Helinox Chair Zero

The Helinox Chair Zero tips the scales at a svelte 1.1lbs and folds up into the size of an overstuffed Chipotle burrito. The reason I love this chair so much is that I can fit it into my Osprey Mira daypack or strap it on the outside for a comfortable seat at the top of a mountain or for a trail lunch and beer. So much better than perching on a rock or sitting on wet grass. helinox.com | $120

Trail Butter

As an all-natural endurance energy food, Trail Butter can be thought of as either a “spreadable bar” or “blended up trail mix”. Either way, it’s healthy, unprocessed nut or seed butter comes in many forms: Single-serve packets, pouches and sixteen-ounce jars. Each flavor has its own unique blend of real-food ingredients and provides a balanced, slow burning energy that is calorie-dense for those long hikes in cool weather. So far my favorite way to eat this is to spread on a Pamela’s Gluten Free Graham Cracker and mix into oatmeal. trailbutter.com | $12 – $20

Kora Shola 230 Crew

Yak wool is the new natural fiber in town and the Kora Shola 230 Crew  is a technical baselayer that is made entirely of yak wool. I put this to good use hiking the Superior Hiking Trail over a long weekend as well as camping on the edge of the Boundary Waters in early October. Fortunately for me, it was cold and blustery with gale-force winds. I wore this under only a softshell windbreaker jacket and was amazed at how warm it kept me and its breathability.

You will especially love how soft it feels against your skin and the amount of wearings you can get in before you start to smell like a yak. kora | $145

Deschutes Handup IPA

Deschutes Handup IPA offers all that I love about a good craft IPA. I find it to be refreshing and hoppy with afternotes of citrus. Although it was brewed to honor Deschutes Brewery co-owner Colby, Deschutes CX team captain who lost his life to pancreatic cancer last fall, it’s still highly relevant for hiking—either as a summit beer, lunch beer or for your après hike celebratory beer at the trailhead. Please remember to Leave no Trace and pack the bottle out with you. deschutesbrewery.com

Garmont Tower Trek GTX Hiking Boots

Although our reviewer Julie didn’t actually bag Mt. Everest, she got close when her Garmont Tower Trek GTX’s took her to Everest Base Camp in October. These boots gave her the feeling of “walking on air” in high elevations and rough, rocky alpine terrain thanks to their beefy and aggressive tread.

They were also comfortable, stable, sturdy and kept her feet warm on the colder days of hiking when the temps plunged to 30F/-1C. garmont.com | $330

Hangtime KOALA

The Hangtime Koala is an ingenious clip and silicone harness system to quell the fears of losing your $1,000 Smartphone on the trail, in a lake, or down into the pongy abyss of a pit toilet. The phone harness is made from industrial-grade silicone that stretches enough to fit any phone. It attaches to your body (or backpack straps, jacket pocket, etc) via a strong polycarbonate clip and urethane tether that stretches up for four feet.

The more you tug on the tether the harder the clip’s teeth sink into whatever you have it anchored to. Simply attach the Koala to your phone, clip it to your pack’s harness strap or a jacket pocket and go. Crowdfunding is going on now and they’ve raised over $300,000 and have over 10,000 backers on Indiegogo. After their crowdfunding campaign ends on November 11^th 2019 KOALA will be available the general public on their site via IndiGoGo. hangtimegear.com | $25

Deuter AirContact Lite SL 60+10

Should your National Take a Hike pilgrimage require a multi-day out the trail, the Deuter AirContact Lite SL 60+10 is the pack that our team member Alli declared, “First and foremost, I’ve never — ever — hiked with a pack this comfortable under a heavy load before. I truly used every last bit of the extended 70-liter capacity, carrying my gear, group gear, and, at times, three full bear canisters and clients’ gear.”

She should know as she tested it on Minnesota’s Superior Hiking Trail, which has its share rugged ascents and descents, roots and rocks, and narrow trails on bluff edges required grace and balance.  deuterusa.com | $220

 Leatherman Free T4 Multi-tool

The Leatherman FREE T4 Multi-Tool could easily be the quintessential knife for the hiking trail. It has twelve different tools packed into a 3.6 inch-long frame making it a lot of multi-tool for the size and minuscule weight of 4.3 ounces.

It includes a 2.2 in. carbon-stainless main blade, scissors, package opener, awl, reamer, four types of screwdrivers, a metal and wood file, bottle opener and a set of tweezers. This multi-tool knife has a tool for just about anything you might run into; whether you’re working around the house or out on a wilderness hike. Our writer even used it to start a fire using the file and a fire-steel striker. leatherman.com | $60

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Because.

