The Brooks Silver Bullet Wind Pant is a feature-packed running pant that will definitely get you out the door.

The Silver Bullet is fully fleece-lined, with an aluminum membrane to maximize warmth while minimizing weight.  The pant is equipped with a layer of windproof and water-resistant material on the front-facing surfaces to protect from oncoming elements.  This material has separate panels on the upper and lower leg, which overlap to create an articulated knee area for extra warmth and great range of motion. The back side of the pant is comprised of a nicely breathable, stretchy material, which also delivers freedom of movement in your stride. 9-inch zippers at the ankle make the Silver Bullet easy to get on and off, and reflective elements are plentiful throughout the design.

Additional bells and whistles include zippered, slash hip pockets, and a key pocket hidden inside the front of the pant. I love the Silver Bullet Wind Pant for running in extremely cold or windy conditions, and I highly recommend it for your I’d-really-rather-be-sipping-cocoa days.

Available in Black, in sizes S-XXL.  Inseam varies by size (S=29″, M=30″, L=31″, XL=32″, XXL=33″).

MSRP $120

Mammut is a Swiss brand that falls into the category of high-end performance wear, and caters to the needs of the extreme-use customers, such as mountain guides and other outdoor professionals.  The Mammut Nordwand Jacket is exemplary of Mammut’s commitment to performance.  The Nordwand is a hard shell featuring GORE-TEX’s top-of-the-line Pro Shell 3-Layer fabric.  Clearly designed for the demanding user, the Nordwand is very durable, functional, and offers year-round use as a rain/snow/wind outer layer.

At 550 grams, the Mammut Nordwand Jacket is, in relative terms, medium-weight for a hard shell;  even as a fan of lightweight gear, I find it perfectly acceptable given this level of durability and features.  When you’re on top of a mountain in an extreme environment, a few extra grams is not as big a deal as a ripped shell.

The fit of the jacket is excellent and well thought-out for actual use.  I ordered in my usual size, and there was enough space for layering, while still offering a nice, athletic cut.  A key aspect of the fit is the fully-mobile arms that allow you to reach overhead (in ice climbing, for instance) without any pulling or lifting of the hem.  The length was also perfect for my six-foot frame, and the Nordwand Jacket did not ride up on me at all.  The hood is fully helmet-compatible, and offers a three-point adjustment system with horizontal and vertical drawstrings.  Mammut went one step further and included an innovative velcro system in the hood, that essentially makes the hood smaller for when you aren’t wearing a helmet.  Touches like this show that the company listened to feedback from their product testers.  Another “duh” feature is the front zipper which zips up to the side, instead of centered on your chin.  This, combined with a generous zipper garage, prevents any chaffing on the face.  While the hood is not removable, it does roll up and secure itself out of the way around your neck in a clever way that adds a little bit of neck protection.

Mammut chose GORE-TEX Pro Shell 3-Layer fabric for the Nordwand Jacket and I am very impressed with the performance of this fabric.  One of the things I normally dislike about hard shells is the crinkly fabric that doesn’t drape the body well, and is loud when you move around.  The fabric in the Nordwand Jacket has more of a soft shell feel, and offers full stretchability while still being totally waterproof and durable.  I felt a lot more comfortable sitting on the chairlift than I normally do in a hard shell, and didn’t experience as much bunching.  I didn’t have rain to test the waterproof promise of the Nordwand Jacket, so I ran the sleeve under the faucet for 10 minutes to see how it would hold up in a deluge.  To my delight, the water completely beaded off of the fabric, and showed no signs of soaking in.  Despite some hard skiing, I never overheated, so the breathability of the Nordwand Jacket seems to be just as good as the waterproofing.

The Nordwand Jacket has quite a few smart, purposeful features, and one of my favorites is the removable powder skirt.  I am a firm believer that every shell should have a removable powder skirt to provide multi-season versatility.  Mammut designed a very nice powder skirt in the Nordwand Jacket;  it has sticky material on it to keep it in place, as well as two waist-size buttoning options.  The skirt zips out easily for non-snow adventures.  The pockets on the jacket are also well thought-out, and stay with the smart trend of moving the front pockets up the jacket so as not to interfere with a climbing harness.  The shoulder pocket is good for small items that you want quicker access to.  On the inside is 1 zippable pocket and two additional mid size pockets.  Rounding out the feature set is another thing that I would like to see as standard on jackets:  the sleeve hem adjustment is a switchback system that allows a very tight seal when needed, and a wide range of adjustability for use over or under gloves.

