GearFlogger

Outdoor Research StormTracker gloves

UPDATE: We still love the StormTracker for all the reasons listed below, but unfortunately our suspicions about durability have borne out. The leather is just too thin and wears out too quickly under any sort of actual use. We can't recommend the StormTracker for anything other than hiking and driving.

ORIGINAL 4/20/2009 POST: Sweet glove of love, where have you been all my life? Outdoor Research has always made some nice handwear, but they've outdone themselves with the StormTracker.

How do I love thee? Let's count: WindStopper soft shell, tricot lining and full leather grip are a good start, and besides that's as high as I can reliably count, what with the missing fingers and all. What really sets the StormTracker apart is the fit. The leather is supple and grippy, and the cuff has a zip closure to snug it up so it will fit under sleeves.

These gloves have a full liner that gives it a wonderful combination of plush feel and dexterity for finger tasks. The articulated fingers definitely do the trick, and at a mere 3.5oz for a medium they stow away nice and flat in your pocket. The only downside was the price, but they're on sale so problem solved! One thing to watch: the leather is so supple I'm not sure how they'll hold up long-term, so if you're looking for a burly work glove these might not be it.

$38.32 (on sale from $58.95) at Backcountry Outlet

Sierra Designs DriZone down bootie

Cold feet are never a good idea, and what a lot of people don't know is that they are contagious. For example, if the SheFlogger's feet are cold, you can be sure that you will also be miserable. This is one of those times where a bootie call is actually good preventive medicine.

Sierra Designs puts out with the DriZone waterproof down booties. The DriZones are lightweight and reasonably compact, they have a burly rubberish sole with decent traction and the seams are sealed. There are cords to snug up the ankle and the cuff, and a pull loop to assist entry. The footbed is not removable, but they're not so bulky that they don't work in a sleeping bag. The 700 down fill is sufficient for three season use by people with normal thermostats.

The waterproof feature works for light exposure. You don't want to go wading or anything, but for wet grass, snow and such you'll be allright as long as you're not postholing around. Breathability is good, so unless you're a sweaty footed beast your feet will remain dry. All in all, the DriZone is not a deep-winter all-conditions bootie, but it also doesn't have that kind of price tag. For all-season cabin wear and outdoor three season use by people with somewhat normal thermostats the DriZone works great, and it won't break the bank.

$69.00 at REI

How to place an ice screw by Roger Strong

Black Diamond gear pimp Roger Strong, fresh off his profile in Rock and Ice Magazine, has a nice little video demo illustrating the correct placement of an ice screw. He mentions the 10 to 15 degree upward angle placement, which is always worth saying.

Just last season my partner and I watched a guide explaining to her client on the adjacent climb how it was important to place the screw downward. There's even a comment after Roger's video about how if there is melt-out danger you should place it downward.

Bad idea. Always place upwards. If you're worried about melt-out, find another placement, cover it with snow and/or climb faster to get to your next placements. Relying on leverage to protect a fall on a screw is just bad advice anytime. Know your pro!

Jetboil Flash stove

Jetboil shook up the stove world a few years back with its revolutionary namesake stove. The little one-pound stove always knew it wanted its own handle, so after working as a runner, sucking on a 40 down at the corner and yelling "five-oh" it finally proved itself and was awarded a street name: the Flash!

The original Jetboil was a great design, and the Flash wisely keeps all that worked and makes some small but real improvements. If only all products evolved this way! The 1L cup with integrated heat exchanger is pretty much the same, but the neoprene insulator has been updated with a fancy little three-stripe thingie that turns orange when the contents are about to boil. At first it seemed kind of gimmicky, but it was cool to be ten feet away from the Flash and be able to see at a glance when it actually needed attention. More useful is the little tab for holding utensils.

