Gore-Tex for Boots: The concept of the waterproof/ breathable membrane is the same, but in order to pass the company's waterproof standards for footwear, a Gore-Tex boot must pass rigorous tests. Testing includes submerging 75 percent of the boot in water and repeatedly flexing it, measuring how many flexes the boot can withstand before it starts to leak. A minimum of 300,000 flexes (equal to five days of nonstop flexing) is required for a boot to pass Gore's muster.
Mini-Faille FD: Columbia's matte-surface nylon with four fabric plies for durability and abrasion-resistance.
Thermolite Micro: Thermolite is an insulation developed by DuPont, and the Micro version is a blend of microfibers that traps body heat to block radiant heat loss. It provides more warmth-per-inch than down, so it insulates without bulk.
Thinsulate: Developed by 3M, Thinsulate is an insulation material that traps air-and therefore warmth-in its microfibers. When equal thicknesses of insulation are compared, Thinsulate provides about 111/42 times the warmth of down and double the warmth of other high-loft insulating materials, according to 3M.
Camping Gear Guide
What To Take With You, And Why
Camping gear can get pretty specialized these days. Leaf (or Web-surf) through any camping gear catalog and you're bound to find all sorts of interesting and "now why didn't we think of that?" products, from gas-powered blenders to devices that can turn any ordinary 5-gallon bucket into an instant outhouse. Nice, huh?
When we were asked to compile this camping guide, we considered filling it with all the neat little gadgets and gizmos we could find. And then we came to our senses. Imagine a whole page devoted to tiny LED lights you can clip on your jacket zipper to read maps by. Get the picture? So instead, we thought it would be more beneficial to concentrate on some of the more essential camping gear, like tents, sleeping bags, and the like. Maybe next year we'll get into stuff like the solar-powered portable saunas.
Sleeping Bags
Choosing a sleeping bag can be baffling, as there seems to be an endless number of bags on the market, each with a different shape, temperature rating, and insulation material. Those three components make up the major points of difference between bags, and once you've figured out which of those features you like, bag choices get simpler.
When looking at bag shapes, keep in mind that a sleeping bag keeps you warm by trapping a layer of air, warmed by your body heat, between you and the cold air outside. If you'll be camping in extremely low temperatures, a mummy-style bag will keep you warmer, as there's less area inside the bag for your body to heat up. If temperature extremes aren't an issue, and you tend to move around a lot in your sleep, a rectangular-shaped bag is a better, more comfortable choice.
A bag's temperature rating (sometimes known as a comfort rating) is the lowest ambient temperature at which the bag will keep the average person comfortable. Those numbers are provided only as a guide, though, since a person's sleep comfort and temperature will depend on a lot of factors other than the bag itself, like whether or not the camper is using a tent or a sleeping pad, or how many layers of clothing the camper is wearing in the bag. When choosing a bag by its temperature rating, it's always a good idea to pick a rating that's a little lower than the lowest temperature you anticipate sleeping in, since it's a lot easier to unzip the bag and cool off a little than to produce "extra" body heat when the temperature dips lower than expected.