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15 Great Deals at REI’s January Clearance Sale

January 28, 2019 By Will Robins Leave a Comment

Presenting all the stuff you should actually buy that also happens to have the deepest markdowns. REI’s Clearance sale goes from January 18 through January 21. You can shop all the deals here.

REI Co-op Flexlite Chair ($50; 37 percent off)

(Courtesy REI Co-op)

Supportive and lightweight, with a deep, comfy seat and a low profile for camping, backpacking, and concerts, the Flexlite packs down to just 15 inches for easy storage. The special print on this model celebrates the 50th anniversary of the National Scenic Trails Act.

Acorn Women’s Mule Rag Slippers ($22; 51 percent off)

(Courtesy Acorn)

A good pair of slippers can be a game changer in cold winter months. These ones have a fleece lining to wick moisture and durable sidewalls made of suede. Skid-resistant outsoles mean you can wear them both inside and outside, and don’t worry about keeping them clean: they’re machine washable.

REI Co-op Flash 45 Pack ($80; 46 percent off)

(Courtesy REI Co-op)

The Flash 45 was the best budget pick in our comprehensive women’s backpack review. Testers wrote, “It more than ably supported the test’s 35-pound load, even when I pushed it off-trail and into steep, scrambling terrain.”

Buy Men’s Buy Women’s

REI Co-op Magma 10/17 Sleeping Bag ($276; 25 percent off)

(Courtesy REI Co-op)

REI gave the Magma 10 and women’s Magma 17 high-quality 850-fill hydrophobic goose-down insulation wrapped in a superlight 15-denier ripstop nylon Pertex Quantum outer shell. The Magma packs down to the size of a small watermelon and weighs just shy of two pounds, stats that would be good for a 20-degree bag but are remarkable for one as warm as this.

Buy Men’s Buy Women’s

Yakima Skyrise 3 Rooftop Tent ($999; 33 percent off)

(Courtesy Yakima)

The SkyRise 3 has a wall-to-wall, 2.5-inch thick mattress and uses simple but sturdy plastic clamps, making it the easiest-to-install rooftop tent we’ve tested.

Cotopaxi Fuego Down Hooded Jacket ($175; 30 percent off)

(Courtesy Cotopaxi)

If you need a puffy for general around-town or on-the-trail use, the Fuego is a good option. It’s made with responsibly sourced 800-fill water-resistant goose down and breathable Polartec Alpha underarm panels.

Buy Men’s Buy Women’s

Hydro Flask Coffee Flask ($15 and up; 30 percent off)

(Courtesy Hydro Flask)

The Coffee Flask keeps beverages cold for 16 hours, so you’ll never sip on lukewarm coffee again. The smartly designed flip lid essentially eliminates any spills.

Black Diamond Trail Back Trekking Poles ($60; 25 percent off)

(Courtesy Black Diamond)

Trekking poles help keep you stable on sketchy sections of trail, and when you’re wearing a heavy pack they can transfer some of the load to your arms, relieving your back and shoulders. The Trail Backs have low-profile trekking baskets, non-slip EVA foam grips, and nylon webbing straps with woven lining for increased comfort.

REI Co-op Fleece Jacket ($25; 50 percent off)

(Courtesy REI Co-op)

Simply designed with a full-length zipper and two zippered hand pockets, this jacket is a versatile and cozy layer that can be worn hiking, under a ski jacket, or around the house.

Buy Men’s Buy Women’s

Big Agnes Seedhouse SL2 Tent ($210; 40 percent off)

(Courtesy Big Agnes)

This is a great price on a do-it-all backpacking tent. The Seedhouse works great for three-season use, its steep sidewalls offer plenty of livable space and ample headroom, and it weighs under three pounds, so it can be carried easily on extended trips.

