Welcome to The Gear House! We are striving to be your only needed destination and guide for information about ultralight backpacking and camping equipment. We also will be offering different camping and backpacking equipment that we think is useful for sale.
If you like to go camping, backpacking, and being in the outdoors, then we have the opportunity for you! Like to use different gear and write about it? Then this is for you! If you like gear as much as we do, like to use it, and write about it, please contact us, we would love to have you apart of our team!
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Here is a video that I put together on the Kitchen 11 made by GSI Outdoors. The Kitchen 11 is an all in one 11 piece kitchen set and has a utensil for any gourmet expedition.
From GSI Outdoors:Camping doesn’t have to mean making sacrifices. And this lightweight cooking kit proves it. The perfect companion for the backcountry gourmand who demands a bit more from their adventure than just killer views and bug bites, it’s got every kitchen tool needed to make fluffy omelets, fat pancakes, or grate a little cheese for that Mexican feast.
When traveling or being outdoors, it is important to carry a first aid kit with you no matter what type of activity you are doing (camping, backpacking, rock climbing, kayaking, biking, anything). Many first aid kits will just be a few simple items that are good for any activity. However, it is important to have an in depth kit that will allow you to face most emergencies and challenges that you come across.
The only way to be fully prepared for the trip that you are taking would be to buy a sport specific first aid kit or to create your own. The American Red Cross has a good list of general supplies that should be in any first aid kit, including:
However, if you are looking to create your own, there is a great website that sells the different items you would want to include and you are able to pick and choose rather than buying just a standardized kit. The Emergency Essentials website allows you to select only the items that you want in your kit and purchase. You can see this great order page here.
As I was doing some research this afternoon, this headline caught my eyes: New England Ropes Recalls Climbing Lines Due to Fall Hazard.
It appears that New England Ropes had some production problems and initiated a recall on two of their rope models: the Maxim Apogee 9.1mm and Maxim Pinnacle 9.5mm.
The full notice from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission can be found on their website.
Two types of climbing ropes have been included in this recall, the Maxim Apogee 9.1mm and Maxim Pinnacle 9.5mm. The Maxim Apogee 9.1mm is a 48 carrier climbing rope. The colors are yellow and black, and red and yellow. The model numbers are 3411-91 and 3415-91, with date codes 060801 thru 080601. The UPC codes are: 75396312299, 75396312298, 75396312301, and 75396312300. The Maxim Pinnacle 9.5mm is a blue 48 carrier climbing rope. The Model number is 3403-95, with date codes 070201 thru 080601. The UPC codes are 75396312292 and 75396312293. The date codes and the UPC codes are on the original packaging.
If you purchased one of these ropes, you can contact New England Ropes about getting a free replacement for it.
WoodsMonkey has a great article about the Grandpa’s FireForks from Light My Fire. I have sold many of these and have more on the way and believe they are great items. Look for them to be in the TheGearHouse store soon (which will also be getting a MAJOR revamp).
Cooking food directly over the flames is a practice that goes back as far as man has had fire, and the basic practice still hasn’t changed all that much. Take a look around any campground that you happen to be near and you’ll find folks roasting hotdogs and marshmallows on pointed sticks right over the fire. It simple, it works, and it’s fun for the kids to both cook that way and to make their sticks ahead of time. However, it isn’t always the most efficient way to do things. It’s not uncommon to lose your food into the fire with the old single prong pointed stick. Multi prong sticks work a little better and you can find metal two tined fire forks at most camping stores. The problem with those is either that the big ones are too long and bulky to take on anything but a car camping trip, and the smaller are generally all metal including the handle portion. They also tend to be rather short and quickly heat up since you have to be closer to the fire–not to mention the fact that the metal transfers the heat to your hands much more than it will with a wooden stick. Enter Light My Fire and their Grandpa’s FireForks.
If you are looking for a great name brand pack, then the Kelty Illusion backpack is a great option. The features are plentiful and the space is great. Here is a quick run down of the features/details of the pack:
Twin LightBeam™ aluminum stays are strong, lightweight, and shaped for comfort; HDPE (high-density polyurethane) frame sheet
Spacermesh™ breathable two-layer padded waistbelt, backpanel, and padded shoulder straps
Sternum strap for extra stabilization; load-lifter straps; belt stabilizers; daisy chain for external storage; ice axe loops
Hydration compatible; shovel pocket; four mesh side pockets (two with draw-cord closure); security pocket
Scherer™ cinch works similar to a pulley system for easy adjustment and tightening of waistbelt
Spindrift collar for expandable loading; side compression straps; lash tabs
I have had the chance to use this pack about 6 times since I purchased it about 8 months ago. It started out as an item that I scooped up for an incredibly reasonable price (about 50% of retail) and was going to resell it, however, I was looking for a new pack and thought that this would be a good new pack.
I have taken it out on a couple short backpacking trips (3 days) and have had great success with it. All of the pockets and the different access points to them allow for you to get into the pack easily and without much fuss. If you are one to pack a lot of gear, sometimes I like to take extra gear to test it out, then there is plenty of room in the pack for it.
The pack also features a great system of adjustable straps to help you adjust and fit it to your body, including adjusting the height of the back pads and the shoulder straps, as well as load adjusters to bring the pack closer to your back and take some of the weight off of your shoulders.
Overall, I have had great experiences with the pack so far and will continue to use this internal frame backpack until a problem arises. Having this pack in my closet, brings my pack count up to 4 different packs for different uses.
