Water bladders, commonly known as Camelbacks, are immensely popular. You fill the bladder, place it in your pack, attach the hose and drink whenever you want. There is no need to take off your pack when you want to drink. this helps save a lot of time and effort on a longer adventure, but unless you want to carry a 3 litre bladder, you’re going … Continue reading Review: MSR Thru-Link
Grayl Geopress Purifier Our bodies are around 60% water, depending on age and gender. Some sources suggest you should drink between 2.5 to 3.5 litres a day, and that’s without adventuring and doesn’t include beer. How can you keep up with that regimen while out in the mountains and still safely avoid unwanted bacteria? One quick answer would be water purifying tabs or drops that … Continue reading Review: Grayl Geopress Purifier
There’s always that one piece of gear that you don’t expect to make a huge difference, but then it does. The Patagonia Duckbill Cap is just that piece of gear. I used to hate wearing hats on the trail but the Duckbill Cap changed all that. It’s light, airy, blocks the sun and looks good to boot. It’s the best hiking hat I have found. … Continue reading Review: Patagonia Duckbill Cap
Therm-a-Rest recently released the UberLite™ sleeping mat, the lightest and most packable sleeping mat we’ve ever come across! The size of a can of beer when packed up, this mat expands to the same size as a regular tapered mat when deployed and is just as thick as the other mats in the NeoAir® line! How did they do it? Well, they utilized cutting edge … Continue reading Review: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir® UberLite™
Here at Black Sheep we don’t mess around when it comes to coffee! We are firm believers that a freshly brewed cup of coffee in the morning is an essential part of the day, no matter where you are. But…! To prepare said cup of coffee, the right equipment is essential. For this review we’ve tested out a wide assortment of coffee equipment to help … Continue reading Coffee Review 2.0
MSR Pocket Rocket 2 vs. the Deluxe The name says it all. This compact, lightweight, butane powered jet stove is well known in the outdoor world. Not limited to just climbers or hikers, the Pocket Rocket is perfect for anyone. You might be a fisherman who needs a small stove for your boat, or a tree planter who wants a lightweight stove in your lunch … Continue reading Comparison Review: MSR Pocket Rocket 2 vs. Deluxe
The Petzl Nao+ is my lighting tool of choice for any mountain missions that start or end in the dim hours of the day. With 750 lumens, it’s so bright that Petzl had to include a warning label not to shine it in someone’s eyes up close! Using Reactive Lighting or Constant Lighting the burn time will vary from 6.5hrs (at 750 lumens) all the … Continue reading Review: Petzl Nao+ Headlamp
With the introduction of the new Windburner Stove System (Duo & Group versions), MSR has taken the popular and efficient Windburner system and made it compatible for larger groups. Similar in design to the original Windburner Personal Stove the new Duo & Group system have one huge difference, the burner isn’t attached to the canister. It’s still a portable, lightweight, weather-proof, high efficiency canister stove … Continue reading Review: MSR Windburner Group Stove
Sure the new MSR WindBurner Stove is compact, efficient and fast but its performance in strong winds is what sets it apart. In creating the WindBurner, MSR blended some of the best design features of the iconic Reactor and the Jetboil to create a versatile stove system that’s practically windproof. The perfect stove for an alpine mission or just brewing coffee in the parking lot. Features of the MSR … Continue reading Long-Term Review: MSR WindBurner Stove
Move over Starbucks, there’s a new kid on the block when it comes to instant coffee: Alpine Start. Since the Starbucks Via came on the market it’s become a staple of fast-and-light adventures everywhere. And like cigarettes in a jail house, these little packets of caffeine are the currency of the backcountry. However, much of the popularity of the Via stemmed from the fact that … Continue reading Review: Alpine Start Instant Coffee
