The general outdoor industry realized several years ago that women get out and hike, bike, camp and »»]]> (First published in Seattle Times NW Weekend March 18, 2010)

The general outdoor industry realized several years ago that women get out and hike, bike, camp and climb. As a result, gear makers began producing products designed for women.

More recently, the fishing industry realized that women also like to get out and fish and, yes, they want gear that’s fully functional but that also fits them comfortably.

For fly-fishing, especially here in the Northwest, where some of the best fishing occurs during winter steelhead and salmon runs, chest waders are essential. To address the needs of female anglers, Simms designed the Women’s Headwaters waders. While some other “women’s waders” are merely smaller sizes of men’s models, Simms tailored their women-specific waders to the body sizes and shapes of women. They offer 19 different sizes (from Small-short to XXL-tall) of the stocking-foot waders to ensure a good fit for nearly any woman.

The Headwaters utilize three-layer Gore-Tex for the bulk of the waders, with stout five-layer panels on the leg fronts for added durability and protection when working through brush-laden stream banks or rubbing against leg braces in drift boats. Our testers used the Headwaters while searching for steelhead on the ice-laden Methow, and while catching feisty cutthroats in the gin-clear waters of Idaho’s Kelly Creek. Donna reported the waders fit comfortably, with no binding in the legs, without being baggy. Articulated seams around the knees and hips add to the mobility.

A favorite nontechnical feature of the waders was the pass-through fleece-lined pocket high on the chest. This pocket proved valuable for rewarming hands during winter trips. The Women’s Headwaters waders retail for $299. See www.simmsfishing.com.

To help keep their gear handy while wading the rivers, Fishpond offers women the Firefly Fishing Vest. Designed specifically for river-bum women, the Firefly offers an array of features in a lightweight, sleek design. Mesh fabric in the body of the vest keeps the weight down, while broad, padded straps in the shoulders make the vest comfortable and supportive even if the pockets are loaded down with gear and tackle. Multiple zippered pockets swallow fly boxes and spare spools and a deep pocket on the back offers a secure place to store a spare jacket or lunch. The vest is tailored to the female figure to prevent billowing that can get in the way of casting, making this the ideal vest for women who fly-fish. The Firefly runs $139. See www.fishpondusa.com.

Spring in the Northwest can be great for outdoor adventures. Or it can be miserable — cold, »»]]> (First published in Seattle Times NW Weekend March 18, 2010)

Spring in the Northwest can be great for outdoor adventures. Or it can be miserable — cold, wet and windy. In the event of the latter, you’ll want some bombproof bags to carry your gear to warmer, drier climes. Enter Fishpond.

Though designed by and for fly fishermen, Fishpond’s rolling duffel bags are ideal baggage for all outdoor enthusiasts. After my test team and I field tested a wide array of gear duffels for a national magazine, one bag stood out: the Fishpond Rodeo 31 Rolling Duffel. This cargo-carrier swallows all the gear you’ll need for a weeks-long backpacking adventure or a month of day adventures overseas. We toted it to the French Alps, the Escalante region of southern Utah, and out across the Columbia highlands into the rural deserts of Eastern Washington. At 31-inches long, it is sized perfectly for checked baggage — big enough for all your essentials, without going over the size limits for checked luggage.

Currently, I’m hauling it around North Carolina, with a mixed load of paper for an EPA communications conference, and outdoor  gear (used in the later afternoons/evenings so I can stay sane after spending all morning and early afternoon in government policy discussions).

The Rodeo features a spacious main compartment to hold clothes, gear and essentials. That big duffel sits atop a separate bottom compartment, accessed by a heavy-duty zipper around three sides of the bag. That bottom compartment is deep enough to hold ski boots, wet fishing waders and/or muddy hiking boots. Mesh sidewalls line the lower compartment so your wet gear can breathe and dry, rather than mildew and stink. During a trip to Escalante, I stored my full-size backpack, all my clothing and gear into the top, with my boots and tent in the lower. On the way home, the wet and muddy boots and tent traveled all the way home without leaching any moisture into my dry gear in the section above.

