

Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
We can be educated and persuaded but not bought, bullied or bs'd.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.

Yep, that just about says it all. Like Pendley always said, I'll take two if they're free.
Wade Nelson
Editor
Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
We can be educated and persuaded but not bought, bullied or bs'd.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.





Wade Nelson
Editor
Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
We can be educated and persuaded but not bought, bullied or BS'd.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.

Wade Nelson
Editor
Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
We can be educated and persuaded but not bought, bullied or BS'd.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.








Wade Nelson
Editor
Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
We can be educated and persuaded but not bought, bullied or BS'd.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.
Wade Nelson
Editor
Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.


Wade Nelson
Editor
Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.







Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.
About a third of you who visit this site regularly are trigger pullers of some kind or another so I thought you non-Western Hunter Magazine subscribers might like to see what I am doing over there. Here is my article from the most recent issue. I have received more positive feedback on this article than any of the others I have written for them.
PROTECTING THE HUMAN MACHINE
By Wade Nelson
Gear Editor, Western Hunter Magazine
The difference between success and failure out there on the ragged edge boils down to; a good head on your shoulders, a strong body, and the right gear. Coach Paulsen will address physical conditioning and nutrition in his new Fuel The Fire column but even the fittest person can’t survive being too hot or too cold for too long. As magnificent as the human body is, as good as its thermoregulating mechanisms are, it simply can’t tolerate much more than a few degrees of variance in operating temperature without a dramatic drop in performance. Protecting the human machine from adverse environmental conditions with the right gear is critical to the safety and success of the serious outdoorsman. The right clothes and some good tips can make a big difference.
Assuming you are healthy, in good shape and properly hydrated and nourished, the biggest challenge to keeping the human machine running at peak performance is maintaining optimal body temperature. For most adult men that is an average of between 97 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit at the core. Keeping the needle in that narrow operating range is part of what the Docs call Homeostasis. When you’re at home it’s just a matter of turning the thermostat up or down but it’s a much different proposition when you are on the mountain and living out of a pack. A drop in core body temperature (hypothermia) can occur under the right circumstances even in the mildest weather and is indicated by signs/symptoms that begin with shivering, headaches, lack of muscle coordination, and mental confusion progressing to cardiac, respiratory failure and death.
The scariest thing about hypothermia is that it sneaks up on you and affects your ability to think clearly which means you may not respond appropriately or quickly enough to remedy the situation. I have been on many SAR missions that turned into body recoveries because of an all too common sequence of events. Victim gets cold, makes bad decisions, gets lost, gets hurt and dies. Circumstances and details vary but once the downward spiral begins the results are usually the same, however, it is predictable and preventable. The right clothing system can protect you.
Knowing how we lose body heat helps us use our clothing system to either stay warm when we are sitting still or cool off when we are working hard.
• Convection-A fluid (air or water) moving (wind is a big factor) across your body and taking body heat with it. Water convects heat much better than air which is why getting wet in the backcountry can be dangerous.
• Conduction-Physical contact with something colder than you. This is why we use sleeping mats and sit pads to insulate us from the cold ground.
• Radiation-Our body emits or radiates heat constantly. The goal, depending on our situation, is to keep it in and stay warm or let it out and cool off.
• Evaporation-The transformation of water into vapor. This is why we sweat when we’re hot. It’s our most effective cooling method and works best when combined with a breeze (convection).
• Inhalation/exhalation/ingestion-Breathing cold air in, breathing warm air out, and eating or drinking things that are cold (like snow or runoff water).
To remain effective in the field our gear has to be flexible in dealing with these processes. It would be easy if we drove to a tree stand and waited for something to walk by but that is not how most Western Hunter readers do it. We hump a good size pack and cover a lot of ground on foot which means we generate a lot of heat and sweat but then we stop to glass for hours at a time and get cold. Fortunately, the outdoor equipment industry, driven mostly by mountaineers and the military, has developed gear that Lewis and Clark could have never imagined but even with all the progress, modern mountain men still turn back the wind, rain and snow, retain vital body heat and cool off by layering our clothing. We constantly adjust to changing conditions and activity levels with the mixing and matching of protective shell, insulation layer, active ventilation techniques and physical exertion control to keep from freezing up or overheating.
