Author: Matt Heid
Patagonia has just unveiled a radical new species of goose down that provides more puff per ounce than anything else on the market. How did they do it? With some serious R&D and high-tech wizardry that prominently features the (suitably sci-fi) phrase “silicon-based plasma-bonding process.” The chemistry and science is undoubtedly complex, and involves all […]
How much weight will a tent add to your pack? It depends. Manufacturers list two weights for tents, trail weight and packed weight. Neither is truly accurate. Packed weight refers to how much the entire tent package weighs when you purchase it, including tent body, fly, poles, stakes, guy lines, stuff sacks, and other accessories […]
I continue to be astonished that tent manufacturers keep finding new ways to shave ounces. Surely there’s a limit to how lightweight a tent can get, but these five tents demonstrate that we haven’t yet reached that limit. This ongoing trend was highlighted once again in the new 2013 Gear Guide from Backpacker magazine—perhaps the […]
Snow stakes are designed to anchor a tent in compacted snow. They aren’t absolutely necessary to pitch a winter tent—you can also create anchors by using buried objects in the snow, or “deadmen”—but they are certainly convenient, if a bit heavy. Not a lot of companies make snow stakes, however, and the design is largely identical […]
Did you know that alcohol stoves produce only half the heat of white gas or a propane/butane canister stove? Here are the details, plus some thoughts on when the weight/heat ratio tips in favor of a canister stove. As I’ve written about before, alcohol stoves are an incredibly lightweight and compact option for cooking […]
I’m always on a quest to pack maximum backcountry calories for minimum weight, especially during the winter season when calorie burn runs particularly high. I’ve detailed the highest calorie trail foods out there in a previous article, Go Power: Tips for a Healthy, High-Calorie Trail Diet, but I must admit that one of my favorite […]
Discover the pros and cons of these two common pack designs. Over the past two decades, backpack design has increasingly shifted away from external frames to internal frames. Indeed, it can be difficult these days to even find an external frame design hanging on the wall at your local gear shop. But that doesn’t mean […]
Traction is on my mind this morning after a slip-sliding adventure to the bus stop over ice-glazed sidewalks so slick they might as well have been Zamboni’d for a hockey game. To prevent a tail bone-cracking, face-planting splat of pain and ignominy, here’s a quick round-up of the grippiest, most durable traction systems for your […]
Brightness is typically indicated in lumens, a measure of the total output of a light source. A classic Mini Maglite flashlight peaks at around 15 lumens. A typical LED headlamp puts out roughly 50 to 100 lumens. A 100-watt light bulb clocks in at around 1,750 lumens. The Torch Flashlight from Wicked Lasers, touted as […]
Brrrr….the coldest season is upon us, and that means breaking out the warmer gear. When it comes to a nuclear furnace of warmth, few things compete with a super toasty jacket or parka on top of your winter layers. Which begs the question: What’s the difference between a winter jacket and parka, anyway? The answer […]
Did you know that you can overlay every available USGS topo map on Google Earth for free? And that you can set it up in a matter of minutes? Here’s how: 1) Install Google Earth if you haven’t already. 2) Download the Google Earth topo map layer from the ArcGIS Services Directory (it’s the NGS […]
The Wapack Range rises above the dimpled landscape of southeast New Hampshire, a mountain range in miniature that offers wonderful hiking opportunities and many scenic vistas. The 21-mile Wapack Trail runs the length of the range and earns its name from the starting and ending points (Mount WAtatic and PACK Monadnock). When it opened in […]
Hurricane Sandy is lashing the Northeast as I write this. Heavy winds and powerful gusts are hitting the region from Boston to North Carolina, with maximum gusts in many areas expected to reach well above 50 miles per hour. Here’s a quick refresher on how to estimate wind speed at your location. The following information […]
The vast majority of outdoor equipment is made overseas, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find options that are made right here in America—you just need to know where to look. Online Retailers A few online outdoor retailers, notably REI, have begun consistently identifying which products are made in the United States. REI currently lists […]
Deer ticks are pernicious, nasty little critters. Common throughout the Northeast, these parasitic bloodsuckers are the primary vector for Lyme disease, an unpleasant and potentially serious illness that is well worth avoiding. Your goal is to prevent deer ticks from enjoying their sanguineous feast and possibly transmitting the disease-causing bacterium. Here are the best, most […]
For more than 50 years, DEET has reigned as the undisputed champion of insect repellents. No longer. There’s now a potentially better alternative on the market: picaridin. Both DEET and picaridin are proven to be effective at fending off mosquitoes—and are superior to other repellents when it comes to protection time. But which one is […]
I hate deer ticks. Potential transmitters of Lyme disease, they are the animal bane of my New England outdoor existence. And May through July represents the height of the tick threat. Why? It’s peak time for near-microscopic deer tick nymphs. About the size of a poppy seed (1 to 1.5mm), their miniscule size makes them […]
How do you fit a kids sleeping bag? What sizes of kids sleeping bags are available? Here’s a quick primer on choosing the right sleeping bag for young campers. Ideally, a kid-sized sleeping bag should fit like an adult’s sleeping bag: as snug as is comfortable, not too long, and not too short. This presents […]
There are three simple things you can do to stuff a sleeping bag with minimal effort and hassle, as well as squash it down to the smallest possible size. First, stuff it tail first. Second, turn it inside out. Third, use a compression stuff sack. Here are the details on these simple, but extremely effective, […]
The better a sleeping bag fits, the warmer it will be. A properly fitting sleeping bag will wrap around you as snugly as possible, but not fit so tightly that it’s uncomfortable for you to sleep in. The basic idea is simple: You want to minimize the amount of air space around your body. This […]