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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...
NEMO Hypno AR – Two-person Air Supported Tent First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
The two person NEMO Hypno AR tent weighs 3.25 pounds. Not bad for a free standing tent. NEMO is debuting a line of tents supported by air filled beams. Their...
Vasque Spindrift Trail Runners: Thinsulate insulated with Gore-tex First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
Lots of companies make Thinsulate insulated hiking boots with a Gore-tex liner, but not many make them in the weight range of a trail runner. For people that hate boots...
Integral Designs eVENT Pants First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
SPECS Fabric: 30 denier eVENT with a soft feel Weight: 13 oz (370 g) The bottom half of the Integral Designs (ID) eVENT jacket is finally here. The pants use...
Inka Extreme Conditions Pen First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
If the Inka pen has not won a design award, it will. It is a marvel of precision-engineering and attention to detail, and it weighs 0.6 ounces! Its approximately 3-inch...
NEMO Burrito – Air Supported Tent First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
NEMO is debuting a line of tents supported by air filled beams. Their idea is to create “some of the easiest to use, fastest to setup, and most compact tents...
Dynafit Randonee Ski Equipment, Now Lighter First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
Dynafit, the company with the lightest set of randonee skis, boots and bindings, just got lighter. This year they introduce a race ski, boot, and binding. Randonee racing is very...
Komperdell Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles: Lightest Sectional Trekking Poles First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
Komperdell introduces a new line of all-carbon-fiber trekking poles. At 5.6 oz each for the women’s (compact) model and 6.2 oz each for the men’s model they are the lightest...
Smartwool Microweight Crew First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
New for Fall ’05, Smartwool extends its Microweight line to offer a long sleeve crew top, just what many of us have been waiting for. Wool offers superb temperature regulation,...
Osprey Exposure Packs First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
The Osprey Exposure 36 technical pack Osprey has a new line of technical packs in 36, 42, 50 and 66 liter capacities. I especially liked the 36 liter version. At...
Shoeboard — Combination Ski and Snowshoe First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
Do you love the ease and simplicity of climbing up a ridge on snowshoes but envy those skiers that make the trip back down in 20 minutes. Yeah, it takes...
Steel Kahtoola: Lightest 10-Point Steel Crampons First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
Kahtoola crampons have become deservedly popular. One can cover difficult snow and ice in the comfort and flexibility of trail runners or light boots. It’s traction for the masses. Outfitters...
Jetboil – French Press Option First Look (Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2005)
We first reviewed the Jetboil at last year’s Winter OR show (Jetboil Stove First Looks Review), then went on to do more in-depth testing of this integrated cooking system (Jetboil...
Classic Denali: Climbing America’s Highest Peak (Part 2, Gear Notes)

Backpacking Light Magazine grant winners balance safety and gear weight on America's highest peak.

Classic Denali: Climbing America’s Highest Peak (Part 1, Summit Day Narrative)
Adventure OnDenaliClick to Enlarge M Click here for Part 2 Editor’s Note: Rich McDrew and Dennis Swanson were recipients of a Backpacking Light Magazine Adventure Grant. Their grant award was...

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