It’s hard to find any faults with the Mammut Nordwand Jacket and if I had to nitpick, I’d say I would have liked a touch more fabric around the neck to minimize pulling when fully zipped up.  That said, the jacket gets a full two-thumbs-up, 5-star review from me, and I recommend it as an excellent investment for anyone who demands the most from his gear.

The Nordwand Jacket is available in Black, Orange, and Cyan.

MSRP $675

Sierra Designs has a fashion-forward hoody for female outdoor adventurists;   the Instigator Hoody is a stylish-yet-technical piece that any woman would be happy to add to her wardrobe.

With the weather this winter fluctuating from 60 degrees to 0 degrees (and back again), I have been able to test the Instigator Hoody in a variety of temperatures.   Whether I was taking a hike, hanging around the house, or running errands around town, I was always reaching for my Instigator Hoody as a cozy layer of warmth.

The Instigator Hoody has a unique on-mountain design.  Sierra Designs created the hoody to look like a ribbed wool sweater, a textured appearance you don’t see very often in the universe of fleece.   The outside of the hoody is made of 7% Wool and 93% Polyester.  Wool, of course, is a superb temperature regulator.   The wool/poly combination makes the Instigator Hoody perfect for layering.  The hoody is not bulky, and the cut is very slimming and flattering.  The inside of the Instigator hoody is made out of 100% Polyester Fleece.  The fleece lines the entirety of the inside:  the sleeves, body, and hood.  The only fleece-free areas are in the front where the pockets are. The fleece is very light, soft, and welcoming.     The Instigator Hoody kept me warm without a shell over it in 30-60 degree weather.

The Instigator Hoody has 3 pockets total:  2 zippered hand pockets and 1 zippered sleeve pocket. The 2 zippered hand pockets are actually quite large. On the inside of the hoody, the pockets extend to the arms, so you could tuck away something fairly sizeable.  The zippered sleeve pocket is conveniently located on the left sleeve, and is easy to access.  It is big enough to fit a cell phone, credit card, chapstick or sunscreen. The hood on the Instigator is large enough to comfortably fit over your head, even if you have a stocking hat underneath.

As mentioned, the Instigator Hoody has a slim cut ; I ordered according to the size chart and can wear a shirt or light base-layer under it.  If you like your hoody to fit a bit looser (or wear more layers underneath), I recommend sizing up.

The Instigator Hoody has an Anti-Pilling Treatment, which likely helps longevity in the wash.  I did, however, experience some balling only after a few wears, most prominent on the sleeves and places that get worn or rubbed on frequently.

The Sierra Designs Instigator Hoody comes in 3 colors: Black, Eggplant, and Silver.

MSRP $139.

Every dog owner knows the importance of a high-quality dog collar, which is why I look to Ruff Wear when I am buying for my favorite pooch, Bentley.  Ruff Wear understands active owners with active dogs.

Bentley is a very active, 97 pound Black Lab Mix.  He is now 3 years old, but like every Lab, still acts like a playful puppy.  Bentley is always up for an outdoor adventure, whether it is hiking up a mountain, going for a trail run, sprinting through the snow, or chasing squirrels. Bentley doesn’t know the meaning of slowing down. Ruff Wear’s Top Rope Collar was a terrific choice for Bentley’s active lifestyle.

The Top Rope Collar has a very appealing, outdoor-adventure design made from soft-yet-strong tubular webbing.  The collar comes in 4 different colors (green, blue, red, and purple) and has a continuous reflective stripe throughout that both looks nice and helps with visibility at night.  Bentley is all black, so I especially appreciate reflective properties that help me, and others, see him at night.

The Top Rope Collar has an aluminum, V-ring leash attachment point.  I love that Ruff Wear kept the leash attachment point and the ID tag attachment point separate.  On my old collar, the leash attachment point was also where the ID tag was located.  I cannot tell you how many times I accidentally hooked his leash to the ID tag split ring. Bentley would inevitably take off sprinting after something and the split ring would open, which left me hanging on to his leash while Bentley was dashing down the street. The V-ring stays perfectly positioned on top of Bentleys neck because of the opposing weight of the all-metal buckle underneath his neck, so I always have easy, quick access to hook his leash.   The aluminum is strong and durable, so I know Bentley will not be able to break free from me.  The ID Tag is located on the side of the collar and has a silicone tag-silencer attached.  The tag silencer is a great extra feature, one you will appreciate if you have multiple dog tags on the collar.

