Backpacking — Blog - Pacific Northwest Travel Photography & Gear Review Website

Gear Review: Zamberlan 1025 Tofane NW GTX Hiking Boot

The Zamberlan 1025 Tofane NW Gore-Tex Hiking Boot is a big, burly, badass hiking boot. They’re built with a beautiful hazelnut colored full-grain leather upper thats complimented on the inside with a Gore-Tex lining that provides amazing waterproofing. The soles of the Tofane boot are made with Norwegian welt construction, meaning the Vibram soles are stitched to the upper instead of glued, ensured maximum durability, as well as giving you the added bonus of being able to easily replace the sole down the road.

Hiking, Backpacking, Footwear, Gear, ReviewAlex Fazekas-BooneNovember 28, 2018hiking, backpacking, hiking boots, boots, footwear, zamberlan, Gore-Tex

Gear Review: REI Half Dome 2 Plus

If you’re currently looking for a tent and you haven’t already stumbled upon the REI Half Dome Tent Models, then it is clear that you live so far under a rock that it’s almost impossible for you to have found me here. If you have already seen the Half Domes then you already know there are many different models and variations. The exact tent model I’m reviewing today is the REI Half Dome 2 Plus.

Gear Review: The North Face Basecamp Duffel Bag

Being that traveling is kinda my thing, bags are an absolute necessity. They have become a piece of my life that I really can’t live without. Since nearly every trip I go on is to a new place that I haven’t been to before, I usually find myself having different wants and needs from the luggage that I am going to bring with me. Over the last few years I have grown to love the process of preparing for a trip. It involves researching the place we’re going, deciding how we’re going to get around, finding the activities we might be interested in doing and then planning out the gear we’re going to want to bring accordingly. Once we get all that info then I begin investigating the bags best suited for the trip, comparing them with their competition and then finally trying them out on a trip.

Gear Review: Patagonia Triolet Jacket

I’m going to be honest, for most of my life I had an embarrassingly poor choice in jackets for a native PNW dude. Skateboarding fashion dominated my style choices. I never cared about quality, fabrics or lifespan. I pretty much only cared about affordability and look. Several years ago though, that changed. I’m not sure if it’s being outdoors more, being exposed to more ideas or just getting older, but I began to pay more attention to things that mattered in a jacket like how long it lasted, what is was made for and how it was made. I’ve had the opportunity over the last few years to try out many different brands like Arcteryx, Craghoppers, Marmot and more. The reason I give you all of that background is to say that one of the best all around hard shell jackets I’ve found is the Patagonia Triolet Jacket.

Backpacking, Hiking, Clothing, Gear, ReviewAlex Fazekas-BooneNovember 14, 2018tacoma, gear, gear review, rain jacket, hardshell jacket, patagonia, goretex

Gear Review: Adidas Fast X High GTX Hiking Boots

Over the last years I’ve had MANY pairs of hiking boots from Salomon to Merrel to Zamberlan. When I started using the Adidas Fast X High GTX I already had a pretty new pair of burly, heavy backpacking boots, but I found myself not wanting to wear them on day hikes or adventure photography trips due to their weight and bulkiness. So a little over a year ago I started testing the Adidas Fast X High GTX Hiking Boots and I really fell love!

Backpacking, Hiking, Gear, ReviewAlex Fazekas-BooneNovember 14, 2018tacoma, gear review, gear, shoes, hiking, adidas, boots

Gear Review: Alps Mountaineering Solitude 24 Pack

Before our 3 month trip to Spain in Early 2018, Laura and I were sent 2 Alps Mountaineering Solitude 24 Packs. Our plan was to bring only carryon baggage for the whole trip, so we would each bring a regular 22” carryon size suitcase and then we would use these Alps packs as our main day packs for all of our adventures throughout the trip. After 3 months of heavy use abroad, and then regular action back home here in the NW after that, I figured it’s time to check in with a gear review.

Backpacking, Hiking, Travel, Gear, ReviewAlex Fazekas-BooneNovember 14, 2018tacoma, gear review, gear, packs, backpacks, backpacking, ALPS Mountaineering, day pack, nw, northwest, pnw

Gear Review: SOG Seraphim 35 Backpack

I’ve had the pleasure of trying out several SOG backpacks over the last few years from the biggest to the smallest versions, so I was stoked to try out the SOG Seraphim 35. This thing is *packed* (wink) with a long list of features. In fact, it has far too many features to list off every one but I’ll give you a few of the real world things I like most about it. First off, it’s a super clean looking pack, and all black is always a good move for a color way. I also really enjoy the ability to strap my gear to the outside of the pack. There’s several ways to attach stuff either with the pack’s shock cord tie downs, the Hypalon MOLLE field, or the endless loops and lash points. Also, the fold down panel on the outside of the pack has the ability to carry long items like an axe, fishing rod, rifle or if you’re like me, a tripod!

Backpacking, Hiking, Gear, ReviewAlex Fazekas-BooneNovember 6, 2018gear, gear review, packs, backpacks, backpacking, SOG, pnw, nw, northwest

Gear Review: Alps Mountaineering Red Tail 65 Pack

ALPS Mountaineering is a company that I've only recently begun to work with, but they have been in the game for a long time. They're a family run company, which I really love. They were started back in '93 by a guy named Dennis Brune, who had previously been the head of the outdoor brand Kelty. Since their inception ALPS has grown to produce many camping and hiking products including tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, air mattresses, and camping furniture like chairs, cots, and tables. The ALPS product I'll be reviewing today is the Red Tail 65L Pack.

Backpacking, Gear, ReviewAlex Fazekas-BooneDecember 15, 2017ALPS Mountaineering, backpacking, hiking, backpacks, outdoor gear, review, sedona, arizona

Gear Review: Minus 33 Kodiak Expedition Hoody

I have been testing out and shooting for Minus 33 for several years now. One of the products I've been wanting to get my hands on is the Kodiak Expedition Wool Hoody. Earlier this month I got a box from Minus 33 and lo and behold there was the hoody! What better way to break it in then take it up to Mount Rainier and see how it holds up to the cold.

Gear Review: Enlightened Equipment Revelation Quilt

As a stomach and side sleeper I've always struggled with sleeping bags for camping or backpacking. I've tried almost every type from old school car camping sleeping bags to mummy bags and even the new spoon shapes, but up until I got this EE Revelation I had never tried a quilt before.

Gear, Review, BackpackingAlex Fazekas-BooneAugust 1, 2017gear, review, hiking, backpacking, sleeping bags, quilts, ultralight, pnw, nw, northwest, washington

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