Adventure Snowshoeing and Winter Hiking Gear Review and Recommendations

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Adventure Snowshoeing & Winter Hiking Gear Recommendations

Everyone marches to the beat of a different drummer and just as some are drawn to the crowds at the ski resort, others are drawn to the solitude of shoeshoeing or hiking in the woods, or on a quiet mountain top to get away from the noise of the rat race for awhile. Some of our customers have full backpack in tow as they head out on their mountain top adventures on a Friday afternoon, usually only to be seen around the same time on Sunday afternoon when its time to head back to the noise of the big city. Their weekend adventures are filled with strenuous exercise as they hike or snowshoe through the deep, fresh virgin powder and the workout is similiar to a polar cap trek, except the temperatures are usually more moderate and the distance covered and length of time for the adventure are much shorter. However it offers peace and serenity nonetheless for whatever period of time that the adventure lasts.

Due to the high physical exertion ratio of Winter hiking/snowshoeing/camping, the participant is going to want gear that is going to actually work in changing conditions, especially when you are above the clouds at 10000 feet on a mountain top. You need to have outdoor gear that is going to keep you warm and dry, has some regulation of body temperature and all of the time you should be demanding superior mositure vapor transfer from the gear items that you wear. The reality in the market place is that most mittens fail the extended warmth and mositure wicking test irregardless of price point and moisture wicking and transfer amoungst the other "wearables" you have on, usually rates from poor to not quite satisfied. Not so with our gear range.

The other unfortunate philosophy with many things that we purchase, is the assumption that the more we pay the better quality and performance standard the item is going to give us. Particularly in Winter Gear, this is not true with a lot of brands of gear out on the market, however we will assure you that you will be pleasantly surprised with "all of the gear that we make and sell", as we build it and test it to make sure it works in the toughest of conditions before you ever see it! But you must also understand that similar gear items within our product range vary in price and that's because they are built for different adventure applications with substantially different weather conditions. So in a nut shell, you can be assured that even though you're not buying the most expensive gear item within a particular gear category because its more then what you need, you can feel 100% confident that the lower price point item is going to exceed your performance expectations and in most cases is going to be better then a competitors item selling for twice the price. The safest way to get started with Technical Advantage Gear is to start with the purchase of just one item. Buy it - Play with it - Punish it - Test it for yourself and we know that you "will come back for more". As it is said....action(or actual performance) speaks louder then words. Trust our gear because it will take care of you!

We have multiple configurations for hats, neck gaiters and mittens and certainly the final purchasing decision comes down to what you think is going to work best for you based on the information that we provide. To get your thought process started however, we are going to recommend the three or four best gear items that we know are best suited for extreme adventure snowshoeing/hiking/Winter camping as follows:

Kap Bridgman Arctic Thermal Hat:

The dynamics of this hat are very impressive. The base hat with the flaps up is cut to just cover the tips of the ear, yet when you really demand warmth and protection from the wind, the flaps can be pulled down to seal out the elements around the ears, the chin and around the back of the neck. The base hat is built with a 4 layer technical fabric system, the flaps are built with a 3 layer system and we've added the full, yes full baseball cap bill to help keep some of the elements out of your eyes. The thermal regulation of the hat makes it wearable in temps from +20F to -100F.

The outer shell of the hat blocks 100% if the wind and is DWR water resistant, so rain, wind or snow is never going to penetrate into the inner layers of the hat. The technical fabric around the head does a great job in wicking any sweat moisture away as well and the hat is available in 2 different front bill colors as pictured. This is another one of the warmest hats in the World, so what are you waiting for? Click here for more information>>>>>

Prairie Snowstorm Mitts - Recommended User Range to -30F below zero - Thermal R-Value of Insulation R-7.15

The Prairie Snowstorm Winter Mittens pack a whopping thermal insulation value of R-7.15 on "both" the top and bottom sides of the mitts. Virtually no other mitt manufacturer in the World does this, nor do they equalize the amount of insulation material on both sides of the mitt. They put it all on the top side and in reality you need it on the bottom side of the mitts even more. As you can see from the picture, these mitts are generously sized so that you can use them inconjuction with your warning protective gloves on, so that your hands and fingers are always protected from the elements. These mitts also do a great job in minimizing conductive heat loss and with a pull on the wrist area shock cord with cord-loc, your convective heat loss is also minimized.

