Rating: 5/5
The movie made sure to be as close to the current world as possible. Here, Iron Man begins in present day Afghanistan (Iron Man, of course, existed way before The War on Terror). Tony Stark, owner of an arms manufacturing company, was in the country to demonstrate his latest weapon. On his way home, he was ambushed by terrorists using weapons made by his company. The terrorists wiped out his guards and he was captured and forced to create a high-technology weapon. But instead, he created a jump-capable powered armor (yeah mecha!) that he used to escape his captors.
When he got back home, he resolved to completely stop manufacturing weapons (instead of trying to stop sales to terrorists which would have been more logical). But all is not what it seems and things are easier said (or resolved :P) than done. Lots of action ensues spiced up with a little bit of humor (this is Robert Downey after all, I actually wasn’t convinced he can pull the movie off but he did) and romance (with Gwyneth Paltrow). Like I said, quite entertaining.
Rating: 4/5
Before, I relied on a Trangia mess kit to hold my Campingaz Twister CV270 stove (this has got to be the stove with the best bang for the buck), stainless steel utensils, and film canister condiment dispensers. The gas canister, I keep separately since it’s quite big. It’s a mixed bag of gear but somehow they worked very well for my needs and I was very happy with the system. Up until I misplaced the stove (doink!) and had to buy a new one.
I decided on the The Snow Peak Trek Starter Kit upon the recommendation of Bing. It is composed of a stainless steel Giga Power stove, a titanium pot with fold-out handles, a pot lid with a spout, and a titanium spork. Everything, including two gas canisters fit together in a carrying sack into a small, elegant, and light package.
But even better, everything works very well, too. The Giga Power is one awesome gas canister stove. I’ve always preferred gas canister stoves because of their small size, light weight, and ease of use. Their only problem is poor performance in the cold (not too much of a problem where I go) and wind (just add a windscreen).
Going back to the Giga Power, it screws on to the canister and its wire pot supports fold out to provide a stable platform. Ridges on the pot supports ensure that the pot stays in place. Turn the long (reduces the chance of accidentally touching hot parts) control valve, light it up, and see it burn HOT (10,000BTUs) ! If it had a piezoelectric igniter and maybe if it were titanium it would be perfect.
In the pot, you can cook noodles with egg for breakfast. Or cook rice topped with viand for lunch or dinner. Eat with the spork. Then afterward, boil chocolate or coffee and pour it out of the spout or drink from the pot itself (after cooling a bit, of course).
A kitchen in a small package. Need I ask for more?
Rating: 5/5
- Of course, its legendary durability. It’s said to be indestructible though I’ve read about a bottle breaking when run over by a truck (duh!). I’m not in a habit of leaving my gear where they can be run over by trucks so I guess this won’t be a problem.
- It can handle boiling water. I don’t usually drink hot drinks but it’s nice to have that option. You can also use this to dry wet clothes by wrapping them around the bottle.
- It has a big mouth opening. You can easily (Look Ma! No spills!) transfer water from your other bigger containers to it. You can also easily pour in powder milk, coffee, juice or even ice cubes.
- It has a loop-top. The loop-top prevents the cap from falling down and getting dirty or, worse, getting lost. It may also be for carrying though it seems a bit flimsy for that purpose.
- It doesn’t leak. But then those are the same claims that I heard for my CamelBak and Platypus containers. They leaked so we’ll just have to see.
I guess those are compelling enough reasons, yeah?