Today’s Bargains: 3 Can’t-Miss Gear Sales https://ift.tt/2MKbo2H

Great outdoor gear at an amazing price: That’s our goal each week. Check out the bargains below and save on gear for your next adventure.

Odlo SUW Natural X-Warm Base Layer Top — Men’s & Women’s: $55 (50% Off)

This extra-warm base layer is built for long-term performance and is ever so sleek. The midweight SUW Natural base layer from Odlo is made with virgin merino wool for the ultimate level of comfort.

In addition to the wool, the long-sleeve has brushed polyester “warming zones” on the lower back, shoulders, torso sides, and arms for temperature control all day long. This is a great deal for merino no matter how you slice it.

See the men’s Base Layer TopSee the women’s Base Layer Top

Mountain Hardwear Ghost Sky 2 Tent: $322 (25% Off)

I love when backpacking tents are on sale, and this one from Mountain Hardware is a great deal. The 40-denier, two-door tent has an average amount of floor space but a great amount of headspace for taller folks, and has 9 square feet of vestibule area when the fly is on.

The fully taped seams and sealed corners means it will keep you dry from any harsh rain. And being a two-person tent, splitting the 3 pounds 9 ounces of weight between you and your camping partner is even better.

See the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Sky 2 Tent

Black Diamond Spark Gloves — Men’s & Women’s: $64 (20% Off)

I know that usually the rule is mittens are warmer, but I want gloves when I’m skiing on the mountain. These Spark Gloves from Black Diamond offer both cozy warmth and finger dexterity. The gloves have a fleece lining and waterproof insert all wrapped up in a tough goat leather shell.

The Spark gloves also have a hook-and-loop wrist closure to keep snow out while you’re on the mountain — whether it’s a day at the ski resort or a remote backcountry expedition. Get 20 percent off using the code FALLFLASH at checkout.

See the men’s Spark GlovesSee the women’s Spark Gloves

The post Today’s Bargains: 3 Can’t-Miss Gear Sales appeared first on GearJunkie.

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A Brief Adventurous History of Flannel

This is part of #OutsideFlannelWeek, a celebration of the fabric we all know and love. 

The story of flannel begins with sheep. History tells us that some of the earliest flannel-like clothes come from Wales. As I imagine it: one day, a Welsh shepherd, fed up with coming home each night to a scratchy woolen undershirt, had a vision for a new kind of material that would fend off the North Atlantic mist and not leave him itching that one tricky spot between his shoulder blades. The result of that vision was flannel, a soft, hardy fabric first made of wool. (In fact, flannel is a type of weave, rather than a specific pattern.) Here, we’re going to take a look at some of its greatest hits.

In the Museum of English Rural Life’s digital archives, flannel appears in everything from petticoats to blankets to children’s smocks. While the oldest items are made of wool, flannel can also be made from fibers like cotton and even pine. The thread used to weave flannel is tightly spun and water resistant, and often brushed on one side, resulting in a fabric that’s durable and softens with age.

In the U.S., flannel has gone through a series of incarnations. Some of the earliest documented flannel garments were a kind of two-part long underwear known as emancipation suits, patented in the decades after the Civil War as a replacement for whalebone corsets. Those reportedly morphed into union suits, the full-body long underwear (with bum flap) worn by Yosemite Sam or your uncle in Wisconsin. Union suits became the standard base layer for those working in lumber or on railroads, while flannel jackets were used as heavy, water-resistant outerwear.

Flannel spiked in popularity during the folk-revival movement of the seventies, then achieved iconic fame with the rise of grunge in the nineties. As Clara Berg, a textile specialist and curator at Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry, told me, Seattle’s grunge scene embraced flannel and tattered jeans as anti-fashion. The clothes were functional and cheap—in a 1992 photo from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, a man shows off a plaid jacket that he coyly says had been “left behind,” a remnant of the region’s lumber workers. The look appealed to those who didn’t feel represented by the glitz of hair metal. When Nirvana’s Nevermind exploded to the top of the Billboard charts in 1992, ratty thrift-store flannels came along for the ride. (It was around this time, Berg thinks, that plaid and flannel fused into synonyms, as the grunge scene didn’t distinguish between different plaid shirts—after all, they got them out of dumpsters and secondhand stores.)

