Backpacking and hiking gear reviews from Outdoor Prolink’s professional mountain guides, wilderness guides, retail employees and other outdoor industry professionals.
Backpacks: the epitome of life. Think about it. Whether you are a professional alpinist, a preschool student or anything in between, you own a backpack. And while backpacks have come a long way from when the first zippered backpack was…
Most people shudder when they hear the words “winter camping”, but as I like to say, “There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear.” Winter camping no longer has to involve sleepless nights of shaking, shivering, and wishing…
“Is that the one that sounds like a potato chip bag?” This seems to be the most common question when I mentioned that I was testing the newest version of the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite sleeping pad. And to be fair,…
“One jacket to rule them all.” That’s the perfect description for the Orotovox Swisswool Zebru Jacket. Over the last couple of months, I have kayaked across the ocean, climbed in the high sierras, and rafted down the Grand Canyon. Fortunately…
Typically when I hear the words “puffy jacket,” I think of a bulky, restrictive, and easily shredded jacket. Designed to be durable, warm, and stretchy, Mountain Hardwear’s stylish new StretchDown DS (Dynamic Stretch) Hooded Jacket completely changed my perception of what…
What’s at the top of your mind when you’re ten hours and 30-something miles into an attempt to run the Wonderland Trail around Mount Rainier? Mostly food. Maybe the weather if, as in our case, we heard rolling thunder not-far-enough…
Mountainsmith’s Glissade 7075 trekking poles are the perfect companion for keeping your balance in the alpine, and I’ve been waiting for the opportune moment to get out there and beat them up a bit. Getting them prepped was easy- no…
After the summer sun has faded away and the fall foliage has shed its coat for winter, most people put their backpacking gear away – not me! Snow camping is one of my favorite things to do in the winter;…
I got my first down jacket in 1994, and as an east coast ice climber immediately dismissed it as useless. Any sort of precipitation rendered it a clumpy, soggy mess; worse than nothing. The synthetic revolution was happening, and sacrificing…
I tested the VOORMI High-E hoodie for 45 days, and I mean straight. I wore this hoodie every single day at some point, or sometimes for all 24 hours. Climbing in Yosemite Valley, exploring slot canyons in Utah, ski touring…