Recently in Gear Testing Category

I just published my Field Report for the Golite Xanadu on BackpackGearTest.org (read it here or start at the Initial Report here).  This is an oddball tent and I felt I needed to say a bit more about it.

The Xanadu is advertised as a four season, 2+ person tent that weighs in at well under five pounds. My measured carry weight of everything (tent, poles, stakes, stuffsacks, guylines, etc) is 4 lbs, 8.3 oz.   The main body materials are Epic (the yellow in the photo) and Silnylon (the grey). Additionally, there are large no-see-um mesh walls and vents.

There are some reasons I am concerned about this tent and its marketing, but it's not all bad.  In fact, it has quite a lot of good things going for it.  I'm incredibly fond of its openness and space.  Everyone who has ever bought a tent knows that when a manufacturer says a tent fits two people, that really means you better like your tent-mate, because you'll be squeezing into space that is, in reality, much more comfortable for one person.

This particular tent is advertised as fitting 2+ people, and when compared to industry standards I think this is a conservative designation.  Many manufacturers would call this a three person tent.  It's incredibly spacious and comfortable for two people, and in an emergency you could certainly squeeze in a third, but that would put it at that 'hope-you-all-used-deodorant-this-morning' level of closeness. 

The Xanadu opens up into an airy palace.  Beneath each silnylon vestibule (one on each side) is a mesh wall that unzips completely.  In the photo to the left the vestibules are open and walls collapsed.  Also, under that flap on the end is a tent-width giant mesh vent.  While this mesh makes for an open and airy environment, it is exactly the reason that this shouldn't be considered a four season tent.

I had the Xanadu out in Lava Beds National Monument a few weeks ago, and the wind was vicious.  I secured the tent, tightly staking it in, tying out guylines, and tightening the vestibules.  A short while later I poked my head in to grab a jacket and everything was covered in dust. The wind would whip up the lava rock dust and blow it through large vents on the end, as well as under the vestibule and through the large mesh walls.  There was no way to close down the tent further - the mesh walls and vents were at the mercy of the wind.  There isn't even a flimsy piece of velcro to hold the vent closed over the mesh. My mind immediately flashed back to a painful night in a snowstorm a couple of years back up near Carson Pass. 

With ~100 mph gusts and ~3 feet of overnight snowfall, the tent we were in at the time did an incredible job protecting us from the elements.  But it had a small mesh vent that was difficult to keep closed, and over the course of the night spindrift would make it through this vent and collect on our sleeping bags and gear.   And if there is one thing you want to avoid on a cold, stormy winter night it is getting your insulation layers wet.

Now, take this tiny vent, make it impossible to close, widen it across both ends of the tent and make two entire walls of it.  Suddenly the Xanadu is anything but a four season tent.  I decided that I would not be testing the Xanadu in true four-season conditions due to safety concerns. And it turns out that my concerns are valid - see here for another tester's experiences in the snow.

My problem with this tent boils down not so much to the tent itself, but in the way that it is marketed.  This is a bad, even dangerous four-season tent, but it isn't a bad tent.  In fact, I see this line of tents as perfect solutions for people who want to give up their old, heavy backpacking tents but aren't ready to commit to a tarp or tarptent style.  I know lots of people who just feel more comfortable in a 'real' tent and are willing to take the hit in weight, and this tent would be a decent (though expensive) stepping stone into lightweight backpacking.

In my review, I compare the Xanadu to tarptents that I have used.  Essentially, it's a tarptent on steroids.  It has some of the features that help save weight with tarptents, along with the corresponding issues.  It is single walled (condensation) and uses a lot of mesh (dust/snow can get in on windy days).  At the same time, the Xanadu provides a much more robust body, poles, and staking setup, and is therefore capable of handling conditions beyond that of a traditional tarptent.

This tent seems to fit in a weird, narrow niche between a lightweight, 3-season setup and a true, 4-season tent -  too heavy and overbuilt for most conditions, but not robust enough for others.  I actually have a trip coming up on the Lost Coast where it will be a great solution since I expect a lot of brutal wind but not snow.  I don't entirely trust my lightweight shelters in those conditions, but the Xanadu should be nice.

