Featured Brand: MHW Fluid 32 Pack
September 13, 2011
I have loved my Fluid 10 pack for mountain biking, so I was stoked to try a larger version of a Fluid pack to see how I liked it. Unfortunately, the pack is not sized for smaller torsos like mine, so I shipped it off to Amy Jurries at thegearcaster.com since she’s taller than me. Sounds like she had a good time with the pack – and the pack had a good time too, since it got to go to Italy!
Here’s what Amy had to say:
The Fluid 32 from Mountain Hardwear is a lightweight, top-loading pack that can be used for everything from day hiking, climbing, or summit bids, to multi-day ultralight backpacking trips. I was excited to test out the pack during my multi-sport Dolomites adventure as it reminds me a lot of one of my favorite fast and light packs, the Black Diamond Speed Pack.
The single, roomy, 32 Liter main compartment enables you to pack in a ton of gear with good stuffing technique. The quick drawstring closure system takes awhile to get used to, but when you do, makes opening and closing the pack quick and easy to do with one hand.
The Fluid 32 is hydration compatible with a separate zippered pouch to keep any spilled water away from the rest of your gear. A full hydration bladder will take up quite a bit of space inside the pack so keep that in mind when planning your load.
A wide front pocket is perfect for securely storing your climbing helmet, climbing shoes, or an even extra layer such as your rain jacket. The fixed top lid, with multiple zippered storage pockets, fastens to this front pocket using a hook versus a normal buckle closure. In theory this makes opening the lid quicker and easier, but unless the Fluid 32 is completely full, this hook comes undone, flapping around the back of your pack.
Two zippered pockets on the hipbelt are convenient for storing your snacks, lip balm, and even a small camera for the day. Mountain Hardwear has recently gone minimalist with their hipbelts, to the detriment of many the female wearer. The padding tends to stop right on top of your hipbones with a thin piece of webbing and buckle completing the belt. Not only does this usually leave you with an unwelcome muffin top when the hipbelt is tight, but bruised or blistered hipbones by the end of the day. All the female guides I know who use Mountain Hardwear packs have switched out the hipbelts for older models.
The Fluid 32 features Mountain Hardwear On-The-Fly compression straps that enable you to cinch the pack in closer to your body by using pull handles at the end of the long, zigzagged webbing running down the side of the pack. This compression system keeps the pack from bouncing if you are running along the trail or gives you’re a nice low profile for climbing. Once pulled tight however, the handles and excess webbing hang down below your pack and tend to get caught on rocks or any other protruding object.
The breathable spacer mesh back panel uses air channels to help ventilate and keep your back cool and comfortable during hot days outside. The lightweight shoulder straps are padded with perforated foam to further help with ventilation.
Two stretch side pockets can hold full size water bottles if you don’t like using a hydration bladder. An ice axe loop and tie downs are convenient for storing your trekking poles if you are using the pack for hiking or backpacking. If you are out on a multi-day adventure, the bottom of the Fluid 32 includes two buckled tie downs to hold your tent or sleeping pad.
Both my husband and I were actually able to use this unisex pack as we have somewhat similar torso lengths. There is enough adjustability in the hipbelt and shoulder straps that we both could wear the pack comfortably.
Overall, the Mountain Hardwear Fluid 32 is a comfortable and extremely lightweight pack that provides tons of storage room for gear, whatever your outdoor activity.
Featured Brand: Patagonia Margot Dress
August 22, 2011
Oh, Patagonia. I have enough dresses! Why are you doing this to me?
Look, I’m going to just cut to the chase and tell you that if you go hurry the heck up, you can grab this dress at Patagonia.com for NINETEEN DOLLARS at the 50% off sale, like right now. I got one of these in this season’s Patagonia sample shipment and I STILL bought three more at that price. I have a soft spot for this dress because it’s the one I was wearing when I met my dear boyfriend, whom I desperately hope is not reading this review because gushing makes me embarrassed. But when I had to turn on the charm to win him over, this dress really did give me that extra edge and for that it will always be a favorite.
