Helly Hansen Alpha Jacket

www.hellyhansen.com

There’s a lot of talk about timeless designs, but the Alpha Jacket blends state-of-the-art technology with a classic alpine ski profile. I’ve worn it for 25-plus days on Oregon’s Mt. Bachelor in weather down to -3 degrees and always felt like I was a warm island floating in the cold. The jacket packs a lot of warmth in a relatively light package. Nine circular down pouches in the back provide heat where you need it the most (on your shoulders and lower back) and eliminate the need for the excessive layers that not only restrict movement, but reduce overall insulative quality. Helly’s designers were inspired by backpacks that utilize mesh for venting—two long vertical hidden zippers from the shoulder blades to the hip let you vent on hot days—seal them off for ultimate warmth. There’s also mesh on the stretch cuff gaiters. Reinforced thumb holes are just right—big enough to slide you thumb in without restriction, but not so big that they bunch up when not engaged. Durable waterproof/breathable fabric has two-ways stretch with the feel and dynamic stretch of a soft shell coupled with the storm-thwarting weatherproofing that is Helly’s signature feature. This is a warm jacket—but the breathability, ergonomically-friendly design, and venting make it transcend super cold winter days to spring skiing. Primo features include discreet, dense foam patches on the shoulders for cushioning a pack, a tuck-away powder skirt, giant hand-warmer pockets with soft microfleece linings, and two inside zip chest pockets—one with a washable goggle cloth.
-John Bouchard

$400

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Sierra Designs Rohn 15 Backpack

www.sierradesigns.com, one pound, 13 ounces
Backpacks have a simple mission: To carry your stuff, comfortably, in stable fashion, with no more weight than you need. For day packs, that should be easy; but most are heavy on doodads, and too unstable for sports like trail running or skiing.

Not so this deceptively sleek 15-liter panel loader, built atop a plastic back panel covered with large foam and mesh bumps. The back panel, along with a wide, soft waist belt, makes the Rohn very stable, even on bouncy trail runs with a partial load and a full 100-ounce bladder. It hugged our backs without getting super sweaty, even with southwest monsoon humidity on 100-degree day hikes, thanks to huge air channels. “The die-cut shoulder straps were wide enough to be comfortable even when I was hauling 20 pounds of water, ropes, and carabiners into tight slot canyons,” one tester noted.

Useful features included mesh bottle-wand pockets; internal pockets and sleeves for bike pumps or avalanche probes; a single outside pocket large enough for goggles, with a key clip inside; twin hip belt pockets sized to hold smart phones, GPSunits, or four energy bar apiece; an internal compression system for the hydration pocket that could be tightened via a cordlock on the right hip, bike light attachment points, and a removable bungee net on the pack front to help augment capacity.

The packs’ bullet shape stayed out of our way on diagonal stride cross-country skiing and chairlift rides. Its combination of simplicity, stability and all-around utility has made it the go-to day hauler for our primary tester since he began using it in March of 2012.
-Steve Howe

$100

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Crescent Moon Gold 13 Trail Woman’s Snowshoe

www.crescentmoonsnowshoes.com
“The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep.” The poems of Robert Frost evoke snow-blanked meadows and intriguing thickets—but sometimes it’s difficult to figure out how to access them. If your promises include getting out and exercising more frequently, then snowshoes might be the answer. While skiing and snowboarding can be gear-intensive, expensive, and intimidating, snowshoeing is the opposite. The sport is inexpensive (once you buy the shoes, you are good for years of fun), with a very brief learning curve. We love the Crescent Moon Gold 13 snowshoes for many reasons (let us count the ways….). The tapered teardrop shape accommodates most women’s stride, with none of the pesky rubbing or catching that often accompanies bigger, more unwieldy models. The binding system is easy to figure out (it took one directions-challenged tester 1.5 minutes) and fits shoes from about size 5 to 11. We tried them with running shoes (on a warm spring day with packed show) and big, insulated winter boots—both fit securely with minimal adjustment fuss. The lightweight frame (made from 6063 aircraft-grade aluminum) and PVC-free polyurethane decking make for a highly maneuverable package. Add the trio of crampons (teeth that provide traction on slick surfaces) underneath, and the Gold 13’s are ideal for a quick fitness hike, a long slog into a back-country yurt, or tromping across a local park with your dog. The shoes are designed for women up to 165 pounds (and are great for kids from about 65 pounds up), and with their no-nonsense, non-girly red hue, there’s really no reason that men in that weight range couldn’t use them as well. Try these snowshoes—we guarantee that you’ll be poetry in motion.
New colors include Teton Teal and Surreptitious Sapphire.

$249

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Triple Aught Design Stealth Hoodie LT

tripleaughtdesign.com
There are smart phones, smart cars, and even some smart people, but this is the first smart jacket that gets our Gearzilla All-Star Badge. The Stealth LT is a three-layer jacket made from multiple Schoeller textiles and technologies; the lightweight-but-bombproof fabric has four-way stretch for an unbeatable range of movement with none of the noise created by most hard shells. We won’t bore you with a seminar in textile engineering, but basically the C-Change membrane provides ace waterproofness and breathability, the ColdBlack element reflects and blocks UV rays, 3XDry adds even more water and stain repellency, and Nanosphere sheds dirt, grime, and water. In short, the jacket is designed to adapt to the environment both outside and next to your skin to maintain the optimal body climate. In the case of heat or sweat, the fabric’s pores open up to channel the heat and dampness away from your body. When it’s cold outside, the pores constrict, trapping the heat inside, so you stay warm. Our happy testers loved the design’s attention to detail; a roll-away hood, six strategically placed pockets and channels to guide earbud wires from the electronic pocket to your ears—so there are no dangling cords. Some testers were mystified by the 3×5 velcro patch loop on both arms; you can strip away all labeling or add your own “moral” patch to customize the coat. The jacket’s stylish enough to wear around town, but built for the backcountry—whether it’s the sands of Afghanistan or the slopes of Mt. Rainier.

$329

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MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoes

cascadedesigns.com
While we normally seek out loads of fluffy powder to snowshoe in, you never know when you’re going to run into some wind-scoured ascent to a ridge, and the MSR Lightning Ascent snowshoes for women have the kind of traction that holds you firmly in place no matter the conditions. Try traversing a hard-packed slope in most snowshoes and you’ll have a devil of a time getting a comfortable grip. I feel invincible and strangely Spider Man-like hiking in these things. The women’s version is a little narrower to accommodate the female stride. They even have a heel lifter to make steep climbs easier, and 360-degree traction frames means you’re always on a traction-friendly edge (unlike some of the boxier snowshoes on the market). Three straps in the front a flexible heel anchor you to the shoe, and it’s also got a fantastic little elevation component in the back that raises your heel and helps reduce fatigue when you’re hiking uphill (it engages with the simply flick of your hiking poles).
-Deirdre Flynn

$270

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