This is one beautiful pair of pants! The fit and features of Black Diamond’s Recon Stretch pants combine with top-notch materials and a striking color. Move aside black pants, azurite (deep turquoise) is definitely my new favorite. It is dark enough to resist stains and match most jackets but bright enough for some fun and […]
The Ortovox Free Rider 22 is one well-designed pack. Not only does it excel at its intended use at the ski resort, but I’ve also enjoyed taking it out for short to moderate-length ski tours. We’ll start with the resort. I love to leave my pack on my back when riding lifts. I find it […]
Some of you may be in the same boat as me where you aren’t backpacking quite as much as in your younger years. You may think a tent is a tent and why not just car camp in the backpacking tent that you already have? In that case, like me, you may also enjoy the […]
Bike transport— now that can be a heated topic! There are lots of opinions out there, lessons learned, successes and failures. Let’s add something to the solutions side of things. If you must transport your bike for a distance on the outside of your vehicle via a standard rear hitch rack, the ZEAL Pro might […]
The Exped Ultra 3R Sleeping Pad completely rocks! It checks all of the boxes including being easy to inflate and deflate, having a reasonable weight to comfort ratio, and is environmentally and socially responsible. Inflation Let’s start with the first point– ease of inflation. Gone are the days of blowing up sleeping pads with your […]
I can’t say I’ve ever really been a cooler person. Often I just don’t bother. While a cold beverage, chilled fruit, or cheese look delicious at the end of a day outside, I generally don’t make that happen. That being said, I am having a blast trying out this Igloo IMX 70 Quart Cooler. Igloo […]
If you haven’t been paying close attention to the lightweight backpack revolution, I can now state with confidence that things have really changed. I officially declare that my days of hauling around a five-pound pack to support a load are over! Many of us curiously watched lightweight packs develop from the sidelines but figured they […]
I purchased my Alpacka Expedition Packraft this year after five years of paddling an Alpacka Alpacka (this is similar to the current ‘Classic’ small size Alpacka). There are noticeable upgrades on the Expedition. Many of these upgrades are now standard on the Alpacka Classic series as well. These include the partial one-way valve that seals […]