Gear Up! 3 New Picks For 2013
Looking to pick up some new gear this spring? We’ve got you covered from top to bottom — plus a must-have accessory. Start with a shiny new puffy:
Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer Down Jacket — $300
Lightweight (205 grams), ultra-compressible, tough and warm — this is the Ghost Whisperer from Mountain Hardwear. Made of 7D rip stop nylon and stuffed with 850-fill of O.Shield down (which protects feathers from moisture and helps keep you warm even when wet), this puffy features elastic cuffs, single-pull draw-cord, twin front hand warmer pockets and quilted construction to keep the down in place. When the jacket is not needed, it compresses down and stuffs inside its own pocket — perfect for hiking during inclement spring conditions. Available in four colours. Mountain Hardwear
Vapur Explorer Series MicroFilter bottle — $80
Vapur has been making roll-up water bottles for a while now — very useful when space and weight is at a premium. This year, they’ve unveiled the MicroFilter bottle — a roll-up, BPA-free one-litre water bottle with a 0.2-micron filter insert. Simply fill the bottle up with whatever H2O you can find, screw in the filter and drink up. The company claims this filter removes 99.9999 per cent of bacteria as well as protozoan cysts (like cryptosporidium and giardia), and will clean 500 litres of water before needing replacement. Best of all, the filter flows freely, allowing for easy, instant drinking. (The filter can even be used as a straw to suck water right from the source.) Each pack comes with two bottles and one filter; one bottle with filter weighs less than 70 grams. Vapur
Zamberlan 230 SH Crosser Plus GTX — $TBD
This technical, responsive hiker is a part of Zamberlan’s new Speed Hiking collection. Speed hiking is one of hiking’s newest trends; consider it a mid-point between traditional trekking and trail running. This boot has a dual-density midsole and durable Vibram outsole that is enhanced by heel counters and stabilizers — essentially meaning it is built for aggressive, athletic hiking through uneven, technical terrain. Above the sole, Kevlar-wrapped synthetic material and Gore-Tex membrane makes for one seriously durable, seriously weatherproof boot. Zamberlan