The all-metal Talon Buckle is what sets the Top Rope Collar aside from others.  The large metal buckle has superior smoothness & strength.  There is no way Bentley would be able to pull hard enough to break this buckle…and trust me he has tried!  The buckle is curved, so it follows Bentley’s neckline instead of sticking out.  The buckle is very sturdy but is easy enough to open with one hand when I need to take his collar off.

The metal buckle was initially my favorite feature of the Top Rope Collar, but after 2 months of wear, I started to notice he had patches of hair missing on his neckline.  I took the collar off and loosened it a bit.  I thought maybe it was too tight.  Bentley’s hair continued to rub off.  Unfortunately I loved the collar so much that I couldn’t part with it, so I started taking the collar off at night to give his skin a break.  After a few weeks of doing this I decided this was not a viable solution.  The metal buckle had worn his hair completely down to his skin in 2 perfect lines.  Bentley never seemed to be bothered by the collar, but this was not acceptable to me.  I contacted both Ruff Wear and Altrec (where I purchased the collar).  I have nothing but good things to say about the customer service at both places.  They both cared about my satisfaction, and Altrec returned my Top Rope Collar with no hassle.  Since I loved everything about the Top Rope Collar, except the chaffing, I opted to replace it with the Hoopie Collar.  The Hoopie Collar has a lot of the same great features of the Top Rope, but with a different closure system.

The major difference between the Top Rope Collar and the Hoopie Collar is the buckle.  The Hoopie Collar has a plastic, side-release buckle, instead of the metal buckle.  You lose the strength of the metal buckle, but for me, the side-release buckle works just fine, and I have found no other chaffing spots on Bentley’s neck.   The side-release buckle is very durable and is also easy enough to open with one hand when I need to remove his collar.

The Ruff Wear Hoopie Collar has a variety of color options, including a few patterned ones.  Unlike the Top Rope Collar, however, the Hoopie does not have the continuous reflective stripe throughout the collar.   On the plain colors, they replaced the reflective strip with a simple stitching line.  It is still very attractive, but in the switch I sacrificed the safety that the embedded reflective stripe provides.

The Hoopie Collar also has the aluminum V-ring leash attachment point.  The only difference is that, on the Top Rope Collar, the V-ring is positioned on top of the collar, and on the Hoopie Collar it is positioned on the bottom.  As long as the V-ring is there, I’m happy,  the location of the V-ring has not made a convenience difference for me.  The Hoopie also has the great feature of the separate ID tag attachment point, as well as the silicone tag silencer.

Both the Top Rope Collar and the Hoopie Collar are wonderful; if you need the strength of the metal buckle, the Top Rope is a great product, just keep an eye out for ‘buckle-rub’ that could potentially result if your dog is a heavy-puller. The Hoopie has most of the same great features, but is slightly less expensive with its traditional side-release buckle.  I purchased a size Large in both collars, which fit perfect around Bentley’s neck.

Top Rope Collar MSRP $29.94  /  Hoopie Collar MSRP $14.95

If you are in the market for an all-weather, winter hiking boot, take note.   The new Delta Boot by KEEN is made for both men and women, and is a very capable option for you winter activities.  While KEEN is best recognized for their summer waterfront shoes, their sturdy boots are also very much worthy of attention.

I was a little worried I wasn’t going to be able to test the Delta Boot in snow, since winter has been taking its time in arriving this year.  I have been hiking in the Delta Boot for about 4 months, in temperatures ranging from 5 degrees to 30 degrees, without snow.  Then finally in late December, Big Sky Montana was blessed with a dumping, and I was able to hike and snowshoe to test them in a true winter environment.

The Delta Boot is geared toward winter hiking.  It features a 200-gram KEEN.WARM insulation, which is toasty enough to keep you warm and dry, but also breathable enough so your feet aren’t sweating when you’re putting in the miles.  Along with the insulation, the Delta boot offers KEEN Dry, a waterproof, breathable membrane.  The waterproof Nubuck covers the boots’ upper.  The Nubuck keeps the water out, while also allowing your feet to breath.  My feet were always warm and dry.  My boots still look great after trekking them through a few feet of powder.  The Nubuck is high-quality, and has not shown any signs of water spots.

