In 1980, Ron Gregg, a dedicated mountaineer, found himself in trouble on the slopes of Mount McKinley. Due to a poorly designed gaiter, his climbing parter suffered from severe frostbite requiring an immediate airlift to safety. Despite the blown expedition, Rons gears immediately started turning and he began to work on a better solution. The […]
SOG Strat Ops Auto | A Premium USA Built Automatic
Although SOG Specialty Knives was founded in 1986, it can trace it’s lineage to the Vietnam War. When members of a highly classified special operations unit known as MACV-SOG, carried a unique combat knife into the jungles of Vietnam. This knife inspired a young designer named Spencer Frazer to reproduce the SOG Bowie knife. And […]
Runbold HS Thermo Hooded Jacket | from Mammut
Living in a northern climate, I typically get to test a lot of the winter gear here on the Loadout Room. Which has its pros and cons. On the plus side, I get to use some of the latest and greatest outerwear in a climate they’re designed for. Whether it’s skiing, snowshoeing or hunting, I […]
The Aviator 40L carry on bag | by Douchebags
I remember a day when an airline traveller could bring two check bags plus a carry on for free. And the allowable weight of the check bags were somewhere in the neighborhood of 75 pounds. Now that airlines charge for all check bags, with a few exceptions, the carry-on bag has become the new hot […]
5.11 Tactical Double Duty Pen: Premium writing implement and a last ditch defensive tool
Have you ever sat across the table from a loan officer or lawyer and quietly felt like jabbing your pen into their throat? Of course not, no one should think like that. Ok, have you ever been without your EDC pistol or blade and thought, if only I had something unobtrusive that I could stick […]
Yeti LoadOut 5 Gallon Bucket | Contractor approved
I first laid eyes on this new item from Yeti at Outdoor Retailer in July. Although 5 gallon buckets have been around for awhile, I had to take a closer look at the Yeti LoadOut 5 Gallon Bucket. Typical Yeti over engineering was evident as soon as I picked it up. Made from injection molded […]
Bullfrog BF200 Bluetooth Music System | by Kicker
It’s interesting how big a part music plays in our daily lives. Often times, a certain song will evoke a particular mood, or rekindle a specific memory. For me, songs can even taste a certain way. We’ve all eaten at restaurants with ambiance music playing in the background. What’s crazy is that I’ve found myself […]
Blackfoot River Ultimate Fishing Shirt | The American Outdoorsman
The American Outdoorsman, a clothing company based out of New York, has recently brought to market a sharp line of innovative garments. While visiting Outdoor Retailer in Utah, the Loadout Room met with this refreshingly young company to look over what they had cooking in the design pipeline. As well as what the company is […]
Cold weather clothing: Black Diamond Cold Forge Hoody
February in the frozen tundra of Northern Michigan and 115″ of snowfall can only mean one thing. Time for what has become my annual “puffy jacket” review. This month we’ll take a look at the Cold Forge Hoody from Black Diamond. I consider this jacket a solid middle weight when it comes to down insulated […]
Fleece Puffy Blanket | by Rumpl
Never one to sit on their ass, Rumpl continues to innovate and improve their products. After a quick visit to the Rumpl booth at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, I knew they were on to something with their products. So I got my hands on one of their premier items, the Down Puffy Blanket. A perfect […]