For the last few years, I’ve been cruising around on an electric bike I’ve named Betty. After thoroughly testing out this e-bike (including on some bumpy trails!) I’ve put together a detailed review of my Rad Power RadMini Step-Thru Electric bike. I’m not a bike expert or super techy, so this review is for regular …
Gear review
Many people don’t know this about me, but I collect guidebooks. I own several hundred of them! They date from the 1960s to present and are mostly focused on southern British Columbia. So of course I get excited when a new guidebook is released. I was especially excited when I heard about The Glorious Mountains …
Many women agree that women’s hiking gear and clothing kind of sucks. Most gear is designed for men and women’s gear is often an after thought. Some gear companies think they can make the same gear in pink, purple and teal and call it women’s gear. Nope! We need stuff that fits our bodies! Some …
Recently there’s been lots of buzz online about how women’s hiking clothing and gear is inadequate. It’s something I’ve written about before. This great article from Hannah Weinberger explains that historically there hasn’t been much gear designed to fit women’s bodies. In recent years the outdoor industry has tried to fix that, with varying degrees …
I have eaten a LOT of pre-packaged backpacking meals in my days (and nights) on the trail. Unfortunately most of them are full of ingredients I can’t pronounce and don’t recognize. I have also tried my hand at dehydrating my own backpacking food at home, but that can be time consuming. (And despite my best …
If you’ve been shopping for hiking or backpacking gear recently, you may have noticed some women’s specific gear. I’m not talking about clothing or shoes (obviously we need those)… I’m talking about backpacks, sleeping bags and more. Often this stuff seems to follow the same tired formula: “Shrink it and pink it”. Brands make the …
On multi-day hiking trips, having a comfortable backpack is pretty important. On my first ever backpacking trip (the West Coast Trail!) I used a borrowed backpack that was too big for me. The harness didn’t fit, I got bruises on my shoulders and hips and the sternum strap rubbed my collarbone raw. No good! After …
For the last few months I’ve been trying out the new MEC Warm Obsession Hoodie. In order to understand the way I feel about this jacket, you need to know a few things about me: I am a sweaty hiker. I get really cold easily. And I love geeking out about technology in outdoor gear. Technology …
By now you’ve probably seen about a million Instagram photos of hammocks (some of which are set up in insane places) and you’re wondering what all the fuss is about: Are they actually that comfortable? When are they actually useful? Which one should I buy? I’ve owned the Therm-a-Rest Slacker Double Hammock and Suspender hanging …