Gearzilla » Day Hiking

Triple Aught Design New Stealth Hoodie LT

nborchelt — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:00:03 +0000

www.tripleaughtdesign.com
If Conrad Anker were the CEO of some well-known social-networking site, this is the kind of hoodie that he’d be seen sporting. In short, it does the business when conditions are at their worst, including during several frigid nighttime rides and downpours this winter. The jacket employs Schoeller’s sophisticated Nanosphere technology to offer reliable water- and abrasion-resistance (a claim to which we can attest, with the caveat that water beads up and has habit of dripping off onto other more casual, non-water-resistant apparel like shoes and jeans!). Compared to other burlier winter coats, the Stealth Hoodie almost feels a little flimsy, but this is an illusion. Triple Aught’s “c_change” membrane provides wind- and waterproofing, while offering breathability when things get more aerobic than running from a little rain; the non-fussy nylon exterior protects against abrasion without making you look like Robocop. By itself, it’s not the warmest of pieces, but layer up and you’ll be snug. Overall, as Mark Zuckerberg might say, “Like!”.

Editor’s Note: We also reviewed an earlier model of the Slealth Hoddie LT; the new one boasts additional features (like the use of Nanosphere)…and a higher price.

Winter OR Round-Up: Princeton Tec Vizz Headlamp

nborchelt — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 18:00:46 +0000

www.princetontec.com
This March, Princeton Tec will unveil a new outdoor/all-purpose headlamp that should hit the sweet spot for weekend warriors and backpackers looking to light up the backcountry (or brave a power outage). The design of the Vizz itself is nearly idiot-proof, with one big button—and that’s about it. Press the button once and you illuminate two ultra-bright red LEDs, press it twice and get dual ultra-bright white LEDs. You can also hold the button down to cycle through the modes, which includes a 150-lumin max-bright LED that can illuminate up to 90 feet. The Vizz is waterproof down to one meter for up to half an hour, and runs on three AAA batteries—with a built-in power meter to let you how much juice you’ve got left in the estimated 160-hour run time; a low-battery indicator also triggers when you’re down to 20 percent.

Winter OR Round-Up: Arc’Teryx Gets Down

nborchelt — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 13:00:30 +0000

www.arcteryx.com
This fall Arc’Teryx will introduce down-insulated pieces into their line of high-quality apparel. And, as with everything this boutique brand does, they’re doing it in a new, interesting way. The down they’ll use in pieces like the 850-fill Cerium AR ($259, pictured right) and Cerium LT ($350, pictured left) jackets is “food-grade,” which means that the feathers are sourced from fully grown birds from Europe used in the production of foie gras. The feathers are consequently larger than those found in other brands. Other innovations in their new down line include a durable shell construction, with “core loft” synthetic insulation in high-compression areas like the shoulders and cuffs to eliminate cold spots. We also love the reconfigured hood design, which carries the down baffles vertically over your head/helmet, and lets the crown of the hood nestle comfortably over your head and ears. There will be a total of 11 products in this line, along with hybrid products that boast the new Gore Tex Pro Shell.

Winter OR Round-Up: Stanley Adventure eCycle Flask

nborchelt — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 13:00:07 +0000

www.stanley-pmi.com
We honestly didn’t think that Stanley—who’s been making great food and beverage containers since 1913—could improve upon their Classic Flask. But they proved us wrong. This spring, be sure to save a Jackson for their new eCycle Flask.

This eight-ounce container is made from recycled (and recyclable) plastic, and it boasts two lids—an attached bottle-style screw-top, and a large hinge top. The latter open the top wide for a thorough cleaning, so you can use this flask for any variety of drink (mixed or straight, non-alcoholic or otherwise) without worrying about lingering tastes or smells. The dishwasher-safe flask is also leak-proof. Better still, thanks to the wide-mouth opening, you can also use this flask as a makeshift dry box for your various electronic must-haves….

