GearFlogger

Sharpal All-in-1 Sharpener

Happiness is a fully stocked woodpile: 20 percent spruce, sappy and good for starting a fire, and 80 percent birch, for longer burn time. Sadness is realizing you finally need to sharpen your axe, and you don't have access to an old-fashioned pedal grindstone. Happiness is when you find out you can do a pretty darn good job with an inexpensive and versatile sharpener from Sharpal.

The All-in-1 sharpener has become a mandatory part of our kit. I used it to sharpen knives, our precious Fiskars splitting axe and a mower blade. The last item I had previously used an electric grinder on; I knew I was ruining the temper on the blade, but it was all I had. No more!

The Sharpal can sharpen scissors, knives, axes, hedge and pruning shears, machetes, basically everything except fishing hooks (oh but they make a sharpener for that too!) and serrated knife blades. All the sharpening parts are intuitive, easy and safe to use, with preset angles and a wrap-around handguard.

For all the tools we sharpened, generally just a few pulls through for lightly worn blades or just a few more for heavier wear were sufficient to restore a nice edge. If you're plowing through a stack of kitchen knives that you've been ignoring for a while - not that we know anyone like that, no sir - the additional comfort of the Sharpal becomes a major plus. The All-in-1 is versatile, effective and inexpensive, and now you have no excuse for all those dull edges around the house.

$17.93 at Amazon

 

Klik 1-Ply Belt

No secret, we're big fans of Klik Belts around here. Their D-Ring Rescue Belt is a staff fave. Klik recently added a quiver of 1-ply belts to their traditionally 2-ply stable. The new belts are lighter and more flexible, but retain the same high level of quality.

1-ply belts aren't suitable for carrying heavy tools and things, but we found ourselves wearing our Klik belt for more casual use and with lighter tools. The 1-ply belts are the perfect answer, and they come with a standard 1.5 inch width webbing and with the same Cobra buckle as the heavier models.

You can even add a Velcro option if you absolutely positively have to secure that tail, but beware it does make it a bit more difficult to thread the belt through your pants loops. Klik belts are uber-strong, look fantastic and will make any dad happy.

$58.00 at Klik Belts

Black Diamond Big Air Pilot Package Belay Device

I have a pen. I have pineapple. Uh! Pineapple pen. I have a Gridlock. I have ATC Pilot. Uh! Big Air Pilot Package. If you don't get the reference, we are sad. Click on link because 200 million people can't be wrong.

Black Diamond combines two excellent products into one belay device wunderdeal. Note the ATC Pilot is a specialized device intended for single pitch and toprope belays. It's not for rappelling or any of those fancy multipitch, multibelay, multirope scenarios; that's what the other ATC variations are for.

The ATC Pilot is good on ropes 8.7 to 10.5mm, and what it does on those ropes it does very, very well. It catches single rope falls reliably and softly, and enables the buttery smooth payout of rope when needed for slack or lowering. The device locks up automatically - this does NOT mean you can release your belay hand - making it much easier to hold a climber in position like you need to do frequently with beginners or even with advanced climbers working a project, placing bolts, etc.

Using the Pilot does take a bit of practice to get used to how it locks and pays out line, but nothing that a few gym sessions won't bring you up to speed on. The Gridlock we've reviewed before, and it's still a great belay device biner anywhere, anytime. The whole package, biner plus belay device, is a great deal if you're looking for a single pitch solution that weighs nothing, works flawlessly and adds a small but welcome margin of safety to your next climbing project.

$48.71 (on sale from $64.95) at Moosejaw

Kelty Tru.Comfort Doublewide Sleeping Bag

The eternal quest for a truly usable two-person sleeping bag has finally concluded, and Kelty has taken the prize. The Tru.Comfort Doublewide sleeping bag solves the basic problem of how to make one bag work for two people.

Kelty thought inside the bag on this slick 20 degree rated sack, giving each sleeper their own full-length comforter, attached on just the outside so you can roll up in it or fling it off as your internal thermostat dictates. The main cover on the outside of the bag covers both of you, but you can each zip down your side to vent or not, so you have the best of all worlds. You can even zip it all the way off and leave it behind if you're confident in the weather cooperating where you're heading.

The Sheflogger and I agree on this one, the Kelty Tru.Comfort really is the cat's meow. We can each regulate our own temperature and airflow while still retaining maximum spooning availability. The hood is perfectly sized for two normal size pillows, the rectangular cut gives you the luxury of movement and Kelty's Cloudloft synthetic insulation is easily good for its 20 degree rating.

The Tru.Comfort is a stout bag at 9.5lbs, and it doesn't pack down small, but what you get is a super-comfy bag that works across a very wide range of temperatures for two people - of virtually any size, thanks to the 6.5 foot length - who may not entirely agree the meaning of the words "cold" and "hot." Our trials and tribulations of zipping sleeping bags together are ended. The Kelty Tru.Comfort truly is the best of both worlds, and at a very reasonable price point to boot.

$179.95 at Kelty

Tortuga Outbreaker Backpack

Do you like to bring a lot of stuff when you travel? Do you like to have it insanely organized? Does your luggage need to travel by yacht or by yak with equal aplomb? Well then, your backpack has arrived. The Tortuga Outbreaker packs an unbelievable amount of organizational options into its meticulously constructed pack to appeal to even the most OCD among us.

The Outbreaker comes in two sizes, 35L and 45L. We tested the smaller one, and after spending some quality time with this modern-day bag of holding we can't imagine needing the larger one, but let your obsessions be your guide. Let's talk features, construction and comfort.

The Outbreaker zips fully open into two large full height and width main compartments, one on the front and one on the back. The external zippers are even lockable with those tiny TSA compliant locks. The back compartment hinges on the bottom and includes two sleeves for electronics, secured by a single Velcro tab, that easily swallow a 15" laptop and a 13" tablet simultaneously in separate fleece-lined pockets (but not the largest iPad Pro, at least not on the 35L). Also in the back compartment are three mesh zipped pockets.

The front compartment hinges on the side and includes two large mesh zipped pockets and two long and skinny pockets (four on the larger version shown bottom right in picture above). The front flap has two slim external zip pockets and one larger half-height pocket with a plethora of organization options (bottom left in picture above). Finally there are two small pint-size water bottle pockets, one on each side, and two small zipped pockets, one on each side of the waistbelt. How many pockets total? We tried taking off our socks to help us count that high, but we became disoriented after ten and just stopped. We're not even sure we found them all, let's call it many-many.

The construction displays the same level of attention to detail. The Outbreaker is not quite waterproof but is extremely water resistant thanks to its sailcloth material; we felt smarter just reading about it. Despite cramming some serious weight into the pack, it refused to stretch or distort in any way, and the top-mounted grab handle didn't so much as squeak as we threw it around. Speaking of weight, while you can pack the Outbreaker to the gills you're still going to have to carry that weight on your body, and even here you can see the thought put into the design: shoulder straps are overpadded, there are two seriously thick vertical pads where it rests against your back - which as a bonus allow quite a bit of airflow - and everything is adjustable from torso height to compression to load lifters. The end result is that the Outbreaker carries very well for short to medium jaunts, even when fully loaded.

It was hard to find fault with this pack. Maybe bigger side pockets and a whistle on the sternum strap? Overall we were just plain seriously impressed with the Outbreaker. It's a rare combination of premium materials and top-notch construction expressing a very clear purpose: to put all the things in their place. If you love organization, if you're traveling far and if you want one bag to rule them all, definitely take a look at the Outbreaker.

$299 at Tortuga

Roadtrip America: Arizona and New Mexico

Some years ago I got a job with a Santa Fe-based company, and I drove from Alaska to New Mexico, where I stopped for onboarding on my way to work in their Washington, DC office. The four corners area is truly sublime, and over the next year I had ample opportunity to return to Santa Fe and explore the four corners area by car.

