GearFlogger

Patagonia Nano-Air Hoody

As spring gives way to summer, there are still high places we want to get to with cold air and wild variations in temperature. What we need is a jacket that can operate smoothly across a range of temperatures and exertion levels, and that doesn't slow us down. For going on three winters now that jacket has been the Patagonia Nano-Air, as fine a garment as has crossed our threshold.

The Nano-Air as a boon backcountry companion is hard to beat - with just a couple of caveats, but first the good stuff, which is very, very good. The Nano-Air is ridiculously light for a jacket that insulates this well, just 13.6 ounces. The insulation, Patagonia's own FullRange synthetic rated at 60CFM air circulation, also performs unbelievably well over a really wide range of conditions, from well below freezing to well above, at an equally wide range of aerobic output. You'll end up adjusting layers a lot less with the Nano-Air.

The jacket compresses very small, much smaller than you would believe possible given the amount of loft in the insulation. In fact, all the materials are top-notch even by the high standards we've come to expect from Patagonia. The mechanical stretch in the shell and liner is just awesome. Combined with an articulated cut the Nano-Air just moves with you without you ever having to think about it.

Feature-wise it hits just about the full tick list: hand pockets are above harness level, there's two externally accessible chest pockets, and the hood fits over low volume helmets just fine, and under bigger brain buckets. The main zipper has a full-length draft flap, with a mandatory zipper garage at the top. The only adjustments are the dual hem drawcords, and it's a tribute to the Nano-Air's design that we never noticed a need for any other adjustability. Of course the elastic cuffs and hood opening help here too. 

The caveats are few but may be important to certain users. To make this an absolutely perfect jacket, only one change would be necessary: a bigger collar that could comfortably cover the chin, maybe even a drop-hood design. The existing collar kind of bunches up under your waddle, and is snug enough that it pulls the hood down over your eyes requiring frequent adjustment. A more minor nit is that the same stretchiness that makes the Nano-Air wear so comfortably can work against you if you catch it on anything sharp, a possibility that is made more likely by both the bunchiness of the material and the facts that it is thin with high traction. For snow travel or non-contact sports, no problem; for rubbing against rocks, you'll want something else, especially if you're one of those people who are hard on equipment - you know who you are. The minor nits: a dual-action belay-friendly main zipper would be nice, and while you're at it throw in a couple of interior open mesh stash pockets.

In the end, for applications that don't require contact-proof equipment, and for everyday winter and shoulder-season wear, the Nano-Air Hoody is a fantastic jacket that just might allow you to get rid of a couple of other layers. Stick a weatherproof shell over it and you're prepared for just about anything Mother Nature might throw your way.

$299.00 (some sizes on sale at $223.93) at REI

Icon Lifesaver Liberty Water Filter Bottle

As the saying goes, you can last three minutes without air, three days without water and three weeks without food. Unless of course you're a breatharian in which case GET A LIFE! Seriously though, those are very rough guides depending on a lot of other factors, but let's just stipulate that we need a lot of water, and often. Sometimes the trick is not finding water, but making it safe enough to drink.

Icon is a company that specializes in the making-safe part, with a wide range of products from the personal to the professional, and their Lifesaver technology has been proven in the field through real-world use by military and humanitarian missions. We're taking a look at the Liberty, a portable filter bottle with a built-in hand pump.

The Liberty is actually a purifier by the normal definition, in that the ultrafiltration cartridge takes out viruses and cysts in addition to bacteria. The Liberty is a great piece of engineering; the filter actually stops working when it needs to be changed, which should be around the 2,000 litre mark. There's a loop for a carabiner, a five-foot hose for accessibility to sources and to keep your hands away from contamination, an adjustable flow valve and transparent windows on the sides to check water level.

The Liberty holds 400ml/13oz of water, perfect for hydrating at rest stops. It weighs .68kg/2.2lbs dry, which is substantial but much less than carrying any reasonable amount of water. If you're the type who likes to be prepared, it's hard to do better than a Lifesaver Liberty.

$100.36 at Amazon

Adidas Progressor S Goggles

Along with a helmet, eye protection is mandatory on the slopes, both to keep junk out of your eyes and to allow visibility whether it's sunny or socked in. Adidas is a relatively new entrant into the ski goggle category, but they wasted no time in putting out a competitive product with the Progressor S goggle.