Deuter Speed Lite 20 Backpack

nborchelt — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:00:18 +0000

www.deuter.com, one pound, three ounces
When you’re squeezing yourself through a narrow, ice-covered chute, the last thing you want is your pack or one of its appendages to get stuck—which was exactly what our tester was thinking while putting this pack through its paces on an icy day hike in Shenandoah National Park this winter. No such problem with Deuter’s Speed Lite 20, which seems to combine the design ingenuity of a BMW with the robust handling of an Audi (those German gear eggheads even managed to stitch illustrations for making distress signals to an airplane inside the pack). The sleek profile of this 20-liter pack includes a tapered design to allow for greater arm freedom while hiking, trail running, or ski touring; and the chest and hip belts are pared down to add to the pack’s minimalist aesthetic. Inside, the main chamber provides a surprising amount of room for spare layers, gloves, hats, lunch, even an extra pair of shoes. A cavernous top pocket swallows and protects more expensive items like your camera and phone, nestled close to the small of the wearer’s back rather than in an exposed area of the pack that might get knocked by branches or rocks. Two mesh side pockets easily house water bottles and snacks, while big, easy-to-grab fabric loops on all the zips make a mockery of those fiddly little metal zips found on other packs on the market. The pack itself feels refreshingly light, but the ripstop 210 nylon held up to significant abrasion tests, and the compression straps helped keep things truly svelte the tight squeezing that became a necessity during the test trials. They can also double to hold skis or hiking poles in a pinch. The U-shaped frame can also be removed for truly ultra-light outings, or when compression is essential.

Ibex Breakaway 2 Jacket

nborchelt — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 13:00:36 +0000

shop.ibex.com
When you wear this piece for the first time, it feels much too stylish to be dragged through the muck. But like that pretty-boy quarterback who can actually stand up to the game’s rough and tumble, the Breakaway jacket performed for our tester when conditions required on road crud-splattered winter bike rides and blustery, wet day hikes. (It’s easy to wash, too; just put it on a delicate cycle and line dry.) A durable shell at the torso and arm areas keeps wet and wind out, while a four-stretch Climawool weave on the back and inner arms lets the piece breathes easily when doing aerobic activities like biking and running. The fabric blends merino wool with Lycra and nylon to create a warmer, more durable layer . There’s a front-panel chest pocket and cavernous back pocket to stash exercise essentials, without overloading the shell with zips and trimmings (no bad thing, as it cuts a svelte outline for uses other than outdoor exploration). A patch of reflective fabric near the bottom of the left sleeve also adds another layer of visibility that was often appreciated by our commuting cycle test team, while the stylish two-tone aesthetic didn’t scream that we’d rather be on our bikes—a touch of style that helped in more fashion-forward spots we occasionaly frequent after the long ride toward home.

Keen Olympus Crew Sock

nborchelt — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 13:00:25 +0000

www.keenfootwear.com
Of all the gear we use, nothing gets more day-to-day wear than our socks; when we find a killer pair, we don’t isolate their use for only for outdoor pursuits. If you share our passion (or if you’re in the market for the perfect pair of socks for hiking or biking or backpacking), 2013 will indeed be bright. We’ve been testing several pair of Keen’s new Olympus socks, and they’re some of the best that have ever graced our feet. Made of 45% merino wool (the miracle fabric that gives ya no-itch, warm-when-wet, wicking comfort, and doesn’t retain odors), these babies also boast high-tenacity nylon fibers integrated into the heel and toe for extreme comfort and durability. The asymmetrical socks are designed to fit on your right or left foot (with handy R and L stitched inside a yellow triangle at the toe), so they don’t bunch or sag, and the seamless toe assures you don’t get clumps of fabric underfoot—a surefire way to develop blisters. And the “wunderseam” that marries the fabric at the toe slides under your foot, a perfectly unobtrusive solution. Finally, mesh panels allow for essential venting. Best yet, these things are destined to last a long time. Those nylon fibers are, weight-for-weight, stronger than steel. We’ve been wear-testing a few models (both the Lite Crew as well as the Medium Crew, which will retail for $22) into the ground while hiking, biking, climbing, traveling, and wandering the city and Suburban Streets, and they fit and function as if they were brand new.
Available spring 2013