I want to repeat something I’ve said here before. I’ve yet to find the perfect set of clothes that performs adequately in every situation so to properly tune your gear list to the trip you have to do your homework. Terrain, historical temperature range for that area at that time of year, distances to public road access, places of refuge, trails, etc. My point is you need to know the area and what to expect so you can develop a good plan, then use that plan to tailor a proper gear list. Research, plan, gear list, in that order. Sound like we are preparing for a military special operations mission? Yes, because that’s how professionals maximize their probability of success while minimizing the chance of failure or mishap.
Here are the basic layers and techniques that I use to stay dry, warm and productive while hunting the Western U.S. in the fall and winter.
Base Layer-Provides some insulation but has to be able to pull or wick sweat away from the skin efficiently and dry quickly. Wet skin loses heat at an exponentially faster rate than dry skin so this component of the system is critical. I suggest long sleeves and form fitting with a deep zip t-neck for good ventilation when you need it. REI and Patagonia have light, mid and expedition weights to suit different conditions, hunting friendly colors and are made of Polypropylene or Merino wool. I wear bike short length bottoms unless I expect it to be very cold.
Insulation-The big decision is goose down or synthetic which is determined by your research and the answer to a very simple question. Can you keep the down dry or not? Down is lighter, more compressible and a better insulator than even the best synthetics unless it gets wet. Insulation pieces are meant to be worn under the protective shell so they should be as simple and lightweight as possible but they need to be thick enough to make an overnight bivy survivable. Look at Wild Things, Wiggys, and Sitka Gear for Primaloft, Lamilite and Climashield synthetic insulations. For down go to Western Mountaineering, Nunatak and Mont-Bell.
Sometimes I bring a second insulation piece, a light, tightly knit synthetic wool button down shirt from Cabelas or a Patagonia Synchilla fleece pullover. They cut the wind, “breathe” well and are good when it is too warm to wear my shell but too cool for just my base. They are also quiet. Wade Nelson Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies. Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.
Shell Layer-The perfect hunting shell is lightweight but very durable, uses a waterproof/windproof/vapor permeable laminate, has pit zips, adjustable cuffs and a double front zipper for active ventilation and is quiet. Look at Gore-Tex and eVent shell jackets and pants or bibs from Tad Gear, Sitka Gear, Wild Things and Arcteryx.
Head-I always wear a ball cap. It shades my eyes and blocks the sun when I am glassing. It also makes the brim on my shell hood work much better when it is raining hard. I keep a windproof balaclava made by Outdoor Research for nasty conditions or bivys. Remember the old saying, if your feet are cold put a hat on. Everything from your neck up is very vascular and prone to major heat loss. Expose those areas when you are hot, cover them when you are cold.
Hands-And wrists are another part of the body where large blood vessels are close to the surface of the skin. They are also farthest from the heart so circulation is a concern in cold weather. I wear Hanz Nomex gloves, Outdoor Research mitten shells and carry a thick pair of fleece mittens. Disposable heat packs make great hand/pocket warmers. Carry more than you expect to need and replace them every year. Very important, when the body gets cold it shunts blood flow to the brain and vital organs in the core. Feet and hands are the first to feel the effects which is why they are particularly susceptible to frostbite. Protect them.
Feet-Most people buy boots that are too small. Make sure that yours fit properly and have extra room for thicker socks and swollen feet. Fall and winter hunting boots should be made of waterproof materials and use Gore-Tex liners to keep feet as dry as possible. Lowa (offers wide sizes), Hanwag, Kenetrek, Scarpa and Asolo are outstanding brands. Make sure that you have figured out what socks work best for you. Carry at least one spare pair and switch them out to dry often. Smartwool, Lorpen, Danner and Bridgedale make great hunting and cold weather socks. If you are expecting severe temperatures and nothing but snow then I would strongly suggest insulated boots or a technical pac like the Sorel Conquest.
Take care of your boots. Clean them and properly dress them after each trip to ensure maximum performance and durability.
I know it seems early to be thinking about this now but we are going to be hunting in less than three months and it will be here before you know it. Check your gear, do your repairs, replacements and upgrades now then conduct a couple of full dress rehearsals with your system to make sure you have all the bugs worked out of it. Opening day is a bad time to find out that you have a problem.
There you have it.
Editor

