GearFlogger

Digital Photography Outdoors book

In Some Like It Hot Jack Lemmon describes watching Marilyn Monroe walk as "like jell-o on springs!" That type of unpredictable motion also happens to describe my photographs, and that mental association may explain why I want to lick them... but I digress.

Optical image stabilization helps with the jell-o shots - mmm, jell-o shots - but there is a heck of lot else to learn about shooting good pics. Breathe easily, because it's all here: Digital Photography Outdoors (second edition) is a graduate class for all us waffle-stompers. It starts with the basics in a chapter aptly titled "The old rules of photography still apply" that covers composition, light and some other ground rules.

The book marches on through equipment, advanced techniques and getting the most out of your "digital darkroom." It's all extremely well-organized and informative, with plenty of clearly illustrated examples. One example of the detail you get is in the treatment of "workflow," the process of moving an image from capture to output and all the in-between steps that can affect final image quality. Photographs are a vital part of post-adventure enjoyment, and Digital Photography Outdoors will help you make the most of them.

$12.70 at Amazon

Mountain Hardwear Banshee sleeping bag

I had to Google Banshee to remind myself exactly what it is; turns out it's "a female spirit in Gaelic folklore whose appearance or wailing warns a family that one of them will soon die." Oooo-kay. Sign me up for that!

Now it's true that excessive exposure to wailing female spirits - in particular Ann Coulter - can make you wish you were dead, you will be blissfully oblivious as you snuggle up in this zero degree bag from Mountain Hardwear. Stuffed with 800-fill down and covered with a welded, box-baffled, waterproof and highly breathable Conduit SL laminate shell, it packs down small and sheds everything short of a full-on deluge. No worries about condensation here.

The Banshee weighs in at just under three and a half pounds, with a pound and a half of that being fill weight. It has an ergonomic mummy cut, draft tube and collar and two small pockets You'll pay for all this wonderfulness, but if you need a fast and light waterproof nookie bag at this temperature rating you'll be happy when the fit hits the shan. In general the temperature rating seems about right with all the usual caveats: get a good pad, be hydrated, fed and not tired, and all the other things that are impossible in your average epic.

$450.00 at REI

Benchmade Model 100SH20 river/rescue/dive knife

Benchmade continues their fine made-in-the-USA knifemaking tradition with the Model 100SH20 water knife. It's a fixed blade design with a super corrosion-resistant steel blade, high-visibility yellow handle (also available in black for your stealthy types) and a versatile Kydex sheath.

The 3.23" partially-serrated blade is a modified sheepsfoot design, meaning the spine (not sharp) side drops down to meet the blade instead of the other way around. This minimizes the point, which is appropriate for a slicing blade used primarily in situations where it is desirable to minimize the risk of accidentally sticking yourself or the other poor schmuck.

The Model 100 has a perfect neutral balance and a solid in-hand feel without being heavy. The thumb-locked reversible sheath is nicely designed and supports multiple carry options. We've profiled Benchmade's ERT-1 rescue tool designed for dry land head-ass inversion situations. If you're worried about the same posture occurring in a 100% humidity environment the 100SH20 won't let you down.

$125.00 at Amazon

REI Nooksack UL +30 sleeping bag

I did it all for the Nooksack! The Nooksack! So you can take that cookie, and shove it up your... wait; isn't that pastry abuse? Why waste a perfectly good cookie is all I'm saying, when you could eat it in the comfort of your very own Limp Bizkit-approved sleeping bag.

REI's Nooksack is an ultralight bag for women weighing in at just under two pounds (the bag, not the women). It uses Primaloft MXL, a variant developed exclusively for REI, with all the normal benefits of synthetic fill, most importantly the ability to maintain insulation value when wet. The Nooksack compresses well, although you'll need to buy a separate compression sack. The differential layering varies the fill weight to concentrate more where it's needed, less where it ain't, and the hood, full-length zipper draft tube and dual drawstring for the face opening all add warmth. There's even a much-appreciated internal zipper pocket that for some reason isn't mentioned in the product description.

