Among the more esoteric search topics that bring visitors to SierraDescents is the question of the scent of HDPE water bottles.

Do HDPE water bottles really smell bad, people wonder? Or was that just a marketing pitch started by the creators of Lexan?

Here at the world-renowned SierraDescents Institute for Plastic Odor Research (SIPOR), I decided to create an elaborate experiment to answer that question once and for all (more…)

Rarely does gear prove to be such a complete home run as Jetboil’s Personal Cooking System (PCS) canister stove.

The only conceivable knock on the Jetboil is its potentially-alarming 15-ounce weight.

That may sound a bit startling if you’re used to the 2.5 ounce posted weights of stoves like Snow Peak’s GigaPower or my Coleman F1…Continue Reading the Jetboil PCS Review.

We’re back from the Pacific Crest Trail, having succesfully hiked from Onion Valley to the Cottonwood Pass trailhead at Horseshoe Meadows—roughly 60 miles through the hidden interior of the Sierra Nevada.

I’ve got a TON of stuff to post on this hike, including hundreds of photos, a gaggle of new gear reviews, and many, many lessons learned from tackling my first 60 mile thru-hike.

For a little teaser, here’s a Google Map showing the “OK” pings from my Spot Satellite Messenger, which I took along as a way to say hi to folks back home and let them know all was going well.

Spot lists messages in reverse order, so Message 1 is the most recent, marking the exit of the hike.

Much more to come on this fantastic hike over the coming weeks…

When I’m not fretting about the rise of totalitarian super powers, I like to kick back and relax in my comfy-cozy Smartwool socks.

Believe it or not, I was a dedicated cotton socks hiker for a long time.

I liked the extra texture of cotton, which kept my foot from slipping and sliding inside my shoes (compared to synthetic socks), and of course I loved the comfort of cotton.

Then I got a pair of Smartwool socks as a gift.

By that time in my life I was a bona-fide wool skeptic, convinced the stuff would always be hot, itchy, and uncomfortable.

Wow, how times have changed! Nowadays whether you catch me on trail or off, you’ll likely find me wearing not only Smartwool socks but also a Smartwool crew top and bottoms.

The comfort of Smartwool products really is superb: close enough to soft cotton as to make no difference. And the advantages of wool over cotton in the backcountry, as everybody knows, are huge (I wear a cotton shirt only for desert hikes, or hot-weather ascents in the mountains). Just switching to Smartwool socks from cotton can cure a lot of blister problems.

Smartwool’s newest sock is the Adrenaline, which features a very crafty blend of wool, nylon, and spandex in varying padding levels for a stunning fit and equally impressive performance. I always thought the one liability of Smartwool’s Light Hiker sock was its tendency to thin out in the heel and other high-wear areas. The Adrenaline erases that issue, and adds swanky looks and excellent breathability to keep you feeling frisky.

If you haven’t tried a pair of Smartwool socks, now is a perfect time to grab a pair of Adrenalins and hit the trail. Your feet will thank you!

Here’s how it usually goes:

I pack my TNF Venture Jacket and my GoLite Ether windshirt and head for the hills.

When I get to the trailhead, I look at the sky. I mutter a bit, scanning for clouds, wisps, moisture.

More often than not the heavier (but waterproof) Venture shell stays in the car, and my admittedly-flimsy GoLite windshirt goes in my pack.

Then, I sort of cross my fingers and hope if a storm pops up, it will blow over quickly.

How great is the new HyVent-fabric North Face Triumph Anorak? It weighs essentially the same as a windshirt, at 5.4 ounces, but offers all the waterproof/breathable performance of a much heavier technical shell.

This was a case of love-at-first-sight for me. As soon as I saw the Triumph Anorak, I just knew I had to have one.

And who knows…if you’re a die-hard minimalist at heart, romance might be just around the corner for you as well. Check out my preliminary Triumph Anorak Review.

