If you’ve ever watched even a single episode of Vikings on History Channel, you’ll know that the craft of knifemaking in Norway is an art form that is deeply rooted in their history and culture. Granted, the real Vikings tended to prefer the axes and longswords in battle. But when they weren’t raiding they were farming land and raising animals as part of their agrarian society. This is where knives really came into play.

What I Liked

Materials and Quality Craftsmanship

The Helle Mandra—like all Helle knives—are hand made in Holmedal, Norway, one at a time. I love this because it means my knife wasn’t mass produced in a factory. As a result of this meticulous, slow-batch handmade manufacturing, no two knives are exactly the same. From handle to blade, what I ultimately hold in my hand is a heritage-style knife that is the result of a long tradition.

Helle starts the process with a high-alloy steel that is surrounded by two layers of 18/8 stainless steel, making it triple laminated. The blade extends the full length of the knife from tip to grip. The handle portion of the blade consists of two slabs of curly grained birch. The tang can be seen along the edge of the entire handle of the knife. This is called “full tang construction”. The benefit of full-tang construction means you can apply greater force onto the blade without the risk of it snapping shut at the bolster or snapping it off completely, possible with a finger in an unfortunate location.

Weight

If you think all this sheer strength of blade and handle equates to a heavy knife you’d be wrong. The Helle Mandra tips my scale at a mere 70 grams, excluding the leather carrying sheath. Add the sheath and even then, the weight climbs to a scant 110 grams. My Victorinox Trekker knife weighs in at 129 grams.

Not that I’m comparing the two knives side by side because that’s impossible. I only point this out because I’ve been carrying a 129-gram knife for more than a decade. For the ultra-lighters out there, all grams count. Still, the weight of the Mandra feels hefty enough to inspire confidence when the moment calls.

Minimalistic Traditional Design

The Helle Mandra is a traditional design. It comes with a leather carrying sheath and thong. The sheath is also made painstakingly by hand, one at a time, in the Holmedahl factory. You can wear it around your neck or you can wear it looped through your belt.

Since I don’t wear a belt, and I didn’t like the feeling of a knife dangling from my neck neck, I looped it through the waistbelt of my backpack and centered in the middle. If you do this, you’ll just need to figure out for yourself where the placement needs to be so that it doesn’t interfere with your normal walking gate. In my case I had it pointing down the middle. It looks a lot more awkward than it is. I’ve also carried it laced through the sternum strap with good results.

Performance

I ran it through the usual paces that I would put a knife through. I carved a sharp point into a stick to see how precise and smooth it cut (it was very precise and smooth), sliced a sheet of birch bark in half that had been naturally shed from a tree to start a fire with wet wood, cut a climbing rope with an impossible knot tied by someone else’s negligence, freed a snagged fishing line, shaved off intricately thin slices of cheese and sausage for crackers on a trail lunch. As much as I wanted to dress a lake trout to see how easily the Helle Mandra made it, it just didn’t happen. When it comes to fishing, I’m on a multi-decades losing streak.

I even fashioned it into a spear by securing the knife to a stick with its leather thong. I didn’t kill anything with the spear, I was simply evaluating its potential for long-range weaponry as a means of fishing without a pole. Something one would see in an episode of Survivorman, for example.

The effect turned out to be more Hollywood than realism. The blade doesn’t have a barb and the blade secured with the leather thong isn’t stable enough to securely hold a fish to the bottom of the lake or river bed until you can grab it. Seriously, don’t try this at home and expect to harpoon a Walleye or a wild ungulate. While the blade is sufficient as a spear, the three-inch handle is too short to really gain purchase.  

That brings me to…

What could be Better

Short Handle

At three inches in length, the handle is short. Even for my small girly hands. For whittling a sharp point onto a stick—for roasting hot dogs or fashioning a tent stake to replace one that got bent (it performed great at this unfortunate task, too)—or cutting rope, fishing line and food, I didn’t need to really grip it that hard to gain a solid purchase. It both met and exceeded expectations in this department.

But when I had to put some weight and effort into a downward cut, the back neck of the blade protruded into the soft fleshy palm of my hand. I get that the Helle Mandra is intended to be a minimalist EDC knife, one made in collaboration with a professional survivalist, but it can still be minimalist with an extra two inches added to the handle.

Final Thoughts

A good knife is an indispensable piece of kit for nearly any situation and Helle crafted a solid knife in the Helle Mandra. The blade is strong, it’s capable of performing most of the knife-type situations you would encounter on the trail, at the campsite, in the boat, etc. Its blade is small, sharp and mighty.

For me, it’s the combination of the heritage style and high-quality materials and craftsmanship that makes me love this knife. In an era where so much gear is mass produced to meet the demands of stockholders and evolving trends, it’s a pleasure and honor to own a piece of gear that keeps it simple, traditional and made one at a time.

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Tents were ready upon arrival at the retreat, and despite the crazy winds on the first day, the ladies of Wild Balance Adventures made sure the campsite was inviting and gave us a warm welcome with a dry bag that included homemade sunscreen, a towel, a beautiful set of Focused, Elevate Your Life with Words cards, and other goodies to use for the weekend as well as replenish the soul. Once we were all settled, we headed off to Unity Health and Wellness for a trapeze yoga class.