So how SheFlogger-friendly is the Nooksack? Like almost all sleeping bags the temperature rating is optimistic. If you're a warm sleeper and/or you don't mind sleeping with a layer or two on you might be comfortable at the +30F rating. If you're used to sleeping au natural and/or you're a normal to cold sleeper think more in the 40 to 50 degree range. Always remember to add the pad: it doesn't matter what your bag is rated to if you're sleeping on the heat-sucking ground. Two honorable mentions: REI makes the best zipper pulls out there, with a sticky little rubber nub, and the bag is velcro-free so your base layer won't look like a rat's nest after a couple nights.

$114.99 (on sale from $169.00) at REI

Atwater Carey Pro Series medical kit

Atwater Carey is a leading supplier of outdoors health and safety products. They make a wide range of medical gear including kits to fit every need from fast and light to slow and ponderous. The Pro Series comes in versions 1, 2 and 3 for up to eight people and/or three weeks.

Each includes a Backcountry First Aid book that will walk you through the routines, but the supplies go beyond the basics to include items such as 5.5" EMT shears, nitrile gloves and a CPR life mask. There is a particularly wide assortment of bandaging options including gauze, dressings and tape. Stepping up to the higher numbered series gets you even more options, including SAM splints and burn treatments.

The kits are well-packaged in a zippered nylon pouch that opens to see-through paneled compartments. They range in weight from 1-2.5lb and there is ample room in the bag to stuff it with your own extras. An especially nice touch: Atwater Carey stands by their products with an Ask the Expert function on their website.

$59.99 to $119.99 on eBay

Mountain Hardwear Transition Tight

Mountain Hardwear's Transition tight is the new lederhosen. Now don't be frightened; like you I'm always suspicious that tights will make me look more superhoser than superhero, but the Transition has a slightly relaxed fit that works great for cross country skiing, biking, running or any other high-output cool-weather endeavor.

Made of Gore Windstopper soft shell material with a DWR finish the whole enchilada is only 8oz. The flat seams are welded and taped, the waist rides under a pack no problem and the general articulated fit and finish are high quality as befits the premium price point. These are very comfortable pants, and warmer than you would expect given their featherweight class.

Be warned: there are no pockets, so if the Transition will be your go-to pant and you need stowage make sure your jacket has it. If you try these and like them check out the Transition hooded jacket that has a couple of small pockets. The pair of these will outfit you for a wide range of conditions when you need to go faster and lighter.

$109.95 at Backcountry

Kelty Binto Bar camp kitchen

George Carlin jokes about a place for your stuff. He must work at Kelty. Kelty makes stuff to hold stuff, cover stuff and carry stuff. They make a lot of stuff including a really nice Basecamp series of stuff to organize your stuff. OK, I'll stuff it.

If you're feeding larger groups of climbers or other poo-slinging primates you know how much space all that food and cookware takes up. Enter the Binto Bar: it stores, organizes and transports large quantities of kitchen items with ease. The basic format is elegantly simple: a fabric box with a skeleton frame holds three zip-top 16/8.5/14.5" HWD Binto bags, which come in basic, padded and insulated cooler varieties.

The front zips open and folds down to reveal a large mesh storage pouch and the three Bintos slide out smoothly like drawers by pulling on their side handles. The velcroed top and side panels flip up and out to form an effective windscreen protecting a work surface with a stiff plastic top. There are three zippered pouches on the inside of the top panel for utensils etc. This is a lot of clever storage in a small space, and you can move it around easily by grabbing the side handles or using the shoulder strap. It even folds flat for storage, and the side daisy chains let you secure it for transport. I've seen other attempts at camp kitchens that create more problems than they solve, but Kelty's Binto Bar is a standout for its simplicity and utility.

$119.95 at Backcountry