Posts Tagged ski gear
REI Revelcloud Jacket
Those huge down jackets seem so limiting. Perfect for cold weather (even though they may make you look like the Michelin Man), they’re not optimal once winter is over—or for a variety of outdoors activities. The REI Revelcloud Jacket is a lighter weight alternative that you can take hiking, biking, camping, or even wandering through a new city on your travels.
The shell is 70 percent recycled polyester (called Quantum and made by Pertex). The insulation is made with equal parts recycled and non-recycled polyester (made by PrimaLoft). It’s water repellent, blocks wind up to 50 mph and is lightweight.
Raglan sleeves allow for a better range of motion in your activities, and are much easier under backpack straps. The front zipper has a draft flap, and a chin guard keeps the zipper from rubbing on you uncomfortably. The draw cord at the hem and the stretch binding at the cuffs and collar all help to seal in warmth.
The REI Revelcloud Jacket has two zippered hand-warmer pockets that are deep enough to shove your gloves in as well. There’s also a smaller, zippered chest pocket with a media port, so you can plug and play wherever you go. If you’ve got a chunky phone/media player protector, however, you may need to take it off first.
A stuff sack is included with the jacket. I have to admit, even though the Revelcloud Jacket isn’t as bulky as a puffy down jacket, I doubted it would fit neatly into the stuff sack. At the very least, I’d have to figure out some very specific folding/rolling technique in order to get it to work. Not at all. I just pushed the jacket into the sack, without any origami folding required. It compresses down to the size of a super-size burrito. I’d be less likely to lose it if it came attached to the jacket, though.
The REI Revelcloud Jacket lists for $149 on the REI website. Guys shouldn’t feel left out, however, because there’s a men’s version as well for the same price.
Posted by Jill in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on December 16th, 2011
New Ski Gear on the Slopes in Utah
Our bus had to stop and put chains on the tires as we made our way up to Solitude Ski Resort in Utah. Some 10 inches of snow fell overnight and it kept coming on and off. An ideal day to check out some ski gear in the real world!
Ski gear is a big leap of faith when it comes time to buy—and an expensive one. So I always advise people to pay up to rent good demo skis and boots from a quality ski shop for a day on the slopes before dropping a grand or two on actually owning them. Yesterday I got to do that in hyperdrive: as part of the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, I was able to visit a booth, pop on some new equipment, and whip down the mountain to see how it performs.
Good skis keep getting better
I’m so old I learned to ski when step-in bindings were a new novelty, so believe me when I say these planks may cost more now, but they’re so much better (especially for beginners and intermediates) that it’s night and day with what was out there 15 or 20 years ago. I tried out some K2 skis on two trips up the lift that performed incredibly well in the deep powder and made me look far less rusty than I really am. I then took two long multi-trail runs with some Volkl Amaruq skis that look almost as cool as they perform. Set up with premium Marker bindings, they rode like a dream. Just one problem though, which they can’t control…
Ski boots and comfort never seem to meet
One thing that hasn’t changed since I started night skiing on Virginia icy slopes in the 198os: ski boots are ridiculously uncomfortable. All the companies are bragging about how stiff their boots are. Yeah, I know, if they’re too flexible and cushy you’ll lose control, fall more, and possibly get hurt. But do they really need to make you feel like your feet are in a multi-pronged torture vise?
The new Garmont Delirium boots I tried out—lace-up liner and all—performed admirably, as they should at more than $600 a pop, but I couldn’t pay attention to how well the Scrarpa boots performed because they are apparently sized for people with narrow feet. (With all those buckles and adjustments, can’t you make them work for multiple widths?)
For me, the Dynafit ones were a bit better and the Black Diamond boots almost, almost felt like something I could wear for more than three runs without wanting to unbuckle them and head for the bar.
Other cool ski gear
I brought along some $15 Nike ACG gloves I got at Dick’s Sporting Goods knowing they’d be the weak link in my battle against the cold. So after two runs I made my way over to the Dakine booth and picked up some Wrangler waterproof leather ones. Toasty fingers after that.
I really liked the Native Eyewear goggles I took for a few runs (pictured at the top). Great optics, comfortable fit, and a mechanism that lets you easily change the lenses by just popping a hinge at the top. These are next ski season, so keep an eye out then. They come with two lenses (one for low-light conditions) and can be hooked onto a helmet.
I used four different sets of poles throughout the day and like most skiers, didn’t pay much attention to three of the four. The Leki $100 ones were a different story though. They have actually made ski poles innovative, which isn’t easy, by making them adjustable to your height as well as building in a cool pop-in, pop-out mechanism whereby they are either attached to your gloves or they’re disconnected. No pulling straps on and off your hands all day. Safer too as they’ll release if you crash and burn.
Tune in tomorrow and I’ll run down some cool things coming up for the rest of the time, off the ski slopes.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear on January 20th, 2011
Lorpen Tri-layer Ski Socks Won’t Cost You a Lift Ticket
If you’ve been hit hard by winter’s bluster—or are planning to face it head-on at a ski resort—you’re probably thinking about putting something warm on your toes.
