Winter in the mountains of central Arizona.  Cold mornings and chamber of commerce afternoons interrupted by occasional storms like this bringing the long, steady rains and snow that see us through the hot summers.

Weather!  Weather!  Weather!  I love weather.  The badder the better in fact.  Our first big winter storm rolled in last week.  Actually it was two separate storms.  New snow above 5000 was measured in feet but everything below that just got a good, cold soaking for several days.  Most people avoid this kind of weather but the mid-west kid in me looks forward to it.

I was supposed to be scouting for a friend’s late Coues hunt but the heavy rain had the little buggers all hunkered down.  I had been wanting to check out some of the deeper recesses of this area anyway and I always have new shell gear and boots to test so I spent the day hiking in a steady, sometimes driving rain.  Nothing tests your equipment like humping difficult terrain in a downpour.  Add a 20+ mph wind, temps in the mid thirties and you have what I call a perfect unit 22 December day.

Working hard in these kinds of conditions takes some getting used to but I have the ventilation techniques and throttle adjustments down pat after many years of practice.  When I was a SAR Tech on the Sheriff’s Mountain Rescue Team we did many missions in this kind of weather and I have seen it kill people that were unprepared.  As rescuers we were always racing against that clock, hustling  to make sure that our search ended in a rescue and not a body recovery.  However, today, it was just me and there was no emergency so keeping the RPMs down and the internal heat generators under control was easy.  I just unzipped what I could and then walked at a hunting pace, stopping occasionally to glass.  I was quite comfortable all day.

Of course your clothing in these situations is critical.  I was wearing new shell gear for evaluation purposes but I still followed the old tried and true mountaineering layering philosophy.  3 layers.  A wicking base layer of the appropriate thickness for the time/place that were neither too tight nor too loose.  A high loft, synthetic insulation layer because water was the devil of the day.  No down this time which is pretty common for central Arizona at transition zone altitudes.  Even when it did snow on me it was a wet snow that eventually turned into water.  A technical shell layer made of durable, high quality waterproof breathable materials.  The breathable part of the shell was not going to be of much use to me today because the exterior of the jacket would be covered with precipitation the entire time and you just can’t push water vapor through water droplets.  If I was to stay dry on the inside today it was going to be accomplished by using active ventilation techniques and controlling my physical exertion.  Durability of the fabric translates directly to weight and that is determined by the type of activity planned.  Hunters are usually bushwhacking so they need something tough to handle the brush, branches and stickers.  Hikers and backpackers on the other hand tend to stick to the trails so they can get away with the super lightweight stuff.  Then, to top it all off, I wore proper head, hands and feet pieces. 


Please forgive the poor picture quality but I am no Les Stroud when it comes to solo photography.  A full day on the trail left me cold and wet on the outside but warm and dry on the inside thanks to great gear and proven techniques.  

The shell layer is what I was interested in today so the base and insulation layers I would use were my old standards.  Danner Flashpoint Merino Wool Over-The Calf Socks, REI Mid-Weight MTS Polypropylene Zip T-Neck, and an Under Armour BoxerJock.  In my pack were the MTS bottoms and a Marmot TR6 mid weight liner jacket.  The shell layer jacket was the Wild Things Alpinist Jacket which uses eVent as it's waterproof breathable laminate.  The bottom shell piece was the Predator Hardshell Cargo Trouser from TAD Gear which also uses a waterproof laminate but I don’t know which one.  Last but certainly not least were the Hanwag Mountain Light GTX boots which, as the name suggests, use Gore-Tex to guarantee that my tootsies stayed dry.  Now I know that all of these pieces come from reputable manufacturers and I have tested them all before but not in these conditions, not for this length of time and not this far from the truck.  This was going to be the real deal and I was going to be depending on all three of these pieces to keep me dry and warm and safe. 

To make a long story short, they all performed beautifully and I would not hesitate at all to put any one of them or all three into my system.  Based on how they performed for me in those conditions, not only would I recommend them to my Mountain Rescue Teammates but I would use them myself on missions.  I can give no higher praise then that.