If you’re not familiar with trapeze yoga, think yoga with aerial silks and handles on the silks for pull motion exercises. I’d highly recommend it. You’ll be amazed at how much further of a stretch you can get with the aerial silks. Some of the poses will challenge you, but there are also positions that are beyond relaxing. Our teacher, KerryAnn, made for an incredible experience, and by the time the class was over, the knee pain I walked in with was all stretched out, and my body felt more limber and refreshed.

The second day was SUP/kayak (SUPs and kayaks provided by Dig Paddle Sports) and petroglyph day. On the first ride of the day, the majority of us loaded on a multi-person stand-up paddleboard with a few in kayaks. Synchronization of paddling on the multi-person SUP took a few paddles, but we eventually got into a smoother cadence to head to the hike where the petroglyphs were located.

Petroglyphs have always been sacred to me, because these are stories, significant events, spiritual beliefs, among other things that happened to someone. They are ancient and deserve to be respected. The area we were in had a whole smattering of petroglyphs carved on the rocks, and I wished that I could translate and determine the stories that were being told. 

After a hearty lunch, we had the option of doing another paddle on single SUP boards, tandem boards or kayaks into a different area. A few of us were apprehensive as the wind was picking up, but we were assured the area we were paddling to would be calm. The area was definitely calm and like a beautiful oasis surrounded by trees, a few fishermen, people relaxing in the shaded area, and cute dogs jumping after sticks and balls in the water.

The last day we were there started with a morning meditation followed by a gorgeous boho breakfast, Parisian style, set up by Kays Events and Picnics. We dined by the water, enjoying stories, laughter, and a bittersweet feeling that the end of the retreat was upon us. It was an enchanting sendoff from a fulfilling, laughter-filled, activity-fest of a weekend.

Wild Balance Adventures gave a spectacular Fit Chix Retreat! The three ladies that started this company to give women a chance to “rediscover your inner harmony with transformative women’s retreats” are all extremely admirable, determined, full-of-grit, and beautiful inside and out.

Between Michelle, Jen, and Tricia, they come with a love for the outdoors, experience in retreats, and a true heart to give you one of the best experiences that will leave you more grounded with an inner peace that some might’ve thought they lost.

Watch out for their next retreat coming in July! Their website is launching soon, but you can follow their Facebook page for updates and pictures in the interim.

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After more than a decade of memorable trips into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness with a traditional Duluth Pack, the time had come for reflection. It was heavy (especially when wet). Uncomfortable to carry over long portages. I had been eyeing Granite Gear canoe packs for a few years but angst and guilt shamed into closing out the browser. How could I even consider a replacement to the artisan-class pack made in Duluth, MN? (Side note: After Duluth Pack hosted Ivanka Trump, a representative of polarizing administration that is a proponent of the Twin Metals mining project proposed for the BWCA, at their facility, whose backyard IS the BWCA) it’s a little easier to justify my deception.

In July, a Granite Gear Quetico sample arrived just in time for a seven-day canoe trip into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Below is a story of angst, guilt, conflict and reconciliation.

Size

Granite Gear has four portage packs in their line-up. All accommodate torso sizes of 18 to 21 inches in length but vary in capacity size. To be transparent I’m 5’ 5” in height, weight 125lbs and on the small side.

The hulking Superior One, with 121 liters of capacity, was immediately nixed. I’m not an ultra-lighter. If I have 121 liters of space to fill, I’ll fill it. If the sheer cargo weight doesn’t sink the canoe it’ll destroy the cartilage in my knees and ankles as I plod laboriously over a long portage on my way to a double knee replacement.

Next in size is the Traditional #4 at 98 liters. In my opinion this was still too big for me. Next was the Quetico at 82 liters. The smallest pack in the lineup is the 57-liter Traditional #3.5. I chose the Quetico because it seemed more in line, capacity-wise, with my Osprey Xenia 85 multi-day pack. My Duluth pack is about 70 liters so the Quetico provided a little extra room.

It turned out to be the right size for me. Not only did it hold my sleeping bag, sleeping pad, stove, fuel, bowls and utensils for two people, headlamp, book, cleaning supplies, fire starting kit, toilet paper kit, ditty bag, water purifier, pack towel, hammock (no really!), solar charger, binoculars (for loon watching), sun shower, rain gear, wool pull-over, three clean shirts and one pair of long pants, I could carry it and portage the canoe.

Weight

I didn’t weigh the packed pack for two reasons:

1. The days leading up to departure were crazy and chaotic and I didn’t fully pack the Quetico until an hour before I hoisted it into the canoe at Sawbill Lake.
2. Why? I needed everything I had packed–even the hammock and the sun shower. And my longest portage was 180 rods (roughly half a mile). I could suck it up for that.

However, when the Quetico arrived, I noticed right away that it was lighter despite offering more volume. This wasn’t surprising because the Duluth Pack is made from a heavy-duty canvas and the Quetico is made from 420D Cordura Ripstop Nylon. Although now the Duluth Pack is heavier with the weight of hosting a proponent of mining in the BWCA.

In terms of packed weight to carry, it didn’t feel exceptionally heavy. I wasn’t moaning and grunting and on-my-god-how-much-longer-is-this-por-tahhhggg-because-I’m-dying?!