The outer shell of these mitts block out 100% of the wind, are DWR water resistant and breathable. The inner most layer that surrounds the hand offers superior thermal moisture wicking to help keep your hands warm and dry. The recommended temperature range of to -30F is based on our actual experience and testing, using the mitts without the addition of gloves on our fingers. With some type of thermal glove on your hands, you can easily extend the "minus" temperature range of use, but again that is going to be based on the individual thermal regulation system in your body. These mitts use an extremely durable outer shell technical fabric that will take the punishment, will not tear if punchered and are equipped with the toughest gripping material in the industry. And Please note, our recommended temperature range ratings on all of our gear is based on actual use by our field testers or ourselves and therefore we are not going to contrive fictitious user ranges like they do for example on Winter Boots. (for example the best boot ratings we've seen state "good to -150F", but we question where on Earth did they find somewhere for testing where the temperatures ever hit -150F below zero?) Click here for more information.....

XWick 3.4TRH Expediton Windblocking Thermal Wicking Straight Neck Gaiter - Hardfaced Outer Shell Layer - Recommended Temperature Range to -80F + below zero

The XWick 3.4TRH Expediton Series Neck Gaiters are the hottest thing on the expedition and mountain climbing gear list of things to pack with you on your next trip to the summit. These neck gaiters are designed for high physical exertion activities where you require windblocking protection during the adventure, but you also need warmth during the rest periods and superb moisture wicking and transfer during the entire climbing segment or activity.

We build these units with a 3 layer technical fabric system, with the outer shell layer consisting of a soft feeling Thermal Windblocking Hardfaced abrasion reducing, DWR water repellent and breathable technical fabric. The mid-layer is a moderate mid-range synthetic polyester fabric that provides warmth without being overly hot. The inner layer next to the face and skin is a superior thermal wicking technical fabric that helps to moderate the overall warmth, yet does a great job in transfering the breath moisture away when the unit is pulled up over the mouth and nose.

The XWick 3.4TRH Expediton Series Neck Gaiters pack a combined thermal insulation value of R-3.4, perhaps the highest thermal value for neck gaiters in existence, but the combination and function of each of the three layers together allow it better regulate the heat, especially when your day is consisting of 70% or better of physical exertion as your climbing to the summit.

With the interesting stretch of the 3 technical fabrics and the design cut, we have been able to configure this as a "one size fits most unit". It also comes with our top edge pull tight built in shock cord and cord loc, for allowing you to lock it into any desired position on your face, while also sealing the heat in. How many major climbs to the summit will these units be taken on, we don't know for sure, but we're guessing many from different expeditions located around the globe. Click here for more information>>>>>

XWick 3.4TRH Expediton 1.4 Windblocking Thermal Wicking Drop Pad Neck Gaiter - Hardfaced Outer Shell Layer - Recommended Temperature Range to -80F + below zero

We've stretched the design and innovation limits with our latest entry of neck gaiter designs. In this case, we have further revolutionized the drop pad neck gaiter with our Expediton Series XWick 3.4 TRH Expedition 1.4 Windblocking Thermal Wicking Drop Pad Neck Gaiter, which is yet again in a class by itself. The XWick 3.4 TRH Expedition 1.4 is designed for the user that is under physical exertion better then 70% of the time in face biting cold temperatures, where you need to stay warm and protected from frostbite, but you also need better moisture transfer from the area around your mouth.

The 3.4 TR is the combined thermal insulation value of the entire gear unit, which is a Thermal R value of 3.4. The final alpha component of H again stands for the Hardfacing abrasion resistant finish on the outer shell layer fabric that we use for this neck gaiter. Although the outer shell fabric is hardfaced, it does have a soft feel to the hand and it does help to reduce the amount of blowing snow that could stick to it. The Expedition is the rating that we have given to this item based on how it regulates the heat, transfers moisture and protects the user from the extreme elements while under physical exertion. Finally, the 1.4 is the Drop Pad configuration on this gear unit, which is (1) one full drop pad in the front and an approximate 40% length drop pad in the rear.