Trailspace Blog

Good-bye, Mion and GoLite Footwear

According to outdoor industry news source SNEWS, “Timberland has begun notifying distributors and retailers around the globe of its intention to discontinue...

Gourmet Chocolate for the Backcountry Set

In case you’ve missed the hoopla, it's Valentine’s Day, and for many that means chocolate.

Outdoor Retailer: Kids' Gear

Here’s a belated follow-up on one of the trends I noticed at Outdoor Retailer: more and more manufacturers of highly technical gear and apparel have...

Building a Better Water Bottle: Aluminum, Steel, and No BPA

Whether it’s for a trek into the backcountry or a trip to the store, there are a growing number of aluminum, stainless steel, and BPA-free plastic water bottles.

Choosing to Reuse: Safer Water Bottle Options

The push for reusable bottles over bottled water must be making headway. Over the past couple months I’ve had numerous people ask me about the SIGG...

Outdoor Retailer: Packable Dishes

Fold it. Squish it. Flatten it. Packable backcountry dishes have come a long way from the traditional scout mess kit.

Outdoor Retailer: Sweating the (Really) Small Stuff

Apparently nanotechnology – product engineering at the molecular level – has arrived in the outdoor industry.

Outdoor Retailer: Easton Snowshoes

Easton Aluminum, long a supplier of aluminum snowshoe frames for the likes of Atlas and Tubbs, will be launching its own line of snowshoes for winter...

Outdoor Retailer: Rossignol Harness Pant

Ski maker Rossignol debuted a very interesting pair of pants at Outdoor Retailer. The Harness Pant is an insulated, waterproof-breathable ski mountaineering...

Outdoor Retailer: Merrell Gatherer Jacket

When boot- and shoemaker Merrell decided last year to enter the outerwear market, the company didn’t want to do so with a “me-too” collection of...

Outdoor Retailer: SteriPEN Journey

When was the last time your water purifier smiled at you? Probably never. The folks at Hydro-Photon are aiming to change that with the introduction of...

Outdoor Retailer: Kahtoola FLIGHTdeck TS

Last winter we reviewed the Kahtoola FLIGHTsystem, an integrated winter travel system made up of a snowshoe deck that mates with a neoprene overboot.

Outdoor Retailer: Everlite Solar Headlamp

Yesterday I mentioned that Outdoor Retailer includes a lot of small companies or individual inventors trying to get a foothold in the outdoor industry.

Outdoor Retailer: Patagonia Ascensionist Jacket

Patagonia’s fall 2008 clothing and outerwear  line, which debuted today at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market, includes a staggering number of products...

Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2008

In twelve short hours the doors to the Salt Palace Convention Center in downtown Salt Lake City will swing open to thousands of outdoor retailers, media,...

Recycle Your Dynamic Rope with Sterling

Got an old dynamic climbing rope you’ve retired? Want to get it out of your closet, keep it out of a landfill, and avoid having to weave a rope rug...

First Look: MSR HyperFlow Microfilter

The MSR HyperFlow Microfilter, due in stores this spring, is a lightweight, cucumber-sized water filter that utilizes hollow fiber technology to provide remarkably rapid water filtration.

Will Environmental Labels Follow Patagonia's Footprints?

Is that organic cotton shirt environmentally better or worse than that wool baselayer or recycled fleece? While greener outdoor clothing options keep increasing, it can be next to impossible to know the total environmental costs of any one piece. Until now.

Q&A: Tent Condensation

Occasionally we receive outdoor gear questions from readers. Since we figured others would find them useful too, we’ll share some of those Q&A’s...

Blazing a Good Trail: The AT in Maine (Part Three)

Getting to the top of C Bluff Mountain is our next mission. From shore it looks steep, rocky, dense, though the Bates party made it to the summit, ultimately blazing a spur trail for the AT. Surely we can gain the ridge without too much trouble.

Review: AMC White Mountain Guide Online

Trailspace reviews the Appalachian Mountain Club's White Mountain Guide Online -- a new Web-based companion to the club's 100-year-young guidebook to New Hampshire's high peaks.

Review: Primus EtaPower EF

Primus's EtaPower EF integrated stove system pairs fuel efficiency with high performance and group-cooking capabilities.

Vibram FiveFingers Named A "Best Invention of 2007" By Time Magazine

Vibram FiveFingers, a unique glove-styled shoe, was named one of the “Best Inventions of 2007” according to Time magazine.

How to Sharpen Your Ice Screws

While most climbers sharpen their own crampons and ice picks (a topic that deserves its own how-to article), sharpening screws is trickier. Ask your trusted fellow climbers or local climbing shop for recommendations for sharpening services.

Got Your Hunter Orange? Hiking Safely During Hunting Season

It’s hunting season here in Maine, as in many other places, and that means it’s time to break out the fluorescent orange vests and hats every time...

