Glad Trash Compactor Bags

Glad | Compactor 18 Gallon Kitchen Bags | 2018 | $0.77 | 68g Using a trash compactor bag as a pack liner is a cheap and reliable way to keep your gear dry. The only disadvantage over a pack cover is that they won't keep the pack itself dry which means you'll be carrying water weight when the nylon pack fabric gets saturated. On the flip side packs are getting lighter and using thinner (or just less) fabric so they don't hold nearly as much water as backpacks of yore. These particular trash compactor bags are perfectly sized for use [...]

By |2018-11-17T20:35:32+00:00November 17th, 2018|

Saxx Quest Loose Cannon boxer briefs

Saxx | Quest Loose Cannon | 2018 | $33.95 | 90g These are the best men's backpacking underwear. Quest is Saxx's line of quick-dry synthetic travel underwear. Saxx improves on standard men's underwear by adding a fabric panel between the thighs and testes, forming what they call a "ballpark pouch". This results in a significant increase in comfort (it really is quite something) and prevents sticking. However, the additional fabric comes at the expense of breathability - things definitely feel a little more swampy at night. The Loose Cannon edition of the Quest line features a much looser cut around [...]

By |2018-11-17T18:53:37+00:00November 17th, 2018|

Drymax Max Pro Trail Running 1/4 Crew Turn Down Socks

Drymax | Max Pro Trail Running... | 2018 | $33 | 59g Polytetrafluoroethylene (aka PTFE) (aka aka Teflon) is the third-slipperiest solid known to man. It's even slippery at the sub-atomic level: it's the only known substance that a gecko cannot stick to. That's awesome. According to the book Fixing Your Feet (the bible of foot care for athletes), "shearing forces" (read: friction) on your feet cause the layers of skin to separate, which in turn causes blisters. That sucks. Can we use PTFE's ultra-low coefficient of friction to reduce blisters? Why yes, yes we can. One way would be [...]

By |2019-01-08T04:19:21+00:00November 15th, 2018|

Nuun Energy caffeine + electrolyte tablets

Make: Nuun | Model: Energy | Year: 2018 | 4g |$0.39 My pre-outdoors ritual only involves two things: McDonald'sCaffeine I'm often not terribly hungry at 5-something in the morning when I'm leaving for a trip. However, it turns out there's a McDonald's on the way to pretty much any trailhead which makes it a reliable way to get lots of cheap hot calories on the go once my tummy has warmed up a bit. I'm also often not terribly awake at 5-something in the morning which is where caffeine comes into play. Most people would turn towards coffee but there's [...]

By |2018-10-19T02:36:56+00:00October 19th, 2018|

SmartWater sport cap 700mL

Make: SmartWater | Model: sport cap 700mL | Year: 2018 | 32g | $1.49 When I first started hiking Nalgenes were all the rage - huge, heavy, and indestructible. In hindsight, none of those qualities are what I would consider selling points for a water bottle. They were also a pain to use, requiring you to stop and ask for assistance in removing one from your pack (and putting it back) whenever you wanted a drink, or taking your pack at least halfway off if you were hiking solo. When I finally upgraded to a hydration bladder (and with it [...]

By |2019-09-22T23:29:51+00:00October 16th, 2018|

Coolibar Performance Sun Bandana UPF 50+

Make: Coolibar | Model: Performance Sun Bandana UPF 50+ | Year: 2018 | 53g | $18.00 Problem: you are a bit short on hair Problem: you hate sunscreen Problem: you like the Lawrence of Arabia sun cape look (or, at least the practical sun protection that it provides) Also problem: you like to hike in mesh baseball caps for breathability but worry about all that sun coming down hard on your head Solution: bandana + baseball cap? Despite never having actually been burnt through the mesh on my baseball cap I decided to keep my winning streak against the sun [...]

By |2018-10-15T04:06:34+00:00October 15th, 2018|

3M Virtua 11330 Anti-Fog Sunglasses

Make: 3M | Model: Virtua 11330 | Year: 2018 | 23g | $4.64 I used to bring expensive sunglasses outdoors and worry about damaging and having to replace them, but no more. These 3M polycarbonate safety glasses function as actual sunglasses (absorbing 99.9% of UVA and UVB rays) and have an anti-fog coating. They are decently dark and offer good peripheral coverage, and from a distance they look like regular sunglasses - they're not so dorky that people are going to notice them on the trail. They are not polarized although I don't find that this matters in practice (keeping [...]

By |2018-10-16T05:07:30+00:00October 15th, 2018|
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