Tough Poly Shell, Soft, Chewy Merino Center: Ortovox Merino Fleece Logo Hoody Review

It usually takes a few years for a sweatshirt to enter the pantheon of favorite articles of clothing. Material must be softened with countless washings, it has to shrink just enough to provide that custom fit, and it has to prove its toughness though a series of life-threatening(ish) adventures. German mountaineering company Ortovox's Merino Fleece Logo Hoody ($159, available Summer 2012) broke into "no-you-can't-borrow-it" status within the first two wears.

No thumbholes? Come on.

At first glance, it seems pretty basic. The only external feature that really distinguished the Logo Hoody from other sweatshirts is the easy-pull drawstring.  A one-piece shock cord loops around the lining of the hood and locks automatically when you give it a pull. Great for blocking out the wind without completely letting go of your handlebars.

Of course, it's what's inside that counts: the Hoody has a super-soft inner layer of merino wool and a wind- and abrasion-resistant polyester exterior. Its combination of breathable materials and extreme stretch make the Hoody a great piece for just about any activity. The merino interior is soft enough to let you wear the Hoody as a next-to-skin layer, and the slim cut lets you layer up over it without feeling bulky. The fleece's stretchiness keeps it from hindering your range of motion in any way, so early morning climbing sessions don't have to be frigid crag-fests.

Pack straps didn't abrade the Hoody's exterior.

The tough polyester exterior proved very abrasion-resistant - it held up to friction from pack straps for miles of hiking without showing any wear or piling. On a series of way-too-early hikes, the Hoody was comfortable over a wide range of temperatures. It was warm and blocked the breeze during the 50-degree early am, but when the sun started heating up, the Hoody breathed well and any sweat wicked away and dried quickly. 

I have yet to survive anything but harrowing downhill bike descents in it, but since it'll be my new go-to layer for cold weather, I'm sure we'll be bonding over how-did-I-survive moments in the years to come.

This is my new midlayer. For everything. No, you can't borrow it.

Keep the Gear Shakes Away with ActiveJunky.com

 If you need your gear fix, ActiveJunky.com wants to be your dealer. 

Partnered with online retailers like Backcountry.com, Altrec.com, DogFunk.com, EasternMountainSports.com, theClymb.com, and a small army of others, ActiveJunky.com helps you find the best deal available for whatever gear you're looking for. Once you find it, Active Junky gives you a list of online retailers selling it, lowest price listed first. Not too shabby, but here's the best part: they give you a part of their commission. Nice, right?

The amount varies from 2.5% to 10% depending on which retailer you make your purchase through, and payment comes every 90 days. You can choose to have ActiveJunky.com send you a check, deposit the money into your Paypal account, or you can go the altruistic route and donate a percentage of your rebate to one of Active Junky's non-profit partners like The Nature Conservancy. 

The interface is so simple that a clever golden retriever could find you the right gloves. Choose your activity on the drop-down tabs, then narrow your search by brand or subcategory. Click what you want, then choose the retailer (and price) that you want. Done. 

Once you've played with your gear a bit, you can review your gear to laud its benefits or warn others of its crappiness on the site as well. 

The only real qualm I have is that there's no "Running" tab. Running shoes and apparel are integrated into the Clothing tab, and hydration packs are in the "Backpacks" section on the Camping & Hiking tab. As a runner, I wouldn't mind a section for my preferred sport. 

That said, there's not much else to complain about - it's clean, easy-to-navigate, and it does all of the comparison shopping for you. If you want to find a gear deal online, ActiveJunky.com is the way to go.

Columbia Makes it Cool to Sweat: Omni-Freeze ICE Solar Polar Review

One of Columbia Sportwear's slogans is "Trying Stuff since 1932." Great things come from trying stuff.

Among the stuff that Columbia is trying is their Omni-Freeze ICE line, which is designed to cool off when it gets wet. Unlike most clothing, which cools off initially, then warms right up, this stuff has a treatment that chills the fabric and keeps it cool until the moisture evaporates. At Columbia's Spring 12 preview, I received the Solar Polar ($70), a long-sleeve half-zip shirt made up of the Omni-Freeze ICE fabric.

