Black Diamond's Icon Headlamp Upgrade: This One Goes to 11

When I first saw Black Diamond's Icon headlamp redux for Spring 2012 ($79.95), I was immedately intrigued by its cool metal body. So intrigued, in fact, that I accidentally hit the power button while I was staring into the bulb. It was like getting maced with light.

Getting blasted in the face by 200 lumens really helps you gain confidence in a headlamp.

That's how I met the 2012 Icon's QuadPower LED bulb, whose 200 lumens (versus the current model's 100 lumens) are estimated to throw a beam up to 100 meters, making the Icon the brightest headlamp in Black Diamond's lineup by leaps and bounds. The Icon also sports a 35-lumen setting powered by two SinglePower LEDs for slower pursuits, like camp cooking or setting up your tent. It's also got two red LEDs that can be accessed without turning on the white LEDs to give you a bit of light without killing your night vision. 

The super-bright setting comes in handy with anything from high-speed pursuits like trail running to high-dark pursuits like spelunking, while the lower setttings are handy for mellow campsite activities like setting up your tent or assembling your JetBoil. The one-button functionality is great, too - you can switch between both high and low beam settings and adjust their brightness by holding the button down. The red LEDs are accessed by holding the button down when you turn it on, which bypasses the other two settings and keeps your night vision intact. It runs on four AA batteries, and its max burn times are 75 hours on the highest setting, 175 on the lowest.

I had a friend of mine test it out on an evening trail run while I ran with Black Diamond's new Sprinter model on my head. The Sprinter's 75 lumens lit up the area, but the Icon dominated the dark. With him running behind me, my shadow ran ahead of me in sharp relief for the duration of the run, and I was treated to a sweeping view of the woods around me every time he looked around. The Icon (with the batteries) weighs about 8 ounces, but the topstrap kept bouncing to a minimum, and neither my tester nor I felt like it was uncomfortably heavy. 

Add the aforementioned tough metallic exterior and a waterproof housing (protected against immersion down to 1 meter for 30 minutes), and you're looking at a headlamp that'll take your flashlight's lunch money.

If you want to turn night into day (or you're trying to attract Mothra), you're going to be hard-pressed to find this many lumens for this many dollars.

Just don't look directly into the thing.

FITS Socks Fit Your Feet. Fantastically.

There's not much you can really say about socks, so I'll just come right out with it - FITS ultra-fine merino socks are the most comfortable ones I've ever worn. I've spent the last few months wearing the Light Runner Low ($15.99), the Performance Trail ($17.99), and the Medium Hiker Crew ($20.99) and yeah - they all fit perfectly. 


Essentially, you want socks to do three things: fit well, keep blisters away, and feel good. Piece of cake, but for two other things: socks have seams, which can irritate the toes, and they tend to lose their shape/fit over time, which pretty much renders them useless. 


FITS socks overcome those two barriers to sock excellence with their super-deep heel cup, snug arch support and wide toe box. The heel cup locks on to your heel, and the wide open toe box keeps your toes from squeezing together (this minimizes toe blisters). 

It’s tough to find a sock that balances the line between too tight and too loose, but these guys nailed it. Their cushion reminds me of Balegas, but while my Balega socks have stretched out over time, the FITS have stayed perfectly snug. This is key, because when a sock gets baggy, wrinkles and the foot’s movement within the sock can lead to wicked blisters. What really got my attention is that the socks don’t stretch out over time. After hundreds of miles, the Light Runner Lows and Performance Trail socks fit the same as when I first put them on, and the Medium Hiker Crews are my go-to socks for hiking and everyday use. 

It feels a little weird to say that I savor putting these guys on, but it's not just me. Both of the people that I live with have each boldly and unrepentantly stolen a pair, and they both concur with my assessment.

Huh. I guess you can say a lot about socks. Take a closer look at Fitssock.com.

Just in Case: Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Survival Pak Plus

Every outdoorsperson knows the feeling of being out in the woods thinking "Man, I wish I'd brought...," especially when things go bad. Happens to me just about every time I go out.

It's happening a lot less often, though. Oakland-based company Adventure Medical Kits does its best to cover all of your bases with its Pocket Survival Pak Plus emergency kit ($80).

It's amazing how much AMK managed to fit into a pouch that weighs under half a pound. At 5 ounces and about the size of your fist, it takes up little room and adds a negligible amount of weight to a hiker's pack. When you start taking stuff out of the little waterproof pouch, survival gear keeps tumbling out like clowns (shudder) tumbling out of one of those little cars at the circus.

The pack has a fishing kit with line, hooks, a spinner and weights; a compact backup knife (the RSK Mk5 ultralight knife is one of my favorite features); a PICO Lite LED flashlight; a compass; a signal mirror; and a host of other features. There's even 2 feet of duct tape thrown in for good measure.

Some of my fellow gearheads have noted that a few of the items are unnecessary, and that's probably true. I can barely catch a fish with a full-size setup. But the Pocket Survival Pak Plus isn't designed for everyday use. The packs are made to keep you alive when things don't go as planned. For instance, why bring a flashlight when you've got a headlamp? If you drop your headlamp into a crevasse or its battery dies, that little LED flashlight is going to make a huge difference. In fact, I hope I never need to use it, because that means something went wrong. But when something does, I'm glad I packed it.

Yesterday I went on a 10-mile hike through the Castle Crags Wilderness, and I threw in the PSP Plus on a whim. Might as well, right? About six miles out, I started getting a wicked hotspot in my heel. Boom. Grabbed the PSP Plus, taped up the heel, get back on the trail. Boom.

You don't know what's going to happen when you're in the middle of nowhere, and for an extra 5 ounces, AMK's Pocket Survival Pak Plus is worth every ounce and then some. 

Take a look at the full list of items at adventuremedicalkits.com.

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.

Summer Boot Roundup: Salomon Wings Sky GTX, Wolverine Compass iCS GTX, and Keen Delta

There are almost as many types of hiking boots as there are people to wear them.

Different foot shapes, different comfort preferences and different uses require the need of a range of options when looking for hiking footwear. If you're in the market for a pair of hiking boots, it pays to look at a broad range of boot features.

Trek Tech has been taking some hiking boots out to test over the summer and we've brought back a few standouts, including a boot that pretends to be a trail running shoe, an insulated boot for cold-weather wear, and a boot with adjustable cushioning. Take a look after the jump.

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.