There's nothing gimmicky about the performance. The Flash still cranks up hot water in no time at above-freezing temps. Even down towards single digits Fahrenheit it did a respectable job, bringing water to a boil in about five minutes (Jetboil makes another stove for colder temps). The reliable push-button ignitor is new and improved, as is the burner, and best of all the temperature control knob now has a flip-out wire bail that can be used easily with gloves on. The bottom plastic cup removes easier as well, and the stove base, fuel canister and very cool new included folding tripod base all conveniently stow inside the cup with room to spare. The tripod has notches for two sizes of canister and provides a very stable base; you can pick the whole thing up while it's burning and move it easily. Bottom line: a fantastic three-season canister stove.

$99.95 at REI

Icon Rogue 2 flashlight

Every once in a while someone does something a little bit different and pulls it off. Icon has succeeded in pushing flashlight form, if not function, in a new direction that actually works. And it provides capable defense against large ungulates to boot.

Icon makes two lights, the Rogue and the Modus, the former an aluminum body and the latter polymer. Each is available in a 1 and a 2 model indicating the number of AA batteries used. We tested the Rogue 2, an interesting design waterproof to 1 meter thanks to a sealed body with rubber O-rings. A bit large for two AA design, the cutouts in the body keep it light at less than six ounces, dissipate heat efficiently and make it a pleasure to handle. The aluminum is very sturdy and the whole unit has a high-quality fit, finish and feel to it.

There's nothing fancy in the function. There's high (3 hours at 100 lumens) and low (72 hours at 10 lumens) beam. Low is adequate for around-camp use and won't blind your tent-mates. High really cranks and will put an even, white, artifact-free spot out quite a distance. The Rogue 2, unlike the Modus, will roll off a flat surface but using one of the two included lanyards will prevent that. One is neck sized with a cool snap that will separate under pressure so you can't hang yourself. The other is wrist sized with a sliding keeper. They both come attached to a teeny carabiner that unfortunately doesn't fit easily through the cutouts, so just get one of those circular key-ring thingies and attach it.

Don't thread the lanyards directly through the cutouts: the edges are sharp, and in fact we verified it works well to peel carrots and such. How's that for flexibility? Fear not, however, to cut yourself accidentally you'd have to really try. In which case it's not really an accident, is it you moron? It does have one trick that some of our more tactical-minded testers liked: while pushing the end-cap button cycles between high and low beam, if you leave it off for a minute it will reset and come on high, so if you need to blind a moose or something - no kidding, that's a valid defense - you're all set.

$47.95 at Battery Junction

Mountain Hardwear Power Stretch glove

Spring is in the air, and numb fingers can't be far behind. As usual the glove bin is full of mismatched gear. If you're in the same boat and looking for a lightweight glove for casual or liner duty, the Mountain Hardwear Power Stretch gloves are a great candidate.

Power Stretch recently won a Nobel prize. OK that's not true, but it could be the way they're giving them away these days. MH's gloves are a standard light but not too light design. Their big advantage is the snug cuff; it feels secure while jogging and keeps them on your hands when you pull your mittens off.

Another nice touch is the snaps, which can help prevent lost-glove syndrome. But only if you actually use it. Oops. Keep in mind these are not grippy gloves. Power Stretch is a fairly slick material - not for driving! - designed for light insulation and high breathability, i.e. medium wind blocking. Also these are not constructed like a work glove, so if you're looking for traction, weatherproofitude and durability look elsewhere. For jogging, hiking and liner applications they're great.

$27.00 at REI

Free expert advice on weight training and nutrition

I know all you GearFloggers out there treat your body as a temple. A tequila-sponging, beer-chasing, donut-swilling, bad-taco-eating, projectile-vomiting temple. And it is because of that attitude that I am pleased to bring you this public service announcement courtesy of the American College of Sports Medicine.

