Big Agnes and Lowa Now on Sale @ CCOutdoorStore.com

Finally, it's safe to say that Summer is upon us. Although some die-hard skiers were delighted with a freak snowfall at Stowe and Sugarbush last weekend, the mountains are now a vibrant green.   In salute to the season, we're putting a couple of our all-star hiking and camping brands on sale at 20% off: Lowa Boots and Big Agnes Tents and Bags and Pads!

Uncompromising in quality and time-tested, Big Agnes and Lowa are two of our top brands. Whether you need a new sleep system -- ultralight backpacking tent or a tent for car-camping -- or a hiking boot that will let you glide down trails and up mountains, you can find it discounted at CCOutdoorStore.com, now through June 10th!


A couple of my personal fav's:

Big Agnes Fly Creek UL-4 4-person Ultralight Tent

 

 

 

 

 

^^^^Save $100!!! ^^^^

Lowa Khumbu II GTX Hiking Boots

 ^^^^ Save $50!!!^^^^

Lowa, Osprey, Deuter, Leki Demo was a great success!

This past Tuesday we CC'ers got the pleasure of demoing some of the gear we purvey: Leki poles, Osprey Packs, Deuter Packs, and LOWA BOOTS. It became very clear to see why many of these products were selected by Backpacker Magazine and Outside Magazine as being worthy of your precious pennies. Check out my co-worker Lynne (in blue), and other shop employees from around NE, taking in the scenery.

I sported the Lowa Renegade GTX and Lowa Camino GTX and an Osprey Talon 33. I was thoroughly wowed by the shoes' grip, ankle support and overall comfort, and I found the pack to be practically perfect for multi-day use. 

Y'all should have seen Lynne crossing streams in her Lowa Khumbu II GTX. Submerged in water right up to her double-knotted shoelaces, her feet stayed dry and comfy all day. 

Reed was rockin' the Lowa Zephyr GTXs, Leki Corklite poles, and the Deuter Futura 32. He was all smiles. :-)

Twas misty, but we still saw breath-taking views of the White Mountains and learned tons about these awesome products.

We're proud to have them in store and welcome all to come check 'em out!!!

~

P.S. I'm back for the summer, so look forward to reading plenty more blog entries from yours truly. 

Backpacking with hiking boots or trail runners: The perennial debate

We wrestle with this question all the time in the shop and offer our thoughts/advice on what is really a matter of personal choice.  Matt Heid concisely captured the essence of this debate in his Appalachian Mountain Club blog post Hiking boots vs. Trail Runners.  So we thought we'd share it. 

What Matt didn't say is that many hiking boot makers are now making boots in an attempt to split the difference.  Their challenge...to provide stability and support at minimal weight.  The two that caught the attention of Backpacker Magazines' Editors in their testing in the past few months are the Asolo Reston--and the Athena for women--and the Zamberlan Crosser.  The Asolo takes on the challenge with mid-ankle support, PU inserts, and a minimalist approach that results in a boot more akin to a slipper than what we usually think of as a backpacking boot.  Zamberlan's Crosser offers a beefier sole platform than the Reston relying on placement of rigid PU pieces in key places like the heel.  With a lightweight mesh and GTX upper, reinforced by Kevlar around the sides this shoe offers Zamberlan's legendary fit without the weight.  However Zamberlan has had major supply issues with their mid-ankle 230 Crosser, so for now interested hikers would be best looking at the low cut 130 Crosser where there is still some limited availability.  Yes, we've blogged about these backpacking boots before, so we won't belabor the point.  Just use our blog's search tool if you'd like to read more.