It’s flattering, with a plunging yet not revealing neckline, and an echoing v-back. It falls to about my knees (and I’m 5’5″). The wide waistband promises to flatter a variety of figures, and the fabric doesn’t wrinkle, making it great for travel. It’s totally bra friendly which is a major plus. Sizing is a little slim, I think. I find that, despite wearing a size small in most clothes, I usually prefer a medium in clingy dresses, but I tried the small in the Margot and at first thought it was perfect. Then I washed it – well, someone else washed it and put it in the drier, and it shrank just enough for me to think it’s now too tight. So I went with the medium when I bought the new ones.
There, that’s enough, because time is of the essence. Great dress, totally incredible, insanely good price, go forth and buy by clicking here!
Black Diamond Onyx 65 Pack (Prototype)
August 3, 2011
I recently went on a media trip with one of my Featured Brands Black Diamond and its PR company Backbone Media to test prototype packs for Black Diamond. I was pretty excited to get this invitation because a) press trips are fun and this one looked amazing, promising two days in the backcountry bordered by two nights in Aspen, where I’d never been; and b) I am always flattered when I’m invited on press trips, like I’m really an important person in the industry or something. They serve to help me convince myself that I’m kind of a big deal. And as long as I believe it, I’m happy. That’s the key, right?
After a few emails back and forth, though, it became apparent that I’d been invited on this one in large part because I just happened to be in the neighborhood anyway, or so the PR company had thought. It turned out that I was, in fact, 3500 miles away which would necessitate some travel dollars that the company hadn’t accounted for. Awkward! But I really wanted to go on the trip so I tapped my own bank account for the airfare and joined in as planned. I was really interested to see what this new pack line has in store, as it seems that large-capacity women’s packs haven’t really gotten their footing yet in regards to design and fit. I wanted to see what BD had done with their line and I REALLY wanted to check out the large-capacity women’s specific packs because I’d long believed that though mid-size packs are great for women these days, large-capacity packs haven’t evolved as far (Item number 3 under “Yay”).
In the six years I’ve been operating this web site, I’ve tested a lot of gear in a lot of different ways. By far the most common way is for a manufacturer to just send me a sample and let me try it out my own way. This is usually just fine, but occasionally I get the chance to hang out with the manufacturers and designers of the gear while I’m testing it out, usually on these types of press trips or at industry events. I find that this is far and away the best way to get to know the gear; after all, who is a better source of information than the person who actually designed the product? Every time I talk with a designer, I learn something new about the gear and I find this is very beneficial, not only for learning about that particular item, but for learning about design in general. It’s so cool to have the designer sit with you and talk about why he designed the item the way he did (all the designers I’ve met so far have been men, not sure why there are so few women), and it’s VERY cool to see the obvious passion with which they approach their work.
On the Black Diamond press trip, we were joined by Nathan Kuder, a pack designer for Black Diamond – the very man who created the prototypes we were testing out. Now, this isn’t a Nathan review or anything, but it’s worth saying that Nate is one of the most awesome people I’ve ever met. He was super knowledgeable about the packs, which probably goes without saying, but more importantly, he was a blast to hang out with and brought a great attitude and can-do vibe to the rather ambitious backcountry route we were attempting. The only time I ever saw Nate even slightly stressed was when I tried to herd all the journalists outside for a game of frisbee on the fairway of the golf course bordering our guest house – he wanted to be sure all the participants were fitted properly to their packs so in true border collie fashion he herded them all back inside with me trailing behind sadly with my frisbee.
Christian Levesque of Espaces.ca (I hope you can read French) soon cheered me up with a rousing game of ping pong as Nate got everyone sized to their packs. I paid for goofing off when, as the last one fitted, I discovered that there were no more packs my size so I had to go with one that was a size too big. I wasn’t too worried about it, though, as it seemed to work just fine even though Nate wrung his hands a little bit over not having enough properly sized packs. Nate then went over the features of the packs with us, en masse, and then we scattered to prepare for our 5am next-morning wakeup to get on our way to the backcountry.