I expect that most people aren't regularly taking tents out into snow storms, and those that do would recognize the limitations that the open mesh creates, but I really think Golite needs to reconsider the branding of the Xanadu as a four season tent.

Last summer I got word of two new hand held GPS receivers that would be entering the market in late 2007/early 2008: the Magellan Triton and the Garmin Colorado. 

The Triton hit the market first, and the release was a disaster.  The units suffered hardware and software issues, and they have been pulled from the shelves at many outdoor retailers while Magellan works out the bugs.  This disappointed me since I was really looking forward to getting one.  The Triton's main selling point was the integration with National Geographic Topo, the mapping software tool of choice for many outdoor enthusiasts, including myself. This was an exciting idea for a techie and outdoors nut like me, and I overlooked the Garmin Colorado because Magellan was a no-brainer choice.

I had always intended on spending my REI dividend on the Triton, but as I heard story after story of bugs and failures from the early adopters, I started looking at the Garmin Colorado.   I was able to hold one in my hand and physically try it out at a geocaching event at the beginning of February, and it was lust at first sight.   The Colorado was also not without its own problems, but the majority of them were software issues and have already been addressed with regular firmware updates.

Yesterday I used my embarrassingly enormous REI dividend (side story:  when I worked at REI about seven years ago I watched a guy use a $1200 dividend to fit his entire family in new ski equipment.  I applied for the credit card the next day) to buy a Garmin Colorado 400t, and the extended entry contains my initial 24-hour impression, along with some snazzy screenshots.    Note: Before doing anything with the Colorado I updated the firmare to version 2.40, which fixes many issues, especially with the geocaching features.  If you buy a new one off the shelf, make sure to load the latest firmware to the device. 

Just a quick note that I have a little piece in Steve Sargeant's newest Wildebeat podcast. It's about the OR show - both the gear and the environmental slant of this year's show.

Let's get straight to the gear!

• SmarTube Drinking System: At the Axis Outdoor booth I came face-to-face with a solution to my trail hydration needs. I strongly dislike carrying a hydration bladder inside my pack when backpacking due to several reasons which I will not get into in this post, and if I use bottles tucked into the side pockets I neglect to drink enough water. This SmarTube system lets me use my normal side-pocket bottles with the convenience of a drinking tube, keeping me drinking regularly. I have a feeling this will be a handy tool.

• I spent a lot of time looking at some new items at the Optimus booth. The Stella Plus stove is a displaced cannister stove. Although bulkier and heavier than a typical cannister stove, it offers much better stability. Thus it can be used with bigger pots, cooking for more people. The piezo igniter and flame adjuster are attached at the cannister end, keeping the user's hands away from the stove entirely. Similarly, the new multi-fuel Nova Plus keeps the flame adjustment far from the stove itself, making operation safer for the user.

• For those who are big fans of their MontBell down inner liner jackets, you may be looking to replace it soon with their new hooded version. I do not remember the exact weight, but for little more than the weight of the non-hooded version, you have a great addition to any backpack and sleep system.

• Lowe Alpine has been around for a long time, but I've never paid close attention to their packs since they tend to fall on the heavier side. I took a close look at the show, however, and although they are still heavier than a lot of packs on the market, their new suspension system has about the cleverest and easist adjustment mechanism I have seen. With one simple flip of a velcro panel, you can adjust the frame to any measurement, not just discrete 'notches' like most packs offer. Rather difficult to explain in a short blog entry, I'll leave it to you to play with the next time you visit your favorite outdoor retailer.

• I got to try out a pair of the Vibram Five Fingers. I'm a big fan of the Injinji socks and the Vibram Five Fingers had a similar feel, but with lots of grip on the bottom of the foot. I can see how they wouldn't be for everyone, but they felt terrific on my flat feet, especially since I am someone who prefers barefoot over boots. They seem to be selling well - the person at Vibram said they were surprised how they have caught on and the orders are almost too much to keep up with.