As we vainly try to make up for our errant ways by training harder, there is so much junk science out there that (un)informs opinion on exercise and nutrition it's always a pleasant surprise to find gems of theory and evidence. Enter the ACSM official position statements, two of which were recently updated earlier this year in their publication Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

The two papers are Nutrition and Athletic Performance and Progression Models in Resistance Training for Health Adults (that's weight training for all us mouth-breathers). Both are chock full of good advice backed by sound science. Each paper does the additional service of classifying the nature of the evidence from Excellent (double-blind randomized clinical trials involving genetic twins separated at birth) to Downright Shitty (my cousin Dave works out every day in prison and he says...). Free. Expert. Sold.

Download ACSM position stands

Jansport Tahoma pack

Jansport has been quietly making some nice little - and not-so-little - backcountry packs for a while now. The Tahoma is an alpine-flavored 75L/4,600ci pack that weighs in at just 4lb 4oz with plenty of features.

Dual ice axe loops with rip-and-stick keepers, dual water bottle pockets, zippered mesh pocket on the hip belt and even a helmet compatible top lid make the Tahoma suitable for moderate alpine routes. A side zippered stash pocket high up on the main bag is great for maps. The top lid floats and doubles as a lumbar pack, and there are compression straps for dialing in the load. The fit is plenty adjustable and various components can be removed to lighten the load further.

The Tahoma carries nicely, and feels sturdy for such a light pack. The profile is narrow enough that it feels maneuverable, and the zipper pulls work well with gloves. The keepers on the straps are a great touch, as anyone who has been brutally whipped in a high wind by flying pack straps will attest. It's hydration compatible with a clip for your hose, and there's a gear loop on the waist belt as well. The Tahoma is a great deal: lightweight, sturdy and feature complete, and while your load might break your back the price won't.

$198.95 (on sale from $280.00) at Sunny Sports

La Sportiva Gandalf approach shoe

Let me just say I think Gollum would have been a cooler name for La Sportiva's new approach shoe, especially since he climbs like 5.18 or something. So he kills midgets and other small game, even a mutant has gotta eat, right? Anyway, it's weird, they didn't ask me so we've got the Gandalf.

I've had mixed luck with the approach shoe category. They are either too much like a rock shoe or not enough. That's changed with the Gandalf: it fits like a glove, laces to the toes and with a combination of slip and board lasting it smears and edges well enough to work your way up 5.10 or beyond, depending on ability of course.

It also hikes comfortably. The dot pattern tread is not so deep that it collects too much mud, but is just featured enough to provide decent scrambling. Bring a brush to clean 'em up at the base of the climb and you're all set. The Gandalf can definitely replace a hiking shoe/rock shoe combo for easy to mid difficulty multi-pitch and big wall climbs with big walk offs.

All approach shoes have to trade off durability of the sole for friction purposes, but the Gandalf is designed to be resoled. With Sportiva's Italian-made quality this shoe deserves consideration, even if the price tag would make Gollum blink. Guides and other climbers who work as much as they play in the vertical world will rejoice.

$215 at Moosejaw

Datexx ULTRABattery charger

Let's face it, the backcountry experience occasionally requires a little electronic assist: avalanche beacon, cell phone, GPS, laptop, camera, MP3 player, personal massage device (hey man, it's not for me...), you get the idea. But what happens when the battery dries up and the fun goes away? ULTRABattery to the rescue!

The Datexx ULTRABattery is a nifty little unit that uses a USB port and cable with various adapters to charge stuff. I used it travelling recently - did I mention it's the only unit of this type that is FAA approved? - and it repeatedly charged my BlackBerry and camera with no problems. Even after multiple charges it wasn't drained, and the cool thing is you can press a button on the front and a charge remaining indicator lights up.

It comes with a USB adapter and a bunch of common cell phone tips. There's a USB jack as well so you can plug devices in directly. It's funny, I'm always complaining about batteries running down, and now I can't remember the last time I went on that particular rant. Oh wait, I remember now: it was the time I didn't bring the ULTRABattery. Lesson learned.

$26.05 at Amazon.com