By Bob Wade, Owner of Ute Mountaineer in Aspen, CO

Author Note: Trip was sponsored in part by Outdoor Research & Leki Poles.
This is an extreme off-trail trip, not suited for beginners, novices or by yourself.  You need permits from National Park Service to visit these areas and if you would like to do a trip like this, get into contact with people who know the routes.  Summit Hut in Arizona is an authoritative resource on the Grand Canyon.

TRIP ROUTE:
Crystal Phantom Loop in Grand Canyon National Park
Shiva Saddle, Dragon Creek, Colorado River, Ninety-four Mile Creek, Trinity basin, Phantom Creek back to Shiva Saddle and then climb up to the rim for the end of the trip.

In early October, 2008 three Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Owners and three other seasoned adventurers & friends explored the Crystal Phantom Loop in Grand Canyon National Park. The trip members included me, James Wilson (Owner of Wilson’s Eastside Sports), Dave Baker (Owner of Summit Hut), Dave’s sister Brenda Baker (San Diego), and two renowned Grand Canyon backcountry veterans Jacek Macias (Chicago) and Jim Ohlman (Kayenta, AZ).

Our Grand Canyon trip was amazing. Eight days with none of the progress made on any developed trails. Truly rough terrain and off-trail. With the canyon a mile deep, we were guaranteed lots of up and down. The limestone, cactus, agave and other pokey items were tough on us and our gear. Throw in heavy loads to accommodate dry camps and eight days of food and you have conditions perfect for testing Outdoor Research products (as well as our poor bods).

Taking part in gear testing opportunity left me with mixed emotions.  I have my packing program pretty dialed in, you know, don’t fix it if it ain’t broken. But I have always admired the quality of Outdoor Research products and was genuinely curious about them. So here are some comments:

I would have never bought a Sun Runner Cap for myself. Too geeky. But we sell tons of those style of hats, and I needed to understand the thing. It worked way better than I expected. I thought I would have to pay the price of clammy discomfort for sun protection. Not so; it was light and airy with the neck/face protector down. I think we all felt that it would be good to work on a more intuitive way of rolling it up when not used. I’m sold!

I should have owned Flextex Gaiters years ago. The flextex are incredible for keeping junk out of the boots and deflecting all but the worst of the pokey things that lurk in the canyon. The underfoot cord was chewed through in two days, but the conditions were extreme- no trail and breaking through layers of rock, much of it limestone. Might be good to look into a dipped cord that is between parachute cord and neoprene coated nylon straps. I know price is an issue here so it might just as well be left alone.

The Revel Jacket is an excellent garment. We got to test it on day one. As Dave handed out the gear it went straight onto my body as the rain came down. But that was the last of the rain for the trip so the real test after that was comfort and fit. Perfect. Loved the fleece neck and the long side zips. Unzipped from the bottom, the jacket can cover a daypack for rain.

Sequence T: Incredibly soft! Since the Merino revolution I have not been putting polyester on, so I was skeptical. Dri-release really is a step forward in poly. Especially in conjunction with wool- we wore these things on a day that was 95 degrees in the shade and they did not get clammy. The pores stayed open as advertised. I’ve worn it the last three days in a row to work (no washing in between- testing purposes only).

The Transcendent Vest is a work of art. It is that good looking and functional. The fleeced neck and hand warmers are a nice touch and the tight baffles do seem to keep it warmer despite the increased stitch lines. I’d make it an inch shorter. Love the additional chest pocket inside and out.

The Novo Watch Cap was perfect for the trip. Small, light, low bulk.  But I really like riding my bike with it back here in the cool fall of Aspen. Nice fit. Wicks well.

As with all of their gloves, Outdoor Research has gone the extra distance to get the PL 100 Gloves just right. No other liner type gloves have finger fourchettes (the strip of material that goes along the sides and ends of the fingers) that only expensive gloves use. Other glove companies just sandwich two pieces of material together and let the stretch of the fabric accommodate finger volume. These get a more comfortable, less binding fit which stresses the material less and therefore allows a light glove to last much longer.

The Hummingbird Sleeping Bag is beautifully made. Our first and last nights on the Grand Canyon trip were chilly. The last night got down to around 32 or 34 degrees. The bag is rated at 30 degrees and if I understand the rating system correctly that assumes you are in a tent in 30 degree weather (odd way to rate if you ask me). It was comfortable in the MicroNight bivvy bag in those temps which was a pleasant surprise. I loved the glow-in-the-dark pull tabs. I’m up and out of the bag a couple of times a night and those little things made life a lot easier. Some consideration might be given to doing a half zip on the bags to save further weight and cost. I know that would preclude the ability to zip the lg and reg together, so one just has to guess which feature is more valuable. The MicroNight bivy is light and packs small but it has plenty of room. The pertex was very comfortable against the skin and very breathable. Is the piece really waterproof? We never slept in the rain and will have to find that out on another trip! I think that the netting could use a stowing system to keep it out of the way when not in use. I think this would help the netting’s durability as well.

The Helium Quick Sacks are, as with so many of Outdoor Research’s basic products, a cut above what everyone else is making. The pull tabs across from the sewn down cord locks make for a very convenient way of opening the bags and keeping the closure cord from snarling. Likewise, the strap handle on the bottom makes it easy to get overstuffed items out of the bags. And the sacks are quite water resistant and light. It is unfortunate that the silicon impregnated nylon material is such a dirt attractant. I wonder if there are other options in light materials…

I hope this review is helpful to all. It is always fun for me to try to see a product through the eyes of its developer. I appreciate the extra steps that OR so often takes in developing products that are meant to be used-not just sold!

Cheers and thanks,
Bob Wade

Sponsored Gear: You Can find Outdoor Research Gear at many Grassroots Outdoor Alliance Retailers
Sun Runner Cap http://www.outdoorresearch.com/site/sun_runner_cap.html
Flextex Gaiters http://www.outdoorresearch.com/site/flex_tex_gaiters.html
Revel Jacket http://www.outdoorresearch.com/site/m_s_revel_jacket.html
Sequence T http://www.outdoorresearch.com/site/m_s_sequence_zip_tee.html
Transcendent Vest http://www.outdoorresearch.com/site/m_s_transcendent_vest.html
Novo Watch Cap http://www.outdoorresearch.com/site/novo_watch_cap.html
PL 100 Gloves http://www.outdoorresearch.com/site/m_s_pl_100_gloves.html
Hummingbird Sleeping Bag http://www.outdoorresearch.com/site/hummingbird.html
Helium Quick Sacks http://www.outdoorresearch.com/site/helium_quick_sacks.html

This Trip report is Part 1 in a series.  Please keep an eye out for more Trip notes from Dave Baker and James Wilson.

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