The Delta has amazing traction.  KEEN strategically placed 4 mm, multi-directional traction lugs throughout the sole.  The lugs kept me upright, even on steep, icy descents.   Along with the dual-climate and ice-traction rubber outsole, the Delta also rocks KEENs signature, patented toe protection.  I love this visibly recognizable characteristic of KEEN shoes, not to mention the toe protection always comes in handy when you are hiking through rocky terrain!

Keen also placed in the Delta Boot a TPU stability shank to keep you upright and stable while hitting the trails. The collar height is 7.25 “, making the Delta stiff enough to keep your ankle protected, but just flexible enough to offer you full range of motion.  As I said before, I used the Delta Boot while snowshoeing.  The boot was slender enough to use with my snowshoes.  They felt fairly light while I was navigating through a few feet of snow!  The Women’s Delta Boot weighs in at 18.23 oz, and the Men’s weighs in at 22.15 oz.

When I first put the Delta Boot on, I noticed they were a little stiff.  My first hike with the Delta Boot actually gave me a blister.  I wore fairly thin, Smartwool hiking socks, and took a longer hike than I perhaps should have in new boots.  As with any new boot or shoe, you should always wear them around the house for a few hours, or out on shorter ventures, to break them in before hitting the mountains.  I learned my lesson.  After the third hike in the Deltas, the boots felt great, and clearly will deliver long-lasting comfort and support.  Once I broke in the boot, my feet fell in love!

On KEEN’s website, it states that the Delta boot runs about a ½ size small.  I am typically a US 8.5 (EU 39).  That is what I ordered, and I found the boot fit perfectly true to size.  I usually wore a mid-weight hiking sock during my testing.   Before buying the boot online, I recommend going to your local KEEN dealer and try the boot on first.  You always want to make sure you have a well-fitted hiking boot.

The Women’s Delta boot comes in 2 colors:  Chocolate Chip/Nile Blue & Black/Madder Brown.  The Men’s also comes in 2 colors: Stone Grey/Madder Brown & Black/Laurel Oak.

MSRP $130.

Happy Hiking!

The Helly Hansen Mission Jacket has become my go-to ski jacket for the winter season.  This jacket is a perfect choice for the resort skier who wants a bit of insulation without too much bulk, allowing the option to layer up or down according to weather.  The Mission Jacket is stylish, functional, and has some great features.

Helly Hansen did a great job with the fit of the Mission jacket and I was very happy to find that it is the perfect length for me.  I am a little over six feet tall, and have a slightly longer torso, so I often have trouble with short jackets.  The Mission jacket is just long enough to be comfortable and I don’t have to worry about it riding up when skiing.  The powder skirt is also at the right place, falling a little below my belt line.  Speaking of the powder skirt, Helly incorporated a nice system for buttoning it out of the way when you aren’t using it, a very smart and welcome feature.  The jacket is cut with sufficient space in the shoulders for athletically-built bodies, and is flattering.  I had great mobility while photographing a shoot for Vail Resorts in the Back Bowls of Vail mountain.  The sleeve length is ideal for me, and the adjustable cuffs accommodate different arm lengths.  One nitpick about the cuffs: the inner fabric often sticks out beyond the cuff when tightened. See below photo.  It’s certainly not a big deal, but it would be nice to see this small detail fixed in the next version.

A really nice feature of the Mission jacket is the helmet-compatible hood.  Plenty of jackets claim to be helmet compatible, but in reality, are not.  Helly Hansen clearly tested the Mission Jacket’s hood with various ski helmets, because it has excellent visibility and movement with the hood on.  The front of the jacket comes up nice and high without strangling you like many jackets do when fully zipped .  With the hood over your helmet, you can still move your head around without feeling the tugging of fabric.

