Tag Archives: Backcountry Essentials

When it comes to high-end sleeping bags, most would agree that Western Mountaineering (WM) makes the very best. With proper care, this might be the last sleeping bag you’ll ever need to purchase. Backcountry Essentials is proud to carry these bags, made in the USA, because they deliver some of the best nights’ sleep you’ve ever had. Are you a …

Is Backcountry Essentials now a paddle sports store? As the Northwest gets warmer, it seems like we are all going to want to find some water sports to cool off within the summertime. Backcountry Essentials has been researching what makes sense for us to offer the community. We have added two new brands in the pack rafting world, Kokopelli and …

Backcountry Essentials is stoked to offer skis from Elan this year. We focused on the Ripstick series for both men and women because we felt these skis best complimented and differentiated themselves from all the other skis we carry. These skis are not slarvy, nor do they readily butter; they are precise carving machines—and they are a blast! We have …

When it comes to fantastic fall footwear, the Blundstone Chelsea boot ($189-$219) stands alone. This unisex boot is stylish enough to go with dress pants or dresses, rugged enough to be a regular farm boot, and currently hip enough to wear every day with jeans. The heel allows for near hands-free exit and entry, and the great insulation underfoot will …

Every year, more people are getting into the backcountry to escape the inbounds ski crowds. The longer days and firmer snow of spring tours bring a new perspective to skiing as the playing field expands, and skiers can disperse even further into the mountains. In our neck of the woods, the experienced ski mountaineer can often find great snow through …

Is this the one boot to do it all?  While I’m generally skeptical of such claims, I have found that the Roxa R3 130 TI I.R. Ski Boot is a solid all-around contender: adept for inbounds, slackcountry, and backcountry skiing. This new interpretation of a three-piece Cabrio boot weighs in at 1520 grams (size 26.5), is compatible with either gripwalk …

Luci® Solar String Lights By Rachel Thody The Luci Solar String Lights ($44.99) are one of my top essentials for any escapade! The string light packs up neatly within itself making it easy to toss into a gear bag with no worries about getting the string tangled or caught on anything. It charges either via solar power or through a …

Kokopelli Packrafts are packable inflatable kayaks built for adventure and strong enough for nearly anything. They come in various materials: Ultra-lights for lakes, or burlier materials for whitewater (I’ve heard that Class IV rivers are doable if the rest of your river skills are up for it). With one of these, your biking, hiking and car camping adventures can be …

Smaller ski manufacturers, often called garage brands, have been proliferating across the ski industry. Similar to how small, local breweries have popped up everywhere to accommodate specific local tastes, smaller regional ski manufacturers are now designing their skis with local terrain in mind.  Lib Tech, which manufacturers on the Olympic Peninsula, does a lot of their product testing at Mt. …

The question is not so much “if” ski crampons, but which crampons. Whenever possible I’ll drop my boot crampons in favor of my lighter ski crampons. Within ski crampons, basically, there are two types: those that fix directly to the ski and are static (for example, Voile Universal ski crampons), or those that pivot as the binding and boot make …