As of January 2025, MEC, also known as Mountain Equipment Company (historically Mountain Equipment Co-op), is for sale again. As a former employee and a person who keeps up with the outdoor retail industry, I have some thoughts. I want to be clear that this is just my opinion and I could be wrong on a few fronts.

What’s Going On?

If you haven’t heard, MEC is up for sale for the second time in less than 5 years. MEC was a member-owned cooperative for almost 50 years. In October 2020, the cooperative was dissolved and the business was sold to Kingswood Capital Management, a private equity firm. According to recent reports, Kingswood notified suppliers on December 27, 2024, that they were putting MEC back up for sale.

In general, the entire outdoor retail industry hasn’t been doing well. American giant REI just laid off 400 people and closed its entire experiences division. Last year, Moosejaw, a big American outdoor retailer with a robust online presence, closed up all of their brick-and-mortar stores and their online shop. Tons of bike brands are also going out of business including BC-founded Rocky Mountain.

My Insider Knowledge

I worked at MEC for nearly a decade in total (from 2007 to 2009 and then from 2012 to 2019). I started in a customer service in a store. Later, I worked as a product copywriter working closely with their buying and design department. In 2019, I resigned to work for myself full-time.

While I worked at MEC my job as a product copywriter required me to chat regularly with their buyers and designers about consumer trends, product ordering, and sourcing. I didn’t work in these areas so I wasn’t involved in the math and finance of it all. But I did learn a lot about how outdoor retailers do business.

I was also an MEC athlete ambassador from 2018 to 2020. I resigned during their first sale because I was upset about the dissolution of the co-op business model and the way that employees were being laid off with little to no severance.

Since 2020, I haven’t had any first-hand knowledge of the inner workings at MEC. But many of my friends continued to work there after I did, so I’ve definitely heard some things. However, I haven’t spoken to any current MEC employees since the most recent sale was announced.

I’ve also continued to follow the outdoor retail industry fairly closely. That’s partially because I’m still interested, but also because I put together weekly gear deals for my Backpacking in BC and Canadian Outdoor Gear Deals newsletters. From following the patterns of sales and clearance events, it’s been obvious to me that MEC hasn’t been doing well since the 2020 sale.

Why MEC Isn’t Doing Well (My Opinion)

While I don’t have any inside info on what is happening with MEC’s finances, I think a few things are influencing the broader outdoor retail space that led to their current financial misfortunes. I’ll start by summarizing the issues they inherited from former management and then give my opinion on why they continue to fail.

Issues Inherited from the Former Management

There was a flurry of news articles speculating about why MEC went into creditor protection and had to be sold in 2020. In general, they can be summarized as:

• expanded into too many locations too fast,
• spent way too much money on real estate for fancy stores and offices,
• high labour costs and staff turnover,
• diversified away from their core outdoor business into other areas that their customers didn’t care about (yoga, casual wear, bikes)
• poor trend forecasting

I don’t have a lot to say about which of the factors was more responsible for the downturn because it would only be speculation. However, it’s safe to say that when Kingswood bought MEC in 2020 they knew the company was in the hole financially and they thought they could turn it around, or at least wring some real estate sale money out of it.

Private Equity Ownership Isn’t Long-Term

I won’t pretend to understand the ins and outs of private equity firms. However, it’s pretty clear that they value profits over everything else. When Kingswood bought MEC they admitted they had a 5 year timeline in mind for selling the company.

Kingswood wanted to make it more profitable, then flip to a new owner. It’s similar to the way people buy run-down houses, do a cheap reno, then sell them for way more, but with an outdoor retail company.

Pandemic Hang-Over and Poor Trend Forecasting

During the pandemic (2020 and 2021), most Canadians stayed close to home and began a lot of outdoor hobbies. This necessitated buying new gear.

At the time, retailers like MEC were struggling to keep gear in stock due to global supply chain issues. They ordered whatever they could in the hopes that it would arrive and they would sell it. Outdoor retailers like MEC as well as bike shops and sporting goods stores had record-breaking sales.

But then the pandemic ended. Retailers were stuck watching bulk orders roll in without the same crazy level of demand for sales. They ended up with an overstock of items they had to sell at a discount to get rid of them.

As well, each year retailers have to forecast what sales will be like the following year to figure out what to order and how much of it. One of the factors they use is past sales. This means that now they have to build forecast models using crazy pandemic data as well as pre-pandemic norms that we might not return to.

Even the savviest forecasters were bound to get it wrong using this data, leading to more over-orders that must be sold at a discount or under-orders that make shoppers head elsewhere since they don’t have any stock.

The final issue with the pandemic hang-over is that outdoor gear typically lasts 5 to 15 years. If most people bought a bunch of new gear in 2020/2021 they won’t need new gear for a while and that leads to lower sales.

Rising Cost of Living

Outdoor gear is expensive and is a luxury purchase for most people. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard about the rising cost of living. Grocery prices are way up and are forecast to continue climbing. Rents and real estate are unaffordable. Unemployment is up. People just don’t have as much disposable income to spend on outdoor gear.

Increased Competition From Non-Traditional Discount Retailers

MEC has been around since 1971. They started because there was nowhere to buy specialized outdoor gear in Vancouver. Over the years they continued to stock specialized outdoor gear and besides other small gear shops, there wasn’t really anywhere else to buy that kind of gear.

In the last decade or less, that’s changed. Social media, wellness culture, and the pandemic have made outdoor recreation more popular. And lots of other retailers noticed… especially discount retailers.

You used to have to go to a dedicated outdoor store to buy gear, and the gear you could buy was moderately priced or expensive.

Now, you can buy cheap (in both price and quality) outdoor gear at big box stores, at budget-priced sporting goods stores like Decathlon, and of course on the almighty Amazon. These entrants to the outdoor retail space are (mostly) poor quality and low technology, but most casual consumers don’t care. They only hike or camp a few times a year and want cheap gear.

MEC and other traditional outdoor retailers can’t (or won’t) compete without lowering their prices and quality.

It’s also worth mentioning that while outdoor gear purchased at a discount retailer a decade ago was guaranteed to be garbage, these days, that’s not always the case. Cheap gear has gotten so much better, so consumers find it hard to tell when to buy cheap stuff from Amazon and when to buy from an established outdoor brand.

Brick-and-Mortar Businesses Can’t Compete with E-Commerce

This one isn’t unique to outdoor gear or MEC. Brick-and-mortar stores have lost huge market share to online retailers over the last 10 to 15 years.

Customers say they want to try on or touch products in stores, but then they buy them online elsewhere at lower prices or with better shipping. (This is called “show-rooming”.) The in-store shopping experience is expensive for retailers primarily because of rent and staff.

As well, traditional retailers also have to run an e-commerce division to compete with online-only stores. So they have to have warehouses and shipping systems to accommodate the rapid pace of online shopping.

But many brick-and-mortar retailers like MEC don’t just ship orders from their warehouse. If it’s sold out in the warehouse, but available in a store, they’ll ship it from a store. That means that store staff have to pick, pack, and post orders too.

The whole thing gets complicated, time-consuming, and expensive, especially when you consider MEC’s free shipping policy. For as long as I can remember (but probably for about 10 years) MEC has offered free domestic shipping on orders over $50. For a store that carries $600 tents and $300 jackets, that ends up being almost every order.

In some cases, the retailer will end up taking a loss on the sale since the cost of shipping ate into the profit. But retailers like MEC keep doing it because they have to compete with online and they hope that they can streamline online things enough to make a profit on more orders than they take a loss on.

Focus on High-End Gear

MEC and other outdoor shops know they can’t (or won’t) compete with cheap Chinese-made knock-off gear. So instead they focus on what they do best: carrying specialized, high-end gear. That’s great and it serves their core audience…

But the average consumer doesn’t want or need expensive high-end gear. They need introductory gear that will make it easy for them to do a new outdoor activity and won’t break the bank. They don’t need advanced features and pricey technologies when they are first starting (or if they don’t do the activity often).

I think this has been a problem for other parts of the outdoor industry (especially bikes) more than it has been for MEC since some of their gear is more mid-range than high-end. But it still trickles down to MEC when customers don’t want to spend $500 for a 4-person family camping tent or $150 for a kids snow jacket. At MEC, those might be mid-range, low-tech options… but most consumers still view them as high-end.

Ultralight/Cottage Gear Trend

One of the biggest trends in outdoor gear in the last few years has been ultralight and cottage gear made by small, independent brands. Supporting small businesses is great… but it hurts big gear shops like MEC.

Ultralight and cottage gear is very niche and specialized – it’s not something that the average consumer will want or use. It’s also very expensive to manufacture, making it a risky nightmare for a big company that has to order a lot of it (their factories have minimum orders, unlike cottage companies that sew in-house). As well, it’s often fragile, which is bad for companies with a historically great warranty like MEC. (Their warranty isn’t as good now, sadly.)

MEC and other big brands have to follow trends like this or they look like they are out of date and irrelevant.

But people immersed in the ultralight and cottage gear community are quite snobby. They often reject ultralight gear made by big brands like MEC. This is especially true for UL influencers and prolific posters on UL forums (which is where most people hear about new gear).

That’s understandable since those brands have to make gear that compromises ultralightness or customization to appeal to more customers since they have to order more of each product. But it doesn’t help it sell, which furthers the problem.

Focus on Sustainable/Ethical Gear

I’ve worked in the outdoor industry on and off since 2006. Twenty years ago lots of outdoor brands talked about how they were incorporating recycled content into their clothing, building out fair labour practices in their factories, and donating partial proceeds to social and environmental causes. They were loud about it. And they were proud to make their gear a bit more expensive to incorporate these practices.

