All the gear for the climb, hike, run or bike up and down that trial.
The Best Backpacking Gear of the Year There are three things you can count on as the seasons change: the leaves will turn, the wildflowers will bloom, and outdoor manufacturers will unfold new lines of equipment. But too often the “all new” gear is basically the same old stuff with a splash of color and…
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The Best Backpacking Gear of the Year Each spring when we present the Editors’ Choice Awards (this is our fourth time), we invariably get asked, “Say, how do you choose the winners anyway?” To answer that question, consider what one of this year’s entrants , a pack, went through. One editor, who was headed out…
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The Best Backpacking Gear of the Year Innovation ain’t worth bugger all if it pikes out in a pinch. That’s why we took the finalists for our 13th annual best-gear awards to New Zealand: We knew the South Island’s legendary storms and rugged topography would help us peel back the last layers of hype and…
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A lightweight backpack, custom-molded boots, and the best lip balm we’ve ever tried: meet our favorite gear of the season. Mt. Taranaki, North Island, New ZealandGood gear gets the job done. Great gear makes it easy. We should know—we’ve been at this for 25 years. That’s a quarter of a century worth of big blisters,…
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Tues, 3/13, 9:30 am-12:30 pm Group: Sonoma County Agricultural Preservation and Open Space District When: Tuesday, March 13, 9:30 am-12:30 pm Where: Scribe Winery, Sonoma, CA Cost: Free (registration required) Details: Join Sonoma Ecology Center staff to see the land rebound on Arrowhead Mountain, which burned in the October wildfires. We will look at the…
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Sat, 3/10, 7 am-8 pm Group: Atlanta Outdoor Club When: Saturday, March 10, 7 am-8 pm Where: Duncan Ridge Trail, near Suches, GA Cost: Free (registration required) Details: Starting at Wolf Pen Gap on the Duncan Ridge Trail, we will hike through Wildcat Gap, up to the top of Coosa Bald (4,270 ft), and continue along the Duncan…
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Sat, 3/10, 8 am-Sun, 3/11, 5 pm Group: NOLS & REI When: Saturday March 10, 8 am-Sunday, March 11, 5 pm Where: Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, Ojai, CA Cost: $235 members/$265 non-members (registration required) Details: Whether spending time in the backcountry is your passion or your profession, you should never have to ask, “What do I do now?”…
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Thurs, 3/15, 6:30-9:30 pm Group: Griffith Observatory Hiking Group When: Thursday, March 15, 6:30-9:30 pm Where: Griffith Park, Los Angeles, CA Cost: Free Details: This hike is going to differ from past events as we’re going to go to Griffith Observatory from our usual spot, parking lot #2 of the Merry-Go-Round in the Griffith Park. The…
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Sun, 3/11, 8:30 am-5 pm Group: SheJumps & K2 Skis When: Sunday, March 11, 8:30 am-5 pm Where: Crystal Mountain Resort, Enumclaw, WA Cost: $10 + discounted lift ticket (registration required) Details: Get the Girls Out presented by K2 Skis is a national campaign to unite women as they support, challenge, mentor and inspire each other in…
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After months and miles of testing, we found 12 products that set new benchmarks for performance, innovation, and value. Kelty TN 2 Kelty TN 2 (Courtesy Photo)Cowboy camping is fun—the bazillion stars overhead, that sense of complete integration with nature—until the rain starts to fall. And who among us hasn’t had a late-night, bleary-eyed scramble…
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