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.

• LED durability, reliability and efficiency
• Lightweight (4.4 ounces with batteries) 
• Selectable 200 or 15 lumens output 
• Extended burn times (2.5 and 45 hours respectively) 
• Available in black, green, tan or yellow body colors
• Runs on two 123A size Lithium batteries
• Surefire quality

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.

    

    

    

never ceases to amaze me the number or types of people that contact me with questions, comments or ideas.  this week was no different.

• a good optics set up and a little training is a relatively inexpensive but effective force multiplier.  give me a vantage point, good comms, a high end set of binos, a precision tripod/head/adaptor combo and i can "control and coordinate" many square miles without anyone even knowing i am there.  wilderness law enforcement, search and rescue, border security, military operations, asset protection or whatever
• expecting something special from sitka gear soon
• the ribz pack is a good product with definite uses, still working with it 
• garmin 62st is the latest and greatest gps receiver with exceptional performance and features
• most cable hunting shows suck...really bad
• i have a lot of respect for cody lundin but his new dual survival show is pretty bad.  maybe they should show you how to prepare and what to take instead of showing you how to survive with nothing as if you had been abducted by aliens from your bedroom, probed and then dumped out in the wilderness.  if you end up out there with nothing but the clothes on your back you are an indiot and a detriment to the gene pool unless of course you really were abducted by aliens 
• camelbak linchpin pack looks promising 
• new ford f-150 super crew is light duty but i am pretty impressed so far 
• if you get a chance to go to las vegas skip the casinos and boob palaces for a little time on nearby mt charleston.  a lot of vertical gain in a very short time.  great work out and nice views.  very fiew people when i was there 
• barefoot running and vibram fivefingers are all the rage but the SEAL instructors on 'nado beach are still running in bates 922 boots
• rattlesnakes on the trail, in my garage or on my patio have to die but anywhere else, i am happy to walk around them
• between my blackberry tour and my motorola droid, the droid wins hands down and verizon coverage/service is king
• finally got my pack contents dialed in and i couldn't be happier with the results
• kenetrek has a new boot out called the mountain guide.  interesting
• thank you soutwest airlines, you make business travel less stressful.  almost enjoyable
• beyond clothing.  where are my pants
• arbor wear pants.  better than my trusty carharts?  i think so
• katadyn base camp water filter is a nice addition to any remote multiday site.  fill, hang, wait, water
• new gatorade g series products are pretty good so far
• 2 things tell me that gov brewer and senate bill 1070 are on the right track.  first, i have seen a lot of overloaded pick-ups headed south on the interstate towards the border.  second, the lady gagas of the world are running their mouth against it

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.

Regular readers know that I am not much of a tent fan.  I like to rack out in the open under the stars where I can see what is going on around me.  However, there are certainly situations where a tent not only makes sense, it is an absolute necessity.  That's when I want the best tent I can get and in my opinion, that means one from Hilleberg 

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. 

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.

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.

