Gear
Wait times and backordered products are unfortunate but common in manufacturing, whether it be for a Tesla Model 3 or a Mountain Laurel Designs SoloMid. This page is designed to aggregate information about these delays, so that backpackers can: Time their orders accordingly; and, Find in-stock brands and products easily, in the event that their…
A question from reader, Scott F: To this specific question, my answer is: I don’t know for sure, but it should. I don’t own a Bearikade so I have not tested its compatibility, and I don’t recall any guided clients last year with both a Flex and a Bearikade. However, I know that the BearVault 500…
The Showa 281 Glove is an inexpensive (less than $15), lightweight (sub-2 oz), and somewhat breathable shell made of waterproof/windproof polyurethane. Its exterior is textured and very abrasion-resistant. It is the unlined version of the Showa 282 Gloves, about which I have written a more in-depth review. Online availability of the 281 is limited. I purchased…
The My Trail Company Chrome Umbrella is an alternative to conventional rain gear. It’s lighter, more waterproof, and more comfortable in warmer temperatures. Wind, off-trail travel, and poorly maintained trails are a challenge for it, however. Read more pros & cons of backpacking umbrellas. I am giving away one new Chrome Umbrella, which was given…
The Houston Marathon is less than six weeks, and for all of my tempo workouts and hard long runs — including multiple 10K’s at race pace and distances up to 24 miles — I have been wearing the new Hoka One One Cavu. The Cavu is a neutral lightweight road trainer that is moderately cushioned, responsive, and…
Recently Sierra Designs released four new insulated jackets: the Tuolumne, Tioga, Sierra, and Whitney. They are nicely designed and featured, and priced very competitively (starting at $100). Read my full review. This FREE giveaway will be for the two jackets used for the review: Tioga Hoodie: men’s Medium, synthetic insulation, hood, red Sierra Jacket: men’s…
A question from reader Stan P. of Alexandria, Virginia: This is a great question, because the answer is both nuanced and consequential. A multitude of factors are at play, and you want to be right — or else you’ll be carrying several pounds of unnecessary equipment, bailing off your intended route, or exposing yourself to excessive…
On our recent elk hunt in the Colorado Rockies, Steve and I wore two new Fall 2017 puffies from Sierra Designs, the Tioga Hoodie and Sierra Jacket. These two pieces share nearly identical features with the Tuolumne Jacket and Whitney Hoodie, so I will dare to extrapolate our experiences and include them in this review…
When shopping for a sleeping bag, insulated jacket, or insulated pants, you will have a choice of insulations: Down, which is a commodity product measured by fill power, e.g. 800-fill; or, Synthetic, which is normally made of interwoven plastic fibers and which may be marketed as Primaloft, Climashield, or a proprietary version like TNF Thermoball.…
When hiking or running in cold and wet conditions, keeping my hands comfortable has been a chronic challenge. On multiple occasions I’ve pulled into a campsite, trailhead, aid station, or my house with inoperable and painful fingers. To minimize (or perhaps even, to end) this suffering, this summer I looked beyond conventional rain mitts like the REI…