2019 Gear in Review
2019 was a heck of a year. I had the pleasure of visiting a bunch of new countries and spent over 100 days traveling for Epic Trails. Throw in a number of my own backpacking trips and side adventures and I’ve spent quite a bit of time on the road this year.
One of my favorite parts of the job is getting to try out alot of new gear. Sometimes the gear comes from sponsors of the show. But I’m luckyand I get to test loads from brands all over the industry.
As a sort of 'year in review', I thought I’d share a couple of my favorite pieces of new gear and things that made a difference for me as I travelled the globe in 2019 and I hope they can make a difference for you, too!
Essential Gear
GRAYL GEOPRESS
I got myself a GRAYL GEOPRESS late last year. I had never heard of the young company before then, and man-oh-man, are they on my map now. This water filter might be my overall winner for gear of the year. First off, it’s a really damn good water filter.
No need to painstakingly pump water or wait for iodine tabs to do the trick. It’s a simple design (and its simplicity is what makes it so smart). It’s a water bottle that’s also a purifier. It’s a super convenient way to hike and treat water on the go, no need to rifle through your pack and pull out a filter, then repack the wet filter back in your backpack.
Secondly, I’m really aware of the environmental impact of travel. And in many countries around the world, drinking tap water is not recommended. So what do you do? Buy four water bottles per person per day while traveling? I don’t think so. One GRAYL Geopress means reducing your plastic consumption and impact, especially as rivers and oceans become increasingly choked up with plastic. (GRAYL also has a cool reuse program for their filters once they need to be replaced!)
Third, at less the 100 bucks, it’s cheaper than a lot of other purifiers in the field.
Sea to Summit Comfort Plus 4 Season Mattress
I am deeply passionate about my sleep. And it’s one of themost important parts of enjoying your time in the outdoors. If you ain’tsleepin’ great, you’re not living your best life.
There are a lot of good mattresses out there. But I have fallen in love with the Comfort Plus from Sea to Summit. This four season mattress is the king of comfort while still being light and small for backpacking. It’s dual chambered and even has some insulation, so even if you’re sleeping on snow, you’ll sleep great.
I love how easy it is to inflate and deflate with it’s smart valve system. And the stuff sack that doubles as a inflate bag (you don’t use your breath to blow up it up, so no more blacking out trying to inflate your mattress).
It’s a four season mattress, so it’s a little pricy. But manis it worth it for quality sleep.
Jetboil
Jetboil stoves have been a backpacker’s and climber’s stove for a long time. But for some reason, I had been used to much larger and slower systems thanks to my old guiding days. So transitioning to a pot/stove system came slowly for me.
But there’s really no turning back. I love my Jetboil. Super fast boil times even in windy conditions, the fact that it self-ignites (no more fumbling for a lighter or hoping you remembered to pack one). It makes food/coffee/cleanup super fast and convenient.
Backpacking Meals
Good-to-Go Dehydrated Meals
This year, I tried a lot of new backpacking meals, energy bars and pretty much any kind of food I could get my hands on and I found some clear winners. Good-to-Go dehydrated backpacking meals some of my favorites I’ve ever tried. They’re made in small batches in Maine with an actual chef at the helm, and damn, they are delicious.
The biggest difference is that not only do I really enjoy the taste, but they don’t sit in your stomach like a brick that feels like it may never come out (you know I’m talking about!) My personal favorite is the Thai Curry. But the whole lineup is shockingly good.
Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups
Most people are ashamed of their addictions. But this is one I’m proud to advertise. Ever since I filmed in Colorado, I’ve been spending an alarming amount of money on these babies. Organic Peanut Butter cups? If I could somehow get sponsored by Justin’s (and their lineup of peanut butter), I could die a happy man.
The Elixir of Life (aka Coffee)
Backcountry coffee usually feels underwhelming and a little depressing. Or you are hauling your whole barista set up to feel properly caffeinated. But luckily Alpine Start came along, thanks to climber Matt Segal, backpackers and big-wall climbers can have a morning/afternoon/evening coffee they can actually be excited about. It’s instant coffee—but it tastes like a real cuppa coffee. They are truly delicious, and by far the easiest solution to your coffee conundrum.
I tell everyone I can about these, and have even been knownto drink them around my house they are so good.
It also helps to have a good camp cup to drink your newfound quality coffee in. That’s where MiiR comes along. They make the best camp cup I’ve ever used. Seriously. There’s something about the weight, texture, insulation capabilities (double walled), and lid design. It just feels satisfying. It’s literally the perfect cup.
Clothing
Puffy Jacket
Everybody has a favorite puffy jacket to make them feel like an outdoorsy person. But I didn’t know that my newest favorite would be a poncho-like pullover from Outdoor Research. There’s only a quarter zip in the front, so it feels more like your favorite hoody than a puffy. It’s lightweight and ultra-warm. I might never take it off.
Shoes
My ! Approach shoes that you see a lot of climbing guides wear, but are styled for the city (the ones I have feature an awesome 80’s color palette, with pink shoelaces). The versatility of the shoe is what makes them ideal, you can hike in and do some climbing in them. I wear them in the backcountry and the frontcountry.
Travel Essentials
Sunscreen
You may have noticed by now that I am in fact, a ginger.This means that in addition to having no soul, I’m extra vulnerable to thatsunshine (but yes, I do have quite the nice tan, thank you very much!)
Rather than using any random cream from the grocery store, I’ve come across Dermatone’s sunscreen. Of course, the performance is great, but it just so happens to come in very convenient backpacking sizes. I’m not an ounce-counter, but how these are packaged makes a big difference to me!
Sony Noise Cancelling Headphones
I fly a lot for Epic Trails. And investing in some noise cancelling headphones has made a huge difference in the travel experience. I can tune out the crying babies and the people who watch videos on their phones without headphones (why would anyone do this?!) at full volume. They’re pricey. But for how much I travel, I can’t go back ear buds.
TINCUP Whiskey
I’m a whiskey guy. I drink it on the rocks, or neat. I actually want to taste the whiskey I drink. And I appreciate a good, smooth, tasty whiskey. And sometimes you need a good, stiff drink when people watch videos on their phones at full volume on an 8-hour flight (see above).
When I went to Colorado to film Epic Trails, I happened to get hooked up with a little TINCUP Colorado Whiskey to help me enjoy the trip. And enjoy it I did. This is my new favorite whiskey to sit around a campfire and hang with friends. Cheers!