It’s not every day that you see a pair of MICROspikes facing off with a golf cart. I’m guessing the thought hadn’t even crossed your mind. But, we endeavour to please and we want to make sure that gear can stand up to our rigorous testing. Oh, and we like …

I’ve saved literally thousands of dollars shopping at the Sierra Trading Post. I almost exclusively shop there for everyone in the family. Why? Because I can buy high quality brands at incredible prices. From my first pair of kids Vasque runners for $16 to my Mountain Hardwear snow pants, there isn’t much …

  I have my share of jackets in my closet and all of them have a role. One thing I didn’t have was a work jacket for all those DIYs and outdoor projects that shred lighter weight fabrics. When I was asked to review something from Carhartt, I jumped at …

I always carry a SPOT Messenger with me on my trips, but as I was going out for 2+ weeks on the John Muir Trail (and because SPOT offered) I decided to take along their new Satellite phone with me. I love my SPOT Messenger (II), but it’s only one-way …

Back in the day, thorn hooks were all the rage. Check out this simple tip as we make a hook out of an acacia thorn. Check out the video below to see how we did it:

This summer we did something crazy… and had a blast doing it. We took our two youngest kids (3 years old and 1) on a week long canoe and portage trip through the Bowron Lakes. To be honest, it wasn’t that crazy as we had a bomb-proof Clipper 18′ 6″ …

Another simple butuseful trick to add to your arsenal. This one makes use of common household waste (a.k.a. dryer lint). It ignites instantly and burns for long enough to get a good blaze going. Watch the video below and try it out!

        Nervous tension as we got up for an easy 13 miles to Guitar Lake. The terrain had changed yet again and there was so much to see as we approached the cliffs of insanity (a.k.a. Mt. Whitney). The weather turned bad yet again as cloud came …

My dad always talked about how birch bark was one of the best tools to start a fire. We would choose it because it was high in resin and would burn even when wet. Add to that the fact that it burns for a long time and you can really …

It was round about this time that the finality of the trip started to set in. There were less than 50 miles left to go, and although are bodies were ready for them, I don’t think our minds were.   We crossed Glenn Pass and then stormed up the ascent …

Weather was fickle. We were really put to the test when a monsoonal front came through and hit us all hard. Despite choosing our sites fairly well, rain water pooled everywhere and some was even driven up between the fly and the inner tent. 2 of the 3 tents survived …

Leaving the Muir Trail Ranch was the turning point for the weather. From there it just kept getting more and more challenging. The Muir Pass was the first real rain and it got worse. The views continued to be excellent, despite of the whales lurking around every corner and the …