The material is given a food-based chemical treatment that cools it off when it gets wet, which helps keep you cool while providing coverage from the sun, poison oak, and any other stinging/burning/rash-inducing things that you may come across on a hike or trail run. Therein lies the genius of Omni-Freeze ICE - you get the coverage of a longsleeve shirt without the accompanying heatstroke.

Since I live in a spot where triple digit temperatures are the norm, this fabric is right up my alley. I took it out for some hot-weather trail runs this summer to see how well it worked. One of the most grueling tests was during one of my runs up Whiskeytown's Kanaka Peak.  I wasn't excited about getting a longsleeve shirt to test, but as I waded through fields of poison oak in Whiskeytown Park, I quickly learned to appreciate the extra coverage.

The shirt was lightweight and breathable, so even without the Omni-Freeze ICE tech, it was pretty cool (literally). The areas of the shirt under my hydration pack and right below my neck were the first to get wet, and they cooled off noticeably. As the moisture spread, the shirt cooled even more. It wasn't the arctic chill that I was anticipating, but more of a subtle cooling that I found really refreshing. I wasn't overheating, so all I had to worry about was the 50-degree incline in front of me.

The Omni-Freeze ICE line will be available for order January/February 2012. 

Most Wanted: Easton Mountain Products Kilo 3-Person Tent

Maybe I'm getting old, but I'm starting to lean more towards comfort when I'm out in the backcountry. Mummy bags leave me claustrophobic, and bivy sacs aren't exactly palatial. I'm not a huge guy, but man, I need space, especially if I'm sharing a tent with somebody. The problem is, the bigger the tent, the more weight you're dealing with as you haul it to your campsite.

Not so with Easton Mountain Products' Kilo 3P tent ($499, Summer 2012). Part of EMP's Kilo family of ultralight tents, the three person doublewall kilo 3 offers 40 square feet of floorspace and almost four feet of headroom in a three pound package. 

Forty square feet of floorspace and 3 pounds in the pack. That's a pound per person.

It doesn't feel like a three pound tent when you're in it.

I got to see the Kilo 3 in person at the outdoor retailer trade show, and it felt cavernous with just me in it. Hopefully I'll get my hands on one of these guys in the near future so I can try it out in the field.

Until then, take a look at the Kilo 1P on Easton Mountain Products' website to see how the tech keeps the weight to a minimum.

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Most Wanted posts are profiles of gear that catches our eye. Since we haven't gotten our hands on these pieces (yet), MW posts aren't reviews; they're just overviews on what the gear is designed to do. More often than not, we'll try to get a tester to see how well they work, but until then, we'll be content with just drooling over it. If you know of a piece of gear that deserves to be featured on Most Wanted, shoot us a note at editor@trektechblog.com.

Outdoor Retailer Summer Market: Demo Day

Held at Jordanelle State Park about forty minutes outside of Salt Lake City, Demo Day gives Outdoor Retailer Summer Market attendees a taste of how gear is going to work in the field. Paddleboards and kayaks cruised the lake, fly rods were flung, and Probars and coconut water were eagerly consumed, with Skullcandy's dj supplying the tunes all day long.

Music courtesy of Skullcandy

Since I'm here scoping out gear to review for Wired, I tried to focus on the techier pieces of gear, and there were plenty of those out there. Eton Corporation was showing off their Soulra XL solar iPod boombox case and the Mobius iPhone 4 solar charging case that's coming out in September, both of which looked like solid entries.

Eton showcased its Soulra XL boombox and Mobius solar case.

Headphone company Yurbuds also had an eye-catching new piece-the Inspire Pro headset. It uses a twist-and-lock action to stay in your ear, it sports a water (and sweat, and rain) resistant microphone so you can make calls on the run, and they're guaranteed  to never fall out. That's a ballsy guarantee. I'll try to snag a tester tomorrow at the Salt Palace, so I can let you know how well it works.

Yurbuds headphones provide a non-slip fit.

Not as techy, but still on my radar are fly fishing outfitter Redington, who's breaking in with starter kits, lightweight backpacker's kits and a slew of new fly fishing techwear;

OluKai's high-end Hawaiian footwear;

CocoHydro's instant coconut water mix,

and Nathan Sport's Endurance 2-liter hydration vest.

All are definitely worth a closer look this week. I'll keep you posted.