Harness

The Granite Gear Quetico’s harness is more in line with a multi-day backpack than that of a traditional portage pack with just standard shoulder straps. It has a padded back panel, contoured and padded shoulder straps, three sets of compression straps on each side, load stabilizer straps, and a comfortable waist belt. All told, it contributed to a more comfortable experience for both me and my back when portaging between lakes.

This is a big step up from my Duluth Pack’s harness system of just two leather shoulder straps—and that’s it. No hip belt to offset weight from my back to my hips and no back panel. I carried the weight of my burdens entirely on my back.

Having this upgraded harness made for faster portages. The ideal portage should be done in one trip but in my Duluth Pack days, I always made two trips. The first trip was carrying just the pack, which required both to help balance the load and offset some of the pack’s weight from my back. The second trip was to fetch the canoe paddles and food pack. I had never been able to carry both the canoe and the Duluth Pack because the combination of a heavy pack hanging entirely off my back and a canoe pressed uncomfortable on my spine and vertebrae.

With the Quetico, the harness absorbed all the manual effort of the Duluth Pack days. Portages only required one trip. On portages that I wasn’t carrying the canoe, I carried the food pack on my chest and the canoe paddles in both hands while the weight of the Quetico sat comfortably on my hips. When I did carry the canoe, I had no issues carrying both at the same time.  

Durability

I evaluate durability based on the potential failure points: Fabric, stitching, hardware and a reinforced bottom. Stitching is important because if the thread is too thin, and the seams are flimsy, they will degrade over time and rip, usually in critical places like the shoulder and compression straps. Hardware made from lightweight plastic provides opportunity for disasters and other malfunctions. And if the pack isn’t made from a high-quality fabric, it will won’t be resistant to abrasion and tears.

The Quetico was designed and built with all this in mind. Granite Gear anticipated canoers over-stuffing the pack and hoisting its hulking weight in and out of canoes and across portages and then slapping it down on rocks and gravel with heaving sighs of relief and gasps of air. So they constructed it with 420D Cordura nylon, which is pretty much the breed standard for higher-end packs. The seams, with are tight and neat, are sewn with heavy-duty thread that is reinforced in the high-stress areas that secure the shoulder straps, compression straps and at the two side handles.

In addition, all buckles and d-rings are all made from industrial-grade plastic. Webbing straps are heavy-duty and the pack’s bottom panel is reinforced with a layer of ballistic nylon to improve its resistance to tears and scuffs. It also protects the pack from the fluvial zoo of canoe paddle splash that pools in the bottom of a canoe from .

Features

Because canoe packs are designed to spend most of the time in the canoe rather than on your back, they don’t usually offer a wide range of features beyond straps and a cavernous main pocket. But Granite Gear added a few extras that you’ll appreciate as much as I did.

• Two side pockets: At eight inches deep and 9.5-inches wide they securely held the items I wanted quick access to like my knife, whiskey flask (no judgement!) and bug spray.

• Six d-rings: I used of them to attach a bug net, a visor and a small drybag with first aid kit.

• Large external flat pocket: I used this to stash the map, my book and rain gear.

• Interchangeable hip belt: A size medium unisex hip belt comes standard. If you need bigger, smaller or women’s-specific, you can purchase the Ultralight Belt for an additional $40. I knocked out seven days with the standard size medium unisex belt with positive results. My hip size of 33-inches at the point where the hip belt sits puts me within the span of the medium anyway.

Final Thoughts

And thus concludes my story of angst, guilt, conflict and reconciliation. It wasn’t an enjoyable task pitting the Granite Gear Quetico against my Duluth Pack. After all I did choose it all those years ago and we had many portages, many happy memories. But the Granite Gear Quetico has blown me away with its performance, comfort and functionality. 

I always strive to be objective when reviewing products. After all, my opinion is but one opinion in a sea of thousands. Still, I usually can find at least one point of contention. Maybe it’s overly complicated to operate or a cheap zipper was added to reduce weight. Sometimes a superfluous feature adds weight, or the price tag will feel like taking a bullet.

I can’t conjure any points of contention with the Granite Gear Quetico. I can’t think of a single reason not to buy this pack over Duluth Pack.

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Versatile, Multipurpose Use

The Chrome Cobra 3.0 Hoodie arrived in late January. In Minnesota, January means snowshoeing, fatbiking, bike commuting, Nordic skiing, travel and staying warm when binging on Netflix.

Its construction and style make it stand out as both a mid-layer and an outer-layer, but doesn’t look like it fits specifically in any real sport or activity category. This is a good thing because its non-binary style and purpose increases its versatility—a must, in my opinion, if one is going to spend $180 on a garment.

Bulk-free Warmth & Performance

As I said above, the Chrome Cobra 3.0 Hoodie works equally well as a mid-layer and an outer-layer. With light-weight merino wool baselayer, I wore it as a midlayer with a Northface Apex softshell jacket or down vest while snowshoeing. The temperatures on these tests runs ranged from 10 to 20 degrees and I was plenty comfortable. Mostly, though, I wore it as an outer layer fatbiking, commuter biking and Nordic skiing with only a Kora Shola yak wool baselayer Merino wool baselayer.

As with anything, you have to temper your baselayers to the temperatures. For example, I was sweating like cold beer glass on a hot day the day I Nordic skied in 20 degrees with a heavyweight baselayer. When fatbiking on a -5-degree day with just a heavyweight baselayer, I was freezing (and with freezing comes whining, moaning, cryonics, etc). You get the picture. Use your best judgement.