With the popularity came a backlash. When Marc Jacobs, then a designer at Perry Ellis, released a grunge-inspired collection in 1993 (strips of flannel and long tartan skirts abounded), he was panned by both pearl clutchers in the fashion world and professional musicians who chafed as their anarchist sensibility was co-opted and commercialized.

But flannel’s popularity didn’t die down: think Jerry Seinfeld’s early-decade baggy highwater jeans and loose flannel shirts, the angsty teens and vampires in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Even the anti-grunge crusader played by Alicia Silverstone in 1995’s Clueless wears a tartan blazer and miniskirt. And last year, Marc Jacobs revived his grunge looks for Gen Z.

The current flannel trend, which has its roots in the post-millenium lumbersexual look, doesn’t follow directly from the heady, dumpster-diving days of grunge—it’s more like seventies Americana remixed by the gentrification set—but Berg says there are similarly admirable qualities. Brands like Filson, a Seattle-based company founded during the Alaskan Gold Rush, she notes, have experienced a revival by placing a premium on durability and function. That’s flannel at its best, I think. Stylish? Sure, sometimes. But a really good flannel will last long enough to be passed down to the next generation of hipsters.

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How Not to Get Lost—and Tips for Finding Your Way Back

In May 2019, yoga teacher and physical therapist Amanda Eller was lost for 17 days in the dense inland forests of Maui after a three-mile hike turned into a harrowing ordeal. She set out on foot without a cell phone, food, or water, as she only planned to be out for a short jaunt. After venturing off the trail, she wasn’t able to find her way back. She suffered from severe sunburn, leg injuries, and the loss of her shoes but survived by eating berries, drinking stream water, and sleeping among leaves. After more than two weeks, a rescue helicopter spotted her atop a waterfall. What should you do if you find yourself, like Eller, lost in the woods, with no trail in sight? We called up a few experts for their advice.

Before You Go

Obviously, most people don’t plan on getting lost. But there are a few steps you can take before heading out on an adventure that may help you in case you lose your way. 

“Before a trip, it’s best to let someone responsible know—or leave a note about—where you are going, who you are going with, and when you plan to get back,” says Devin Hiemstra, a longtime volunteer with Northern California’s Tahoe Nordic Search and Rescue. “It helps us search the right area at the right time. On long trips, I even include how much equipment I have and how long I can be out in case things go bad.” Hiemstra added that securing a wilderness permit (when applicable) or leaving your route and trip duration in a trail register or your vehicle can also help.

Knowing how to use a map and compass could be critical if your phone or GPS device runs out of charge, and it’s best to learn before you hit the trail. “The most important thing to know about your compass is that it’s not magic. A compass can’t tell you which way to go if you don’t know which way you want to go. It can’t locate you if you get lost. But it can help,” says Clare Durand, president of Orienteering USA, the governing body for the sport in this country. “You can use the combination of map and compass to make sure the trail is going in the right direction. If there’s not a trail, you might be able to see from reading the contour lines that you’re going up a hill onto a ridge that’s running north to south, and you can get on that hill.” 

For a crash course in navigation, check your local REI for map- and compass-reading workshops, or sign up for weekend-long navigation-skills classes in the southern Utah desert with Get in the Wild ($295). If you can’t make it in person, Backpacker magazine hosts a seven-part online course on backcountry navigation ($149) that teaches you how to orient a map, use a compass, plan a route, and respond if you get lost.

What to Bring

You don’t always need to tote an arsenal of GPS devices and emergency-survival tools every time you go into the woods. But if you’re heading into an area you don’t know, or you’re planning a longer-distance adventure, you may want to pack for just-in-case situations, like losing your way.

For starters, bring your cell phone and carry enough water and food to last longer than you think you’ll be out there. You may want to pack extra layers—we like the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer/2 Down Hoody ($325), since it’s warm and packs down small—and a strong headlamp, like the rechargeable Petzl Actik Core ($70).

A GPS device like the Garmin inReach Explorer+ ($450) can be a lifesaver. It includes preloaded topo maps, a built-in digital compass, and global satellite messaging for sending out SOS messages, even in zones without cell service. 

