‘Gear Guide’ Articles

Monday Q&A – Packs, Pads, Boots & Layers

By: Beth Lopez | February 28th, 2011
No Comments »

Once again, to celebrate the blessed arrival of Monday, we dug into our community’s questions on Backcountry.com and formulated a few replies in hopes of helping the gear-glut masses make the right selection. Take a gander, and please feel free to join the conversation in the comments below or on the products’ Backcountry.com pages.

Arc’teryx Bora 80 Backpack

Q: I am just starting in backpacking and i am looking for a pack. some people in my family have told me this is the pack to go with but are there lighter options with the same durability and is it worth the money and is it truly a great pack? –maughanwe

A: Good question, because buying a backpack is a major purchase—perhaps the most important and expensive one you’ll make—as you get into backpacking. Firstly, I’ll say that yes, if you can afford it, an Arc’teryx backpack would be a fantastic choice. Arc’teryx makes top-quality backpacks that weigh very little, are comfortable, and are smartly designed; they’ll stand up to an incredible amount of wear and tear, so your investment will be a good one. That being said, you need to consider several questions as you decide which particular model is the right one for you. Read More …

Monday Q&A

By: Adam Riser | February 21st, 2011
No Comments »

With seemingly endless snow pounding the Wasatch right now, everyone’s minds are pretty much stuck in powder mode. So, on that note, I’ll start this Monday Q&A with a question about my very favorite ski, the Black Diamond Megawatt.

Black Diamond Megawatt Ski

Black Diamond Megawatt Skis

Q: I would consider myself to be somewhat close to an expert skier. I demolished a pair of 2009 BD stigmas last year, skied a few days on a pair of BD ethics this year and was unsatisfied in the pow. I just ordered some 188 mega’s, I do a lot of backcountry skiing but Im more into the boot packing than skinning. I live in Colorado and it seems that every day I want to go backcountry the avie conditions are bad so I end up going on piste and boot packing past the ropes. What would be a good binding to drive this ski knowing that I really dont need the AT setup. Thanks!

By: Brian Sims
January 25, 2011

A: First off, good choice on the Megawatt. Given the pow-specific size of this ski, the situation you explain occurs a lot. You want a binding that will let you skin if you absolutely have to, but usually, you’re riding lifts or just booting up a ridge and want something as close to a standard step-in binding as you can get. My suggestion is to go with either the Marker F12 or the Fritschi Diamir Freeride Pro. Both give you a healthy 12-DIN maximum setting if you need it and provide the ability to release the heel if it’s necessary. Most skiers could argue all day about which one is better, but I’ll leave that to them. Just make sure you get brakes wide enough to clear the 125mm underfoot dimensions of your skis.

Read More …

Dressing for Ice Climbing

By: Adam Riser | February 16th, 2011
No Comments »

Dress light to keep from sweating. Rick Vance on a warm day in Maple Canyon.

Very few people would quibble over whether ice climbing is a really cold sport. It has to be; you need ice to do it. But that doesn’t mean that you have to be cold. The difference between someone who shivers all day long and someone who stays warm has little to do with genetics; the difference is a matter of preparation. Learn what to wear and when to wear it, and you can be nice and toasty even when you’re on a frozen waterfall or belaying your partner while he spends two hours battling the steep ice above you.

Read More …

Monday Q&A – Will You Be My Valentine?

By: Justin Mool | February 14th, 2011
1 Comment »

questionsSince the holidays, we’ve been using Mondays to answer some of the community’s questions.

But why should we have all the procrastinating fun?

Here are five chances to be someone’s Valentine. Read More …

Friday Video – Full Mental Jacket Part II

By: Austin Holt | February 11th, 2011
1 Comment »

Happy Friday; only a few short hours exist between you and your weekend. Be strong, push through, and while you’re killing time, check out the videos featured below.

In follow up to Wednesday’s Full Mental Jacket: Finding Your Ideal Touring Shell article, we’ve included a series of videos below. Each video outlines a different portion of the article, with the first being an introduction, the middle three being overviews of the respective jackets, and the fifth and final video representing a conclusion and overview of the Outdoor Research jacket I finally decided on.

Special thanks to Sam Peters of the Backcountry.com video department for shooting, and editing the videos below.

