Safety Gear

Featured review by Brian Sells

This emergency blanket/tarp is the best bang for your buck, hands down. Tough and durable at a price that anyone can afford.

The UST Survival Blanket is one piece of equipment that is a must have for anyone. I have purchased several of these to keep in the emergency kits in our vehicles, a BOB at home, and I have two of them in my pack when I am out in the woods. I am not a typical backpacker, making long treks cross country. I typically go in and set up a base camp and then spend the next few days hunting and fishing for my food. These UST blankets have been a part of my gear for a couple of years now. First of all, the price is unmatched.

Read more: UST Survival Blanket 2.0 reviews (3)

Featured review by Mike Mineart

This is a very light, durable, and functional camp shovel with the added benefit of being very useful for a number of other applications around camp that might not be so obvious.

I want to first knowledge that I received my Deuce of Spades as a gift for being a past Reviewer of the Month here on Trailspace and I also want to confess (and I hate to admit...) that I was really excited to be receiving this "potty" shovel as a gift. I have always been interested in gear and equipment and when I first saw the Deuce of Spades I thought it looked like a really cool shovel, but more importantly also thought that it could be very useful for a number of other applications which would make it a great addition to my pack.

Read more: TheTentLab Deuce of Spades #2 reviews (7)

Featured review by PhilNC

I have used DEET and other products since the early 1980s, but Permethrin treated clothes are much more effective in tick prevention based on my experience in tick-infested areas. Sawyer Permethrin can keep ticks from landing and biting, and can actually kill them on your clothes. It is the repellent I depend on for work and recreation—effective and easy to apply.

A recent forum thread reminded me I hadn’t reviewed bug protection products that I planned to write up last year.  With today being excellent gear-treating weather for the spring Permethrin application, I decided to finish this review while my clothes dry. My Reviewer of the Month prize last year included Sawyer Permethrin and Picaridin, both of which I have been using for a while before that. I have posted a separate review of Sawyer Picaridin, but wanted to mention it here as it is an integral part of my overall bug defense system in combination with Permethrin.  Usage: I have consistently used Sawyer Permethrin for the last 5 years as my primary defense against ticks.

Read more: Sawyer Permethrin Insect Repellent Treatment for Clothing, Gear, and Tents reviews (5)

Featured review by G00se

Adventure Medical Kit’s Ultralight & Watertight .7 is a nice group first aid kit when hiking in the backcountry, paddling down the river, or car camping near home. Plenty is offered in this 6oz (178g) kit. Its waterproofing allows you to store it in the top of your pack without concern for rain or rapids.

I have been carrying the Ultralight & Watertight .7 on various day hikes with my family during the summer. I am fortunate to say that I have not needed to actually use any of the materials inside, and my hope is that it stays that way. The kit is waterproof, primarily through an inner zip-locking dry bag. I have noted the inner bag can unzip without careful attention to closing it firmly. It would be nice to see a slider tab on this inner bag to ensure closure. A secondary layer of protection is the outer bag, which is seam sealed, siliconized, and possessing a “water resistant” zipper.

Read more: Adventure Medical Kits Ultralight & Watertight .7 reviews (4)

Featured review by PhilNC

I have used DEET and other products since the early 1980s as mosquito and tick prevention for work and play, but now am a full convert to Sawyer Picaridin and Permethrin combination to keep the bugs away. Picaridin has similar effectiveness to DEET without the worries about plastic degrading and other effects on gear.

A recent forum thread reminded me I hadn’t reviewed bug protection products that I planned to write up last year.  With spring coming on and today being excellent gear-treating weather, I decided to finish this review.  My Reviewer of the Month prize last year included Sawyer Permethrin and Picaridin, both of which I have been using for a while. I will deal with Permethrin in a separate review, but wanted to mention it here as it is an integral part of my overall bug defense system in combination with Picaridin.

Read more: Sawyer Picaridin Insect Repellent reviews (2)

Reviewed by Sean Van Cleve

The Adventure Medical Kits Hiker is a 2-person/2-day first aid kit that is designed to be lightweight, water resistant, and streamlined for quick excursions. This kit is recommended for the outdoor enthusiast that plans on day hiking or an overnight either solo, or with another individual.

