The market of a Christian, and the mark of a healthy church is one that is characterized by love and care. This means loving each other and finding true unity through that love. This is a theme well explored in Francis Schaeffer’s short book The Mark of the Christian and is discussed in the book A Church Called TOV.

If we care more about a narrow doctrine, a particular political or social issue to the point that we are hurting people, we are lost.

I think one of the most telling things about a church is who feels comfortable attending. Is the church attracting people who are similar to the people who gathered around Jesus, or is the church gathering people who opposed Jesus such as the Pharisees.

so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Ephesians 3:10-11 (ESV)

My work has had me near the cutting edge of computing technology from 1978-2022. In 2022 I retired. I still follow current trends but I am not as involved in pushing things forward. I take a measured approach to technology. I don’t chase after everything new. Rather I try to thoughtfully adopt technologies which will effectively solve real world problems or will enhance life. I am sometimes an innovator or early adopter, but I often make a move with the early majority, and have sometimes avoided technology which even the trailing edge has adopted. I recognize that technology is powerful, and can both improve and impoverish life.

Keep Options Open

I strive to avoid lock-in to a particular technology, product, or company. I tend to select technology that have well designed, standards based interfaces. Likewise, I want my applications to run on the most common platforms. For user facing applications this would be native support of iOS, Android, OSX, Windows, and providing a web interface. Supporting a native Linux application is a bonus. I want to “own” my content. I really like encrypted, local-first storage that supports replication. This insures my content is accessible to me while preventing cloud operators or bad actors from being able to corrupt, remove, or access my content.

I have always encourage my team to select the best technology for the problem they need to solve, even if it means going with a product / company they loved to hate, e.g. I have no patience for “religion”. In the 1990s, the discussion was often about Microsoft products. Many people on my team hated Microsoft but I would encourage them to use products that best got the job done. What I found was that Microsoft products were typically terrible in “production”, but often the best choice for “corporate” computing.

Cloud

Unless you are a large company operating at scale… using cloud services makes a huge amount of sense. Using well selected cloud products will provide higher quality, higher reliability solutions for a lower cost than more traditional solutions. Of course, poor select of cloud services can result in run-away cost for a service which is no more resilient than running everything in the same data center. I am a big fan infrastructure as code, and immutable infrastructure.

For me it’s essential that cloud products keep my data encrypted, and that the encryption keys are only accessible by me, not the provider. When it comes to applications I use, I want them to support disconnected operations, so if I can’t access “the cloud” I can still get work done.

I used to be a fan of google, but increasingly I have watch how the customer being the product is producing worse user experiences, aka enshittification. I am no longer confident that the data held by Google won’t be used against me, rather than to enhance my life. I have more confidence that Apple will care for me properly, which makes sense because I am paying for my services. Ironically, I trust Microsoft to try to treat me better than Google, but the combination of security flaws in Microsoft products and that numerous services (like OneDrive) don’t use zero-knowledge encryption is a non-starter for me. Proton is trying to fill the space Google used to occupy when it comes to web apps. I hope they succeed.

Apple Eco-system

In the last couple of years I have changed my strategy at bit. I still insist using technology that provides a way to export my content into rich, standards based formats, but I am ok if the applications only run in the Apple eco-system which I now inhabit. For example, I use Bear for most of my notes which is Apple only but has a great export ability and mostly avoid Apple Notes because there is no good way to export all my Apple Notes content to a different platform.

OSX and iOS have less security vulnerabilities than Windows and Android while providing higher quality applications than is typically found on Linux or ChromeOS. I appreciate that Apple implements end-to-end encryption which helps keep my data secure while making sharing easy (AirDrop, iMessage, Photos, Notes, Files, etc). Apple supports hardware longer than many manufacturers which reduces the frequency that I need to upgrade my devices. The downside of Apple is a closed eco-system and products tend to be more expensive. I am sad that Apple, like most manufacturers, no longer make small phones or ultralight laptops. The Apple products I am currently using:

• MacBook 12″ from 2017 (2023) This is the last ultra portable made by Apple. It’s 2lb, decent keyboard, and enables me to complete daily tasks with a minimum amount of friction. Can’t run the current version of OSX but security patches are still available. I could use OpenCore Patcher to run current OS, but not willing to risk bricking it right now.
• Apple iPhone 16 Pro (2024) Too big, but can’t find a usable small phone :(. Camera on the 16 pro is quite good, appreciate the action and camera button, and the satellite messaging might be useful. On T-Mobile (2022) which has good international coverage but mediocre coverage in USA compared to Verizon. Purchased the 16Pro when my iPhone 12 mini’s battery couldn’t last more than a few hours.
• Apple AirPod Pros (2021/2023) are nicely integrated with the Apple eco-system and just works. Noise reduction is “ok”, and the “ambient mode” provides situational awareness. The case is part of the “Find My” eco-system.  Downside is battery can’t be swapped when it no longer holds a charge. I have written about other headphones.
• MacBook Pro 14-inch (2006/2022) When I am at home this is the device I use. When I am traveling it is left running in a safe location and I access it remotely via Tailscale. Holds the family’s archives: pictures, videos, ripped CDs, digitized books, and documents. I could change workflows so everything lived in cloud, but current system is working well. I select a configuration with enough storage for 2x my current usage (4tb at the time of purchase) and the maximum memory available which has allowed me to use the same MacBook Pro for >5 years before I feel the need to upgrade.

Laptops

When I am creating written content I like using devices with >12″ screens and an attached keyboard I can touch type on which works when it’s sitting on my lap. I want an operating system which lets me quickly switch between overlapping windows / applications, and supports easy copying of information between applications. This means that I want to use a traditional laptop.

