Category Archives: Gear Review

Gossamer Gear Gorilla Ultralight Pack

 

Gossamer Gear Gorilla with hip belt, sit-light pad, and removable stay.
The Gossamer Gear Gorilla requires some assembly on arrival. The pack includes a sit-light pad and a removable stay. You must order a hip belt separately.

After a recent backpacking and camping adventure in the Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness Area of New York’s Adirondack Park, a friend of mine who had just been camping with us decided that he’d like to give backpacking a try.  He asked me for advice on what equipment he would need, and my first thoughts were, “well, you’re going to need a pack!”

Initially, I wasn’t sure what to suggest.  He didn’t have a super compressible down backpacking quilt, and his big dome tent wouldn’t fit in even the most gargantuan of expedition packs. The truth was, he had to start from scratch, and that was good news.  Starting from scratch meant avoiding most of the mistakes people make when they get into backpacking.  I made those mistakes, and they cost me a lot of money and a bit of discomfort on the trail.

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LuminAID Solar Powered Inflatable Lanterns

About six months ago, I noticed these cool new inflatable solar-powered lanterns sold on Gossamer Gear’s website.  They weigh only 3 ounces and when deflated, they fold down to the size of a large smart phone.  According to the information on found on the manufacturer’s website (www.luminaid.com) they take just 6-7 hours to charge and will shine for up to 16 hours. I was pretty impressed, so I ordered four of them.

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