I loved every minute of it, but I can tell you if this guide had been available I would have loved it even more. Roadtrip America: Arizona and New Mexico: 25 Scenic Side Trips by Rick Quinn is a fantastic guidebook. It's comprehensive, up-to-date and the format is perfect: every route in the books starts and ends on the Interstate system, but takes you far beyond to the places that are most interesting.

Rick clearly put in the miles to make this great book. Reading through it I kept thinking, "I can't believe I missed that!" From Billy the Kid's haunts and hideouts to abandoned architectural experiments to Indian cliff dwellings to beautifully raw landscapes, Rick's book covers it all.

The format matches the high quality of the content. Four color-coded sections are filled with gorgeous photography and clear maps that invite exploration. Callouts highlight attractions both natural and human-made, as well as local legends and history. We really can't say enough good things about this book; if you're driving through the area, or even just thinking about it, just get it. Now where is the Utah and Colorado edition to complete the four corners tour?

$23.11 at Amazon

Mycharge Adventure Jump Start & Battery Pack

These little car-starting battery packs are awesome devices, and the Mycharge Adventure Jump Start is a great example, especially at the current $35 deal on Amazon. It's great peace of mind for a dead car battery or a dead cell phone.

Mycharge already has an excellent reputation for power products. The Adventure Jump Start is basically just a small portable battery pack: the same width as an iPhone 6+, not quite as tall and three times as thick. Let's just agree that it's small.

Features, however, are big. The 6,660 mAh Adventure will top off a big phone two or three times, a tablet once or twice, and it will definitely jumpstart your car unless you have a monster diesel that you're working with. The Adventure charges via micro USB, has a nice pop-out six-inch micro USB cable for charging other devices, and a normal size USB port to connect your own cables to charge other devices. There's a 4LED charge status indicator and even a small LED flashlight/strobe function.

Jumper cables are included, with six-inch leads, which is all you need because you're not connecting two cars. Just attach the red clamp to the red post and the black clamp to the black post and you should be good to go. Remove in reverse order. Fewer steps than jumping one car from another. And don't throw away the box, keep it for storing the Adventure in your car. 

$35.00 at Amazon

Petzl e+LITE Headlamp

The Petzl e+LITE headlamp has always been a fave of ours due to its compact design. The e+LITE is perfect for car glove compartments, bug-out bags, travel and basically ultralight anything when all you may need is some occasional low-level light output. The new version, introduced last year, keeps the same small format with included handy storage case and still improves on the most important feature of a light: lumens are doubled from 26 in the old model to 50 in the new, now using a single and the higher output makes an already useful tool even more so.

The e+LITE uses two economical CR2032 batteries in a waterproof compartment that power the light in three white modes (low, high, strobe) and two red modes (strobe, constant). The batteries will last for up to ten years in storage, an extremely useful function for a device that you really need to work after not touching it for a year or more. There are two off positions at either end of the switch travel, which is an awesome feature because it doesn't force you to go through the white light modes to use the non-tentmate-annoying red light mode when you need to move about in the middle of the night.

For my tactical brothers who might be using this light on a two-way shooting range in Lower Trashcanistan, you'll appreciate being able to read a red light readable map without giving away your position. Add in the fact that the switch has a lockout position to prevent premature illumination - and battery drain - and it's Petzl FTW.

The newest e+LITE adds a much longer strap, useful for helmet wear, and the keeper on the strap now features a serviceable whistle, meaning one less thing to carry. Overall it's hard to see how Petzl could possibly improve on their newest e+LITE, but we're sure they're hard at work figuring that out. In the meantime, if you're looking for a just-in-case and/or ultralight headlamp, you can stop your search right now. The Petzl e+LITE is the way to go.

