Columbia Peak 2 Peak Jacket

Disclaimer: Columbia sent me a free jacket for me to field test. Their purpose was for me to take a survey after I used it out in the field. But I also wanted to write about it here.

When I received the Columbia Peak 2 Peak Jacket in the mail, the first thing I noticed that it was pretty light. It’s not as light as my other super-thin rain shell, but it sure felt more durable. The other thing was the color. Columbia calls it Compass Blue and it is a really nice color. Most of everything else I have is forest green, black, khaki, or white.

I examined the seals and zippers and the pockets all seemed waterproof. The fit was nice and it wasn’t as noisy as some other waterproof clothing I have.

I appreciated the Velcro cuffs and the wire-supported hood and the overall feeling of durability that the jacket offered.

Here are the specs:

Adayak Hiking Tee

A few weeks ago, I got a message from David over at Adayak asking if I’d mind linking to the Adayak website. I don’t normally just add links to my page without some thought, so I browsed their website and liked what I saw. Adayak makes t-shirts for people who enjoy outdoors activities.

Three things stood out to me:

1. The t-shirts are made from 100% organic materials.
2. They don’t have prominent logos on their products. That’s a pet peeve of mine.
3. They donate 1$ from every order to environmental conservation charities.

Then I read Modern Hiker’s review of the shirt and I knew I had to have one. I contacted David at Adayak and begged to be sent one to review on my blog. Within a couple of days, I had the shirt in my hand. I asked for a large, since I read that sizing tends to be small.

When I am hiking up to the top of mountains, I tend to travel pretty light. I have worn a day pack with a bladder pouch on some of the longer hikes, but most summit hikes in San Diego tend to be 5-6 miles or shorter. However, I don’t like my back completely sweaty, especially on the hotter days. [tweet]

One of my most-used equipment on my hikes has been the Mountainsmith Ultra Lumbar Pack. It doesn’t have a lot of storage for more than two water bottles and some maps and snacks, but it has everything I need for most of my hikes. There is an elastic belt pocket for a GPS or cell phone, which I use for my iPhone (as a GPS), and a smaller velcro belt pocket for my car keys. There is even a padded interior pocket in the large pocket for items that you want protected. I have been able to easily access the water bottles while hiking due to the angle which the bottle pockets are placed, as well as the main pocket in the rear due to the large loop on the zipper. It even has a little strap on the top of the pack for carrying with one hand to and from the car while fully loaded. I’ve used this feature far more than I ever thought I would.

From time to time, I will be reviewing some of the gear that I use. Since I only use stuff that I like, most of the these reviews will be positive. I will be honest in addressing any potential flaws.

The first review is for the prAna Men’s Stretch Zion Short. I first found a pair of these shorts several years ago on the clearance rack outside side of REI for about $25. The material is 97% Nylon amd 3% Spandex.

Since then, I have not seen these shorts anywhere near that price. These were an older version that had stiff but stretchy fabric with netted pockets and were quite comfortable, stain-resistant and wrinkle-free. I stuffed them in my backpack or suitcase and they always looked good. I’ve been wearing them regularly since and I see no visible signs of wear. They are made from strong material to withstand years of abuse. Since I liked them so much, I recently decided to order more since I will be spending more time out on the trails.

The current year’s version lists for about $60, but are for some reason hard to find these days, escpecially in Large. I ordered my latest shorts from Neptune Mountaineering for $35 each and now they are out of stock on all sizes and colors.

I just received the new shorts the other day and the fit was excellent.  The only difference I can see between the older version is that the back pocket is not zippered on the new version, which isn’t a big deal for me. It has a built-in belt that I pretty much set and forget and find it easy to wear under lumbar or overnight pack belts. Other shorts that I own tend to restrict my movement up the steeper parts of the trail, but these shorts do no such thing due to the stretchy fabric.

I like that I can travel with these and they always look great and fresh. Dirt seems to slide right off of them. I love these shorts and can’t recommend them more.