one of my favorite places. mount rainier. i had to steel this picture from img because you couldn't see much of the mountain while i was there. in fact it had been covered in clouds for more than a week according to the climbing rangers i talked to at camp muir. it has been a few years since i have been there and when i pulled into the parking lot at paradise i didn't recognize the place. the beautiful rolling, green meadows that were an apron around this big mountain are now covered in ten feet of snow. in fact, they are at 130% of their annual snow fall and it is only june. so much for global warming al. it is strange now. the mountain seems to come right down to the parking lot and it makes the old inn seem tiny. no leisurely warm up hike to the steep steps you have to climb to get to muir, it is post holing from the very first step and the clouds were threatening to dump more the whole time. i took a hard right at the guide service building and circled back around to where they do their arrest training. i donned crampons, traversed a steep ridge and then shot straight up the first big step and hung out at the solar bathroom for a while to watch people and see what gear they were using. a few surprises but mostly scarpa, la sportiva, koflach and lowas. talked with a number of rangers about the avilanche death that had happened a couple days before. a roped party of ten and a solo climber were hit. the rope team pulled themselves out ok but the solo guy was toast. no beacon and no body, yet. by the way, the climbing rangers are issued la sportiva nepals and they seem to like them. i hung out and talked shop until it started to get dark and the weather closed in. strapped on my snowshoes and crashed on down to the visitors center to impress the tourists with my authentic, manly man stink. i felt great. no headache. my wind was good. i didn't feel the altitude at all. it was just one of those rare days where the engine was running perfectly and all the horsepower was getting to the rear wheels. glorious.
my gear list included lowa siberhorn gtx boots, bridgedale summit knee socks, under armour boxer briefs, rei lightweight mts zip t-neck, rei powerstretch half zip, sitka gear ascent pants, yates intructor belt, tad gear raptor event jacket, western mountaineering down flight jacket, or balaclava, hanz gloves, black diamond sabretooth crampons, msr ascent snowshoes with tails, black diamond traverse trekking poles, mountain smith pack, camelbak 100 oz water beast bladder, bullfrog 36 spf gel, banana boat lip balm, thermarest prolite 3 pad, olympus stylus digital camera, zeiss miniquick monocular, swiss army soldier knife, ray ban polarized sunglasses, gen 2 spot satellite messenger, garmin fortrex 401 gps, petzl tikka xp2 and e+lite headlamps, storm whistle,

Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.




Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.


Thanks. Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Wade Nelson
Editor
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.





later tater

The Ortovox Pro Alu II snow shovel in extended, scoop position. Lightweight but very sturdy.
A lightweight, collapsible snow shovel is a required tool for your backcountry winter kit. It can be used for much more than just digging somebody out of an avalanche. If you have spent much time in the snow in the boonies, you know that snow is both a problem and a solution. I asked Brian Horner, survival training expert and President of Learn To Return Survival Training Systems, what kind of survival scenario would he prefer, desert-heat or snow-cold? Without hesitation, he said no question, snow-cold. He explained that he could almost always manage the generation and retention of heat in the cold but couldn't make things cooler if it were hot.
The nice thing about snow is that it can usually be used as a rudimentary construction material. You can build walls, seats, cooking stations and shelters. Now, in all honesty, I have never successfully built an igloo type snow shelter but I have carved out my fair share of snow caves and a whole bunch of quinzhees. In fact, the quinzhee is my favorite. In my experience, you not only need a shovel to build a good snow cave or quinzhee, you need one that is the right size and has a particular feature that most models do not possess.
Even if you are building a shelter big enough for just 1 or 2 people, you are moving quite a bit of snow but not so much that you need a grain scoop sized shovel like many ski patrollers use. Why? Because it is usually too big to carry on your back and it is too unwieldy to maneuver when you are fine tuning the shelter from the inside. There are a lot of good shovels on the market that fit my size and weight requirements but there are a precious few that have the feature that I am really looking for.
I have found that the right sized shovel with the ability to fix the blade in the “hoe” position, where the blade is perpendicular to the shaft, allows efficient removal of large amounts of snow by dragging it out the entrance hole. If you have built snow shelters before you will immediately know what I am talking about.

