Even if you live in a city, chances are you know someone who’s constantly venturing into the wilderness at every chance. That person prioritizes waterproofing, ruggedness and function, but style is by no means unimportant. And when it comes to hobbies, one can never have too many, and there’s always room in the closet for a canoe paddle, an axe or an expedition pack.
Vasque Sundowner GTX Hiking Boot
Sometimes, no matter how much technological innovation occurs over the years, an original simply can’t be beaten. When it comes to hiking boots, leather has always been king, and Vasque uses just one piece of USA-tanned hide in constructing the Sundowner GTX. That piece of leather is used to build the boot around the original last, which was developed in the ’80s and has remained true since. The boot’s clean leather construction features few seams, and the fit will only improve with time and wear.
Good To-Go Dehydrated Meals
There aren’t many dehydrated meal companies that can claim a famous New York City chef as a founder. Each Good To-Go meal is concocted from healthy, pronounceable ingredients and can be prepared right in the pouch it comes in.
Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3 Tent
As a rule, “high volume” and “ultralight” tend to be at odds with each other. The Copper Spur breaks that rule — it’s a three-person, three-season shelter that packs plenty of space in a main compartment and two vestibules for you, your friends and all the gear you need for your next adventure.
Patagonia Micro Puff Hoody
At 9.3 ounces (264g), the Micro Puff is the lightest insulating jacket Patagonia has ever made. That’s because PlumaFill, the synthetic insulation inside the jacket’s rectangular baffles, mimics the structure of down feathers to provide ultralightweight, water-resistant warmth. It’s light, packable and it still has pockets.
Kammok Firebelly Synthetic Quilt
Technical blankets have finally secured a firm foothold as practical camp bedding, and Kammok was an early adopter of the trend with its technically adept Firebelly. The blanket is made with Kammok’s soft Atmos ripstop nylon and has plenty of synthetic loft, but also features a drawstring and a series of Velcro loops that can effectively turn it into a sleeping bag and set it apart from the rest of the blanket crowd.
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Arc’teryx Bora AR 50 Backpack
The Arc’teryx Bora AR 50 may be the most advanced hiking pack ever made. Its RotoGlide hip belt is essentially free-floating: it slides both horizontally and vertically on rails to allow for an unsurpassed range of motion whether you’re hiking, fording a river, or sprinting through the airport.
Gnarbox 256GB
One of the greatest problems facing the amateur photographer today is how to backup, edit and exhibit photos and videos on the fly. Gnarbox solves all of those problems at once. The pocket-sized accessory plays intermediary between your camera and smartphone, making it easy to unload and share all the footage that’s been crowding your memory card ever since you bought that GoPro last holiday season.
Yeti Panga 50 Duffel
The Panga utilizes the same rugged materials as Yeti’s soft coolers, and when properly closed, is 100 percent waterproof. For travel, outdoor adventure or even trips to the grocery store, the Panga is as versatile a bag as it is a durable one.
Chris Reeve Sebenza Pocketknife
A pocketknife is a universal tool, designed to be carried at all times. So why settle for something substandard? The Sebenza is a folder that’s been crafted with precision but is designed for practical use — available in a full range of blade and handle styles. It’s rugged enough to last lifetimes, plural.
Julbo Vermont Classic Glacier Sunglasses
You may know these as the black glacier glasses that have adorned the faces of mountaineers for over 125 years. For 2017, Julbo has released the Vermont in three new colorways. While they serve a specific purpose when climbing the Hillary Step, they can easily transition into the urban outdoor fashion world.
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Millican Smith the Roll Pack 25L
The Roll Pack is the perfect size for a day hike, but also has enough room to tote all your essentials for a day at the office — it even includes separate laptop and tablet pockets. The pack is simple, and is constructed with a combination of durable, weatherproof Bionic Canvas and aluminum hardware.
GoPro Fusion 360-degree Action Camera
Virtual reality, three hundred and sixty degree footage and built-in image stabilization; it all adds up to the first action camera by GoPro that’s a true foray into a new method of cinematography — and not just an iteration — and it looks damn good.
Wasatch Outdoors Survival Laces 2.0
Demand more from your boot laces. Demand them to be made from military grade 550 paracord. Demand them to conceal a ferro rod, tinder and a length of fishing line. You’ll be glad you did, should shit ever hit the fan.
K2 Snowboards Party Platter Snowboard
The Party Platter cuts right to the core of snowboarding: fun. It’s built with serious rocker in the nose and a shifted stance that’s reminiscent of retro boards but still maintains a strong penchant for arcing turns and floating in powder.
Hyperlite Mountain Gear The Shell Jacket
The Shell is made from Dyneema — an ultralight and durable fiber that, in terms of strength-to-weight ratio, is one of the strongest materials on the planet. It’s also waterproof and breathable, and depending on size, weighs between 5.16 and 6.20 ounces.
Nemo Stargaze Recliner Luxury Chair
Here it is, the Cadillac of camping chairs. NEMO built its entire Stargaze line with comfort in mind — each one is a free-swinging seat suspended between a set of lightweight aluminum poles. The Luxury comes with a supportive headrest that’ll let you gaze into the depths of the Milky Way for hours.
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Pieps Micro Beacon
One of the requirements of safe and smart backcountry adventures during winter is to wear an avalanche beacon. Pieps’ Micro Beacon is tiny — it weighs 150 grams (just over five ounces) — but still uses three antennas to emit a signal with a 50 meter range. It also has a large, readable display, which is important when every second counts.
Trew Roam 3/4 Bibs
It doesn’t get more stormproof or breathable than the Dermizax NX fabric used to make Trew’s top tier backcountry bibs. The Roam bibs are short and unobtrusive compared to others on the market, but contain a full range of hidden features from a beacon clip to added durability in the knees and cuffs.
Hults Bruk Akka Forester’s Axe
The Akka is constructed with hand-forged Swedish steel and solid American Hickory — that’s it. Yes, its primary use is splitting firewood for winter warmth, but nobody would blame you for hanging a tool this handsome on the wall, or using it to practice your double-handed overhead axe throw.
Stance Crux Hiking Socks
Trekking socks don’t have to project wilderness, they just have to get you through, warm and blister-free. Stance has added style to hiking peds, and it hasn’t forgotten about moisture wicking, breathability or supportive cushioning in doing so.
Sanborn Lost Forty Paddle
Sanborn builds canoe paddles in the style of classic Voyageurs’ paddles, like those used by the early explorers of the Great Lakes region. The Lost Forty is made with Walnut, Aspen and Western Red Cedar and painted by hand — it looks so good, you may just want to hang it on the wall.
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Sego Big Horn 96 Skis
It’s unsurprising that a ski company based in the Tetons would figure out how to put together an all-mountain ski that truly goes anywhere. The Big Horn 96 is a playful, poplar core twin with equal amounts of rocker in both the tip and tail — it turns and it floats, and it doesn’t care what coast you live on.
Biolite BaseLantern XL
BioLite’s water-resistant, Bluetooth-enabled lantern doubles as a portable battery. Best of all, you can adjust the BaseLantern XL’s moody LED color cycles right from your phone, thanks to a handy app (or just use the single button on top).
Garmin Fenix 5 Watch
It’s a sport watch, running watch, activity tracker, outdoor watch and lifestyle watch, all in one. It’ll track cycling, running, swimming and a whole host of other activities with a GPS, altimeter and a top-class heart rate sensor.
Gear Patrol Magazine Issue Five
Ever wonder what makes a fourth generation hiking boot maker tick? Or how YETI builds its crazy-durable coolers and drinkware? Those answers, and so much more, can be found inside the pages of Gear Patrol’s latest print magazine.
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