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I've decided to go big and invest in a quality down jacket, one that I'm going to wear for the next decade. I may be using it when I'm shoveling snow, snowshoeing in the mountains, or just around town. Which jacket do you recommend? Lindsay Durango, CO
Gert Boyle, the 86-year-old leader of Columbia Sportswear, thwarted an armed robbery attempt at her home by setting off a silent alarm. After the robber held her up at gunpoint outside and then led her inside, she told him she had to turn off…
I need a cool, new commuter bag. What do you recommend? The Editors Santa Fe, NM
I run on trails in the Virgin Islands because it's the only safe place to run, but I don't have trail running shoes. I have been tearing through shoes because they can't handle the rough terrain. What is the best warm-weather trail running shoes? Imagine a rocky gravel trail that gets muddy due to frequent tropical downpours. —Greg
I travel a lot and freeze on airplanes. I am looking for a comfortable, classy, warm, wrinkle-free outfit. The Editors Santa Fe, NM
Like untold thousands of American inventors before him, Dan Martinson created something new after a bit of frustration at the limitations of a standard product he had sitting around the house. In Martinson's case, it was bungee cords. “I found it very difficult to keep anything on the front of…
LOWA ALBULA GTX LADY, $280 Ah, November. That brief time of year when the air is crisp, the forest a carnival of color and the last of the Lady Frankenstein face paint has finally scrubbed off behind your ears. There couldn't be a better time to…
By Stephen Regenold With strong words and pointed language aimed at the outdoors industry, big promises on new technology, and theatrical skaters twirling amid spotlights on synthetic ice at an events center in the meatpacking district of New York City,…
How do you remove mildew from backpacks, waders, and other outdoor gear. I recently brought out my gear for a weekend trip and discovered a lot of mildew on my gear. I looked at the Nikwax website, but do not see any products for mildew.
If you were only going to take one pair of shoes or boots to Belize to hike in the jungle, visit some ruins, and screw around on some zipline and cave tubing tours, what would you take? I'd love both a male and female option (for my companion).-AdamBoulder, CO
Why It’s CoolOnly Riot could build a six-foot-eight kayak and call it anything other than a dedicated playboat. The Turbo’s speed and quick-curve abilities will please big-wave adrenaline junkies, while a high bow rocker and forgiving hull design provide downstream stability in rowdy rough stretches. » Riot deserves a most-innovative-outfitting…
WILD STALLIONDig in your paddle and the Fish will instantly respond. But this one isn’t for newbies: With sharp edges and cavernous volume, this DragoRossi will toss those who don’t fully commit to their tricks. That said, the Fish is packed with nifty design elements, like raised bumps on the…
A REC BOAT WITH MOJO With its behind-the-seat gear hammock and adjustable, ergonomic seat, the Bliss looks like your run-of-the-mill beginner boat. But because of its shapely lines and dual hull channels, it handles and tracks better than any other rec model we tested. I kept pace with boats twice…
The Willis freestyle vest employs Astral’s split-panel design with two independent foam sections. An inner panel hugs your ribs, while the outer panel moves with your shoulders. astralbuoyancy.com…
An Updated Classic With its fully adjustable pull-through straps, comfy (and burly) footbed, and impressive grip on slippery surfaces, the Z2 has been a perennial favorite of boatmen. This updated version has a slightly beefier outsole and is made from a more durable rubber mixture. chacousa.com…
Yes, the name says “boardshort,” which means these quick-dry bottoms are meant for ocean play. But they’re so cute, you won’t feel as if you’re wearing your bathing suit around town. columbia.com…
If you aren’t flailing on 5.10’s anymore, you’re probably ready to start lead-climbing. It’s time to invest in quickdraws (like Black Diamond FireWires, $17.50), a daisy chain, and a high-quality rope. BlueWater’s 10.2-millimeter, 60-meter Eliminator is long enough for some multipitch climbs. Bonus: A percentage of the proceeds…
1. The Triumph is like the best hotel mattresses: soft and springy but not mushy. Articulated outsole lugs and a five-layer sandwich of foam, rubber, and thermoplastic in the heel absorb the impact of each foot strike while retaining a remarkable responsiveness. And thanks to its forward-leaning tilt, the…