I’m heading to the annual winter Outdoor Retailer show in a few weeks and will be seeing a sea of new socks, some of them with more specs than a race car and more “features” than any pair of socks should be allowed to claim. Like other Lorpen socks I’ve tried out though, these Tri-layer Light ski socks do everything I need them to do, and for a retail price around 20 bucks.
I don’t ski as much as I would like anymore, but I’ve always preferred well-made snug socks that stay above the calf and don’t bunch up around my toes. If you’re like me and don’t have any chronic circulation problems, these should work fine under normal conditions if your boots fit. (There are heavier versions for a buck or two more if not.)
This Lorpen pair uses a multi-density knitting process to ensure a snug fit without wrinkles, with padding just where it’s really needed. They’re made of a blend of the following: PrimaLoft Eco Polyester Yarn, Merino wool, Nylon, and Lycra. So they’re warm, stretchy, wicking, and quick-drying.
I’ll be wearing these on the slopes this winter, but my daughter is wearing the kids’ Merino Junior Ski version around just to keep her feet warm. Since they’re cozy and pink (okay, technically “orchid”), she’s happy to wear them. Whether playing in the snow or whipping down the snowboarding ramps, these are warm and comfy socks that won’t fall down and won’t stay wet. They have a similar mix of thread types, but without the PrimaLoft.
The men’s version of the Tri-layer ski sock comes in black or gray, the women’s version in prettier colors. Both are available in multiple sizes. And in the “in case you care” department, Lorpen socks are made in Mexico, not China.
Get the men’s Tri-layer Light or women’s Tri-layer Light ski socks at Backcountry.com
Lots of great Lorpen socks, including these, are on sale right now at Sierra Trading Post.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, Kids and Family on January 5th, 2011
Crazy Mountain Hardware Guys Camp Atop Ski Resort in Chile
So there I was sliding off the ski lift at Valle Nevado resort in Chile a couple weeks ago when I spotted a dome tent with a Mountain Hardware logo on it. Curious, I skied over to see what it was all about. As this guy explains in the video, he and a couple other guys are camped out up there the entire ski season! In the daytime they ski a little, greet visitors, build igloos, and show off their gear. At night, they bundle up.
I think the point is that this gear can hold up well to the elements, even for an entire winter at 10,000 feet in the Andes Mountains. Tents, sleeping bags, insulated pants, and serious puffy jackets.
You can check out Mountain Hardware gear yourself at the following online retailers.
Mountain Hardwear at Backcountry.com
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear on August 31st, 2010
Heavy-duty Travel Watch: Timex Expedition E-Altimeter
After trying a lot of watch brands over the years, I have found that few come anywhere close to matching the value of the Timex Expedition ones. This is especially true if you like analog watches rather than digital ones. Now Timex has come out with one that is an altimeter watch, but still retains the hands instead of a display. This Expedition E-altimeter model feels like a hand-crafted analog watch instead of something cranked out on an Asian production line.
Some altimeter watches, like the Casio PAW-2000 one I reviewed earlier, tell you your altitude, but they also throw in a whole bunch of other features that may or may not be useful. On this E-altimeter one, you don’t have so many buttons to mess with because the functions have been kept in check: time, Indiglo illumination, altimeter, and a second hand. (If you want the full-blown feature set, go for the E-Tide Temp Compass line, which has high and low tide, temperature, and compass readings.)
This is one rugged and hefty-feeling watch—as in 10 ounces on your wrist. This probably makes it better for mountaineering, trekking, or skiing than something like rock climbing. Made in Germany with engineered analog parts, this is no throwaway timepiece. It’s water-resistant to 100 meters and has a stainless steel case with mineral glass crystal.
The altimeter has an operating range of -400 to 25,000 feet (-120 to 7,600 meters). It can record high and low 
altitudes within a specific time period. You need to read the instruction manual to calibrate the altitude and figure out the display mode for the altitude, plus you can set it to read in either feet or meters.
Basically, to read the altitude, you look at where two different hands end up, one for every 1,000, one for the hundreds. This may be a little more cryptic than a simple digital display, but it sure looks less geeky when you’re wearing it around outside of base camp. The one I have been trying has the yellow strap pictured at the top, but there are other choices like the black strap one pictured to the side, as well as ones with a metal or leather strap. All retail for less than $200, with prices dipping down to around $160 for some variations.
This is a large and heavy watch with heft, priced a good hundred bucks above some other Expedition models, but the altimeter performed very accurately in my tests and the E-altimeter watch looks and feels like something costing much more. Consider this a high-end adventure watch at not such a high price.
See more at the Timex E-altimeter site.
Get it at Amazon in a yellow silicone strap style, a black silicone strap style, or a leather strap on a cream and silver version.
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Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear on June 24th, 2010
