Reviews

  Gossamer Gear LT5 Carbon Trekking Poles Guest review by Gary Malick I started using hiking poles years back when I was having a little knee issue. Ever since then, they have always been with me on a hike or backpacking trip. The Gossamer Gear LT5 3-piece trekking poles are as light as a feather (only 4.9 oz per pole!). …

The Black Diamond Cirque 35 ski pack makes a strong case that simplicity doesn’t mean compromise. In a world full of feature-packed gear, its biggest strength is knowing what to leave out. At 35 liters, the roll-top main compartment gives you flexible storage; roomy enough for a long day touring but stripped of unnecessary bulk, so it stays planted on …

In Timberline’s Embrace                                  By Jean L. Waight, Resource Publications, Eugene, Oregon, 2025 If we are fortunate, many of us have a special mountain place that is our spiritual home, a place we return to over and over, where we become our true selves.  Bellingham …

MSR Hubba Hubba™ LT 3-Person Backpacking Tent The new Hubba Hubba™ LT-3 tent from MSR delivers an amazing amount of interior space at an impressive weight of only 4 lbs., 13 oz. One gets used to tent manufacturers overstating the roominess of their tents, but the LT-3 genuinely provides elbow room (and sufficient space for wider sleeping pads) for three …

Pacific Harvest: A Northwest Coast Foraging Guide                                                    By Jennifer Hahn, Mountaineers Books (2025) In “Pacific Harvest,” author Jennifer Hahn takes us on an eye-opening journey through Pacific Northwest ecosystems. A teacher of sustainable wild food …

We’ve always said the best adventures start with happy feet. With the retirement of our friends at BBay Running and Boardworks, we’re stepping up to keep the local running and riding scene thriving by adding performance running gear and a brand-new snowboard department to the mix at Backcountry Essentials. Our snowboard lineup is ready for whatever kind of rider you …

Conservation Confidential: A Wild Path to a Less Polarizing and More Effective Activism                                                                       By Mitch Friedman. Latah Books (2025) I’ve known Mitch Friedman since the early …

Teaching in the Rain: The Story of the North Cascades Institute, by John C. Miles. Chuckanut Editions, 2023   The North Cascades Institute has been a fixture of the northwest Washington landscape since 1986. In “Teaching in the Rain,” author John C. Miles tells its origin story, a story with so many moving parts it’s a wonder the Institute was …

In the world of ultra-light backpacking, you rarely get to use the words superior durability, excellent price, luxurious living space, and lightweight all in one sentence to describe a tent.  The Two from Gossamer Gear is all of those and highly recommended for two people. Compared to many ultra-light materials, the nylon tent body with a SIL (silicone) nylon finish …

Helinox Chair One High-Back (Re) The redesigned Chair One High-Back (Re) from Helinox raises the bar on super-portable, super-comfortable camp seating. Featuring (re)Tension Design, which includes a second tension line to distribute weight around the frame, the new Chair One provides a lot of back support in a lightweight, packable package. It packs into an 18” x 6” x 4.5” …