In extended, hoe configuration. Works great for scraping and clearing or pulling snow.
Somehow I lost my old shovel last year so I went looking for a replacement and I had the hoe feature in mind. The unit I chose is the Ortovox Professional Alu II. It is medium sized and both the shaft and blade are made of lightweight aluminum. I prefer a metal blade because it allows me the flexibility to build a fire in it or melt snow for water over a flame if need be. I think it is also louder if you needed to make some noise and would make a better weapon than hard plastic models. If you prefer a Lexan blade, go with the smaller but lighter Cougar.
These are valuable tools when the time comes to move some snow in the wilderness. If you are going out to work or play in the white stuff, get one and practice with it. It could save a life someday. Thanks. Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Wade Nelson
Editor
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.
the first interesting thing that happened was that since this was just a pt session i tried out a new route. a couple miles in i felt something hit me in the chest. it felt like somebody threw a peanut m&m at me. then i got hit on the brim of the hat, on my shoulders and then again in the chest. about seven or eight times before i figured out what it was. bees.
this is something i have been concerned about for some time and have done some research about so i was pretty sure what was going on. these were africanized honey bees that were flying into me. i had wandered into their home territory and they didn't like it so they were ramming me in an attempt to get me to go a different direction. sort of a warning shot across the bow before the entire hive launched an all out attack. i wheeled around and walked back down the trail and the skirmish ended.
that, according to my research, is the best thing to do. leave their territory as soon as possible. if you end up being attacked, the experts suggest covering your mouth and nose and running away as fast as you can. don't stand there yelling and swatting wildly at the bees, just run. they will pursue you but if you run far enough, maybe as much as half a mile, they will eventually quit and leave you alone.
a couple other things to consider here though. sprinting through the wilderness can be especially dangerous so try not to make the bee situation worse by taking a bad fall. once the attack stops you need to address your condition. how many times have you been stung? are you allergic? are you showing signs/symptoms of a reaction? can you make it out onn your own or do you need to hit the S.O.S. button on the SPOT unit? hope for the best but prepare for the worst before hand.
interesting thing number two. about two hours into my mid-afternoon jaunt i recognized that i was getting a little hot. i don't mean, boy howdy it is hot out today hot, i mean E.M.T. heat injury medical hot. i have lived in Arizona for more than 30 years and while i have never had much problem with the heat i am experienced enough to recognize when i have a problem that requires some attention. here is my list of plausible albeit weak excuses for feeling poorly.
the solution was easy but a little humbling. i found a little piece of shade, soaked my head and shoulders with water and let the breeze cool me down for about 15 minutes. i was a long way from the trailhead so while i enjoyed the view i called the wife unit from my cell phone. i told her where i was, that i wasn't feeling 100% but i would finish my trip to the top and call her when i started back down then again when i got to the truck. not a big deal but it was the smart thing to do and something far too many men hesitate to do.
and that my dear readers is the answer to the trivia question. what is it that kills more men in the backcountry then anything else? the same thing that keeps them from asking for directions when they get lost in the city. pride.
the actual mechanism might be one of the answers you sent in but the root cause of the final disposition is usually good old fashioned, stubborn male pride. be sure to keep it in check and know the difference between tenacious persistence and reckless or stupid behavior driven by vanity and an overwhelming desire for bragging rights. my point is, it's ok to screw up guys, just don't make things worse by trying to hide honest mistakes. people are counting on you to come back home safe and sound.
Editors Note-thanks for all the guesses. Apparently you like this sort of thing so I will come up with some occasional opportunities to wet your whistle. Prizes could be anything from my prodigious stash of gear. T-shirts, boots, backpacks, shells, stoves, electronics, full grown children, small farm animals or whatever.
Thanks.
Wade Nelson
Editor
Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who can't or won't turn back.

Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.




flagstaff, arizona in may. the snowbowl ski lifts are closed but it is still cold and snowing on arizonas highest point (mt humphreys is 12,643 feet). a great time and place to get up on the mountain and test some gear. i woke up saturday morning in the bed of my truck. 9315 feet above sea level, 20 plus mph winds and 12 degrees but i was buck naked and toasty comfy in my sleeping bag slash bedroll from the outdoorsmans.
lowa silberhorn gtx, lowa tibet pro gtx, bridgedale summit socks, under armour boxer briefs, rei power stretch zip t-neck top, sitka gear ascent pants, sitka gear stormfront jacket, hardcore outdoor cap, maui jim sunglasses, yates uniform rappel belt, hanz gloves, outdoor research crocodile gaiters, outdoorsmans sleeping bag, ortovox pro alu II shovel, black diamond trekking pole, gnat canister stove, jetboil flash stove, spot 2.1, iridium sat phone, globalstar sat phone.