Top to bottom, the Rodeo features stout zippers with enormous teeth to ensure there is never a snag or busted tooth. A heavy 100-millimeter wheel assembly proved plenty tough enough for any obstacles we threw at it, from cobblestones in Chamonix to gritty sands in Utah. Stout handles at each end allow you to grab, drag and carry the bag a variety of ways.

The stylish and seemingly indestructible Rodeo 31 Rolling Duffel sells for $349 — not an insignificant sum, but this is a bag capable of serving you through a lifetime of adventures. See www.fishpondusa.com.

It seems spring has arrived early in Western Washington this year, which means we’ll have a longer »»]]> (First published in Seattle Times NW Weekend March 10, 2010)

It seems spring has arrived early in Western Washington this year, which means we’ll have a longer hiking season in the Cascades.

Folks who want to get an early jump on the hiking season need to be prepared for cold, wet conditions. Fortunately, a couple Northwest companies know how to deal with Northwest springs.

Seattle-based REI offers one of the best bets for staying warm and dry during the transition from winter to spring. The outfitter’s newly redesigned Taku series of outerwear delivers an ideal blend of weather protection, comfortable fit and breathability.

The Taku jacket and matching pant utilize both hard shell and soft-shell fabrics in a hybrid design. The use of REI’s proprietary Elements waterproof/breathable fabric in the shoulder yokes and arms blocks even the hardest rain and wet snowfall. Panels of four-way stretch soft-shell material through the underarms and sides of the jacket, and around the knees and hips of the pants, provide great breathability with excellent mobility.

We used the Taku jacket and pants while hiking through ankle-deep snow during a cold rainstorm along Gold Creek Valley near Snoqualmie Pass, and while trekking up the Quinault Trail in the Olympics during a drenching downpour. In both instances, we stayed warm and dry. We also scrambled through fog-shrouded rimrock above the Sun Lakes area of Central Washington and found the Taku gear not only flexed and moved with us during that rigorous activity, but also breathed well enough to prevent sweat buildup.

The Taku jacket, available in men’s and women’s sizes, sells for $209, while the pants — available in several lengths for men and women — sell for $159. More details: www.rei.com.

For more serious snow or cold conditions, Boise-based Core Concepts offers its Powder Play Bib for women. Though the bib is designed for snow, our testers found this a great option for cold, wet spring outings. Made from a four-way stretch soft-shell material, the bib provides great freedom of movement as well as weather protection. The bib section can be zipped off to leave just the high-waisted pants for moderate conditions. Our testers snowshoed around Paradise and scrambled Umtanum Canyon during a wet snowfall wearing these pants. The fit is slim and athletic, and both testers said the bib section is especially snug, making it difficult to wear insulating layers beneath. They suggest buying a size larger than you’d normally wear if you want to layer for colder, true-winter conditions. The bib runs $220 (though on sale recently for $199). See www.coreconceptsoutdoor.com.

No matter your true age, if you »»]]> (First published in Seattle Times NW Weekend November 26, 2009)

The Zephyr GTX trail shoe from Lowa is a top-quality wet-weather stomper

No matter your true age, if you hike in the “offseason” in the Northwest, you are still a kid at heart.

By this time of year, any trails that aren’t snow-covered will be pockmarked with mud puddles. Any hiker out there will be stomping through those puddles like a kid on his way to school. Unlike the youngsters, though, most adult hikers don’t appreciate the feel of soggy socks and squishy shoes all day. Thankfully, boot makers have perfected the use of waterproof liners in today’s trail footwear, and one of the best wet-weather boots we’ve found today is the Lowa Zephyr GTX.

Available in both mid- and low-cut designs, the Zephyr GTX features leather-and-Cordura uppers backed by a Gore-Tex membrane to seal out water while still letting your feet breathe. The Zephyr Lo sports a slightly higher cut than a traditional trail shoe, providing a bit more low-ankle and arch protection, while the Zephyr Mid provides solid ankle support, as we found when toting a 40+-pound pack over the rough terrain of Olympic National Park’s Klahhane Ridge.

The boots feature a medium-volume fit, with a slim heel cup and plenty of forefoot width for a comfortable fit right out of the box. The fabric/leather uppers require little or no break-in, so you’re good to go right off the shelf.

