GearFlogger

Trew BeWild Jacket

An ultralight rain jacket is pretty much required gear for anyone who spends any significant amount of time outdoors. It used to be that sub-pound waterproof breathable jackets were as rare as unicorns who identified as jackalopes, but there's a lot more to choose from these days. To get a good benchmark, check out the BeWild jacket from Trew. It sets the standard in a lot of small but important ways, and is perfect enough that it's been our go-to shell for over a year. It doesn't hurt that it gets a curiously high amount of compliments based just on its looks.

First up, and obviously most critical, does it keep you dry? Oh hell yes. A recent weekend of fun stuff (camping on the Kenai river!) and not-so-fun but still necessary stuff (memorial service for a relative on a beach in Alaska) involved the common denominator of a lot of rain. The BeWild not only kept my delicate, pasty skin dry, it also was dry itself and ready to go again in a very short amount of time. And it does all this with no sacrifice of breathability. Although there is no standard test for breathability (see this excellent overview at REI) we engaged in moderate aerobic activity (biking) and found the BeWild to easily vent our nasty BO as fast as we could heat it up. We didn't even have to release the pit zips, but it was nice knowing we could.

But what about weight? No worries here at 13 ounces for a size medium, thank you polyurethane films. The BeWild takes full advantage of one of the major benefits of PU, the ability to stretch, and this feature alone makes it a great jacket for hard use on rock and ice.

Features don't get left behind either: there's a two-way zipper (another huge plus for climbers, yes!), full-length zipper flap, helmet compatible hood, pit zips, ginormous zipped hand pockets, and a zipped left chest pocket with cord port inside. Adjustability via drawcords is perfectly minimal: two on the hem and one on the hood, plus rip-and-stick cuffs.

The fit is perfect, just loose enough that you can layer it over insulation, but not so much that you feel like you're swimming in it in just a t-shirt. The long hem is most welcome, as we've always been annoyed at so-called rain jackets that end at the belt line. None of that here. Overall we can't think of any shell jacket we've tested that exceeds the performance, fit and livability of the BeWild, and only a few that equal it. And that's not even considering the price, which is seriously reasonably and puts the BeWild at the top of our shell list. OK, you want a gripe? Here's one: where are the matching pants?

$229.00 at Trew

Ring Video Doorbell Pro

We reviewed the original non-pro, non-wired version of the Ring Video Doorbell a while back, and were decidedly unimpressed. Fast forward to now and we've been using the pro, wired version for almost a year. Our verdict? It's great, and that's a huge boon for the floggers who spend a lot of time away from home but want to have a little peace of mind while they're away.

With the first model we had problems with battery life, wifi signal strength and jerky video. None of that with the Pro, even with its higher resolution 1080p video capability. Part of that is probably due to the fact that we upgraded our internet: the Pro requires a minimum of 2Mbps upload speed, and we've found it works smoothly with our current 5Mbps.

We also ponied up for the $30/year cloud storage. It's a competitively priced and nicely designed app, and being able to see if that was a moose or a mugger in front of your house at 3am is a great feature. Installation was a little finicky with the wiring requirements, but with patience and help from Ring support we got it up and running with a few experimental detours. Our doorbell chime was a little low on the volume side - a chime problem not a Ring problem - so we also bought the $25.99 wireless plug-in Ring Chime.

The motion detection is very usable. You can draw onscreen the zone you want to monitor and set the sensitivity. You can answer rings from your phone or tablet, and talk to people or just watch them. You can also go to live view at any time to just check out the view. It's all the functionality you need in a complete, easy to use feature set.

By the time you're said and done it's a substantial investment: beyond the doorbell there's the installation, chime, internet connection and cloud storage, but the end of the process you've got a pretty good start to a home security system that doesn't rely on a third-party monitor. And it's always nice to see a product improve like the Ring system has.

$249.00 at Amazon

Cotton Carrier G3 Camera Harness

Here at Gearflogger we're a sucker for vest style carriers of all kinds. Any kinds. For anything. Well, OK, maybe not this. Or this. But maybe this. One we'd wear for absolutely sure is the Cotton Carrier G3 camera harness.

