After I got the chills on a Lila Lake backpack using my Mountain Hardwear Down Flip sleeping bag I decided it was time for an upgrade. Well, that time has come: I picked up a Sierra Designs Backcountry Quilt! This is my first quilt – I’ve been meaning to give them a whirl for a while and this particular one is EN rated (because it has a hood) and oversized so I think it’ll be a good introduction.
I’ve been looking for a beanie upgrade – I’m currently using a Smartwool Merino 150 beanie which is as thin as thin can be. During the summer it’s nice for sleeping in or for adding a little warmth when you set off in the morning but it’s definitely not much use in shoulder season. I wanted something thin for layering under hoods or helmets but also something that would provide significant warmth. I decided that something that was either completely or mostly windproof would fit the bill and landed on the Mountain Hardwear Dome Perignon Lite (love the name). It’s 100% windproof (or, at least the ear band is) due to the Polartec Windbloc material. A quick trip to the downtown Seattle location found that they only carried the regular ol’ Dome Perignon, but at least I was able to get the sizing right. However, the thickness of the regular version (and the insane warmth) led me to double-check the fabric weight of the lite version and I decided it was probably still too much. Touring around the store a bit I bumped into their Mountain Tech Dome which was 100% Windbloc and crazy thin to boot, but it had a strange cardboard-y feel so I gave it a pass. Doing more research online I ordered the Outdoor Research Wind Pro Hat but discovered that even the L/XL size was head-crushingly tight so it got returned immediately (face fabric felt incredible, however). Not wanting to blow another few days ordering and returning stuff online I went back to downtown: after trying on a Polartec Power Stretch-based beanie with way-too-tight unisex sizing at Columbia and discovering that the North Face store doesn’t stock their WindWall beanie I went back to Mountain Hardwear and bought the Mountain Tech Dome. A week later and I can say that I really dig it and it does add a lot of warmth (and I like the whoosh of all the air being pushed down past your head as you put it on). The cardboardiness isn’t nearly as bad as I’d initially thought, fabric isn’t the softest but is just fine for wearing for hours at a time.
While I was in the MH store I decided to check out gloves as well since I left one of my OR liners in a McDonald’s in West Virginia (whoops). I have trouble with cold hands and feet when I’m out and about so I’ve been wanting to upgrade to some sort of mitten. Enter the Bandito fingerless gloves which are also convertible mittens (the mitten part folds up into a pocket on the top which looks like it could also hold a hand warmer). These things are awesome. Windproof fabric and fingerless means you can use your fingerprint to unlock your phone, something that never occurred to me as a huge advantage over touch gloves. Been wearing ’em for a week and I really dig them, and the insanely thin shell fabric still provides a ton of warmth due to the windproofiness.
There was a real nasty rainy day here in Seattle recently (big surprise), and I discovered that my 4-year-old Helium II jacket has ceased to be waterproof. So, I picked up the Sierra Designs Elite Cagoule and chaps combo, which as far as I can tell is about as cutting edge as raingear can get. Features all sorts of mechanical venting and even a flap that your hip belt goes under. Can’t wait to try this thing out. Also cagoule is really fun to say. ka-GHOUL!
Earlier this summer I picked up an OR Sun Bucket to provide some ear and neck protection without too large of a brim (large brims bump into your pack when you walk, which sucks). It lacks any sort of mesh ventilation and overall seems to have pretty poor breathability, which sort of defeats the purpose of a hot weather hiking hat. So I rolled the dice on an Alchemi Labs bucket hat, which I love. Side vents, crazy metallic reflective layer, digital camo – this thing is sweet. Will be testing it out on the AT this summer.