Since I am often on the move, I would like this device to be as small and light as possible while providing me adequate keyboard and display. For me, a perfect laptop is <2lb, with a 13-14″ display, running the current version of OSX. There are no devices that meet all these specifications. Hardware that comes the closest:

• Apple MacBook 12″ from 2017.. mentioned above. Out of date, but light and still useful.
• Current MacBook Air 13″, weights 2.7lb. When my MacBook 12″ no longer gets the job done I will purchase one and cry about how heavy it is
• Fujitsu Lifebook UH-X: Just 1.4lbs, good performance, nice selection of ports. Almost impossible to find outside of Japan, and somewhat difficult to find in Japan.
• Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano: Good all around and more easily found that the Lifebook UH-X. Gen 2 could be configured with 32GB of RAM and motherboard is well supported by Linux making it superior to Gen3
• Asus Expertbook B9: Performance and battery life substandard to Lifebook and X1, but a decent option.
• Asus Zenbook A14: announced at CES 2025. 2.2 lb, reported to have a good screen and very long battery life.
• Microsoft Surface: Not a fan. Tablet with external keyboard running Windows. I want the keyboard attached, and my wife’s surface (several years ago) was regularly needing to go into the shop.

None the modern laptops can be turned into a hackintosh because their CPUs are more modern than the last IntelMac made by Apple. The only way to use OSX on one of these x86 based laptops would be to run a host operating system (Windows, Linux, BSD, etc), and execute OSX in a virtual machines. This would mean maintaining two operating systems, paying the overhead of a virtual machine, and dealing with the inevitable hassles of using OSX in an environment it was not designed for. It used to be that you couldn’t log into your Apple account / access CloudKit and other iCloud resources from OSX running in a VM, but I have read that as of OSX 15 Sequoia it is possible to access some of Apple’s cloud resources.

I spin up AWS instances time to time when I need more computing power.

Chromebooks

The OS is easier to maintain and more secure than most other options. Chromebooks boot quickly and are very responsive considering the hardware they are running on. For people who live in Google Apps, using a Chromebook can be good alternative to using a traditional laptop. Most modern Chromebooks are able to run Android applications which provides access to applications which aren’t native on ChromeOS. You can run Linux containers as well. I used a Google Pixelbook as my primary personal device for awhile until Google stopped providing OS updates. It was a shame that Google dropped support, the hardware was still very responsive, and had better specs that many of the Chromebooks in production at that time.

Low end Chromebooks are cheaper and more functional than budget priced traditional laptops which is one of the reasons they have become popular at schools that send devices home with their students. I appreciate that Google has committed to continue to support releases of ChromeOS for 10 years on hardware produced after 2021.

Unfortunately, there are no ultra portable Chromebooks. The lightest Chromebooks are actually tablets with removable keyboards. They often list weight of the tablet without the keyboard. When factoring in the weight of the keyboard these Chromebooks weight more (and are less ergonomic) than some of the laptops listed above.

ChromeOS Flex is one way to make an out of date laptop usable.

TinyPCs / PalmTops / Subnotebooks

In 1989 I lusted after the tiny Poqet PC. In 2001 picked one of it’s successors, the Toshiba Libretto. It was a tiny PC which fit in the palm of my hand. While the concept of a full powered computer which could fit into my pocket was electrifying… the reality was disappointing. The keyboard and screen were just too small for me to be productive, Years later I tried one of the TinyPC made by GDP. My theory was that I could carry it everywhere and dock it with full size keyboard and screen when at home and work. After a few weeks I gave up on this. I found that it was just too painful to use when away from the docking station. I frequently would use my smartphone rather than pulling out my TinyPC. When I determined I needed to use the TinyPC I would often wait until I got to the docking station. I determined it was better to carry a normal laptop when there was a reasonable chance I might need to do “real work”, and make do with my phone (which had a SSH client) in the case of an emergency.

Tablets

I have tried using tablets on and off since 2010… well actually since 1993 when I was working at PARC next to the people inventing ubiquitous computing. I have found tablets to be wonderful for creating art, consuming information, the iPad also makes a nice portable monitor for MacBooks, but terrible for creating written content… even when using a good Bluetooth keyboard such as the Magic Keyboard. With any of the Android or iOS based tablets, there is too much friction integrating information from several windows and often the app experience on the “phone OS” platforms fell short when compared to the experience on a real laptop. It’s possible to run windows or Linux on a table… but those options to be more power hungry, and many apps don’t have UI that is well refined for tablet gestures. Furthermore, I never found a keyboard that would hold the tablet stable and at a good viewing angle when on my lap Over the years I have purchased three iPads and a couple of other tablets. While each was useful for a particular task, I have yet to find a tablet that was compelling for general use.

Smart Phones

Like most people I find a smart phone invaluable. I use a phone to capture information, to quickly look up information, and to communicate with other people. My ideal phone would have a battery which would support 24 hours of my normal use without recharging, support the applications I use, and have a 4″ diagonal screen which would allow me to hold the phone in one hand and touch the entire screen with my thumb. An initiative to build a small Android phone seems to have stalled out. Unihertz does make the tiny Jelly phone. I tried the first model and was disappointed. It was missing some of the frequency bands used by Verizon, it was rather thick / chunky, and the screen was a bit too small to be useful.

The perfect phone for me would be an iPhone that was the size of the original iPhone that had a modern CPU, good camera, and a battery which would last for 2 days of light use. Alas, Apple canceled the iPhone mini, and even if they kept it, it was too big. When holding it securely in one hand I couldn’t reach the whole screen with my thumb. In 2024 I switched to an iPhone 16 Pro. The phone is way too big, but so are just about all the phones people use today. I do love the .5-5x camera, the separate camera button, and am hopeful that satellite based messaging will be useful when I am outside normal coverage areas. My biggest complaint (besides size) is that I find the voice support almost useless (Android seems better). First, accuracy seems poor. Second, Apple restricts what can be done via voice when the phone is locked.

There are many people who do most of their “computational tasks” on phones. This has helped drive the adoption of larger screens and the growing popularity of folding phones. As I noted above, when I want to do real work, I much rather use a laptop. A number of the applications I use have excellent web interfaces when using a real computer than render badly on mobile browsers and the native iOS apps are often missing functionality.

