GearFlogger

Lowepro Photo Sport Pro 30L camera bag

Lowepro is one of just a handful of top-tier bag makers for professional and aspiring photographers. Their Photo Sport Pro 30 liter camera bag is a nicely designed daypack-style pack that allows easy access to your DSLR while on the go.

The Photo Sport Pro has a lot of room, and a stiff internal frame to support pretty much whatever you want to cram in there. If you load it to the max you might feel the frame behind the thin waist belt, but the pack makes the compromises for a lower profile and lighter weight. Keep the weight reasonable - easy to do with lower-weight/higher bulk items like clothing - and the pack carries nicely.

The sternum strap has more vertical adjustment than most, the shoulder straps have load lifters and just the right amount of contour, and the waist belt, while thin, does the job and can be easily tucked away if you're constantly shucking your pack on and off. The fixed top lid has a zippered compartment with a keeper strap for small items like keys, and there's even a five-inch collar around the main compartment top opening that allows you to use the full internal volume while still keeping things covered.

On the left side as worn is a zipper that allows you to access the removable internal padded cube that holds and protects your big investment. The cube has generous grab handles and its own internal organizing rip-and-stick panels, so its easy to grab just your body and lens assortment for movement if desired. On the right side as worn is a mesh water bottle pocket. There are four horizontal compression straps and two vertical, so you'll never have an excuse for a sloppy load, even with a tripod to lash on.

The technical features include the afore-mentioned slim profile and light weight, plus 210D ripstop PU-coated nylon construction, hydration compartment (no bladder included, so sad...), pack cover compartment (all-weather pull-out cover included - happy again!) and dual trekking pole/ice axe loops and keepers. All in all we found the Lowepro Photo Sport Pro 30 liter camera bag to be a great way for scrambling photographers to keep their gear wired tight while chasing the perfect shot.

$199.99 and free shipping at Amazon

Clif Builder's Max protein bar

Energy bars that emphasize carbs have come a long way and actually taste good, even when you have to eat them for an extended period of time. Protein bars, in a sense, have also come a long way. Instead of tasting like unwiped ass, they now taste like an ass that has, indeed, been wiped, if not actually thoroughly cleaned.

So it is with some reservations that we award Denali Approved status to Clif Builder's Max protein bars. When we first ate one, in the comfort of our own home, we thought they weren't too bad. But after just a couple of days on Denali this season, we were absolutely not looking forward to them, and after a week it was gag reflex suppression time to rim one down.

This is not just Clif's fault: every protein bar we've ever eaten has had this effect. So applying the relative ass-wiping percentage scale to the Builder's Max, take the square root, carry the two, a little long division and viola, they are about as good as they get. Which we freely admit is not saying much.

What you do get is 380 calories in a 3.7 ounce bar, almost 100 calories per ounce. That's 30g of protein from what Clif calls TriBuild, a fancy way of saying they combine whey, soy and casein. We trust Clif products for wholesome ingredients, and the weight and bulk of the packaging is negligible, so you don't have to worry about re-packaging for a long trip like Denali. Grab whatever flavor you want, they all pretty much taste the same, with a slight edge to the mint one. That's all we've got to say about that.

$2.80 (save 20 percent on 12) at REI

Timex Expedition Trail Mate watch

In these days of do-everything devices, sometimes simpler is better, and with apologies to Dr. Freud, sometimes a watch is just a watch, even when it has an accelerometer. The Timex Expedition Trail Mate is a great example of a device that does a few things very well at a price that won't have you taking out a(nother) home loan.

The first thing you notice - or don't - about theTrail Mate is the subdued design. No flashy chrome here. Then you notice the large numeric display and generously sized controls. The Trail Mate invites you to look at it and manipulate it, and that's a good thing.

All the normal timekeeping functions are here: dual time zones, 24 hour timer, lap and split times, even a halfway alert. Alarms are loud and clear, and setup is easy enough, allowing you to enter your height, weight, age and the weight of what you're carrying. An accelerometer uses this data to enable the trail features, which include pace (you can manually enter your stride length), distance and calories, as well as time spent stopped versus moving. Overall the pedometer functions are roughly accurate, more so if you use a known-distance course to tinker with it, making the Trail Mate a good low-cost alternative to much more expensive GPS-equipped watches. And if you're a real data hound, you can review your past ten activity sessions right on the watch.

The lighting is nicely done, with just the digits lighting up when you press the Indiglo button. The display even blinks when an alarm goes off so you can find it in the dark faster. The Trail Mate is water resistant to 100 meters, so don't worry about the weather. Bottom line: If you're looking for an inexpensive digital hiking companion to keep you on time and on target, the Timex Expedition Trail Mate watch is just the ticket.

$38.02 at Amazon

Horny Toad Dusty pants

OK, these pants are not adventure pants, but hey - sometimes travel is required to get to said adventure, and I've been doing a lot of that lately. My go-to pants have been Horny Toad's Dusty khaki-ish pants, which have a couple of design features that should be mandatory in all pants these days.

The Dusty pants are made from 100 percent organice cotton, and are buttery soft off the rack. They don't have that pressed look, but they're neat enough to stand in for regular khakis. The fit is relaxed without being baggy. There are two open hand pockets and two open back pockets.

So far, so normal, bu two tweaks make these pants super-functional. The first is a small pocket inside the right hand pocket. It's perfect for credit cards, driver's license, or coins, and will even hold a smartphone upright so it doesn't tip sideways in your pocket.

The second thing is another pocket above the left hand pocket, basically low on the hip. It's perfect for a smartphone-sized object. What I find is that I carry my phone in the inner left pocket and my credit card and driver's license in the inner right pocket. Both hold their respective objects securely and you don't feel like a moving yard sale. The cotton fabric also automatically cleans the smartphone screen as it goes in and out of the pocket; it's great to see a clean phone screen all the time.

If you're a wallet-less minimalist-neat freak like me, check out the Horny Toad Dusty pants. They travel, go to work and just hang out with the greatest of ease.

$76.00 at REI