The Patagonia R1 TechFace Hoody Review (2023 edition) Patagonia is known for making some legendary gear. Perhaps, the most well known is the R1 Techface Hoody. Our own Monte Johnston reviewed The Patagonia R1 TechFace Hoody in 2018. He found it to be a fantastic summer alpine layer as it cuts the wind, moves well and isn’t overly warm. Has much, if anything changed? Did … Continue reading The Patagonia R1 TechFace Hoodie Review. 2023 Update
Review: Thermarest Questar -18 Review The Thermarest Questar is a comfortable, warm and easily compressed sleeping bag that ticks all the boxes for just about anything overnight backcountry tips can throw your way. It contains 650 fill hydrophobic down, has a comfortable Mummy shape and rated to -18C. Add in the ability to attach it to both a sleeping pad or an accompanying down quilt … Continue reading Review: Thermarest Questar
La Sportiva TX Guide, if the shoe fits you’re going to like them. But you better have a narrow foot! Whether you climb big walls, boulders, or something in between, one thing all climbers can agree on is that we need reliable approach shoes. You want a good fit, grippy soles, durability, comfort, not bulky or heavy, and the list goes on. To say this … Continue reading Review: La Sportiva TX Guide
There are crack climbing gloves and Crack Climbing Gloves, the new G7 Hand Jam are the latter. G7, a brand that’s known for innovation, rethought the entire idea of a crack glove. They ditched the rubber or other similar materials altogether and made them from leather. Real leather. Really nice leather actually. These things feel great to wear. But how do they perform and stack … Continue reading First Look Review: G7 Hand Jam
The ZOLEO Satellite Communicator is designed to provide safe communications in the backcountry in an affordable rugged and reliable package. We used the ZOLEO Satellite Communicator on both the Sunshine Coast Trail and the Great Divide Trail for a total of over 50 days of backcountry slogging not to mention a bunch of days closer to home mountain biking. Needless to say, we’ve got a … Continue reading Review: ZOLEO Satellite Communicator
Like the Vapor V received last year (2019), Scarpa gave the Vapor Lace a complete redesign for this summer (2020). And while the original was a solid crack climbing shoe the updated Vapor lace is an absolute granite weapon and has overtaken the TC Pro as my personal favorite granite crack shoe! Specifications & Features: Weight: 258g (one shoe, size 43) Rubber: 5mm Vibram XS … Continue reading Review: Scarpa’s Updated Vapor Lace
In what’s one of the coolest innovations in the world of climbing ropes for some time, Edelrid’s new Swift Protect has aramid fibers woven into the sheath. What is aramid you ask? Well, it’s a very strong synthetic fiber that’s in the same family as Kevlar. From a functional point of view, aramid fibers have good tensile strength, are lightweight, tough and heat resistant. That … Continue reading Review: Edelrid Swift Protect 8.9
A head-to-head review of the most common high-top climbing shoes on the market. High-top climbing shoes have seen a huge resurgence in popularity over the past few years. This has of course prompted more brands to jump back into the high-top shoe game. Now, where there was once only a few high-top options around, every major shoe manufacturer seems to make a pair. To determine … Continue reading Comparison Review: High-Top Climbing Shoes
Mammut 9.0 Alpine Sender Dry (or Crag Sender Dry) Mammut has given their dynamic climbing rope organization / naming structure a complete overhaul for 2020. Hidden in this naming change is a brand new rope called the 9.0 Alpine Sender Dry. Or is the 9.0 Crag Sender Dry? As per the new naming scheme, it’s the same rope under a different moniker, but more on … Continue reading Review: Mammut 9.0 Alpine Sender Dry
The G7 POD is a really light and durable portaledge. But more than that, it’s a fully insulated sleeping system too! Walls, walls and more walls… “Walls are meant for Climbing” reads The North Face t-shirt on the guy climbing a few routes away from me at the local sport crag. This was a couple of years ago, and a few weeks before I climbed … Continue reading First Look: The G7 POD – The World’s Lightest Climbing Ledge
