GEAR REVIEW: THERMAREST NEO AIR X-LITE SLEEPING PAD

OVERVIEW:

I have five sleeping pads. Five. All of them still work, all of them are relatively lightweight, and all of them lay abandoned in the corner of my room, collecting dust, and enticing the cat to use as a scratching post.

I don’t like sleeping on the floor and never truly will. In fact, if I can I will bring my Warbonnet Hammock and sleep suspended between the trees with a gooey down under quilt below me. However, during my recent NOL’s Semester in Patagonia, I needed to find a good sleeping pad to sleep on for 85 continuous days. I also need a ground system for my upcoming thru hike on the PCT. Fortunately for me, I landed with the Thermarest NeoAir X-Lite sleeping pad, quite possibly the best sleeping pad that money can buy.

Neo Air X-Lite Size Chart
Neo Air X-Lite Size Chart

Continue reading “GEAR REVIEW: THERMAREST NEO AIR X-LITE SLEEPING PAD”

GEAR REVIEW: OSPREY AETHER 85L BACKPACK

OVERVIEW:

(DISCLAIMER: This was my first pack, so it holds a place in my heart!)

Osprey is a great backpack company. Its humble origins began in Colorado and since then Osprey has become one of the biggest backpack manufacturers in the country. The Aether is a robust and versatile bag that can haul heavy loads and works particularly well as a traveler’s backpack or a mountaineering pack.

PROS:

Hiking up Glacier Calluqueo, Patagonia.

1. Durable: The only thing I had to replace on this pack over the years is a hip belt buckle and it was my fault that it broke. This pack is quite rugged and can take a punch. I brought the Aether with me to Patagonia. In an unknown valley just south of Cerro San Lorenzo, I found myself bushwhacking through chest high calafate (think giant thorn bush!) while traversing a 60 degree slope. Between the large river gorge to my left and the spiky gauntlet surrounding me, the last thing I needed was a pack that couldn’t hang. The thick fabric shrugged off the inch long prickers with ease. The Aether is not invincible, however. Over the years, small holes have been torn into the mesh back pocket but they do not spread and the mesh is still functional.

Continue reading “GEAR REVIEW: OSPREY AETHER 85L BACKPACK”

%d bloggers like this: