I’m a big guy that loves light gear and often times those two things don’t go together. At 6’1”, 225 lbs (and being a side sleeper who actively rolls from side to side at night), I can easily become the…
William O. Douglas recalled fondly of his friend Roy Schaffer in his book “Of Men and Mountains,” “He slept in a bed with white, clean sheets and commented, ‘Never slept inside but what I caught a cold. Wish I had brought…
During the summer months, I’m in the mountains as often as the weather (and my job) allow me to be. Over the years I’ve tried to make my hiking pack as light as possible but there’s one thing I just…
Let me preface this review by saying that my search for a replacement multi-day pack has just about pushed the boundaries of friendships, store clerks and maybe even manufacturers. Whether it’s that I have somehow grown into in-between sizes that…
The Gregory Baltoro 65 L is a feature-filled pack that’ll feel comfortable through long days on the trail, and hold up through a beating. I took the Baltoro out on an overnight into the Alaska backcountry in February. We toured…
The Mountainsmith Scream 55: the ultralight backpack for those who wish to carry more than the bare, 3-season essentials. In testing the Scream 55, I wanted to take this backpack out of the traditional, 3-season ultralight backpacking environment, and highlight…
When it comes to backpacking gear, especially anything ultralight, I’m like a kid in a candy store – well when I first got wind of the Octal 55 Ultralight Backpack by Gregory it was no different! Reading the specs on…
When I go backpacking, it’s typically to reach a highpoint. I’m going to be covering a lot of ground and gaining a lot of elevation, I’m going to carry my overnight essentials along with my summit assault necessities. I’m looking…
Over nine months ago, my girlfriend and I started planning a month-long summer bouldering trip to the Rocklands of South Africa. While not remote, it is still a trip of considerable distance and travel, requiring 30 hours of flight, renting a…
The camp stoves of my youth were inefficient, clunky things that always seemed equally likely to explode as to make breakfast. Stoves like the MSR Whisperlite improved our options, but for most of my formative years planning food for fast…