Gear
Following my long-term review of the Suunto Ambit3 Peak, friend and fellow guide Alan Dixon sent me an email with the title, “Suunto 200 hr mode not cutting it,” and shared that on a recent 8.2-mile hike his Ambit3 shortchanged him by 1.5 miles (18 percent). He had set the GPS accuracy of the Ambit at “Okay”…
While pouring myself a stiff night cap (f’ing tax prep) and then readying tomorrow morning’s coffee last night, it dawned on me that I should write a long-term review of the unsung device on which I rely so often: the Salter Brecknell 311. This $28 postal scale has an 11-lb capacity that measures in 0.1-oz…
For a few weeks I have been using a friend’s Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR Baro. I am a longtime user of Suunto’s original GPS watch family, the Ambit, but this is the first Spartan series model that I have worn. It has a few nice features, but my recommendation is to stay away from…
While I am frequently linked with the Super Cat Stove and was a longtime user, for the last three years I have relied on a more engineered system that is more fuel-efficient, wind-resistant, and stable. Its cornerstone is the Trail Designs Sidewinder Cone. Trail Designs has just released the Kojin Stove, which is meant to be…
Last August I upgraded to the Suunto Ambit3 Peak, after using for four years the previous iteration, the Suunto Ambit2 (read my long-term review). Since I train regularly based on heart rate, I bought the HR package, which includes the Smart Sensor Belt. To date I have worn the Suunto Ambit3 Peak for more than 150 runs or…
The Glacier Glove Ascension Bay Sun Gloves protect hands not just from sun, but also from rocks, vegetation, and chilly breezes. Here, scrambling on sharp granite to Paiute Pass, 11,800 feet in the Indian Peaks Wilderness.As a native Easterner (and, perhaps, as a naive twenty-something), it took me many years and many backpacking trips to…
In addition to the new Tiger Wall UL tent, the other Big Agnes product that caught my attention at Outdoor Retailer was the AXL Air Pad. It’s new for spring 2018, and like the Tiger Wall is available exclusively from REI through May 31. It comes in two versions: AXL Air ($140, 9.6 oz), for…
New from Big Agnes for Spring 2018 is the Tiger Wall UL tent. Through May 31 the Tiger Wall is available exclusively from REI, and is available in two sizes: Tiger Wall UL 2 ($400, 2 lbs 3 oz) Tiger Wall UL 3 ($450, 2 lbs 11 oz) The Tiger Wall UL sits between BA’s extraordinarily…
Two years ago I shared my five go-to backpacking stove systems, including what I use in the winter and when in a group. These systems are proven, but they’re less efficient than integrated kits, and the a la carte components are less convenient to obtain (and perhaps more expensive) than multi-piece sets. Last week at…
For 2018 Salomon has partially reconfigured the line architecture of its trail running shoes, to better leverage a few success stories and to create space for greater product differentiation. It created an entirely new category, Ultra, and then updated the S/Lab and Pro models in its longstanding Sense line. Ultra The new Ultra category is more niche…