I briefly tried some of the “simple” / “low distraction” phones a number of years ago including the original light phone and the Punkt phones but gave up because they didn’t support all the frequency bands used by Verizon in the USA. I might have considered changing carriers, but all the long term reviews I read indicated that people ultimately switched back to a traditional smart phone because the minimalist applications were inadequate for their real (rather than imagined) lives. Additionally, there were several apps I was not prepared to give up that weren’t available of these phones. At that time, the app I won’t give up was Evernote which functioned as my second brain.

What makes smart phones deeply useful is the connectivity provided by carriers.  In this season of life where I have no idea what country I will be in month to month I am using T-Mobile. They are the best deal if you want a US phone number and will be doing a lot of international travel. I get 5gb of data when outside the US, free texting, and reasonable price phone calls. Note: I have historically live within 5Gb/month on cellular networks, but recently iOS is using a lot of bandwidth, and I haven’t been able to identify how to stop it. If I turn off “cell” and make calls via WiFi, my calls to the US are free. There are three downsides. First, coverage is not nearly as good Verizon in the US. Second, they seem to partner the the second best carrier in many markets. Third, when traveling internationally, traffic is backhauled to the US, so performance is lower than using local carriers. For people not using T-Mobile, Airalo makes it easy to acquire an eSIM for wireless data while traveling internationally.

Digital Recording Device

I have found a small digital recording device can be an excellent way to make a quick “notes” to myself when I on the go and to record important meetings. Originally I used a small recorder from Olympus.

I picked up a Plaud AI Recorder through Kickstarter and have used it a bit for on the go notes and recording meetings and presentations. I have been pleasantly surprised by the quality of the microphone and it’s useful summaries. The form factor for their NotePin and a similar product from Senstone would likely be even better. Another possibility is the CarbonVoice App on an iWatch. The nice thing about all these is that they have both the voice recording and a full transcript which is organized by a machine learning system. Most of the time, the transcription is perfectly good. When it’s not, you can listen to the audio.

I have tried a number of apps on the phone but have been dissatisfied. The microphone on the phones I have tried was not good at picking up distant voices in meetings. The second issue is that the iPhone doesn’t permit apps to access the microphone when the phone is locked. While a good security feature, it kills my memo on the go use case. I can’t say “Siri Take a Memo” when I have AirPods in and the phone is in my pocket, locked. I can have Siri trigger launching an app stuffing text from a prompt to an app like ToDoist, but the transcript is wrong more often than right.

A product / feature I am hoping for I first saw around 2016 on kickstarter? It was a wrist device which have a 2? minute continuous recording loop running.  A button press dumped the buffer to storage. The idea was wonderful.  Someone says something profound.  We don’t want to forgot it, but when someone says “That’s brilliant. Say it again so I can get that down”. and the response is often “I don’t know. What did I say?”. Unfortunately the product’s execution was poor. The device was much better at picking up background noise, rustling from shirts cuffs, etc than recording meaningful content.

Software/Services

Google Apps: Currently verber.com is a Google Apps business account. Originally it was set up as a free domain allowing me to shutdown much of the computing infrastructure in my home. At some point I had to upgrade to a business account. I am not using many of the features, and quite frankly it feels overpriced. Furthermore I don’t trust Google not to be evil. I am primarily using gmail for my email which works reasonably well and they do a good job of protecting me from unwanted spam. On OSX I use web apps. I use Google Calendar, Google Maps, and Gmail iOS applications. When working with others I will use docs, sheets, and slides because they have powerful collaborative features. I sometimes use drive when I have files I need to share out. At some point I will point my MX records to some other mail provider and cancel my gApps business account. Making this sort of change would have been easy years ago. These days, the combination of aggressive spam and that the largest mail providers functioning like a Cabal make it more challenging. I am not prepared to put all the effort required to make that transition right now.

Apple Files: Data is end-2-end encrypted so Apple does not have access to my content. Permits me to share files (or folders) with others as needed. All the meta data lives on all devices. The actual contents are always present in the Cloud. Content is pulled down to a device on demand. It’s possible to explicitly clear the local copy, force a download, and pin the content to always be retained on the device. Historically I used sync.com. I selected sync.com because it was one of the early systems that provided end-2-end encryption and works on OSX, iOS, Android, Windows, and Linux. As an early adopted I have 7GB of free data. I moved away from it because 7GB isn’t enough data for all my needs, the people I wanted to share data with didn’t want to install sync.com, and currently I am just using Apple devices. I also have access to 1TB of “free” storage via Microsoft’s OneDrive. I place non sensitive, bulk data here since they don’t support end-2-end encryption.

Bear: is a beautiful note taking application with a clean, intuitive user interface. I find markdown lets me quickly create nice looking notes. I am paying for the premium version which enables syncing between Apple devices using iCloud. This allows me to have all my content (editable) even when I am offline. Bear’s sync is built on top of Apple’s CloudKit so the data is well protected with end-2-end encryption. Hierarchal tags lets me organizing my content. It has a fairly powerful search (though it can be a bit slow). It’s easy to crosslink notes. Biggest downside is that I can’t share my notes with others. When I need something to be shared with others I either put it on my website, share it out with Google Apps, or place it in an Apple Note. I leave a stub behind in Bear with a pointer to where the shared document lives. Bear has excellent import and export features which allows me to painlessly migrate from Evernote, and should enable me to switch to some other system if I decide to leave the Bear ecosystem. This was important because I had thousands of notes I had created since 2009 in Evernote. I decided Evernote was hopeless bloated and buggy and it was time to move to a new system. I tried OneNote but was frustrated by its organizational features, its poor support of important/export, and it lacked encryption. Bear is my principal knowledge management system. I am really stretching it for this task. At some point I will likely investigate Obsidian and Anytype. I took a quick look at Logseq (complex and lacked polish), Craft (didn’t have fully functional version I could try for free) and Joplin (falls short of the user experience of Bear without obvious benefits). While powerful, the lack of offline supports removes Notion and Roam remove them from my consideration.

Messaging: I mostly use iMessage/Facetime when communicating with friends and family. It just works… if others are using Apple products :). I use other apps based of what my friends are using. WhatsApp is the second most common system… seems to dominate the EU, Signal for my tech/security buddies, LINE for people in TW/Japan, and Telegraph for a couple of friends who are in Eastern Europe/Middle East. I am thinking about removing Telegraph due to the amount of spam I get on that system. I generally don’t use Facebook Messenger.