How to Get Kids Environmentally Involved

Parenting.com just published “10 ways to get kids environmentally involved.” While it has some semi-useful suggestions about clothing swaps, using...

Blazing a Good Trail: The AT in Maine (Part Two)

On June 21, 1934, four members of the Bates Outing Club set off into the Maine woods laden with 45-pound packs and a mission from ATC chairman Myron Avery: locate, flag, and map a viable route for the Appalachian Trail from Frye Bridge in Andover to the base of Saddleback Mountain near Rangeley and complete the final scouting of the footpath from Maine to Georgia.

2007 AT Scouting Trip Gear List

Read “Blazing a Good Trail: The AT in Maine” for the full narrative. Shires Tarptent Rain Shadow 2 2 sleeping bags (Sierra Designs Shut Eye, Montbell...

Blazing a Good Trail: The AT in Maine (Part One)

For the past hour we have been making our way slowly uphill, pushing ourselves through increasingly dense growth in the woods of western Maine, climbing over, under, and around blowdown. Every so often we stop and turn, scanning the forest for a sight change in the trees or light. Despite the obstacles the setting is lovely-dark, verdant, and peaceful. Then I see it.

1934 A.T. Scouting Trip Gear List

Gear list from the final Appalachian Trail scouting trip, taken June 21-28, 1934, in western Maine by members of the Bates College Outing Club (from "Blazing a Good Trail").

Petzl Recalls SARKEN Crampons

Petzl is recalling all SARKEN crampon models due to premature wearout on the front points.

Outdoor Retailer: Rock On Cards

Need a card to send your favorite hiker, climber, paddler, or mountain biker? Rock On Cards makes cards and posters with photos of outdoor athletes climbing,...

Outdoor Retailer: Recycled Sleeping Bags

We all know that “green gear” is a huge trend, but consumer demand can lead to “greenwashing,” where companies slap a tree on their packaging,...

Outdoor Retailer: Primus Intros EtaPower Multifuel and Canister Stoves

While I briefly mentioned the Primus EtaPower MF (multi-fuel) backpacking stove on Day 3 of OR, here's some more information about it and the new integrated...

Outdoor Retailer: Keen Climbing Shoes

Keen's Broughton Direct (men's) In a move I didn’t see coming, Keen is introducing two climbing shoes with Keen climbing sticky rubber—the velcro...

Outdoor Retailer: New Navigation Options from DeLorme and Magellan

DeLorme’s new Earthmate GPS PN-20 is the only handheld GPS that can display aerial imagery, DeLorme topo maps, and USGS 7.5-minute quad maps.

Outdoor Retailer Day Four: Heat-It Up

Heat-It is a new 138-gram (4.86 ounces) “all weather cooking system” that you use with your current backcountry stove and cookware setup to increase...

Outdoor Retailer Day Three: A Long Day

It’s the morning of day four, the last of Outdoor Retailer Summer Market. Things are quieting down as booths get packed up and attendees cruise the...

Outdoor Retailer Day Three: Running the Sahara

Uber ultra runners Charlie Engle, Ray Zahab, and Kevin Lin ran 4,300 miles across the Sahara in 111 days -- that's nearly 40 miles a day. The trio started in Senegal and ran through Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Libya, and Egypt to the Red Sea, over sand dunes, on roads and trails, and through what they termed “hell grass."

Outdoor Retailer Day Two: Some Highlights

Another day at Outdoor Retailer and here’s what struck my fancy today: Isis Whirlwind Shell, a 2.4 ounce, full-zip, super light jacket that is highly...

Outdoor Retailer Day Two: Nau

You may already have heard of Nau, the stylish, sustainability-minded, outdoor clothing company that launched earlier this year.

Outdoor Retailer Day One: Montrail

I've been testing the Montrail Namche fastpacking boots this summer. The boots have a lot going for them, but living in wet New England and hiking in...

Outdoor Retailer Day One: MSR

Success! I’ve made it to Outdoor Retailer and boy have the folks at Cascade Designs been busy.

Q&A: How to Find Discontinued Gear

Occasionally we receive outdoor gear questions from readers. Since we figured others would find them useful too, we’ll share some of those Q&A’s...

Backpacking and Camping Pillow Comparison

Many backpackers consider pillows a backcountry luxury, one usually left behind to save weight and pack space. But a good night’s sleep can be worth a few ounces (and maybe more) in your pack.

2007's New Backpacks

This spring and summer have brought backpackers and climbers a variety of new pack designs, including a healthy selection of women-specific models. Get acquainted in our rundown of noteworthy new backpacks for 2007.

Q&A: How to Buy Green Gear

Occasionally we receive outdoor gear questions from readers. Since we figured others would find them useful too, we’ll share some of those Q&A’s...

Getting Kids Geared Up for Outside

There's no need to hang up the backpacks when Junior arrives. The early years are a great time to share the joys of the backcountry with a new generation.