Kelty Discovery Cot ($60; 40 percent off)

(Courtesy Kelty)

For general car camping, cots can make a big difference in your quality of sleep. The Discovery boosts sleepers over two feet off the ground and has a maximum capacity of 300 pounds thanks to the aluminum and steel frame and 600-denier ripstop polyester fabric. It folds up for convenient storage and travel in the included roll-tote bag.

GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Cookset ($45; 30 percent off)

(Courtesy GSI Outdoors)

This cooking set has everything needed to easily make a meal for two in the backcountry. The kit includes a hard-anodized 1.8-liter pot with a strainer lid, two insulated mugs with lids, two bowls, two telescoping foons, a welded sink, and a stove bag.

Sea to Summit Aeros Premium Pillow ($32; 25 percent off)

(Courtesy Sea to Summit)

If you’re still rolling up your midlayer to use as a pillow on the trail, it’s time to upgrade. You’ll barely notice the Premium in your pack (it weighs just 2.8 ounces) but it inflates to five inches thick in just a few breaths.

Outdoor Research Men’s Ascendant Hooded Jacket ($124; 50 percent off)

(Courtesy Outdoor Research)

Last year we named this one of the best active insulation pieces. Much of its performance chops come from Polartec Alpha Direct insulation, which looks like shag carpet and uses a big, open weave to vent sweat while also holding in just the right amount of body heat.

Rab Women’s Neutrino Pro Down Jacket ($262; 30 percent off)

(Courtesy Rab)

An extra-lofty puffy that can handle winters worst, the Neutrino is stuffed with 800-fill hydrophobic goose down that stays in place via large stitched-through baffles.

Read more: outsideonline.com

Timberland Makes Our New Favorite Everyday Boot

December 30, 2018 By Will Robins Leave a Comment

For the record, I don’t consider myself a trail-to-town gear evangelist. To me there’s nothing wrong with stopping home after skiing or cycling to change before meeting friends at the bar. But there are times when I just want to head straight from the office to the trailhead without having to bring a spare pair of shoes. Even though I have a stack of shoeboxes sitting next to my desk, as my colleagues here at Outside can attest, it’s often nicer to be able to just get up and go. And that means having footwear that’s handsome enough for the office but capable on trail as well. Enter the Timberland American Craft Moc Toe boots ($365).

The Horween leather upper is classy, a little less chunky than the signature style of Tim’s Icon, but still waterproof. And I’d be hard-pressed to describe how supple it is without using the word buttery. That also makes it more forgiving, which is especially appreciated by someone with wide feet like myself. Its thin profile contributes to the boot’s light weight, too, another departure from the beefiness of other Timberland shitkickers. The high top and lacing afford lock-down security, which means I don’t show any sock or skin if the cuffs of my jeans ride up.

Beneath the shoe, the Vibram outsole, which the company describes as medium soft, provides traction and grips rocks and other hard surfaces without feeling like a board strapped to the bottom of my foot.

If I boil it down to one sentence: the Timberland American Craft Moc Toe boots have technical chops and loads of comfort in a damn-fine-looking package.

Read more: outsideonline.com

How to Layer for Winter Workouts Outdoors

December 7, 2018 By Will Robins Leave a Comment

Moisture plus cold makes for challenging outdoor-training conditions. Dialing in your layering so that you’re warm and dry but not likely to overheat is tricky. Overdo the insulation, and you’re apt to sweat like mad, which can cause you to become cold and very uncomfortable once you slow down. Underdress, and you risk moisture freezing on you, potentially leading to hypothermia. The following guidelines for getting your running, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing outfit just right come from my own gear testing experience over the years, as well as interviews with pros, survival experts, and guides.

Next-to-Skin Choices

The most important job of a base layer is to move sweat away from your skin so that it can evaporate rather than cause clamminess and chafing. For that reason, I like to wear extremely thin base layers. While I have tested many over the years, I still find myself grabbing an old Patagonia Capilene Lightweight Crew shirt ($49), because it’s just the right thickness, moves moisture with the best of them, and is treated with Polygiene to quash odor. (That makes a world of difference if I don’t have time to wash it between runs.) I’m too self-conscious to run in just tights, so I wear a (now discontinued) pair of Black Diamond CoEfficient pants, which fit more like tight sweatpants. They’re also made from Polartec Powerdry fabric, which has the best warmth-to-wicking ratio of any I’ve tested. Since the CoEfficients aren’t made anymore, I’ve found that the Outdoor Voices Weekender sweats ($100) don’t have quite the thermoregulating chops but are plenty stretchy and more supple next to the skin.

Midlayers

Look for options that have insulation where you need it but not where you don’t. Smartwool’s PhD SmartLoft Divide Full Zip jacket ($188) is a good midweight crossover piece. The stretchy merino arms and back don’t inhibit motion and are thin enough to dump heat while you warm up, while the lofty, wool-insulated front keeps your core toasty. I never wear insulated bottoms during cardio. (Remember the adage “Be bold and start cold”?) It’s fine to wear a pair of puffy pants while waiting for your friends at a trailhead, but you’ll sweat through them in a matter of minutes if you keep them on while running.

Outerwear

While in some parts of the world, getting wet in the winter can kill you in a few hours, you’ll be fine most places if you head out for a run in the snow or sleet without a shell. I’ve found that a waterproof membrane on top of all of my other layers will trap my sweat so that I’m just as soggy as if I’d stood under dumping snow or rain. Unless it’s really coming down, stick with your midlayer most of the time and bring a soft shell or wind shell as backup in case the weather turns really foul while you’re out. My go-to is the North Face Better Than Naked jacket ($90), because it deflects enough wind and rain without causing me to stew in my own sweat.

Accessories

Cold and achy hands are a special kind of misery. Bring a pair of gloves, which you can always stuff in a pocket if your digits get too hot. My favorite pair is made by Pearl Izumi and costs $15.

A good hat can go a long way—we all know how much heat you can lose through the top of your head. A lightweight running hat that fits nice and tight while wicking moisture, like Arc’teryx’s Phase R beanie ($35), is going to keep your dome cozy. A generic fleece one will get the job done, too. My father-in-law gave me one for a Christmas Eve run in Indiana, and while it isn’t nearly as slick as the Arc’teryx, it’s warm and moves moisture well enough.

Read more: outsideonline.com

Baby Foot Is Weird, Gross, & The Best Thing EVER

November 29, 2018 By Will Robins Leave a Comment

Update: Baby Foot recently launched a men’s peel, which sounds like gimmicky marketing, except for the fact that these new booties can accommodate up to a size 14 — which is an improvement for anyone, regardless of gender, whose feet didn’t fit into the original version.

This story was originally published on August 7, 2014.

Baby Foot is a chemical peel for your feet. Just know that going in. No ladylike eye cream stories this week, people. Things are about to stop being polite and start getting real — and really, really gross. But, the BEST kind of gross.

I’ve been wanting to try this crazy product ever since our beauty director used it and described, in revolting detail, the metamorphosis her feet went through. Baby Foot promises to rid your soles of the toughest, roughest calluses and reveal the smoothest feet you’ve had since, like, birth. We’re talking about results that no pedicure can achieve and no foot cream can come close to, all for $20. Obviously, I was gonna do it.

We ladies have a tendency to put our feet through some pretty inhumane conditions (looking at you, heels). And, if you’re an urban dweller, things can get downright gnarly. I walk 7,000 to 14,000 steps a day, and though I spend half my time in Keds, my feet had reached a critical point. While falling asleep one night last month, my boyfriend gave a yelp of actual pain. Had I stabbed him in his sleep? No. The ball of my foot had brushed against his calf.

Something had to be done.

I ordered Baby Foot on Amazon (having gotten permission to use aforementioned boyfriend’s Amazon Prime subscription to get the stuff here immediately). I spent the following 48 hours maniacally Googling images of people using Baby Foot (HOLY SHIT), and dreaming of the day my talons would emerge, snake-like from their rough and heinous scales.