Over the last two decades, outdoor brands have continued to do that. Outdoor companies are at the forefront of green technologies like phasing out harmful PFSAs in rainwear and green anodizing for tent poles. But after a while, all the outdoor brands were doing the same environmentally and socially responsible things so they stopped making that as prominent in their marketing. Instead, they focused on why their gear was different than their competitors – not on the things that made it the same.

The result is that current consumers have no idea why outdoor gear from the main brands is expensive. They don’t know that it takes a lot of money to pay factory workers who don’t toil in sweatshops or have to breathe in toxic fumes. Those consumers don’t know that their jacket cost more since it uses less toxic chemicals and recycled materials that keeps plastics out of landfills.

Instead, they just see cheap gear from China on Amazon. Those gear brands make no claims about their environmental and social responsibility (because they can’t!), so consumers don’t even think about it.

Unclear Brand Voice

This is something MEC has struggled with for a long time. They’ve always carried other brands in their stores and usually, those brands are high-end or specialized in their sport. But they’ve also made backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, clothing, and other gear under the MEC Label.

The MEC Label confuses customers. Is it the same tech as the high-end brands but at a more reasonable price? Sometimes, yes. Is it a budget, less technical version of the high-end brand gear? Sometimes, also yes.

This makes it hard for customers to connect with the brand. It has led to perceptions that MEC is less desirable or poor quality.

While they’ve had some hits and misses over the years, I’ve had some amazing MEC pieces made with the same high-end tech as big brands like Arc’teryx. I also have budget gear from MEC that is going strong after decades. However, it takes a while for people to develop brand loyalty, and since MEC’s brand voice is unclear, most customers don’t make it far enough to develop that loyalty.

MAP Pricing Becomes Ubiquitous

If you’ve never worked in retail, you probably have never heard of MAP pricing. MAP pricing is the Minimum Advertised Price a retailer can advertise a product for. The MAP price is stipulated in the contract from their supplier and if they advertise something for less than their MAP, they are in breach of contract. The industry takes it very seriously.

MAP pricing didn’t used to be very common in outdoor retail. Only a few brands did it. But now, tons of the major outdoor brands all use MAP. At certain times of the year, like Black Friday, if a brand drops its MAP price on something, e.g. a tent, then all retailers can (and do) offer that lower MAP price. So the same tent is always the same price at all retailers, even if it goes on sale.

That’s great for consumers since it gives them a ton of buying options. But for a store like MEC that has to pay store rents and the salaries of in-store customer service staff, that means that they make less money on every sale compared to an online-only retailer like Altitude Sports or Amazon (which carries more and more big outdoor brands than they ever have before).

It also means they have less control over their pricing. Suppliers can lower their MAP pricing on a product with not that much notice, leading to a lower profit for the retailer. It’s worth noting that MAP pricing would run afoul of competition laws in the U.K. and the EU. But MAP pricing is legal in Canada and the USA.

What Next? Where Should We Shop?

Like a lot of MEC employees and members of the outdoors community, I went through a phase where I had a cult-like affection for MEC. (Fun fact, my husband and I went to MEC as part of our first date back in 2003. Don’t worry, we went for dinner first!)

After witnessing the inner workings and ups and downs, the shine faded. I was very upset when MEC was sold and they dissolved the cooperative structure in 2020.

But as the years have passed, I’ve come to accept that MEC is now just another retail store. It doesn’t owe anything to the community. MEC doesn’t need to be a cultural hub. It just needs to sell things that people want to buy. And like any other store, it’s susceptible to economic variations and poor management.

And for that reason, I still shop at MEC sometimes. For a lot of people, MEC is the easiest place to buy outdoor gear. They often have more selection than other stores and they offer good shipping.

But since I live in Squamish now, I tend to make most of my in-person purchases at Valhalla Pure Outfitters, since it’s convenient. Each of their stores across BC is locally owned but their combined purchasing power means they can get access to the latest and greatest gear.

If I have to shop online, I sometimes also buy from Altitude Sports. They are a Quebec-based e-commerce retailer. (Altitude Sports closed their last brick-and-mortar store in 2019). They have a huge selection and stock most major brands. They also have a great return policy.

I also buy online directly from brands I trust and love like Outdoor Research, Patagonia, and Mountain Hardwear.

I still rarely buy cheap outdoor gear from discount stores or Amazon. Quality gear that will last and that is made in an environmentally and socially responsible way is something I value highly.

I definitely appreciate that being able to afford outdoor gear is a barrier to the outdoors. However, if it’s possible, I encourage you to buy quality gear that will last for years instead of cheap, disposable gear from discount stores.

Do your research before you buy something and look for claims about environmental and social responsibility as well as warranties. The oft-repeated maxim is “Buy once, cry once.” You can buy quality gear used or wait for sales. My tips for saving money on outdoor gear has lots of suggestions to avoid paying full price.

Final Thoughts

I know I’ve missed out on a few other factors for MEC’s recent struggles. For example, the way social media has changed marketing and shopping habits or the rise of direct-to-consumer brands. Honestly, I could go on and on about this stuff, since I find it fascinating, but I have to stop somewhere!

While I’m sad to see MEC struggling, I hope they pull through. Yes, it’s just a store. But despite their faults, it’s a pretty great outdoor store. I think that the current management team has turned around a lot of the issues that they inherited from the coop days, but there are likely still hard times ahead. Fingers crossed for them.

As for who I think is going to buy MEC? I have no clue. It’s likely going to be another private equity firm. But it could also be an established retailer like Canadian Tire, which owns SportChek and Atmosphere (although that is unlikely since many Atmosphere locations are closing). Like many people, I’m really curious to see what happens next.

READ NEXT:

• Canadian Hiking Gear Brands to Support
• 20 Ways to Save Money on Hiking Gear
• My Favourite Hiking Gear of 2024
• Is Merino Wool Worth It? Pros and Cons

The post MEC is For Sale Again: What Happened? appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

I’m not a bike expert or super techy, so this review is for regular people who are thinking about getting an e-bike. If you are into detailed bike-nerd discussions of watts, amps, and gearing go check out one of the other RadMini Step-Thru reviews out there – you won’t find that here!

Instead I’ll focus on the import stuff like how the bike feels to ride, how easy it is to set up and maintain, if it works for me, and if I recommend it.

This review of the Rad Power RadMini Step-Thru includes:

• Why I decided to get an e-bike
• Pros and cons of the RadMini Step-Thru
• Run-down of the RadMini Step-Thru specs
• Differences between the RadMini Step-Thru and the recently introduced RadExpand 5
• Differences between the RadMini Step-Thru and the RadMini 4 Electric Folding Fat Bike
• A detailed review of the RadMini Step-Thru with sections for the motor, battery, frame, shifters, and lots more
• My answer to the question – Should you buy a Rad Power RadMini Step-Thru or a RadExpand?
• An e-bike FAQ section that includes why you should get an e-bike, how e-bikes work, where can you ride an e-bike, and more

Hey there: Thanks so much to Rad Power for providing me with a RadMini Step-Thru electric bike for me to review. All opinions in this post (including my belief that folding bikes aren’t great for most people) are my own. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support. -Taryn

Why Did I Get an E-Bike?

While I’m not the most avid cyclist, I do have a lot of experience with bikes.

I’ve been cross-country mountain biking on and off since I was six thanks to a dad who loved the sport, and I also dabble in casual road riding with friends.

When I lived in Vancouver, I commuted to work by bike every day for about four years. My route took me up and down some big hills, which was a great workout, but meant I had to change my clothes when I biked I got sweaty and chafed otherwise.

These days I live in Squamish, which is a small town and I work from home. I mountain bike a little bit and go out on the occasional road ride. But our house is up a big steeeeep hill from the rest of town so going for a casual ride to the grocery store feels like a big undertaking.

Since I got my Rad Power e-bike it’s been so much easier to pop down the hill for errands or head out to dinner without using our car. I can cruise around on the e-bike without getting sweaty or feeling like I’m getting a hardcore workout.

I’ve also noticed that I get out for a lot more fun “just because” bike rides now that I have an e-bike. I can wear my regular clothing since I don’t get sweaty, which makes it easier for me to ride my bike to dinner or to visit a friend. And if I keep the power low, I’m still getting exercise.

My husband Greg (an avid cyclist) even borrows my Rad Power e-bike sometimes to make his errands quicker or to carry more stuff.

I still ride my other bikes, but I find myself hopping on Betty (my RadMini) far more than my other bikes!

Pros and Cons of the Rad Power RadMini Step-Thru

While for the most part, I love my RadMini Step-Thru, there are a few things that are not as awesome. Here is a quick summary of the pros and cons:

Rad Power RadMini Step-Thru Specs

Here’s a quick run-down of the RadMini Step-Thru specs.

Rad Power RadMini Step-Thru vs. Rad Power RadExpand 5

I’ve had my RadMini for a couple of years. Recently, Rad Power discontinued the RadMini Step-Thru and replaced it with the RadExpand 5. For the most part, they are almost the same bike although the RadExpand 5 is $100 more. So if you’re thinking of getting a RadExpand 5, my RadMini Step-Thru review should be really helpful.

I’ve also included some key differences between the RadMini Step-Thru and RadExpand 5 in my review. In most cases, the RadExpand 5 actually improves upon the things that I didn’t love about the RadMini!

Rad Power RadMini Step-Thru vs. Rad Power RadMini 4 Electric Folding Fat Bike

The RadMini also used to come in a non-step-thru version called the RadMini Electric Folding Fat bike. It was very similar to the RadMini Step-Thru: It also folded, it had the same motor and battery, gears, etc. The only difference was that it was not a step-thru so it was harder to get on and off. It was also 2lbs lighter. The price was also the same.

This review is also really helpful if you’re considering getting the RadMini 4 Electric Folding Fat Bike so I also have highlighted some differences in my review.

My Rad Power RadMini Step-Thru Review

After riding this bike for several years, I have had time to really evaluate all the things I love about the RadMini, the things I don’t care about, and the things I would change. In this section, you’ll find my detailed opinion about each aspect of the bike.

