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 […]
Black Diamond
My Favorite Black Diamond Outerwear & Gear
We’re at the end of November and many of us are already experiencing the colder weather associated with Fall and Winter. With that comes different outerwear that can deal with the harsher climate. One of the brands I’ve relied on for a while now is Black Diamond. Known for their mountaineering equipment, I never really gave […]
Black Diamond Bbee 11 Ultralight Pack
The Black Diamond BBEE 11 pack is one of the coolest packs I have reviewed to date. It is extremely versatile and minimalistic. I have been using it for everything from carrying daily gym attire to shoving a Kel-tec Sub 2000 inside and using it for EDC to putting a weighted ammo can inside and […]
Rain Gear for the Ultralight Hiker
In continuing with our series on Ultralight gear for hiking and backpacking we are going to take a look at two products to keep the rain off you. There is a ton of rain gear on the market to choose from and they all use some form of technology to repel the rain. Between the […]
Black Diamond Gym 30 Gear Bag
It’s been a while since I’ve been climbing and rappelling; about 20+ years. I recently took my top rope belay test at the local rock climbing facility so that I could assist with tying in climbers and belaying them. It felt good to get back into it. With that comes some new gear in my collection. […]
StormLine Stretch | A packable waterproof rain shell from Black Diamond
“Into each life some rain must fall” ~ a line from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s poem, The Rainy Day. And a line I mutter to myself now and again. An older pilot buddy of mine used to say that to me when things weren’t going well. And it seemed to stick. Living in the Pacific Northwest […]
Black Diamond Alpine Start Hoody | Minimalist Rain Shell
Black Diamond is a proven name in the outdoor and climbing community. Although I’m not into all the climbing and repelling activities I do really enjoy the jackets and shells the Black Diamond offers for outdoor excursions. Back in the fall and winter we reviewed several Black Diamond cold weather products and were more than […]
The Carabiner | A Go-Bag Must Have
I never really had any use for carabiners prior to my service in the Marine Corps. During my enlistment, I attended the Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center where we learned several methods of rappelling, cliff assaults, and general wilderness survival. We were all issued several carabiners for the course. Carabiners soon became very convenient […]
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 […]
Outdoor Retailer 2017 | Black Diamond
We started our day off today with a meeting at the Black Diamond booth. First off I want to say it was great meeting our rep in person and putting a face to all the emails. We have showcased several Black Diamond products in the past for a good reason….their products excel at their intended […]