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24: Nine Months ’til Summer
Episode 3: The first big snowfall of the season (in September!) had us traversing the Hyalite-Cottonwood divide for snow hiking and camping.
GoLite Footwear Competition and Fire Reviews
GoLite Footwear has developed a unique underfoot suspension system that largely accomplishes their intentions. The shoes are comfortable, but there are durability concerns for the soles.
Mountain Hardwear Phantom 32 Sleeping Bag Review
A warm, refined sleeping bag, but not the lightest in its class.
Backpacking: Baby on Board
Hiking through the French Pyrenees is challenging for any young couple hoping to enjoy some relaxation and romance in between climbing passes and breaking camp. The afternoon heat - often ending in a violent thunderstorm - brings more than one overloaded backpacker to boiling point. Now enter a six-kilo, breast-fed, three-month-old baby. Great family trip or a bad idea?
Rab Microlight Jacket Review
Trim-fitting ultralight three-season down jacket with a great shell and basic feature set, but its numerous horizontal seams allow down fragments to leak out.
Le Parcour de Wild Race Report
With temperatures that ranged from -5 F to 40 F, the Bob Marshall Wilderness threw some formidable weather our way and reminded us: this stuff ain't for the faint of heart!
Olympus E-620 Digital SLR Camera Review
The E-620 is the lightest mid-sized or "crop sensor" format DSLR with all the functionality and image quality for serious backcountry still photography - even in difficult situations like handheld shots in low morning and evening light.
Sno-Seal Original Beeswax Waterproofing for Leather
Treat your leather nicely, THEN abuse the ever-loving daylights out of it.
24: Garnet Mountain Forest Service Lookout, Montana
Episode 2: we focused on fast food preparation and the elimination of a whole lotta gear by hiking into a U.S. Forest Service lookout cabin.
Transitional Hiker – An Australian Story
How books about or by famous UL walkers, a sewing machine, and the most devoted UL community on the planet got me back on the trail and going light.
Gossamer Gear Gorilla Backpack Review
Lower volume ultralight backpack with removable stays and other components - so you can set up the pack for individual trips and personal preferences to your heart's content.
Montana Mourning: Reflections on a Wilderness Trekking Trip
I got less - and more - than I bargained for.
MYOG Technical Note – Catenary Curves
The whys and wheres of catenary curves, with downloadable spreadsheet for calculating your own MYOG curve masterpieces.
24: Fall Equinox in the Hyalite Cirque of Montana’s Gallatin Mountains
You have 24 hours to quickly engage in a Wild Place with minimal disruption to your job or your family. Where will YOU go?
One Night At A Time
Quit making it so hard: jeepers, just cram a few things in your pack and let's go!
Get Out Now!
Six steps to streamline your planning from dreaming up a trip to walking out the door.
All the Gear a Guy Could Want
I like gear. I collect gear with an almost rabid enthusiasm, and I almost always have a place to put it.
Make Your Own Gear – A Titanium Potty Trowel
The venerable Coghlans orange potty trowel is a fine idea, but it weighs 51 grams and has been known to crack and break under heavy use. Can we do better with some titanium sheet?
The North Face Beeline Sleeping Bag Review
The specifications look great, but the devil is in the details.
Photo Essay: A Traverse of the Bob Marshall Wilderness by Foot and Packraft
We entered at Benchmark (on the South Fork Sun), exited at Silvertip (on the Spotted Bear), and had the time of our lives over a few relaxing days while making long miles in a packraft on the South Fork.
The North Face Thunder Jacket Review
Not the lightest down jacket to be found, but it's an excellent balance of warmth and durability, and versatile the year around as an outer layer or midlayer.
