After spending the summer with the Kuiu Teton Insulated Jacket, I thought it would be great to do a quick follow up post on my findings thus far.  Check it out!

I finally had a chance to put the new Exo Mountain Gear Daypack to work for a weekend scouting trip and was pleasantly surprised at how much gear I was able to fit inside.  It may be deemed a "daypack," but it's so much more than that when you start adding in all of the available space that's not accounted for.  It's a perfect size for the backcountry hunter who may need to spend a night or two out in the field without having too large or too small of a pack.

Hiking 33 miles with any pack will quickly bring out the gear skeletons hiking in the closet.  Sure, most packs feel pretty good at first, but what about on the second long day of a hike?  How about on the third day?  Does the pack still ride the same?  Do your hips feel like someone took a bat to them?  All these questions I'd find answers to and more when I hiked the Loowit Trail with the Exo Mountain Gear 3500.

My second time out with the Seek Outside Redcliff was simply awesome.  This tent continues to redefine what backcountry living should be like.  

I've looked forward to owning a Kuiu pack for a long time.  Last fall I had the opportunity to pick on up and couldn't wait to give it a whirl.  While it's no doubt a great product, I didn't fall in love with it when I finally hit the hills for an overnighter. 

Transitioning from a traditional backpacking tent to an ultralight tipi can be somewhat of a daunting task.  I've known about these tipis for a while now and had contemplated purchasing one for myself but just didn't know if I'd like not having a floor.  I continued going back and forth on the matter in my head and finally realized that if I were to spend a week in the backcountry during hunting season, I wanted to be as comfortable as possible and that was only going to happen in an ultralight tipi.  With that, I purchased the Seek Outside Redcliff and began my journey into this new style of tent living.

I don't like writing a review on a piece of gear until I've had a chance to actually use it, however I recently purchased the Kuiu Teton Insulated Jacket and can't help but write at least something about it.  We'll call this my "initial impression" of the jacket.

The Kuiu Peloton 240 Full Zip Hoodie has become one of my favorite pieces for backcountry hunting and backpacking. It can break the wind, give you an added layer of insulation, act as a lightweight softshell, and keep up with the toughest of hunts. After a few years of use, it’s now become a must-have!

The Kuiu Alpine Pant has become one of my favorite pieces of gear to date simply because of the fit, form, and function they provide.  I've been thinking about how to discuss these pants in a way that will convey the right message so I have decided I'm going to keep it short and sweet, tell you about the features I like, and show you images that others may not show in their reviews.  If you want to know the technical specs, I suggest heading over to www.kuiu.com to learn about them.  This review will simply cover the features I like and why I like them.

One of the most important ingredients of a good backcountry kit is a water filtering system.  I'll admit that prior to my Sawyer Mini, I had no experience with water filters of any kind.  There are so many designs out there to choose from such as pumps, squeeze styles, and gravity fed systems, that it can be a little overwhelming at times.  Though I haven't owned them all, I can at least speak intelligently about how my Sawyer Mini works and show you why it is I love it so much.

I love finding ways to organize myself in the backcountry.  The Kuiu Dry Zip Bag has become a regular partner of mine in doing so and I'd highly suggest picking up some of your own.  Find out why by reading this post!

Reviewing a backpack is a daunting task because of how complicated it can be.  There are as many packs out there as there are body types and each one serves its own specific purpose.  Some are built for ultra light hiking while others for heavy load hauling.  Some are meant for a lifetime of abuse while others will last but a few years.  If you ask my close friends, they'd tell you that I have a minor obsession with backpacks of any kind and what my obsession has taught be over the years is that unlike the Lord of the Rings, there is not one backpack to rule them all.  With that in mind, though daunting as it may be, I’m so pleased with my Exo Mountain Gear 3500 that I can't help but tell of how great it is.

I accepted for a number of years that come hunting season, I was going to have to deal with being wet and cold because there was nothing out there that was durable enough to stand up to the Pacific Northwest rain showers.  All that changed when I found the Kuiu Yukon rain gear.  Never again will I be turned away from hunting because of a downpour.

Always with me, always reliable, and quick to boil.  My MSR Reactor will always be in my pack and for good reason.  It's built tough, can boil snow, and has on many occasions, been passed around the camp boiling water for meals and hot coffee.  Simply put, I love this thing.

The Sierra Designs Lightning 2 FL was the first tent to change my mind about how a tent should function.  Every time I use it, I'm always happy that I bought it and just can't think of a better design.  Sierra Designs did it right!