You’re planning a trip into the backcountry for a few days, but you know you’ll have some downtime in the evenings, and plan to kick back and relax with some tunes on your iPod, or catch up on that book using the Kindle app. Even if you leave the house with it fully charged, in…
In my mind, a sleeping bag that keeps you warm and comfortable at night is one of the keys to a successful overnight trip, whether it’s backpacking or car camping. After a long day of hiking, I want to be able to crawl into my tent and stay warm and cozy all night. With the…
Mountainsmith may be best known for their line of heavy duty Modular Hauler bags, but they don’t limit their product line to burly bags and packs. The Daylight lumbar pack is a lightweight pack designed for travel, whether it’s stashing it in a carry-on for international travel or your backpack on a long backpacking trip…
Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of trying out the Ranger LT from Triple Aught Designs. I really liked the fleece, but thought a shell version would have been a bit nicer. Well, it turns out the company makes one, the Stealth LT. I say this is a shell version of the Ranger LT…
So you’re thinking of trying your first overnight backpacking trip, nothing too ambitious, but a bit beyond a typical car-camping experience. Besides a tent and a backpack, one of the most important pieces of gear will be a sleeping bag. Finding a sleeping bag with the features you want at an entry level price can…
The world of photography books is rather crowded these days. No matter how small the subject, it seems there’s an entire bookshelf worth of books covering photography techniques. Mountaineering has been one of the few exceptions to this trend. I have been looking for books on mountaineering photography for years without much success. There have…
“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…
It seems that the humble fleece jacket is getting a lot of competition these days. There have been quite a few companies that have recently come out with compressible insulation layers designed to replace a fleece jacket in your pack. Not one to be left behind, Brooks Range Mountaineering came out with their own, the…
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.
Looking for a comfortable hiker but don’t need the ankle support of a higher cut–check out the Lowa Tempest Lo.Read more for our full review.
