Review: Patagonia Altvia Pack Patagonia has been making legendary outdoor gear for quite some time. Notable for their skiing and climbing gear, for summer 2021 Patagonia brought out their new hiking line, called Altvia. We were lucky enough to test their great new Altvia pack in 36L L/XL on some legendary trails in the Alps this summer and found it to be a lightweight rugged … Continue reading Review: Patagonia Altvia Pack
Db Hugger 30L At BlackSheep we’re on the road a lot. We do a lot of traveling and to do that technical packs aren’t always the best. One of the best packs we’ve found for business meetings and international travel is the DB Hugger. It’s a cavernous 30L pack that holds anything and everything you want it to. Overview Material: Outer: Polyester 600D Lining: … Continue reading Review: Db Hugger Backpack
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
Nomad Nutrition, a quality backcountry food company that utilizes a unique drying process and lots of herbs to create some fantastic meal options. When working hard in the backcountry you need to keep your body fueled. Not enough calories or the wrong type of calories and you could suffer unnecessarily. A bag of Doritos will keep you full and though relatively light, it’s not the … Continue reading Review: Nomad Nutrition
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
Black Diamond really set the bar for lightweight and packable trekking poles when they came out with the Ultra Distance Carbon Z. Now while those original poles are no longer available the new Distance Carbon Z poles have improved upon the design of their predecessor resulting in a very functional, ergonomic and packable trekking pole. Ideal for trips where the poles have to be stashed … Continue reading Review: Black Diamond Carbon Z Trekking Poles
Like many back-country enthusiasts I do a lot of camping to facilitate my addictions to skiing, climbing and alpinism. This can involve easy car camping where I drive right up to the camping spot (Indian Creek, Red Rocks, Yosemite, etc.) to locations where I take a helicopter or plane into a camping area (Tantalus, St. Elias, Ruth, etc.) to where I actually need to hump … Continue reading Helinox Chair One