The next morning, we had what we thought would be a straightforward 6-7 mile hike in, albeit one with a high pass to cross. My pack was loaded typically for me, with exactly the things I needed and no more. This was great, because the last time I went on a pack-oriented press trip, they made me carry a bunch of useless crap so that I could really feel what the pack felt like. At least on this trip we carried stuff we actually used. The fact that we had guides with us made for a lighter load than normal as I didn’t have to carry a stove or fuel and we all had divided the tents between our 18-person party (um, I mean, our two parties of nine people each, right Forest Service or Parks Service or whoever runs that part of Colorado?) so I was only carrying a moderate load. Still, I appreciated the slender silhouette of the pack as it accounted for the smaller torso size of women. Big packs are annoying when they are too wide for a smallish woman like myself. No problems with the Onyx, which carried really nicely.
Nate had explained that the major feature of the pack was its rotating hipbelt which, as he put it, “allows for the sashay” when the wearer is walking. It was a bit of a finicky system, requiring proper sizing, which is why Nate was there; to make sure we all knew how to use the packs. For people who think they can be yarded into a pack by the 18 year old clerk at REI and head on down the trail with no issues, you might be surprised to find how much a pack – or at least these packs – can be customized with some rather unorthodox fitting techniques. I admit that I’d never think to watch a pack fitting video like the one on Black Diamond’s web site, so it was lucky that we had Nate along to provide custom fitting services. When I commented to him that my back was pulling on my shoulders a bit, Nate responded by pulling the pack off my back, putting it on the ground and stomping on it several times. Now, I’ve been sorely tempted to do that to frustrating gear before, but I have to say I was a little surprised – until Nate explained that the technique is the preferred way to bend the stays of the pack to fit the wearer. Who knew!
After the adjustment, the straps pulled less on my shoulders, but I still wasn’t entirely convinced that the rotating hipbelt was all that, until one of the journalists was fortuitously struck down with altitude sickness and I helped carry her pack down to camp. Well, not fortuitously for her, as altitude sickness sucks a lot, but good for me because I finally was getting to carry a pack that fit me properly. I noticed right away that the hipbelt was really comfortable and moved with my body without losing its ability to carry the load. It was awesome and an extremely noticeable improvement. I wore the better-fitting pack for the rest of the trip and didn’t experience any of the hip bruising or soreness that I usually get after long trips with big loads. The pressure points just weren’t there. The sizing of the pack had made all the difference; more so than normal for packs without the swivel hipbelt feature. Had I not tried both sizes, I wouldn’t appreciate the importance of sizing this pack properly, so when you give it a try (in Spring 2012 when they come out) make sure that you get the correct size. You’ll thank me when you first carry a load using that hipbelt!
Other great features are the full-panel front zipper that allows the user to access the load from either side of the pack and the variety of capacities (50, 65, and 75 c.u.). The shoulder harness is very comfortable and nicely sized, though I’d like to see sizing options other than “Small” and “Medium”. Why is there a “Medium” if there is no “Large”? Strange. Anyway, I’d doubt that just these two options would fit all women, though the All-Knowing Nate seems to have designed a very customizable system that might be more expansive than I thought. All I can say for sure is that if you don’t notice a major difference in comfort with this hipbelt, check both the pack size and the lock-out straps on the sides of the belt to make sure you’ve got the full range of motion. It really does make a huge difference.
This was reinforced to me the other day when I wore one of my favorite personal packs, one without the rotating hip belt feature. I felt right away that my, er, pelvis region was much more constricted while walking than it had been with the BD pack. I soon got used to the “regular” pack style again, but it served to remind me just how great the swivel was. My sashay missed it!
These packs aren’t available until 2012, and I hope I’ll remember to come back and update this post with a link to buy them when they do!
Mountain Hardwear High Step Pants
July 7, 2011
The picture above links to Backcountry.com which will give me a tiny commission if you buy the pants from them. I hope you do, because commissions are sweet!
These pants are not impervious to bleach, as I am sadly aware. I reveal this because it could be possible that I haven’t exactly treated these pants with kid gloves, which is a shame because I really like them. I think they are meant to be climbing pants, based on the fact that they have a little rear-leg pocket for something or other, but I only use them for around-the-house/lounging pants. I hate that they have a bleach spot now because if I wear them anywhere else I look like I live in a trailer court. Bah.
