GearFlogger

DMM Bugette belay device

At just under an ounce you won't find a lighter belay device. The Bugette is perfect for glacier travel and other just-in-case applications. For heavy and/or frequent use you'll want something with a bit more metal to dissipate heat more efficiently and resist abrasion, but for emergency and occasional use the Bugette is the bomb.

This little fella has nice touches such as smooth edges and a covered keeper cable, and it's designed to work with ropes from 7.5mm to 9.5mm. In practice it's a smooth operator, working just fine for any normal belaying or rappelling scenario, and you'll barely know it's there until you need it.

$16.95 at Backcountry Gear

Outdoor Research Throttle Shorts

A good pair of shorts never goes out of style. Outdoor Research makes a lot of great apparel for serious backcountry abuse, and we've loved their Throttle shorts for a couple seasons now. They're hard to find these days but Sierra Trading Post has a few left.

The Throttle shorts have an elastic waistband with a flat inside drawstring and a single outside zip pocket on the right hip. The nylon construction and integrated mesh briefs mean they double as swim shorts, meaning the Throttle is the only article of clothing you need to wear on those rare warm-weather, sun and water filled vacation days.

But wait, that's not all! The short four inch inseam and reflective accents let the Throttle do triple-duty as a running shorts, and at a breezy five ounces they won't slow you down. The Throttle is a quiver of one, if you think of your shorts collection as a quiver. Which you shouldn't, that would make you a bit of a tool.

$39.95 at Sierra Trading Post

Clif Kidz Bars

You know how sometimes you steal your kids' food when they're not paying attention? You don't? Well, you must not have Clif Kidz bars sitting around. My three year old grabbed one of these at REI when I wasn't looking and popped it on me in the checkout line. I tried a bite before I gave it to him - yeah, in the car, sue me - and it tasted good enough that now I demand the daddy tax every time he gets one.

There are three flavors and they're all good: chocolate brownie, chocolate chip and iced oatmeal cookie. They're about 120 calories with 11 grams of sugar (out of 22g total carbs), 2g protein and 2g fiber. Made from organic ingredients with no high fructose corn syrup, they're not a fruit or vegetable but they're a great on the go occasional snack that your kid will reliably eat every time.

For the 99 percent of parents who aren't above a little bribery to get the little demons in line, Clif Kidz bars are the silver bullet. The icing on the cookie: Costco sells a variety pack, so go git some!

$1.00 a piece at REI

Ka-Bar Becker Campanion BK2 knife

When the stuff hits the fan, there are a few essentials you want in your kit to ensure peace of mind and soundness of body in the way-backcountry. A lot of us carry a multi-tool on shorter outings, but if you're going to the field for an extended period of time you need a beefy workhorse of a fixed - not folding - blade. The ability to take abuse and not break is the key concept here.

Ka-Bar is synonymous with survival knife, and the Ka-Bar Becker Campanion BK2 knife is a perfect example of why that is. Pick it up and you immediately know this knife means business. At 10.5 inches long with a 5.5 inch blade, and weighing in at 14.6 ounces (knife only, sheath is 3.6oz) the Campanion feels balanced and ready for serious work. The quarter-inch thick spine is just asking to be batoned into tree. Not familiar with good batoning technique? Watch this video.

The Campanion falls into the medium-sized category of survival knife, not a machete and not a dressing knife, although it could be used for the latter purpose if needed. It will perform camp duties from meal prep to cutting down small trees to making kindling. The pommel will pound all day and the 1095 steel is plenty durable, sharpens up nicely and resists the elements thanks to the black coating.

The kydex sheath with snap retention and two-inch webbing is just as overbuilt, and will be around long after the world has crumbled into dust and the only things left are cockroaches and Keith Richards. The retention is, if anything, too stiff, requiring a stout pull to free the blade, but it seems to be softening a bit over time. For inverted carry, you definitely don't have to worry about premature ejection. The handles can be tightened manually should the need arise. We haven't been able to put a dent in the Campanion, but it's been a pleasure trying. Knowing a tool is this gorilla-proof makes for a good night of sleep, whatever might be happening outside your shelter.

$72.94 at Knife Hog

Mountain Hardwear Nilas down mittens

There are two schools of expedition mitten design. No, really, there are, because... climbers! Most big mountain mitts are layered affairs. A shell holding lofty insulation, usually synthetic but occasionally down. An inner mitt, trigger finger mitt (index finger separate), lobster mitt (two and two) or glove (you should know this one). So there have always been choices, except if you wanted just a big bag of down to throw over the gloves you were already wearing, then and only then were you poopy out of luck.

No longer! Mountain Hardwear's fast and uber-light gear inspired by Ueli Steck is about as minimalist as you can get and still feel safe on a big mountain. The Nilas down mitten has no liner, just their OutDry waterproof breathable shell packed with oh-so-lofty 800 fill down. They weigh in at under six ounces - yes, you read that right - and their only features are a nonslip palm and a cordlock cuff. Brilliant, we say.

The Nilas mitt is sized to go on over a thin to medium sized liner glove, so if you want them to wear over a beefy guide-style glove you may want to size up. We used them on Denali last season and they were great, easily sliding over a pair of medium-weight windproof fleece gloves. Either way, the Nilas mitt is so light and packs so small it will disappear into your pack, ready when you need it. A great solution that fills a major gear gap.

$127.96 (on sale from $159.95) at Moosejaw

Julbo Trek sunglasses

In a color scheme only a mother could love come the Julbo Trek sunglasses. Actually, after an initial WTF reaction to blue and orange (bleeding smurf?) they kind of grew on us. They're also available in some slightly milder color combos. Either way, Julbo makes good glasses so we were more interested in performance.

The Trek comes with your choice of Spectron 4, Zebra or Camel lenses. The Spectrons are the budget lens, and if you're investing in a quality brand like Julbo you'll want to step up to the Zebra or Camel. Both are photochromic and anti-fog; the difference is in light transmission. The Zebra gets much lighter, 7 to 42 percent light transmission, while the Camel goes 5 to 20 percent. Both are recommended by Julbo for mountain, water, and bright light conditions. Both are not recommended by Julbo for driving.

Our model had the Zebra lenses, and we found them suitable for driving as long as you're not rapidly transitioning between deep shadows and bright sun. The photochromic response is 28 seconds end-to-end, which is just fine for most uses. The Trek's true home is in the vertical environment, where they perform like champs. The acuity of the lenses is great, and the light weight and ergonomics rock. Need ventilation for high-output? Remove the side shields and brow piece. Transitioning to glacier travel? Put the shields back on, it only takes a second.

The Trek is definitely a small/medium face frame. The nose pads flex a bit and the temples adjust by bending, so you can tailor the fit from there. Included is a clip-on leash and hard and soft cases. If you're looking for all-mountain sunglasses that will take you just about anywhere, the Trek is a great choice with lenses to match your epic.

$180.00 at REI