Todoist: A list keeping app which has a good balance between simplicity and powerful features. I am using the free version, I can get along without the added features which required a subscription. I switch from Asana when I was no longer collaborating with my team on task lists.

1Password: Insecure and reused passwords at the biggest risk for account security. Using a second factor eliminates something like 98% of account breaches. 1Password provides a safe place to store all my credential. It generates secure passwords and integrates well with all the software I use. It supports Google Authenticator one-time passwords and even notifies me when an account I am using doesn’t have a OTP set. I believe 1Password corporate culture and engineering practices makes it the most secure system for storing this sort of information. I have watch system other systems such as LastPass have security issues which did not give me confidence that my secrets would be safe. I originally moved into 1Password because I trusted their security and they supported all the platforms I was using. It’s possible I could switch to using Apple’s built-in system, but the cost of 1Password is small enough vs labor / risk of making the change. If you have the switch export/import doesn’t move your OTP. These have to be added to Apple’s Password by hand.

Lightroom/Apple Photo: Most of my pictures are taken with the Camera app on my iPhone which automatically feeds into Apple’s Photo app. I don’t like the user interface / organizational features of Apple’s Photo app. I use Lightroom on my iPhone to automatically ingest my pictures into Lightroom. I run Lightroom Classic on my MacBook Pro which holds all my photographs. Once they are downloaded to my MacBook Pro and backed up, I delete new photos in the cloud version of Lightroom. I use features in Lightroom Classic to collect particularly treasured pictures into albums which I replicate into Lightroom Classic. I would like to migrate to Lightroom Cloud, but it still lacks some organizational features I want. Both Lightroom and Lightroom Classic’s auto face-tagging is substandard.

Chat-GPT/Claude: Look up specific information, learning new material, assistance problem solving. Remember, these use large language models which predict what sequence of words is mostly likely. It doesn’t understand / have a model of the world, do it can gets things wrong than anyone with common sense would get right, and will often hallucinate.

Google (and Apple) Translate: To read menus, labels, and documents when in non English speaking locations and when looking at websites that don’t have English. Google Translate on the iPhone 16pro doesn’t switch to macro mode when you are close to the writing who I desire to translate, Apple’s Translate application supports macro mode.

Apple Podcasts: I don’t love the UI, but appreciate that it works well with Siri, the support of transcription, syncs across all my devices. Furthermore, the Apple Podcast app is used by all the people I regularly share recommendations with so it’s easy to send them links / recommendations. Originally I used Pocket Casts which supported multiple platforms and has an excellent UI.

Feedly: I am still using RSS feeds. Lets be create a personalized “feed”. Articles that are particularly good get saved into Bear.

Reddit: Often find good ideas / recommendations. Something I am not doing now, but considering for subreddits I regularly participate in comes from Dracomies: If I read a post, I click “Hide.” If I think it’s gold, I “Save” it. If it’s low value or I don’t care, I “Hide.” Goal = empty subreddit. So at the end of the day, the Subreddit is blank. This is useful because I only see what I want to see each day. And nothing is lost. I even got Life Pro Tips to nearly blank by going through Top posts (Day, Week, Month, All-Time) until it’s just less than 100 upvotes. Again, I click Hide when I read it. Until eventually everything is Hidden.

Kindle: I have over 1000 books which were purchased in Kindle form. I find the Kindle app generally works well, though e-reading results is poorer retention of information. I like that my reading location is synced between devices which allows me to switch between devices. I make heavy use of highlighting and notes. My biggest gripe with Kindle is they are using DRM for the books. I know people who have lost their whole collection of books when they were incorrectly flagged as violating Amazon’s Terms of Service. To protect against this I periodically copy all my purchased content off the Kindle, but Amazon stopped supporting this in 2024. I use hoopla and libby to borrow free e-books and audio books.

Spotify: They have a massive catalog of music, support offline caching of music, stream directly to smart devices, and most of my friends use so it’s easy to share playlists. The downsides are that I don’t like the UI and they still don’t support lossless audio. When I care about sound quality I use Apple Music to play tracks I RIPPED from CDs I purchased. At one time I was using Tidal. If Apple Music supported direct streaming to the smart devices I use, I would likely switch to it.

Logos Bible: Arguably the best app for serious Biblical study. The combination of analytical tools and rich (but expensive) resource library makes it unmatched for detailed study. Besides the price, the other downside is that the iOS version requires Internet connectivity for many of its more advanced functions. Years ago, when I was downsizing my book collection, I re-purchased many of my Biblical references which saved significant space, allowed me to use them wherever I had a computing device, and made it much faster / easier to lookup information. Before I purchased Logos Bible I used Olive Tree Bible Reader which provide a simple and clear UI smart phones. e-Sword is arguably the best freeware Bible tool.

Passapartout: VPN tool which makes it e as y yo set up OpenVPN and Wireshark connections on all Apple devices, enabling geoshift while traveling (eg looking like I am in the US while traveling outside the country). For some reason using the free OpenVPN would break access to the network after I started and then stopped a VPN connection requiring a reboot… this doesn’t happen with Passapartout.

Quicken Simplify: Track finances. Don’t love it, but haven’t found anything I like better. I miss the early days of Mint… before innovation stopped.

Supporting Technology

“Tech Kit” items are stored in a small litesmith zipza pouch (2023) which is the perfect size, mostly waterproof, light, and a different texture than anything else in my bag so easy to find by touch. I am hoping that I will soon only have devices that use USB-C and will be able to do away with the adapters.

