Want Another Chance To Be A Gear Tester?

A few weeks back I posted about Outside Online looking for gear testers, and how you could get in on the action and score yourself some new stuff in the process. Well, it seems that Outside wan't the only major outdoor magazine looking for gear hounds. It seems that Backpacker is looking for a few good men and women to join their new reader gear test panel.

This time out, the process is going to be a bit tougher. You'll start off by sending a short, as in 200 words or so, gear review of one of your favorite pieces of equipment to khostetter1@gmail.com. That e-mail should also include your name and a link to your YouTube video as well.

Yep! You read that right. You'll also need to make a YouTube video too. The video should not exceed five minutes in length, and should show you reviewing a piece of gear. Get creative with it, have some fun, and use the visual medium to the best of your ability. Edit the video if you can, then upload it and send the link along in your e-mail, then wait for the adulation and money to come rolling in. Okay, I made up that last part.

The deadline for submissions is March 30th, so you'll really have to get cracking. Those who are asked to join the team will become part of the Backpacker staff for a 12 month period, including having your name added to the masthead of the print magazine, with your image included, and you'll get all kinds of gear to test over the coming year. Impress them enough, and you'll be allowed to write some reviews for the magazine and website as well.

So, all you aspiring gear reviewers, get your video cameras fired up and your submissions written. Just remember to share the gear wealth when you get something really good! ;)

Backpacker 2009 Gear Guide Online!

It's like Christmas came in April! The 2009 Backpacker Magazine Gear Guide is now available online. As usual, the guide has some great reviews and insights into the best gear available for outdoor pursuits.

The best of the best is compiled into the Backpacker Editor's Choice Awards, which in addition to their category winners, include two special awards as well, the "Editor's Choice Green Award", which went to the Big Agnes Salt Creek recycled tent. The other separate award is the "Editor's Choice Gold Award", which was given to the MSR MugMate Coffee Maker and the North Face Base Camp duffel bag.

Other great gear that won Editor's Choice honors include the Garmin Oregon 400t gps unit, the New Balance 1500 Rainier Boot, and the Osprey Sprint Series of packs.

And if that wasn't already enough gear to get you salivating, and your wallet crying, checkout the Backpacker Gear Guides for Backpacks, Tents, Boots, Sleeping Bags, and other Essentials. Be warned though, reading through this may cause an unexplained urge to head out to your nearest gear shop.

Mountain Hardwear Launches Outdoor Social Networking Site

Gear manufacturer Mountain Hardwear has launched a new site called The Expedition Republic which looks to be a social networking site for climbers, mountaineers, and outdoor enthusiasts in general.

The splash page for this new endeavor allows you to look around a mountain setting, in pseudo 3D, and click on a few items to get some cool video and more information on some specific topics. There are also links to some of the Mountain Hardwear gear shown in the videos as well, as of course part of the focus it to sell more stuff too.

Clicking the option to sign up for the Republic takes you to a different page which looks more like a traditional social networking site. Here you'll see who the active members are, find all kinds of useful links related to Mountain Hardwear, and a collection of cool mountaineering and climbing videos. Becoming a member allows you to customize your own page, enter the forums (of which here is only one at the moment), read the Republic Blog, and have access to groups, which presumably will help you connect with other users who share your interests. I say presumably, because as of this writing, there aren't any groups yet either.

Clearly the Republic is in it's early stages of development, and MH is trying to build something cool here for the community. if you join now you'll also be eligible to win some great gear, which is never a bad thing. So, if you're not already all social networked out with Facebook, Twitter, and the rest, head on over, sign up and join the fun.

Ed Viesturs Returns To Everest!

The Outside Blog over at Outside Online is reporting that climbing legend Ed Viesturs is returning to Everest this year as part of an all-star team of climbers making their attempts on the highest peak on the planet. This will be Ed's 11th time on the mountain, and he has made six successful summit attempts already.

Considered one of the top mountaineers in the world, Viesturs is the only American to have successfully topped out on all 14 of the 8000m peaks, without supplemental oxygen no less. After completing his climb of Annapurna back in 2005, the last of the 8-thousanders on his list, Ed announced that he was retiring from climbing the big peaks, although he has stayed plenty active on other mountains and various adventures, including a polar ski expedition to Baffin Island last year.

