Darn Tough - Vermont - U.S.A.

Darn Tough Socks of Vermont is another inspiring "Made in the U.S." story. We traveled to Northfield recently to pick up our summer order of Darn Tough Socks. We were eager to tour the mill and find out how Darn Tough can offer a Lifetime Warranty on their wool socks. If you've worn Darn Tough you know these socks don't go threadbare like others. What's the secret? In a nutshell, the density of the wool terry loops (1440 per sq. inch)is so tight that the loops don't move side to side and wear out. Pretty impressive. We think that the Darn Tough Merino Wool Boots socks are the perfect complement to our backpacking boots.

It helps that Darn Tough has an attention to quality that is rare in our modern world. Most Darn Tough employees have been with the company for 15 years or more, many over 30 years! During our tour, we saw owner Ric Cabot in three different corners of the factory looking at product, machinery, and working one-on-one with his workers. Impressive! We couldn't be happier for their recent successes.

If you'd like the background story...when other knitting mills were fleeing the Northeast in the 60s and 70s for states in the South, owner Mark Cabot bought some used sock weaving equipment and set up shop about 25 miles from where CCOutdoorStore now stands. When pressure from overseas manufacturing threatened their business and its 120 plus employees, the company "toughed" it out. Hence the burgeoning six-year old outdoor sock brand DARN TOUGH.

With new packaging, new styles, and 20 new looms on order we're very excited by all the exciting developments we heard about on our recent tour of the Darn Tough factory.

Thermarest & MSR: Proud American Brands

Thermarest mattresses, MSR stoves and almost all of MSR's production remains in the U.S. of A. as we were reminded in our product clinic on Wednesday. With July 4th fast approaching and patriotism in the air it makes sense to highlight and promote those companies who are working extra hard to keep jobs in their communities and maintain high standards of quality. Hats off to you! We also appreciate that American-made products are not impacted by the same backorders and long lead times that have become a bigger problem in our industry lately.

Thermarest and Mountain Safety Research are both owned by parent company Cascade Designs in Seattle, WA. Like CCOutdoorStore.com, these are family-owned brands and operations--albeit ours is much smaller! Both Thermarest and MSR are on sale at 20% through Tuesday, June 28th. For those of you on the East Coast hurry in your orders and we should be able to rush you your order before the holiday. West Coasters must contact us directly to provide expedited shipping info.

Note: MSR tent poles are manufactured domestically, but MSR tents are sewn overseas like almost every other tent.

Sleeping Pad Special

Thermarest Sleeping Pads were the order of the day. With one week left on our Thermarest Sale it was a propos that our customer service team got a thorough review of the Thermarest line from our local rep.

You already know we're big on the Thermarest NeoAir; but this was a chance to build our expertise on the full depth of our offerings. Of note today was the Thermarest Prolite Plus (pictured above). The Prolite Plus offers a tremendous weight-warmth-space ratio. Achieving an R-value of 3.8 through a die-cut closed cell foam this pad offers all-around value for mountaineers needing a warm barrier from snow. To achieve greater warmth for women's needs, the Thermarest Women's Pro Lite Plus increases warmth zones for women by modifying the density of the die cuts. Too much info?

Then suffice it to say that the NeoAir Trekker is a new addition to the 2011 line that offers superior comfort, stability, durability, and value. Maybe it's time you upgrade your old pad with the latest innovation....

Big Agnes Copper Spur UL Tents ON SALE.

Here's your chance to become another proud owner of your own Big Agnes Copper Spur UL4 Tent. At 20% Off with free shipping, our Big Agnes Tent Sale can't be beat; but it's only good for one more week: until June 28th.

Winner of Outside Magazine's Gear of the Year 2011 and Backpacker's 2011 Editor's Choice Award, the Big Agnes Copper Spur UL4 is the lightest 4 person tent around. Super strong and durable the Copper Spur is perfect for your family of four's summer getaway or for three guys sharing a tent on a longer through hike. With plenty of headroom and space for four to play cards, every backpacking group should have a tent like this for when the weather sours and you'd rather hang out with your friends than in your bivy.

