Clothing Reviews

REI’s Activator 3.0 Soft-Shell Pants, available for both men and women, are softshell pants for winter hiking, snowshoeing, and skiing. They’re water-resistant and highly breathable to prevent sweat build-up, with articulated knees and a gusseted crotch for freedom of movement. They’re rated windproof to 35 mph wind and coated with …

REI Merino Midweight Baselayer Tops are surprisingly warm and have become my go-to layer around the campsite and and cool weather hikes. They’re also a great bargain when they’re on sale. I buy a lot of cold-weather hiking clothes through REI because they sell high-quality clothing that’s just as good …

Compression socks can help reduce swelling and improve blood circulation in your feet and lower legs if you’re recovering from a sprained ankle, plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendonitis, which many hikers experience at some stage in their hiking “career”. I’ve used them to relieve the pain and symptoms of all …

I’m a big fan of REI’s clothing because it’s affordable, good quality, and virtually indistinguishable from the other name brand products they sell. This includes their Waterproof/Breathable Rain Pants (the latest update has been renamed “Essential Rain Pants”) which are a steal at $60/pair (often available for less), and are …

The Enlightened Equipment Visp is an ultralight 3-layer waterproof breathable rain jacket with a fully adjustable hood, velcro wrist cuffs, a waterproof zipper, and drop tail, that’s fully seam-taped seam taped.  The Visp is lightweight and breathable enough that it can be used as a wind shirt or a rain …

Ben’s Invisinet XTRA Head Net with Insect Shield is a black colored head net that’s pretreated with Insect Shield to keep insects from biting your head and neck. While you can slather DEET or Picaridin on your head, face, and neck, I’ve found I get much better insect protection by …

REI’s On The Trail Sun Gloves are fingerless Lycra stretch gloves with a UPF 50 rating to protect your hands from harmful solar radiation. They have a sewn-on synthetic suede palm that extends over the index finger and thumb to help prevent blisters if you use trekking poles when you …

Outdoor Research ActiveIce Sun Spectrum Gloves are lightweight fingerless gloves that protect your hands from the sun’s harmful rays. They’re great for hiking, backpacking, paddling, running, or fishing because they eliminate the need to carry suntan lotion while protecting your hands from blisters and biting insects. They have anti-slip palm …

The Montbell Versalite is an ultralight waterproof/breathable rain jacket that weighs 7.0 oz in a men’s XL. It’s by far the best backpacking rain jacket in my gear closet in terms of the features important to hikers. It has pit zips, a four-way adjustable hood, hook and loop wrist cuffs, …

The Columbia OutDry Ex Blitz Rain Jacket is an inexpensive waterproof/breathable rain jacket that doesn’t have a DWR coating. It’s made with OutDry so it’s waterproof layer is on the outside of the jacket eliminating the need for a DWR coating like the ones needed for Gore-tex jackets and other …

REI Minimalist GTX Mitts are waterproof/breathable mitten shells that have velcro wrist cuffs and are seam-taped. I use them as rain mitts over a pair of thin wool or fleece gloves. I’ve used other rain mitts in the past including Mountain Laurel Designs Rain Mitts and I like these better. …

Prana’s Stretch Zion Hiking Pants are my favorite hiking pants. They’re buttery soft with just the right amount of stretch. They have snaps in the legs so you can roll them up if you get too warm and include an integrated belt, something that I wish all hiking pant manufacturers …

The Kuhl Klash Pants are a comfortable yet durable, lightweight softshell pair of women’s pants perfect for active outdoor use in cool weather.  They provide excellent freedom of movement and venting for scrambling on hot days, they dry quickly when they get wet, and have lots of pockets so you …

The Outdoor Research Refuge Air Hooded Jacket is water and wind-resistant jacket insulated with OR’s Vertical X. Designed for cold weather wear, it claims to incorporate thermo-regulating technology that keeps you cool, dry, and comfortable during high-exertion activities.  Named after its VerticalX Air technology, the Refuge Air is designed with …