Features

The Chrome Cobra 3.0 is a blend of Merino wool and recycled polyester to combine breathability, warmth and durability. While 100% Merino wool is my fave, I honestly didn’t feel any difference with the polyester blended in. A couple other interesting features that the Cobra 3.0 offers are:

Two-way Zipper

For fatbiking and commuter cycling, this is a must for me because I’m generally wearing bulkier bottoms. Opening the zipper four or five inches below makes for a more comfortable ride when in the aggressive cycling position in the saddle. The zipper pull here is nicely glove-friendly, too.

Thumbholes

Of all the garments I own that have thumb loops, the Chrome Cobra 3.0 is the only one in which I don’t feel any biting at the base of my thumb. This is because the arms are delightfully long. Noice.

Rear Pocket with a Full Pass-through

Great for carrying tools, ID, money, and what have you but they need to be re-thought. The zipper pulls are microscopic and most definitely NOT glove-friendly. The Cobra 3.0 is an evergreen staple in the Chrome line, going back a decade with incremental updates made each year. So I’m kind of scratching head wondering why nobody thought to add glove-friendly zipper pulls to the pockets on a Merino wool hoodie intended to be worn in cold weather. (Note: the front zipper pull is glove-friendly, just not the pocket zipper pulls.)

Style

Beautifully longer in the back as a cycling jacket should be, I love how it has an element of being form-fitting but still has just enough room to accommodate any size baselayer. I also love how high the front zipper comes up, how it doesn’t sit at my throat and the delightful snuggle-effect it gives when fully zipped. My only criticism on the style is the color. It’s only available in black. This is not to say I want an option that includes pink (hell no!) but maybe a nice dark red.

Final Thoughts

If I was anal enough to do a rating scale on a scale of 10, I would give the Chrome Merino Cobra 3.0 Hoodie a solid 9 (I had to subtract a point for the microscopic zipper pulls). It is a highly-functional, highly-versatile, warm, breathable, well-designed and durable cold-weather Merino-blend hoodie for absolutely every type of cold-weather activity on your agenda. It’s even a fantastic piece for the shoulder seasons and for Spring and Fall hiking and camping. Even you yoga-goers will love it.

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A canoe trip means leaving behind all the ills of civilization. There are no roads or buildings. No city lights or sounds. No electricity or plumbing. With most of the lakes designated as paddle only, there are no motorized boats and no planes flying overhead. It’s just you and the natural wilderness. Which means you need to have the right gear. Below are the seven key items we recommend for your packing list to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.

Granite Gear Quetico Portage Pack

The Granite Gear Quetico, like most portage packs (properly pronounced, “por-tahhhhhgg”), is shaped and designed to fit superbly in the bottom of a canoe to maximize space. It holds 82 liters of gear in a single compartment and is made with a beefy 420 denier Cordura Ripstop Nylon fabric. But its supreme advantage over other portage packs (e.g. the other Minnesota-based brand) is its harness system. Specifically, it has the exact same harness system that Granite Gear puts on their higher-end multi-day backpacks: padded back panel, contoured shoulder straps and a comfortable interchangeable waist belt to help balance the load when portaging between lakes. $220 | granitegear.com

ENO Doublenest Hammock with Atlas Suspension System

If you think hauling and ENO Doublenest Hammock with Atlas Suspension System into the Boundary Waters in a canoe is an extravagant item that adds unnecessary weight in a portage pack, you’d be absolutely right. Still, there’s a concept in the Boundary Waters called, “Boundary Waters Time.” It means no cell phone service. No schedules. No motorized boats or vehicles. Remote campsites. Crystal clear water lapping on the shore. Loons calling. Wolves howling. Leaves rustling in the breeze. The sound of a crackling campfire at night. Maybe even a show of Northern Lights if I’m really lucky. I want to be swinging in a hammock taking this all in. Hence the reason I’m bringing the extravagant ENO Doublenest Hammock with Atlas Suspension System. $70/$30 | eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com

Royal Robbins Bug Barrier Tech Travel Long Sleeve

There are many reasons I like the Royal Robbins Bug Barrier Tech Travel Long Sleeve—great fit for layering, long length that doesn’t bunch up under backpack waist belts, decent body temperature regulation. But the biggest and most important is that the fabric is made with InsectSheild bug barrier protection. Mosquitoes are everywhere in Minnesota in the summer but it’s the ticks I fear the most. Crawling on the ground on which I set my pack. Lurking on the bush during a bio break. Waiting in the tree branches to launch themselves onto me so they can burrow into my skin until they’re bloated and happy from the feast of my blood. InsectShield fuses and binds a formula of permethrin into fabric fibers that repels mosquitoes, ticks, ants, flies, chiggers, and midges. Per InsectShield, the repellency is “EPA-registered to last through 70 launderings—the expected lifetime of a garment.” $60 | royalrobbins.com

GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Bacpacker Stove Set

The GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Backpacker ($95) is an integrated kit comprised of a two-liter pot and strainer lid, skillet, two 14-ounce insulated mugs, two 14-ounce bowls and a wash basin to feed two campers. While this stove takes up a bit more space in a pack than other backpacking stove kits, it’s ideal for the BWCA for two reasons: 1) When traveling by canoe I have the luxury of traveling for miles without having to actually carry it on my back. Yes, I will be portaging between lakes but my longest portage will be 180 rods (roughly half a mile). And 2) the skillet will be critical to cooking the fresh Walleye I hope to catch. Altogether, the GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Backpacker provides the opportunity to eat more than ramen noodles and instant oatmeal for eight days. And the bag that doubles as a wash basin? How did I ever live without one? Not only is it priceless for cleaning up dishes, it’s good for general basic bathing, washing one’s face or a good deep-clean of a newly-acquired wound before applying ointment and a bandage. $100 | GSI Outdoors

Teva Original Universal Sandals

A summer BWCA canoe trip destination requires a pair of Teva Original Universal sandals. Who wants to step out a canoe into lake water to pull it onto the shore while wearing hiking boots? And who wants to wade into the lake to swim and touch the slimy, muddy bottom? Not too much has changed from the original-original Teva sandal of 35 years ago (that’s a good thing) beyond new colors and designs. But it’s the straps that are a big stand out. Teva has made a substantial and impressive commitment to sustainability to reduce its environmental impact. As of 2020, 100 percent of Teva’s iconic straps are now made from traceable, verifiable, plastic using REPREVE® yarn, which is made from 100 percent recycled plastic bottles and other recycled content. Either way, they’re a fantastic amphibious shoe to wear in and out of the canoe and into the lakes when swimming. $50 | teva.com

Natrapel Insect Repellent

Because the Royal Robbins Bug Barrier Tech Travel Long Sleeve can only cover so much skin and the mosquitoes and ticks are hungry and waiting to latch onto any body part that isn’t covered by cloth. Enter Natrapel Tick and Insect Repellent to keep me free from bug bites all day. Picaridin, a synthetic ingredient that “mimics” piperine (a compound found in black pepper) is the key ingredient. I’ve been using this brand for about five years and it’s the only one I will use. It is DEET-free, non-greasy, sprays on easy, dries fast, does not leave a sticky film on my skin and doesn’t smell like the Union Carbide Bhopal disaster. $7 | natrapel.com

Icemule Drybag Cooler

I’ll be in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for seven days and the IceMule Classic Cooler will break up the monotony of a week consuming non-perishable instant oatmeal, tuna fish, ramen noodles and mac n cheese every day. When I used this cooler on a sea kayaking trip to Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands, I added brats, fresh eggs, a wedge of Gouda cheese and a bag of shredded cheddar cheese to the menu. Why? Because this portable, soft-sided cooler holds ice for two days and fit into the dry hatch of my sea kayak. I’ll be in a canoe this trip, but I still need to pack light as I’ll be doing a number of portages. Bonus that this comes with a shoulder strap. $70 | icemule.com

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What I Liked

REACTIVE All Around 2-3 Photochromic Lenses

The Julbo Spark’s 2-3 lenses refers to category of sun protection strength. Essentially, the Julbo Spark offers two categories of sun protection in one lens—Category 2 and Category 3. Category 2 is typically the orange, blue, rose and red lenses, which are idea for shade or partially sunny conditions. Category 3 is an almost all brown or grey/smoke lens is for strong sunlight and most common category. When both the categories work together, they let in between 9% to 20% of visible light. Note: No matter the category, tint or color, UV protection is consistent because it’s applied to all lenses.

When I’m indoors, or outside when it’s cloudy, the Julbo Spark’s lenses transition to Category 2 (automagically!) and appear as normal tinted eye glasses. When I emerge outside into sun, the lenses rapidly transform into full-on, sun-protection sunglasses.

I found this adaptability to be ideal for non-high impact activities like canoeing, sea kayaking, camping and hiking when the sun goes behind a cloud, it’s overcast or hiking trails that took me through shaded forest and exposed ridges without removing them or pushing them up onto my head. Julbo’s website states that these lenses allow you to “read any type of screen”. They are correct, as I had no issues with clarity when reading from my Kindle Paper White, trail map or smartphone screen.

Non-sliding, Outstanding and Comfortable fit

You know when you were a pimply, pubescent adolescent with oily skin? Well, I still have that despite several decades beyond those pimply, pubescent, adolescent years. My principal conundrum with sunglasses is that the second my nose gets oily or sweaty, they slide down my nose. This means I’m constantly repositioning them and having to take my hand off a kayak or canoe paddle, hiking pole, what have you. Except that I haven’t done that yet with the Julbo Sparks for three reasons.

First, the nose grip technology. I have no idea what it is made from because all I could find on Julbo’s website was that the Spark’s nose grip was a “Flexible, shock-absorbing grip insert on the bridge.” Still, whatever the secret ingredient, it grips to an oily, sweaty nose like superglue (but comes off considerably easier).

Second, the weight. The Julbo Spark weighs in at feathery-light 26 grams so there is hardly any gravity working against them or your nose. Third, the ear piece. They’re not adjustable but they’re ergonomically spot-on and comfortably secure around my ears. When wearing a hat or visor whose brims sit on top of ear pieces, I never felt any discomfort or pain in my temple area.  

What Could be Better

The case. The Julbo Spark comes in a soft zippered case with a microfiber bag that doubles as their cleaning cloth. The cleaning-cloth bag is great, and wipes them clean without scratching the lenses. But the soft case doesn’t offer much protection against impact, such as accidentally sitting on them or stuffing something heavy on top of them in a backpack.  

Final Thoughts

For low-impact activity like hiking, paddling, camping or even wearing about town, the Julbo Spark is an impressive pair of sunglasses. I don’t recommend them for cycling or running because they aren’t designed for it. Aside from being attractive, they are lightweight and comfortable. But the big stand-out for me, and for the variety of activities for which I’ve been using them, is the REACTIVE Photochromic lenses and their outstanding clarity and adaptability to changing light conditions when outside.

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To do their part to flatten the COVID19 curve, North x North is offering 15 percent off all online orders and donating a further 10 percent of proceeds to DirectRelief.org to help supply frontline doctors and nurses with the PPE they need to stay safe, healthy and able to help those in need of medical attention. 

None of us really knows how long the COVID19 pandemic will last. What will last, however, is our new-found awareness. A single sneeze or cough has the potential send someone to a hospital ventilator, clinging for life. Czech researchers are showing that when worn by an infected person, even a homemade mask can trap up to 100 percent of potentially infected microdroplets.

We’re the most contagious before we start showing symptoms—and that’s if we show any at all. Along with practicing social distancing and preventive measures, wearing a mask protects others. The advantage of wearing a (for example) North x North wool kerchief or neck gaiter lies in its long-term sustainability.

Made from certified muelsing-free Australian Merino wool, one Kerchief or Hooded Neck Gaiter is a necessary piece of gear for hiking, camping, backpacking or skiing because it can be washed and reused over and over. It also has a wide range of usability, making it highly useful as a mask.

North x North’s founder, Chad North, perhaps says it best: “If you can give, give. If you can sew, sew masks for those in need. If all you can do is wear a mask when out, then wear a mask. A million masks ain’t worth a damn if no one is wearing them.”

Thanks to North x North, buying a multi-purpose kerchief not only protects yourself and others, they will donate ten percent of the proceeds to help protect our frontline healthcare workers.

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What I Liked

Insulation

The most important thing in an insulated bottle is, of course, how well it insulates. In factory conditions, the GSI Outdoors Microlite 1000 Twist will supposedly keep your hot beverages hot for 18 hours and your cold beverages cold for 32 hours. In our field testing with temperatures ranging from seven degrees Fahrenheit to -5 degrees Fahrenheit, we gathered 12 hours of data from three insulated bottles and one non-insulated bottle as a control.

The other two insulated bottles were the Yeti Rambler 30 oz Tumbler with double wall plastic Magslide©  lid and the Klean Kanteen 32 oz Insulated Growler with Swing Lok© cap (no longer sold on the Klean Kanteen site). Each bottle was filled with boiling water (212 degrees F) and tested after 3, 8, and 12 hours. 

The GSI Outdoors Microlite 1000 Twist was a clear winner, even though the Klean Kanteen claims it will retain heat for 30 hours and cold for 80 hours.

In practice, after a number of frigid Minnesota days at the Sandstone Ice Park, I learned that if I wanted to drink my coffee, I had to temper it with a splash of iced coffee. Otherwise, it stayed too hot for me to drink without scalding my mouth. The insulation in the GSI Outdoors Microlite 1000 Twist works so well that if you’re going to drink the contents within 8 hours of filling it, you should make sure the liquid is drinkable when it goes in.

That said, this means that the Microlite 1000 Twist lets you plan easy comforts far ahead in your outdoor adventures. Let’s say you’re winter camping and know you’ll want a hot drink or hot soup at the end of a long first day: fill the thermos with boiling water or scalding hot soup before you leave, and 12 – 18 hours later, you’ll still have hot water. Or let’s say you’re in hot conditions: fill the the GSI Outdoors Microlite 1000 Twist with cold water and ice, and you’ll still have a liter of cold water the next day after everything else (you included) has baked in the sun. That ice water is going to feel great on your second day of summer adventure.

Construction

The size and shape of a Nalgene, the Microlite 1000 Twist holds a liter of liquid and still fits into any pack pouch the crowd favorite non-insulated water bottle does. With 2mm stainless steel 18/8 walls, it’s incredibly lightweight for its insulating power. The screw cap top seals easily and tightly, protecting against both leakage and heat loss, and unscrews just as easily with gloves on. The lid supposedly has a “leverage enhancing lobe making frozen bottles easier to open,” though I honestly didn’t notice much of a difference. The bottle is pretty durable, too, having been hit by falling ice from 40 meters with no real visible damage.

Price

Even though the Microlite 1000 Twist outperformed the other bottles in every technical way — weight, temperature retention, size — it is less expensive than the other bottles of similar caliber. At time of writing, it was $34.95 compared to Hydro Flask at $44.95, Yeti at $49.99, and Klean Kanteen at $54.99.

What I Didn’t Like

Washability

GSI Outdoors recommends hand washing the Microlite 1000 Twist only, compared to Yeti and Hydro Flask bottles, which are dishwasher safe. That’s it. That’s the only thing.

Final Thoughts

In full disclosure, before testing the GSI Outdoors Microlite 1000 Twist, I was a diehard Yeti groupie. After spending a season on the ice with the Microlite, it’s my go-to bottle. If you’re searching for an insulated bottle and you can survive hand washing — I know, really roughing it here — there’s no better thermos on the market right now than the GSI Outdoors Microlite 1000 Twist.

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Escape, by Carolyn Jessop

I added this book to the COVID-19 reading list not because it’s empowering and uplifting (it’s not) but because it’s so gripping and engaging you will finish it in a day. That’s a full day of not thinking about COVID-19. Escape is Carolyn Jessop’s memoir of growing up in the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) freak show and the pivotal turning point that made her say, “What the fu–???” and escape. Except that she couldn’t exactly hire a good divorce lawyer and get in her car and abscond with her kids and dignity. It required a great deal of planning and finagling…

Gear Pairing for Escaping a Religious Cult

A pair of Brooks Ghost 12’s. You’ll appreciate their responsiveness and performance and fluffy cloud-like feeling of their 12mm drop.

Deep Water Passage, by Ann Linnea

The pace of Deep Water Passage is as relaxing and unhurried as a sea kayak on Lake Superior. Which is exactly what it’s about, making it a good choice for the COVID-19 reading list. Ann Linnea—nature writer, lecturer and avid sea kayaker—realized one morning that she wasn’t getting any younger and it was time to do some serious thinking about her life and her future. Significant topics, indeed. Is there any better place to contemplate them than in a sea kayak on Lake Superior? It also happens to be one of the few places you can escape COVID-19. If she succeeds, she’ll be the first woman to do so…

Gear Pairing for a Sea Kayaking Lake Superior

An Icemule Classic Cooler. I’ve used this on Lake Superior paddling the Apostle Islands. The size medium drybag design fits into my sea kayak’s large dry hatch behind the seat and it holds ice cubes for about 24 hours.

Into the Forest, by Jean Heglund

The term “social distancing” was still at least a decade away when Jean Heglund wrote this page-turning novel about a dystopian future in which a strange and unnamed highly contagious disease cripples the country. The main characters of this book are two sisters who are socially distancing themselves from the unnamed viral plague in their rural home in a northern California forest, trying to survive. While it’s ending is somewhat predictable, I did find within in its rapidly turning pages essential COVID-19 survival tips and new ways to cook vegetables!  

Gear Pairing for Food Preparation when the Electricity goes out

The GSI Pinnacle Backpacker stove. I fell in love with this stove sea kayaking the Apostle Islands for six days because its set-up (two-liter pot and strainer lid, skillet, two 14-ounce insulated mugs and two 14-ounce bowls) allowed a wide variety of meals beyond ramen noodles and instant oatmeal. The carry bag also doubles as a wash basin.

Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens

The main character of Where the Crawdads Sing is a young girl who grows into adulthood while living completely on her own without no parental supervision in a North Carolina marsh. What could possibly go wrong! There was so much I loved about this book—the will of the main character to survive, her resourcefulness to make money to buy food, to learn to read, keep herself safe. All the things children don’t normally have to worry about when they have parents or responsible adults in the home. This is on the COVID-19 reading list because you’ll also find plenty of survival tips and recipes in this book as well. What I loved most though was the ending…

Gear Pairing for Living Alone in the North Carolina Marsh

An SOG Terminus XR knife. A good knife is an indispensable piece of kit for nearly any situation. It’s in a class that some refer to as an “Everyday Carry” or EDC, making it eligible to perform a variety of everyday-type tasks from gutting a trout to carving a spear for hunting and self-defense. 

A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar, by Suzanne Joinson

If you like cycling, and plots that run parallel between past and present, A Lady Cyclist’s Guide to Kashgar will take you for a pleasant ride – pun intended. In the 1920s, Evangeline English follows her missionary sister to the ancient city of Kashgar, a stop on the Silk Road. While the missionary sister spews hellfire and damnation 24/7, Evangeline is shredding the gravel trails on her bike and penning a memoir about her cycling adventures. Meanwhile, in modern day London, another character strangely inherits the contents of an apartment that belonged to a dead woman she has never heard of. This is by no means an apocalyptic book. It’s on the COVID-19 reading list because we can still ride our bikes — something we all should be doing while we can. Some cities have mandated shelter in place rules.

Gear Pairing for Gravel Riding in Kashgar

A set of ReTyre Ice Racer tires for that one set of bike tires for year-round use that easily zip on and zip off from summer slicks to winter studs.

Circling the Sun, by Paula McClain

Circling the Sun is both a biographical novel about Beryl Markham, an aviator, horse trainer and overall path-blazer in 1920s Kenya. Freedom is what Beryl is searching for. I’m not giving away any spoilers when I say that it’s obvious from my opening sentence that she achieves plenty of it by pursuing occupations, adventures and hobbies that are not needlepoint, sewing or sketching local flora and fauna. Within McClain’s pages you’ll experience the beauty of Kenya and a woman who spat on traditional roles. But just don’t plan any travel to Africa right now. They have reported their fair share of COVID-19 cases.

Gear Pairings for Racking up Frequent Flier Miles

A Deuter AirContact Lite SL 60+10 multi-day backpack full of ethically-sourced clothing perfect for long hours at 35,000 feet.

Wild, Cheryl Strayed

Wild isn’t exactly a happy book to read. Hiking solo on the Pacific Crest Trail has its moments of metaphorical, emotional, psychological and physical peaks and valleys. But important to remember that hiking is something we can all still do during these times of COVID-19 quarantines and social distancing. What better way to lift your mood and spirits than a long hike outdoors? That’s why it made the COVID-19 reading list.