1. When the Flyer shape was first introduced, in 1999, it was as a performance board for small waves. But it worked so well that it became Channel Islands’ bestselling board of all time. Like the Flyer, the Helix is versatile on a wide range of waves. It’s lively…
Innovation usually comes in fits and starts: a zipper here, a strap there. But Arc’teryx dispenses with the nickel-and-dime approach with this revolutionary pack. Any other year its every detail—from welded seams to dynamic suspension—would have been noteworthy. In this case the sum is much, much greater than the…
Yes, it cranks. But the true test of stoves this size is how well they simmer—and the Bantam passed our (scientific) evenly-cooked-pancake test with flying colors. White gas only, 10 oz; brunton.com…
At first glance, this hauler might seem born out of Lockheed’s Skunkworks, but relax: Our Gear of the Year pack will get you there and back in a flash. A matchless mesh suspension setup saves aches and ounces, while the main compartment smartly stows as much or as little as…
Why It’s CoolThe Hubba Hubba beguiled me right away with its prismatic fly and seductive space-pod look. » This radiant four-pound freestander sets up in a jiffy, with a single arching pole, short pole, hub connector, and clip-in mesh canopy. » The 40-inch ceiling and 30-square-foot floor afford two adults…
1. Comfort: Go ahead, try and overload it. On treks in New Mexico's Pecos Wilderness and even ski touring in the Tetons, testers were unanimous: The Meridian carries like a champ. Credit the firm yet flexy composite frame-sheet that moves with your body, dual-density foam in the hipbelt that cushions…
The three-ounce Granite Gear Air Compressor ($24 for the small size) can crunch a standard 20- or 30-degree bag practically down to the size of an oatmeal canister.
*This shoe has been discontinued by New Balance and is no longer available. 1. The 850 simply fit and felt better than all the rest. Its deep heel pocket and snug waist created a tailored fit, and the toe box never felt confining. A web of dual-density plastic sandwiched…
This fabric accordion expands at the knees, which gave me—a sleeper with restless-legs syndrome—a welcome night of unrestricted tossing and turning. The elastic keeps the Exceloft synthetic insulation close to the body for efficient warmth, though some cold sleepers found the rating a tad optimistic. 32°F, 2.7 lbs; www.montbell.com…
1. Who says you can’t please everyone? Whether our testers had wide or narrow feet, or preferred slow, long runs or quick, on-your-toes workouts, somehow all were convinced the Glide was the perfect shoe for them. The key is a generous amount of padding in the heel collar and…
It’s like a closeout deal without the closeout. This Thermolite Micro–filled sack has cozy touches not typically found on a summer bag, like extra chest insulation, a fleece liner at the feet, and a draft tube and full hood. And it still packs so small we stuffed it in…
The antimicrobial poly-and-wool blend is an excellent funk fighter. And the body-mapping construction—thicker fabric around the chest, thinner under the arms, and flexible sections on the elbows for mobility—works: It’s extremely comfy and better at temperature regulation. Note: Runs small and slim—the large fits like a medium.
A CLASSIC ULTRALIGHT Thunder Dome? Perhaps something was lost in translation, because there’s nothing Mad Max–like about this tent from Japan-based MontBell. Despite the name, its earth-toned fly, two-pole design, and taut pitch are all rather traditional—in a good way. What’s not traditional is the exceptionally low weight for the…
At our annual ski test, 12 hard-charging testers put the Kendo through its paces at Snowbird (see page 37), and every tester wrote something to this effect: “You can make every turn shape at every speed on every style of terrain.” That’s the ultimate goal of an all-mountain ski,…
BD’s signature FlickLock mechanism makes adjusting these sticks literally a snap (no twisting required). The oval-shaped, aluminum shafts are the stiffest we tested, and the grips nest perfectly in hand. 20 oz per pair; bdel.com…
LUXURIOUS LIGHTWEIGHT This 2007 Gear of the Year summer bag is super-soft and impressively warm for the low weight. Plus it lets you chill without being chilly: It unzips to the hips on both sides, freeing your arms for reading or cooking while keeping the rest of you snug.