Motor

The 500-watt geared hub motor has plenty of kick but still feels smooth when it starts up. (In Canada, e-bikes legally max out at 500 watts. The American version of this bike has 750 watts, which is the limit there.)

It has five power levels. Most of the time I ride on level 1 on the flats, which provides a little bit of pedal assist. The bike is heavy enough that I don’t like to use it without the pedal assist on. I use level 2 when I’m tired. For hills I use levels 3, 4, and 5, reserving level 5 for the steepest section since it eats up more battery.

Throttle

I had never considered the benefits of a throttle before I owned a bike with one. The RadMini Step-Thru has a twist-style throttle on the right handlebar, a bit like what you’d find on a motorcycle.

You can twist it to get a quick burst of power from the motor that overrides the pedal assist without you having to push any buttons or look at the display. That means the motor propels the bike without you having to pedal at all.

The throttle is by far my favourite feature of the bike. I love to use it to help me get started from a dead stop at traffic lights or on hills. I also love to use it when riding on the road because it means I can accelerate more quickly through an intersection away from traffic or when making a left turn. It makes me feel a lot safer.

It’s also great for short steep hills that creep up on you unexpectedly. I like to use the throttle for a few seconds instead of fussing with gears or power levels on the motor.

Display

The simple LCD display sits in the middle of the handlebars. It’s pretty big and easy to read. It has just three buttons on the left handlebar. I found it pretty straightforward to toggle through the menus and options. It also has a USB port if you want to charge your phone, which is a nice touch.

Battery

The battery mounts directly to the frame, so it feels secure and doesn’t rattle around at all. According to the specs, it gets up to 45 miles/72 km per charge. That lines up with my experience. I find that I need to charge the bike every third or fourth time that I ride it.

The display shows five bars of battery life, which diminish the more you ride. And of course, if you use higher levels of power assist, you run out of battery quicker. It flashes when you are close to running out, which happened to me recently on a big hill! Thankfully I was able to use less power and more muscle so I had enough battery to get home! I should have charged it before I rode that day – oops!

The battery locks to the bike frame for security and comes with keys. There are three positions: locked, locked to frame and powered off, and locked to frame and powered on. This is a helpful feature if you are worried about tampering or battery theft. You can also remove it entirely. Thankfully, that’s not a problem where I live, so I leave the battery locked to the bike and powered on.

Battery charging is really easy. It comes with a charging cable that plugs into a standard wall socket. I typically leave the battery attached to the bike and charge it in my garage. But you can also remove the battery from the bike and charge it elsewhere if you don’t have an outlet near where you store your bike.

According to Rad Power, it takes between 3 and 7 hours to charge an empty battery to totally full. In practice, I haven’t timed mine, but that sounds accurate.

Frame

The frame on this bike is really thick and sturdy. It feels really strong even though it has a step-thru design (more on that below) that folds (more on that too.)

It has a fat-bike style design but in a scaled-down size. The thick frame isn’t just for aesthetics – it helps the bike feel stiff for a folding bike and carry lots of weight – up to 275 lbs. If anything, I think the frame is a bit too burly as it makes the bike heavy. But it’s probably necessary to make the bike safe.

The frame is on the small size and Rad Power says it’s best for people between 4’10” and 5’10”. I’m 5’6″ and find it’s a good size for me, even though the upright cruiser-style position took some getting used to after years of riding a bike with drop bars.

The handlebars and seat are both adjustable to make it comfortable for riders of different heights. My 5’10” husband also finds that he can ride the bike in a pinch, but it does feel a tad small.

I often use the bike to run errands, which means I need to lock it up a lot. Unlike a traditional bike with a big central triangle in the frame, the RadMini is a bit of a challenge to lock up, especially if you are using a U-lock. I often use a sturdy chain lock which I pass between the rear wheel and the frame, but it’s a bit more awkward than locking up my other bikes.

RadMini 4 Electric Folding Fat Bike Difference: Since this bike isn’t a step-thru, it has a little bit of a central triangle that may make it a bit easier to lock up. It also is a bit bigger. Rad Power says it is best for riders 5’2″ to 6’2″.

Step-Thru Design

Before getting the RadMini Step-Thru I had only ridden a step-thru bike a handful of times – mostly on rental bikes when traveling in cities. I’m still so used to riding a conventional bike that I often reflexively swing my leg over the seat to mount the bike!

But the step-thru design is great since it is so easy to get on and off thanks to the really low stand-over height. It’s a really helpful feature if you have mobility challenges or like to bike in a skirt. (Especially when I remember I don’t need to swing my leg over the seat!).

RadMini 4 Electric Folding Fat Bike Difference: This bike is not a step-thru. While the RadMini Step-Thru and RadExpand 5 are step-thru with a standover height of 16″/41cm, this version has a standover height of 27.5″/70cm.

Folding Design

Some people love folding bikes because they are easier to store in small spaces or to bring with you in the trunk of your car or on the subway. In the case of the RadMini Step-Thru, it’s so heavy that you probably wouldn’t bring it folded up on the subway. And it might be hard to lift into the trunk of your car by yourself.

But folding it could be a great way to store it if you live in a small space. I have a garage so I don’t really need to use the folding feature but I did test it to see how it worked. The big hinge on the frame is easy to use and so is the one on the stem.

It’s helpful to look up the folding and unfolding instructions on Rad Power’s website. I found it a bit awkward to fold, but fairly straightforward. I’m a fairly strong person, but since it is heavy, I struggled to fold the bike and keep it upright at the same time. It is much easier if you have a second person to help you stabilize the bike.

Honestly, this is one feature I thought I might use sometimes, but never do.

RadMini 4 Electric Folding Fat Bike Difference: This bike folds very similarly to the RadMini Step-Thru and RadExpand 5. But the folding mechanism is a bit different and of course located on a different spot on the bike. From the reviews, folding it seems similar to what I experienced with the RadMini Step-Thru.

Suspension

The suspension on the front fork is pretty cushy which makes for a comfortable ride when combined with the fat tires. I’ve ridden my RadMini on lots of bumpy gravel roads and trails around Squamish and it is super comfortable and handles well.

It’s a much nicer ride than my road bike. And a few times I’ve been out for a ride on gravel roads with my husband on his full-suspension mountain bike and I feel I am just as comfortable on the bumps and potholes as he does.

RadExpand 5 Difference: The RadExpand 5 doesn’t have a suspension fork. Instead, it uses fatter and wider tires to cushion the ride. (More on that below.) This difference makes it a little lighter than the RadMini Step-Thru.

Fat Tires

The fat tires on the Rad Power RadMini are a strange size. They are 3.3″ wide, which is a bit skinnier than is standard for a fat bike. They have a small 20″ diameter, which is a lot smaller than the 26″ tires common full-size bikes.

But since they are still pretty fat, they provide lots of cushion and make the ride really smooth.

They have a slightly knobbly tread, which is great on gravel and dirt. So far, I’ve found them really comfortable to ride and despite the small size, they have managed to navigate over lots of big bumps without much trouble.

However, the tires can be a bit tricky to pump up as you have to get your pump nozzle between the spokes and around the motor. As well, the fat tires may not work with some car-mounted bike racks.

RadExpand 5 Difference: The RadExpand 5 has 4″ wide tires (standard for a fat bike) which provide a slightly cushier ride and make up for the bike’s lack of front suspension. They are still 20″ diameter.

RadMini 4 Electric Folding Fat Bike Difference: The non-step-thru version has 3″ tires which are a tiny bit narrower than on the RadMini Step-Thru.

Gearing and Shifters

The RadMini Step-Thru has seven speeds with fairly widely spaced gears(11-34 tooth), which for me makes both going up steep hills and going fast on the flats pretty easy. One of the hills near my house has a VERY steep section, and it’s no problem in the lowest gear with full power.

The large push button shifter is easy to use for going up in gears. You have to reach up for the lever for lower gears which is a bit less intuitive.

Brakes

Thankfully, the RadMini Step-Thru uses mechanical disc brakes, which have great stopping power. The bike is heavy and I ride down a lot of steep hills, so I want to make sure I can stop safely.

I also have disc brakes on my road bike and they are such an improvement over the older style rim brakes.

Handlebars and Grips

The bike comes with a wide and comfortable faux-leather seat and ergonomically shaped faux-leather grips. Since these are the two places that your body comes into the contact with the bike, they need to be comfortable – and they are.

The handlebars are adjustable in height to accommodate different riders. They also fold down for storage.

RadExpand 5 Difference: The RadExpand5 has slightly different handlebars which are more adjustable – they go both forward and backwards as well as up and down. This provides more riding positions and sounds like a great feature.

Seat

The wide seat is the same faux-leather as the grips. The seat also has a metal handle at the back, which I love. I often use it to grab the bike when I’m pulling it out of the garage or maneuvering it around a bike rack to lock it up.

Included Accessories

The RadMini comes with lots of included accessories, which is a great touch. It’s so annoying to get a new bike and then have to go looking for accessories that fit it.

The included kickstand is a must since the bike is quite heavy. I find it really easy to use with a flick of my left ankle.

The bike also comes with a low-profile bell already mounted on the handlebars. It’s so small that I didn’t realize it was there the first few times I rode the bike. However, it is surprisingly loud, which I appreciate, especially on multi-use paths.

Front and rear fenders are also included, which is great since they help keep mud and rain off my legs when I ride in bad weather. Having shopped for fenders for some of my other bikes, I also appreciate how hard it can be to get the right size and install them, so I’m really glad this bike came with them.

I also really love the integrated lights. You can turn the integrated headlamp up front on and off using the control panel. But my favourite feature is that the brake light at the back automatically turns on when you brake – just like a car!

RadExpand 5 Difference: The RadExpand5 comes with a rear rack!

