Camping in the desert of southern Utah means there will always be one thing to contend with on every trip. Sand. Not only is sand everywhere, it gets everywhere. Sand fills your shoes, gums up zippers, dirties backpacks and pockets, and always gets tracked into the tent. Although there will never be a way to totally…
Tag: Gear
Rossignol Voodoo BC90 skis, welcome to the family
Farewell Solomon Xtremes. Good bye to your squirrely ways, your old school edges, your narrow underfoot. I will not cry for you for you’ve served me well. Maybe I’ll pull you out during the early season when there’s not much snow coverage but I’m not going to make any promises. Please be kind to the…
Ski boot shopping sucks
Trying on ski boots is worse than trying to find a good bra. Seriously. I’ve never been so stressed out while shopping. Buying ski boots isn’t like buying a pair of cheap shoes at the store. They are a hundreds-of-dollars investment that usually should be good for at least 10 years. Okay, maybe not everyone…
Camelbak Vantage 35 backpack review
Camelbak has seriously expanded their product line in recent years, releasing a pack for just about every outdoor pursuit. From backcountry ski packs to backpacking haulers, Camelbak has a hydration pack for pretty much everything. New this year is the Vantage 35, a 2400 cubic inch pack made for long day hikes or overnight trips….
Mountain Hardware Jalapeño Gloves with OutDry review
OutDry is a new technology in the realm of waterproof, breathable membranes, and the makers of OutDry have so far been putting their tech into gloves and footwear. They showed off how the product works during the Outdoor Retailer 2010 Winter Market in Salt Lake City, and the results were pretty impressive. Back in 2009,…
Salomon Quest 12 all mountain ski boot review
Backcountry skiing has seen a popularity explosion in recent years, and a sure indicator of this is the current trend of ski companies releasing their own lines of alpine touring ski gear. In the fall of 2010, Salomon will enter the backcountry with new additions their Salomon Quest all mountain ski boots. There will be six…
GoPro HD Helmet HERO review and video
I’ve never been the type of person who even considered owning a helmet cam. I mean, who the hell wants to watch a POV of my sorry ass skiing down the mountain, when they could be experiencing a first-person view of a pro athlete doing backflips off a cliff or flying around snow-covered peaks in a…
Lorpen Tri Layer ski socks review
Socks are never the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about ski gear, but cold, wet feet can easily ruin a ski day. Thankfully, ski socks have come a long way since the scratchy wool of childhood. Lorpen is a company that for years has been on the forefront of making high-performance socks….
Indoor Chick at Outdoor Retailer, Part 4: Chaos Headware, Gramicci and Cushe Footwear
After reviewing my notes from Winter OR, I realized I left out some products and fun facts I wanted to share about Chaos Headware, Gramicci, and Cushe Foowear. Chaos Headwear: While most retailers and consumers are scaling back, Chaos Headware said its sales were up nearly 50% over last year. Not only does Chaos specialize…
Indoor Chick at Outdoor Retailer, Part 3: Camelbak and The North Face
If I may speak for the average consumer, there are some companies that are a staple in life. For me two of those companies are The North Face and Camelbak. When I stepped into their booths at Winter OR, I think I heard angels sing, or maybe it was just my brain on overload. Camelbak:…