There is so much that has been written about clothing and the layering system for outdoors adventures by many great outdoor adventurers. In any case, clothing and layering outdoors is an extremely subjective and personal topic, so I figured I can add my preferences and opinions to the abundance of articles on the subject. I […]
Gear Review – Inov8 Race Ultra 290 Shoes
Back to the footwear conundrum I have been dealing with for the last… forever, I have tried my luck again with a pair of Inov8’s: the Race Ultra 290. I know I said I would be avoiding Inov8 shoes after my Cape Wrath Trail experience with the Trailroc 235 in 2015, but I had a […]
Your base layer is not meant to keep you warm
You may already be ready for an argument about this: “but I am warmer with my base layer” you will probably angrily reply to the screen (though you can comment it at the bottom too…), but wait a second – I have a point here. Base layers will keep you warmer than being naked, or […]
Cottage or mainstream outdoor brand – a look into where to get your next piece of gear.
I need a new …. (fill in the blank) and want it to be light, comfortable, functional, cheap and make me look very cool – which outdoors brand is best to get it from? I have this inner debate roughly 3-4 times day (I am a gear head) and in recent years, finding a good answer […]
Gear Review – Platypus PlusBottle and Platy Bottle
Water containers are such a trivial item but there many opinions about it, mainly since there are always the ultimate cheap and light options: empty soda bottles. I’m not against soda bottles (or any disposable bottle) in any way, but I hate the disposable aspect of them. For years I have been a Nalgene user: […]
When to retire old gear
Buying new gear is great – it is exciting, there is an underlying promise of better adventures and it often becomes an obsession; but with the new movement that encourages repairing old gear, the question becomes: when should you retire old gear? In the last few years (and some might say decades), it increasingly feels […]
Gear Review- Haglofs Gram Comp 25 Backpack
Picking a day pack is a very sensitive issue for hikers, almost as much as footwear and big trip backpacks – they are very personal and can be very controversial. I have experimented with more than my share of day packs, trying to find the combination of the features and volume (22-27 litres) I want […]
Getting back from a backpacking trip – taking care of your gear
You had a great trip: 3, 4, 10 days out and about getting wet, muddy, wet again, dry with caked mud or dust – normal life on the trail. All that use and abuse (which is exactly what gear is made for) comes with a price tag: it can really ruin your gear. Taking care […]
Gear Review – Arc’teryx Squamish Hoody
For a long time I saw wind shirts (or jackets) as a novelty or an indulgence, something that is not at all necessary, especially since I always carry some sort of waterproof jacket. In 2011 I had a chance to buy a North Face Verto jacket for about 60% off, so I opted in and […]
A Cape Wrath Trail gear list debrief
We all love gear lists, we do, it is just the way it is; but the real magic of a gear list for a long trip is when you get back: checking what worked and what didn’t, what needs replacing and what outperformed your expectations. Before going on the CWT trip, I made my gear […]