The Mission Jacket provides a good amount of warmth for the weight, without being bulky.  PrimaLoft 60g Warmcore insulation is responsible for this, and was warm enough for me to need to open the air vents on a 27 degree day.  For most days in the Rockies, you will not need more than a mid-weight baselayer under this jacket to be warm.  The two under-arm air vents do a pretty good job of releasing heat, although Helly Hansen saves its superior airflow system for its highest end jackets.  The fabric is Helly’s excellent Helly Tech PROFESSIONAL, which is waterproof and has a 20,000mm/20,000g breathability rating.  This fabric is one of my favorites for ski wear, and it has a little bit of stretch and a nice hand feel.  The zippers are also waterproof for full protection.  The Mission Jacket has 4 fleece-lined pockets on the front that are well-placed and functional.  In addition, there is an internal pocket for music/phone (though I wish there were an easier-to-access phone pocket closer to the front zipper), and one for longer, bigger items like goggles.  I loved having the deeper pocket for stashing things like a balaclava for cold weather.

I appreciate the thought that Helly Hansen puts into design, and I would recommend the Mission to anyone looking for a light-midweight insulated resort ski jacket.  It is also stylish enough to double as an around-town winter jacket.

The Helly Hansen Mission Jacket is available in four colors:  Fiery Red, Arctic Navy, Arctic, and Black.  Size range is S-2XL.

MSRP is $350.

OR Aspect Pant - Women's

If you are in the market for a pair of versatile ski or ride pants, look no further than the Outdoor Research Aspect Pants. These pants are available for men and women – equal-opportunity awesomeness.

The Aspect Pants are composed of a highly-breathable, waterproof, soft shell fabric (Ventia Dry). I found these pants to be comfortable in a variety of temperatures and kept me extremely warm in all the right places. The soft shell material is backed with fleece in areas that are prone to getting cold, namely your thighs and seat.  The lower legs are backed with a lighter-weight tricot, that allows these areas to vent and breathe. The blending of these two fabrics helps to keep you warm where you need it, but also cool in higher heat areas when skinning or boot-packing up the mountain. These pants also feature generous thigh vents that are easy to zip up and down with gloves or mittens on, to help dissipate additional heat.

One feature that I really liked was the burly scuff guard on the inside cuff,  adding reinforcement to a high wear-and-tear area. I am prone to tearing the inner cuff, and the generous square patch of highly-durable fabric appears that it may survive multiple seasons, even with me. The Aspect pants feature a long, below-the-knee zip for easy on and off, while the leg opening easily accommodates ski boots without feeling too tight, even with buckles open. The internal gaiter stays put along your boot, and can zip off if you so choose. After skiing some knee-deep snow, my inner boot remained dry thanks to a nice seal with the gaiter and the ability to cinch and snap the cuff closed.

As for protection from the elements: the Aspect Pants are extremely water-resistant, though I would not classify them as waterproof.  When worn out in the heavy snow on a full day of adventure, they did the job and kept me dry thanks to the fabric composition and water-resistant zippers.  However, after longer use, I eventually experienced some moisture at junctions within the seams of the pants.  This may be some of the tradeoff you get with highly-breathable fabric.

The fit is a regular one, as opposed to a baggy one.  If you like your pants to be a bit loose, you may want to size up from what the size guide recommends (for example it says I would be a small, but I actually found the medium to be my perfect comfort fit).  The gusseted crouch, articulated knees, and stretch of the softshell allow the pants to really move with you.  Adjustable elastic tabs with velcro help customize the fit around the waist.  Zippered hand, thigh, and beacon pockets keep your small stuff safe.   Add a pair of your own suspenders for a complete backcountry set up.

Overall, the Aspect Pants pack a lot of great features into a streamlined (22 0z.) ski and ride pant. The price tag is a very reasonable $250 for both men’s and women’s styles.  Great pants for a good price.  Remember also that Outdoor Research has an “Infinite Guarantee”, which means their products are guaranteed forever.

The Aspect Pants are available in black only, and in sizes XS to L for women, and S to XL for men.

OR Aspect Pant - Men's

My initial suspicions about this beast proved to be true. I tested the KEEN Revel boot in extreme conditions, including hikes in temperatures between 10 and 40 degrees, and terrain varying from packed trail to mud to deep snow, and never experienced cold or wet feet. The Revel boots are seriously warm! I wore these to work on a particularly cold and snowy Colorado day, and found the Revel to be almost too warm for long-term indoor use. The KEEN.WARM Trapolater wool insole, along with the 200g KEEN.WARM layers in the upper of the Revel, provide superior insulation over other winter boots.