Despite our success we have stayed true to our ideals. We scour the market for things we think we will like. We evaluate those items and if we like them, we incorporate them into our systems and use them in the field. If we use them, we promote them here and other places. We are objective, independent and what the marketing folks call "authentic" which means you can trust what you read because nobody paid for the time, exposure, publicity or promotion. I like to say that we can be persuaded and educated but not bought or bullied. Anybody that knows me will attest to that.
As we become more well known different opportunities present themselves. Some I accept, some I don't and sometimes I just laugh. Here is one I accepted because I like movies, especially good movies about interesting people doing something they love with passion and commitment even when it doesn't make a lot of sense to anyone else. 180º South is one of those movies.
I received an invitation to be a screener of 180º South and based on the brief description (a group of climbers/surfers re-trace Yvon Chouinards epic trip to Patagonia in 1968) of the movie I responded immediately. Sure as shoot'n the FedEx dude (see how hip I can be) showed up a few days later with a DVD. I fired up the big screen and watched it. I liked it.
It is documentary like in it's feel and it has a soft ecological message to it but it wasn't in my face or preachy. It made sense to me. There are extraordinary places in the world that deserve to be protected so that future generations can experience and enjoy them. To do otherwise is selfish and short sighted.
I particularly enjoyed the cutaway scenes with Yvon Chouinard. He is a piece of work that belongs on a wall somewhere, a character and somebody I'm sure I would enjoy spending some time with. He is the epitome of the word "interesting" and you have to be impressed with what he has done with his life and how he has done it.
Anyway, check it out. It was a good flick that reminded me of some other movies I liked. Touching The Void, Dogtown and Z-Boys, and Riding Giants are also about interesting people and their obsessions.
Thanks.Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who can't or won't turn back.

Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who can't or won't turn back.

Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who can't or won't turn back.

Camelbak coined one of the great all time marketing phrases ever, hydrate or die, which rates right up there in my book with plop, plop, fizz, fizz, you can pay me now or you can pay me later, and America runs on Dunkin. Camelbak was right, proper hydration is a very big deal.
This one is pretty self explanatory so I won't keep you too long today. The big take away point here is that if you are working hard in the backcountry you need to stay hydrated and you have to replace the salts you sweat out. While I have been a Gatorade fan since I first mixed it up and served it to my Dads players in the early 70's, there are some other electrolyte replacement drinks that I like better but they don't come in these super easy, convenient single shot packets. Until they do, these are the ones I am using in the field and recommending now to you.
They are no muss, no fuss, clean as a whistle to use, they get the job done and they are easy to find in most places. And...they taste good.
I usually carry a separate, throw away container for these kinds of drinks so I don't limit what I do with my primary water supply. I also would not mix them up and store them for any length of time in my bladders.
Thanks.
Wade Nelson
Editor
Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.


What do you do when you create a company like Mountain Smith, work hard to make it a success, then sell it to a big corporation? Retire? Not if you have a passion for the outdoors. Not if you love to design and make great gear. Not if you are Patrick Smith. If you are Patrick Smith, you start all over again by creating another successful company called Kifaru International where you design and manufacturer some of the best gear on the market.
One of the on going discussions/arguments smoldering in the outdoor gear user world is the question of synthetic vs down sleeping bag insulation. My simple rule of thumb is that if I am confident that I will be able to keep it dry I will usually go for down because, at least up to this point, it is lighter more compressible and a better insulator. However, high quality synthetic insulations like Lamilite and Polarguard have held a very important place in my gear locker. I have used my Wiggys sleeping bags in every environment from river runs to search and rescue missions and they have never failed to perform as expected. Furthermore, they have held up to many years of hard use. However, they are heavier than my down bags with comparable temperature ratings (which is another discussion entirely) and they do take up more space in my pack.
Enter the Slick Bag from Kifaru which might close the gap and occupy the middle ground. The Slick and its more innovative Kifaru siblings use a continuous fiber polyester insulation called Climashield Combat which offers lightweight, compressibility, high warmth to weight ratio and of course it will continue to insulate if it gets wet. Kifaru Slick Bags also offer a less restrictive cut that provides more room for big guys or those that sleep fully clothed and with their boots on like bivy hunters or the military.
A regular size, which fits up to 6' 1", Slick Bag rated at zero degrees weighs 2 pounds 12 ounces. The 20 degree version weighs just 2 pounds. So, now you can see why I am interested in this Kifaru product. I will let you know how it goes.
Thanks. Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Wade Nelson
Editor
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.