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TrailGroove Blog

A Blog by the TrailGroove Team

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Contributors to this blog

  • Aaron Zagrodnick 165
  • Mark Wetherington 37
  • Susan Dragoo 7
  • HikerBox 5
  • Steve Ancik 5
  • George Graybill 4
  • JimR 3
  • MattS 2
  • Kevin DeVries 2
  • michaelswanbeck 2
  • Jen 2
  • Grace Bowie 1
  • PaulMags 1
  • mgraw 1
  • Karen Garmire 1
  • Allison Johnson 1
  • Doug Emory 1
  • HappyHour 1
  • SarahLynne 1
  • Barbara 1
  • jansenjournals 1
  • Steven Genise 1
  • Isak Kvam 1
  • Greg Jansky 1
  • Eric 1
  • Tephanie H. 1

Gear | Trips | Food | Technique | Reading

Entries in this blog

Gear

Powermonkey Explorer Solar Charger Review

After reviewing the PowerFilm USB+AA solar charger back in Issue 7, I thought I’d take a look at a different lightweight solar charging solution, this time from Powertraveller - a UK based company that offers an assortment of solar and other electronic products. Their Powermonkey Explorer kit consists of 2 main parts – The battery (Powermonkey) and the solar panel itself (Solarmonkey). The solar unit is comprised of two separate solar panels encased in plastic that fold together in a clamshell a
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

2
Gear

Exped Air Pillow UL Review

I’ve always wished I could use the spare clothes in a stuff sack method to create a pillow while backpacking, but like a lot of other lightweight backpackers out there I’m usually wearing the majority of my clothes in my sleeping bag at night to increase warmth. There might be a rain jacket and pants still packed away, (Though sometimes I wear those for warmth too) but they just don’t have enough bulk to really offer much support, and I might be utilizing those in an attempt to keep my dog warm
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

2
Gear

Vivobarefoot Ultra Pure Shoes

Recently I picked up a pair of superlight minimal shoes made by Vivobarefoot – The Ultra Pure. I’ve been into minimal footwear for a while now, but the Ultra Pure is definitely the simplest and lightest footwear I’ve had a chance to check out that still offers something close the feel of a real shoe. The entire shoe, including the sole, is made from EVA foam. They cut out a lot of material in the upper for ventilation and to save weight, and utilized a stretchy shock cord and cord lock lacing sy
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

10

REI e-Gift Card Holiday Giveaway Winners

Congratulations to the 3 winners of our REI e-Gift Card Holiday Giveaway! Using a random number generator, the winners were drawn on 12/25 at Noon Mountain Time. Here are the 3 winners of the $50 REI e-Gift cards in the order that they were drawn:   JasonByers Uncle B TollerMom   The winners will receive an email containing the e-Gift card within 24 hours. Thanks to all who entered and congratulations to the 3 winners - Happy Holidays from TrailGroove!
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick

5

New TrailGroove Sticker Stash

Our free TrailGroove sticker offer continues to be a big hit and has been so popular that our old sticker stash was quickly exhausted. A new load of freshly printed stickers have now arrived - These are high quality waterproof stickers with white lettering and a clear rectangular background for easy application. A single sticker is always free to a good home - Just fill out this form with your mailing address and we'll get one right out! Need more than 1? Check out the TrailGroove Sto
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick

4
Gear

Platypus Pre-Filter Cap for Sawyer 3 Way SP122 Water Filter

Back in Issue 3 we Reviewed the Sawyer SP122 3 Way Water Filter and since that time I’ve used the filter on several additional trips. It’s still working quite well provided that clean water sources are selected and the water is pre-filtered before using it inline or while in gravity mode. During the review, we tested the SP122 against 100 liters of average mountain stream water (With no pre-filtration) that dramatically reduced the flow rate of the filter. With Sawyer’s 1 Million Gall
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

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REI e-Gift Card Holiday Giveaway

Note: Contest Ended 12/25/12. Results can be found Here. Happy Holidays from TrailGroove! To celebrate the holidays and the end of the year we're giving away 3 $50 REI e-Gift cards! We're mixing it up a bit this time with multiple ways to enter... Here's the scoop: 1. Respond to this blog post with a comment on your favorite piece of backpacking or hiking gear that you used in 2012 to enter, with a brief explanation as to why that piece of gear worked so well for you
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick

13
Gear

Marmot Precip Shell Gloves Review

With colder weather officially in place over the Rockies, I recently found myself plagued with chilly hands again as fall moved to late fall and on towards winter. Normally to combat the issue while backpacking, I’ll go to the waterproof eVent Rain Mitts from Mountain Laurel Designs that we reviewed in Issue #2, combined with a pair of DeFeet Duragloves for warmth as a liner. With the eVent mitts seam sealed and with the liner gloves thrown in, this combination comes in at 3.9oz altogether. (Siz
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0

TrailGroove Sticker - Free to a Good Home!

New goods have arrived! Interested in a free TrailGroove sticker? Just fill out this form and we'll get a sticker right out - Great for the car window or for sprucing up the gear closet! Need more than 1? Check out the TrailGroove Store, they're just 75 cents each!  
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick

0

Winners: Camp Kitchen Contest: Titanium Gear from Evernew, Snow Peak, Vargo Outdoors

Congratulations to the winners of our Camp Kitchen contest! Using a random number generator, the winners were picked at 8 P.M. Mountain Time. Winners: Grand Prize: Stick Runner Up: ADKinLA Second Runner Up: TollerMom Special thanks to everyone that entered the contest, there have definitely been some very interesting and highly entertaining entries / comments on the original blog post that announced the contest Here. I know that I have a few more destinations to pu
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick

3
Giveaways

Camp Kitchen Contest: Titanium Gear from Evernew, Snow Peak, & Vargo Outdoors!

