My faithful Ortlieb Document Bag starting to disintegrate after years of service, keeping my mobile phones (and a few pocket cameras) dry, it was time to look for a replacement. Offering limited impact protection, I did not consider another waterproof bag, not even the new(ish) Smartphone Case, but instead had my eyes on waterproofed hard cases, in which I could securely enclose the iPhone 6.

There is obviously plenty of electronics manufactured in and exported from China, lots of it being counterfeit copies of branded products. Usually functioning, but often lacking some of the features and typically made of inferior materials with no proper quality control, they are easily obtained from various online stores and through eBay. The product I am about to discuss, also made in China, is however a legit one - The Mi Power Bank by Xiaomi. This statement comes with a twist of irony though, as the company behind it is, with its founder and CEO Lei Jun, known for blatantly ripping off especially Apple, all the way down to the mannerisms of late Steve Jobs. A young, hungry company aiming to the global markets, they are not one to be ignored, but I will leave it here, and instead dive into the product itself, which is actually very good.

While I prefer open fire over the glow and gentle roar of gas burner, and mostly use my Bush Buddy, there are times when for example a simple personal cooking system (PCS) like the Jetboil stoves, or say, MSR Windboiler or Alpkit BruKit, is more convenient choice. Even during winter, with winter spec’d cartridges and suitable butane/propane mixes, they are a good and clean option. Coldest weather I have used gas in was on a 4-day ski touring in Kebnekaise, Sweden. Back then, we ran a free standing, hosed gas stove with Primus Power Gas (25% propane, 25% isobutane and 50% butane), in around -25 degrees celcius temperatures. Recycling few canisters in and out of our down jackets and having them upside down and on top of the kettle we managed to melt snow and boil all the water we needed at our base camp. Not the most efficient system, and surely a liquid fuel stove would have fared better, had we had one at our disposal at the time.