Part I. Introduction

Read More …

Full Mental Jacket | Choosing Your Ideal Ski Touring Shell

By: Austin Holt | February 9th, 2011
6 Comments »

Full Mental Jacket: Finding Your Ideal Touring Shell

Conquering the Quest for a New Piece of Kit

Pulling the trigger on a new jacket can feel like a daunting mission to gear newbies and veterans alike. Maybe you’re new to ski touring and looking for your first, truly “bomber” shell, or you’re a old pro upgrading from your withering old shell jacket. Either way, the options are seemingly endless. To add to this needle-in-a-stack-of-needles feeling, these days, even the cheapest technical jackets offer a surprisingly high level of protection matched with well thought-out features.

Dave Kelly touring in the Utah backcountry, photo: Austin Holt

Fear not, though; I recently embarked on a quest to find exactly the right hardshell jacket for my own personal touring needs, and here I explain, step by step, what I learned about narrowing down the options. Read More …

Monday Q&A: Brakes, Boots, Armada, Skins and Helmets

By: Austin Holt | February 7th, 2011
No Comments »

We trolled around our community and found a few unanswered questions to tackle for our regular Monday Q & A. Maybe we’ll help you out by answering a question you were curious about, or maybe you can chime in and add your experience to the conversation.


I’m planning on buying the 173 cm Shoguns. I have Salomon

I’m planning on buying the 173 cm Shoguns. I have Salomon Z12 bindings that were on my old X-Wings. I know the brakes are too narrow so if I buy some 100mm wide brakes will it fit on the 173cm (99mm waist) Shoguns? or will I have to get the 110mm?

By: kkamo1

Brake width is a common concern these days. Sizing up to 100mm brakes gives you 1mm of space at the side for the arms to swing down, which isn’t much, but you can easily give each of the arms a slight bend to get past the edges. Any shop worth its salt can give your brakes a little clearance when you take the bindings in to get mounted. 110mm brakes would give you more than enough clearance, although if you’re looking to lay your Shoguns over hard on groomers, they could cause a bit of drag. So go with the 100mm brakes, even if they need a bit o’ modification. Read More …

Monday Q & A – Helmet, Down, Pack and Kayak

By: Catherine Greenwald | January 31st, 2011
No Comments »

We reached into our grab bag of questions from the community, stirred them around a little bit, and pulled four out, one by one, to answer for our Monday Q & A. Maybe we’ll cover a gear question you had, or maybe you can chime in and add your experience to the conversation.

Read More …

Monday Q & A

By: Jeffrey Miesbauer | January 24th, 2011
1 Comment »

Continuing last week’s snow theme, I’d like to use some of my gear-abusing experience to answer some questions from our awesome community.

ContourHD 1080p Wearable Camcorder

Q: How well does the helmet flat surface mount hold up? Is it steady and secure? -Cory Wight

A: Yes, it is secure. At first, I tried the included goggle strap mount and, even with a helmet on, the camcorder felt floppy and at risk of falling off. But once I attached the adhesive flat surface mount on my Smith Variant Brim helmet and let it set overnight, the CounterHD became an extension of my head with no rattling or shaky recording. It’s so lightweight and tiny that there isn’t much to move around anyway. Read More …

Ice Climbing with backcountry.com Athlete Stephen Koch – Part 3

By: Jeb Admire | January 21st, 2011
No Comments »

JOE’S VALLEY, UT — Ice screws are your life link on frozen flows, and cold feet aren’t just a problem at the altar, so check out the ice climbing tips Stephen Koch is sharing this week. Whether you’ve been swinging tools for years, or are just getting started and looking to soak up some insider beta, Stephen has something for you. This week’s videos cover ice screws and keeping feet warm. Read More …

Monday Q&A

By: Kate Showalter | January 17th, 2011
No Comments »

I took some time this morning to answer a few questions from our Backcountry Q&A RSS feeds. Since I have a child, and since I snowboard, I took a look through those feeds and picked a couple from each. If you have a couple minutes and gear info to share, many more questions await your answers.

Giro Manifest Goggle with bonus lens

Q: What are the best conditions for each lens colour? I assume that the two lenses cover most conditions, i.e., one for bright and sunny conditions and one for overcast and low light conditions.

By: mfe100489205

A: For specific information, hit the size? link under the Select Options drop-down to the right of the image. But quickly, here’s the lowdown on available lens options: Read More …