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TrailGroove Blog

A Blog by the TrailGroove Team

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  • Aaron Zagrodnick 226
  • Mark Wetherington 76
  • Susan Dragoo 23
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Gear | Trips | Food | Technique | Reading

Entries in this blog

Gear

Best Backpacking Tents by Application and Budget

As one of the most important decisions you can make when it comes to backpacking gear, your choice of a backpacking tent can have quite the impact in regards to your comfort in camp and protection from the elements. Additionally, choosing the best backpacking tent can also have an impact when it comes to weight carried on the trail (as one of, if not the heaviest items in your pack), and a tent decision can have quite the impact on your wallet, as well. With many factors to consider,
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

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Gear

2025 REI Reward / Dividend Release & Member Guide

The arrival of spring brings a lot of things for the outdoor enthusiast to get excited about, including longer days, warm temperatures, and melting snow for those of us in the north. However one additional perk that spring brings is the annual REI Member Reward (previously known as the REI Dividend) release. For REI members, this is the time of the year when REI Co-op members receive their rewards from REI purchases you made during the 2024 season. Gear-up with the help of REI Member
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

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Gear

How Not to Lose Your Tent Stakes: Heat Shrink Tubing

Although the venerable titanium shepherd's hook stake is an ultralight favorite, if you've ever used a set you know that one of their drawbacks is their ability to blend into their surroundings when loose on the ground. This can make packing up in the morning frustratingly difficult as you search for that last stake that's somewhere on the ground in a very specific area, but seemingly invisible. To assist, there is one way that will help ensure your set of titanium shepherd's hook stakes all sta
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

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Gear

Glow in the Dark Zipper Pulls: Backpacking Trail Tip

Instead of blowing your night vision out with your state of the art LED headlamp to find that tent and / or sleeping bag zipper late at night, one tip I like to utilize is to use a short length of glow in the dark paracord as a zipper pull for your sleeping bag and tent zippers. Now you can get out of your tent at night without having to fumble to open zippers and can quickly locate your zipper pulls potentially without even having to use your headlamp. When sufficiently "charged", gl
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

Backpacking & Hiking Jargon: Piezo Igniter (Stoves)

A piezo igniter is a push-button stove ignition system that is often integrated directly onto upright canister stoves for convenience and ease of use. The system works via use of a striker that hits a piezo-electric crystal, which generates electricity even when slightly deformed. When the ignition button is pushed the resulting electrical charge generates a spark. With the integrated ignition system there’s no need to hunt down your lighter or use matches – simply open your stove’s gas valve sl
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

Uniqlo Ultralight Down Parka for Backpacking: A Review

In the outdoor industry, there is often a cycle: A well-known manufacturer will create an outdoor garment. The garment is combination of being stylish, functional and practical. The garment becomes a de facto standard of outdoor wear. Mid-range manufacturers make a similar garment. The outdoor gear becomes mainstream fashion and becomes ubiquitous. What was once meant for the outdoors is now seen not only in the backcountry but in town as well. One brand of this trend of “outdoor clot
PaulMags

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Gear

Dyneema Composite Fabric / Cuben Fiber and Backpacking

Dyneema Composite Fabric, often shortened to DCF and previously referred to as Cuben Fiber, is a fabric made from Dyneema fibers that are embedded in a polyester film to form a single material or fabric. Due to the high strength to weight ratio of the Dyneema fibers and its low stretch combined with inherent waterproofness, DCF and Cuben Fiber has proven to be a popular option for lightweight and ultralight backpacking gear over the past several years, and usage continues to grow in popularity f
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

Hiking and Backpacking Jargon: Headlamp Lumens (Light)

Lumens are a unit of measurement used to determine the total amount of visible light emitted from a source. In the backpacking and hiking world, you can use the lumen value to compare the amount of lighting you’ll get from various nighttime illumination sources such as a headlamp. Lumen Considerations / How Many Lumens Higher lumen values typically come at the cost of shorter runtimes and decreased battery life. Brighter lights are also generally heavier and more expensive. For general
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

