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5 Hiking Items I Wish I Would Have Purchased Sooner

Gear Reviews

My wife said that I rave about some gear so much that I need to have a section dedicated to reviewing what I like. I’ll review the stuff I don’t like, too, I suppose, though not to be mean.

5 Hiking Items I Wish I Would Have Purchased Sooner

5 Hiking Items I Wish I Would Have Purchased Sooner

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 5 minutesThings I wish I’d discovered sooner. There is no affiliate marketing, kickbacks, etc., involved with any of these links—just my opinions. If you’re interested, search around for a slick deal!

Topo MTN Racer 3
Gear Review: Topo MTN Racer 3 Shoe (vs Altra Olympus 5)

Gear Review: Topo MTN Racer 3 Shoe (vs Altra Olympus 5)

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 5 minutesTopo’s MTN Racer 3 is cheaper than the competition, feels better, has far better durability, and literally outclasses the Altra Olympus in every metric. It’s the perfect hiking shoe for me.

Gear Review: Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor 60-80L or: Why I Ditched My Osprey Atmos AG

Gear Review: Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor 60-80L or: Why I Ditched My Osprey Atmos AG

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 6 minutesThe Sierra Designs Flex Capacitor 60-80L has replaced my Osprey Atmos AG 65 as my preferred pack. It shaves off a significant amount of weight while retaining comfort under heavy loads, finding an excellent position between ultra-light and ultra-rigged packs, and the price simply can’t be beaten. Although it has fewer bells and whistles, I haven’t minded that even a tiny bit.

Gear Review: Creepers Socks or: How I Learned to Stop Foot Pain and Love Hiking Again

Gear Review: Creepers Socks or: How I Learned to Stop Foot Pain and Love Hiking Again

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 6 minutesCreepers socks have been updated for 2024 and are now more resilient. They have become an indispensable part of my hiking kit and eliminated all of my foot problems.

Kuhl Radikl Pants Review
Kühl Review: Comparing Deceptr, Renegade, Radikl, and Transcendr Pants

Kühl Review: Comparing Deceptr, Renegade, Radikl, and Transcendr Pants

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 6 minutesA glorious post in which I rank Kühl Deceptr, Renegade, Radikl, and Transcendr pants in order of how much I like them when hiking.

Gear Review: Altra Olympus 5, The Perfect Disappointment

Gear Review: Altra Olympus 5, The Perfect Disappointment

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 9 minutesAltra’s Olympus 5 is an absolute treasure in reducing damage foot pain and damage, but it’s let down by an insane lack of durability.

Hiker wearing Creepers merino toe socks in the Wind River Range at the top of a mountain.
Backpacking Gear Review: Creepers Merino Wool Toe Socks

Backpacking Gear Review: Creepers Merino Wool Toe Socks

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 7 minutesCreepers socks are now my go-to sock for long-distance backpacking, as they have resolved all my foot- and toe-pain issues.

Backpacking Gear Review: WillowAce “THE ALPACA SOCKS”

Backpacking Gear Review: WillowAce “THE ALPACA SOCKS”

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 9 minutesI love the WillowAce socks and am glad that I gave them a go. For under $60, I’ve made myself, my wife, and my mom quite happy.

Gear Review: PERFECT Kühl Transcendr Pants

Gear Review: PERFECT Kühl Transcendr Pants

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 7 minutesIntroduction Why did I get some Kühl Transcendr pants and bother to post a review of such length? If you’ve read my hiking reviews (a massive ask, to be fair, and potentially a violation of the Geneva Convention if prisoners of war were made to do it), you know that I’m very particular about my pants. I’ve long struggled to find a really, truly good pair of hiking pants. One…

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The KÜHL TEAM™ 1/4 ZIP layered with a Helly Hansen jacket at Grand Targhee.
Gear Review: A Skiing Essential—KÜHL TEAM 1/4 ZIP (Merino Sweater)

Gear Review: A Skiing Essential—KÜHL TEAM 1/4 ZIP (Merino Sweater)

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 8 minutesMy go-to midlayer for skiing.

Gear Review: The Joys of Being Soggy—Black Diamond Approach Down Vest

Gear Review: The Joys of Being Soggy—Black Diamond Approach Down Vest

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 6 minutesMy wife bought me a Black Diamond Approach Down Vest and I figured that I’d review it. I’ve been using the vest for about 7 months now; this season we skied many hundreds of miles. I’ve used the vest for both nordic and downhill skiing and have worn it regularly to work, so I think that I can now comment honestly on it.

Site Update: Gear Reviews and Ski Reviews

Site Update: Gear Reviews and Ski Reviews

Lucas Necessary

Reading Time: 3 minutesStarting today, I’m going to be investing time into reviewing products (like those pictured below) which have significantly impacted my enjoyment of the outdoors. If you have any ideas about items that might improve my life, please feel free to let me know.

Pages

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Hiking and Adventure Map (Work in Progress)

  • NOTE! Zoom in for full list. Some icons at default view contain 5+ hikes when zoomed in. I'm transcribing these hikes in my own order, but if you'd like to see one moved to the top of the review list, just let me know.


Map Symbology:

  • •Blue—Hiking plus kayaking trips
  • •Green—Day hikes; can be done as overnights.
  • •Yellow—Overnight hikes, typically 2 nights.
  • •Red—Long-duration hikes, typically 5+days.
  • •Purple—Camping, international trips; excursions.

The Site and Careers

  • About the Author—Hey, That’s Me!
  • Beginner’s Backpacking Guide
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Maps
  • My Backpacking Rating System
  • Pressing on the Upward Way
  • Privacy Policy
  • Recent Posts
  • Welcome Home

Top Posts & Pages

  • Rockhounding Locations in WY, MT; UT. (Rough Draft, 05/02/2021 Revision)
  • 15 Miles: Bomber Mountain and Off-Trail Traipsing for Trout
  • Kühl Review: Comparing Deceptr, Renegade, Radikl, and Transcendr Pants
  • Review: Dickinson Park to Smith, Cloverleaf, Cook, Mendarrin, Middle, & Cathedral Lakes
  • Review: Heavenly 45 Mile Loop from Stough Creek Basin to Wind River Peak

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