As an outdoor junkie, the latest in technical gear is pretty much all I want for Christmas (at least as far as gifts are concerned.) I’m always happy to receive an REI gift card so I can go out and buy my holiday outdoor present, but sometimes it is nice to daydream about getting some of the more expensive stuff that’s out there. So here is my pie-in-the-sky Christmas wish list for 2009 that may give you some gift ideas for your own outdoor junkie.
In keeping things local, the eVent Stash Shell is made by Stoic, which is a new brand of outerwear by Salt Lake City based mega outdoor-retailer Backcountry.com. This jacket would be very nice to have on backcountry ski tours, as it is lightweight and breathable. The difficulty with touring is the constant change in body temperature as going up gets hot while skiing down can be cold. The Stoic eVent Stash Shell takes care of the layering conundrum as it’s made from eVent fabric, which is ultra breathable yet still protects from wind and weather.
Ski boot liners suck. It always amazes me that you can spend upwards of $800 to $1,000 on a good pair of boots, but boot companies cheap out on the liner. After a couple of seasons, the liner gets packed out, causing the boots to no longer fit properly. But rather than drop hundreds on new boots, you can buy new liners from Intuition. They make after-market liners for only $180. Not only that, but the liners Intuition make are thermo-moldable, more comfortable, warmer and supposedly last longer than the junk that comes with your ski boots.
Canon EOS Digital Rebel Camera
I’m a bit of a shutterbug, and I especially enjoy taking pictures when I’m outside having fun. Whether I’m biking the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands, Canyoneering in Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument, or backcountry skiing with friends in the Wasatch, I always have a camera along for the ride. But as my hunger for taking quality photos has increased, I’ve realized that small digital cameras have severe limitations. It’s time to graduate to the digital SLR realm, where interchangable lenses rule.
Big Anges Hahns Peak SL Sleeping Bag
I want to do more winter camping, especially on backcountry ski trips to the Sawtooth Range in Idaho, or the La Sal Mountains near Moab. But camping in the mountains in January is bitterly cold, so a very warm sleeping bag is essential. The Big Agnes Hahns Peak sleeping bag is a mummy-style bag stuffed to the gills with 800-fill goose down. The bag is rated at -20 degrees, which is plenty warm for winter nights spent outside. Bonus points for having a water-repellent coating to keep the down dry and insulated. With this bag, no mountain range would be too remote or too cold for overnight ski trips.
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