Additional Accessories

Rad Power offers lots of extra accessories that you can purchase separately. So far I have the front rack and front-mounted basket. The racks are really sturdy, with thicker tubing than standard racks.

I’ve found the front rack and basket really handy for hauling small loads of groceries or doing errands. I also like to plunk my backpack in the basket to prevent getting a sweaty back. I use a few bungee cords from the hardware store to keep everything secure.

The front rack is mounted to the frame of the bike, rather than the wheel, which means that it doesn’t make the bike swing sideways or interfere with steering like wheel-mounted front racks.

I also recently added the phone mount on my handlebars. I’ve used other phone mounts before that felt fairly flimsy, but this one is super strong and holds well thanks to metal construction and a screw/clamp locking mechanism.

Rad Power also carries all kinds of bike bags and baskets to fit their racks as well helmets, locks, and accessories specific to their other bikes.

After-Market Accessories

While Rad Power makes tons of accessories for their bikes, sometimes they are out of stock. And some are a bit pricey.

I recently this after-market rear rack when the Rad Power one was out of stock. It fits great and feels really sturdy. The only issue was that I needed to get an extender cable for my rear light to mount properly.

You can find lots of after-market Rad Power accessories on Amazon or at bike shops. Read descriptions and reviews carefully to see if they will work with your bike.

Weight

There’s no way to sugar coat it – e-bikes are heavy, and this one is particularly heavy at 69 lbs (31 kg). However, it feels really sturdy for its weight. And the design means that center of gravity is low so the weight is easily manageable.

The weight of the bike makes it a bit of a challenge to lift and maneuever, especially for people who aren’t that strong. This could make it difficult to carry up stairs or lift onto a car-mounted bike rack, but having another person will solve that problem. (Heads up: check the max weight of your bike rack. Some lightweight models won’t be up to carrying this bike.)

You can also take the battery off the bike to make it a bit lighter to lift. By itself, the battery weighs 7.7 lb/3.5 kg.

RadExpand 5 Difference: The RadExpand 5 weighs 62.5 lbs (28.3 kg). The weight savings comes from changing to a rigid fork from a suspension fork. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a small weight savings (4.5 lb/2 kg) on such a heavy bike. But hey: every little bit helps!

RadMini 4 Electric Folding Fat Bike Difference: The RadMini Electric Folding Fat Bike weighs 67 lbs (30 kg) which is slightly less than the RadMini Step-Thru. The difference comes from the different frame design that doesn’t need to be as burly and stiff.

Assembly and Set-up

In some cities, you can go to a Rad Power store and buy a fully-assembled bike. If you live near a large city you may also be able to have your bike delivered to you fully-assembled for a fee.

But most Rad Power owners receive their bikes via courier in a box. You then assemble it yourself. That’s what I did.

The bike comes in a big box mostly assembled, you just have to do a few things yourself. Rad Power has great videos that walk you through the assembly process. It also comes with a set of tools and a manual.

I had intended to put the bike together myself, but my husband “surprised” me by doing it for me. It took him less than an hour and was so quick that I didn’t even realize that’s what he was working on in the garage.

The assembly doesn’t require that much mechanical know-how. You just have to unfold the stem, attach the handlebars, attach the front wheel, install the pedals, attach the front fender, attach the headlight, and secure the rear fender. Finish by pumping up the tires, adjusting the seat, and turning on the battery.

Reliability and Maintenance

I’ve owned this bike for a couple of years and it has required really minimal maintenance. It is designed to be fairly reliable with user-maintainable parts.

We pumped up the tires in the spring after the bike sat for a few months over the winter. The gears also didn’t shift that well for a little bit, but it was an easy fix – just one knob to turn on the derailleur. (Rad Power has great instructions and a video on their website.)

One thing to note is that the tires are an uncommon size so if you need to replace a tube, you will likely have to order one (my bike local shop ordered one for me). You won’t find them in stock anywhere.

Value

After looking at a bunch of other e-bikes on the market, I think the RadMini (and RadExpand 5) are great value.

For the price ($1499USD/$1799 CAD for the RadMini Step-Thru or Electric Folding Fat Bike; $1599USD/$1849 CAD for the RadExpand 5) you get a great bike that is easy to use and set-up. It also comes with fenders, and in the case of the RadExpand 5, a rear rack too, which is great because each of those are about $100 if you buy them separately.

Should You Buy a Rad Power RadMini Step-Thru, RadMini Electric Folding Fat Bike or RadExpand 5?

Overall, I think the Rad Power RadMini Step-Thru is a great e-bike. I’m really happy with it and think it provides great performance. It’s also really user-friendly, which I think is important since e-bikes can be very daunting with all kinds of electronics to consider.

E-bikes can also be really expensive and I think that Rad Power has really nailed it with their bikes, providing great basic bikes that work well at a fairly affordable price. They are some of the least expensive e-bikes on the market for their value.

I would definitely recommend Rad Power bikes to anyone interested in an electric bike. However, I don’t think a folding bike is a great choice for most people since you likely won’t ever fold it.

Instead, I recommend you check out the RadRunner Plus, which is really similar to the RadMini and RadExpand 5 but doesn’t fold. The RadRunner Plus is super customizable and comes with a rear rack. It is a bit more expensive though…

So I guess the solution if you’re looking to save a bit of money is to get the RadExpand 5 and just never fold it – that’s what I do with my RadMini Step-Thru 🙂

You may have noticed at the beginning of this post that I received this bike from Rad Power in exchange for a review. After riding it for nine months, I have to say that I can’t imagine my life without an e-bike, and if I didn’t already own one, I would definitely buy one. And I can also honestly say I would buy a Rad Power e-bike, probably the RadRunner Plus.

E-bike FAQ

Why get an e-bike?

There are lots of reasons to get an e-bike. For a long time, “serious” cyclists considered electric bikes to be “cheating”, which honestly is a bit ridiculous. Thankfully, that is changing.

E-bikes are great for older and less fit people since they make biking accessible for more people. And I don’t have to tell you that biking is fun, great low-impact exercise, and an alternative to vehicles.

But even if you are young and in good shape, e-bikes are great. You can go faster. You sweat less. And you can carry more cargo with less effort. As well, the pedal-assist boost means you can go further in a day than you would without it since you are expending less energy.

For many people, e-bikes replace a car trip in some situations. As I said, I live at the top of a hill, about 2 km from the nearest store. That means a quick errand run is a long and sweaty undertaking by bike, so I usually drove. But since I’ve had my RadMini, I’ve done way more errands by bike.

How do e-bikes work? Do I have to pedal?

E-bikes use a motor powered by a battery. You can turn the motor off and use the bike just like a regular non-electric bike.

With the motor on, some types of e-bikes provide extra power only when you are pedaling. This is called pedal-assist. By law, e-bikes stop providing motor assistance over a certain speed, (20 mph/32 kph). Bikes like these are Class 1 e-bikes.

Some e-bikes have a throttle that you can use to propel the bike forward without pedaling in addition to having pedal assist. These are known as Class 2 e-bikes. Typically, you use the throttle in short bursts to help you up a short hill or to get started after you stop. While you don’t have to pedal on this type of e-bike, in practice you will spend at least some of the time pedaling. The Rad Power RadMini and RadExpand are both Class 2 e-bikes.

There are also Class 3 e-bikes that can go up to 28mph/45kph and must have a speedometer. They don’t have a throttle so you do have to pedal. These are not very common.

There are also various types of electric scooters or mopeds that look a bit like bikes. You don’t have to pedal on those, but depending on your jurisdiction, you may need a drivers or motorcycle license.

How fast can e-bikes go?

Most e-bikes provide pedal assist up to 20mph/32kph. After that, the motor turns off. You can still keep pedaling without the motor, so you might be able to get the bike to go a bit faster than that. And of course, you can coast downhill pretty fast.

Many e-bikes have a speedometer on the digital display. That means that you can see how fast you are going all the time.

Where can you ride an e-bike? Do you need a driver’s license?

Check laws in your state or province to be sure, but most jurisdictions consider e-bikes to be just like regular bikes. That means you don’t need a driver’s licence to ride one. However, in many states or provinces, there is a minimum age – usually between 14 and 18.

In most places, trails and roads open to regular bikes are also open to e-bikes. But check local laws to be sure as some places don’t allow e-bikes on shared use paths or in parks.

What to look for in an e-bike?

Different people will want different things in an e-bike. But if you’re considering an electric bike for the same reasons I got one (to run errands and make your bike trips around town a little easier), there are a few things to look for in an electric bike.

• The type of bike – There are tons out there including mountain bikes and super fast road bikes. I think most people will be happy with a utility bike like the RadMini or a hybrid bike meant for cities.
• The dealer – Buy from a bike shop that specializes in e-bikes and has a good reputation.
• The price – You don’t need a super-expensive electric mountain bike. And you can buy a super cheap e-bike on Amazon… but it will probably break. Look for good value.
• Reliability and maintenance – With the motor and battery, there are more things to service on an e-bike. Choose one that is reliable and easy to user-maintain.
• Power and battery range – Consider where you typically ride. If you don’t have steep hills or bike long distances, maybe you don’t need to spend money on a bike with lots of power and a long battery range. (And can save some weight along with money!)

Why did I choose a Rad Power e-bike?

I had heard great things about Rad Power from other e-bike owners. They are based in Seattle and have a store in Vancouver, both of which are a few hours from where I live in Squamish, so their bikes are fairly common here.

I liked that they specialized in making electric bikes and were focused on making biking accessible to more people. A lot of bike companies get caught up in trends and hype, which usually isn’t helpful for everyday life. I liked that the Rad Power bikes were designed for regular people who wanted a bike to cruise around town or do errands – because that’s what most people are using e-bikes for.

