Industry Outsider

If you’re a hiker, then you understand the importance of quality footwear. Whether you’re out for an afternoon or a couple of days, comfort and traction can make all the difference between a good time outdoors, or a  miserable time that you’d rather forget. For those that want the best for their feet, LOWA offers … Read more

No review of trekking poles would be complete without the current offerings from  Mountainsmith. Priced from just under $40 for the pair, their Rhyolite 6061 poles were declared the “Best Value Ever!” in the 2011 Backpacker Gear Guide. It appears that the key to earning such an award is to produce a trekking pole with simple … Read more

GSI Outdoors is known worldwide for their high quality, innovative camping products. Whether you’re hiking out to nowhere and back, or camping right out of your car, they’ve got your cooking and eating needs covered with ultralight gear as well as everything for the “outdoor gourmet”. We mentioned their Pinnacle Dualist last month as an … Read more

To understand one of the main advantages of the Helinox line of trekking poles, we first have to look  to DAC, producer of tent poles known for their excellent strength to weight ratio. DAC developed their TH72M aluminum alloy to address the problem of thin-walled tubing failing due to a combination of the stresses applied … Read more