New Hampshire-based Adventure Medical Kits is a company that has been providing first aid materials to the consumer since 1973. Their products have been on the shelf in most camping and outdoor shops for over 40 years, helping people take care of wounds as well as providing peace of mind for outdoor enthusiasts around the world. Although well suited for day hikes, this kit IS NOT recommended for backcountry use; Adventure Medical Kits offers a ‘backcountry’ line of first aid kits that include additional necessary items.

Read more: Adventure Medical Kits Mountain Series Hiker Medical Kit review (1)

Featured review by David Drake

The "tied" and true, Bear discouragement, food containment system, the Ursack Spectra 29 AllWhite, may very well be your best available option for food containment, food protection, and food safety, as well as, ease of use, weight and volume consideration, while on the trail.

The "tied" and true, Bear discouragement, food containment system, the Ursack Spectra 29 AllWhite, may very well be your best available option for food containment, food protection, and food safety, as well as, ease of use, weight and volume consideration, while on the trail. Update May 13, 2014… April 11, 2014… The IGBC test of the S29 passed. April 18, 2014… “We are still awaiting the official certification letter and number from the IGBC, but can share some of the details. At IGBC insistence, we baited an Ursack S29 AllWhite, knotted it securely and placed it on the ground with no aluminum liner and not tied to a tree.

Read more: Ursack Major Bear-Proof Bag reviews (2)

Reviewed by Gary Leatham

How would you like to float down the trail, with little or no pain? BodyGlide product can help with the second part of that. It can be a real problem solver for the skin discomfort, the bane of many outdoor adventurers, blisters and chafing! Provided that the gear has the right physical design, non-aggressive surface texturing, and size for you, test this as your potential solution. Basically it makes your skin surface less wettable, thus less swellable. And it adds some tenacious slick, slipperiness that can be washed off later. Smoother skin texture, with better skin glide, literally allows the problem to slide away. (This review is on the same product in older packaging).

Happy Thanksgiving 2015!  I'm thankful for BodyGlide ... you might be too? Your body is important and it can really hurt if you don't treat it right.  I really enjoy the name of this product. Just saying it gives me visions of a hiker-like Aladdin. I apply magic stuff and somehow then glide effortlessly up the mountain. Actually the description is pretty accurate! It works like magic, it does cause almost effortless gliding, and I can dream (can't I ?) that I look like Aladdin. However, the glide zone is very localized on your and is technically better termed 'slide*' * I suspect that the BodySlide name is already taken by the Slip and Slide maker? BodyGlide, in generous quantity, comes in handy application container that many of us already...

Read more: BodyGlide Anti-Chafe review (1)

Reviewed by LoneStranger

Small enough to tuck away in your pack relatively unnoticed, but oh so nice to have when you need them. These rapid oxidation warmers can be used as labeled to warm your hands or just about any other parts you want to warm up. Pack them as survival gear if you want, but I carry them to be used for the happiness a little warmth can bring on winter trips.

Yaktrax is well known for their traction devices, so when I came across their hand warmers at my local Renys (A Maine adventure!) last fall I grabbed a stack for the coming cold weather camping season. Little did I know at the time, but there wouldn't be much winter camping this year due to lack of winter weather. That made me appreciate these warmers all the more on a couple of trips since I didn't have enough time in the cold to acclimate much. Ease of Use: The warmers are very simple to use, which is important if you are in an actual survival situation and pretty nice even when you aren't.

Read more: Yaktrax Hand Warmers review (1)

Featured review by Simba

I'm not a big fan of mosquitos, or of slathering Deet all over myself. This repellant device is small enough to take on short overnight backpacking trips and makes hanging around camp a much better experience.

I hate mosquitos. A big part of why I rarely backpack close to my Ohio home in the summer is because I don’t want to deal with them. The choice of getting repeatedly bitten or covering myself in Deet on a hot summer evening is picking one of two bad options to me. So you know, I’ve tried other chemical sprays and lotions. For me, nothing works like Deet. I’d looked at some of the Thermacell products in the past, but they all appeared to be too heavy and/or bulky to bring backpacking.

Read more: Thermacell Backpacker Mosquito Repeller reviews (5)