GearFlogger

Outdoor Research Women's Ferrosi Hoodie

Hoodie or hoody? Either way if it's Outdoor Research + Ferrosi = we're in. If you're looking for a lightweight, stretchy, breathable, durable softshell that also happens to look fabulous no matter how much you abuse it, it's hard to beat anything Ferrosi. Well, that's pretty much the review in a nutshell. Oops.

But specs! The Ferrosi hoodie does have a new trick up it's sleeves: it's been updated with Cordura's new bluesign approved 46 percent recycled fabric, and we're here to report it wears just the same - which is beautifully! - but more sustainably. Call it better vibes. The stretch is perfect, the breathability divine, and it provides just the perfect amount of water and wind resistance for hiking, climbing, or any kind of backcountry movement.

Lest you mistake the Ferrosi hoodie for just another pretty jacket, it's technical chops are first in class. The hood is helmet compatible and drawstring adjustable. There are two large open mesh stash pockets inside, perfect for hats and handwear, and the two outer hand pockets are zipped, as is the single left chest pocket. There is a hem drawcord, and a nifty little hang loop on the outside upper center back just below the hood. This last detail we found quite useful, making it easy to hang the jacket with the hood laying forward for faster drying. But never fear, if you just have to hang it old school, there's a hang loop on the inside as well.

If you haven't figured it out we're big fans of OR Ferrosi, and the new hoodie carries the same quality and performance with more sustainable fabrics, so once again it's Ferrosi FTW.

$129.00 at Outdoor Research

Electrolyte Supplements Compared: Zeal, SaltStick, Nuun, Gu

Did you know the human body at rest produces 100W of electricity? Shocking jokes aside, electrolytes - substances like sodium and potassium that conduct electricity when dissolved in water - enable homeostasis, hydration, muscle contraction and other critical functions. Electrolyte levels change for various reasons, a big one being decrease due to fluid loss, e.g. sweat during normal exertion or diarrhea due to sickness. This can lead to any number of symptoms from cramps to convulsions. Aside from suffering the symptoms of imbalance you can also see your electrolyte levels in the results of blood tests, e.g. a comprehensive metabolic panel or CMP.

A few things to keep in mind: first, it's important to know you can overdo electrolytes as well, and if you have any doubts consult your doctor. Also, keep an eye on those sports/energy drinks: they love to advertise their electrolyte levels, but they frequently pollute it with high levels of sugar, caffeine, and other crap that pumps up the calories. Not that carbs are bad, especially for endurance activities, but take the time to figure out your individual carbohydrate needs and your own fluid replacement plan. On a very rough average, you can expect to lose about 800mg of sodium, 195mg of potassium, 20mg of calcium and 10mg of magnesium per hour. Finally, you can make your own electrolyte drink by combining 32oz water with 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 cup lemon juice (fresh squeezed lemons and limes are a great source of natural electrolytes), and sugar to taste. Replace one cup of water with coconut water and/or juice if you want.

If you're on the go and need something easy to add to water, electrolyte supplement powders, tablets, chews, and gels are available. We're not going to go into taste, because that's pretty personal and you can always find people who like or dislike the taste or consistency of a particular product. We've used all of the products in the table we provide above, and besides taste you want to look at cost, format (powder, gel, tablet, or chewable), and electrolyte balance. Also keep in mind a lot of these vendors offer different formulations of their products for endurance, recovery, energy, vitamins, etc., but here we concentrate on the basic formulations.

So on to the actual advice; as always it's free and it comes with a money-back guarantee! If you're looking for the big electrolyte hit for less money, it's hard to beat the powder, which in our example also includes BCAAs. You have to pre-mix it of course, so while powder is great for home use, if it's convenience you're after, gels and tablets are the ticket. Gu gels and SaltStick FastChews are nutritionally comparable except for format and carbs, so if you want the carbs go for Gu, which are spendy but hard to beat for chugging on the move and also include BCAAs. If not SaltSticks are great, if light on the electrolytes - and chewable, in case you're in between water stations, and although less costly than Gu they are a bit more than powder and Nuun, and you can use a single tablet for kids or a small boost for adults. Finally, for an in-between hit of electrolytes, Nuun is a great option, easily portable and added to whatever you're drinking at the moment; we like Nuun tablets for hiking to add to our liter bottles of filtered water.

At REI:
Gu $1.60/packet
SaltStick $3/10 tablets, 2x tablets per serving
Nuun, $7.50/10 tablets, 1x tablet per serving

At Amazon, Zeal Naturals $30/90 servings

EcoFlow RIVER 600 Portable Power Station

I need more power, Scotty! And with the EcoFlow RIVER 600 you can have it, you narcissistic horndog Captain you! With a 288 watt-hour capacity and a boost mode that supports up to 1800 watts, you're sure to find something in your life that needs to go off-grid with you. Need more power? You can buy an extra battery that attaches to the bottom of the unit (not tested, also sold as the R600 Max) that doubles capacity. 

We want to mention up front that what sets EcoFlow apart from the crowd is how user-friendly their devices are. The R600 is a perfect example, as out of the box you can see the streamlined design, an 11 pound brick roughly the size of a car battery, with a prominent large carry handle on top. Once you've installed the app, you can monitor the charge status remotely, whether it's from your couch or the office. Charge the R600 from the wall (look ma, no brick! Thanks inverter!), from optional solar panels (MC4 to XT60 harness included) or with the included car cigarette lighter adapter. The fast charge gets the R600 to 80 percent in just an hour, with the last 20 percent taking another 40 minutes or so. You can even enable quiet charging Likewise when you're running the R600 you can monitor the discharge status. The 288Wh capacity means you can power the typical laptop at 50W for almost six hours, and a tablet or phone at 10W for 29 hours. With a little care for power saving features you'll be able to extend those times considerably. You can even run appliances and tools, albeit for much shorter periods, using the 1800W boost mode.

