The Loadout Room
Professional Gear Reviews
If you have ever been camping, scuba diving or done anything in the outdoors, you most likely have had to repair something with tape, glue or some kind of sealant. Insert GearAid. If you have never heard of them, you may not be alone. They started fixing gear in 1981 when SCUBA divers realized Aquaseal was […]
I refrain from giving any gear too much praise, but I have to applaud Black Diamond for coming up with one of the best headlamps available on the market. The Black Diamond Spot Headlamp comes equipped with more features than your standard headlamp, yet its price rivals those without them. Before we get started with […]
I’ve lived in a lot of different shelters throughout my time as a survival instructor. Pup tents, tents, snow caves, hammocks, rock over hangs, tree wells, lean-to shelters, lean-aways, shelters made from parachute and most other shelters. Throughout this I’ve defaulted to something simple most of the time, a tarp of some type with a […]
I was shivering uncontrollably. My thin warm weather rip-stop Crye multicams did little to ward off the December chill in Northeastern Washington. It was 2030 hours, well past civil twilight this far north and it had been dark for four hours by this point. We’d been evading by moon and starlight and had settled into […]
I recently received the Napier Backroadz SUV tent for review. I was very excited about this project as I had donated my last tent to a local organization and have been looking at tents or campers that I could use I conjunction with my vehicle (Honda CRV, 2009). When the tent arrived I unpacked it […]
When I originally saw this product I had to laugh. Out of all the products we’ve reviewed on the Loadout Room, how was I going to make this fit into our demographic? My initial gut reaction was that this was one of those gimmicky products that had no real practicality. After I had received a few […]
*Photos courtesy of Logan Winters The Cloudview Hammock is by far the best lounging hammock for your backyard or family car camping trip. Setup is much easier and quicker than those cumbersome hammocks with wooden or metal frames. Once you have the spreader bars installed on each side and get the hammock hung between two trees, the […]
Not a day goes by without using one of my Yeti Ramblers. Wether it’s keeping a cup of coffee hot in the morning, or a beverage cold later in the day. They simply out perform anything else I’ve used. One of my favorites around the house is a Rambler 14 ounce Mug. That coffee mug sees […]
Living in the Midwest this winter has been more challenging than years past. A polar vortex created an almost uninhabitable environment across much of the region. Temperatures dropped to -34F in Northern Michigan and the Governor declared a state of emergency. Between January 25th and Feb 5th, my son has gone to school just one […]
If you’re an avid hiker or backpacker, you probably know a thing or two about the ultralight community. The ultralight concept is simple; the basic idea is to keep everything lightweight, use multifunctional gear, and limit what you don’t need. In other words, you keep your gear as absolutely minimal as possible without endangering yourself. […]