Michael Lanza

Gear Review: Black Diamond Vapor Climbing Helmet

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Black Diamond Vapor
Black Diamond Vapor

Climbing Helmet
Black Diamond Vapor Helmet
$140, 7.5 oz. (M/L)
Sizes: S/M (21-23 ins./53-59 cm), M/L (23-25 ins./58-63 cm)
blackdiamondequipment.com

I’m afraid to put this new helmet down somewhere and take my eyes of it: My climbing partners unabashedly confess how covetous they are of it. After wearing the Vapor for several days of rock climbing at Idaho’s City of Rocks National Reserve, Castle Rocks State Park, and Mores Mountain, I’m quite loathe to lose it. Those included a couple of hot days baking under the desert sun, one of them on the five-pitch route Sinocranium on Steinfell’s Dome at the City. The Vapor is hands-down the coolest, lightest, and most comfortable climbing helmet I’ve ever worn—by comparison, much more comfortable than BD’s older Half Dome helmet, which I’ve worn for years.

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Rafting the Grand Ronde River, Oregon.

Stacking the Deck For Adventure: Rafting Oregon’s Wallowa and Grand Ronde Rivers

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By Michael Lanza

The Wallowa River hisses and slithers past us like a fat snake with ill intentions. An urgent line of muscular waves emits a constant, low rumble on this June morning at the launch site in the tiny burg of Minam, Oregon. The outfitter who rented us our rafts informs us that this waterway and the Grand Ronde River, which we will enter nine miles downstream, are running high enough to whisk our two rafts down the course of this 45-mile, normally three-day stretch of whitewater in just 10 hours.

Then he tells us that the first bit of technical whitewater we’ll encounter, Minam Roller Rapids, has flipped several rafts in recent days—and its hole is “guaranteed” to toss us into the frigid, snowmelt-fed water, too, if we fail to make the turn there hugging the right riverbank tightly. That grabs our attention in a hurry.

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Gear Review: Osprey Manta 28 Daypack

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Osprey Manta 28
Osprey Manta 28

Daypack
Osprey Manta 28
$140, 2 lbs. 4 oz. (S/M, 2 lbs. 15 oz. including the Osprey Hydraulics 3L/100 oz. reservoir that comes with the pack)
Sizes: S/M (26L/1,587 c.i.), M/L (28L/1,709 c.i.)
ospreypacks.com

For multi-hour dayhikes, when you need to carry a fair bit of extra clothing, food, and water, I like a pack with at least 20 liters of capacity, good organization, easy access, and that carries a load efficiently. It’s just a bonus if your back stays cool, too. With those two sentences, I’ve just summed up the Manta 28.

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Gear Review Update: Ribz Front Pack

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Ribz Front Pack
Ribz Front Pack

Pack
Ribz Front Pack
$60, 12.5 oz. (small)
Sizes: Small (fits waists 26-36 inches), regular (fits waists 32-46 inches)
ribzwear.com

The Ribz Front Pack won me over when I first started hiking with it more than a year ago because it keeps my DSLR, a second lens, and assorted smaller items in a readily accessible place: right in front of me. So it has replaced a bulky camera chest pack I had worn for years because it’s comfortable and holds more while being less obtrusive. I’ve carried the Front Pack on virtually every backpacking trip since. Now the newly updated version sports subtle but laudable design changes that actually improve upon a piece of gear that I considered nearly perfect before.

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Gear Review: Zamberlan 230 SH Crosser Plus GTX RR

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Zamberlan 230 SH Crosser Plus GTX RR
Zamberlan 230 SH Crosser Plus GTX RR

Lightweight Boots
Zamberlan 230 SH Crosser Plus GTX RR
$170, 2 lbs. (men’s US 9/Euro 43)
Sizes: US men’s 8-12, 13, 14, women’s 6-11
zamberlanusa.com

Having hiked and backpacked all over America and the world, I’m convinced few places test a pair of boots—especially lightweight boots—like New Hampshire’s White Mountains. So to put these new mid-cuts through the ringer, I wore them on a recent 25-mile, overnight hut trip from Crawford Notch to Franconia Notch in the Whites—including one of the most rugged sections of the Appalachian Trail. And the Crosser Plus impressed me as highly supportive and tough for its weight.

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