5 Cheap(ish) Things to Take Stargazing
A telescope can conjure images of stunning depth and detail from the night sky. Still, some of my most vivid stargazing memories are of nights that I’ve left the telescope in its case to instead see only what I could with nothing more than my eyes. On these nights, I might catch a glimpse of a spray of meteors as they streak across the sky, pick out a distant planet amid clumps of stars, or maybe just identify a few familiar constellations, all by simply looking up.
Whatever I plan to see up there, there are two essentials that I always need: darkness and time. The first I get by picking the right spot, as far away from any bright lights as possible. Once I’ve found that spot, a few key items help me to stay out there comfortably into the night, for as long as I need to see something spectacular.
Here are five of my favorite cheap(ish) things that I stash in my astronomy kit, before I head out to scan the skies.
See the full list by Ria Misra on Wirecutter's website here.
August 17, 2022
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LIFE OUTDOORS
MEDIA MENTIONS
My only complaint is that eventually, backflushing won’t be enough. These can clog up after some time and no amount of back flushing will fix its low flow. I went through 2 on the AT. However, it will attach to Smart Water Bottles and most bladders!
MEDIA MENTIONS
Built for backcountry reliability and portability, the Sawyer Squeeze filter is our pick for the best portable water purifier.
MEDIA MENTIONS
The Sawyer Squeeze was (by far) the most common Pacific Crest Trail water filter this year – for the fifth year in a row. It’s a $39, 3 oz / 85 g hollow fiber filter that rids your drinking water of protozoa and bacteria (and floaties). It can be used with Sawyer bags (included with the filter) or with compatible water bottles (Smartwater is the bottle of choice for many hikers).