Gear Pairing for Thru-hiking Solo

A pair of Garmont Tower Trek GTX hiking boots. If they could take our writer Julie to Everest Base Camp, the Pacific Crest Trail will be its bitch. 

The Long Winter, Laura Ingalls Wilder

Of all the books on the COVID-19 reading list, this one is the most relevant. Many of us have read this series as young’uns. Who doesn’t enjoy a story that takes one back to a time before overpopulation and pollution began killing our planet? The Long Winter is Laura’s tale of the brutal winter of 1880-1881 that shut down the railroad, leaving the residents of DeSmet, South Dakota on their own to make it through the long winter without even the barest of necessities that were available at the time. Even salt pork and molasses couldn’t be had! They were starving, cold, scared and hopeless. Given the circumstances, stockpiling toilet paper was the least of their concerns. We would all do well to remember that these days.

Gear Pairing for Sheltering-in-Place

Dreams of warmer places and happier days ahead, like Long Caye, Belize or scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef.

Candy Girl, Diablo Cody

Candy Girl is Diablo Cody’s memoir about her year as a stripper in Minneapolis. To be perfectly transparent, I find the “strippers have the power!” justification to be ludicrous. Power is not about convincing some guy into withdrawing stacks of twenties from the ATM machine to stick in a 95-percent-naked-dancer’s thong while she strokes his ego for two minutes before moving onto the next one. But I add this one to the COVID-19 reading list because Cody knows all of this and isn’t glamorizing it. Its fast-turning pages are packed full of original quips and hilarious revelations like, “Could there be anything more grosser than pleading with undesirable men for three minutes of their company? The whole ritual defied logic, nature and the time-honored tradition of ‘Schlub Chases Babe’”. We could all use a diversion of continuous laughter these days. You may need a pair of Depends should you read this.

Gear Pairing for Recovering Strippers

The MSR DynaLock Explore Backcountry poles—to make the transition from stage and thong to the hiking trails effortless and enticing, like.

The post COVID-19 Reading List (and their gear pairings) by Women Authors appeared first on gritandgearonline.com.

What I Liked

Heat Adjustment

The MSR WindBurner Stove Combo has a radiant burner with a boil-to-simmer control and a pressure regulator for consistent performance. That means it has an amazing wind resistant stove that produces heat that is easily adjustable. It was nice to be able to cook my food and not burn it.  I could fire up the stove on high for boiling water and use a lower heat for other foods like eggs and chili.

Wind Resistance

When I was camping with my lady friends it was rainy, windy and cold (not below freezing).  We had no problems with getting the stove lit or keeping it lit because of the wind-proof radiant burner.

Stable Stove

I have three sons and they are always moving.  With the tripod set up and the pans that sort of lock onto the stove, I am more comfortable using it around them.

Locking Strainer Lid

Usually when I camp I have to bring a strainer of some sort or I burn my hands and lose noodles trying to drain the water with the regular lid.  This is awesome to have the strainer built right into the lid, and be able to have the lid lock into place so I don’t burn myself while trying to hold it.  It also helped to poor the hot water into the French press for my morning coffee.

Locking Handle

The eight-inch ceramic coated aluminum nonstick skillet and the 2.5L ceramic-coated aluminum nonstick pot have a folding Talon handle. This handle opens up, locks into place and has a coating that does not get hot.  I have used other pans where the handle moves and gets hot. That becomes an issue when you forget and you lose some of your meal or burn yourself.  The handle also unlocks and folds up for easier packing. When you fold up the handle on the 2.5L pot it locks into the lid that is locked onto the pot. This is nice because then the handle won’t flop open.

Lightweight and Packable

The 2.5L pot weighs 12.2 ounces and the skillet weighs 7.7 ounces. They are very light for their size. The stove and an eight-ounce fuel canister fit nicely into the pot (shown to the right) and the lid locks into place on top of the pot. That makes it easy to pack into you kayak, car or backpack.

Felt Pot Protector

The MSR WindBurner Stove Combo came with a square piece of felt that is used to put under the stove and gas can in the bottom of the pot when packing it up to go.  I was relived to find this in the box.  I usually dig around my house in search of something to protect the pot with, and this time I didn’t need to do that.  You can also use it to wash out the pan if you wanted to. 

What I didn’t Like

Inability to interchange

The MSR WindBurner Stove, skillet and pot work great together! The pot and skillet have a circular addition on the bottom that sort of locks onto the stove for stability and efficient burning ability. They are an integrated system and do not work independently.

Non-compact skillet

The MSR WindBurner Stove fits into the pot with an eight-oz fuel canister nicely. Unfortunately, the skillet doesn’t fit in with the compact part of that.  The pot does fit into the skillet but it has room to shift around and you would need to remove the handle (which is very easy). Just don’t lose the handle. I would also put some felt or other material in between the pans so the pot doesn’t scratch the skillet.

Final Thoughts

This set up is bigger and meant for a larger group of people (4-6).  I believe it does this job well.  I will be using the MSR WindBurner Stove Combo a lot in the future.  It will be our go to for future kayaking adventures, canoeing adventures, car camping and group backpacking when having a bulkier set up isn’t an issue. 

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