Valandre Shocking Blue Purchased December 2016, reviewed September 2017, last updated November 2017 The Shocking Blue (aka Shocking Blue Neo) is the namesake sleeping bag in France-based Valandre’s “Shocking Blue Series” of cold-weather sleeping bags. Many winter sleeping bags are … Read More

Hilleberg Nammatj 2 Purchased July 2015, reviewed August 2017, last updated May 2020 The Nammatj 2 is a four-season Swiss Army Knife of a tent from Swedish tentmaker Hilleberg. Weighing in at between 5 and 6.5 pounds depending on setup, … Read More

The Bomber Traverse Map The Bomber Traverse is an informal hut-to-hut wilderness backpacking route in the Talkeetna Mountains of Alaska. The purpose of the Bomber Traverse Map is to aid wilderness travel by indicating general backcountry routes and hut locations, … Read More

Packraft History 2002-2018: The Great Blow-Up In the 1980s-90s the sport of packrafting went through a long, quiet incubation period. A few grizzled outdoorspeople bought, repaired, and traded Curtis and Sherpa packrafts, pushing the simple boats to their limits (and … Read More

Campbell Creek is a splashy, meandering Class I/II creek that originates in the Chugach Mountains and flows southeast through the urban center of Anchorage, Alaska. Most boaters will float some portion of the 8-mile section between the Piper St cul-de-sac and the Dimond Blvd bridge.… Read More

Anatomy of a Packraft Packraft Gear Storage Gear can either be lashed on top of a packraft’s bow or stored inside the tubes. Internal storage lowers the boat’s center of gravity, improves sightlines over the bow, and keeps gear dry. … Read More

Accessories Packrafting PFDs As with paddles, there really isn’t such a thing as a “packraft PFD,” but some PFDs will tend to work better for packrafting than others. Good options for packrafters include those that are light, built from quality … Read More

Accessories Packrafting Paddles Solo packrafts are almost always paddled with double-bladed kayak-style paddles. Packrafting paddles are characterized by a high degree of packability, light weight, and reliability for paddling in remote locations. The ideal paddle is dependent on packraft type, … Read More

Arc’teryx Alpha FL Purchased March 2016, reviewed March 2017 This four-season three-layer alpine shell is light. At less than twelve ounces for a large the Alpha FL is actually lighter than most three-season two-layer rain jackets on the market, including … Read More

Hestra Heli Purchased winter 2016, reviewed March 2017 The Hestra Heli is the flagship ski glove from Swedish glovemaker Hestra, which calls it “a modern classic with many uses.” Look around at any ski resort and you’ll spot the distinctive … Read More