Rich's Tongfamily (Richtong.net add-on)

OK, don’t really know where to put this, but socks are so key: Wrightsock Coolmesh II. These are great for short hikes and super comfortable. $8 from Amazon. Smartwool Outdoor PhD Medium. Top rated by Outdoorgearlab, but nearly impossible to find at the end of the season. Large fits 9-11 size men. $22 street, $24…

Well there are quite a few choices in hiking and backpacking watches, but the core features seem to be an altimeter and a compass and for us lazy people solar powered so we don’t have to worry about batteries. I’ve had a Suunto Vector for years and thanks to Roanoke Watch Repair, it is back…

We’ve got the bug and here are some good books: Backpacking Washington: Overnight and Multi-Day Routes. A terrific book by Romano and from the great Mountaineers out here White Mountain Guide, 29th: AMC’s Comprehensive Guide to Hiking Trails in the White Mountain National Forest (Appalachian Mountain Club White Mountain Guide). AMC looks like the big…

To use the maximum memory isn’t easy because you need to put in an older 1066MHz (aka DDR3-8500) part to get the cheaper 1333 Mhz (DDR3-12800) part to run, but just realized the way to do this is to get five DDR3-10800 and five DDR3-12500 and put one in each as the MacBooks will go…

Lurking around, if you have a Visa Signature card: Offer valid 2/1/2012 – 11/2/2013 Get $5 off a $25 Fandango Gift Card, instantly redeemable for the movie of your choice. That’s $25 in movie tickets for only $20! Fandango Gift Cards can be used for tickets to any movie, any time, at any Fandango partner…

Well there are some things to look at and to be careful of which is mileage expiration and extending them if you plan to use them. Asia Miles. I don’t fly these guys much, so we had 80K miles and got a nice pair of sun glasses, a decent one cent per mile Qantas. This…

I’ve been slowly trying to figure this one out. Every couple of months, the iMac (late 2009), so it is now old. Freezes with strange artifacts on the screen. If I were on a Windows machine, I would load the latest video drivers, but that isn’t an option on the Mac. I’ve been going through…

I have one of these and stupidly left it in the car, so I’m sure it has been working for months. Now the battery is dead. Fortunately. DCRainMaker has all kinds of FAQs about this and most importantly how to turn the back and stick in the CR2032 battery! The device is designed to run…

Well there is nothing quite like having reliable electronics (that are light!) on a backpacking trip. After 10 miles with a full pack, grams count! Here is a review of some things that might make sense but a personal locator beacon at 4-8 ounces makes lots of sense if you are really out of cell…

Well we probably have half a dozen first aid kits and didn’t really think about what happens when the medicines (and even bandages!) expire. Seems like there has to be a better way of getting the right set of refills. While you could individually get the various parts and also medicines, it is nice to…