For climbing, they’d be all right. They’re made of stretchy cotton (like sweatpants) so they are not abrasion-resistant. For a climber who might occasionally throw a knee on a hold (not me, no never!) they’d wear through pretty quickly. For a gym climber they would work out a little better, I’d think. I’ll try them the next time I make my annual pilgrimage to the climbing gym and let you know.
I really liked these pants when I got them in this season’s sample shipment from Mountain Hardwear. They were so cute and comfortable and perfect; with a lowish rise and a nice conical wide waistband that was so comfy and flattering. However, in the time I’ve been wearing them, the waist has stretched out a bit and now I can get a bit of a sag going. That’s not quite as flattering, as you might expect. They might work better for a person with a smaller hip-waist ratio, but in general I’d advise buying a size smaller than usual and just going with that. If they are a bit tight at first, they’ll loosen up. The main draw of the High Step pants is that they are so comfortable you won’t even believe it. Oh, and if you get bleach on them you can color them back in with a matching Sharpie.
Featured Brand: Columbia Peak Power Shell
June 8, 2011
[The Graying Geargal is back! Her last review was so popular that I just had to have her as my tester for one of my Featured Brands. I sent her the Peak Power Shell to test in the drizzle of an Alaskan "spring." ~HG]
I have only worn this jacket for two weeks; however, I must blog immediately because so many women have stopped me to admire the jacket and to ask where they can buy it. Of course, I refer them to the Geargals site because they can read about the latest apparel and obtain honest reviews. [Shameless plug! But I like it. HG]
I have worn this shell on several hikes in temperatures that range from the high 30s on a sunny day to low 60s on a windy day. I confess that I like being warm so I took a light down jacket along on the first hike just in case the day did not warm into the 40s. After all, this was the first time using the shell, and one does not want to be far from shelter when weather does not cooperate! As it turned out, I never used the extra layer.
This is a wind-proof jacket! I will not reiterate the scientific details about Omni-Dry, they are available on the Columbia website. I will confirm that the shell performs exactly as they state. On the first hike, I was comfortable all day with the jacket completely zipped. Even though I did not open the underarm vents, I did not get too warm. I did not get too cold either. As Goldilocks would say, I was just right all day! I LOVE the sleeve length and the extra length in the back. I use trekking poles when I hike so I appreciate sleeves that allow me to move my arms without restriction and without sleeves that pull back from the wrists.
On the second day, I started out with zippers closed, but I opened the under arm vents as the day warmed. Since the wind was brisk, I kept the front zipper closed. This was another “just right” day.
I love the bright turquoise color (officially Oxide Blue) paired with the two-toned grey collar and lining. Since I do not like to shop for clothes, I have been envious of my friends who were wearing this trendy color for weeks. The shell comes in black and tan also if you prefer neutral colors.
I have not tried the attached hood yet, but I did notice that it has three gray thingamajigs that enable the wearer to adjust it to perfection. Without any help from Head Geargal, I figured out how they work! It has not rained since I obtained the shell, but as a true gear tester, I rallied to find another alternative and now I can attest to the fact that these zippers are waterproof! While enjoying my favorite white chocolate mocha, I felt a drop fall from the lip of the coffee cup onto my new coat. DRATS! It landed perfectly on the front zipper where everyone would notice! Nothing worse than cleaning coffee off a zipper when you are nowhere near water except having to wear the obvious spot for the rest of the day on a NEW jacket. Readers of
previous blogs will recall that I really do leave new clothes in a closet for months and admittedly years before I use them. I dearly love new, perfect clothes! Prepare for a shock: I blotted the zipper with a tissue: coffee bubble GONE! I cannot state that this fabric will not stain; however, liquid does not permeate this ultra-light laminate membrane.
This is a women’s shell! It fits a women’s body! Wow! Have I been getting compliments! My athletic friends immediately noticed that the sides tapered at the waist to provide a flattering line for active women. Having just lost twenty-seven pounds after decades in frumpy clothing, I appreciate the contour and am inspired to lose another fifteen pounds in the coming months [evidently the Graying Geargal is on a quest to disappear. ~HG]. I really like the look and usefulness of the cute Velcro dots at the wrist. There are several spaced for flexibility in desired tightness around the wrist.
MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT: I intend to give up my hoarding tendencies and embrace new
technology as soon as I acquire new clothing!