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,   

• i had an idea awhile back where i would go to the airport, check my ready to go pack, pop on an airplane, take a car to a notable hiking/climbing area and knock out a quick but meaningful one or two day gig.  i call it jetpacking and the trick is to use the same gear list on all the trips except for crampons and snowshoes.  my goal is to determine the best all around kit.  so far i have done mt charleston (vegas) and rainier (seattle) and it is working out well  
• lowa slberhorn gtx boots were awesome with crampons and snowshoes or just by themselves even if they don't have an inner booty like the plastics
• oh, i heard the koflach plastic boots are coming back next year       
• msr ascent snowshoes made the trip down easy and safe
• broke in my new or crocodile gaiters.  still don't seem to be able to get them to sell the tan ones to anybody but the military.  why would you ignore selling a product to an entire segment of the market and open the door for a competitor like say kenetrek to fill the void.  especially when they are already making the product?  makes no sense
• spot satellite messenger proves itself again to be an essential tool.  and it is a good way to you actually did what you said you were going to do, where and when you said you did it 
• black diamond traverse trekking poles from whitaker mountaineering in ashford worked beautifully 
• which reminds me, just outside of the nisqually entrance to the park is a pretty little wide spot in the road called ashford.  ashford is home to the famous whitaker clan and it's collection of mountaineering businesses.  whitaker mountaineering sells and rents all the top notch equipment that you would need for a trip up the mountain.  the adjacent basecamp bar and grill will stuff you full of tasty burgers, beer and pizza.  rainier mountaineering international or rmi is one of the licensed guide services for mount rainier national park and then there is whitaker's bunkhouse lodge and cafe if you want to stay awhile.  so before your summit attempt or after or both, stop by whitaker's.  it is a one stop shop for rainier mountaineers
• zeiss miniquick monocular came in very handy and is super light, small and easy to carry
• stopped by feathered friends again this trip and met a new friend, lisa.  she showed me some new stuff and told me that feathered friends will build their bags to customer specs which is very cool
• she also introduced me to a couple of new things like the mammut mamook boots (old raichle), terra nova tents and the cilo line of backpacks.  interesting.  i have said before and I don't mind saying it again, feathered friends has the best collection of high end gear i have seen in one store.  if you are ever in seattle, you have to make time to get over there and look around
• while i was swapping out my tired old crocodile gaiters at the outdoor research (or) and found a shell that i had not looked at before called the elixir.  soft exterior fabric, waterproof/vapor permeable gore-tex paclite, pit zips and a stand up collar with a separate lay down hood like on the arteryx beta ar jacket.  it comes in an ether like greyish green that seems like it would blend into just about any environment 
• good thing i still have my old ray ban ski glasses because the julbo rep flaked out on me.  that ok, i keep mispronouncing it and getting myself in trouble anyway

• comments so far from the crew, beautiful place, rustic luxury, great staff, amazing food especially the elk tenderloin and mac 'n cheese, best toilet paper, paper towels and shower heads on the planet
• love the french press coffee
• both the kerrs light and crown royal is cold
• gonna hike up to canero lake and do a little fishing today.  we'll see if i can still hold my mouth right like grandpa taught me and catch some fish
• then do some serious hammock time
• and a little camp fire and jacuzzi tonight after dinner
• what a beautiful place to take your honey or the whole family.  plenty to do and see or just hang, read a good book and listen to the wind in the trees. 
• nobody pestering you all the time or hanging all over you yet they always seem to be right there when you want something...like a refill

later tater

• love, love, love these lowas.  very balanced and supportive.  speaking of which, how could backpacker put out a list of supposedly great boots and not one of them be from lowa.  more like a list of great advertisers if you ask me.  how come you never see any of those boots stay on the list from one year to the next.  it's always a completely different list.  i call bs
• sure am glad that lowa offers a wide version
• these socks are a good match with these boots
• i am betting that the new lowa ranger gtx hi models will be the perfect mountain rescue team boot
• mmmm.  companies pay celebrities a lot of money to endorse products.  why would anyone listen to a recommendation from a guy that is getting paid to do it.  do you think all those guys on the outdoor channel would still use nikon and bushnell optics if they weren't getting paid?  wouldn't you rather hear recommendations from somebody that was independent and objective?  me too. 
• its ok to have an off day, makes the others that much better
• the SPOT unit continues to perform perfectly.  small, fast, accurate
• ascent pants are super comfy and easy to hike in.  breathe well but cuts the breeze
• need to start posting more articles on rope rescue gear.  get with pendley, speight and thorne
• got some great products coming.  looking forward to getting them out in the field.  more boots and packs too
• working on a site upgrade.  can't put it off any longer.  getting to big for such a rinky dink program.  same format, just buffed and polished
• trekking pole makes a big difference.  helps drive you forward.  acts like a third leg or a hand rail in the rough stuff.  good place to keep your duct tape.  improvised splint.  is a good signaling device with high quality reflective tape and decals.  dog whacker.  snake remover.  etc, etc.  this one has been with me for a long time and seen a lot of action.  maybe time to retire it
• need someone to make me custom sized bandanas 
• if you are in san fran may 23, 24 or 25 take the time to stop by the TAD Gear store because they are having a big sale.  first rate stuff at spring cleaning prices 
• going on a little trip myself.  it has been a long, tough year.  need a little break so i am headed to hidden meadows ranch with scham for a few days of mountain biking, horseback riding, fishing, hiking and telling stories around the fire.  no cannister stoves, stripped down packs or sleeping pads this time.  this is a 5 star food, service and cabins kind of place but in a ranch style luxury at 8500 feet in northern arizona sort of way.  when we do r&r at hardcore outdoor, we do it right

