Recently I’ve made some custom modifications to my SUV to create somewhat of an Off Grid Micro-Camper for sleeping in before and after races and staying near the mountains on a budget. The biggest struggle is finding a way to power my devices while car camping. Small USB power banks are great for charging your…
Garmin Fenix 5 Plus Review – A GPS Fitness Watch That Does It All!
I’ve been a Garmin junky for a while. Wearing a Garmin Fenix watch since 2014 with the original Fenix 1 and more recently with the Fenix 5x. I got pretty excited when I heard that Garmin has released their newest flagship multi-sport watch in the form of the Fenix 5 Plus. This is a successor to the…
Field Tested: Outdoor Research Stormtracker Heated Gloves
Electric gloves?! That’s got to be a gimmick right? Well… maybe not! I personally struggle with the unfortunate “cold hands” gene during long pitches ice climbing and when standing still too long on a winter hike. I’ve also experienced the dreaded “screaming barfies” far too many times while climbing (google it)! Wearing big bulky gloves…
Field Tested: Katadyn BeFree 1.0L Water Filter
When I first got into hiking and backpacking I would carry an MSR Sweetwater pump style water filter. This type of filters uses a lever/plunger assembly and tubing to filtrate the water through a carbon filter for drinking. While they do work really well for filtering gross dirty water in a fast manner, they are…
Field Tested: Black Diamond Distance Carbon Z Trekking Poles
I’m not an avid trekking pole user. However, I do always carry them with me due to a history of knee issues. If I’m 20 mile’s in on a hike or run and my patella start barking I’ll pull them out for a little relief on the downhills. I’ve gone through a few pairs of poles over…