The Zephyr utilizes Lowa’s “Cross Sole” unit that offers tons of lateral support to prevent twisting and strain on your foot. The Cross Sole features a full-length shank tied to the outsole to provide outstanding foot protection as well as great traction on mud, rock and even snow.

The Zephyr GTX Lo runs $165 while the Zephyr GTX Mid sells for $185. More information: www.lowaboots.com.

There’s a growing »»]]> (First published in Seattle Times NW Weekend November 26, 2009)

Our crew of gear reviewers pick two top trail-running shoes, from Vasque and The North Face.

There’s a growing segment of the trail community that has a need for speed.

For the record, I am not a trail runner, but in response to several reader requests for information on new trail shoes, I asked a few experienced runners to check out some of the latest shoes and see how they rate on Northwest trails.

After running countless miles in a variety of shoes, lead tester Betsy Rogers — a Seattle-based personal chef and marathon runner — said two shoes stood out for her and her running team: the Vasque Blur SL and the Fire Road shoe from The North Face.

Betsy noted that the Blur SL provides a deep, contoured heel cup and wide forefoot section. That means the shoes lock down the heel, eliminating slipping (which creates blisters), while providing room for your metatarsal bones to flex and move naturally during long runs.

Tester Matt Hagen, also of Seattle, said that the roomy toe box initially felt sloppy and too loose, but for long grueling runs that extra space would be appreciated since feet swell as the miles add up.

Matt pointed to the gusseted tongue as a key feature for a trail-running shoe, since it keeps pebbles and trail debris out of the shoe.

Underfoot, the Vasque shoe provided exceptional traction on most trail surfaces (rock, mud, organic duff) and Matt noted it offers good foot stability on uneven terrain. The Blur SLs sell for $100. See www.vasque.com.

The other favorite, especially among female testers, was The North Face’s Fire Road. This model is a bit narrower in the forefoot than the Vasque shoe, but with an equally secure heel box.

These lightweight shoes proved very secure both around the foot and on the trail. The outsole’s dual-density lugs (firmer lugs under the ball and arch for extra bite in the power zones) provided firm grip on downhill runs, regardless of trail surface.

Betsy said the lightweight uppers reduced drag and foot fatigue: “It was easy to forget I was wearing shoes at all, since there was no discomfort while trail running.”

The Fire Roads, $95, are ideal for runners with narrower forefeet, who enjoy fast and light runs on our Northwest trails. See www.thenorthface.com.

We’ve previously addressed the first »»]]> While some hikers favor simple, clean wristwatches that keep reliable time, others seek out the most advanced technology to wear on their wrists.

We’ve previously addressed the first group (see May 21 review of the Wenger Raid Commando) and now we’re tackling the techies. An array of digital tools can be packed into wristwatches today, and after thorough testing, we’ve found a few products worth considering.

We found the Axio by Highgear to be the best choice of altimeter watches. The Axio, and its smaller sibling, the Axio Mini (designed to comfortably fit women’s wrists), features a Swiss-made altimeter (effective from 2,300 feet to 29,520 feet), a chronograph, dual altitude alarms, a hydration alarm and, of course, all the basic timepiece functionality. Whether we were snowshoeing up to Camp Muir or running up and down the hills of the Swakkane Canyon in the Columbia Basin, the Axio kept accurate track of our altitude changes. In fact, the altimeter functions proved to be the most accurate of all the units we tested, but also the least expensive. Finally, the Axio line features a stylish design that looks good in the office and performs well in the field. What more can you ask for, especially at a price of $125? More information: www.highgear.com.

For explorers who want to add a digital compass to the arsenal of features, andwho prefer to have all their travel data available on one screen, Timex offers the new Expedition WS4. This beefy wristwatch offers more data at a glance than any other watch on the market, making the WS4 a useful tool for high-altitude adventures (as you’d expect from a product designed in part by Conrad Anker). The WS4 puts an array of data on the 1.5-inch wide screen so users don’t have to toggle through menus to get all the information they need. The WS4 sports an altimeter, barometer, digital compass and chronometer. It performed well on multiple ski and snowshoe excursions around Mount Rainier and Mount Baker. Multiple alarms keep you on time and can keep track of how long you are above a set altitude (important for those who venture into the death zone). $200. See www.timex.com.

–By Dan A. Nelson, Special to The Seattle Times