Swany Gloves

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Cathy

If you have a problem with keeping your fingers from freezing, try a pair of Swany Tri-Plex gloves. These gloves were recommended to us by a good friend after swearing that they were the warmest gloves he had ever used. Since Travis and I were unsatisfied with our gloves, we made a trip into Denver to purchase a pair of the Swany gloves and let me say without hesitation that our friend was correct. They are incredibly warm and fit comfortably on your hand.

Travis bought the Swany Men’s X-Change II ski/snowboard mitten and I bought the Swany Toaster Arctic mitten. Interestingly, although they are mittens, the liner on the inside has individual finger slots. Travis’s gloves are made up of a Tri-plex insulation system with Dryfinger II insert and Swany Dry lining. Thus, these three types of insulation work to keep your hands toasty warm. My pair has only Primaloft insulation, but it also keeps my hands warm. And if you’re like me (it can never be too warm), you’ll really love the fact that both of these gloves have a zippered pocket where you can insert warmer heat packs – an awesome feature! The outside of his glove is made of a polyester soft-shell fabric ( Thermotron ) while mine is made of nylon, which both are water repellent with a durable inset leather palm that helps protect your hand while giving you a firm grip. There is a quick-release strap so it’s easy removing the gloves without losing them, and the uni-pull cuff adjust and locks easy, sealing out water or snow. Although these gloves are thick, they are stretchy and flexible allowing your hands movement at ease.

If you decide to give them a try, let us know what you think. I am pretty sure you are going to love them!

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North Face Summer Gear - Altrec Outdoors

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Heavyweight Polartec Power Dry long underwear bottoms

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Cathy

First time we hiked in the snow, our hiking pants were too thin for keeping our legs warm. Afterwards, we both bought a pair of these heavyweight bottoms to wear underneath our exterior pants. What a difference it makes! Any thermal pants isn’t enough to keep our legs as warm as this pair does. They also resists moisture and dries quickly.

I usually struggle when pulling up a pair of pants over my underwear bottoms. However, this pair’s fabric is smooth enough to pull my outer pants over with such ease! I also like how they snug to my body well without being too tight. I don’t experience any chafing between my legs while I wear them. I’d recommend this pair to anyone who plans on hiking in the cold temperature.

For Men:

For Women:

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SmartWool Balaclava

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Travis

I purchased the Smartwool Balaclava on a whim before I headed out to hike the crags one wintry afternoon. I had read about this head warmer in the past and was curious to see if it was as good as some of the other Smartwool products. I love their socks so much that they are the only brand I buy anymore, so when the opportunity arrived to buy this I made little hesitation.

The first day I used the balaclava from Smartwool it was about 25 degrees outside and there was a storm rolling in. My first impression was that the balaclava was a little small for an adult head. I personally have a rather small head, regardless the material still pulled sharply at the back of my neck. However after a little manual stretching it seems to give and when I tried it on again it felt much better. I also noticed that the material is a little thin and this seems to be one of the downsides to choosing smarwools balaclava over some of the competitors. Although despite the thickness it did do a fair job of keeping my face warm. Unfortunately It was not warm enough to keep the top of head from getting cold, so I had to wear a beanie as well.

The merino wool that this product is made from is very soft and a joy to wear against the skin. The order repelling properties also make it a very desirable option, but the fact that it’s just not as warm as it could be means that this product falls into a very niche area. I think it will be handy for me to keep in my day hiking bag do to the fact that it is very light weight and takes up a very small amount of space. That said, I will likely opte for a different balaclava when I am looking to bring a single head covering that is warm enough to do it all.

So, in summary. The Smartwool balaclava is made from some of the most exciting material available for performance clothing, but unfortunately it is a tad on the small side and not quite as warm as it could be. That said I would suggest this to anyone looking for a small light weight face and neck wrap so long as they are fine with carrying addition head protection to make up for its med-low insulating value.

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The North Face Apex Bionic Jacket

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Travis

The North Face Men’s Apex Bionic Jacket is what I usually wear for cold-weather day-hiking. This jacket is lightweight, water-resistant, breathable, stretchy and windproof. The jacket weighs about 1.7 lbs. and is ideal to wear as an exterior shell during the weather 40 F or above. For colder climate, adding an insulation jacket would be recommended. Since I live in Colorado, I also use this jacket for casual wear.

The North Face Men’s Apex Bionic Jacket costs around $129 but it is well-worth the money. The features include the following: The soft shell shields the cold wind out and its thin fleece insulation layer inside warms your body. Below the jacket, a hem cinch-cord allows you to adjust for a good fit and prevents wind or snow entering up to your torso. The dual zip hand pockets and the left chest pocket allows easy access to your camera or any other essentials you would need during an activity. The rubber-backed Velcro cuff cinches allows snugging up on my wrists without removing my gloves adds a nice touch too. The jacket has a sleek cut, insuring that you look good.

You can purchase this jacket through our vendor partners. Below, click on the links for further details, Have fun shopping!