“Should I take the plastics or just deal with hiking boots on snow?” I asked myself while staring into the depths of my gear closet. It’s the eternal question when it comes to early season hiking up here in the Pacific Northwest. With record snow at all the resorts, this would not be a snow…
Looking for a versatile hydration pack for shorter day hikes? Check out the pocket-laden Laguna pack from Hydrapak. Read more for our full review.
A hiking pack from Jansport? Read more to find out.
Looking for an lightweight pack for fast and light day hikes? Osprey introduced the Talon series of packs (sizes ranging from 4 all the way up to 44 liters) this year as part of their Active Light Pursuits series. We’ve been testing the Talon 22 on some of our day hikes around the Cascades this fall. Read more for the full review.
Deuter, the German manufacturer of backpacks (for adults and kids alike) as well as kid carriers has been around for over a century, but has only been in the US market for a much shorter period of time. Over these many years, they have developed an extensive line of packs for a wide range of outdoor pursuits. We took the Aircontact (ACT) Lite 60+10 SL for an extended test–the many miles of training hikes leading up to our Rainier climb, as well as the climb itself. Read more for our full review.
The list of small backpacks with big pack features is pretty small these days. Osprey’s Manta 20 makes a go at it.
Known for their innovation and quality, German backpack manufacturer Deuter presented a few new styles at the most recent Outdoor Retailer Winter Market back in January. One of these packs is the Pace 28SL, an ultralight pack designed specifically for women. Read more for our full review on this versatile pack.
Earlier this year we had a chance to check out the new products from Osprey. Among the new products highlighted was the Porter 46, part of Osprey’s line of ‘travel trek’ packs. On paper the Porter 46 sounds awesome: zip out shoulder, sternum, and hip straps to convert the bag into a backpack, multiple grab handles for easy toting, compression straps to keep everything in place, and the maximum allowable carry-on size for airlines, with 2800 cubic inches of space to fill with everything you need for your travels. We had a chance to test one on a two-week, around the world trip to see how well it performed. Read more for our full review.
Recently, over the course of a four-day backpacking trip, I had a chance to test out Osprey’s updated Ariel 65 pack, to be released with their Spring 2010 line. The women’s-specific pack is designed for multi-day treks, and would be suitable anywhere from a weekend to about five days. While most of the general design of the pack has remained the same, there are a few changes.
Borealis AT Mountainsmith are no strangers to outdoor camera gear. The company has made a line of camera bags for as long as I can remember. Read more for our review of the Borealis AT.
