Gear Reviews

  I am not a fan of Camelbak hydration reservoirs, but I love their locking valves. So much, that I tear off the wimpy mouthpiece that comes with the Platypus hydration reservoir drinking system and add a Camelbak hydrolock valve to it. …

The Patagonia R1 Hoody fleece pullover is a great mid-layer sweater for use in combination with waterproof shell better for winter hiking and mountaineering. Why this obsession with thermo-regulation? It’s simple really. Being too warm accelerates dehydration and chilling/hypothermia from perspiration. This …

I bring an Equinox Ultralite Marsupial Pouch on every backpacking or day hike I go on. The Marsupial is a small silnylon stuff sack with a plastic clip on one corner. I use it to store the little things that I can’t …

If you want to go winter hiking but don’t own a pair of specialized mountaineering boots and you want more traction than  microspikes, you should consider getting a pair of strap-on crampons. I own Black Diamond Contact Strap Crampons that fit onto …

I don’t carry a sit pad when I go hiking. I just sit on my backpack or day pack if I need thermal protection from the ground during rest breaks. Tree stumps also work pretty well if they’re not covered in snow. …

Photos Courtesy of Martin Rye Walter Underwood left a great comment last week on my book review of the NOLs Wilderness Guide, where he was critical about the book’s lack of time control plan (TCP) examples. A TCP or Route Plan, as …

I mostly wear my MontBell UL Thermawrap Pants in camp during the winter when I’m melting water or cooking, but I put them on today when we got to treeline on Mt Chocorua (3,500 ft). With a gusty wind and temperatures in …

I went to REI this week looking for glacier glasses, or at least some way that I could augment my own prescription glasses for above treeline use in winter. I have a pair of OTG ski goggles that I use when it …

Yaktrax are a traction device that you can attach to your shoes to prevent slipping on ice and snow. They are made using an elastic mesh that wraps around the sole of hiking boots, trail runners, or even dress shoes. Wire is …

The Tarptent Scarp 1 is a spacious double-walled tent with two doors and two vestibules. It’s a very strong tent that’s able to withstand challenging three-season and four-season weather conditions without any compromises on livability. Rain Performance The performance of a shelter …

It never ceases to amaze me just how popular Asolo Boots are. I’d say that 75% of the three-season boots that people wear in New England are Asolos, evenly split between the leather TPS 520 and the Asolo Fugitive GTX, shown above. That is from …

I’ve met a few hikers who prefer wearing kilts instead of hiking pants. Hiking kilts are a practical hiking garment for men and it’s surprising that more hikers and backpackers don’t use them. They’re great way to avoid moisture build-up and chafing in those …

I’ve been using ultralight (sub 8 oz) carbon fiber hiking poles this year from Gossamer Gear and Backpackinglight.com. Hiking with them is a fantastic experience. They’re incredibly lightweight and easy to reposition with a flick of the wrist, greatly reducing arm fatigue. …

I do a lot of solo backpacking in some out of the way places and my wife, understandably, worries about my safety. This year she asked me to bring along a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) on my more remote trips where a …