• Nomad 65w Slim Charger (2024) hangs down rather than out so doesn’t lever itself out of loose outlets and packs well. 65W to one slot, 45W/20W when using both. Replaced an Anker 523 which is powering devices in our home. My wife loves her tiny 30w Anker Nano. For people who need three outlets, Anker 735 and Minix P1 and P3 are pretty good. If you need more power / more outlets I would think about getting something that has a removal cord rather than plugs directly into the wall like the Baseus 100W … because heavy watt chargers are getting so heavy that it will leverage itself out of the outlet. Snug plug can help prevent this problem.
• Nitecore 10000 Gen2 (2023) power bank with USB-A out C in/out. Lightest and most compact 10k battery I have found. Comfortable in my pocket while charging my phone. Can slowly charge my MacBook or mostly power the MacBook while charging my iPhone. Supports pass through charging so I can charge this battery while my MacBook is plugged into. Has a bug that when you hold the “low power” button too long it puts the battery in standby mode which is only ended when you plug it in to be charged which is fixed in Gen3. Spreadsheet of many power bank options.
• Cables: A 6ft USB-C cable, 2 6″ USB-C cables
• Adaptor tips from USB-C to (Lighting, Garmin), and 2 USB-C to A converter.
• Mogics Adapter MA1 (2023) is the smallest and lightest universal power adaptor I have found. For type E remember to unscrew and extended the type C prongs. Some trouble in UK outlets due to round pins: sparking until I got it set properly. BTW: The best visual display of outlet types I have found.
• Tempo Logging Thermometer (2022) which lets me keep track of the conditions I experience.
• Etymotic HF3 (2013/2023) Great sound isolation. Provides me with around 40db of noise reduction which is better than any consumer grade active noise cancelling headphones I have tried. Carried with FiiO KA11 (2024) USB-C DAC and airplane double jack adaptors. Second foam eartips for when current pair stops sealing.

Related

• Audio Gear
• Personal Gear
• Family Gear

There are numerous reasons why you might be looking for a church. You could be being a journey to explore the Christian faith. You might have recently moved, or maybe you are dissatisfied with the church you previously attended. Whatever the reason you are looking for a church, I would encourage to devote yourself to the search and then commit to the best church you find. God’s wants you to be involved in a local church: to build a community of love where you can be cared for, and where you can be serving others.

Finding a new church can be very challenging. There are no perfect church so there will always be trade-offs. If you feel completely lost and don’t have anyone to help you, drop me mail and I will reach out to my personal network to try and help.

In older times people didn’t choose a church. Geography determined what church you attended. The parish church was responsible for the spiritual needs of an area. The good thing about this was that you saw the people from your church everyday and could do “Life together”. The bad thing  was when you didn’t get along / agree with the church you didn’t have an alternative. The lack of choice could be good because growth often comes through conflict.

Today, most people have the freedom to choose what church they will attend. It’s easy to approach selecting a church like a consumer, with a list of attributes that are desires such as worship style, a particular set of doctrines, a particular governance, and/or a specific program.

I would encourage people to think  like an investor. Look for the place that God is calling you to serve. I Cor 12 and 14 talk about how we each have something to offer. Our lives, the church, and the world we live in is poorer when everyone doesn’t share what God has given them.

Discovering Churches

The first step in to find your church is to discover what are possible churches. In many locations there are more churches to consider than you would have time to explore. This means you need to find a way to narrow down the choices. In my experience, typical review sites like yelp, google, etc are not useful at all. There are several approaches that will improve the odds that you will find a church that is good for you.

Personal Referals

I have found a good starting point is asking people you know in the area for a recommendation. The person you ask should either know you well, or know the sort of church which has been a positive influence in your life. 

If I don’t know someone in the area I am looking for a church, I will ask my trusted friends if there is anyone they know in the location I am looking in who could suggest a good church.

My list of recommended churches.

Known Associates, Denominations, Programs

Typically churches which are part of an associate or denomination have agreed to a common set of doctrines and practices. If you have appreciated a church that is part of one of these orginizations,  you odds go up in finding a like minding program.

• Denominations which have strong cultures will produce churches that share many characteristics.
• Church networks like the salt company
• Church associations which churches join will typically indicates some of the core values of the church.
• National or International programs which churches might host / sponsor / participate in that indicate something about a churches values.
• Parachurch organizations such as IVCF often produce a curated list of churches that they recommend to their members.

Identify What’s Right for Your Now

There are plenty of good reasons to change the church we attend. It could be that we have moved or have constrains which make our old church unworkable. It could be tha as you have grown and changes the church isn’t able to support you, or that your  unique gifting might be most benefital to a different church. 

Take some time to consider what you are looking for in a church. Don’t default to whatever is familur or comfortable. The “right” church for each of us will likely change as we growth and experiece different seasons of life. For example, some churches have an immersive community which is great for a college student or young adult, but is unsustainable for working parents of small children.

Churches, like people typically have strengths and weaknesses. If your strength and weaknesses are the same as the church you previously attended,  it might be benefical to be at a church were your strengths help fill their weak spots, and where their strengths can help you strengthen where you are weak.

One word of caution. You might be attending a church that you are disatisfied with. It may be that God is calling you somewhere new… but please don’t take changing churches lightly. Be sure you aren’t running away from something God wants you to work through. If you are changing churches every year or so, the problem is likely you, not the church.

Preview Churches

Odds are there are several churches which pop up as “possible” churches for you to attend. One approach is to just start attending, and see where that takes you. This is perfectly reasonable approach. There is a lot you can learm when you attend a church that you can’t pick up on from written material or online resources.

Churches “About Us”

Most churches will have an “About Us” section on their webpage. This will include information about their leadership, beliefs, and whatever else the church wants people to know. Churches should be reasonably trasparent about money, so I would like to see something about what they are doing with the money they collect such as a summary of their budget.

For me, this information will typically not draw me to a church, but might throw a “red flag”, issues that are concerning which I would want to investigate in person.

Church Sermons

Most churches put their sermons online. Sidenote: some of my favorite sermons / podcasts. I find listening to how the church teaches the parable of prodigal gives me more insight into a church than reading it’s statement of faith or “principles”. Here is my rating system:

1. Only talks about the prodigal son that leaves home for a sinful life who then returns home to his father. They are likely “religious” and judgmental. Completely uninterested in visiting.
2. Talks about the prodigal sons, pointing out that the older son has as many issues as the younger son. They have likely been exposed to Tim Keller or Henri Nouwen writings. This sermon doesn’t draw me nor repel me.
3. Talks about how the older son is the primary focus… the parable is asking “Will you celebrate/repent?”. Likely read Ken Bailey’s writings. Suggests that they are aware that church people tend toward being overly religious. Hopefully a place that not just teaches, but practices grace.
4. The focus is on the Father’s heart. The party is for the Father, not the sons. Ah, they really understand!