The S is for spherical, as in the top-to-bottom curvature of the lens; there's also a C version with a cylindrical profile, i.e. flat top-to-bottom. Both have their places: cylindrical goggles are less expensive and lower profile, and spherical are higher in both volume in price. Generally spherical lenses offer less distortion and glare as well.

The Progressor has a shiny lens in a variety of hues; we tested red, and it provided excellent clarity and contract across a wide range of conditions from extremely flat light to direct sun, a.k.a. a typical day at Alyeska Ski Resort in Alaska. The Progressor S definitely fills up your helmet, which is nice to prevent the dreaded gorby gap and also to keep your face warm.

The higher volume has another benefit, which is that combined with the excellent ventilation on the Progressor we didn't experience any fogging problems. We weren't skinning uphill with a pack, but we can usually tell even in strict downhill conditions whether a goggle is going to be a problem fogger or not, and we don't expect that issue in the Progressor. Overall Adidas has done a fine job of producing a great goggle.

$110.00 on Amazon

Sweet Protection Trooper MIPS Helmet

A good brain bucket is safety equipment numero uno on any alpine skier's list. The new thing in helmet design is MIPS: Multi-directional Impact Protection System. It basically involves an inner liner and outer shell that can move separately, so that the force of an impact at an angle - which most impacts are - is dissipated somewhat, instead of all going straight to your head.

Sweet Protection is a top tier helmet maker, and they cut no corners with the Trooper MIPS. It's just a tad on the heavy side - 24 ounces - but that's really just about 8oz heavier than the lightest MIPS helmets out there. The simple physics is that a heavier, bulkier helmet is going to offer more protection, all else being equal. Get a stronger neck we say.

The size M/L adjusts from 55-59cm which is pretty much a normal range, and it feels true to size. You always want your helmet as snug as possible without being uncomfortable, and you shouldn't have any problem dialing in the fit on the Trooper, especially since they include some padding inserts for the truly picky. The adjustment system is slightly wonky, but not a big deal since usually you just set it and forget it anyway. The earmuffs are hollowed out in the center, which makes them less warm than a fully padded ear cover but on the plus side you can hear better, and if earbuds are your thing it'll fit better.

The Trooper doesn't feel that heavy or bulky on the head, even after a long day of skiing. It's extremely comfortable, and the venting system is top-notch. The finish is slick, so make sure goggles and headlamps have sticky straps. It comes with a white cover bag. Minor nitpicks don't detract from the facts: the Trooper MIPS is among the best options out there for protecting the most valuable part of your anatomy not directly related to reproduction. And the Trooper is a damn good-looking helmet, so maybe it'll help there too.

$223.96 (on sale from $319.95) at Backcountry

Head Hybrid Gloves

Since we interact with the world so much through touch, a good pair of gloves is appreciated much beyond its original purchase price. Recently we came across these Head Hybrid Gloves at Costco for dirt cheap and bought them on impulse since our daily driver gloves, the Outdoor Research Sensors, were finally and inevitably coming apart after years of solid service.

After a couple months of daily winter use for everything from driving to skiing we're pretty happy with them. The Hybrid is touch-compatible, which is great for things like a touch-sensitive unlock function on a car door, and will do in a pinch for a phone screen. The fingers are a bit blocky for small touch manipulation, but that's to be expected for a warmer glove like the Hybrid.

How warm? We're fine in the Hybrid down to single digits. They're fairly wind-resistant, pleasant to the touch (by which we mean wiping your snotty nose) and the low-profile cuff fits under jacket arms easily. We were a little concerned about the fabric on the back of the hand, as it looks like it could catch and tear easily, but we've had no problems so far.

The only other ding is the traction material is only along the palm of the hand, and the fingers are pretty slick for holding on to anything. We'd pay a bit more for touch-sensitive leather palms and fingers like the OR Sensor, but for the price it's really hard to argue with the Hybrid; it's a good glove for cold weather use, and a great glove at the price. Available in any color you want, as long as it's gray or black.

From $11.71 on Amazon

CGear Sand-Free Mat

We first saw Australian company CGear's sand-free mat and thought it was a hoax, but after attempting to disprove its magical self-cleaning properties we have to admit that it actually works, and can work pretty well in certain conditions. CGear says the technology was developed to provide dust abatement for helipads, and as someone who once upon a time spent my weekends jumping on and off - and sometimes out of - helicopters, that's a real need. Swirling dust and slashing rotors don't mix, not to mention the wear and tear on engines.

