We’re coming back to the East Coast! Colorado was a whirlwind filled with backpacking, peak-bagging, and a whole lot of van living. Our favorite things about Colorado include dry air, chilly mornings, and green chili. Our least favorite things are unwavering afternoon showers, cactus, and the temperature of the high alpines lakes (cold, too cold). We’re looking forward to fall colors, carving van pumpkins, and drying gourds on the dashboard — here we come East Coast fall! Check out some of the gear that keeps us groovin’ in this month’s Gear on the Go!
Colorado 14er Booklet (North & South) by National Geographic Maps
It’s written in stone somewhere high in the Colorado Rockies that you’re not truly a Citizen of the Centennial State until you climb a 14er. For those unfamiliar, a 14er is a mountain that has a summit that reaches to at least 14,oooft above sea level. In Colorado there are 58 14ers (the actual number is highly debated in Colorado, but that’s a story for another day). Nat Geo Maps, breaking somewhat from their traditional fold-out maps, has released a set of two booklets that contain maps for the standard routes of all 58 Colorado 14ers. The booklet style maps are great because you only have to invest in one set to have maps for all of the mountains. For us, the information packed, super-convenient layout is the best part. Can we camp at the trailhead? How many miles? What’s the elevation gain? Where are the water sources? Do I need four wheel drive to make it to the trailhead? All of these questions are now easily answered in one waterproof, tear resistant booklet.
La Sportiva Men’s Chrono Shirt
The Chrono Shirt by La Sportiva is by far the best technical shirt that I (Ben) own, and honestly, it’s not even close. The Chrono is super lightweight and breathable, making it the perfect shirt to take on a four-day backpacking trip when you know you’ll be cooking up a stink all weekend long. La Sportiva uses Polygiene® anti-odor and anti-bacterial treatment on this shirt and whatever it is, it works. If I’m in the backcountry for less than a week, I will only bring one shirt, the Chrono. It is made from 100 percent polyester micro-ripstop and drys crazy fast. If my shirt is dry, I’m ready to go for another week!
Lifestraw Go with 2-Stage Filtration
First let us say that we are HUGE Lifestraw fans. With their Follow the Liters program, for every LifeStraw product sold, a child in a developing country receives clean, safe drinking water for an entire school year. That in itself makes us love them as a brand, but their water filters are also top notch. We hate lugging in a bunch of water with us no matter what physical activity we do. We’d much rather filter ice cold mountain water as we need it. The Lifestraw Go with 2-Stage Filtration allows us to do just that.
The Lifestraw GO uses a replaceable activated carbon capsule to reduce bad taste, chlorine and organic chemical matter for up to 100 liters (264 gallons) and an advanced hollow fiber membrane technology (0.2 microns) to remove waterborne bacteria and protozoa up to 1,000 liters. That’s a lot of water, but don’t worry, you don’t need to keep track. The Go automatically clogs it’s self when the filter needs to be replaced.
If you like the gear we’re reppin’, or what we’re wearing, check out some of the sponsors that make this tour possible: La Sportiva, National Geographic, and LifeStraw
