Rock climbing pants have undergone many evolutionary changes over the decades. From durable cotton pants in the ’60s and ’70s, to the god-awful neon spandex of the ’80s and ’90s, to pretty much “anything goes” these days including shorts, jeans, khakis, capris and pants built specifically for rock climbing, like the Outdoor Research Index Pants….
Category: Gear Reviews
Brooks-Range Ultralite Solo Tarp review
Ultralight gear for backpackers comes in all forms. There’s titanium cookware, weightless tents, and even people cutting the handles off toothbrushes. Tarps, on the other hand, aren’t a very sexy item to fret over, yet it’s a piece of gear that is essential to anyone carrying a featherweight pack into remote areas. The Ultralite Solo…
Utah Outside Tri-Power Rescue Whistle by Whistles For Life
A rare but important type of gear is the type you hope to never use. Safety whistles are one of them, yet they are often overlooked by people heading out into situations where getting lost or injured is possible. Whistles for Life is a safety whistle designed by search and rescue professionals that is good insurance…
Brooks-Range Ultralite Alpini Bivy Sack review
When it comes to backpacking, some people are obsessive-compulsive about lightweight gear. Others (like me) don’t mind bending under the weight of a heavier pack for a more comfortable experience in the mountains. A lot of progress has been made in an effort to make outdoor gear both lightweight and comfortable. But when the choice between tents and…
Safe Sound Sports Personal Speakers review
I have to listen to music when I run, so when the Ragnar Wasatch Back officials said runners couldn’t use headphones during the race, I panicked. I began searching the internet high and low for anything that might lead me to a way around running with music. Perhaps a boombox similar to an ’80 hip…
SteriPEN Adventurer Opti review
On long backpack trips, clean drinking water is vital. Nobody wants to carry heavy water from home in the pack, but water from streams and lakes can be infected with microscopic bacteria that will ruin the trip (and make you dig a bunch of holes in the woods.) There are several options available for filtering…
Tecnica Viper Low cross-training shoes review
The Tecnica Viper Low cross-training shoes are light yet stable hikers that are built for speed in the mountains. With a pair on my feet, I took them out for some day hikes in the Wasatch Mountains, and got in a few trail runs along the way. Out of the box, the first thing I noticed was the…
Mammut Tusk 9.8 climbing rope review
When it comes to climbing ropes, a rope is a rope. At least that’s how I felt after 10 years of rock climbing. But there are differences between ropes, as small as they may seem. The Mammut Tusk 9.8 climbing rope does the job like any other rope meant for sport, trad and ice climbing,…
Lafuma Sky Race OT Trail Running Shoes with OutDry review
The Lafuma Sky Race OT shoes are competent trail runners featuring the OutDry waterproof/breathable membrane. Lafuma is a lesser known outdoor company here in America, but they are huge in Europe and have recently made inroads into the U.S. market. They make everything from footwear, jackets, packs, sleeping bags and even camp chairs. I got…
Stanley 8oz Flask review
On camping and backpacking trips in Utah’s mountains, a flask filled with stomach-warming liquor becomes standard gear in the packs of some high-country travelers. The problem with many flasks, however, is that they just aren’t rugged enough to withstand the beating outdoor gear endures. Enter the Stanley 8oz flask. Stanley, the makers of iconic steel…