Gear
ArchiveEverything I read about tents says not to cook in the vestibule, but then I read gear reviews that say it is large enough to cook in. What's the scoop-is it safe to cook inside your vestibule or not? Shaun Aleda, California
Hello Mr. Gear, I'm going to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge late August/early September this year. Since the place is beyond the Arctic Circle and the timing is going to be late, I wonder if my insulating jacket—a Wild Things primaloft sweater—is going to be warm enough. Also, what's the difference between a three- and a four-season tent? We're trying to decide on a tent to take along, but I wonder if I should take a four-season tent. Last year we took a Sierra Designs Meteor Light to Alaska, but it really didn't perform under the gusty conditions. And this year, we're expecting very very windy conditions as well. Is there any three-season tents that can live up to gale force winds, or I'm just stuck w/ the dead weight of a four-season tent? Blanche Ingr Brisbane, Australia
Great Gear Guru: My hips hurt when sleeping on the ground, whether I've just humped a 60-pound pack or walked into my backyard. I currently use a Therm-a-Rest GuideLite sleeping pad. Do I need a new state-of-the-art pad, or should I just chalk it up to old age? Brad Sioux Falls, South Dakota
I'm going to be spending a year working in Kenya and need to find a sleeping bag. I need to get a synthetic bag, but I want one with mobility since I move around a lot when I sleep. I don't like the constriction of most bags. It also needs to be fairly compact. What do you suggest? Paul St. Louis, Missouri
I camp in the desert in the winter when temperatures can range from zero to 90. My main concern is the wind, which can be downright chilling but also kick up sand. I'm looking for a tent that will shed wind and also not flap like the sail of a 12-meter yacht when it tacks. I'd really like to sleep without the noise. Can you suggest a suitable three- or two-person tent, preferably something on the roomier side? Chip Cairo, Egypt
I just read your reply in reference to a question about sleeping bags for a big guy, and I have similar question. I only five feet, ten inches tall, but I have broad shoulders. I trying to find a mummy bag that is roomy enough through the shoulder area to move in. Do you have any recommendations for good but not too expensive down bags like this? Tad C. Helms Tallahassee, Florida
A friend and I are planning an attempt to summit Mount Shasta this summer. Neither of us owns an ice ax or crampons and we plan to rent those items when we get to the area. But recently I've been looking at Kahtoolas, which are kind of "crampons light." They're aluminum with no front points and touted as compatible with everything from hiking boots to running shoes. Looks like they might be adequate for a trek up Mount Shasta. Also, I might get some use out of these in future winter hikes. But they are north of 100 bucks (in the same territory as some entry-level crampons). Do you have any experience/insights on Kahtoolas? Mitch Thompson Shaker Heights, Ohio
What is the best type of footwear to wear when snowshoeing? Do I wear my hiking boots (kind of stiff but durable)? Or my low-cut trail hikers (comfortable but less durable)? Or something else? Katie Gold Boston, Massachusetts
I'm a student who's planning a summer road trip to visit some neighboring states and maybe even Canada. I hope to leave the truck for a few days at a time and do a little backpacking, so I'm looking for a pack. Remember, I'm a starving college student, so nothing too expensive please! Mike San Luis Obispo, California
I have a new Dana Design Shortbed pack, but after packin' for a long ten miles, I noticed that my hands and fingers were swollen. Was this just a bad pack fit, or was it too much weight for the long haul? Ray Kuna, Idaho
I have a Gregory Palisade pack and love it. A number of recent comments and reviews of the Dana Designs Terraplane pack have suggested it is the best pack on the market. However, I find the price of over $400 extreme. Is there something inherent in this pack that would suggest such a premium over the $200 to $300 internal fre packs in its category? David R. Eitemiller Colorado Springs, Colorado
Can you recommend a sturdy sack that will protect a backpack (with tent and sleeping pad strapped on) when it's checked as luggage on an airplane? David Oakland, California
I looking for a two-way radio. I don't know much about them and need some advice on a dependable and weatherproof model for outdoor activities such as camping and boating. So it would need to be. I hear you need a license for anything that has range of over five miles and would like to avoid that. KJ San Diego, California
Any idea where I might look for prescription sunglasses that I could use at high altitude? My local optician says the lenses he could sell me "might" block both ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) rays, but he's not sure. Is blocking both UV and IR really important? Andy Billings, Montana
I've been looking to buy a (first) sea kayak. I've tried a number of different models and types and have come up with a tentative short list: the Synergy by Northwest Kayaks, the Corona by Perception, the Sirocco by Current Designs, and the Cortez by Dagger. (I haven't tried the last one out yet but I've included it because of Outside's recommendation.) If you were a six-foot, 190-pond guy (and maybe you are) what boat would you consider to be the best value? I'm only considering plastic boats but I want to get the skinny on workmanship, materials, and design. Are these four companies equally regarded? Are the boats? Brian McCarthy Glendale, California
I have a narrow foot (11B), and find most hiking boots are D-width or wider. Any suggestions for boots that come in narrow widths? John W. Stafurik Los Alos, New Mexico
I recently heard about a new water bottle for hikers that doesn't slosh. I can't remember who advertised it. It was a bottle with a baffle type device inside it. I called everywhere, and searched the Internet, but couldn't find it. Can you help? Dean Willis Boise, Idaho
Thanks to a little bicycling accident last fall—which resulted in four brain surgeries—I've decided to take up hiking. I'm considering a staff or trekking poles to help with my balance. I believe trekking poles would be overkill for me, and that a single staff would be fine, particularly since I'll be sticking pretty closely to trails. Do you agree, and if so, which staffs would you recommend? Roley Davidson, North Carolina
G'day Gear Guy, I off to Peru in June for some high altitude climbing and I love all my toes. I currently have Salomon Mountain Guide 8's leather boots. I not a fan of plastics and looking to see how I can upgrade the warmth of my Salomons. What would be your recommendation for gaiters/overboots? Would this be enough? Cheers, Greg Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
We have a cabin tent that leaks, mostly from the bottom corners and stake-out loops. I have sprayed the tent and sealed the ses, but it still leaks. Is there anything else I can do besides trash this store-brand tent? As for new tents, the Eureka Getaway 9 or Coleman Sasquatch both fit size-wise; I don't want to spend over $250, though. Lastly, why do air mattresses always deflate while you're sleeping? Do they have a low life expectancy? Sarah Granite City, Illinois
After a long hiatus (scared off by all the stories of cycling-induced impotence), I getting back into road biking. I own, and love, the all-purpose Leatherman Wave multi-tool, so would like to get a similar device for my bike; which, if any, do you recommend? Your acolyte in Albany. Steve Albany, New York
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The dream is a brand-new river route through a vast, primordial, wildlife-rich wonderland on the verge of environmental salvation. The reality is what happens when a small band of marginally prepared adventurers attempts the 400-mile first descent of Mozambique's mighty Lugenda—a journey past kayak-eating crocs, out-of-nowhere waterfalls, and a multitude
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Dispatched to the annual Gearapalooza on the banks of the Great Salt Lake, our man returns with a vision of next year's swag.