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. 

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.

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.

• the outdoorsmans sleeping bag is a nicer, bigger, better camp/truck bedroll.  it is insulated with wiggys lamilite, rectangular roomy and the layers make it super flexible with regard to temp.  naked is the only way to go in this one so you don't get tangled up in the flannel whilst tossing and turning.  makes using the pee bottle easier anyway.  needs some kind of collar though to keep the cold off your shoulders.  i like the internal pad sleeve
• lowa silberhorn gtx boots are awesome.  great with or without crampons for mountaineering in the lower 48 
• lowa tibet pro gtx boots are every bit as good and better then the previous version.  a great all around heavy duty boot.  lowa continues to impress
• bridgedale summit knee high socks were warm and didn't even hint at slipping or sagging down.  best cold weather sock i have 
• rei power polartec stretch zip t-neck top is a perfect cold weather base layer to wear under a shell when you are huffing and puffing and working hard up high 
• sitka ascent pants prove over and over again to be a comfortable, versatile pant that holds up and performs well  
• sitka gear stormfront jacket is really nice.  works beautifully in all weather.  order one size up for thick insulation layers
• hanz gloves.  perfect.  period.  nuff said 
• love the yates rappel belt.  not as beefy and stiff as my wilderness instructor/duty belts but thinner and lighter and good to go for emergency tie ins and hook ups 
• maui jims hookipa sunglasses are still outstanding for all around but they were a little underpowered for the cold wind and bright snow this trip 
• liked the new ortovox pro alu II shovel very much.  hoe feature allows you to scrape and pull snow as well as standard digging.  bullet proof materials/construction.  nice piece
• iridium vs. globalstar sat phones.  globalstar is lighter, smaller, slicker and when you can get and hold a signal it has better voice quality but the iridium works every time without having to wait.  winner iridium.  no contest if you carry a sat phone to actually use it
• i bought this pair of outdoor research crocodile gaiters in 1993 for a rainier trip and have used them hundreds of times since.  17 years of heavy duty, hardcore use.  i even used them as toilet paper once.  yea, they looked pretty rough but they never let me down until now.  finally blew out the stitching that held the velcro in place.  i 'spose i could repair them but i think i will just retire and replace them with...another pair of outdoor research crocodiles of course 
• surprise.  the new super lightweight gnat canister stove boiled water at the inyati tailgate cafe faster than my current bestest canister stove from snow peak.  it is also the lightest on the market at 1.6 ozs.  hmmmmm.  like the german soldier on laugh in says...very interesting   
• here's a tip for you tourists, never a good idea to poke the old guy sleeping in the back of his truck to ask him a stupid question.  if he is snoring then he is alive and well.  leave him alone
• a trip to flag wouldn't be the same without stoping at alpine pizza.  worth 4 hours of driving?  well, yea but then again i've done 12 hour round trips for crunchy california rolls and saki bombers at yummy sushi in 'nado
• how could the busch family sell budweiser to a bunch of commis.  that was the quintisential american brand.  taboo.  sack relig i tell you.  what's next? disney to the red chinese, mcdonalds to india, playboy to the saudis.  madness