When I dug into reviews on Rad Power bikes, riders praise their affordability and reliability – two things that were really important to me.

So that’s my review of the Rad Power RadMini Step-Thru, which is also kind of a review of the Rad Power RadExpand 5 and Rad Power RadMini Electric Folding Fat Bike too! If you’re thinking of getting an electric bike or you have questions, hit me up in the comments. I’m happy to help.

READ NEXT:

• How to Cycle Tour the Natchez Trace Parkway
• Explore Wineries in Summerland, BC by Bike

The post Rad Power RadMini Step-Thru Electric Bike Review appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

Hey there: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. Thanks for supporting my website! -Taryn

Disclosure: I received a complimentary review copy of this book. However, all opinions are my own.

Basic Stats:

Author: Roy Jantzen

Format: Paperback with lots of full colour photos and maps

Publication Date: 2015

Publisher: Rocky Mountain Books

List Price: Paperback $25CAD

Where to Buy: Amazon.ca (where it’s often on sale)

What’s in the Book?

One of the things that I liked best about the book is the fact that the majority of the activities are within Metro Vancouver. Too often books claim things are in Vancouver when in reality they are several hours drive away. It’s nice to be able to pick an activity, head out the door, and be outside in the fresh air quickly. There are also public transit directions so you aren’t tied to your car.

Another thing I really liked about Active Vancouver is that most of the activities are very beginner-friendly. As well, Jantzen included an index at the back of the book. It has specific recommendations for trips that are good for dogs, kids, teens, seniors, and out of town visitors. 

Active Vancouver is broken up into sections for a variety of active outdoor pursuits. There are sections for trail running, hiking, snowshoeing, cycling, paddling and picnicking. There’s also a bonus section at the back called “Other Adventures” that includes swimming, inline skating and rock climbing.  There are 48 adventures in all, with a handful in each section. Each adventure includes a map, directions and beautiful photos.

However, for me the best part of each adventure was the “Eco-Insight” section with interesting ecological info. I’ve done the Quarry Rock Hike in Deep Cover countless times. But I’ve never stopped to think about the close relationship between the tree roots I’m stepping over and fungus. The author is a professor of natural history at Capilano University and it’s obvious that he’s put a lot of thought into the ecological info in this book. After reading the Eco-Insight for Quarry Rock, I know next time I do that hike I’ll spend some more time looking carefully at the forest floor! (Psst: Did you know that Quarry Rock is one of the most Instagrammed hikes in Vancouver?)

Who Will Like This Book?

Active Vancouver includes adventures in all four seasons, so it’s something locals can use year round. I think this is a great book for any outdoor adventurer in Vancouver. It’s especially good for those new to town, new to the outdoors or new to getting outside with their growing family. Even if you’re a seasoned Vancouver outdoors-person, I think the Eco-Insights alone are reason enough to own a copy.

More Book Reviews:

• The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore: A Review
• 103 Hikes and 105 Hikes: The History of Hiking Guidebooks in BC
• 20 Women’s Adventure Books That Will Inspire You
• The Best Canadian Adventure Books
• The Best Vancouver Hiking Books

More Vancouver-Area Outdoor Adventure Ideas:

• The 10 Best Hikes in Vancouver: A Local’s Guide
• Waterfalls Near Vancouver You Can Hike To
• 35 Vancouver Hikes You Can Get to on Transit
• 15 Unusual Hikes Near Vancouver
• 100+ Snow-Free Hikes in Vancouver: Trails You Can Hike Year Round
• The Ultimate Guide to Snowshoeing in Vancouver: 10 Places to Go
• 6 Easy Hikes in Vancouver for Beginners and Tourists

The post Active Vancouver: Book Review appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

Basically, The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore provides directions for summiting 67 peaks on Vancouver’s North Shore – all without the use of rock climbing gear. Some of the routes are hikes, some are an easy walk, some are scrambles and some are hideous off-track, bushwhacking, route-finding missions. And the book doesn’t just have route descriptions in it. It also has probably the most detailed history of outdoor activity in the North Shore mountains ever printed. Oh and did I mention it’s a beast? This thing clocks in at 503 pages! I’ve been poring over this book since I got, so here’s my honest review.

Hey there: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. Thanks for supporting my website! -Taryn

I received a complimentary review copy of this book. However, all opinions are my own, and honestly I would have purchased this book with my own funds if I hadn’t been given a copy. 

Basic Stats:

Authors: David Crerar, Harry Crerar and Bill Maurer

Format: Paperback with lots of full colour photos and maps . Also available as an eBook

Publication Date: 2018

Publisher: Rocky Mountain Books

List price: Paperback: $40CAD

Where to Buy: Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Indigo

More Info: BaggerBook.ca

READ NEXT: The Best Vancouver Hiking Books

What’s in the Book?

The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore includes info and route descriptions for 67 peaks. Most peaks include multiple route options. Each peak also includes a topo map, a brief section on name origins, First Nations history, geology, first ascents and other historical trivia. Many of the peaks will be familiar to casual hikers (e.g. Mount Seymour, Hollyburn), but others were new even to me (e.g. Zinc Peak, Mount Jarrett).

The peaks are separated into 7 mountain ranges or groups stretching from Howe Sound and Furry Creek in the West to the Fannin Range around Mount Seymour in the East. There are also some great suggestions for trips that combine multiple peaks. The section on the Howe Sound Crest Trail is particularly detailed. I actually carried photocopies of some of that section on my trip on the HSCT this August and found them really helpful.

At the end of the book there are a staggering 24 separate appendices covering all manner of interesting topics including:

• Various rankings of peaks from easiest to hardest, etc. and connoisseur’s lists of best peaks for rainy days, camping, mushrooms, etc.
• A glossary of terms (Find out what “waterbag” and “veggie belay” mean.)
• History of local mountain clubs, aboriginal peoples, and the people and events some of the peaks are named after
• Info on flora and fauna, geology, creeks and other natural features
• A list of local peaks with hidden whiskey caches. A friend and I actually went on a mission to find one these recently… and were so excited to find it. Nevermind that we both hate the taste of whiskey, we drank some anyway!

What is the “Bagger Challenge”?

Vancouver’s trail runners and hikers have been forging their own routes to the North Shore peaks for years. In 2009 David Crerar organized the first formal “Bagger Challenge” – an annual contest to summit as many North Shore Peaks as possible in a calendar year. Since then, the Bagger Challenge has grown from a small group of friends to a Facebook group with hundreds of members. Each challenger reports their peaks bagged on the honour system and at the end of the year trophies are awarded for the champions of each gender, a kids division, a canine division and a spirit award. I haven’t formally participated in the Bagger Challenge yet, but I have been keeping up with the fun discussion in the FB group. (And I’ve also privately noted my own peaks bagged. I’m at 22 in my lifetime and 10 in 2018. Curiously, the book doesn’t have a tick list page where readers can keep track of all the peaks they’ve bagged.) Maybe next year you’ll see my name on the official baggers list though?

Who Will Like This Book?

You don’t have to be a dedicated member of the Bagger Challenge to enjoy the book. (Although, like me you might be planning some future peak bagging trips based on the books instructions!) I think the following types of people will love this book: those that like off-the-beaten-path hikes, people interested in local history, hikers looking to make the jump to scrambling, and anyone who wants to take their North Shore hikes to the next level but isn’t ready to learn roped climbing. This book is sure to spark some trip-planning ideas for many Vancouver-area hikers! I’m already dreaming of an overnight trip deep into the Fannin range behind Mount Seymour next year!

Have you got your copy yet? Which peak from the book is now on your must-hike list? Tell me in the comments.

Read Next:

• The Best Vancouver Hiking Books
• 20 Women’s Adventure Books That Will Inspire You
• The Best Canadian Adventure Books
• Active Vancouver: Book Review
• 103 Hikes and 105 Hikes: The History of Hiking Guidebooks in BC

The post The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore: A Review appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

Hey there: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. Thanks for supporting my website! -Taryn

History of 103 Hikes in Southwestern British Columbia

When I got into hiking in my university days, a friend recommended I get a copy of 103 Hikes. The 5th edition was on the shelves at the time, so I bought it and started working my way through the hikes. My boyfriend (who is now my husband) and I would put our initials next to each hike in the index as we completed them. When the 6th edition of 103 Hikes came out I rushed to MEC to buy it, then sat down to pore over it and see what was different.

A few months later I spotted the 2nd edition of 103 Hikes at a used book store. Leafing through it, I was struck by the awesome vintage black and white photos (HUGE external frame packs anyone?) and the descriptions of old routes that have now fallen into obscurity or been obliterated by road building and development. Over the next few years I tracked down the other editions of 103 Hikes. Eventually I had the complete set, editions one through six.

This week when 105 Hikes came in the mail, I sat down to read it cover to cover, just as I did back in 2008 when the 6th edition of 103 Hikes was released. And then I walked over to the bookshelf and grabbed all my editions of 103 Hikes to take a tour through BC hiking history. I’ve put together some highlights for you in case you don’t have a complete 103 Hikes collection of your own. (I’m probably one of the only weirdos who collects things like this.)

1st Edition (1973)

In 1973 The Mountaineers Books and the British Columbia Mountaineering Club (BCMC) published the first edition of 103 Hikes in Southwestern British Columbia. The introduction explains that a committee of BCMC members laboured over the book starting in 1967. But the author credit went to Mary and David Macaree, Scottish immigrants and long-time members of the BCMC. They went on to co-author every other edition of 103 Hikes (as well as it’s more sedate little brother, 109 Walks in Southwestern British Columbia).

The 1st edition of the book had hand-drawn maps (done by Mary Macaree), black and white photos and gave distances and elevation in miles and feet. It focused on trails in the Lower Mainland but also included many on Vancouver Island.