DOWN TO EARTH MUSIC: IT'S A HIGH, LONESOME WORLD COMPILED FOR the International Year of the Mountains, the ROUGH GUIDE TO THE MUSIC OF THE ALPS, together with companion CDs from the Himalayas and the Appalachians (World Music Network, each), are the first to finally unite Krishna Das…
Kayaking, biking, hiking and gawking along the wild west's farthest shores
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230 Miles, 28 days, countless castles, and a giant snag—one family's transformative journey by kayak down the Guadalquivir River
REMEMBER WHEN SUNGLASSES served only to dial back the squint? Today’s featherweight specs perform a veritable OSHA list of functions: they reduce eyestrain; protect against ultraviolet, infrared, and wind; fend off dust, debris, and bugs; and block out glare. Alas, no single pair of shades will save you from all…
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Spread brilliant images of your adventures across the wide-open spaces on your walls with the latest generation of photography's technological wonders
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Camp overnight or camp all week. We've got the gear to let you go fast and light under blue skies or gray.
CHERRY Poets on the Peaks: Gary Snyder, Phillip Whalen and Jack Kerouac in the Cascades, by Jon Suiter (Counterpoint Press, ) illuminates these beats’ little-documented time tending fire lookouts in the north Cascades—summer pockets of productive A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard BY SARA WHEELER (Random…
In our lifetime, the outdoors has been reinvented by visionaries who opened new worlds for explorers, athletes, travelers, and dreamers. And the adventure is just getting under way—so take a closer look at the bright minds creating the next frontier. Jake Burton, son Timmy, and Ruby the retriever at…
ONCE THERE WAS A WORLD WITHOUT SNOWBOARDING. A world where mountain biking was a strange and obscure cult, kayaking fiendishly inaccessible. A world without fleece vests, single-walled mountaineering tents, down sleeping bags, or GPS. In fact, until the late seventies—around the time this magazine was born—the universe of outdoor recreation…
When outfitting yourself for desert or tropics, you no longer need to choose between protecting your epidermis and sweltering or going skimpy and inviting melanoma. New togs of tightly woven, highly sun-protective fabrics combined with built-in screen doors now reconcile coverage and comfort. RailRider’s Eco-Mesh Shirt Pants, and…
THE SNOW GEESE Art Brewer (The Surfer’s Journal, ), The second volume in the Masters of Surf Photography series, collects more than 30 years of this camera Kahuna’s Ultrasoulful Work—from action shots like this one of Dennis Pang, Marvin Foster, and the late Mar A Story…
Twenty-seven specks of coral, lost in the Indian Ocean, 1,620 miles from Perth. And you thought Australia's interior was remote.
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A paddle-perfect day on the Maine coast Q: I’m planning a kayaking trip to the Maine islands for a group of seven people. We would like to camp on one of the public islands for one night and paddle back the next day. Some of us have…
Bergelicious: ice soup off Chile’s Patagonian coast Q: Where are the best places to sea kayak in Chilean Patagonia? Also, do you know of any outfitters in Punta Arenas that provide good equipment without international prices? Thanks, — Patrick, Lima, Peru Adventure Advisor:…
IT WASN’T AS BIG as, say, finding a Lost Ark made of Jolly Ranchers, but the discovery last January of a vintage Hershey’s chocolate bar entombed in polar ice rocked the world of snack archaeology. Now, a year later, the company wants to know: How did the sweet get to…
Who needs Santa? We've got 65 of the choicest gifts for all the good little adventurers in your life—right here.
Somewhere at the bottom of the deepest canyon on earth flows the Cotahuasi—a long, roiling ribbon of whitewater, a river so old and dangerous that you never master it, you just surrender to it. And pay respect to its ghosts.
SUVS have been domesticated for Mom and Mr. Fixit, but the fact remains—these beasts are built for the boondocks, and their natural habitat is the rough, open road
Just be sure to share the load with one of this year's best backpacks