Ed will join mountaineering luminaries Peter Whittaker, Dave Hahn, Melissa Arnot, Seth Waterfall, and Chad Peele in the attempt on Everest. Lou and Jim Whittaker are serving as consultants to the team as well. The expedition is sponsored by gear company Eddie Bauer, who are attempting to get back to their roots with a new line of outdoor gear called First Ascent. The First Ascent website has some nice video of the team testing out the new gear and preparing for their expedition.

This should be a fun expedition to follow this year when the Everest season gets underway in another month. There are some great stories here, such as Dave Hahn going for another Everest summit, as he is already the man with the most summits on the mountain who isn't a Sherpa.

It's also great to see Eddie Bauer returning to it's roots as well. Over the past ten years or so, the brand has become a shadow of it's former self, sold on discount racks at Target and in its own stores in upscale malls. Most of the stuff was aimed at the urban crowd looking for a distinctive label, and there was little of interest for those that actually wanted to wear it on a trail somewhere. This new First Ascent line looks like good, quality gear that you can take on an adventure. Something Eddie Bauer hasn't offered for some time. Hope it turns out well.

Mountain Hardwear 2010 Exedition Sponorship News

Mountain Hardwear has posted a brief note on their Hardwear Sessions blog indicating that their 2010 Expedition Sponsorship Program will be kicking off soon, with applications being made available on May 1st.

Each year Mountain Hardwear offers up some cash to help sponsor worthy adventures around the globe and to help give back a bit to the community. For instance, for 2009 the company gave out a total of $10,000 to help fund two expeditions, Operation: Denali, which will assist four soldiers wounded in Iraq in climbing Denali, and the New Zealand Batura Expedition, which will head to a remote region in the Karakorum to tackle unclimbed peaks there.

Now, I'm sure you're looking at the calendar and thinking, "Hey! It's only March 24th! May 1st is a long way off!" But, it's never to early to start thinking about your 2010 expedition, and preparing to write the application for the MH grants. May 1st will be here before you know it, and you should take advantage of this opportunity when it comes. Sponsorship opportunities may be few and far between in this economic climate, and it's good to see that there are still some out there for adventurers to take advantage of.

Jacket Concept Design Converts To Tent

It seems like just about everything that can be done with our outdoor gear, has been done with our outdoor gear. We now have stuff that is lighter, stronger, and more durable than ever before. Heck, it's all designed to go easy on the environment too! Thankfully, some people are still coming up with some interesting designs. Take this interesting concept for an outdoor jacket designed by Justin Gargasz.

The Vessel jacket as it is called, converts from a sling pack to a fairly standard looking shell, before transforming one more time into a tent. Yep, it's like having three gear items in one, and they are traditionally three items that backpackers would take out in the field with them anyway.

Overall, I think it's an interesting design, and better left as a concept that an actual real product. I'm not sure how you would use this on any serious excursion into the woods, although I admit that the jacket converting into a tent idea is great for an emergency situation. The design is top notch though, and I give Justin credit for that, and forward thinking and innovation like this may be in our future gear items. Definitely something cool to think about.

Thanks to The Goat who picked this up via Core 77.

The Spring Buying Guide from National Geographic Adventure

Each spring, just like clockwork, a young man's (and woman's!) heart turns to thoughts of sunshine, blooming flowers, and of course new gear! We're all heading outside to take in the great weather, many of us for the first time in months, and nothing gets you excited about playing outside more than new outdoor equipment. Thankfully, National Geographic Adventure is here to help us spend some of that hard earned cash on the best new products for spring. (Economic crisis? What economic crisis?!?)

As usual, you'll find an interesting mix of gadgets and outdoor equipment to keep us busy in the months ahead. Adventure starts the list off with a pair of speakers from iHome Audio, that when paired with an mp3 player, will have base camp rockin'. From there, they move into the serious stuff, including four great packs, like the ACT Trail 32 from Deuter, which is a great daypack with easy access and the ability to carry a solid load. There are plenty of other great items on the list as well, including some suggestions for a new bike, road or mountain, a waterproof camera phone from Casio, and a cool new tent that includes a garage for your bike from Mountain Hardwear.

Obviously Adventure has a few suggestions for all of us, no matter what our outdoor passion is. Whether camping, hiking, paddling, cycling, or just relaxing, they have new items that you'll want to add to your gear closet. Be warned before clicking on over, "Gear Lust" is a vary real phenomenon, and I'm not responsible for increased credit card bills or angry spouses.