The CGear civilian-issue mat is a sturdy tarp that comes in sizes from 6x6 feet to 12x12, and in a few color choices. There are also various other products they make with the same or similar functionality, including towels, bags and even footwear. The mat has a reinforced edge and D-rings around the border to stake it out, although due to the substantial heft of the material you won't really need them unless the wind is really blowing.

Once on the ground, the double-weave material easily lets fine sand, dust and particulates through the material in one direction. It's thick enough that it provides a comfortable walking and sitting surface, even on hard surfaces, which is a nice bonus. As particulates get thicker and/or wetter they don't go through as easily, but generally it's the finer stuff that's annoying you anyway; pebbles are easily swept off and a bit of a shake helps the intermediate stuff get out. At the end of the day a good shaking and hosing will clean most of what's stuck in the weave out.

The polyethylene construction is definitely sturdy, enough to stand up to chairs and the like, and although you can lie directly on it for general comfort you'll probably put a towel on top. The mat is great for RVs, car camping, cabins and the like, and pulls double-duty on damp surfaces to keep things dry. If you're looking to manage the dirt in your life, check out the CGear mat, a nice piece of kit from down under.

From $40.00 on Amazon

Bowtie Ski and Pole Carrier

It's pain to wrangle skis and poles, whether it's from the corner of the garage into your car or from your car up to the lift or really anywhere else. There are a number of solutions to ski portage, but a simple strap has a lot of advantages and the Bowtie wraps it all up - pun intended - in a great little package, affordably priced.

The Bowtie has two velcro straps at either end of a longer nylon adjustable carry strap. Just wrap the smaller straps around your skis and poles on either side of your bindings, adjust the carry strap - shorter for hand carry, longer to sling over your shoulder or across your back - and you're good to go.

The basic version works just fine for even fat skis, although if you've got something obscenely fat - Fischer Ranger we're lookin' at you - Bowtie makes a fat version, which is oddly hard to find. We can vouch that the normal version fits our Nordica Enforcer 93's and poles with some room to spare.

In use the Bowtie is great. It goes on and off quickly, carries everything from adult and kids downhill skis to cross country gear, can be used for bundles of poles or wands, and can be easily stored in a coat pocket while you're skiing. We really appreciated being able to load and unload three sets of skis in a rooftop box when each set is in its own Bowtie. Schlepping them to the lift would have been impossible for one person if they were loose, but easy-peasy when you can sling one over your back and carry another in each hand. Great product, very useful.

$14.95 on Amazon

REI Tarn 12 and 18 Kid's Backpacks

It was long past time to upgrade Littleflogger to his next level backpack. He's six years old and it's time he carried his own weight. OK, maybe not the full 50 pounds, but at least his lunch and a few layers. We've got a full travel schedule this year and the pack will function as carry-on and destination daypack, so we set out to find the right pack and we happily ended up with the REI Tarn 18.

The Tarn comes in 12, 18, 40 and 65 liters, with the 12L for 5-8 years and the 18L for 8-12 years. We went with the 18 for our 6yo, wanting the extra space for puffy layers in the Alaskan winter and for snacks, toys and books for car and air travel. It still fits him just barely and gives him some room to grow and some extra organization options, but the 12L probably would have worked fine too.

The 18 has pockets on the hip belt and load lifter straps to cinch the main compartment tight, and other than that and the size is pretty much identical to the 12. Both have dual stretchy mesh bottle pockets, a large stuff pocket on the front (remember the front is the back - opposite the shoulder straps - when you're talking packs), and a top front zipper pocket for smaller more frequent access. Inside is a hydration bladder sleeve, a clip on a lanyard and a small zipped pocket on the flap with a cool graphic that shows the ten essentials.

On the front of the stuff pocket are daisy chains, and on the bottom there are even four lashing points. I don't see us ever using any of those but hey, you never know. The sternum strap has a whistle, sure to be a hit with any normal loud-noise-loving kid, and a safety feature to boot. Overall this is a great and reasonably price pair of kid's packs, and either one will pull duty from school to the Jungfrau. For a video comparing the two see the link below.

$34.95 and $39.95 at REI