Evaluating A Church

This is a huge topic which I will have to write up later.  The things that are most important to me are captured in my post about church essentials.   To summarize:

• God is the head, not human leaders
• Everyone is important and has a role
• Love, not religious judgement

Take Your Time

I generally recommend not to choose the first church you visit without visiting a few churches. I would encourage spending a few weeks at several different churches. Take to members. Attend a “welcome” or “orientation” meeting. If there isn’t one, request a meeting with someone from the church leadership who will spend time sharing their vision for the church and whom you could discuss the best way to get involved.

There are times when it’s clear to be a church is good, but not what is right for me in this season of life.  In those cases I will note things that are great about them and then indicate I am looking for something a bit different. I will share what I am looking for. Mature leaders will respect your candor (and hopefully your encouraging words) and be able to suggest a church that could be a good match.

I am forever thankful to my friend Craig and an unnamed housemate who helped me to understand that I had to choose whether I loved people or things more.

I purchased my first car on a Thursday afternoon and proceeded to drive it to where my house church was meeting.  Right after the meeting ended my friend Craig asked if he could borrow my car. There was a young lady who lived 10 miles away who needed to get home soon.  Craig wanted to talk with her, and if he didn’t drive her, it was going to be several weeks before they would get their next chance.

This was my new car. I had only driven it about a mile. I wanted to drive it.  On the other hand, I had been carless for a couple of years and had housemates loan me their cars. I was grateful for their kindness and felt it wouldn’t be right to refuse my friend.  I handed him my key and joined a conversation with someone who lived in the house we were meeting in.

When the conversation ended, I realized that everyone  had headed to a restaurant / bar we would frequent after the meeting.  I wouldn’t be able to join them and had to walk around 3 miles back to my home.  I was pretty grumpy. A couple of hours later my housemates started to return from the restaurant having clearly enjoyed the time hanging out with each other. I was really starting to regret loaning Craig my car.  I was thinking “It’s fine to share, but it was foolish to loan out my car.  Look what I missed out on.”

Then a phone call came.  It was Craig.  He told me he has been in an accident. This was believable.  We used to say that the strongest evidence that guardian angels exist is that Craig had never been in an accident. I wanted to scream “You crashed my new car?  I only got to drive it one mile before you destroyed it?!”, but I didn’t. I was relieved that Craig was calling me rather than  police officer showing up to report Craig’s death or severe injury.  I had lost a friend less than a year earlier to a tragic traffic accident.

I clamped down my anger and the words  “Are you ok?  Where are you? Do you need us to pick you up?” spilled out of my mouth.  Craig told me that he could get home.  The left front quarter panel was damaged, but he was able to pull it away from the wheel so he could drive it home.  I said “Thank God you are ok.  That’s the most important thing. Get home and we can figure out next steps later.” 

As the phone call ended one my housemates said in a self satisfied voice “That’s why I don’t loan my car to others.”

In that instant I knew I was at a crossroad.

I had the example of several of my housemates  who had freely shared their cars with me.  I respected their character and saw how they cared for others. They were people I admired and wanted to be like.  They were willing to take the risk of their things being damaged.  Then there was this other housemate. His life was characterized by selfishness. He protected all his possessions and wasn’t willing to share. He was a negative role model. Someone who I didn’t want to be like.

Without thinking I said  “And that’s why I am going to continue to loan my car out.”  Thankfully I stopped my outburst before I finish my thought  “because I don’t want to be a selfish #$^!% like you” and he didn’t catch how condescending I was toward him in that moment.

From that day on I committed to care more about people than my things. That when I loaned things out to do it with the mindset that I was giving the item away.  So if it was damaged or not returned I would be ok, and if it came back in good shape I could rejoice.

Craig wasn’t in an accident. He thought it was a funny prank.  When I learned my car was ok I was tempted to kill Craig, but decided to forgive him, and to be thankful that I had learned a valuable life lesson. For a couple of decades Craig was embarrassed by his prank… to which I always told him I am ever so grateful he did it because it was a crystallizing moment which has been instrumental in my life. In the years since that incident I continue to loan things to Craig

A common misconception held by first time managers and many employees is that Human Resources, AKA HR, People Team, or whatever is the in-vogue term is these days, exists to support the employees.  Well informed optimists would say HR is called on to look after the interests of both the employees and the organization as a whole. Their responsibilities involve balancing the needs and concerns of these two key stakeholders. 

In my career many of the individuals in the HR team strive to support employees, but in my experience the HR institution has little regard for employees beyond extracting maximum value. In many companies HR exists to protect the company by minimizing liability and get maximum useful output from the employees. Employee welfare matters only to the extend that it impacts productivities and the company retention targets.

Making Best Use of HR

While it’s true that HR teams aren’t on your side, there are numerous ways a good HR team can be helpful and you should take advantages of the services they provide.

Benefits

HR Teams typically function as the administrators for benefits programs. Good HR teams will be excellent advocates for employees programs since they know the offerings and helping employee take advantage of the programs improves employee satisfaction against resources already budgeted and will be wasted if not used.

Policies

HR teams insure company policies are well documented. Good HR teams strive to insure policies are enforced fairly across the organization, though often there are “golden” people, typically high ranking individuals who get special treatment. The best HR teams advocate for transparency which builds trust and makes it much more likely than policies will be applied in a fair manner .

Often companies will have a “company manual” which is maintained by the HR team which will hold all the company policies. Whether your company has a manual or not, it’s often useful to ask someone in HR what formal policies exist.  For example, most companies have travel policies which specifies payments, maximum lodging cost (often by location),  modes of transportation the company will pay for, etc.

