GearFlogger

REI Shuksan jacket

Back in the day (damn kids!) a hard shell was just that: crinkly, noisy and sweaty. Like Britney Spears at the MTV video awards. While we may yearn for a simpler time, the REI Shuksan waterproof breathable jacket is proof that change can be good.

The 3-layer Elements shell is state of the art: sealed seams, welded zippers, articulated joints and reinforced shoulders and elbows. The hood rolls up into a collar or zips off, the rear hem has a nice drop and there are ample adjustments. A powder skirt inside will make this shell perform in the pow; it even has spaced snaps so you can adjust it as your gut expands (are you listening Britney?).

Tick list aside, this shell really performs. A hard rain woke me up at oh-god-thirty one morning, and before I was fully awake I had been outside for half an hour trying to get wet in the Shuksan. No luck. Not only is it truly waterproof, a fact borne out by subsequent weeks of rainy weather, but it breathes well  during moderate exertion.

A tricot lining gives your chin some love. The hand pockets are top-access oriented, which makes it slightly awkward to rest your hands in. But REI gets bonus points for the chest pockets, designed to be accessed from the opposite hand (right hand to left pocket) which is comfortable and doesn't interfere with pack straps as much as the conventional design. And yes, there's a headphone port for you damn kids.

$259.00 at REI

CAMP Joker v-thread tool

Yes, you can make a v-thread hook yourself out of a spare coat hanger. Go for it, McGyver. Just don't come whining to me when it straightens out on you three pitches up your worst frozen nightmare. Or you can buy a Camp Joker v-thread tool for the cost of a six-pack of good beer.

The Joker is an improvement over other abalakov hooks because it has a rigid stem instead of a flexible one. Also, the hook itself is nice and beefy so you can really crank on it. I usually run the rope itself through the v-thread rather than using cordelette, and I've had other hooks straighten out on me under the increased force required to snag a 10mm line. The Joker had no problem at all.

The hook was not very sharp from the factory, but a few seconds with a file solved that. A handy coil at the end clips into a 'biner and you're good to go.

$9.95 at Boulder Mountaineering

Bushnell Onix 200CR GPS

I am beginning to hate technology of any sort, and the Bushnell Onix 200CR GPS unit has only thrown gas on that fire. The promise was seductive: all the normal GPS bells and whistles plus it's waterproof, has a color screen and - drum roll please - it can display satellite imagery as well as traditional topos.

Enter the harsh reality, beginning with the fact that you have to use maps and imagery downloaded for $1 a pop from Bushnell's horrific web site, a process clearly designed to break the will of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. I never did get it to work right even when I finally managed to download maps and images. The documentation is poorly written and incomplete, and technical support is frustrating at best. Usability is below average, and that's being charitable.

What's to like? The unit acquires satellites quickly and... um... well, that's about it. Thinking it might just be me with a bad case of the stupids, I had a guy who teaches GPS to rescue personnel take it out for a spin. His bottom line: the best thing about the Onix 200CR is that it fits comfortably in the hand, so when you inevitably become enraged with it you can easily chuck it a fair distance.

$299.95 at REI

Mountain Hardwear Canyon pant

A wise man once observed women's underwear has infinite fabrics, cuts and colors, but men's underwear has just one purpose: to separate our pants from our ass. True, true. But the Mountain Hardwear Canyon pants invite a man to be free, commando-style. They're so tough they can take all your ass has to offer.

The Canyon pants pack tiny, are superlight at 11oz and the 100% nylon material dries faster than you can spit on them. These have been my go-to pants for climbing, hiking and trekking for three years. Mine have backpacked across Morocco, trekked through Southern Thailand and crawled through Mayan ruins in the jungles of the Rio Bec, and they still look brand new.

The integrated belt with a nicely designed flat buckle doesn't chaff under a hip belt. There are two open front pockets and two velcro-tabbed rear pockets, and the cuffs have an elastic cord to cinch them tight against the leeches. They're even nice enough you can wear them around town, albeit with a slightly Che Guevera look. If GearFlogger had a 100% Perfect Piece Award these pants would be at the front of the line to get it.

$54.95 at Backcountry.com

Backcountry Betty book

Ohhh-kay. I know what you're thinking: WTF? Backcountry Betty, Roughing it in Style is from Mountaineers Books? Yes, unfortunately, from their new Skipstone imprint. Let me get the point of this review out of the way up front: active and aspiring SheFloggers should avoid this title like it was a 50-year old man in a Corvette.

Starting out with page 11: what's In Betty's Backpack? Why, a battery-operated vibrator, of course! And the author actually uses the word "camel-toe." My gentle readers know SheFlogger likes a good crotch joke as much as the next guy, but this book is full of them and they're just not that funny. One chapter is actually titled "Eating Out(side)." Gah! Double-entendres in every paragraph is not enough, and there's an entire chapter devoted to turning the great outdoors into a sorority house. My favorite is the "In Lieu of the Big Bang" list with such gems as, "scratch his forearms or buttocks lightly," and "massage his head."

There is very little useful information amid a whole lotta BS. The writing style may have worked for The Worst-Case Survival Handbook: Dating and Sex by the same author but it doesn't work here. This book should have been (and probably was) an article in one of those checkout-aisle magazines, not a book from my favorite outdoors press. You've been warned.

$14.95 at Mountaineers Books

Konica Minolta Activa 8x25 WP binoculars

A while back I wanted an inexpensive pair of binos for travel and expedition use. But I also wanted them to be waterproof and rugged enough to handle the inevitable abuse by a bunch of liquored-up climbers trying to scope out the nearby clothing-optional beach.

With optics you have the usual tradeoff: features, quality and price. I was willing to sacrifice optical quality for waterproof and inexpensive, and with those caveats in mind I can recommend the Konica Minolta Activa WP (for weatherproof) series of binoculars. At under a pound they're light, and they've survived multiple encounters with my two-year old and my climbing buddies. And the price is hard to beat.

A little binos 101: 8x25 means 8x magnification and a 25mm objective or front lens diameter. Anything higher than 10x sounds good, but will be hard to stabilize. A larger objective = more light coming in = brighter image. The Activa has a diopter adjustment, meaning you can fine-tune the focus to adjust for differences between eyes. Very useful if you need vision correction and want to use binos without eyeglasses, although the Activa has rubber eyecups that can be folded back for use with eyeglasses.

The main tradeoff in the Activa is image quality. Go to a store and grab a low-end brand like Konica or Brunton and a high-end brand like Leica or Swarovski and you will see a HUGE difference in clarity and image resolution. This is due to better materials, technology, manufacturing and quality control. If you're just looking for a working man's model, the Activa will do you fine.

$89.99 at Amazon.com