All blogs
Every full length (longer than 60 seconds) video and accompanying blog post
Long Term Gear Review: Hiking, Backpacking, Camping, and Alpine Climbing in Lorpen T3+ Winter Socks
Winter hiking, backpacking, camping, and alpine climbing can create challenging conditions for keeping your hands and feet warm. And for your feet, then you need to add in the need to also not get blisters. I've used the Lorpen T3+ Inferno Expedition and the T3+ Trekking Expedition socks for several winter seasons, now, and I offer my long term review of what is the best winter sock I have ever put on.
Split Fingertips When Camping, Hiking, or Climbing in the Winter: How to Fix It and How to Avoid It
Going on a backpacking, multi-day climbing, mountaineering, hiking, or a camping trip during the dry, winter months can lead to split fingertips. The dry air and other conditions of winter just make it more likely. Those wounds can make using your hands painful. Here's how I help prevent those splits from happening as well as how I deal with the injury if I don't follow my own advice well enough!
Outdoor Vitals Ventus Active Hoodie Review for Hiking, Backpacking, and Alpine Climbing
I enjoy camping, hiking, backpacking, and alpine climbing, and I enjoy doing all of these things in all seasons. It is always a challenge to find clothing layers that can handle the different activities and conditions I face. This is a review of the Outdoor Vitals Ventus Active Hoodie. Can it handle all of the variables I throw at it?
Why Our Kids Wear the Petzl Picchu Helmet for Climbing and Cycling
Climbing and cycling helmets are different. They are built to respond to different types of forces and have different safety standards. The Petzl Picchu helmet meets both sets of standards, giving your kids one helmet that can safely cover both activities.
Duco Kids Polarized Sunglasses Review: Critical Hiking and Outdoor Gear for Your Kids
Kids are more susceptible to the damage UV rays can cause. And while sunscreen and clothing are keys to protecting them, so are sunglasses. We had a hard time finding sunglasses that had quality lenses and were made of materials that would stand up to heavy hiking and climbing use. Then we found the Duco Kids Polarized Sunglasses. Here's a review of how they've been working for us after a year.
Don't Pack Your Fears! Backpacking and Camping Gear I Banished from My Repair Kit
In this post you get an opportunity to learn from some "overpacking" mistakes that I used to make when going out into the backcountry for multiple days. Now, carrying some of the kids' gear when we go out, every ounce counts. So, here are four repair kit items that we no longer take with us as camping gear or backpacking gear... and the lighter, multi-use gear we replaced those original items with.
Deuter Climber 22L Backpack for Kids: In-depth Review
An in-depth review of the Deuter Climber 22L backpack.