Trail Tip: Using a Backpacking Bear Canister as a Cooler

While a camp stool is perhaps the most popular multi-use application for a bear canister, this tip is best suited for short trips when you're trying to put an emphasis on good food and cold beverages. Bear canisters are a piece of gear added, reluctantly, to the kit of most backpackers only when required for an upcoming trip. However, if you're wanting to freshen things up in regard to food and don't mind some added weight, the underappreciated bear canister can help you turn your fir
Mark Wetherington

Mark Wetherington in Gear

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Gear

Backpacking and Hiking Jargon: EN Rating (Sleeping Bags)

An EN rating (European Norm 13537) is a testing and rating system that standardizes sleeping bag temperature ratings across manufacturers into a relatively easy to understand and comparable scale. Achieved by measuring thermal efficiency utilizing a sensor-equipped mannequin in a specialized environment, the results of an EN Rating are comprised of 4 parts, and generally you’ll just focus on the comfort rating (women), and the lower limit (men). Backpacking sleeping bags that have an
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

Backpacking and Hiking Jargon: Fabric Hydrostatic Head

At what point will it leak? In the outdoor industry, hydrostatic head (often abbreviated as HH) is a measure of the waterproofness of a particular fabric, most applicable to the fly of a shelter, canopy, and / or floor materials, as well as rain gear. The measurement reflects how high a column of water a secured piece of fabric could support before leakage occurs. This column of water is measured in millimeters, and the test is performed with a special machine or apparatus that applies water pre
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

Backpacking and Hiking Jargon: Micron (Water Treatment)

A unit of measurement equal to one-millionth of a meter, or a thousandth of a millimeter. You’ll almost certainly hear the term micron used in relation to backcountry water filtration methods. The standard micron size of most popular water filters is usually around .2 microns, but there are filters available with both smaller and larger pore sizes. What’s best? It depends. Most of the things you can actually see in a water source are quite large and will be caught by almost all filters, but it’s
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

Backpacking & Hiking Jargon: Baffle (Insulating Gear)

Used in sleeping bags and insulated garments, baffles are a sewn compartmented wall utilized to control the distribution of down insulation throughout a garment or bag. Sewn through construction (the resulting compartments sometimes also referred to as baffles) achieves the same type of insulation control and is simple to construct as well as lightweight, but creates cold spots along the seams making such a construction ideal for milder weather. A good example of this type of construction can be
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

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Gear

Backpacking Jargon: What Are Backpack Load Lifters?

Load lifters are adjustable straps running from the top of each shoulder strap to the top part of the pack body (and ideally to the top of the frame) on many packs designed for overnight carry and beyond. By tightening these straps, the top of the pack is prevented from sagging backwards and a more efficient weight transfer to the hipbelt is achieved by removing weight from the shoulders. An angle of about 45 degrees (running upwards from the shoulder strap to the pack body attachment point) is
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

Backpacking and Hiking Jargon: Shoe Stack Height

With footwear being one (and especially important) component of a successful and enjoyable hike, it can pay to become a bit more familiar with the terminology used to define and classify all the choices that are out there. When it comes to stack height, this is a specific measurement of the distance of the bottom of your foot from the ground and overall height of the shoe underfoot. Generally when comparing footwear in a similar class, most of the differences in stack height will be in the form
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

Backpacking Jargon: ASTM F3340-18 & Sleeping Pad R-Value

The American Society for Testing and Materials F3340-18 standard is a standardized way in which backpacking sleeping pads are measured for r-value, or their warmth and insulation value. As a standardized test this allows one to compare sleeping pad r-values on a level field. The test utilizes a cold plate underneath the sleeping pad being tested, with a near-body-temperature warm plate placed on top. Inflatable sleeping pads are inflated to the same inflation pressure. The amount of energy it ta
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

Sea to Summit eVent Evac Compression Dry Bag Review

Tents, sleeping bags, and backpacks are the primary pieces of gear that tend to preoccupy backpackers. This focus is certainly appropriate, as these pieces of equipment can certainly make or break a trip if they don’t perform as needed or fit properly. I spent an inordinate amount of time researching these items when I first got into backpacking and thought of many of the “accessories”, such as stuff sacks, were simply gimmicky add-ons that I could postpone purchasing or forego altogether. This
Mark Wetherington

