PRICE vs. WEIGHT—You Can’t Have Both! ZPacks Plex Solo vs. SMD Lunar Solo
So you don’t have $600 to drop on the lightest tent in the world. Well, the Lunar Solo is a very similar tent that is half the price (but also twice the weight). But it's still really light at just 26 ounces. How else do these tents compare? Left: Zpacks Plex Solo, Right: SMD Lunar Solo Zpacks Plex Solo vs. the SMD Lunar Solo You may have seen my blog post or YouTube video from a few weeks back where I took my first look at
$12 Hack Beats Expensive Down Jacket—Nikwax Down Proof Test and Review
Why am soaking my down jacket in a near freezing stream AGAIN? Because this time I want to see if the jacket I spent $12 on can perform as well as a $270 jacket. You may remember my post from a few weeks ago where I took this expensive jacket with specialty treated down and soaked it in near-freezing water to see if it could still keep me warm. Well, I did it again, but this time instead of relying on expensive factory-treated
You’ve NEVER Seen a Backpack Like This – Six Moon Designs Minimalist V2 Review
I’ve have owned A LOT of packs over the years: Gregory, Arctyex, REI, Dueter, Osprey, Gosomer Gear, Hyperlight Mountain Gear, Lowe Alpine
ONE BAG to Rule Them All—The North Face One Bag Review
So you know how in The Lord of the Rings, 19 rings of power are given to the elves, the dwarves and the race of men, giving them the strength and will to govern each race? “But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made
The Truth About Wet Down Jackets
As light as a feather. There is a reason that phrase exits. Because no other material, not even space-age technology from NASA, is as warm, light and compressible as down. Down is backpacking’s miracle insulation. But down has one major flaw. When it gets wet, it looses all its magical properties. It can’t insulate, it gets really heavy, and can even be deadly. And that one fatal flaw is the reason why I spend so much time, effort, and worry trying to
The Lightest Tent in the World – The New Zpacks Plex Solo
The lightest, fully enclosed backpacking tent in existence. 13.7 ounces of pure ultralight bliss. But is it too good to be true? Let’s take a look at the brand new for 2022 Zpacks Plex Solo. Brand Spanking New This tent very well may be the lightest, fully enclosed tent on the market. This thing is so new. It was released only three ago. For instance look at this picture: This is the build date for this tent. Today is February 10, 2022, and this tent was
Nemo Killer? The New MSR Freelite 2 vs. the Nemo Hornet Elite 2P Tent
Freestanding ultralight tents are my favorite. So when I found out MSR redesigned the Freelite 2 to be eight ounces lighter—coming in closer to two pounds—well, I had to check it out. And I realized, this tent feels a whole lot like another two-pound tent I’ve used for years: the Nemo Hornet elite. Plus, MSR claims their new Freelite is … “More Spacious Than the Nemo Hornet” Which was just begging for a comparison. So this is the new MSR Freelite 2 vs. the
Mountain Hardwear STRATO 2P Tent Review
Backpacking tents are tiny. And when you are just carrying your tent, that’s great. Tiny tents fit better in your pack and reduce weight. But the rest of the time, tiny tents SUCK. And for me, the suckiest part about backpacking tents is
Holy Grayl? Or Major Fail? – Grayl Water Filter Review
What is the Holy Grail of water filters? I can only imagine from the name that Grayl wants to hold that title. But is it really the best? Or is it a huge failure? So you can choose wisely Here are the Grayl Geopress pros and cons. Oh, be sure to check out this video where I see if Grayl can filter out Coke? https://youtu.be/tpd0tHdZGCw Okay I’m going to start with the cons and just a short disclaimer. Since this is a
An Alternative to Expensive Top Quilts – Featherstone Moondance 25 Backpacking Quilt Review
If you are looking to buy a lightweight, warm, high quality backpacking quilt you are probably looking to spend $300-$400. Whether you are looking at Enlightened Equipment, Feathered Friends, UGQ, or one of the other great companies that make backpacking quilts. Your going to drop some cash. But you don’t have to, you could get a lightweight, high quality, down quilt that competes with feathered friends and enlightened equipment, for warmth quality and weight, but only spend $189 (affiliate link). Today I’m talking