Paxis Twin Lakes Backpack Review: For The Snowshoeing Photographer

Have you ever been repeatedly frustrated with having to put down your pack to access gear? The Paxis Twin Lakes backpack has a remedy for that problem.

The Paxis pack comes with a hinged and padded shuttle pod attached to … Continue reading

Review: Mountainsmith Scream 25 Backpack

After searching long and hard for a lightweight backpack that is both comfortable and roomy, it was with great relief I stumbled across the Mountainsmith Scream 25. I have to admit I was a little worried when I received … Continue reading

Review: Tribe One Outdoor Packnet

When backpacking, tying things to my pack is a requirement. There are not many backpacks big enough to carry my tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad inside. Tying to the outside is a must, and usually it involves simple knots … Continue reading

Gear Review: MindShift Rotation 180 Panorama Pack

A good backpack is a wonderful thing. Few pieces of gear encourage otherwise sensible people to develop irrational emotional attachments to inanimate objects like the nylon pouches we sling over our shoulders. It is for good reason I suppose, nothing … Continue reading

Women’s Gear Roundup: Nobis, KAVU and High Sierra

It’s eight degrees in the Colorado Rockies backcountry. The sun is nowhere to be found, nor is there an indication whether it’s noon or midnight. A sky full of haunting gray clouds stare down as the wind bellows through the … Continue reading

Is There Something Magical at Work in Klymit’s Backpacks?

Perhaps it had been too long since I’d studied the features of backpacks.  Perhaps I hadn’t ever taken backpacks seriously enough.  But I was a bit taken aback when I read what Klymit’s Motion 35 backpack can do.

A backpack … Continue reading

Cocoon to the Moon: Stargazer Backpack Launched by Outdoor Products

“I’m a little man, I’m a little man, he’s . . . he’s a great man. I should have been a pair of ragged claws scuttling across floors of silent seas.” From one of the greatest movies on life, “… Continue reading

Gear Review: CamelBak Phantom LR 20

This out of bounds ski pack also works nicely as a half day snowshoe and winter trekking backpack.

Pack It In, Pack It Out: Mountainsmith Mayhem 35 Backpack Review

Recently, a friend commented on my apparent love for backpacks. True, the four packs at the foot of my bed might seem overkill, but having lived on the road for the last eight months, backpacks are more of a necessity … Continue reading

Gear Review: Mountainsmith Tour TLS Lumbar Pack

Mountainsmith has refined its classic lumbar pack + strappette combination for the 21st century.

Osprey Manta 28 – The Hydration Pack, the Cargo Pack, the Practical Pack

The Osprey Manta 28 hydration pack is making a strong bid to head straight to the top of my list of favorite packs.

I’ve been using the pack all summer and fall both for general cargo and as a hydration … Continue reading

Gear Review: Jandd Mogen Backpack

The San Diego-based company Jandd Mountaineering is well-known to cyclists for their high quality seat packs and panniers. Jandd makes some nice backpacks, as well, and their Mogen model is worth a look from any snowshoer in the market for … Continue reading