STORMY KROMER

The folks over at Stormy Kromer were kind enough to host a little tour for Cold Splinters a couple weeks ago. Chances are at least a few of you out there received or gifted a Kromer hat this Christmas. It's been the old standby for your old man, and will be for some time to come. We got some sneak peeks at their new clothing line that's going to be debuted at this year's OR. Established in 1903, Kromer hats have always been made in the USA, and remain this way today. My favorite is definitely the rancher cap, still so classic. Pictures from the tour of their Ironwood, Michigan headquarters after the jump.

WEATHER BAND RADIO

There's nothing more comforting than keeping up to date on your local forecast by NOAA's team of forcasting robots. I'm sure others have noticed but they actually have different robot voices too. Regardless, it always seems that everything has an air of urgency, sunny skies or 3 feet of sleet. I was gifted an old weather band radio from a buddy of mine as an early Christmas gift, a Radioshack gem from the seventies. I remember my dad always having the NOAA forecast on in the kitchen growing up. I mean, I'm not wild about lugging a bunch of "stuff" out into the backcountry, but in certain situations, definitely useful. Situations like chilling in my apartment, pretending I'm somewhere else. I love 'em.

Battle Lake Outdoors Tamarack Day Pack

Got this handsome pack in the mail yesterday from Battle Lake Outdoors in Clarissa, Minnesota. Try one, I dare you:

Made in the USA of American materials. 1000 Denier Cordura outer. 420 Nylon Packcloth shoulder straps. #9 and #8 Heavy Duty YKK Zippers. 4 –6 ounce leather. Taped and double stitched seams. Reinforced stress points. Nylon webbing. 1/2" high density, long life, EV-50 foam. High-strength Duraflex hardware.

VIBRAM SOLES

Vibram soles look like they haven't changed much in last 40 years, and aside from the Five Fingers, really haven't. From Vibram's website..."In 1935, Vitale Bramani led an expedition into the Italian Alps. The climbers used heavy, hobnailed boots for the approach, but then switched to thin-soled rock climbing boots for the assault. These climbing boots proved fatal when the expedition was hit by thick fog and a blizzard. Six climbers died from frostbite and exposure.It was this tragic experience that drove Bramani to create an all-purpose climbing sole: lightweight, long-wearing and flexible. He developed rubber compounds with excellent traction and high abrasion resistance. He designed a new lug sole and called it Vibram®, after his own name."

GO XC SKIING

Just about any thrift store or garage sale has a pile of these guys. Usually leaning among the dozens of pairs of downhill skis, you’ll find some old 3-pin cross-country skis, almost always for less than twenty bucks. They also pop up in the ‘free’ section on Craigslist all the time. If you’re lucky, the boots will come with. If you’re really lucky, those boots with be your size and in a condition that still looks like something you’d be willing to put on your foot.Current cross-country skis have gotten shorter in design, but for the skis from the seventies and eighties, the old rule generally still holds true: When standing with your arm outstretched straight over your head, you should be able to cup the tip of the ski in the palm of your hand (pictured above). Waxless skis, introduced in the early seventies, have a fishscale, textured pattern on the bottom of the ski (kick zone) between the skier’s feet and the snow.  If not waxless, grab some $9 wax at your local outfitters, throw on that Norwegian knit, and get outside.

GAITERS

December is here and that means snow.  Feet of it maybe, depending on where you hang your hat.  A winter-time gear staple should definitely be a good pair of gaiters.  Generally made of heavy nylon/cordura or Gore-tex, gaiters prevent snow from slipping in the top of your boots, with a closure at the top and an instep strap at the bottom.  Lace hooks help keep the gaiters from riding up.  Good rule of thumb when buying gaiters is to err on the small side.  You want these guys to be snug. After brushing up on your quinzee building, grab a pair. Any types of gaiters that y'all swear by?

Sven-Saw

After trying for a week or so to get through to the Sven-Saw people to get some more info on the brand, I finally got a call back from the founder, Mr. Svenson, who proceeded to talk my ear off about the first Sven-Saw he sold to REI many, many years ago. He was a wonderful man who makes a pretty darn great product, a fixture at many of the AT lean-tos you'll stay at along the trail. If you haven't heard of Duluth, MN's collapsable saw, go to the Sven-Saw website and find out very little more info. It's a ghost town over there, I tell you what..More on that conversation to come.

Trail Hankie

If you've ever wanted to clean the dishes, wipe your brow or finish up a splint with your trail map, you're in luck. And if you've ever wished that the bandana that was keeping the hair out of your eyes could help identify trees, stars and hiking safety tips, you, my friend, have found your match. Meet the Trail Hankie.While most of their hiking, river and lake maps are from places in the south and midwest that I've never visited, it doesn't matter much. Trail Hankies bandanas are a damn fine alternative to the classic design, and if you don't want a map of Devil's Den State Park to adorn your neck, Hiker Hank has general use prints of stars, trees, knots, tracks and trail maintenance that you should probably own.

MSR Pocket Rocket

MSR Pocket Rocket is no doubt one of the best purchases you'll ever make. The little, water-boiling, quesadilla-making 3 oz. stove has been a staple in my pack (and I'm sure most of yours) for many years, and using it is always one of my favorite parts about camping. There are few things better than getting to your campsite, setting up your tent, pulling out your Crazy Creek and finding a good flat surface so you can cook your dinner and read your book. (The Pocket Rocket and Crazy Creek Hexalite should be packaged together. They're peanut butter and jelly.) The stove is small, cheap ($30 or so), has great heat control and is as reliable as the ol' Subaru. The design is so simple, you feel like you're using something 100 years old.If you don't already have a Pocket Rocket for your summer/fall excursions, go try one out. You'll like it so much that you'll want to cook dinner on your bedroom floor when you get home from work.**In any proper "review" you're supposed to list the negatives along with positives, and if I were to do that, I'd have say something about canister stoves and below freezing temperatures, but there's no reason to think of that torture right now...

Campbellsville Apparel

I don't usually tout too many clothing companies on this rag, but what the hell, right? Campbellsville Apparel, located in Campbellsville, Kan-Tuck-Ee, is the largest supplier of undershirts and underwear briefs to the United States military services. (A picture of a soldier wearing one of the shirts was posted on A Continuous Lean a couple of days back.) The shirts are 100% moisture wicking polyester, cheap (3 for $12), have very short sleeves (the best part about them), fit extremely well, and for those of you who are attracted to the "100% American made from 100% American components" thing, they have that going for them as well. Great for walking up and down whatever trail it is you're walking up and down.Buy a pack here.