Blundstone 268 Lace-Up Boots

nborchelt — Tue, 08 Jan 2013 13:00:08 +0000

www.blundstoneus.com
When the cognoscenti of the gear universe descends on Salt Lake City this January for the Winter Outdoor Retailer show, it’s a fair bet that about half of the male attendees will be wearing a pair of Blundstones. The reason has less to do with peer pressure and more to do with hard-earned loyalty. Born in the rugged environs of the Australian island of Tasmania way back in 1870, the Blundstones are some of the best boots going. The slip-on and -off ease qualify them as perhaps the most TSA-friendly pair of footwear next to the reviled flip-flop (seriously, dude, no one wants to see your toe jam while waiting to fly to Chicago). They boast a patented Shock Protection System embedded into polyurethane soles for days-long comfort, while the exterior leathers uppers can stand up to decades of abuse. The new rustic brown 268 lace-ups are no different—well, save that they have laces, which make for a snugger, more custom fit, though they still benefit from the easy-access elastic at the ankle. You won’t summit Everest in these kicks, of course. But you can easily hit a day hike, spend a few days of cold-weather urban adventuring, or find post-ski salvation at your favorite après spot. The supple leather builds up a splendid patina over years of use, and we love the dressed-up aesthetic of the exposed stitching. Know, however, that the poly soles don’’t fully insulate you from the cold, cold ground. If your lifestyle involves standing on snow or the frozen earth for hours at a time, consider Blundstone models with Thinsulate shearling-lined footbeds like the 560 which deliver furnace-like warmth with the same comfort and performance that’s been benefiting us all for over a century.

ExOfficio BugsAway Baja Shirt

nborchelt — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 13:00:19 +0000

www.exofficio.com
Mosquitoes love me, so I wasn’t sure how successful the ExOfficio BugsAway products would be. I took along their Baja shirt on a couple trips to Mexico and was pleasantly surprised. I came away with no bites on my upper body when I wore the shirt. I wish I’d had some BugsAway pants, as my legs and ankles weren’t so lucky. The Baja shirt also is an excellent sun shirt with quick-dry poly/cotton blend fabric and a UPF 30+ rating. The “adventure” design has been toned down to look more streamlined, but just as functional. The snaps are hidden down the front, and the back ventilation is along the sides, not across the back. This shirt served me well both on trails and in towns. The BugsAway quality lasts for 70 washings, leaving me over 65 more adventures with this shirt.
-Josephine Parr

Backpacker Magazine’s Complete Guide to Outdoor Gear Maintenance and Repair

nborchelt — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 13:00:14 +0000

www.falcon.com, 199 pages
New gear is wonderful, but there’s nothing better than a your old, reliable, favorite jacket, tent, pack, or sleeping bag. If a product works, you never want to relegate it to the trash, which makes a piece of gear’s inevitable retirement more tragic than any sort of golden watch could remedy. Thankfully, Kristin Hostetter has your back. She’s been the gear editor at Backpacker Magazine for nearly 20 years, and she has spent hundreds, if not thousands, of days in the backcounry pushing gear to its limits. From cleaning boots (“there’s something very gratifying about giving your boots their own little spa day…”) to cleaning, patching and storing your tent or sleeping bag, Hostetter’s knowledge is equivalent to a post-grad degree in technical apparel and equipment. There are 15 chapters, each devoted to a topic, from fabrics and zippers to specific gear categories like stoves, hydration, lights, and packs. Our favorite is “Duct Tape Ingenuity”—something that should be required reading for everyone who steps into the backcountry. The book’s well-written, amusing, and vastly informative. We’ve been testing equipment for two decades, and we learned tricks we didn’t even thing were possible. In addition to in-depth discussions of general maintenance and quick repairs, Hostetter also offers a comprehensive look at what makes gear good, how to make the best gear choices, and how to use the gear to its maximum potential. We almost worry we’ll soon be out of a job…