Well, you know it's nice to have that grizzly adams/yule gibbons-I don't need no stinkin water filter to live in the woods-mentality about you...but also a little dangerous. In Sierras ran into guy that had to be heli-vaced out and spent 3 weeks in hospital. "I didn't know the cows could go that high" was his vacant response...NOW YOU KNOW. Don't leave home without it.

Ok, yea, when I bought these my first thought was "Oh boy, something to make my legs look even whiter" But hey...first of all your gonna be wearin em UNDER other socks. Second of all, these socks ROCK...they're better than the thorlo liner deals and those cheaper liners that rei makes and they do a good job of preventing hot spots) Third of all, whose gonna be lookin at your dam legs anyway?

OK, the only thing Bear Grills brings out in the woods is a knife, some flint, a couple of cameramen and the illogical (British?)desire to jump in some body of water, regardless of its temperature, swiftness, or general danger to his overall well being. This guy doesn't even own a stove and he does ok...so why do you need this maintenance kit? You probably don't. But if your stove isn't fairly new, its nice to have a backup for the O-rings and an on-trail kit in case it gets clogged. It's also good peace-of-mind that you'll be able to use/get rid of that freeze dried cuisine you've been hauling around for the past week...because unlike Bear Grills you follow forest service regulations and avoid making bon fires regardless of how wet/hypothermic you may be from jumping in the water.

This stuff taste about like what you'd expect...a hell of a lot better than that 4 pound bag of bulk vegi chili you always bring on your trips from the local hippie haven...but not quite as good as the stuff they make fresh in the back of the same said hippie haven. It's cool to have some variety on the trail and allows you to stave off the "I can't wait to get back to civilization to eat something I can buy in a drive through that will make feel giddy and provide enough sugar for the last two hours of the ride home" It's also kind of cool that all you do is add boiling water. I had tons of freeze dried food from this brand and put most of it in ziplocks to shave weight. I used the same bag for at least 10 different meals and it never leaked... Saving a little weight and saving me from washing my main pan.

Really like these pants. Fabric is thin, light, and stretchy. Fit is full/generous on thin climbing types but not too baggy. They look good enough to wear in place of jeans etc. if your travlin they hang like heavier material. Functionally material is tough and it stretches well. They're a little spendy but worth it.