Photo: Courtesy of Baby Foot.

The box comes with two plastic-bag booties already lined with the magic gel, a combination of “17 types of natural extracts” according to the website. The ingredients list mainly fruit acids, but also the stuff you’d typically find in a chemical peel: glycolic, lactic, and salicylic acids, as well as alcohol. This might be the one skin-care product you actually want to find alcohol in (for reasons that will soon become obvious).

The instructions were simple — almost too simple. According to Baby Foot, all you do is wash and soak your feet, apply the booties, wash off, then wait. In five to seven days, the peeling should begin. But, in sorting through the hundreds of old-pro user reviews, I picked up some useful tips, then set aside a Saturday afternoon for the big event. I set up the couch with necessities: laptop, socks, paper towels, phone. Then, I took a bath.

Baby Foot Tip #1: Soaking is mandatory. Before using Baby Foot, wash your feet with soap and water, then soak them for about 15 minutes (hence, the bath). Next, dry your feet off and pop them in the booties. Use the provided tape to close loose ends. If you need to walk around, throw some big socks over the booties to prevent slipping. But, if possible, just stay put. (This is a great opportunity to get work done because it’s virtually impossible to get up and do something else. Or just watch Homeland reruns. I’m not here to judge.)

Baby Foot Tip #2: Leave it on a little longer.The box says to leave it on for an hour, and that may be enough for you. But, for many, Baby Foot is most effective when given an extra 20 to 40 minutes on your feet. I left it on for 80 minutes in total, but I leave it to your best judgment as to just how rough your feet are. Either way, an extra 20 minutes of these ingredients won’t hurt your feet. Unless:

Baby Foot Tip #3: No open cuts allowed. I certainly hope this goes without saying, but please don’t put an acid peel on your feet if you have any open sores or cuts. I had a few little abrasions on mine, but nothing that would have prevented me from getting a pedicure. Use that as your rule of thumb. Also, if you’re worried about warts and corns, don’t — and don’t get excited that this will cure them. The product has little to no effect on those skin problems. But, if you’ve recently used acid or freezing treatments on them, cover them with a bandage before using Baby Foot. Cracked calluses are fine. Bleeding is not.

Photo: Courtesy of Baby Foot.

Baby Foot Tip #4: Soaking is STILL mandatory.When you’re done with the treatment, wash and dry your feet then go about your business. Your feet will look and feel exactly the same, if slightly dry. I was dying with anticipation, but a watched foot never boils, so I satisfied myself with more disgusting-amazing ventures in Google images. As instructed by expert reviewers, I soaked my feet daily. The first two nights, I simply plugged up the bath while taking my shower and kind of kicked around in the puddle. Nothing. But on the third day, I took a bath and THAT’S when the fun began.

It started with my heels: After submerging for five minutes, giant swaths of skin separated from my feet and came off with just the lightest tug. Quickly, I got out of the bath and stared at the crazy patchwork of dead skin magically peeling away from my feet. It was so exciting that I took a picture. Then I texted it to five people. (I got mixed reactions.)

Soaking is what gets the peeling going and keeps it going. Soak ’em every night until the peeling is done.

Baby Foot Tip #5: Picking is fine, whatever.The box says not to pull the skin off but you kind of have to. The dead skin will begin to separate from your feet, but you’re going to need to actually pull it off. Alternatively, you can rub your hand along the soles of your feet (or rub the soles together), but that’s not nearly as satisfying. This is the grown-up version of pulling dried Elmer’s Glue off your hands, so why would you deny yourself this joy? (No, it doesn’t hurt. None of the Baby Foot process hurts or feels like much of anything.)

Always do this right after the soak when the skin is softened. Don’t pull skin that’s not quite ready to come off — it’ll be ready soon enough.