• Speaking of shoes, Golite's new footwear line takes a unique approach to trail shoes. They reverse the typical running shoe sole - it is soft on the bottom, allowing for the tread to wrap itself around the typical 'pokies' on the trail, acting as a suspension system for the runner.

• The Digital Hero 3 is a tiny 3 megapixel, waterproof, 4.5 oz digital camera that straps to the wrist. Sick of digging for your camera on the trail? Well, with one of these it is easy to point and shoot right when the moment strikes. They run on AAA batteries and use SD cards, just like many digital cameras on the market.

• One of the things that impressed me was the new line of GPSs from Bushnell. They are able to display different kinds of map data, including base maps, topo maps, and even satellite photo overlays which include basemap information (such as street labels) and waypoints. In addition, these GPSs allow for screen-layering. For example, the compass can be displayed right on top of the map, making it much easier to use - no more skipping through 15 screens of information or customization to find your direction. They will also be releasing a GPS that includes XM radio capabilities, including the ability to overlay live weather information on your map. Imagine having not only live weather data, but your favorite music as well while deep in the backcountry!
  

There was a lot more gear out there, but if I wrote about it all I'd be sitting here for a few more months. Remember, I was there looking at all this gear for BGT. If you are a gearhead we'd love to have you - it's fun to go to the show every year and see how gear has been updated or changed based on our feedback. And with that, this year's Outdoor Retailer Market Wrap Up is concluded. Until next year!

If there was any kind of 'theme' to the show this year, it would have been Environmental Sustainability. Several companies were announcing new environmental initiatives and renewable supply chains. In addition, the Outdoor Industry Association was asking every person to offset their CO2 emissions created during their travel to the show. There would be a monetary value placed on the emissions, and people could donate this money to the carbon neutrality project. The money was going to the building of new wind turbines. For my round trip flight from San Jose, a $12 donation would cover the cost of the wind power needed to offset my CO2 emissions.

Don't worry, I'm getting back to the gear. Several companies were offering incentives to participate in the carbon neutrality project. By donating the $12, I got a new pair of Hi-Tec boots, the V-Lite Quick Zips. These are incredibly lightweight mid-height hikers. In fact, they weigh less than the trail runners I was wearing around the show. But the thing that makes these boots unique is the zipper. The idea is that once the boots are tied and secured, they can still be easily removed by simply unzipping the ~6 inch zipper that curves down from the top of the boot along the inside ankle. It was sure easy to wear them through airport security! I'm looking forward to trying them out on the trail.

Patagonia had a big media event on Sunday night to announce the next goal of their Common Threads Program. By 2010 they will be operating in a 'closed loop' system - their supply chain will be made of recyled materials, and everything they make will be recycleable. They have been recycling their Capilene base layers for a couple of years now, but the other big announcement was that they will be expanding this to include any Polartec fabrics, including fleeces made by their competitors. They took an obvious pleasure in stating that your old North Face fleece could one day be recyled into a new Patagonia top.

I'm still compiling gear notes from the show - check back later for more goodies!

The Outdoor Retailer Winter Market is wrapped up once again, and as usual, I am completely exhausted. This year's show was successful for BGT; we got great feedback from manufacturers and nearly everyone we approached is on-board. Right now, the only thing holding BGT back is the number of qualified testers. If you are reading this and are not a BGT tester, please join us - we need you! We have enough gear lined up to put every tester in a tent, a pack, a sleeping bag, and a new pair of footwear. Plus accessories galore!

Most of the show is a blur, but there were some snazzy items that stand out in my fuzzy memory. There were not any major innovative designs or technologies with that 'wow' factor at the show, but there were a lot of items that have been improved upon as well as some small but useful new items. Over the next couple of days I'll be posting descriptions of these items here. Disclaimer: The following items were things that impressed me, but listing them here does not indicate that they will be tested on BGT - although many of them will.