Specifically.  The Wild Things Alpinist Jacket is a perfect example of balance.  It is lightweight but not wispy or fragile.  It is modern and full featured but not superfluous in any respect.  It is pragmatic and built for function in the wilderness but it would not be out of place on the ski hill where fashion reigns supreme and you're only a run away from a hot tottie.  If I were in charge I would change the twin Napoleon pockets and give it a detachable hood but other than that the Alpinist ranks right up there with what I think are the best parkas on the market from Arcteryx, TAD Gear and Cloudveil.  It is interesting to note that TAD Gear is now using eVent in their latest Predator Hardshell v3.0 and Raptor Jackets.  I am not qualified to say if eVent is better than Gore-Tex but I can say that after 8 hours in the rain, the Wildthings Alpinist jacket did not leak at all.

The TAD Gear Predator Hardshell Pants.  I am aware that after reading all of my TAD Gear product reviews you could come to the conclusion that I am in cahoots with them.  The truth is that I am not.  I just can’t help but like everything that they put out.  Well designed and well made with first rate materials that work as advertised.  What’s not to like.  The Predator Hardshell Pants are the matching bottoms to the magnificent Predator Hardshell Jacket that I have uncharacteristically gushed about in earlier posts and they are just as good.  Again, I don’t know what TAD was using for a waterproof breathable laminate in their first gen products but it works.  I hope the switch to eVent works out just as well.  The Predator Trousers are cut generously so they are great for active users and made out of a unique herringbone nylon fabric that seems impervious to everything but bobbed wire.  At first glance they look black but the more I wear them I see a faint dark green hue to them.  I like it.  Design features include belt loops, a Velcro waste adjustment mechanism that actually works, perfectly sized and positioned thigh cargo pockets, doubled knees and seat, and weather resistant zippers on the fly, calves and front pockets.  I have worn these pants a half dozen times now and they always evoke positive comments from people that normally don’t notice such things.  Not only are they highly functional, they are just cool.


Cold enough to make a thin layer of ice but water and the age old challenge of how to manage it was the order of the day.  The Hanwag Mountain Light boots and TAD Gear Predator Hardshell Pants performed perfectly.  You can also see my crusty old Outdoor Research Crocodile gators. 

The Hanwag Mountain Light boots are viewed as something of a luxury in my circle.  I have heard them referred to as the Lexus or Cadillac of boots and while I don’t disagree with those monikers I would say that they are the Land Rover of boots.  The Land Rover Defender 110 to be exact.  These are very high quality boots and they fit well thanks to the expert consultation that comes with them but what I value most is the surefootedness they give me.  They are firm and supportive but still flexible enough to negotiate the trail with finesse and they are extraordinarily grippy in wet conditions.  I had to cross a number of normally dry creeks that were running heavy and the Mountain Lights stuck to the river rocks like felt soled fishing boots.  Hanwag was unknown to me before I started this whole thing but I am glad that I discovered them.  They are very fine boots and I find myself reaching for them even when the situation doesn't call for such a substantial boot.


This creek is usually only a trickle if not completely dry but she was running knee high today.  Water crossings are a challenge but can be negotiated easily if you take your time and pick a good route.  The Black Diamond trekking pole helps. 

You know, maybe I am a little nuts but I get a big kick out of putting great gear to good use.  This isn't just about having the best equipment, it is about what having the best equipment allows me to do.  Companies like TAD Gear, Hanwag, Outdoor Research, REI, Wild Things and others produce exceptional products that help me perform better and keep me in the field longer and I appreciate it because that is where I love to be.  

Why do I love it out there?  Because it is pure and honest and totally uncompromising.  There is only black and white, right and wrong, good and bad.  No gray area, no BS, no wiggle room.  It is hard but fair and beautiful beyond description.  It is the way we should be.  I think our government "leaders" could use a little Hardcore Outdoor time, then maybe we wouldn't be in such a pickle.  Anyway, I wish you all a very merry Christmas and that goes double for all you military and public safety folks.

Post Script-I got an interesting note from a reader that was commenting on how the Wildthings jacket and TAD Gear trousers fit me.  He thought that they were too baggy.  Oh contrare derriere, that is how they should fit.  Cold weather base layers should be snug, insulation pieces should fit true to size if not a touch on the big side and the shell layers should be roomy.  If the shell layer is too tight it will compress the insulation layer which reduces loft and squeezes out the dead air and that is bad.  It also restricts the movement of air through the bellows or chimney effect which inhibits evaporation of moisture and dissipation of heat.  Which is also why my cuffs are open and my hands are up in the sleeves.  Again, this is not about fashion folks, this is about performance.  Those good looking people in the catalogs aren't doing anything but posing.

Wade Nelson
Editor

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