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TrailGroove Blog

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Contributors to this blog

  • Aaron Zagrodnick 156
  • Mark Wetherington 36
  • Susan Dragoo 6
  • HikerBox 5
  • George Graybill 4
  • Steve Ancik 3
  • JimR 3
  • Jen 2
  • MattS 2
  • michaelswanbeck 2
  • Kevin DeVries 2
  • mgraw 1
  • Allison Johnson 1
  • Doug Emory 1
  • HappyHour 1
  • SarahLynne 1
  • Barbara 1
  • jansenjournals 1
  • Greg Jansky 1
  • Eric 1
  • Grace Bowie 1
  • Tephanie H. 1
  • Isak Kvam 1
  • Steven Genise 1

Gear | Trips | Food | Technique | Reading

Entries in this blog

ZebraLight H52w Headlamp Review

After using the H31w from ZebraLight, (Reviewed Here) which uses a single CR123A battery, I eventually made the move to ZebraLight’s H51w. The lights are fairly similar, but I decided to make the move to the H51 series since it operates off a single, more easily sourced AA battery. The H51w worked well, and an update to the light was recently released – The ZebraLight H52w. For me, the best thing about the H51w, and now the H52w is their ability to run off Eneloop batteries – No more

Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Gear

Hiking Buckskin Gulch: A Belated Trip Report

Back in April, Ted Ehrlich and I spent a few days hiking and camping in southern Utah – One highlight of that trip had to be our hike through Buckskin Gulch, one of the longest and deepest slot canyons in the world. With a snowy drive through Wyoming and then a whiteout in Colorado, the drive wasn’t a fast one and I met Ted at a deserted trailhead near Grand Junction around 10pm. From here we’d carpool into Utah. We drove west in the night, eventually moving past the snowstorm and into Utah, whe

Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Trips

TrailFinder

Looking for a place to hike, the perfect backpacking destination, or need a way to quickly navigate all the great places that have been featured in TrailGroove Magazine? Check out the new TrailFinder - A map-based, visual way to look at all of our past destination oriented articles. Best of all, it's continually updated each time a new issue is released. Check it out Here on the TrailFinder Page, or just take a look below. Click the green map markers for a link to the article and to the issue it

Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick

Joby GorillaPod Micro 250 Tripod & Campsaver Gift Certificate Giveaway

Note: Contest Ended 7/30/13. Congratulations to TollerMom, the randomly selected winner of our Joby Micro 250 & Campsaver.com gift card giveaway! Big thanks to all who entered and for all the great trails and trips that were shared. Missed out but still need the gear? Check out Joby Tripods here at Amazon. We’re celebrating the release of Issue 9 by giving away a Joby Micro 250 tripod and a $20 E-Gift card from Campsaver.com to one lucky TrailGroove reader. Entries to the cont

Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Giveaways

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Backpacking Gear Lists and the T.R.I.P. Process

The gear list. It might be written on a piece of paper, typed into a spreadsheet, read from a book, or all in your head. But most of us probably have one somewhere. In its simplest form, a gear list can really help with those “I can’t believe I forgot that” moments when you’ve just hiked 20 miles from the trailhead and are setting up camp in dwindling evening light. In other forms, a list can help you identify things you really don’t need, help you reduce your pack weight, and help you identify

Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Technique

By Men or by the Earth - By Tyler Coulson

In the spring of 2011, and after leaving his life as a corporate lawyer, Tyler Coulson set off from the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware coastline to undertake a western journey across the United States with Mabel, his adopted dog and companion. Destination: Pacific Ocean. Method of travel: Foot. After 3500 miles and millions of footsteps, Tyler recounted the journey in By Men or By the Earth. Of course, there’s a deeper story to most long walks, and Tyler dives into not only the day to day exper

Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Reading

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

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

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

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

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

Stough Creek Lakes Trail Overnighter - Wind River Range, Wyoming

With limited time and a good forecast, Jen & I decided on a quick overnighter a couple weeks ago close by in the Winds. It would need to be a quick trip - Obligations (A bit more on that later) would have to keep us close to civilization, and on top of that we would have to work with a later start on Saturday. Our plan was to take the Stough Creek Lakes Trail into the Popo Agie Wilderness up to Roaring Fork Pass / Stough Creek Saddle, then retreat part of the way back to make camp

Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick

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

An Ode to Hiking Maps

One thing that I seem to love are maps. When I’m not on the trail backpacking or hiking I’m most likely planning my next adventure, or when I head home from a trip I always seem to find myself staring at sets of maps to find out what the name of that peak that I saw in the distance was, or just where that other trail lead from a fork when I went right and the other trail went left. Usually, this results in maps spread out across the house for days - Once I find out just what the name of tha

Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Technique

Trail Tested by Justin Lichter

Earlier this month, Justin Lichter (Also known by his trail name Trauma) released a collection of insights, tips, and stories detailed across more than 200 pages in his new book Trail Tested. If you haven’t heard of Justin yet, he’s quite famous in the long distance backpacking and hiking community - Having hiked over 35,000 miles in his career. Not only has he completed the Triple Crown of the Appalachian, Pacific Crest, and Continental Divide Trails - He’s done it twice. Throughout his tr

Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Reading

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

Book Review: I Hike by Lawton Grinter

A couple years ago I came across The Walkumentary, a film produced by Lawton Grinter (Trail name Disco) detailing the southbound CDT thru-hike that he completed in 2006 along with his partner P.O.D. and a loose group of other hikers. The film really shows the viewer not only what it’s like to hike and to do so every day, but also what it’s like to do so along the CDT, where a thru-hike frequently involves longer, more remote stretches between resupply stops and staying “Found” can at

Aaron Zagrodnick

Aaron Zagrodnick in Reading




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