Training

Many companies offer in house training, and/or access to external training and educational resources. These opportunities are often managed by the HR team, though in larger companies departments might have additional resources. Take advantage of these opportunities.

Recruiting

The recruiting process is very labor intensive. Writing up positions to be posted. Processing resumes. Reaching out to people who aren’t applying but would be good fit. Screening candidates. Arranging interview schedules. Making sure the candidate feels like they are cared for, are well informed, and are getting feedback. Insuring feedback is processes is happening and a good decision is made. Kindly delivering the offer/no-offer message to the candidate. Educating a candidate what is included in an offer: both good and bad. There are meta processes like developing a good screening system, training people to be effective interviewers, etc.

In my career I have had mixed experience with folks doing recruiting as part of an HR team. Some people have been superb. They often were involved in the initial “cultural” screening that examine work style / philosophy of the candidate and were able to help the candidate understand the important values of the team they we interviewing for. They made should there were no unnecessary surprises and everything was taken care of. Feedback was provided so I knew what was going well and not so well. If there were areas of concern or alignment which need more conversation. I have also experienced bad recruiters. In one case, they never got back to me after the interview and didn’t return my calls or email to follow-up. I later learned that the hiring manager thought I wasn’t interested in the position.

Avoid HR For…

Unlike a lawyer or CPA that you hire, HR personal are not obligated to confidentiality, fiduciary duty, or due care. Their first priority is protecting the company from lawsuits and other adverse situations. They are often required to report things that you would like to keep confidential.

Conflicts… unless unmanageable

People on the HR team can be effective mediators but they are no always permitted to do this. .Often company policies and politics can trump a mutually acceptable resolution. If there is a conflict between employees of a company, I would recommend not bring the conflict to HR unless you are prepared to see at least one individual lose their job. 

How can this go wrong? One example is a young women who felt a coworkers was making inappropriate comments. She was encouraged to talk to HR rather directly address her peer with her concern. In less than a week her peer was terminated with no opportunity to correct the situation. The reporter was shocked and heartbroken with this outcome… the terminated team member was (and is still) a friend.  Before the termination was finalized the two employees talked and came to see  the issue was more a misunderstanding and some insensitivity on the part of the male coworker who would have been happy to change once he knew is relating style could give offense. Alas, once the process was started, the women was not permitted to stop the process.

Performance Issues… unless termination is likely

If you are struggling with your job performance, or if you are a manager who is working with an employee who is struggling with their performance I would recommend avoiding HR unless you believe the situation is likely going to end in a termination and want to insure all the rules / procedures are followed. While there are exceptions, HR teams are typically staffed by relatively young people who don’t have a lot of experience coaching people through difficulties and their first duty is to the company, not the employee who is struggling.

The other thing to note is that sometimes HR doesn’t want someone to be terminated because of the risk of legal action. They rarely understand the wrong person can dramatically impact the entire teams performance. For example 1 problem person on a team of 8 doesn’t reduce the team’s output to 7.5 to 7, it can drop the team to a 5 or less.

I have had a love hate relationship with ponchos. Theoretically they make great sense, but I have tried rain ponchos five times for six month or longer. After each poncho experiment I switched back to a rain jacket and a dedicated shelter. This post is about my current re-evaluation of ponchos as rain gear. For a two year period of time I used one of Brawney’s ponchos for both rain gear and as my shelter. I don’t think I will ever return to a poncho as both rain gear and shelter: there are just too many compromises required for little or no weight savings.

Related… I have always thought the US Army Poncho + Liner was an extremely versatile system, but was heavy. I recently realized there are new materials such as Polartec Alpha Direct which could be used to make poncho liner than is significantly lighter while providing a useful amount of insulation. I tested this system at home and used it for walking the Camino Frances with good results.

Why a Poncho?

Drew Smith‘s  The Backpacking Poncho makes a good case for using ponchos.

On the plus side a poncho can be an extremely light and compact item which can provide rain protection for the body, backpack, and can function as a shelter if it is large enough. A poncho made from good material can be a “buy it once for life” item, lasting decades without any maintenance. Another nice feature of a poncho is that it can be put on and then taken off without removing a backpack. You don’t even need to stop walking.

Downsides of ponchos are they can flap in high wind, get snagged when climbing or going cross country, and don’t protect arms when using poles (which I am not), and doesn’t “fit in” (e.g. looks odd) in many urban settings.

The biggest downside for me is that most ponchos are made from non-breathable materials which has no air permeability and zero vapor transmission so moisture often condensates in the chest area. I know people say that ponchos can provide good ventilation but this hasn’t prevent me from overheating and getting wet from condensation even when I hold the poncho up to maximize ventilation. I find ponchos too warm above 55F.

When active in >55F conditions (dry or light rain) I am more comfortable wearing a Shakedry rain shell, or just getting wet provided I have a way to dry myself when either the temperature or my activity level drops.

Alpha Direct for Modern Poncho Liner

I realize the conditions I was like the face on the Camino: daytime lows around 40F and nighttime lows sleeping in alburgues around 60F required about the same insulation. This would be a perfect situation to use a poncho liner or wearable quilt for insulation during the day and to sleep at night. The other option would be to sleep in my warmest clothing at night. I discarded the idea of just using clothing because the pants I wear do not provide enough warmth to sleep in.

I considered using ultralight synthetic quilt or a traditional poncho liner, but both options were heavier and more expensive than I desired. Then I thought about using Alpha Direct for the insulation. Unlike many synthetics or down, it doesn’t require a fabric to contain it which reduces weight and allows it to be useful in a wider range of temperatures depending on how much you prevented air circulation. Combining an alpha direct “blanket” with a light weight poncho and sleep sack could provide an extremely light (10.8oz) and versatile system:

• Polartec Alpha Direct “blanket”: 4.4oz, 48×62″ bulk fabric I purchased for $22 from a vendor on eBay.
• Trail Bum GNU CAPE a 3.4 oz poncho made from sil-poly which fits over me wearing up to a 30L pack.
• MLD Nylon Sleep Sack: 3oz, minimalist sleep sack.