Just another Footwear Review for you: the Vasque Breeze XCR.

Coming from my old beloved but battered Nike Air Zoom Tallacs, the Breeze immediately seemed like a big upgrade.

Yes, they weigh about nine ounces more, but the construction is incomparably more rugged, the sole offers considerably better traction, and the support is outstanding.

You can get either a waterproof/breathable XCR (Gore-Tex) version or a basic breathable Breeze.

Either shoe is a fine choice if you want a lightweight hiker that will safely handle overnight backpacking loads. I’ve been very happy with mine. For the full scoop, check out the review.

Mountaineering boots are different from hiking boots primarily in their support of crampon use.

First, they provide a way to attach crampons to the boot, in the form of heel and toe lugs (for fully automatic crampon bindings) or just a heel lug (for new-matic crampons).

Second, they provide extra stiffness both laterally and longitudinally so that your muscles and ligaments don’t get wrecked while trying to front-point or flat-foot.

Other differences: a good mountaineering boot will likely be waterproof, warmer, more durable, and offer rock climbing-specific features as well.

I knew going in to my North Pal hike that I wasn’t going to climb the U-Notch Couloir in ski boots, which pretty much meant I needed mountaineering boots (using a 12-point strap-on crampon with my hiking boots didn’t strike me as a good idea).

The La Sportiva S EVO GTX ended up being my pick for the trip. I was drawn by the boot’s light weight and glowing reviews (the Trango won a Backpacking Magazine Editor’s Choice Award), and I wasn’t disappointed.

For the full scoop, see my La Sportiva Trango S EVO GTX Review.

Another new gear item that I got specifically for North Pal was Black Diamond’s Sabretooth crampon.

I knew going in that we’d be facing at least a little technical ice climbing the U-Notch Couloir.

That made my aluminum crampons (currently I use the Camp XLC-390) a bad choice. Plus, the boots I was using didn’t have a toe welt for crampon attachment.

After a bit of a search, the BD Sabretooth Clip emerged as an ideal choice for the trip. Plus, I just love saying the name: Sabretooth.

Full Review: Black Diamond Sabretooth Crampon

For my North Pal trip, I decided to try Black Diamond’s new Venom axe.

I knew I’d be facing some sort of mixture of snow and ice climbing (but not exactly how much of each), making the Venom a perfect gear choice for the trip.

The Venom is a hybrid between a general mountaineering axe and a technical ice tool: a more aggressive pick, spike, and curved shaft for better bite on ice, but still designed for self-arrest and walking.

Overall, I was very happy with the Venom. It absolutely matches the comfort and usability of a general axe—and it offers impressive ice climbing ability as well.

Here’s the review: Black Diamond Venom Ice Axe.

As I continue to use my Spot Satellite Messenger, I continue to learn more about the device’s pros and cons. A lot of people are reporting difficulty sending messages, for example. In my experience, Spot does not do well transmitting while in motion. It seems to need to stay in one place (motionless is best), with a clear view of the sky, for up to 20 or 30 minutes to send out a message. That makes the tracking function nearly (but not completely) useless, as the tracking pings are supposed to go out every ten minutes automatically.

If you follow these somewhat restrictive rules, I don’t think you’ll have much trouble sending out ‘OK’ messages—I haven’t had any problems. But maybe the larger question is, what happens when you do send a rescue message? Given that Spot only lets you say either, ‘I’m okay’ or an ambiguous ‘I need Help’, it’s no small matter to push the help button. Your loved ones won’t know that you’ve twisted your ankle and can’t walk back to your car, for example. They’ll be thinking you’ve fractured a femur and are bleeding out (or some other horrific scenario).

For a very vivid illustration of this reality (and its consequences), check out Backpacker Magazine’s new Blog ‘The Pulse’, featuring an entry describing from the point of view of those at home what it’s like to get a ‘Need Help” email: Steve Howe’s Rescue Call from Denali.