From the category archives:

product reviews

Review: Trimble AllSport GPS for iPhone

January 29, 2010

When I was at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, I met some representatives from Trimble Outdoors, who were kind enough to let me in on a review copy of their iPhone App, AllSport GPS. While I think it has a few shortcomings for hikers, its features really shine as a fitness app, [...]

Read the full article →

Review: Black Diamond Equipment’s Boost

January 11, 2010

A while back, the guys at Black Diamond Equipment were kind enough to send me a sample of their new Boost pack to test out. After taking it to Topanga State Park last weekend, I can say it is a more than welcome addition to my arsenal of gear-carriers, even with a few minor [...]

Read the full article →

Review: EveryTrail for iPhone

January 5, 2010

While I was back on the East Coast, I had the opportunity to test out the beta for EveryTrail’s new iPhone App (which has since gone live).
For those of you who don’t know, EveryTrail is a free user-built database for GPS-enabled outdoor activities of every kind. Users can upload their GPS tracks and photos [...]

Read the full article →

Review: AccuTerra for iPhone

December 15, 2009

Earlier this year, I went up to Big Bear for some snowshoeing. I went on the Pine Knot Trail, and while it was fun, I definitely got lost more than I like to when I’m in the middle of the woods – both due to the snow covering most of the trail junctions and [...]

Read the full article →

Thriv Performance Shirts

October 27, 2009

The guys at Thriv sent me an email a few weeks back, asking me if I’d be interested in testing out a sample of one of their new athletic shirts.
Unlike most athletic wear, which is either made of synthetic fiber (or, sometimes, very old and sweatsoaked cotton), the Thriv line is mostly bamboo [...]

Read the full article →

Ed Viesturs’ new K2 Book

October 13, 2009

Over the weekend, I spent some time in Florida, where the weather was definitely much more conducive to riding roller coasters and enjoying air conditioning than it was to hiking (100 degrees and humid as a sponge on most days) – but I did get to spend some time reading Ed Viesters’ and David Roberts’ [...]

Read the full article →

Review – Eureka Spitfire 1

September 15, 2009

A while back, the team at Eureka Camping Tents was kind enough to ask me if I wanted to review a tent for them.
For about 3 years, I’d been dutifully using the same REI Half Dome 2 tent. REI claims it’s their most popular backpacking tent – and for good reason. It’s durable, [...]

Read the full article →

Juniper Ridge

January 13, 2009

Some of my favorite parts of hiking are the smells. No, not the lingering odor of your Smartwool socks on the ride back home — I’m talking about walking through a ridge of incense cedars on a cool day, filling your lungs with that amazing combination of fresh air and fragrant bark. If [...]

Read the full article →

e-Survivalist in Joshua Tree

May 6, 2008

This weekend, the LA Times ran a story by Dan Neil, following his adventures as he tries to make a six-day, north-south backpack through Joshua Tree National Park — weighed down with 7 pounds of high-tech gear. And that’s 7 pounds in a pack that already tips the scales at 50 pounds. Ultralight, [...]

Read the full article →

Which Socks to Wear?

April 18, 2008

One of the great secrets about hiking is that really – at least at the beginners’ level – anyone can do it. If you can walk down to the vending machine to buy a Twix, you can hike. And even if you can’t, you can still scale yourself a fourteener if you’ve got [...]

Read the full article →

← Previous Entries