All blogs

Every full length (longer than 60 seconds) video and accompanying blog post

Inov8 Roclite G 315 GTX Review When Used for Hiking, Backpacking, and Alpine Scrambling

Inov8 is a company with a tradition in fell running: moving over the wet mountains of the LaKe District in the UK. I've been wearing the Inov8 Roclite G 315 GTX shoes for several years, and have put them to the test on fastmoving hiking trips, fully laden backpacking trips, and even alpine climbs that demand rock scrambling. Here's my review of this versatile shoe.

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Reviewing the La Sportiva Aequilibrium Top Boot: Backpacking, Mountaineering, and Climbing Trips

La Sportiva created three versions of the Aequilibrium boot to help alpinists lose the weight of needing multiple shoes for trips that contained dry approaches with backpacking, snow filled mountaineering, and technical climbing. Can the boot accommodate all of those disparate needs? We provide a full review.

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Locus Gear Djedi Tent Review: 1 Year of Ultralight Backpacking, Camping, & Climbing Trips

A cottage brand out of Japan, Locus Gear, has made a free standing, ultralight, dome tent with four-season toughness by producing a fabric combination of Dyneema and eVent. It's called the Djedi. After using it for a year on camping trips, backpacking trips, and alpine climbing trips, I'm providing a full review.

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Climbing, Backpacking, Camping, Apex Trips, Summer Jason Kolaczkowski Climbing, Backpacking, Camping, Apex Trips, Summer Jason Kolaczkowski

Mount Moran's Skillet Glacier Route: 6000 Vertical Feet of, Hiking, Bushwhacking, and Snow Climbing

A climbing partner from Denali (seven years ago) put together a trip for the Skillet Glacier route on Mount Moran (12,605') in Grand Teton National Park. She and I embraced hiking the long approach, bushwhack off trail, and 6000 feet of elevation gain to get our fill of summer snow climbing on a direct and impressive line.

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I Only Use Trekking Poles that Can Fold Up Into My Pack. Here's Why

I use trekking poles to help reduce the impact on my surgically repaired knee from my hiking, backpacking, climbing, and camping... anything that requires a pack and an approach. But I now only use the style of trekking poles that fold up just like tent poles. For me, it's a safety issue. This video describes the safety problem as well as discusses some of the trade-offs I must accept by using this style of pole.

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Affordable. Durable. Effective. A One Year Review of the PIQIDIG Kids' Sun Hoody

When the manufacturer of our favorite kids' sun hoody stopped making them, we needed to find a new option. Eventually, we lucked into the hoody made by PIQIDIG, and we are happy it happened. Here, we review the PIQIDIG Kids' Sun Hoody, after a year of use, so you can learn if it's a good option for your little ones.

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Climbing, Backpacking, Camping, Apex Trips, Spring Jason Kolaczkowski Climbing, Backpacking, Camping, Apex Trips, Spring Jason Kolaczkowski

Keep Going: a Short Film of Twin 7 Year Olds' Camping and Climbing Trip up their First Snow Couloir

Spring time in the Rocky Mountains means snow couloir season for climbers, and this year, we figured out how to get technical crampons to work on the boys' small feet. So, the boys and I took a short camping trip that culminated in their first real alpine snow climb, including a few small snow fields before a 500 vertical foot gully. They learned the mental and physical persistence that direct snow lines can demand, and I was admittedly in awe at their incredible capabilities while being so young.

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Why You Might Want, and How to Make Ankle Gaiters for Hiking, Climbing, and Backpacking Kids

Hiking, climbing, and backpacking conditions can risk you ankles or your feet. From gravel kicking up into your shoes to shards of loose rock, the consequences can very from annoying to damaging. One set of conditions that can start as annoying but become dangerous is spring snow. There is often too little to require snowshoes, but enough that sticking a leg into a collapsing hole of snow is likely. That snow getting into your shoes can cause cold feet. Cold feet untreated can become frostbite. Ankle gaiters can solve this problem by keeping snow out of our boots and shoes, but there aren't really any great options for kids. Here's how I converted an adult ankle gaiter into a kid-sized one.

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How-To, Family Dynamics, How-To (03) Jason Kolaczkowski How-To, Family Dynamics, How-To (03) Jason Kolaczkowski

What is Shared Decision Making and How Does It Apply to Climbing, Backpacking, and Camping?

When we head into the outdoors, things don't always go to plan. We could be on a camping trip and forgotten a key piece of gear. We could be mountaineering and have weather move in. We could be climbing injure a finger. We could be backpacking, and twist a knee. Of course, things could even get more severe and serious. Part of what helps groups and teams deal with unpleasant eventualities in the backcountry in making sure that all participants have a voice in decision making. That doesn't mean all participants have to agree, but they do have a voice. Let's talk about shared decision making, what it is and how it can help when things go wrong.