Here is a cool little gadget for you backpackers and campers out there that like to do some cooking and want to enjoy toasted food items - the GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Toaster. The toaster has a unique design that folds flat for easy packing and it is made of fine steel mesh which evenly distributes heat for easy toasting.
Weight: 5.8 ounces
Dimensions: 6.5″ x 5.5″ x 0.63″
If you want to be able to toast some bread, toast your bagel, or make a grilled cheese while out on the trail, then you should definitely check out the GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Toaster. You can also pick it up on eBay from our store!
This past Sunday I got a chance to head down to Great Falls, MD to do some hiking around, take some pictures, and capture some video. This was my first time entering the Maryland area of the park - there is also a Virginia side to Great Falls as the Potomac River runs right through the middle of the area and is the border line for MD and VA.
Anyway, it was an extremely hot day out and I underestimated what I was getting into. Since I had not been hiking in the Maryland side of the park before, I just assumed that it was pretty similar to the Virginia side - fairly easy hiking trails and old canal tow paths. Although this assumption was true, there are also some different more strenuous sections of trail, such as the Billy Goat Trail which I hiked on Sunday. Speaking of which, I actually decided to get off the trail early because I literally ran out of water (in about an hour I drank a full 70 oz Camelbak). Luckily, I came across an “emergency exit” from the Billy Goat Trail that ran right to the main tow path trail. Although it was marked as for emergency exits only, there were a fair amount of people using it as a connector (it was about the half way point of the Billy Goat trail).
The trail is extremely nice, but also features a lot of boulder fields and rock scrambels that you will need to ascend. The trail takes you right along the edge of the Potomac in most places and you can enjoy the amazing views of the river as well as the rock formations and rock face on the Virginia side. Another neat thing about this park is that since Great Falls is on both sides of the river, while hiking, if you look out across the river, you will most likley see other people hiking as well. On top of the hiking the other side, Great Falls, VA offers some great climbing routes for beginners to experts. Another big attraction to the park is the kayaking in the area - kayakers were everywhere I looked along the river having an awesome time in the water and hitting some big holes and waterfalls. There was even some sort of kayaking competition going on, which I tried to show you a bit within the video.
Above is a video I put together as well as some pictures from the day. Hope you enjoy! It was a great place for a day hike and I strongly recommend you checking it out!
Just a quick note for this morning. This website, TheGearHouse, is run off of the blogging platform Wordpress. The theme that I was using was recently re-released as an updated version that offered much more usability and customization. Over the weekend I upgraded and I am working on fixing any issues and getting everything looking properly. If you happen to catch any problems, let me know!
Also, Wordpress released a new version of their blogging software this morning, version 2.6, so I will be upgrading this website as well as my others throughout the next week. This should not make any changes to what you all see, but it will affect the backend of the site and the tools I use to manage it!
You will notice that we also a lot more advertising slots on the right sidebars; if you would be interested in advertising your website or business there, please leave a comment and I will contact you!
If you are involved in any outdoor sport, whether it be soccer, rock climbing, baseball, or horseballs, you should be considering wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes. When it comes to sunglasses, there are so many different options to choose from so it really comes down to how much you are able/willing to pay and what style you are looking for. While out hiking I have seen people wearing fashion designer sunglasses, sports sunglasses, and all kinds of others.
I think it is a pretty safe assumption to say that your eyes are one of your most valuable assets that you have with your body and you need to protect them. I mean, hell, if your eyes arn’t working properly, then you most likely are not kayaking a major river, climbing Denali, or even just throwing the ball in the backyard. Yet if you protect your eyes while playing sports with good quality sports sunglasses, then you should not have any issues.
Sunglasses these days come in so many styles and colors that you should be able to find something. Whether it is polarized sunglasses for fishing, tight fitting pair for water activities, or tinted goggles for snowboarding. Heck, if you wanted you could even get multiple pairs in different colors and styles so that no matter what the occasion is, you have the right pair and are prepared. The key to keeping your eyes working for you is to be prepared, take preventative measures, and enjoy yourself.
A great website for sports sunglasses as well as many other styles would be the Sunglasses Warehouse and you can find plenty more by doing a search for them and even on eBay. Of course, you could always head to your local Wal-Mart or Oakley store if you wanted to either be cheap or really expensive.
As a part of my effort to expand the number of products and variety of products that TheGearHouse sells, I have partnered with GSI Outdoors to sell some of the most popular and innovative camping and backpacking equipment around. One of the items that I just got in stock recently is the GSI Outdoors Ultralight Dualist cookset.
For a closer look, here is a review of the cook system that was posted on YouTube.
Crushproof lid made of Lexan® resin prevents deformation of your pot/lid and includes an integrated strainer.
Convenient folding handle locks into place for cooking and secures entire set for transport, eliminating the need for a stuff sack.
Unique bowl + mug solution with low center of gravity and Sip-It virtually eliminates spills while the integrated insulating sleeve keeps your drinks hot.
Ingenious, welded stuff sack holds set while traveling and doubles as a sink or wash basin in camp.
Weight: 1.169 pounds
Includes: 1.8 L Pot, Strainer Lid, 2 20 fl. oz. insulated cups, 2 20 fl. oz. bowls, 2 Sip-It tops, Stove Bag
To purchase the GSI Outdoors Ultralight Dualist Cook System, purchase it from our store and save off the retail price!
As a part of my effort to expand the number of products and variety of products that TheGearHouse sells, I have partnered with GSI Outdoors to sell some of the most popular and innovative camping and backpacking equipment around. One of the items that I just got in stock recently is the GSI Outdoors Ultralight Dualist cookset.
