17
Jan
2011
jloomis

High Peak Alpinismo Trango 65 Backpack Review

Product Rating: 
4
High Peak Alpinismo Trango 65 Backpack

Features:

High Peak's new Alpinismo™ line of outdoor gear is designed around creating your own Big 4 Integrated System™ at 12 pounds or less. The Trango 65 backpack is the largest pack in the Alpinismo line. It's big on space, yet only weighs 3 pounds 6 ounces.

16
Jan
2011
jloomis

Snowshoeing on Mount Hood, Oregon near Timberline Lodge

Snowshoeing on Mount Hood, Oregon near Timberline Lodge

Katie and I had been eager to try out our new Yukon Charlie's snowshoes, so we headed to Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood despite the rainy forecast. At 6,000 feet in elevation, Timberline was the highest place we could drive to. The snow level was predicted to be around 8,000 feet and wind gusts up to 55 mph. Not ideal conditions, but we really wanted to get out in the snow.

14
Jan
2011
jloomis

Columbia Sportswear Men's Lhotse Mountain II Parka Review

Product Rating: 
4
Columbia Sportswear Men's Lhotse Mountain II Parka

Features:

Columbia Sportswear's Lhotse Mountain™ II Parka for men is a durable feature packed addition to Columbia's Titanium lineup. This fully seam sealed parka is breathable and waterproof. The shell features a removable hood, underarm venting, adjustable powder skirt, and pockets inside and out. The Omni-Heat® zip-in liner completes the system by helping retain more body heat when at rest or shed excess body heat during activity.

12
Jan
2011
jloomis

Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp Review

Product Rating: 
2
Princeton Tec Byte Headlamp

Features:

The Princeton Tec Byte is a small headlamp powered by two AAA batteries with a Maxbright LED as the main light source. The Byte headlamp also features a red Ultrabright LED for when you don't want to impair your night vision or disrupt others with a bright light. The light can be adjusted from straight out to straight down by rotating within its bracket. The headlamp comes in a single color option, red/black.

11
Jan
2011
jloomis

High Peak Mt. Rainier -20 Mummy Bag Review

Product Rating: 
5
High Peak Mt. Rainier -20 Mummy Bag

Features:

The Mt. Rainier -20°F mummy bag by High Peak is a waterproof, windproof, and breathable sleeping bag designed for extreme adventures. This orange and black (think Oregon State Beavers) mummy bag packs down to about 11 inches by 16 inches in the included compression sack.

10
Jan
2011
jloomis

Pelican Snow Trek 60 Gear Sled Review

Product Rating: 
4
Pelican Snow Trek 60 Gear Sled Review

Features:

The Snow Trek 60 gear sled by Pelican is a sturdy utility sled designed to carry lots of gear to your winter destination. It is only offered in black plastic and includes a light duty hand-pulling rope. This gear sled can be pulled by hand, ATV, or snowmobile. Pulling by ATV or snowmobile requires an optional hitch, offered by Pelican.

10
Jan
2011
jloomis

Snow Camping in Upper Clackamas, Oregon

Snow Camping in Upper Clackamas, Oregon

We began snowshoeing a little after 8 AM on Saturday in about 18 inches of snow. Our hike was about 3.5 miles uphill to 3,000 foot elevation near Shellrock Creek in the Upper Clackamas, Oregon. My brother-in-law Scott and I had been looking forward to this snow camping trip for a couple of weeks. The weather was calm with off-and-on snow showers and a temperature around 30°F. We chose this location for the relative solitude.

06
Jan
2011
jloomis

Lifeline Aluminum Sport Utility Snow Shovel Review

Product Rating: 
5
Lifeline Aluminum Sport Utility Snow Shovel

Features:

The Lifeline Aluminum Sport Utility Snow Shovel comes in three colors: red, gold, and teal. The all-aluminum construction (except top of handle) makes quick work of any task. This Lifeline Snow Shovel adjusts from 25.25 inches to 32.25 inches and breaks down to three pieces for easy storage and transport. It is great for any outdoor adventure like snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling. Also great to keep in cars, trucks, or SUVs.

03
Jan
2011
jloomis

Petzl TIKKA XP 2 Headlamp Review

Product Rating: 
5
Petzl TIKKA XP 2 Headlamp

Features:

The Petzl TIKKA XP®2 headlamp is a big improvement over my old 4-led TIKKA model. The main difference is in the brightness and the addition of a red LED. The TIKKA XP2 features a single white high-output LED paired with a red LED.

01
Jan
2011
jloomis

Snow Camping at Twin Lakes, Oregon

Snow Camping at Twin Lakes, Oregon

The weather Thursday in the Northern Oregon Cascades can only be described as perfect. The sun was shining, wind absent, and temperature around 20°F. John and I headed to Frog Lake SnoPark (SE of Government Camp on Hwy 26) on what turned out to be one of the busiest days of the year. The traffic was so bad it made the news. After about an hour delay, we finally made it to the SnoPark and set off on snowshoes to Twin Lakes.

28
Dec
2010
jloomis

Paris Expedition Sled Review

Product Rating: 
4
Paris Expedition Sled

Features:

The Paris Expedition Sled is a tough lightweight sled designed as a pulk or gear sled. It helps move wood, and fishing, camping, or other gear easily over snow and ice. The sled comes in bright orange color. It features grommet-reinforced tow holes in the front with additional non-reinforced holes along the sides to secure cargo. The Paris Expedition Sled is sold by itself, without tow rope or poles, etc.

25
Dec
2010
jloomis

Snowshoeing to Twin Lakes, Oregon

Snowshoeing to Twin Lakes, Oregon

My Grandpa, Katie, and I snowshoed to Twin Lakes yesterday. Twin Lakes are a pair of hike in lakes near Frog Lake about 8 miles SE of Government Camp, Oregon. Our dog Bella joined us outfitted with her own boots. This was my Grandpa's first time snowshoeing. It was a beautiful day with the temperature right near freezing with cloudy skies. We were the first ones to Frog Lake SnowPark at about 7:30 AM. The hike was about 1.5 miles uphill along the Pacific Crest Trail and then 0.5 mile down to Lower Twin Lake (the bigger of the two).

23
Dec
2010
jloomis

Arctic Wolf 3 Person Tent Review

Product Rating: 
3
Arctic Wolf 3 Person Tent

Features:

This freestanding, double-wall dome tent by Arctic Wolf sleeps up to 3 people. It is available in three colors: blue, green, and orange. The full coverage fly provides two vestibules, one each over the two doors. Two vents in the fly help with ventilation in addition to the roof vents and door vents in the main tent body. The coated fly and bathtub-style floor keep water out while numerous guy points help steady the tent in the wind. The tent comes with fly, shockcorded aluminum poles, aluminum stakes, guylines, and storage sack.

20
Dec
2010
jloomis

Skiing at Mt Hood Skibowl

Skiing at Mt Hood Skibowl

We hit the slopes of Mt Hood Skibowl again on Sunday evening. This time it was my wife Katie, sister Jessica, and myself. It was about 26 degrees and snowing lightly when we arrived at about 3 PM. Area map.

18
Dec
2010
jloomis

Night Skiing at Mt Hood Skibowl with Sis

Night Skiing at Mt Hood Skibowl with Sis

My Sister Jessica flew into town Friday morning. After a late arrival and lunch at the Olive Garden we took off to the mountain for a night of skiing and boarding at Mt Hood Skibowl. It was a beautiful evening about 25 degrees with clear skies, but unfortunately windy. The snow was perfect. It was fast, but not icy. Area map.

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