Even if you have a GPS device, the batteries could die or you could lose the gadget, which is why you should learn how to navigate the old-fashioned way. “Find a compass with a clear baseplate, so you can see through it,” says Durand. “That makes it easy to hold it onto the map, and you don’t need any fancy sighting instruments.” Suunto’s A10 SH Compass ($25) has a standard design that’s easy to use—pair it with a paper map like those usually available at your local outdoor store. The USGS has maps of the United States available online, and sites like AllTrails allow you to print or save topographic maps to your phone.

A well-stocked first aid kit is always a smart idea. “Flares and signal mirrors are good if someone is looking and in a position to see it,” says Hiemstra. “A mirror is small and easy to carry, and a flare can be a great way to start a fire for warmth.” Coghlan’s Sight-Grid Signal Mirror ($13) is wallet size and can be seen up to 25 miles away, and West Marine’s White Handheld Solas Flare ($40) is designed for boaters, but it works for lost hikers, too. An emergency whistle, like JetScream’s floating model ($8), can also help rescuers locate you or let those nearby know you’re in distress.

If You Get Lost

If all else fails and you’re really lost, stop and settle yourself. “Don’t panic. Breathe. Take a snack or water break,” says Kenja Griffin, a California-based Outward Bound instructor of 20 years. “Use your map to figure out your handrails—what features are around you. Maybe you’ll see that the trail should be here on the map, say, on the north side of this ridge, and you should be going there.”

Griffin suggests walking a big circle around your immediate area. “Be aware of your surroundings. Be present,” Griffin says. “If you’re walking on trails, pay attention to where the trail goes. It can be easy to get off course if you’re walking on granite and the trail disappears. Look for clues of impact by other people, like footprints or trail markers.”

If these attempts fail, calling 911 is the best way to initiate a search and rescue. “Most SAR teams are run through the county sheriff, and calling 911 is the most efficient way to start the process, plus their location services are really helpful,” says Hiemstra. “People can have mixed results with cell-phone pings, but if they can drop a pin on a map and send that in a text, it’s usually really accurate.” 

After calling or sending a pin, stay aware of your phone’s battery power, and do your best to conserve it. Keep your phone in a warm, interior pocket if it’s getting cold, and turn off Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which can sap energy faster.

“Whenever someone is lost and calls for help, the best thing to do is to stay where you are,” says Hiemstra. “We always think we can trace our footprints or get to a better spot, but often we end up getting ourselves more lost or to a worse spot to be found.” He recommends staying put, keeping warm and dry, and making yourself as visible as possible. If there’s a nearby obviously visible spot, like an open meadow, you can go there to be more visible to a helicopter.

from Outside Magazine: All https://ift.tt/2pS64RE

How Minnesotans Bike All Year Long, Even in Winter

In most places, winter is when bikes are stowed away until spring. Not in Minnesota. “People from around the country would make fun of me,” says Hansi Johnson, a former regional director at the International Mountain Biking Association. “They’d say, ‘Yeah, mountain biking in Minnesota is great four months of the year.’ I’d tell them, ‘You’re missing the point.’”

The point is that many Minnesotan cyclists actually crave winter. There’s a surreal magic to those moonlit, subzero winter nights when you can bundle up and set out into the snow like a two-wheeled Jack London. Counter to what cyclists in more forgiving climates might believe, it’s possible and—yes—even fun to ride in Minnesota year-round.

Minneapolis maintains 128 miles of all-season bike trails and lanes, and Saint Paul has 88, which makes the Twin Cities one of the biggest year-round urban cycling hubs in the world. To stay sane in the shoulder seasons, when mud makes mountain biking impossible, cyclists hit dirt roads on their gravel bikes. In summer there are hundreds of miles of singletrack and paved rail-to-trail routes across the state. Riding all year may require a full set of bikes but, as Johnson says, “In Minnesota you can’t be a one-trick pony.”

Winter

(Photo: Ryan Krueger/Cavan)

At this latitude, winter is cold enough that snow and ice stay on the ground all season, which makes for excellent fat biking. While the official season is December through March, snow consistently falls October through April. Minneapolis’s Theodore Wirth Park has more than six miles of designated fat-bike trails, and even makes snow on its lighted five-mile cross-country ski loop that opens for riding Friday through Sunday evenings. Fat bikes for sale and rent as well as hot cocoa are available at the Trailhead, a new chalet with lockers, showers, and a fitness center. From January 30 to February 2, the park is the epicenter of the City of Lakes Loppet Festival, a celebration of everything winter that includes four fat tire events, including sprint races and an urban tour. 