This completely enclosed and integrated pot-and-burner system is incredibly fuel-efficient, boiling a liter of water in as fast three minutes. 13.6 oz (includes 1.7-liter pot); msrgear.com…
Our favorite: The Apollo is bright (three watts), compact (can-of-soup-size when collapsed), and easy on the eyes (you press a button to dim it). 11.1 oz; bdel.com…
The Minibus uses two parallel hoops connected by perpendicular brow poles that make for truly vertical sidewalls and the roomiest two-person interior in our test—five of us were able to comfortably sit in a circle and play cards. And although it resembles the hippie-mobiles of yore, its amenity package…
A secure clip let testers affix this waterproof flashlight to the brim of a baseball hat without it sagging. Though tiny—not much larger than a roll of Life Savers—the Serac is remarkably powerful for a light that runs on just one CR123 battery. 3 oz; leatherman.com…
All-Season Workhorse The Lookout 45 was designed with winter in mind—there are ski-, snowboard-, and snowshoe-specific straps. But our testers liked it so much, they kept grabbing this 2,870-cubic-inch bag for weekend adventures all summer. That’s because everything—from maps to hydration tubes to camera cases—has its place on this tricked-out…
Simply pop open Eureka’s collapsible aluminum Chenango and start setting the table. eurekatent.com…
This stripped-down boot has a low flex point and an upright feel, but is plenty stiff enough to crank high-speed turns with confidence. head.com Bonus: Its micro-adjustable alloy buckles were easy to fine-tune, even in bulky gloves. …
LAP THE PARK The Fix’s reinforced edges are designed specifically to stand up to wear and tear in the park, while its soft flex allows for easy spins and takeoffs. The Fix also features Burton’s new Scoop Technology, which refers to the board’s forgiving, spoonlike convex curve and tapered edges.
LIGHT AND NIMBLE Ride engineers whittled away every bit of fat from this board by using tricks like a topsheet made with fabric-like material, which slices the weight of a typical topsheet in half. Ride even slimmed down its Slimewalls without losing their incredibly poppy action. But while most ultralights…
At 105 millimeters underfoot, this fatty skis through crud like a tank. It was truly at home, however, in thigh-high Rocky Mountain powder, where it floated tips-up even when the knee was down. 136/105/124, 8.6 lbs; genuineguidegear.com Bonus: It released out of turns with the agility of a…
Thanks to the stiff carbon-fiber tongue and “stringers” that laterally reinforce the Zzeros, these ultralight four-buckle boots felt surprisingly solid and stiff bombing down steep shots around Loveland Pass. 7 lbs; dynafit.us Bonus: Grooved guides in the toe make the boots much easier to click into the bindings than…
K2's fattest women's AT ski has enough sidecut to arc GS turns on hardpack, enough flex to bounce through a foot of powder, and enough dampness to tame a crusty minefield. 120/88/108, 8 lbs; k2alpineterrain.com …
EVERY RESORT, EVERY RUN Good for All Mountain Rossi bills the Phantom as a 60 percent off-piste ski. So we were a little nervous taking it out on early-morning boilerplate at Taos. But even though this shark-nosed and fairly straight ski is silky and light, it…
Chute fiends: This classic self-arrest pole has been redesigned with a non-removable (i.e., more confidence-inspiring) head and a pick cover (5/$10, not included)—so you won’t gut yourself in a wipeout. bdel.com…
Good for All Mountain The Anti Piste has the exact same dimensions as K2's popular Coomba but with a bit of rocker in the tip. You can tell. Testers loved the way the subtle tweak to the shape allowed them to smear turns in a flash but noted…
For the second year in a row, Atlas’s Elektra snowshoes made the cut for their superior performance and good value. The new Elektra 8’s have a contoured shape that doesn’t interfere with your stride and a light, easy-to-operate spring-loaded binding that accommodates a wide variety of boots. 23″ and…
