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Frequently Asked Questions About Lightweight Canister Stoves and Fuels
One of our favorite canister stoves: the Coleman Outlander F1 Ultralight, only 2.7 ounces and hot! Canister stoves weigh as little as 2.5 ounces (71 g) and are very easy...
Liquid Fuel Stoves Head to Head: MSR SimmerLite vs. Coleman Xtreme
Performance comparison of two lightweight liquid fuel backpacking stoves.
Considerations for Selecting a Lightweight Backpacking Stove
Most backpackers use a lightweight stove of some type for cooking food and heating beverages. Choosing the right stove can be confusing. By my count there are five stove alternatives:...
Wild Things Belay Jacket REVIEW
Product performance review of the Wild Things Belay Jacket, a synthetic insulated backpacking jacket with Epic shell.
Meridian Design AquaStar Portable UV-C Water Purifier First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
Ultraviolet irradiation has been used for some time in industrial and home water purification systems, but is new to the portable arena. Meridian Design introduces a portable UV-C purifier that...
Fisher Space Pen The Stowaway First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
For those of you who thought the Inka pen (Day 1 dispatch) was too heavy at 0.6 ounces, how about the Stowaway at 0.2 ounces! It uses the same pressurized...
Petzl Updates Tikka with the Tikka XP First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
Learning a lot from their 3-watt single LED MYO XP, Petzl completely redesigned the Tikka. They call it “a compact, yet powerful headlamp offering both a long-range, focused beam and...
Granite Gear Technical and Ski Packs First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
Based on the award-winning Vapor Trail pack, Granite Gear creates the Alpine Vapor Technical Pack. The Alpine Vapor uses the Vapor Trail suspension, but is built with High Tenacity 210...
Gregory G Pack First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
Gregory has revamped their G Pack for 2005. It is slightly smaller, fabric durability has been improved, the front mesh pocket is now segmented, and a new Wraptor stabilizer has...
Patagonia Improves R2 fleece First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
One of the standard fabrics in an ultralighter’s arsenal just got better. My R2 vest has been on three out of my last four trips. Patagonia introduces a lighter and...
Two Petzl Axes – Cosmi’tec and Snowscopic First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
The 470 g (16.5 oz) Cosmi’tec is new to the Winter OR show. It’s a classic mountaineering and glacier travel axe. But with its slightly curved shaft and tapered and...
Icebreaker and Ibex Superfine Wool Crews First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
Icebreaker figures they’ve pretty much got their Superfine190 (190 g/m2) long sleeve crew design dialed in. I agree (see my 2004 Staff Pick)! This spring they bring out a limited...
Outdoor Research Zero Jacket – 20 oz Hooded Jacket with 4.0 oz Insulation First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
Most manufacturers target two weight points for an insulated ultralight jacket: around 8 to 12 oz for a lightweight jacket, and around 25+ oz for a belay-style parka. There are...
NEOS Villager Overshoes First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
NEOS Villager overshoes (the colorful ones) and Trekker overshoes (the tall ones) NEOS makes overshoes that fit over trail runners, boots, and even street shoes. The overshoes are waterproof to...
TeaTech XtraGreen Tea First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
Backpacking friendly individual serving packs of instant green tea – what a concept. The buzz on green tea is that it’s “good for you.” It has antioxidants that are more...
Wild Things Update: Primalight Jacket, Belay Jacket, and EP Hooded Jacket First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
Wild Things has a new 1.8 oz/yd2 PL1 insulated jacket, the Primalight. It weighs 14.6 ounces with a full front zip and zip pockets. The large size fit our tall,...
Snow Peak Cozy for Ti Mugs First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
Snow Peak released a prototype neoprene cozy for their titanium mugs. The cozy is as yet unnamed – they’re having a naming contest with a $500 prize. Since there was...
GoLite Xirtam Jacket – A Waterproof Softshell? First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
GoLite claims that the Xirtram (Matrix backwards) is a fully waterproof softshell. WE always thought that a softshell was a fabric with reasonable air permeability (better than 2 cfm or...
New Gear from Integral Designs – Sil Wing Tarp, Insulated Silcoat Stuff Sacs, Basic Bivy Bag, Wrist Warmers, and ParaLiner First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
The Sil Wing is a fully catenary cut tarp (both ridge line and edges). Edges are taped. 8 feet by 7 feet. Eight reinforced tie out loops. Weight 12 ounces....
Komperdell All Carbon-Fiber Shovel and Probe First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
Komperdell showed us an all carbon-fiber shovel, which includes a carbon-fiber blade and two-piece adjustable carbon-fiber shaft. The only non-carbon-fiber elements are a stainless reinforcement to the shovel blade edge...