The R600 holds a charge too; we've used older EcoFlow power stations that were at 88 percent charge after many months of storage. And ports. You want ports? How about a 100W USB-C for starters, plus three normal USB (one fast charge). A cigarette lighter adapter port, three AC ports and even two DC 5521 ports - not sure what those last are for, but a cable is included should you ever need it. Oh yeah, there's also a flashlight because why not? Turn it on from the app for fun.

So it's sexy, easy to live with, works hard, has an actually useful app and can grow with your needs via solar and extra batteries. But what if we want just a little bit more? Well, the R600 has one final trick up its sleeve: you can run it as a basic uninterruptible power supply or UPS by connecting the R600 to a wall and a device to the R600. It doesn't support 0ms switching, so it's not for mission critical use, but it will switch <30ms which is fine for keeping your personal computer going through a power outage. So bottom line, the EcoFlow River 600 dominates the middle space between personal and industrial portable power supplies. Add it to your want/need list ASAP.

$349.00 at EcoFlow

Mystery Ranch Spiff Kits

Stuff to hold stuff is the best, and Mystery Ranch never disappoints with their stuff-holding stuff. We're used to ogling their packs, which are known by those who need to know for their bomber construction and mission-first design. But the little things matter too, and we are pleased to see that the Ranchers brought their A-game to a small but essential piece of stuff-holding stuff, the Spiff Kit, a.k.a. Dopp kit, after Charles Doppelt. But you knew that.

Mystery Ranch's Spiff Kit comes in two sizes, small and large, and you can watch their video to see how they compare. Be aware that the small is quite a bit smaller than the large, which is actually nice because they can serve two completely different purposes. Both sizes sport a clamshell design with two main compartments inside. The small kit is nice and simple with an elastic loop (for toothbrush, sharpie, or decompression needle) and middle zip to an open compartment on one side, and a U-zip on the other to a compartment with two small organizers. This kit is perfect for small toiletries, electronic cable organizer, or minimalist trauma kit.

The large kit is much bigger, big enough for a group medical kit for example. The two compartments are identical with a U-zip that accesses two small and one large organizer, plus a long narrow mesh pocket on the front, also perfect for toothbrush, sharpie, or decompression needle, and the like. Just don't confuse the toothbrush with the decompression needle or that's gonna hurt.  There is a hang hook on top for convenience, and both sizes sport nylon loops on three sides for attaching to larger kit.

The Spiff Kits are awesome in both sizes. They are available in black, foliage, blue, and wood waxed. We went with the foliage green, and appreciated the high-visibility orange interior that makes it easy to locate small items, especially in the large kit. The wood waxed is a little different material; we haven't gotten our hands on it yet, although we are waiting on a new Mystery Ranch Mission Rover 30L travel pack in wood waxed, so we'll report back on that. Bottom line, if you're looking for a bombproof small or medium organizer bag for whatever your mission requires, check out the Mystery Ranch Spiff Kits.

$45.00 (small) and $65.00 (large) at Mystery Ranch

Outdoor Research Method Cord Pants

Outdoor Research has always made great clothing, but they've really kicked it into overdrive with their men's pants. We are already huge fans of their Balebreaker pants for, well, just about everything. Now along comes the Method cord, and the only problem is we can't wear both at once.

The Method Cord is a collaboration with OR's climbing ambassador Keegan Takahashi, and a man that rocks a stache like that has immediate and unquestioned credibility anywhere in the world. The Method is first and foremost a damn nice looking pair of cords, with subtle ribbing and a super-soft feel to them. The crotch is gussetted, as befits a climbing pant, but there is no bagginess - the pants have a very polished clean look to them, and would fit very well in a nice restaurant or business meeting.

There are two open deep hand pockets in front and two in back, and a nice metal button closure over the zip fly. Inside the Method is a nice touch, and integrated flat nylon drawcord for extra security and flexibility in sizing. Speaking of size, the waist is spot-on and the inseam seems just a touch long, which again makes sense for a climbing pant where you don't want a high-step to yank your cuffs up to your knee.

Finally, the material is UPF 50+, so jump on your favorite boiling-hot boulder problem with no fear of sunburning your pasty stick legs. The only ding we have on these pants is the same as the Balebreaker, only two colors! But damn is that Fatigue green nice...

$88.95 at Enwild

GoSun Flatware

Stainless steel flatware that fits in a credit-card sized sleeve and weights nothing? Yes, please! GoSun hooked us up with their nifty little fork and spoon set some time ago. It disappeared into our camping gear and ended up being one of those things that was out in the field so long we forgot to review it! So, apologies to GoSun, but yay everyone else if you're looking for the most compact version of eating utensils possible

GoSun flatware slides into its own handle and stores in a small plastic case that's just over 2x3 inches, and less than a quarter-inch thick. What's nice about the case is that it is not fully enclosed, so if you don't get the flatware completely dry after washing it, it won't get nearly as funky as if it were in an enclosed case.

Both the fork and spoon have small spring-loaded wire tabs that keep them extended during use, so if you push the fork into something it's not going to collapse. The fork is bomber and works perfectly. The spoon has a very shallow cup to it, necessary for such a flat design, so you're not going to be eating soup with it - at least not efficiently - but for oatmeal, cereal, and the like it works just great. Did we mention it works for gelato? Travel time!

When you're home from your adventure, just throw it in the dishwasher. Stainless steel for the win! GoSun gives us a seriously great alternative to plastic, so if you're outfitting your camp kitchen, planning on ultralight travel, or just want a great addition to your EDC or go-bag, give the planet a little love and check out GoSun flatware.

$29.00 at GoSun