Chest Rigs: Hill People Gear SAR Kit Bag

Hill People Gear is known for its extensive selection of high-quality chest packs. These things are immensely popular among members of my SAR team and for a long time I haven’t really seen the need for one. After completing the SAR training I attended a few weeks back I realized their utility and ordered a Hill People Gear SAR Kit Bag, Medium. Continue reading “Chest Rigs: Hill People Gear SAR Kit Bag”

Lumbar Pack: Oregon Pack Works

My recent rediscovery of the Mountainsmith Tour sparked some curiosity about the lumbar pack market. The lumbar pack is exceedingly appealing to me, but I’ve only ever worn one brand. Curious about other offerings I set about looking for other companies that made similar products. The first one I landed on was Oregon Pack Works’ Lumbar Pack. Continue reading “Lumbar Pack: Oregon Pack Works”

Lumbar Pack: Mountainsmith Tour

Writing about the Helikon Essentials Kitbag recently got me thinking about alternate means of load-carriage. Backpacks are cool, all of us probably own one, but they aren’t the only fish in the sea. Today I’m going to revisit one of my old favorites: the Mountainsmith Tour lumbar pack, an alternative to the ubiquitous backpack. Continue reading “Lumbar Pack: Mountainsmith Tour”

Helikon Essentials Kitbag and My Minimal Survival Kit

I recently wrote about the contents of a theoretical minimalist survival kit. I love the concept of such a kit: the bare minimum stuff you’d want to survive in the wilderness, so I decided to put one together. I’ve walked with it several times now and here’s what I have to report. Continue reading “Helikon Essentials Kitbag and My Minimal Survival Kit”