Two hours north of Minneapolis, Cuyuna Lakes is a former iron-ore mining quarry turned mountain-bike park, with 25 miles of trail spread over 800 acres, all groomed for fat biking in winter. Ratings range from green to double black diamond, and wind past snow-covered mining lakes. In February, it hosts the 45Nrth Whiteout, with 10-, 20-, and 30-kilometer races on snowy singletrack. 

Then there’s next-level winter riding: the Arrowhead 135, a frostbitten ultra that starts near the Canadian border. It’s scheduled for late January when the temperature can drop to negative 60 degrees. The race traverses south for 135 miles through remote wilderness, where wolf packs have been known to circle, before ending near Tower, Minnesota. “You’re in the middle of nowhere and are on your own for hours,” says Pat Greehan, who finished the race last year in 22 hours 6 minutes, right before the temperature plummeted to minus 40. “Between miles 90 and 110, there are 41 hills, most of which are not rideable when you’re pushing 50 pounds of gear in snow.” What more evidence do you need that Minnesotans like to suffer?

Spring

(Photo: Trek13/iStock)

When the trails turn to slush, cyclists use their GPS to link dirt roads into gravel routes, from the rolling bluffs of Mississippi River country in the southeast corner of the state to the wooded Forest Service roads farther north. Most are training for races like May’s Le Grand du Nord, northern Minnesota’s premier self-supported spring gravel event that offers 20-, 54-, and 110-mile rides. Starting on the shore of Lake Superior in the quaint harbor town of Grand Marais, the 110-mile ride climbs 5,500 feet on gravel roads through the Sawtooth Mountains near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. The ride ends with a beer or three at Voyageur Brewing Company. 

Summer

(Photo: Michael Hicks/Creative Commons)

After the trails dry out in May, Duluth, the hilly, hipster-filled industrial city of 86,000 that sits on the western tip of Lake Superior, turns into a mountain-biking mecca. Over the past decade, Duluth, in conjunction with local non-profit Cyclists of Gitchee Gummee Shores, has invested millions of dollars into building more than 100 miles of singletrack that stretch from the Chambers Grove Park along the Saint Louis River in the west to the flowing waterfalls of Lester Park in the east. The 85-mile Duluth Traverse hugs the city’s coastline and has jaw-dropping views of the lake. Spiraling off it are separate loops that offer expert-only trails, from the 3,500-foot downhill insanity of Calculated Risk, at Spirit Mountain in the south, to the steep bedrock roll downs of DM, in Piedmont farther north. The outfitters Duluth Experience host a three-hour tour of the Duluth Traverse ($79; hardtail rental included) and Day Tripper of Duluth offers two-to-three-hour private lessons from a guide certified by the  Professional Mountain Bike Instructors Association ($75). 

Less extensive but equally exciting is the expanding network of trails in the 460-acre Tioga Recreation Area near Grand Rapids, a wooded playground overlooking Pokegama Lake and the Mississippi River, three hours north from Minneapolis. There are currently 22 miles of completed trail, offering variety in difficulty and style, from rocky, technical cross-country routes to jumpy downhills for advanced riders. Ardent Bikes in Grand Rapids rents hardtails and full-suspension bikes, starting at $45 for two hours. 

Fall

(Photo: hauged/iStock)

To cycle through a flaming array of fall colors and get a serious hill workout, head south with a road or gravel bike to the Root River and Harmony-Preston Valley Trails, a 60-mile, Y-shaped, rail-to-trail network in the southeast corner of the state between Houston and Fountain. The route undulates through river-bluff country, historic small towns, and traditional Amish communities of southern Minnesota, a vast change from the dense pine forests of the north. Book a night (and a massage) at the funkily renovated Stone Mill Hotel and Suites (from $90), then set out on the town for a play at the renowned Commonweal Theatre Company.

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‘It was insane, breath-taking, the fish of a lifetime’ https://ift.tt/34aDaeL

A New York angler caught a potential state record tiger muskie earlier this month. But he wasn’t of a mind to keep the fish.

“Look, I wasn’t going to eat it. I love these fish. I have no regrets,” he said.

For the story, click here.

Categories: News

Tags: Fishing, Tiger muskie

The post ‘It was insane, breath-taking, the fish of a lifetime’ appeared first on Outdoornews.

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