It’s interesting to read between the lines of the trail descriptions to get an idea of what trails were like at the time: There was no downhill ski resort at Cypress yet, and no road up there either. The current Elfin Lakes hut didn’t exist – instead there was a private lodge and you could pay to be driven up in a jeep or snowcat. And there were no hikes listed past Pemberton because highway 99 didn’t extend any further.

In today’s Instagram age I was shocked to read that even in the 70s the authors were worried about trails getting over used:

“A question often asked is why a group of outdoor types should produce a work such as this at all, given the very real danger that exposure of wilderness country to a wider public may well lead to its abuse, or even, in areas of heavy usage, to its complete despoilation…”

It’s crazy to find so many parallels to things we read about sharing info on hiking trails today! There are also numerous pleas throughout the book to pick up garbage, use camp stoves to reduce reliance on fires in fragile areas and to camp in designated campsites rather than trampling vegetation. The book never uses the words “Leave No Trace” but it’s clear that those ethics were important to its authors from the start.

2nd edition (1980)

The 2nd edition of 103 Hikes came out in 1980. The content of this book is much the same as the first edition except for the odd hike swapped in. The most noticeable difference is in the physical size of the book. While the first edition was nearly square, the second edition came in the now familiar rectangular format.

The 2nd edition also saw the introduction of the metric system to 103 Hikes. Despite Canada going metric in the 1970s, the first edition didn’t embrace it. By 1980 hikers still weren’t sure about metric so the 2nd edition uses BOTH feet and inches as well as kilometers and meters.

3rd edition (1987)

By 1987 the Macarees were able to find 103 hikes on the Mainland, so they removed the Vancouver Island hikes that had been in previous editions.  New hiking areas were opening up to BC hikers at this time: The Coquihalla highway had been built and trails were starting to be cut in that area. The formerly closed watershed areas of Lynn Headwaters and Buntzen Lake areas had also opened up and lots of trail building was happening. In particular, long-time BCMC member Halvor Lunden built many trails around Buntzen Lake that appear in the book for the first time. These include the Diez Vistas, Lindsay Lake, Swan Falls, Mount Beautiful, and Dilly Dally trails. And apparently hikers were finally ok with the metric system since the 3rd edition drops miles and feet entirely.

4th edition (1994)

There aren’t any glaring changes between the 3rd and 4th editions of 103 Hikes. The bulk of the hikes are the same. The stand out for me is Mount Cheam. The old route to Mount Cheam had been in the previous three editions. It started beside highway 1 outside of Chilliwack and gained over 2000m of elevation over the 30km round trip. It took most groups 2 days. By 1994 the logging roads had pushed far enough up the flanks of Cheam from the Chilliwack Valley side so that the current trail could be built. It gains 655m over 9.5km. If you think Cheam is a steep hike now, you should have tried it back in the 80s!

5th edition (2001)

This was the first copy of 103 Hikes that I owned. For the 5th edition Jack Bryceland joined Mary and David Macaree as a co-author. David Macaree actually passed away in 1998 (and Mary in 2008), so Bryceland mostly updated the non-trail description portions and added descriptions for new hikes. The existing hikes remained the way the Macarees wrote them.

While the Macaree’s hike descriptions were very matter of fact, Jack Bryceland’s descriptions have a more distinct voice. Bryceland editorializes a bit more and has a clear conservationist agenda. Many of the new hikes he introduced in the 5th edition were Western Canada Wilderness Committee trails that were built to try to prove the recreation potential of areas threatened by logging or development. Many of these trails have long and difficult logging road approaches. Despite being in beautiful areas, most of them were rough trails to begin with and still saw infrequent use after the book was released.

Along with a new author, the 5th edition also got a new map style. Single colour shaded maps with typed labels replaced Mary Macaree’s black and white hand-drawn maps of previous editions.

6th edition (2008)

At first glance, the 6th edition of 103 hikes doesn’t look that different from the 5th edition and it contains a lot of the same hikes. However, it was written and researched during the pre-Olympic construction on the Sea to Sky Highway, which closed many trailheads. Therefore, the book has few Sea to Sky trails.  The 6th edition was also the first for current publisher Greystone Books.

105 Hikes In and Around Southwestern British Columbia, 1st edition (2018)

When I heard that Stephen Hui would be writing the successor book to 103 Hikes, I thought that the publisher couldn’t have picked a better author. Stephen wrote a long-running hiking column in the Georgia Straight for years and knows a lot about hiking in this area. (Full disclosure: I know Stephen personally and we’ve hiked together.)

Now called 105 Hikes in and Around Southwestern British Columbia, the new book makes some excellent improvements over the previous version. To start with, it has beautiful full colour maps that are much easier to read. Plus they have contour lines – so important in BC’s steep terrain! The book also has colour photos throughout, which I love.

Stephen has also completely cleaned house as far as the table of contents goes: there are tons of new trails! He has also removed some of the hikes that were in previous versions but had difficult access or just weren’t that scenic.  You might also get a bit of a hint as to another change from the title: 105 Hikes in and Around Southwestern British Columbia. That’s right, not just “in” but “around”. Hikes 80 to 105 are in Howe Sound, the Sunshine Coast, Victoria and Washington State.

Another important addition is the indigenous context. Stephen has evidently done a lot of research to include information about traditional indigenous place names and territories for each hike. It’s so important to remember that the land we hike isn’t just desolate wilderness. It is traditional territory for indigenous peoples and they have been here since time immemorial.

If you hike in Southwestern BC, you’re going to want to pick up a copy of this book. It’s available in stores now and you can order it on Amazon. It has a great mix of hikes with a bunch of hikes that are shorter and a bit less difficult thrown in for those days when you have less time. And if you’re a completionist you can join Stephen’s 105 Hikes Challenge Facebook group to trade notes with other hikes who are trying to finish all 105 hikes.

READ NEXT:

• The Best Vancouver Hiking Books
• 20 Women’s Adventure Books That Will Inspire You
• The Best Canadian Adventure Books
• Active Vancouver: Book Review
• The Glorious Mountains of Vancouver’s North Shore: A Review

The post 103 Hikes and 105 Hikes: The History of Hiking Guidebooks in BC appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

Hey there: Nomad Nutrition provided me with three meals to review. I was not compensated for the review.  There was no expectation of a positive review, and like always, all opinions (and dislike of lentils) are my own. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you make a purchase. Thanks for your support! -Taryn

Recently I heard about a Vancouver-based company called Nomad Nutrition. They make dehydrated backpacking meals that use high quality and healthy ingredients that are organic and non-GMO where possible. In fact, I’m sure you’ll recognize every single item in the ingredients list. Nomad Nutrition designs their meals to include optimized ratios of healthy fats, lean protein and complex carbs. Their meals are also vegan and 100% gluten free, which is something I hadn’t seen before from a backpacking food company. 

I took a few just-add-boiling-water Nomad Nutrition meals along on a recent backpacking trip to Shi Shi Beach in Washington’s Olympic National Park. Greg and I shared them for dinner each night. Read on to find out what we thought.

The Meals:

Hungarian Goulash

If you’ve been to Hungary, you might have tried goulash, the national dish. It’s somewhere in between a soup and stew and flavoured heavily with paprika. The traditional version also contains big chunks of beef. Being vegetarian, the Nomad Nutrition version of goulash ends up being a pretty hearty vegetable stew. It has potatoes, onions, peppers, lentils, zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, mushrooms and garlic, along with the required Hungarian paprika. Vegetables are rare in the backcountry so I really liked how the flavour of the vegetables really came through in this dish. Greg and I also appreciated the tasty paprika seasoning.

Irish Shepherd’s Pie

To me, shepherd’s pie is a pretty meaty dish, so I was curious to see how Nomad Nutrition would execute a vegan version. The potatoes are still in there, but the meat has been subbed out for lentils.  I have to confess that lentils and I are not best friends, so I didn’t love this one. If lentils are hiding away in a dish (like the Hungarian Goulash), we get along fine. But when lentils are the star attraction in a meal, I’m usually not into it. Since you can’t achieve the classic potatoes layered on filling effect in a backpacking meal, the Nomad Nutrition Irish Shepherd’s Pie ends up being a potato and lentil stew. Just like in their other dishes, the flavours of the vegetables come through, and it is like eating real food. Greg doesn’t mind lentils, so he enjoyed it a bit more, but felt that the seasoning was a bit too mild.

Kathmandu Curry

Greg and I spent a few days in Kathmandu last year on our way back from trekking to Annapurna Base Camp. We ate a lot of Nepali food, Indian food and Nepali interpretations of Western food, but we never had anything quite like Nomad Nutrition’s Kathmandu Curry. And that’s a shame since the Kathmandu Curry was our favourite flavour of the Nomad Nutrition meals! Like the other meals, the Kathmandu Curry is a vegetable stew dish that features potatoes, but this one also throws in chickpeas and some small bits of rice noodle. It’s not a noodle dish – it’s a vegetable stew with bits of noodle in it. It also has a great curry flavour that’s not overwhelmingly spicy or flaming hot. Of all the meals we ate, this is the one that I would recommend the most.

READ NEXT: How to Choose the Best Backpacking Meals

Overall Impressions

I really appreciated how much the Nomad Nutrition Meals taste like real food, especially the vegetables. Like I said, many commercially available backpacking meals don’t have many vegetables and they aren’t the main flavour, so I really enjoyed the veggie taste in these dishes.

As well, most other backpacking food is really salty. When I’ve been sweating all day, I do need to replenish my body with salt, but not in the enormous quantities the other companies seem to think I want. (Plus ingesting that much salt often makes me drink lots of water right before bed, which means waaay too many trips to the outhouse.) I really appreciated that the Nomad Nutrition meals are nicely seasoned but not too salty.