HIGH FLYER Like the Tahoe-based hucker for whom it’s named, this one is all about the park. The Jackson Pro’s true-twin shape and easy swing weight allow for solid spins and switch riding. “Superstiff and powerful, this thing tore through the park,” remarked one tester after multiple laps. Strips of…
Good for Park and Pipe The reverse-camber Compact was the most confidence-inspiring and maneuverable park-and-pipe board we tested this year. We’re also big fans of Ride’s proprietary urethane sidewalls. They absorb chop better than other brands’ and help eliminate washout (over-rotating), a common problem with rockered…
Good for Telemark Now available in a size small, the NTN binding offers women accustomed to alpine-like control and power a no-sacrifices way to get into telemark skiing. Testers liked that they didn't have to bend over and mess with cables to get in and out. And everyone praised…
Good for All Mountain The highest-scoring ski in this category, the twin-tipped John wowed our testers with its versatility. Ex-racers can arc race turns, jibbers can throw them switch, and big-mountain skiers can blast through trees and powder. “Fun, fun, fun,” said one tester. Clearly the company…
Good for Resort Testers were truly shocked: You’re not supposed to be able to get a boot this good at this price. The key feature is the special plastic underfoot: It’s formulated for optimum energy transmission, and they must have gotten the recipe right, because the Sensor…
TELEMARK Good for All Mountain With the same dimensions as Rossi's S7 Barras alpine ski, the Mancini has a traditional camber and shape but adds a mega-wide rockered tip for float and a narrower pintail for scrubbing turns. The result is a ski that's equally adept at abrupt direction…
Band Aider New to running tech? Start here. A foot pod and waterproof wristband measure time, total distance (90 to 95 percent accurate), and speed (ballpark), then uploads the info into basic Web-based tracking software. nikerunning.nike.com…
All Mountain A few years ago, Marker wowed side-country fans with the burliest (and heaviest) AT binding in history, the Duke. And two years ago the company came out with a lighter version, the Baron. The weight-loss trend continues with the Tour F10 and F12, which both come in at…
The Quasar features triple-layer foam for a cushioned fit, spherical lenses for optical clarity, and, like the Smith (right), an equalizer vent to help eliminate moisture buildup and fogging. All those inclusions would more than merit the $140 price tag, but the Modulator lenses are also photochromic, a feature…
Why It’s CoolIt’s so simple—a single strap secures the floating lid, and that’s all you see looking at the front of this bag. Not to fear; you get ice-ax loops, daisy chains, and compression straps down the sides, but the absence of front clutter is refreshing. » The suspension is…
YOU CAN HAVE IT ALL Even at a wider 95 mm underfoot, the Sentinel was one of the more dynamic skis in the category. The front of the ski is playful and floats nicely in resort powder, but the Sentinel is all business in the back, where the sidecut and…
Why They’re CoolThere’s a 20-foot-long slab of slick rhyolite near my house, inclined at about 55 degrees. Maybe one out of ten pairs of hikers I try will cling to it at all, but the sticky-soled Ventures just walked right on up. » Surprisingly, the sharp lugs also performed perfectly…
The Sensor3 is easy to like. It has a slightly wider fit that almost every tester (except those with really narrow feet) raved about. But it’s no slouchy cruiser; despite its comfy fit, it’s one of the stiffest boots in Rossi’s line. TAGS: easygoing, big mountain…
Ankles prone to rolling? The Breeze’s stable platform makes it incredibly supportive for a light hiker, yet it doesn’t feel clunky. The mostly mesh upper breathes exceptionally well and dries quickly. The Breeze excelled on fast-and-light trips, like a jaunt up and down Vermont’s Stowe Pinnacle. www.tecnicausa.com Bonus:…
Testers dug the Geos for their roomy toe box, flexible and responsive upper, and easy-to-lace liner. Grippy fabric—it feels like a cat’s tongue—in the heel helps keep your foot in place. Be forewarned: These run about a size too big. TAGS: stylish, runs big…