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Gear

Closed Cell Foam (CCF): Backpacking & Hiking Jargon

In backpacking circles CCF (closed cell foam) is most often used in relation to your choice of sleeping pad, which often comes down to one key decision – air pad or CCF? Both have pros and cons. A thick air pad is found to offer a more comfortable night of sleep for many and they pack small, but care must be exercised to guard against punctures and carrying a patch kit is recommended. And if you want one that’s both light and warm, they can be pricey. CCF pads are warm for their weigh
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

Feathered Friends Egret 20 Degree Sleeping Bag Review

Muscle creates energy while adipose tissue stores energy. Energy in this context is synonymous with heat. The female anatomy typically consists of more fat than the male anatomy, especially in the chest and hip area. This is why women are generally perceived to sleep colder than men. Women’s bodies are highly efficient at keeping their vital organs protected and warm, but at the expense of our extremities. When hands begin to ache and toes go numb from coldness, these sensations relay a message
Adel

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Gear

Zpacks Multi-Pack Review: More Capacity, More Convenience

On backpacks, I’m a huge fan of exterior storage. I’ve settled on a popular arrangement: A large interior storage compartment for items I likely won’t need while hiking during the day, a large outside pocket for items I might need when stopped, and dual side and hipbelt pockets for items I’ll definitely need while on the move like water bottles, maps, snacks, and other great to have at hand items. The Zpacks Multi-Pack builds on this idea by adding a large additional storage option with a variet
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

Vapor Barrier Liners (VBL): Backpacking & Hiking Jargon

A vapor barrier liner is some type of vapor impermeable layer often utilized and effective while recreating outdoors in very cold conditions. By preventing vapor transfer from your body into clothing, footwear, or a sleeping bag for example one is able to boost warmth and keep insulation dry in conditions where wet insulation would be very difficult to dry and result in compromised warmth. While using a VBL with your clothing and sleeping bag (for sleeping bags, see the Western Mountaineering Ho
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

Durable Water Repellent / DWR: Hiking & Outdoor Jargon

Durable water repellent (DWR) is a coating added to the surface of a fabric to aid in waterproofing without sacrificing (and usually aiding to) breathability. The most frequent application of DWR in the outdoor gear world can be found in breathable rain gear and breathable water resistant shells. If the surface of the fabric were to “wet out”, breathability through that portion of the fabric would be severely compromised. DWR allows for water to bead and roll off the surface of the fabric, maint
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

Montbell Mirage Down Parka: Long Term Review

If you’re comparing specifications among commercially available light to mid-weight down parkas, one option will surely start to rise to the top of the list as you compare down fill and overall weights across the board – the Montbell Mirage. As a long-time user of their popular and lighter U.L. Down Inner series, and as a backpacker who isn’t afraid to carry a few extra ounces if the comfort trade-off is worth the weight, the Mirage is tempting option for shoulder season and winter trips, or for
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

How to Keep Your Pillow on Your Backpacking Sleeping Pad

We all know a better night of sleep leads to a better next day of hiking. While the most ultralight of pillow techniques calls for using extra clothes, stuff sacks, water reservoirs, or anything you can find all stuffed into another stuff sack, many of us are already wearing the majority of our clothing in our sleeping bag, leading to a bleak build-your-own pillow situation. This case calls for a separate (and more comfortable) dedicated pillow, and with many options now weighing just
Aaron Zagrodnick

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Gear

Black Diamond Firstlight 2P 4-Season Tent Review

Shelter from the elements is a crucial component of a backpacker’s equipment list and having adequate and reliable shelter is of paramount importance in winter. When I primarily backpacked in the Southeast, I was able to get away with using a three-season tent or a tarp for backpacking trips in the winter months without any issues. However, when I moved to Montana and knew I would be backpacking year-round in the Northern Rockies, a dedicated winter tent quickly rose to the top of my “to buy” li
Mark Wetherington

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