Note: Contest Ended 9/20/12. Results can be found Here. Missed out but still need the gear? You can check it out here: Evernew at Amazon Snow Peak 450 Single Wall Mug at Campsaver Vargo Titanium Long Handle Spoon If your camp kitchen is in need of an upgrade, you'll want to check this one out! 3 Winners! Grand Prize: Ultralight Evernew Titanium Pot (Choose From 3 Models) Snow Peak 450ML Titanium Single-Wall Mug in Blue Vargo Long-Handled Titanium
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Giveaways

15
Gear

Therm-a-Rest NeoAir Jembe Seat Kit Review

A camp chair is definitely an item not often seen on most lightweight or ultralight backpacking gear lists, and is indeed something I gave up on long ago. These days it doesn’t seem that Jen and I spend too much time lounging around camp anyway - If we’re not working to cook a meal and setup the shelter, we’re probably already asleep. For those times when we do have a bit of spare time, a log, rock, or simply the ground itself usually serves the purpose - Situations where a foam sleep
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

0
Gear

ZebraLight H31w Headlamp Review

For the past year or so I’ve been testing out the H31w headlamp from ZebraLight, a company that makes a wide selection of higher-end LED flashlights and headlamps. Prior to picking up this light, I had always been a dedicated follower of a few of the more mainstream headlamps that are out there, and even though I had heard a lot of great things about ZebraLight, I had my doubts that it would end up making it to the #1 spot on my gear list for backpacking trips. But with all the good feedback tha
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

5
Giveaways

Winners: Harmony House Backpacking Kit, I Hike, & Trail Tested Giveaway

Congratulations to the two winners of our Harmony House Backpacking Kit, I Hike, and Trail Tested giveaway! The winners have been contacted via email, please check your inbox and let us know where to ship the loot! Using a random number generator, the following winners have been selected: Grand Prize Winner: EX121 Runner up: Stick Grand Prize: 1 Harmony House Backpacking Kit + Signed copies of I Hike & Trail Tested. Runner up: 1 signed copy each of I Hike &
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Giveaways

3
Giveaways

Harmony House Backpacking Kit, I Hike, & Trail Tested Giveaway

Note: Contest ended 6/13/12. Results can be found Here. Missed out? You can Pick up the Harmony House Kit from REI. The books can be found over at Amazon: Buy I Hike at Amazon Buy Trail Tested at Amazon New TrailGroove contest! Please read below for all the details on how to enter. Grand Prize Winner: 1 Harmony House Backpacking Kit 1 Signed Copy of I Hike by Lawton Grinter 1 Signed Copy of Trail Tested by Justin Lichter Second Place Winner: 1 S
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Giveaways

0
Giveaways

Tax Day Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Stick, winner of a brand new Trail Designs Ti-Tri Sidewinder Stove System and an Evernew 1.3L titanium ultralight pot! Check out our original Sidewinder Ti-Tri Giveaway Blog Entry for the full details of the contest. Using a random number generator, a post from the Forum was chosen at 8 P.M. Mountain Time and the 8th post in our PowerPot Thread was the winner. Thanks to all who have contributed to the Forum and keep your eye on the site for additional contests that
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Giveaways

3

Table Mountain - 2.0

In our First Blog Entry we talked about Table Mountain, an interesting feature that both offered a lower elevation summit (About 7200 feet) and was close to town. This combination made for a great cabin fever expedition prior to spring, following a mostly off-trail route that required tricky navigation to keep from crossing private land. We made good progress on our first attempt, but then ran into deeper snow around 6500 feet and were forced to turn back with fading daylight. A month
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick

0

Tax Day Giveaway - Trail Designs Ti-Tri Sidewinder Stove System Bundle

Note: Contest Ended 4/17/12. The results can be found Here. Missed out? Check out Evernew at Amazon Enter to win a brand new Sidewinder Ti-Tri stove system bundle from Trail Designs - Pot included! This is the exact combo we just reviewed in our current issue. Check out our testing results and see the system in action by reading Issue 1. Win this package and you'll receive: Evernew ECA253 Titanium Ultralight 1.3L Pot (more details here - perfect for two or large meals for on
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick

0

REI Flash 18 Winner - HikingTheTrail!

Congratulations HikingTheTrail, your name was randomly drawn from our member list and we've reached out to you for your mailing address. Please respond within 72 hours to claim the prize and we'll get this in the mail ASAP - Enjoy the pack! Thanks to all that joined us here at TrailGroove and participated in the contest! Missed out? You can Pick Up the Flash 18 at REI.
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick

0

REI Flash 18 Backpack Giveaway

Note: Contest Ended 3/18/12. The results can be found Here. Missed out? You can Pick Up the Flash 18 at REI.   Please Register to subscribe to this blog or post comments. Here is your chance to win a brand new REI Flash 18 pack just like the one we reviewed in our current issue. (Except in an eye catching Titanium Citron color scheme) You can find the review by reading Issue #1 or by going directly to the Flash Review if you prefer. All that you have to do to enter is registe
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick

4

Table Mountain

We’ve been working day and night, falling asleep at computer screens, and hitting the trail as much as we can to get TrailGroove up and running. Everything that we thought would take a week when we first began scratching out our idea on paper took a month and everything that we expected to take a month took…Well, you get the idea. Starting something like this is always a risky endeavor - It can be a challenge to prevent turning your favorite pastime into something you just have to do
Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick

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