Originally I was going to purchase a larger piece of Alpha Direct so it could be the same dimensions as a poncho with a slit to pass my head though.  I ended up using a smaller, unfinished piece of alpha direct because I hadn’t settled on how to attach it to the poncho, and the fabric for a shaped liner would have doubled to cost. Rather, I decided to “make do” with a simple blanket.

Experience Walking

I ran some simple experiments around the SF Bay Area, slept in our unheated garage and backyard to validate the idea. The first true “field” use was for 31 days walking Camino Santiago – Frances in May 2003. Daytime temperatures were 38F-72F (not counting windchill), sitting outdoors in cafes (~45F-55F), and nighttime sleeping temperatures ranged from 55F-70F. We had several days of rain with the temperature during the rain varying between 45-65F. Right after this trip we were in Taiwan with torrential rains in 65-85F. Winds varied from completely calm to 35mph.

My “base” clothing were Luna sandals, Xoskin toesocks, Patagonia Terrebonne jogging pants, a ArcTeryx Cormac Sun hoody, a PolarBuff, and a Montbell Umbrelo Hat.

When highly active, just my base clothing kept me comfortable when it was >55F (factoring in wind chill), >60F when it was raining. I was wet (except for my head due to my hat), but my movement kept me warm enough, and when the rain stopped my clothing dried in around a hour.

When it was cooler than that some combination of my rain poncho and Alpha Direct blanket gave me just the right amount of insulation. On the coldest mornings (38F air temp, wind, sun not out yet), the combination of my base clothing, my backpack, a Polar Buff, Alpha Direct wrapped over my shoulder and across my front torso, and the Gnu poncho on and snapped shut kept me quite comfortable even when I was just standing around. I particularly enjoyed my arms and hands being comfortably under the poncho without needing mittens.

As it warmed up I would gather the Alpha Direct into a scarf configuration continuing to use the poncho to protect against the wind. Eventually I would remove the poncho and use the Alpha Direct as a shawl, over my shoulders or around my body as a vest which was kept together using magnets made to hold racing bibs on shirts. In modest wind conditions the alpha direct configured as a vest kept me comfortable down to around 40F.

FIXME: Pictures of blanket going from Shawl to Vest using magnets, to Scarf.

A real plus of this system is I could adjust it as I walked. I didn’t have to stop walking and never had to take my backpack off.

One challenge was when the temperature was between 40-50F and the wind was going from 0 to 30mph and the sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds. With no wind and sun strong I wrapped the Alpha Direct blanket around my waist. When the wind was blowing and the sun was blocked by clouds using the Alpha Direct blanket when carefully doubled over my sides and chest was comfortable. The constant reconfiguration was bothersome. In these conditions I tried using the poncho rather than the Alpha Direct blanket. That mostly worked, but sometimes was too warm.

After a couple of weeks I pulled out a Shakedry shell which I brought in case the poncho just didn’t work, and used it as a wind shirt. I continued to use the poncho on especially cold mornings, or when it rained. The next pilgrimage we take I will bring something like the Montbell Ex Wind Shell for those days that are very windy but moderate temperatures.

Experience Sleeping

Night time sleeping condition were primarily indoors with temperatures between 55-75F. When nights were cool, I slept in a pair of shorts and a tee shirt with the alpha direct as a blanket, inside a nylon sleep sack. This was warm enough to sleep well to around 55F. As it warmed up I shifted the alpha direct on top of the sleep sack resulted it less insulation allowing me to sleep in warmer condition. Above 72F I would just use just the sleep sack or no sack with the alpha direct blanket draped over my legs. The sleep sack was a perfect size for colder nights using my relatively small blanket, but I sometimes felt a bit constrained. In the future I think a larger blanket and a larger sleep sack would be more comfortable.

The Gnu Cape

Amazingly light and compact. Could put on / take off over my 23l pack without removing or unsnapping the cape. The cape claims to fit up to a 30l pack. They make a larger version reportedly good for larger packs. I found the shape worked well.

Alpha Direct “Blanket”

The piece of fabric I purchased was listed as 120gsm, model 4004 which doesn’t make sense. 4004 is 90gsm and 4008 is 120gsm. Given the weight & dimensions of my piece, I think I have 90gsm but I am not 100% sure. What I know is that it is an amazing material to use as a poncho liner. Absorbed very little water so would dry amazingly quickly. Didn’t pick up odor after a month of daily use. When air movement was blocked by sleep sack or poncho was quite warm. When doubled up it provided some warmth without wind blocking. (A single layer of 90gsm Alpha Direct seems to hold no warmth in strong winds)

The piece of Alpha Direct I brought was a bit too short but worked well enough. In the future I will likely purchase a larger piece of Alpha Direct and actually make a poncho liner rather than just a rectangular piece of fabric. Having a small foot pocket would make it work better in sleeping mode.

There was a thread on backpackinglight.com about making a summer sleeping system using alpha direct.

Future Improvements

Make a hoodless poncho which can easily ventilate around my neck. My Montbell Umbrero Rain Hat will keep by head dry and prevent rain from getting in through an open neck area.

Other Options

Ponchos

• MLD Pro Poncho
• Sgt Rock  hammock friendly poncho/tarp 
• No experience, but the  Aricxi Poncho  from AliExpresss looks like a good deal. 
• The cheapest are typically fragile “emergency” ponchos made from plastic weighing just a couple of ounces. These can be effective in moderate conditions, but they are very easy to tear.
• The  DriDucks Poncho  is slightly more durable that plastics but is still fragile. It has the benefit of being somewhat breathable. 
• Vinyl / PVC ponchos which can typically be found as hardware stores. These ponchos are inexpensive and typically weight 8-16oz. They are durable enough to wear, but I won’t recommend using them as a shelter.
• SaphiRose ponchos with a zipper  have been positively reviewed in the BP gear forum.
• SMD Gatewood Cape and Liteway Pyraomm which provides rain gear and highly protective shelter. I found them a bit too big to wear, and too small to be ideal shelter but many people love them.

Liners and Wearable Quilts