We know two things - two! - about cameras. (a) they're hideously expensive so you don't want to drop them and (ii) the bigger they come they harder they are to carry. The Cotton Carrier G3 solves both problems with a vest that distributes the weight over your shoulders. Even the heaviest camera carries easily in this configuration, and the padding behind the chest mount will protect the boniest of builds.

The lightweight G3 makes carrying and protecting your expensive gear much easier, but the designers didn't stop there. An adjustable strap goes over the camera lens to limit bouncing, and a small pouch contains a rain cover that can be easily slipped over the camera. There's a small credit-card sized pocket on the front, a phone-sized pocket behind the chest mount next to your body, and a bigger mesh pocket in back for a water bottle, rain shell, etc.

Need a second camera on you? You're a glutton for punishment, but you won't get it when you use the Wanderer side holster. It attaches to the side of the G3 using an inch-and-a-half belt loop, or you can attach it to a standard backpack hip belt up to 5.5 inches with the rip-and-stick release tab. It's very clever and the molded pad lets it ride comfortably on your hip.

The camera attachment points use a Twist and Lock mount: just attach the disc to your camera body, slide it into the mounting point and twist it 90 degrees. Done and done, it's not going anywhere. Twist to unlock, get the shot and don't even worry about dropping your precious: there are two lanyards that attach from d-rings on the harness to split rings on the camera discs. There are even optional attachment methods for binoculars and other gear. The whole system carries nicely, works for multiple rigs, and effectively secures your pricey gear. If it prevents just one dropped lens you've made your money back. Available in classy charcoal and blend-in camo.

$159.00 at Cotton Carrier

Essential Knots and Basic Navigation by NASAR

The National Association for Search and Rescue has a vested interest in you not being an idiot whilst frolicking amidst glen and glade. And also on rocks, in water and on the snow. To help you help them not have to help you, they have a number of pocket-sized guides to basic outdoor skills.

Essential Knots and Basic Navigation are two brochure-style publications that are easily portable for folks who may need a little reminder about the fundamentals. These would be perfect for students in an outdoors study class, for example. They are clearly printed on durable waterproof stock to withstand frequent consultation in the field, and easily fit in a pocket so they are always there when you need them.

EK starts with some basic terminology and contains illustrations of the following hitches, loops and knots: clove, girth, Munter, Prusik, Klemheist, Purcell Prusik, trucker's, Munter mule, super Munter, Radium release, overhand, overhand loop, water/ring, double overhand/fisherman's, stopper, double fisherman's/grapevine, bowline, bowline with Yosemite finish, bowline on a bight, alpine butterfly, figure 8, figure 8 follow-through, double figure 8 on a bight, inline 8, figure 8 on a bight, double loop inline figure 8, and reef/square. There are also some basic anchors, body harness and litter lashing. All in all a pretty good selection for a literal pocket guide.

BN deals with a more comprehensive subject and still manages to be quite useful. Compass basics, reading a map, basic symbology, and grids lead to basic navigation techniques like azimuths, triangulation and measuring distance. None of this substitutes for getting out in the field and practicing, but having this little document with you will provide helpful reminders should you need them. With both publications NASAR did a good job getting some complicated topics down to brochure format. For those time you can't carry the whole book, be sure to check these out.

Essential Knots $9.93 at Amazon

Basic Navigation $9.93 at Amazon

50 Things to Do with a Penknife, by Matt Collins

You have a penknife. You have some wood. You face the question mankind has pondered since time immemorial: what now? Luckily Matt Collins is here to help you through this existential dilemma with 50 Things to Do with a Penknife. We'd say this is more suitable for the younger crowd, but there are almost certainly some more mature floggers out there who are new to the whole penknife scene, and this is for them.

50TTDWAP, as the kids are calling it, has mostly small and easy projects like utensils, holders of various kinds, and the creation of various small and simple tools like fish hooks. There is a artsy chapter on Ornamental Carving, a chapter specifically on carving cork, and one that deasl with carving food - cucumber chain, anyone?

The last chapter is the most useful from an outdoorsy perspective, with topics such as grafting an apple tree and preparing a fish. Overall the projects are easy-breezy, perfect for kids and first-timers as a companion to their first penknife.

$16.95 on Amazon