$29.95 at Amazon

Joggo Purpose Backpack

Sometimes all you need is a knapsack. It's easy to get all wrapped up in the latest technical features, but maybe you're just heading to class and you just want a stylish bag that doesn't shout "steal me!" Joggo has some handsome little bags that do the trick, and allow you to do some good along the way.

Joggo's selection is small, with just a festival bag, messenger bag and backpack, but the products are not just fashionable, they're designed to make a difference: 10 percent of proceeds go to CARE Canada to educate refugee children around the world, and Joggo bags are produced in a woman-run co-op in a developing nation.

We tested the Purpose backpack, a soft canvas bag with a perfectly minimalist feature set: a padded laptop sleeve in the main compartment, and a smaller pocket on the front. The small pocket has a zipper and flap to make it lightly water resistant, and the main compartment has a much larger flap that buttons down in the front and has a zipper in the back so you can detach it if you'd like. The larger flap is also reversible so it can show either the pack color or a contrasting color as shown in the picture above.

The shoulder straps are comfortable and adjustable, there's a grab loop on the top and the quality of the pack is pretty good: stitching and materials were all solid on our pack. We only missed two things: the bottom of the laptop sleeve is open, so your laptop rests on the bottom of the pack, which is padded as well but it would be nice to have a closed bottom to suspend the laptop off the bottom to isolate it better. And there is no water bottle pocket, which we solved by clipping the bottle to the grab handle, putting it in the main compartment and zipping the two zippers closed in the middle.

In the end what we've got is a pack that is great for everyday duty for school, work and play, with a very stylish appearance that sets it apart from the hypertechnical look that's so popular these days. You'll pay a bit more for the Joggo, but knowing that you're buying from a company with a social mission makes it an even deal in our book.

$79.99 at Joggo

Watershed Ocoee Drybag

Ho-hum, yet another drybag review. Or so we thought, but then we unrolled the Ocoee duffel-style drybag from Watershed. Three things were immediately apparent: it was a really good-looking drybag, it was clearly high-quality construction, coated in polyurethane instead of cheaper and weaker PVC, and it had a nonstandard ziploc-style closure. OK, so maybe not just another drybag.

We first tried to pull it apart without reading the instructions. Wrong. The closure system, which they call ZipDry, is pretty damn tight. Looking at the very obvious instruction tag that we initially chose to ignore showed us the light: just clasp your hands together through the two loops and push/pull in opposite directions to make a little S-bend and it pops right open. Pretty clever, and bombproof to boot.

The ZipDry closure is a very cool feature, Navy-tested to be watertight to 100m, and it's a bit faster and significantly less bulky than traditional roll-top closures. That's not the only thing that sets Watershed drybags apart, and the more we learned the more impressed we became. Watershed has been around since 1995 and knows how to make a failsafe drybag because it makes them for the most demanding customers out there: military special operations units that need their gear to work under the most adverse conditions possible. And just to make their story even better, Watershed produces their products in the USA.

Watershed includes a sample of 303 Aerospace Protectant to lubricate and clean the ZipDry system. They also make a variety of useful accessories including shoulder straps. One very cool option not included on our model is an inflate/purge valve, which would allow you to blow into a tube to make the bag buoyant, useful for a flotation aid in a pinch.

The 9x16x8 inch Ocoee is their smallest duffel, and it's perfect for protecting just-in-case gear plus lunch and a few extras. Thanks to its small size and heavy-duty D-rings it will store pretty much anywhere and is easy to attach to a pack, bike or load-bearing animal. The padded handle is easy to grab and easy to hold, and the MILSPEC stitching means it will all stay in once piece no matter how much abuse you heap on it. The Ocoee is a fantastic small drybag that you'll find a thousand uses for, and the quality means it will be with you for a good long while. Note that Watershed also makes the Goforth, basically an Ocoee with a waist belt. We're psyched to try some of Watershed's larger models too; it's just a pleasure to find gear this well-made, and the fact that it's made in America clinches the deal.

 $112.00 to $163.25 at Drybags.com