Now that I’m not out and about every weekend I’ve had time to do some research and make some late-season purchases. Unfortunately due to early snow in Washington I don’t know whether I’ll be able to really put this stuff through the paces until next year but here’s hoping:
Kuhl Airspeed Long-Sleeve Button-Down Shirt
Paul Magnanti’s recent Northern New Mexico Loop summary mentioned his love of cotton-blend thrift store hiking shirts. I was raised in a strict “cotton kills” household so I’ve always written off cotton blends as lifestyle wear with no practical application. His writing inspired me to re-evaluate my life choices and the Kurl Airspeed was my first attempt at redemption. The harder-wearing front of the chest and outsides of the sleeves are made with a more typical synthetic weave fabric that’s slightly less breathable than what my previous Montbell Wickron Light is made of. However the insides of the sleeves, the armpits, and the entire back are made of an incredibly breathable 85/15% polyester/cotton mesh. The result is a shirt that breathes like crazy and looks pretty snazzy to boot (although I wish it came in plaid).
($85, 265g in size medium)
Wrangler Riata Long-Sleeve Button-Down Shirt
Moreso than the cotton, the actual focus of Paul’s message was on thrift so I also picked up a Wrangler Riata plaid button-down shirt from Cle Elum Farm and Home Supply for about $20. I couldn’t find any mention of it on Wrangler’s site but it’s a loose-cut 70/30 polyester blend weighing in at a measly 194 grams. Some preliminary testing has shown that it dries just as quickly if not a bit faster than the slightly heavier Montbell.
($20, 194g in size medium)
Kuhl Kontra Air Pants
My beloved Prana Stretch Zions have been by far the most versatile and comfortable hiking pants I’ve ever had. However, they do have one weakness: they run pretty warm once temps hit around 70F. While I was browsing Kuhl’s site for cotton blend shirts I took a little detour into the pants section and picked up a pair of their Konta Air pants. They’re a 70/30 cotton/synthetic blend with small slits positioned in various places (behind the knees, near the crotch) for ventilation. They’re comfortable so far but I’m curious about how the non-mesh vents will fare in bug season.
($85, 329g in size 34×32)
WhiBal White Balance Card
A recent scramble in intense low-angle fall sun gave me some real headaches when it came time to process photos. I spent hours dragging the color temperature and tint sliders to and fro trying to get the pictures to look right. In the end I decided that a professionally calibrated white balance card would let me put the problem to rest for good. I have a much fancier X-Rite ColorChecker Passport Photo 2 which I never bring anywhere since it’s so darned heavy and clunky so a credit card-sized equivalent seemed like a good upgrade.
($20, 7g in size pocket)
RAVPower Luster Mini 3350mAH Power Bank
After a season of percent-accurate charging with the amazing Charmast 10400mAH power bank I’ve learned that I just don’t need that much capacity for the 2-4 day trips I typically go on. Since the bank rarely dropped below 70% I decided that I could safely drop down to a third of the capacity so I poked around until I found something right on the money from RAVPower. At only 75 grams and roughly the size of a roll of nickels this thing is going to cut my battery weight in half. Sweet.
($10.50, 75g)
Petzl Sirocco Climbing Helmet
This was a blowout year for backpacking but next year I think I’ll be focusing on scrambling with a long-term goal of leading multi-day scrambles in the more remote portions of the Cascades. After lightening up my ice axe for The Enchantments, my 438 gram Edelrid Ultralight (cough) helmet was the only other piece of scrambling-specific gear in my closet that was screaming for an upgrade. After a few failed attempts at getting it with a 20%-off coupon I bit the bullet and picked up the featherweight Petzl Sirocco at full price. It was so light, I thought the box it came in might be empty. I’ve read that the magnetic closure can attract metallic debris and might best be removed but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
($140, 178g in size large)
Therm-A-Rest Air Head Pillow
At just under half a pound my current Therm-A-Rest compressible foam pillow is what most folks would probably call a luxury item. However, it’s also the best backpacking pillow I’ve ever used and gives me night after night of comfortable and frustration-free sleep so I’m calling it a necessity. But what if there were something equivalent and 100 grams lighter? Although science may someday give us the answer, the Air Head ain’t it. Combining an internal air bladder with an outer layer of compressible foam, the Air Head unfortunately gives you the worst of both worlds. It’s loud and crinkly, heavy for an inflatable, and there’s not enough foam to mask that sleeping-on-a-balloon feeling. And because it’s adjustable you’ll end up adjusting it over and over and over trying to make it ever so slightly more comfortable.
I think I’ll stick with the heavy foam. It just works.
($28.50, 150g)
3M Medipore Cloth Tape
I just cannot accept that Leukotape P is the best blister prevention tape out there. It’s overly adhesive and doesn’t breathe worth a damn, and given that there’s a zillion medical tapes on the market you’d think one would be able to best it. Sadly, 3M Medipore is not that one. Initially the knit cotton feel of the all-synthetic tape got my hopes up as far as breathability but the poor adhesion meant that rolling edges and displacement became a problem after a single morning of hiking. This is tape you’re going to be replacing over and over and over.
($3, 23g in size 1″ x 30′)
Peak Design Shell Camera Cover
After a particularly wet (for me) three days in the Olympics I decided that I should probably invest in some real camera rain gear if I’m ever going to get decent pictures in lousy weather. I currently use a Zpacks small dry bag as a place to store the camera when it starts raining but good luck taking pictures through it. Peak Design’s Shell looked like a solid contender so I picked one up. At 69 grams it’s surprisingly light for what it does and if it replaces the dry bag (questionable) that’ll help offset the weight even more.
($40, 69g in size small)