From the category archives:

do I need that?

World’s Lightest, Tiniest Daypack?

January 13, 2010

If you’ve ever worn your daypack and thought to yourself, “man, I wish this thing could compress to fit on my keychain,” maybe you’d be interested in the new Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Daypack.
Stephen Regenold of The Gear Junkie got his hands on one and gave it a review, and said while it might not [...]

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Yuppie 911

October 26, 2009

I was reading an article yesterday about the proliferation of cheap portable satellite beacons, and the nickname Search and Rescue teams have for them – Yuppie 911.
As a most-often-solo hiker and backpacker, I always carry a satellite beacon with me – but in my years of hiking, I have never once used it for anything [...]

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Beanbag Bear

October 6, 2009

You may remember the bear-shaped sleeping bag by artist Eiko Ishizawa from earlier in the year. That piece is still, sadly, not for sale – but if you want to get over your crippling fear of bears by having something bearish and useful in the home, might I suggest this bear-shaped beanbag instead?
This medium-sized [...]

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Auto-Warming Boots

October 5, 2009

Attention showshoers and winter hikers of all stripes – your days of having chilly toes while enjoying your winter sport have come to an end.
Witness, the new Columbia Bugathermo – an awkwardly named rechargeable, heated winter boot.
The Columbia Bugathermos have customizable heat settings, special heat-insulating layers, and an integrated toe-heating element that will keep your [...]

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Modern Hiker Advice Impresses Girls

March 23, 2009

My friend Tom was in Austin, Texas for the South By Southwest Festival, and decided to leave the city behind for a hike at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
When he got back, he wrote me this email:
I did that little hike around Austin, and remembered to take a first aid kit (okay, bandaids and gauze) [...]

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Beyond the Ten Essentials

March 12, 2009

If, after you’ve decided that yes, you do kind of dig this whole hiking thing, you might be wondering what items you want to spend a little extra cash (or dividend) on to enhance your overall hiking experience. Modern Hiker recommends adding these to your shopping bag, after you’ve already worked your way through [...]

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Which Ten Essentials Are Really Essential

March 11, 2009

Reader Wayne left a comment on a recent post on REI Dividends. New to hiking, he wanted to know if I had any other additions to make to the Ten Essentials List — a list of ten “always-have-’em” items first developed by outdoor clubs in the 1930s. And, of course, he also wanted [...]

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