• Sierra Designs Hercules Assault: Early in the show I noticed that Sierra Designs had a tent set up that was very similar to one Dave tested last year. You may recall our adventure at Lake Winnemucca, where we were pounded with wind and snow over the course of 24 hours. The tent survived, but we noticed several design flaws on that and some other trips. I was pleased to see that these design flaws have been addressed. The tent now has a different venting system, the gear lofts do not hang down in the occupant's face, and the fly material has been changed from silnylon to a breathable Drizone, hopefully addressing the condensation issues we had.

• Gregory Z55 and Jade 50: The mens and womens redesign of the Z Pack is impressive. The JetStream suspension system pulls the pack away from the middle of the back allowing for air flow to cool the user down. I hate having a sweaty back and I've been really happy with this design in other packs I have used, such as the Osprey Ariel and the Deuter Futura. I'm happy to see Gregory using this concept.
  
• Waldies Aruba Sandal: Anyone who has backpacked with me knows of my fondness for Crocs and Waldies. Nothing feels better on my feet after a long day of hiking (mmmm...squishy), plus they are lightweight and can be worn with socks when the evening temperatures drop, unlike flip-flops. My only complaint about these shoes is that they are rather big and awkward to stuff into or attach to a pack. Well, Waldies has a new sandal that still offers the comfy sole and ability to wear with socks, but they are even lighter and a bit easier to shove into a pack. The straps smoosh down easily so that they can fit into a smaller space than the original clogs. I'm looking foward to using these as my camp shoe this summer!
  
• Grabber Sleeping Bag Warmers: I get so cold at night that the chemical hand warmers are my best friends. They are always awkward in a sleeping bag, though. They are scratchy and get lost and fall out when I toss and turn. Not anymore! Now there is a soft fleece pocket for stashing your Warmers - huggable like a teddy bear.
  

Come back later for more!

The Outdoor Retailer show is a gearhead's dream. Gear as far as the eye can see - you can look at it, touch it, try it out, and marvel over new technologies, new designs, and even some good old standbys.

My day was packed with appointments for setting up the next few months of gear testing for BGT, but I still found time to browse around and check out some of the fun new things at this year's show. Snowpeak was showing off some clever new stove and fuel cannister designs, such as the Metal Crab, shown in the photo above.

I stopped by the Vibram booth and tried on a pair of their Five Fingers, a pair of 'shoes' with individual toes. I'm a big fan on Injinji socks and my feet really liked the unique feel and fit of the Vibram shoes. They had a full vibram sole with a neoprene sock-like body, great for slick rock and water crossings. The best part? They were nice and lightweight, making them a good candidate for a camp shoe.
The day was topped off with a book signing by Ed Viesturs, some gear giveaway raffles, and plenty of free flowing beer. Not a bad way to spend a day. Tomorrow I have fewer appointments so I hope to spend some time exploring a bit deeper into the new goodies that will soon be on the market.

For the fourth year in a row (wow, how time flies...) I am off to the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. I'll catch a flight later today and land in Salt Lake City, in all its Sundancy and Outdoorsy glory. The next four days are some of the most exhausting of the year and I always come home completely wrecked, but it is worth it. I'll get to talk with manufacturers about their upcoming goodies, line up an impressive set of tests for Backpackgeartest, and of course, get lots of freebies. The OR show is a great opportunity to replenish the sock, sunscreen, and bug juice supplies.

I'll probably post an entry or two during the show, especially if I see something that I absolutely have to share. I'm not sure about pictures - I can usually get a photo pass with my media badge, but there wasn't anything about that in the literature this year (only NO PHOTOS). Our BGT OR Show crew will also be recording some information for Steve Sergeant's Wildebeat.

The show is usually pretty fun and exciting - I'm sure this year won't be any different!

I just filed my Field Report for the Sierra Designs Electra -20 degree Down Sleeping Bag. I am in love with this piece of gear - it kept me plenty cozy and warm at near-zero temperatures this weekend. A stellar performer.