The boot upper, made of waterproof nubuck, is quite supportive, and more reminiscent of high quality mountaineering boots than most other winter boots. The patented KEEN toe wrap is even more substantial in the Revel, and does an excellent job of protecting the toes from impact. The Revel is definitely up to the challenge for extreme winter adventures. I found the KEEN Revel to run about half a size smaller than other KEENs, possibly due to the amount of insulation in the upper. Be sure to try on the Revel before buying, or just go up half a size from your normal KEEN size.

The outsole of the Revel also shines. Those of us living in cooler climes know that getting your car tires ‘siped’ can help with traction on ice and snow. Siping involves cutting slits across the tread of the tire to create edges which grip the road surface. KEEN has decided to employ similar thinking in the Revel, visible in the photo at left. The result is perceivably better traction on slippery surfaces.

Overall, I consider the KEEN Revel to be one of the few cold-weather gear rockstars, and should definitely be on your shortlist for cold weather extreme outdoor adventures.

The KEEN Revel retails for $140.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES:
    

Retro Styling

I am old enough to actually remember the 70′s and 80′s, so looking at some of the “new” styles was like flashing back to my childhood.  In fact, I’m pretty sure when I was eight years old I skied in one of the jackets featured for 2013.   Classic sneaker designs are being resurrected in the name of fashion and minimalism, neon is called ‘a fun pop of color’, and even Moon Boots are back.

Hybrid Construction

With so many amazing fabrics at their disposal, manufacturers are matching fabrics to body parts based on what is needed where.  That means you may see Primaloft on the torso for core warmth, and a simple polyblend on the sleeves.  You may see windproof panels on the front, but not the back.  The purpose, of course, is to deliver benefit where it is needed most, while keeping garments breathable and light.

Shoe Gaiters

Bootie-licious.  Shoes are looking pretty sleek and futuristic with microfabrics covering the entire upper in gaiter-like fashion.  It may be a cool design aesthetic, but it also happens to have the functional benefit of keeping gunk and debris from the crevices of your fancy wheels.

Seamlessness

With the continued boom of endurance sports, the need for true anti-chafe gear is moving strongly to the forefront.  In addition to finding fabrics that feel ‘barely there’, manufacturers are putting their pieces together with as few seams as possible, translating into even fewer possibilities for discomfort.   The emphasis is clearly on making gear that feels as if it is a part of your body, i.e. if don’t notice it during your activity, that means it was a successful execution.

Waterproofing Innovation

GORE-TEX has always been the gold standard, but several companies are making a go at one-upping them.  You will see plenty of new waterproofing innovation coming up.  The goal is not to make gear more waterproof, but rather to make it more breathable.  In some cases, it is about eliminating the water barrier between the outerlayer and the waterproof layer (trapping heat near your body), in other cases it is about increasing the surface area at the molecular level to speed evaporation, and creating a two-way flow of air.  I saw some dramatic scientific demonstration, and have no doubt we will ultimately be able to  have our cake (dryness) and eat it too (breathability).

Runner/Hiker Hybrids

If you are a fast-packer, you will love this one.  I saw several shoes that looked like a trail running shoe and a hiking shoe mated, and gave birth to something akin to a high-top trail running shoe.  I asked about the application, and the answer was always the same:  ’it is for fast hiking, or those outings where you go steep uphill, and run downhill’.   These are super-lightweight, grippy shoes with terrific lateral and ankle support.

Minimalism Extended

As I’m sure you expected, the minimalism trend is still in full force.  In addition to virtually all running shoe brands offering a super-stripped-down, zero-drop shoe, the trend has extended into both hiking and lifestyle shoe models.  You will see more ultra-light and very-low-offset hiking boot models, as well as plenty of waif-like leisure shoes.   I’m talking feather-light.  Less continues to be more.

Pouching

Another response to the growth in endurance sports: I saw a lot of apparel pieces that could easily be stuffed into their own pocket for stowability.  For those of you who enter events (such as ultra- or adventure-races), requiring you to have a waterproof jacket on board, you will have some serious options for shells that are water-/wind-proof and super-packable in their own pouch.  Excellent for cyclists too.  Some of the warmer items stuff into a travel-pillow-shaped pocket to make themselves useful, even when they’re not in use.

