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
Review: Norrona Fjora Flex1 Shorts Norrona has a long tradition of making burly gear for the outdoors This year marks their first foray onto the Mountain Bike scene with the Norrona Fjora line. We tested two pairs of their new Fjora Mountain Bike shorts, the Lightweight & Midweight, and found them to be feature-rich, well designed and multi-functional. What is Fjora? Norrona tends to name … Continue reading Review: Norrona Fjora Flex1 Shorts
Review: Scarpa Rapid Scarpa has made big moves in the trail running and approach shoe market the last few years. Their Ultra Spin garnered awards and Scarpa has continued to add more offerings. This year Scarpa introduced their all-mountain trail shoe, the Rapid. We put it to the test in the snow, rain, rock, and dirt. Read on to find out whether we thought it … Continue reading Review: Scarpa Rapid Shoes
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
The Norrona Tamok Gore-Tex Pro Jacket The Norrona Tamok Gore-Tex Pro Jacket stands out in a crowded field of expensive jackets. Well not literally, as the colors we tested were quite drab, but functionally! What makes it so great? Well there’s not really 1 thing that makes the Tamok stand out,. Rather it’s all the little things, the sturdy but elegant design, the great fit, … Continue reading Review: Norrona Tamok Gore-Tex Pro Jacket
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
Very lightweight, windproof and warm, the Nuclei FL makes an amazing 3-season puffy jacket for just about any activity. I’ve been testing mine for about a year now and it’s definitely found a place in my pack for those summer alpine missions and just about anywhere else I need a lightweight but warm jacket. A few years ago I wrote an article about the various … Continue reading Review: Arc’teryx Nuclei FL Hoody
Review: Ortovox Piz Boe Jacket Ortovox has been making wool based clothing for the mountains since 1988, and it shows. The quality and craftsmanship are top notch and the Ortovox Piz Boe is no exception. The Ortovox Piz Boe jacket incorporates Merino wool, Swiss wool, Pertex and Schoeller into a great Ski Touring jacket. It’s definitely worth considering if you’re in the market for a … Continue reading Review: Ortovox Piz Boe Jacket
The bigger burlier cousin to the Micro Puff, the Patagonia Macro Puff is designed with cold weather activities in mind. Filled with more than twice the insulation of a Micro Puff, the Patagonia Macro Puff adds warmth without sacrificing weight to make this a good midweight insulation piece. Think gusty ski tour transitions, belaying in the fall or early spring and mild winter camping. Specs … Continue reading Review: Patagonia Macro Puff
Review: Bliz Nova Goggles In the fall we reviewed a sweet pair of sunglasses from Swedish eyewear company Bliz. Well, we’re back with another Bliz review but this time it is there Nova goggles that have caught our attention. The Bliz Nova Goggles incorporate a proprietary lens technology called Nordic Light into an affordable goggle that not only looks stylish but performs as well as … Continue reading Review: Bliz Nova Goggles