Can’t bear to leave anything behind, even on a weekend trip? This sleek pack has the biggest capacity of the bunch, with a suspension that can handle 40-plus pounds and a height that didn’t cause instability when I hiked Colorado’s steep Liberty Bell Trail. The pack is on the…
Lightweight Response And for those of you who ride Burton’s EST boards, the company has updated its EST-only CO2 binding. Testers agreed that the new soft-rubber cushions in the highback soak up even more chatter, but they had mixed feelings about the redesigned ankle straps. They’re lighter but also…
LITTLE BIG BOOT A hike on the eight-mile trail to the top of Colorado’s 14,259-foot Longs Peak demands a lot out of a shoe: support, traction, durability, agility, and low weight. That’s a tall order, but the Namche carried the day, performing like a running shoe disguised as an approach…
RACE READY The brand of choice for over half of the top World Cup ski racers proves it can make planks that arc for weekend warriors, too. The B5i’s capped construction allows for easy turn initiation and release, which is why one tester felt “like an Austrian in a one-piece,…
HARD CHARGER Unless you huck off every cliff in sight, donning body armor is overkill. But a little back protection makes sense for anyone who ventures into exposed, big-mountain terrain. The multitasking, 1,450-cubic-inch Razor is built with a Shield Back System: foam-wrapped polyethylene pads that are part of the internal…
THE PERFECT TRAVEL HIKER We didn’t pick this shoe because it’s good-looking enough to wear to dinner. We picked it because it performs just as well as the other light hikers we chose and you won’t look like a dork walking around downtown later that evening. The mid-sole of the…
Thanks to beefy waterproof-breathable uppers and grippy lugs, the Alby Low is our top pick for inclement weather. Ultra-cushy soles pad finicky feet on long walks, and on a snowy day hike, one tester reported perfectly warm and dry toes. 13 oz; hellyhansen.com…
Why They’re CoolAt a scant one pound 15 ounces per pair, I could feel the V-Lites maximizing my fuel efficiency with every step. Yet the full-height uppers shielded my ankle bones from rocks, stumps, and gravel. » Hi-Tec built the V-Lites around a midsole of shock-absorbing EVA, which made for…
This was the best multi-day haul pack we tested. In terms of both price and usability, the 3,480-cubic-inch El Lobo hits the sweet spot. “Feels lighter than it is” and “really moves with you” were common tester refrains. Credit the Lobo’s X-shaped chassis and dual-pivot hipbelt, which, as advertised,…
Best for Scramble-Hikes Most approach shoes are either too slipperlike for hiking or too rigid for scrambling. But SCARPA’s Epic hits the sweet spot with its combination of a thick, shock-absorbing EVA foam midsole (for the hike in) and a sticky, smear-ready outsole (for the assault on the top). The…
Why It’s CoolNot everyone can reach a rooftop storage box, and even those who can might not be in the mood to clean-and-jerk gear into place after an epic outing. Enter this hard-shell hatchback add-on. » Mounting is easy—the Terrapin connects with your trailer hitch and has its own taillights.
I am an organization freak, so I find Zen when all of my gear has its own place, like in the multiple pockets of this compact 1,200-cubic-inch hydration pack, which holds three Nalgenes’ worth of water. ospreypacks.com…
Size, Price: 70 oz, $28; 100 oz, $30Flow Rate: 3*Funk Figher?: Antimicrobial treatmentFilter-Compatible?: Yes, with $7 adapterValve Shutoff?: YesGotta Love: Angled mouthpiece puts bite valve where you need itBummer: Tricky to drySplat Test: Survived *Ratings: 1=Average, 3=Excellent…
Don’t be fooled by the adiStar’s low weight and mesh upper. It’s a solid motion-control shoe for heavier runners or severe overpronators looking to hammer out miles. Adidas recently streamlined its proprietary Ground Control System, resulting in a sleeker, lighter shoe with the same support benefits. It nips overpronation…