Sometimes backpackers tend to eat junk food on the trail. It’s quick, easy and cheap, and you think you can rationalize it since you are burning so many calories. I’ve definitely been guilty of living off Mars Bars and pepperoni sticks a few times. But it usually makes my gut feel like crap. If you’re craving something that tastes healthy instead, the Nomad Nutrition meals will fulfill that wish. (And if you still want junk food, some nice dark chocolate for dessert should satisfy that craving.)

Generally, I’m an omnivore, so I was surprised that I didn’t really miss the meat in these vegan meals. When I eat a meatless backpacking dinner it is often a pasta dish that is packed with gluten so I feel full right away, but get hungry later after the carbs wear off.  With the Nomad Nutrition meals I expected to feel a bit hungry later without the meat, but that didn’t really happen. Maybe it was all those stick-to-your-ribs potatoes, or maybe, just maybe, the chickpeas and lentils filled me up the way meat does. (I know, I know… vegetarians figured this stuff out ages ago. I’m slow.)

Like most backpacking food, the Nomad Nutrition meals come in packages that purport to serve two people. And like most backpacking meals, the Nomad Nutrition meals are better at serving one hungry backpacker, not two. Greg and I shared two packages between us for each meal as we typically would with other brands.

Nomad Nutrition uses quality, high-end ingredients, environmentally friendly packaging and prepares their meals in Vancouver, BC (not in an overseas plant). Unfortunately this means that their prices are a tiny bit higher than the average prepared backpacking meal. 

The meals come in environmentally friendly packaging, which is great and makes the meals less heavy and bulky to pack. But the packaging doesn’t contain the foil liner found in many brands so I found that the food wasn’t piping hot when the rehydration time was over. If this bothers you, you could wrap the meal inside a puffy jacket while it rehydrates. You could also buy or make a meal cozy like this one from SectionHiker.com.

READ NEXT: Beyond Oatmeal: 6 Hot Backpacking Breakfasts

Where to Buy

Nomad Nutrition meals are available on Amazon.ca. They are even eligible for Prime shipping!

You can also buy instore or online from MEC. 

You can also buy Nomad Nutrition backpacking meals through their website NomadNutrition.co. 

The TL;DR

Nomad Nutrition makes dehydrated backpacking meals that taste like real food, because they contain real food. They are a great option for vegans, people on a gluten-free diet or anyone who wants to eat a healthy and tasty backpacking meal with ingredients they can recognize.

The post Nomad Nutrition Backpacking Meals Review appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

Specs:

Volume: 60L

The Boreas Lost Coast 60 holds 60L of gear (surprise!), which is a great size for multi-day trips or even overnighters in cold weather – it’s not too big and not too small.

Weight: 1.48kg (women’s); 1.52kg (men’s)

The women’s version weighs 1.48kg and the men’s weighs 1.52kg. These aren’t ultralight packs made of cuben fibre like the PCT thru-hikers carry, but they are light for a normal backpacking pack you can buy at your local outdoors store. (Many popular models of the same size from Osprey, Deuter and Gregory often weigh 2kg or even 2.5kg.) I chose to buy a lighter pack since if you hike with a lighter load, you will have more energy and be less fatigued (and every last gram cut helps).

Price: ~$240 CAD/~$210 USD

This pack sells for about $240 CAD or about $210 USD. That’s actually pretty cheap compared to the typical $300-$450 that other high-end packs go for.

About Boreas

You may not have heard of Boreas. They are a smaller company based out of San Francisco and have only been around for a few years. So far they just make packs and tents and their design aesthetic is pretty distinctive: clean lines, bright colours, and geometric shapes. Their stuff just looks cool, and doesn’t look like any other brand’s products. In my experience, their packs are also really purposefully designed; they truly are a balance of form and function. While they may have started out super small, they are now a bit more mainstream and can be found in big outdoor retailers like MEC.

Harness and Carrying Comfort

The hip belt, back panel, and shoulder straps on the Boreas Lost Coast 60 are padded with die-cut foam that has a zigzag structure. I find that the ridge zigzag shape and the die-cut holes really help to ventilate – if the wind is blowing sideways I can feel it on my back. The foam and the mesh overlay over top of the foam also don’t absorb any sweat. On other backpacks that I’ve used there is usually a fabric layer over the foam that gets saturated with sweat so when you put your backpack back on after taking a break, you have to deal with a cold, wet unpleasant back panel. Yuck. I haven’t had that problem with the Boreas Lost Coast 60, and I sweat a lot!

However, the padded and harness support used in this backpack are on the thinner side, as this pack is intended to carry lighter loads. It’s a lightweight pack and the assumption is that you’ll be carrying lightweight gear as well. If I load the Boreas Lost Coast 60 up with a lot of extra gear, multiple days of food, or a bear canister, I find that the harness is not nearly as comfortable, especially on the shoulders. If I’m careful to pack the load with heavier items in the center, not near the top, it does a little better but it’s still not as comfortable as packs with more robust carrying systems.

The height of the back panel isn’t adjustable but it does come in three back lengths so it will fit most people. The women’s version has shoulder straps and a hip belt that are shaped to fit a woman’s curves and set closer together. I’ve tried quite a few women’s packs and this one does fit my body well.

Pockets

One of the things that adds weight to most backpacks is a plethora of pockets, attachments and other features you will seldom need. The Boreas Lost Coast 60 doesn’t cut out pockets altogether, it just organizes them in a smart way.  The large main compartment closes with a simple single drawcord – there is no rope strap or top strap and no huge expansion collar with a secondary drawcord. The main compartment has an internal hydration sleeve, but otherwise, it’s just one big compartment. I like this approach since I organize my gear with stuff sacks or just jam it into my pack. And I actually don’t use the internal hydration sleeve since (like on pretty much every backpacking pack on the market) it’s impossible to get your reservoir in or out of your pack without unpacking a lot of gear. Instead, I use the hydration sleeve to store my eReader and wallet – items I will only use in camp and want to keep protected and dry.

The outside of the pack has three stretch pockets – two narrow ones on the sides and a large kangaroo style one on the front.  This fabric feels a bit flimsy but I’ve scraped my pack along plenty of rocks and trees along the way it is still holding up fine.  The side pockets are stretchy enough to hold water bottles (even fat 1L Nalgene bottles) but I typically use them to hold tent poles, flipflops, and bear spray.  The back kangaroo pocket stretches quite a bit and is great for holding a jacket or other layer that you put on or take off frequently. I actually use mine to hold my hydration system and just run the hose under the lid to my shoulder strap.

There are also three pockets in the lid of the Boreas Lost Coast 60. Two of them are accessed from the top of the lid (one is bigger than the other) and there is also a flat mesh zippered pocket under the lid.  I find the lid pockets are big enough to carry lots of small essentials that I want easy access to such as a headlamp, knife, warm hat, sunglasses, snacks and lots more.  The flat pocket on the underside of the lid is great for storing your hiking permit, map, and compass (unless you need to navigate often, in which case you’ll need them in your hands).

One of my favourite features are the large hip pockets. They are made of a slightly stretchy material and have a contoured shape that doesn’t get in the way of my arms, yet is large enough to hold a big point and shoot camera or my iPhone 6. Keeping my camera, snacks and SPF lip balm in easy reach is a big plus for me and I hate packs that don’t have hip belt pockets.

Other features:

The exterior of the Boreas Lost Coast 60 has a clean, uncluttered look with few straps and attachment points. However, it does have side compression straps, tuck away loops to hold your trekking poles or ice axe, as well as dual tuck away daisy chains. The aim of this pack is to stay lightweight so I think Boreas doesn’t want users to attach a yard sale’s worth of items to the outside (and I rarely attach anything to the outside). If you like to lash your tent, sleeping pad or other gear to the outside, you may want to add your own straps to the daisy chain, or perhaps shop for a bag with more attachment points.

As mentioned, the pack is hydration compatible with a dedicated sleeve in the main compartment. There is also a hose port in the spindrift collar and elastic loops on both shoulder straps for holding your hose in place. Like I said earlier, I put my reservoir in the rear stretch kangaroo pocket, route the hose over the top, then slip it into the elastic shoulder strap keepers. It’s not perfect but it works fine.

The main fabric of the Boreas Lost Coast 60 feels pretty durable while also being fairly lightweight. It is also fairly water resistant but it certainly isn’t waterproof. Boreas has addressed that issue by including a custom sized rain cover. The rain cover packs up into an integrated stuff sack that is about the size of a small apple so it’s easy to stow. It is custom sized for the Boreas pack so it has a curved cut that means it fits snugly and won’t flap around. It also has two slots in the bottom to allow the hip belt to come through – this is a big improvement over the traditional style of pack cover that often doesn’t provide that much coverage on the bottom since the hip belt gets in the way. Having extra coverage on the bottom means putting your pack down on wet ground is never a problem. The cover has an elastic edge binding, but no drawcord or side straps to hold it in place. In my experience the custom fit of the pack cover means it doesn’t really need any extra straps or adjustments – it stays in place just fine.

The only complaint I have about the pack cover is that sometimes the custom fit is a bit too tight. If you pack is overstuffed (particularly if you have overfilled the top collar and the lid is riding high) or if you have stuff strapped to the outside your pack, you won’t be able to get the pack  cover on, or you will find that it doesn’t provide complete coverage. When I have my side pockets totally stuffed I find that the rain cover doesn’t reach all the way around the sides of the pack and leaves an inch or two of exposed fabric.

The Boreas Lost Coast 60 is already fairly simple and streamlined so it doesn’t have many parts that can be stripped off to save weight or be more compact. However, the lid and interior plastic frame sheet are both fully removable. I’ve used the pack as a day pack and found that it doesn’t seem too big or bulky, even with a small load so I haven’t bothered to remove either of those things.

The TL; DR

Pros: Lightweight, clean design, easy to use organization, zigzag foam harness vents well, big hipbelt pockets, reasonable price.

Cons: Does not carry heavy loads well, rain cover fit can be a bit too tight.