Find other TENTS ON SALE now through June 28th. Note: The tent in the picture above is a Copper Spur UL3.

Backpacking Adventure Movies

While there are a good number of mountain climbing movies out there, you don't see many that celebrate the pure thrills of backpacking. You know sometimes you just want to get in the spirit of your next trip with a movie, but what's out there for backpackers. Plus if you've been following this blog, you're probably sick of hearing about and seeing snow.

Well this one didn't last in the theaters long, but it's got some amazingly beautiful scenery from Kauai's Napali Coast and terrific product placement for Deuter backpacks and MSR tents. So if its a backpacking movie you want to watch check out Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich in The Perfect Getaway. Don't get you're hopes up for a must see movie...but if you're up for an action/adventure backpacking thriller with some twists along the way here's a suggestion for your Netflix queue.

Whitney Trail Crest

OK. So it was two weeks ago already...but I'm still coming back down to Earth and there are so many great stories and photos to share from our JMT/Mt. Whitney field testing trip.

In this photo I'm pointing upwards at Trail Crest on Mt. Whitney at about 13,000 ft and six miles in the distance. You have to admit that the red Millet Expedition 65 Liter Backpack looks good. Did you see the study published that revealed that seeing the color RED increases the speed and strength of reactions? Maybe this explains why I felt surprisingly strong upon summiting Mt. Whitney.

Anyways the Millet pack lived up to all expectations, which were pretty high considering I tested six other packs before choosing it. Cinched down this 3 lb. 7 backpack also served well as my summit pack for carrying my ice axe, crampons and extra gear. (I opted not to strip off the lid--which could have shed further ozs--as it offers the only zippered pocket on the pack.) Read more about how I chose the features on this pack.

For contrast on a longer expedition with more gear a load carrying pack like the Deuter Aircontact 75+10 might have been preferable but I was able to keep my load to about 36 lbs. My runner up lightweight choice was the Deuter Act Lite 60 +10 backpack at 3 lbs. 14 oz, but it was going to be too hard and inconvenient taking off my MSR Lightning Ascent snowshoes. More on how great the snowshoes worked later.

More gear testing reviews

At 2.8 lbs and 2.3 pounds respectively, the Nemo Obi 1P Ultra lite Tent and the long Big Agnes Heart Mountain 30 degree Super Light Sleeping Bag were just what I'd hoped for on my JMT field test wishlist. I spent the first two nights of the trip in this set-up and was quite content in my neon green lair. You can get these for yourself on sale now as we've got NEMO on sale and Big Agnes on sale.

The Nemo Obi tents share smart design with many desirable features. Freestanding with Jake's feet, easy set-up with a single pole, and a large vestibule I had exactly what I thought I needed. However the one thing the Obi tents have in spades is ventilation, which turned out to be unneeded in high winds and low temperatures. I highly recommend the Obi for summer camping especially in warm climates, and especially for ultralight hikers who aren't willing to sacrifice every comfort to save those last few ounces.

The Big Agnes Heart Mountain 30 degree super light sleeping bag was unbelievably packable. Ultralight and ultra cozy, the Heart Mountain offered the generous width and girth that my 200 lb body needs. Frankly I just get too claustrophic in mummy bags. Unless you're willing to lie straight and still like a dead mummy all night I suggest you check out the varied shapes and sizes of Big Agnes Sleeping Bags. The Heart Mountain ultra light sleeping bag also perfectly fit my regular size Thermarest NeoAir sleeping pad. Snugly synching up with the down edges of the Big Agnes sleep system I was in down heaven. That is until temps dropped into the single digits...so much for saving a few ounces by going with a 30 degree bag in JUNE! Lesson learned: It's always safer to have more warmth than you think you'll need in the mountains. Another lesson learned: Neon colored tents can be life savers when you're seeking out shelter from a storm and can't find the trail back to camp.