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How-To, Family Dynamics, How-To (03) Jason Kolaczkowski How-To, Family Dynamics, How-To (03) Jason Kolaczkowski

Three Questions to Keep Up Your Situational Awareness for Climbing, Mountaineering, and Backpacking

Outdoor adventures like climbing, mountaineering, and backpacking come with risk. We all work to mitigate those risks. To be effective at managing risk, we need situational awareness: and understanding of our internal and external hazards. Here are three questions I am constantly asking myself, my adventuring family, and my climbing partners to help ensure we remain situationally aware.

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How-To, Family Dynamics, How-To (03) Jason Kolaczkowski How-To, Family Dynamics, How-To (03) Jason Kolaczkowski

Habits Help: The Science of Forming Habits to Support Your Climbing, Mountaineering, and Backpacking

Certain things in the outdoors rely upon habit. If you are climbing, every knot has to be tied correctly. If you are mountaineering, you need to be able to perform self-arrest on instinct. If you are backpacking, you need to build up your miles to ensure you can meet your objective's demands. Forming habits can be easier or harder depending on the complexity of the behavior or action you want to habituate. What can science tell us about how to form habits that support our outdoor adventures?

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How-To, How-To (02), Family Dynamics Jason Kolaczkowski How-To, How-To (02), Family Dynamics Jason Kolaczkowski

Thoughtful Gear Substitutions for Your Climbing, Mountaineering Backpacking, Hiking, or Camping

Knowing which gear works best for your climbing, mountaineering, backpacking, hiking, and camping trips is harder than it seems. But lessons learned from the scientific method and the discipline of product development can help ensure that you are improving your gear systems each time you head out.

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How-To, How-To (02), Family Dynamics Jason Kolaczkowski How-To, How-To (02), Family Dynamics Jason Kolaczkowski

Managing Fear on Outdoor Adventures: Climbing, Mountaineering, Backpacking, Hiking, or Camping

Outdoor adventures like climbing, mountaineering, backpacking, hiking, and camping can sometimes get off plan and some of those eventualities can create fear. Here are some fundamental techniques for helping to manage fear by limiting the times you feel fear as well as effectively dealing with fear when it shows up.

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How-To, How-To (02), Family Dynamics Jason Kolaczkowski How-To, How-To (02), Family Dynamics Jason Kolaczkowski

Climbing, Mountaineering, Backpacking, & Camping with Parenthood, YouTube, Cancer, & Mental Health

I've gotten some questions about who I am and what distinguishes our channel from others. Well, like most of us, what makes me different from anyone else is my personal story and the experiences I bring. As we begin National Mental Health Awareness Month, here's a unvarnished glimpse into me and the role camping, hiking, backpacking, mountaineering, and climbing play in a world also filled with YouTube, parenting, and cancer.

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How-To, How-To (02) Jason Kolaczkowski How-To, How-To (02) Jason Kolaczkowski

Ensure You Have the Right Gear on Your Mountaineering, Backpacking, or Camping Trip: Loadout Days

Mountaineering, backpacking, and camping trips require a lot of gear. If you are traveling across states, provinces, or even countries, the stakes of having too much gear can be costly, and having too little gear can even be dangerous. Here I present the single most important day of my travel/expedition planning process to help insure that I, and my team, don't make either of those mistakes.

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How-To, How-To (02) Jason Kolaczkowski How-To, How-To (02) Jason Kolaczkowski

Five Tips for Flying with Mountaineering, Backpacking, and Camping Gear

Hiking, backpacking, and mountaineering trips require a lot of gear as well as gear for which airline security policies add complication. As COVID restrictions ease up and trips for outdoor adventures become plausible, again, we provide five tips to make your air travel in-country or abroad more manageable and less stressful.

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How-To, How-To (02) Jason Kolaczkowski How-To, How-To (02) Jason Kolaczkowski

How and Why to Make Your Own Topographic Route Map for Mountaineering, Backpacking, and Hiking

Hiking, Backpacking, and Mountaineering trips can cover a lot of ground, and the longer the trip the more likely that contingencies will arise that force us to adjust. In those circumstances, having gone through the process of making my own topographic route map helps me better know options and recognize landmarks once I am out in the field. Here's the why and how of making your own maps.

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Mountaineering, Backpacking, and Camp Pillows: the Risk of Cheyne-Stokes Apnea Made Me Add This Item

I carry a camp pillow when mountaineering, backpacking, or alpine climbing at altitude. There are multiple reasons. One reason is that at high altitudes I can become susceptible to Cheyne-Stokes breathing, an apnea that impacts my ability to sleep. Find out why plenty of people get Cheyne-Stokes at altitude, and how a simple item like a camp pillow can alleviate this condition. Also discover how a camp pillow may contribute to a warmer and lighter sleep system, overall.

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Long Term Gear Review: Hiking, Backpacking, Camping, and Alpine Climbing in Lorpen T3+ Winter Socks

Winter hiking, backpacking, camping, and alpine climbing can create challenging conditions for keeping your hands and feet warm. And for your feet, then you need to add in the need to also not get blisters. I've used the Lorpen T3+ Inferno Expedition and the T3+ Trekking Expedition socks for several winter seasons, now, and I offer my long term review of what is the best winter sock I have ever put on.

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