Travel Luggage/Packs

It seems like all of the backpack companies I visited wanted to show me their new travel luggage.  Huh?  Apparently, the economic downturn has led more people to do short trips domestically, requiring sleek roller bags, and to take backpacking trips.   The good news for you is that backpack manufacturers know a thing or two about clever pockets, weight distribution, durability, and staying light.   There is some super-sweet luggage coming your way that will have you rethinking entirely how you normally travel.

As the Fall/Winter 2012/13 products move from prototype to production, ActiveGearReview will be testing as many as possible, so that you have some insight into how things are faring in the field.

Have fun out there,

Lori

AGR Editor

Thankfully, companies like Ruff Wear exist to help meet the needs of dogs that go out into the wilderness. The Bark’n Boots are a prime example, and offer excellent protection for your dog in a variety of conditions. Suki, our fabulous female dog tester, had the opportunity to test-drive these boots over the past few months in Colorado.

Regarding size and fit:  Ruff Wear provides a detailed size guide and instructions on how to measure your dog’s paws. I felt that the boots ran true to size, however, I wished that I would have measured all four paws. Some dogs, my Suki included, have different sized paws. She could wear a smaller size up front and size up for the back. Each boot is identical to the next; no boot is specific to right, left, front, or back.  Therefore, I always recommend measuring and giving them a trial run, if possible, in the store. In the future, I would buy a package of each size and combine them (mixing sizes) to make a primary and a back-up set.

The boots are relatively easy to slip on once your dog is familiar with the process; after a while, Suki would sit and hold out her front paws in anticipation of an outing. Simply slip the boot on, adjust the velcro closure strap, and you are done. I recommend letting your dog run around for a bit, and re-checking the boots to ensure they are tight enough. In the beginning, it is challenging to know how tight is too tight, especially if you have a furry dog. So, when you first get going, you will find yourself glancing at your dog’s paws quite a lot. After multiple hikes in the mud, and even in deep snow, I still have all 4 boots. The boots are sold in sets of four, but there is a small note on Ruff Wear’s website that says the boots ARE available as a single boot. So if you happen to lose one, which you shouldn’t with proper fit and micro-adjustments, you don’t have to replace it with an entire set.

The Bark’n Boots feature a non-marking Vibram® outsole with lugs designed to maintain grip and control while your dog is on the move. Dogs are built with innate crampons, or claws, that grab and adapt to the changing conditions. Fortunately, with the Bark’n Boots, Suki’s ability to frolic in mud, dry dirt, scree, ice, and snow, was not compromised. When comparing her traction with boots to Aspen (our other dog testers) sans boots, she could hang right with him.  The difference, however, was that her paws didn’t have any cracks, sores, excess mud, or snow-balls wedged between her pads. Aspen on the other hand, had to take more breaks to chew out snow between his paws.  The boot upper is composed of air mesh, which kept dirt and small rocks out of Suki’s paws (her paws remained slightly drier as well).  The mesh is designed to ventilate, and unfortunately Suki can’t tell me if she had a swampy sensation in her feet on our last hike.  I used them also during day-hikes on dry ground, and her paws at the end were dry and clean.  The non-marking outsole may also work nicely for those who take their dog boating; the Bark’n Boots deliver good traction without the surface scratches.

The Bark’n Boots require a little bit of break-in, just like a human’s new pair of shoes. Ruff Wear offers some easy tips on their website. I simply kept the boots in a warm part of the house (not stored in the garage in winter) and worked the soles with my hands back and forth for a few minutes before each wear. I did this for about two weeks. Suki, the primary boot tester, didn’t complain about initial stiffness (despite doing the “boot dance”), but I felt that a more pliable outsole must equate to a more comfortable foot strike. As for storage, the boots come with a nice little stuff sack that helps keep them all in one place.

Suki testing out the boots; note the snow on the outside of the boot that would otherwise be stuck to her fur

The Bark’n Boots are the do-all boot for your dog, with an emphasis on hiking and paw protection. We found, however, that the boots cross over well to winter pursuits, stayed put, and eliminated pesky snowballs. If you are questioning which kind of boot to purchase for your pooch, please read Ruff Wear’s article on “Selecting the Right Boot”.

The boots are available in 6 sizes, based on paw width (not length), and two colors: gray and red.

MSRP $64.95 for a set of four.

Suki gives the boots, "4 Paws up!"