New backpacks (or any piece of gear for that matter) are always aces when they’re shiny, pretty and unsullied with sweat, dirt, tears, fading and general wear. But I haven’t seen significant enough innovation over the past four years to warrant the waste-fest that is getting a new backpack just for the sake of a new pack to take to Greenland. 

Perfect Weight and Size for Hiking and Backpacking in Greenland

Greenland is country without roads, hence my attraction for visiting. A country without roads means no rental cars. Getting around is by foot, boat or plane. I took an Osprey Xena 85L to carry clothes, sleeping bag, camp pad, stove, food, blah, blah, blah. But I also needed a lightweight daypack as an airplane carry-on and for dayhikes. I knew there would be times where I would need to carry both at the same time, one on the back, one on my front. Enter the Deuter Airlite 26SL from years past but still a current model in Deuter’s line.

I have an Osprey Mira AG 26 daypack that is the same size as the Deuter Airlite 26, however not as minimalistic. It weighed more than the Deuter and was wider in width and shoulder strap placement. When I strapped on the 85L Osprey Xena pack and added the Osprey Mira to my chest, the wider-placed straps of the Mira kept sliding off the straps of the 85L pack and I had to physically hold Mira in place.

Not the case with the Deuter Airlite 26 SL, whose narrower shoulder straps and pack width sat securely atop the shoulder straps of the Osprey Xena 85L—and I didn’t have to physically hold it in place. At 2lbs, 6oz, the Mira is slightly heavier then the Airlite, which tips the scales at a nice petite 2lbs, 4oz thanks to its minimalist design. This is not to say that the Osprey Mira AG is a lesser pack. It’s a great pack with great features that I still use. It was just a little too fat and heavy for the mission.

Integrated Raincover

I was hiking in Greenland. This feature got used. Honestly, if you buy a daypack that doesn’t have this feature, you’ll regret it. The Deuter Airlite 26SL’s raincover is integrated so you never have to worry about leaving home without it.

Front-loading Design

Front-loading design vs top-loading will almost always be a subject for debate, even among the best of friends. There’s merit to each depending on the objective of the mission. I prefer this design over top-loading designs anytime an airport is involved. It makes it easier to find stuff like my passport, identification or items that TSA will use against me. Plus, when I carried both the Deuter and the Osprey packs at the same time, it was a breeze to access my phone, snack or sunblock from the Deuter’s front-loading design.

Women-specific without the Pastel Colors, Floral Decor and Pretty Swirls

I am jaded when it comes to women-specific gear. In addition to the aesthetics, I have encountered women-specific gear that is made with reduced quality when compared to the comparable men’s model. Bike frames are the biggest offender. I have never owned a women-specific frame and I never will. The bike industry markets them as a better fit for a woman’s geometry and every day I see women who fell for it. If the bike manufacturers are so concerned with fitting smaller, shorter and skinnier riders to the right frame size, why aren’t all the small, short and skinny male riders swooping in to buy them? ’cause they are plenty of them. I digress. back to the Deuter Airlite 26SL!

The Little Yellow Flower has a Purpose

The little yellow flower is intended to differentiate it as a “women’s-specific” pack. But unlike a floral swirl, pastel color or a cute graphic it’s removable (which I did immediately after obtaining the pack). As I schlepped this pack through airports and logged hundreds of trekking miles, all that was marketed to the world was Deuter Airlite 26 SL in the same font and color as all of Deuter’s packs.

What I can say about this little yellow flower is that it served two purposes four years ago when the pack was brand new and I took it to Norway. It served as a pony tail holder and secured a plastic trash bag around an empty, oily, leaking mackerel can. I doubt that was what Deuter had in mind but it worked nonetheless.

What Could be Better

The side pockets have an odd shape and aren’t especially deep for securely holding a water bottle. Remember this pack is four years old and I can’t tell from the photos from Deuter’s website if they have made any modifications. Kind of a minor detail, especially if you’re carrying a hydration bladder.

Final Thoughts

I often ridicule the “Gear of the Show” title bestowed by bloggers and gear reviewers who visit Outdoor Retailer, that crazy-big semi-annual industry trade show that is the Paris Fashion Week of the outdoor industry. I mean, how can one award this lofty title upon gear they simply handled once in a climate-controlled convention center?

Four years ago when I reviewed this pack for another publication, I couldn’t attest to its long-term durability at the time, beyond its tight, neat stitching and tough, robust 210 Denier Nylon fabric. My review was based entirely off a trip to Norway. It performed favorably and I recommended it, even with the little yellow flower.

Four years later, I can accurately attest that all the components that Deuter put into the design of this pack contributed to it being the pack of choice for Greenland.

Honestly? All gear reviewers should revisit their product reviews at least a year or two after later.

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