Disclaimer: I purchased this pack with my own funds and have no affiliation with Boreas. I received no compensation for this post and all opinions are my own. I actually just love this pack a lot.

What backpack do you use for multi-day or overnight trips? What do you like and dislike about it? Tell me in the comments since I love to chat about gear.

The post Boreas Lost Coast 60 Backpack Review appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

Technology

The Warm Obsession Hoodie is a synthetic insulated jacket with a difference: it’s designed to be super breathable.  It uses 120 grams of Polartec’s new much buzzed about Alpha insulation which is lightweight, packable, and breathable!  Using 120g weight insulation is a fair amount so it’s designed to be quite warm but isn’t really that heavy at only 370g (size small).  The insulation sewn in with elasticated thread, which holds it close to your body for even more warmth (a similar construction method to MEC’s super popular Uplink Jacket which I own and love.)

The face fabric is a super lightweight 20-denier softshell fabric that is wind and water resistant but is still quite breathable.  The idea behind combining the breathable yet warm insulation with the wind resistant and breathable softshell face fabric is to create a jacket that keeps you warm when you’re taking breaks but also breathes well so you don’t sweat too much and overheat while you are working.  That means you can keep the jacket on longer instead of having to stop to add or remove layers.  I can’t believe that all this cutting edge technology and fabric retails for only $199!

I’ve worn this jacket a LOT over the last few months.  I’ve worn it snowshoeing, hiking, and while I’m outside teaching Leave No Trace Awareness Workshops (which involves a lot of standing around outside talking/teaching and some hiking). I’ve worn it in Squamish, on Galiano Island and while hiking the Big Tree Trail near Tofino.  I’ve worn it on it’s own and under a shell.  I’ve worn it in snow, sleet, light rain, cold winds and bright sunshine in temperatures from about -10 to +10C. Every time I’m getting ready for a trip and trying to decide which insulating mid-layer to bring, I’ve chosen this jacket over a fleece, a down jacket and even my beloved MEC Uplink Jacket.

So does it work? I think so. When it’s cold (at or below freezing) I’ve worn the Warm Obsession Hoodie for hiking or snowshoeing uphill, sweating a bit and found that it does breathe fairly well.  The armpits of the jacket get a bit damp, but as long as I vent with the chest zipper I don’t seem to get damp anywhere else.  This is a big difference from my other synthetic and down jackets that feel like I’m wearing a wet garbage bag when I sweat in them.  Of course if I’m working hard enough I’ll have to take it off, but I find that I can keep it on longer than a down jacket or even my Uplink (which is not nearly as warm).

I’ve also found that if I put it on at the peak, I can usually keep it on for the whole descent without overheating.  When I’m taking breaks I zip it up all the way, put on the hood and stay pretty warm without having to add another layer like a shell to cut the wind.  Overall, I’m pretty impressed by the breathability, warmth and wind resistance.

Fit, Features and Style

The really like the hood on the Warm Obsession Hoodie.  It’s not huge and floppy like some technical hoods that are designed to go over a helmet, but not totally scuba diver dorky either (which means I can fit my bun into it!)  It has elastic edge binding to keep it snug without needing shock corded toggles.

The other feature I really like are the stretchy inner cuffs with thumb loops.  They really seal out the wind and provide a bit more warmth when I need it.  I’m also glad that the jacket has the warm inner cuffs since the pockets on the jacket are set in front of the insulation so they aren’t useful as handwarmer pockets.  I also wish the jacket stuffed into one of the pockets – I just stuff it into its own hood to pack it up but it could be compressed much smaller with a stuff sack pocket.

The bottom hem is dropped a bit in the back and has some elastic on the sides to keep it in the place.  For most users this would mean a bit more butt coverage and warmth, but I have a bigger butt and find that the jacket is not quite big enough in this area so it tends to ride up.  I think this could be solved by using a two way zipper so I could undo the jacket at the bottom a little bit. (A two-way zipper would also be a great feature for climbers looking to have access to their belay device.)  Besides being a bit tight in the hips, the jacket fits well elsewhere and accommodates my broad shoulders.

The jacket has a pleat in the back and a seamed detail across the torso but otherwise is not very visually interesting.  Most of my friends didn’t even realize I was wearing an insulated jacket since it doesn’t look like one.  The Warm Obsession Hoodie does have a fun floral printed lining but otherwise it’s kind of plain.  I wish it had fun quilted pattern like other puffies.

The TL;DR

Best For: Wearing as a warm mid-layer when you’re working hard in cold weather and don’t want to layer up or down repeatedly.

Likes: Hood fit, inner cuffs, breathability!! (so I can keep it on longer)

Dislikes: Looks a bit plain, fit in the hips is a bit tight, no stuff sack pocket

Disclaimer: I am a MEC gear tester and was given this jacket to wear so I could suggest future improvements and write a review.  However, there was no expectation that I would provide a positive review and all opinions in this post are my own.

Have you tried a jacket with breathable insulation? What did you think? Tell me in the comments.

The post Gear Review: MEC Warm Obsession Hoodie appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.

I’ve owned the Therm-a-Rest Slacker Double Hammock and Suspender hanging straps for about 8 months now and used it countless times, so I think it’s time for a review!  I won’t review a product unless I’ve used it for a whole season as I think using something once or twice isn’t enough to write a review.

Hey there: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support. -Taryn

I had thought about buying a lightweight hammock for a while.  I already own a beautiful Canadian-made rope hammock that I keep in my yard, and my husband owns a tent-like Hennessy Hammock, but I wanted something a bit more versatile for hanging out in campsites both on backpacking and car camping trips. When the Therm-a-Rest Slacker Hammock came out last spring I decided to go for it since it was something I could purchase locally (instead of having to order online from the US) and it was made by a company I was familiar with and whose products I trust to be high quality.

The Slacker is made of polyester fabric in a seamless construction.  It seems pretty strong yet soft even though the fabric is really lightweight and I like that there are no seams to dig into my skin.  The stitched edges on mine have a few fly-away threads but since the fabric is ripstop and the seams are finished well nothing is unravelling and I don’t expect it to. The webbing loops at the ends seem really bomber as well.

The hammock packs up into an integrated stuff sack that doubles as a pocket when the hammock is deployed.  You can cinch down the stuff sack with the attached webbing strap and buckle.  My only complaint is that either the pocket is too big or there should be a second strap for compression as I’d like to be able to pack the hammock down even smaller.  It still packs down fairly small (probably about 2L packed volume?) but that’s still a fair amount of real estate in my backpack.  The hammock isn’t the lightest at around 650 grams, but it is on par with other lightweight backpacking hammocks.

The hammock comes with a pair of carabiners but doesn’t come with hanging straps so I bought Therm-a-Rest’s Suspenders hanging kit.  It comes with strong but narrow webbing straps with loops in the ends and some sliding hardware for adjustment.  I’ve used a few different sets of hammock straps before and the Suspenders are some of the easiest to use.  It takes a minute to figure out which end goes through which loop, then which part goes around the tree, but there is a good diagram printed right on an insert in the strap stuff sack that explains it, and after putting up the hammock a couple of times I get it and no longer have to refer to it.  The straps and their bag weigh about 220 grams which is not bad – but I do wish the stuff sack was a bit smaller.

Adjusting the straps on the go is super easy as you just cinch up either end until you get it where you want it – you don’t have to take it off the tree or wrap it around more times or tie knots.  The only thing I don’t like about the straps is that they aren’t good for tight tree situations as you can’t snug up the sides of the hammock right to a tree – you need about 18” or more of hanging space between the tree and the hammock on each side.  Even with that drawback, I would still recommend these straps for their ease of use.

I chose to buy the double hammock because the single was sold out when I bought mine, but I’m really glad I did.  Even though the extra fabric of the double can be a bit of a pain when lying in it alone as it kind of creates a tunnel, it’s easy enough to tuck some of it under your head or body so you can see out.  The double is rated to hold up to about 400 pounds so you can get two adults in it no problem.  It’s not that comfortable for both adults to lie down unless you really want to cuddle.  However, where the double hammock shines is as a couch.  That’s right, a couch!  It’s wide enough to support both your butt and your back and long enough that two or even three people can sit side by side.  I actually prefer hanging out in this hammock in couch mode instead of lying down.

I’ve used my Slacker hammock on quite a few trips.  I’ve taken it backpacking a few times (including backpacking the Wild side Trail last May), used it at countless car camping sites on my road trip to the Yukon and Alaska and even taken it to local parks.  I think the real reason to buy a hammock is not for sleeping in (at least not this kind of hammock) but instead as an alternative to a camp chair for car camping or backpacking trips where you aren’t worried about weight – especially when you use the hammock in couch mode to seat more than one person.  It weighs more than a basic foam bum pad (which is what I often take backpacking) but less than the lightest collapsible backpacking chairs, and is infinitely more comfortable and versatile.  Plus since it seats two or even three light people, it is actually half the weight of 2 camp chairs!  And of course, it can’t be denied – it looks great in Instagram photos!

The TL;DR

Pros: Super comfy, especially in “couch mode”, very easy to hang, relatively light, seems very durable

Cons: Not compact enough, straps are confusing the first couple times and don’t work in tightly spaced tree configurations

Where to Buy:

Therm-a-Rest Slacker Double Hammock: MEC | Backcountry.com | Amazon

Therm-a-Rest Slacker Suspenders Hanging: MEC | Backcountry.com | Amazon

Disclaimer: I got an industry “pro-deal” on these products and did not pay retail price for them.  However, there was no expectation that I would provide a review in exchange for a discount and all opinions in this post are my own.

Do you own a lightweight hammock or a Slacker?  What do you think about them – trend or fun luxury item? Tell me in the comments.

The post Gear Review: Therm-a-Rest Slacker Hammock appeared first on Dawn Outdoors.