Baby Foot Tip #6: Timing matters.Make sure to schedule your Baby Foot endeavor to properly avoid any embarrassing public displays of shedding. You’ll want to do the deed before we head into wearing-sandals-every-day weather, so right about now is basically the sweet spot. Sure, a lot of the peeling will occur at home post-soak, but trust me when I say there will potentially be large rogue flakes that you probably won’t want everyone at Starbucks seeing when you pick up your iced coffee. It’s best to stick to shoes and socks for about a week.

Baby Foot Tip #7: No lotion.Baby Foot suggests that if your feet feel uncomfortably dry then you can apply a very small amount of lotion. I suggest avoiding this, because moisturizing the dead skin will only make it slower to shed. Just let it dry and flake off, then moisturize the baby-soft skin that emerges.

It’s been almost two weeks since my Baby Foot treatment and I am, frankly, devastated. Yes, my feet are more smooth and soft than they have ever been in my adult life. But, I long for the heady days of last week when I could look forward to the horrific and thrilling site of my feet emerging from their soak, shedding wondrous layers of dead skin so great I had to keep the vacuum on hand. Sadly, my soles are in such amazing shape that I fear it will be many months before I can justify another treatment.

But, if you decide to do it and need to send five people the pictures, can I be one of them? Just kidding, but only sort of.

Note: We judged Baby Foot process photos to be, well, not everyone’s cup of tea. But, if you’d like to see one, scroll down.

Photo: Courtesy of Baby Foot.

I KNOW, RIGHT?

Curious to see what Baby Foot looks like in action? Watch our editors put it to the test in the video below. Warning: peeling ahead.

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Read more: refinery29.com

Our Favorite Men’s Leather Crossover Boots for Fall

November 3, 2018 By Will Robins Leave a Comment

The changing weather demands a wardrobe adjustment. Trade shorts for pants, tank tops for shirt jackets, and the sandals for something that’s waterproof and a little higher cut. Here are five pairs of high-top leather boots that are casual but could probably be used for a hike in a pinch.

Forsake Phil Mid ($140)

(Courtesy Forsake)

Forsake makes technical shoes that look great around town, and its new Phil Mid isn’t any different. A waterproof breathable membrane joins with a full-grain leather upper for protection against the elements, while the low-profile outsoles have inner lugs that can handle the trail without looking overbuilt on the streets.

Lems Boulder ($150)

(Courtesy Lems)

You wouldn’t know it at first glance, but this full leather boot is crazy light (just 9.9 ounces) and incredibly flexible; it can essentially roll up into a tube, making it easy to pack in a bag. The forefoot and heel are the same height (zero drop) and the toe box is wide so your feet have room to expand while hiking.

Ridgemont Outfitters Outback II ($130)

(Courtesy Ridgemont)

We raved about the Outback back in 2014 when Ridgemont Outfitters was just a fledgling upstart, and the boot has only gotten better. The upper is made from waxed full-grain leather and waxed canvas, all with a DWR coating. The lugged, natural-rubber sole and EVA cushion midsole are comfortable and stable on the trail, but we like the sneaker aesthetic, which makes us want to wear these boots about town.

Mammut Chamuera Mid ($160)

(Courtesy Mammut)

The Chamuera leans on traditional hiking-boot styling (high ankles and beefy lugged outer soles) for those who want a classic look on and off the trail. The full-grain leather upper is soft, pliable, and waterproof, while the Vibram EcoStep rubber outsole is grippy, stable, and green—it’s made from 30 percent recycled materials.

Teva Arrowood 2 Mid Waterproof ($150)

(Courtesy Teva)

Teva’s latest entry into the crossover category disguises a waterproof upper and a beefy rubber outsole that can handle rain, mud, and scree in a two-tone sneaker that would look just as at home in the skate park as on singletrack. The inner is lined with breathable mesh, the footbed is comfy EVA foam, and the Float-Lite midsole will last forever. Plus, it’s all just 12.5 ounces per shoe.

Read more: outsideonline.com