Time for some retail therapy

It doesnt happen much but we had a small windfall with tax refunds and shares vesting coming together so we gave each other a chunk of money to do with as we want, It would not have been very long ago that i would have spent every penny on the latest camera or added one to the collection, At this moment in time Nikon seems to have its knickers in a twist and what is currently available does not suit my needs, So i have decided to spend most of it on Hiking gear in the way of clothing and new poles, Whenever i need or want something you will find me in front of the computer looking at whats available and reading all the reviews, The best like everything else does not come cheap, Infact my rain jacket will probably be THE most expensive piece of clothing i will ever buy-EVER, When out in the wilds or half way up a mountain warmth and comfort are extremely important and can be life saving, So i dress in layers so add when cool/cold and take off when warm/hot

Lets start with base layers, When i went to Everest base camp i took merino wool base layers made by Icebreaker and Smartwool, They come in different weights, My Icebreakers were 160 and my Smartwool 250 weight, I have to say i fell in love with the Smartwool, Both were great and i would highly recommend both but you can see me in the Smartwool in many images, Even using it as the only layer or with a light puffer vest, So i purchased 2 more Smartwool 250 weight tops and 1 pair of Smartwool bottoms, Look away now if you are easily nauseous,

Mid Layers
When you read articles on mountaineering or altitude hiking certain products keep popping up, One such item is the Patagonia Nano Air Hoody, Its very light but warm and super stretchy, The hood does not have any adjustment as it doesnt need any as its soo stretchy, Very comfortable, Can be used as a mid layer when the temperatures drop or as a top layer when the weather is just cool, I have used this around the camp fire and its perfect

 Yes i look a dork but you get the idea

 When looking at companies that were having their yearly sale i noticed that REI had the Arcteryx Proton AR hoody on sale, its very similar to the Patagonia above, It is very light in weight and has 2 chest pockets, the hood is bigger but has an adjuster, You probably could get a helmet on with it, A very nice jacket, I paid just over $200 for it so had a great saving, The cuffs are the first thing you notice when you put the jacket on as they are nice and stretchy and feel great

 The hood has an adjuster so you can tighten it as needed (here its fully open)

I got 3 different types of trouser, I have been a Eddie Bauer fan for a long time, Their clothing is well made, Great value for money and somewhat stylish, I always go for their First Accent range but also have some of their Travex range, I have always liked the look of their Pro Guide Pants but at $80 and never in the sale i have never purchased any, Then i had a e mail saying EVERYTHING was on sale and there they were at $48, I got 2 pairs and at that price they are a bargain, Comfortable and stretchy materials make them a good hiking/climbing/everyday trouser-love them, I also had a good look at the Kuhl range and purchased a pair of the Renegade hiking pants, Lots of pockets, Nice material and well designed and finally the expensive ones for when the weather closes in, Patagonia have a great range at the moment and i could have spent a fortune just on their gear, I purchased a pair of Patagonia Dual Point Alpine Pants, These come with braces to make sure they stay where they should be if climbing, Again very stretchy material, Medium weight, Zippered pockets to hips and leg and zips at the bottom of the legs to help get on and off whilst wearing boots, At $200 not cheap but ooze quality, Very comfortable and look great

Kuhl Renegade pants

Eddie Bauer Pro Guide pants

Patagonia Dual Point Alpine Pants

Now all this lovely gear would be pointless if it was protected when it rains and here where i struggled the most, Being a bit of a fashionista i am finding it frustraiting that companies are moving away from the Reds and Oranges that we are used to seeing on the mountains, Take The Northface for instance, Check out their top of the range summit series, Its drab green, Now if i am stuck at 20000 feet and need a helicopter to find me the last thing i want to look like is a rock, I fancied the Berghaus Extrem series jacket but could either have dark blue or black, All the you tube videos and reviews kept taking me back to Arcteyx but they are bloody expensive, In the end i bit the bullet and a large part of my budget went on a Alpha SV and with a list price of $750 it had better be better than good, its lighter than i expected and has a fit so layers can fit without it getting tight, I am currently about 15-20lb heavier than i expect to be when i go to Mera so they will be plenty of room for all kinds of layers

Arcteryx Alpha SV (Severe Weather)

So thats it with the clothing, On top of that i purchased another pair of Black Diamond poles, My current ones are super light single length carbon Z, I have walked the Camino De Santiago and to Everest Base Camp with them and love them except in very hot weather where the neoprene handgrips make your hands sweat, i decided to get a pair of Alpine Carbon Cork that you can adjust in length for more mountain use and these have cork handles with a neoprene section below the cork, They are only a tad heavier than my Carbon Z's, You can also use Ski Baskets (supplied) with these which you cannot with the Carbon Z's

Sun glasses are extremely important at altitude and i learned the hard way that you should carry a spare pair when i lost mine after only an hour or so of use, I have a pair of Julbo Montebianco spectron 4 which are very nice and will be my main glasses, I noticed some Julbo Tensing's on sale at Amazon and at under $50 grabbed a pair as my spares, The color may not be to everybody's liking but i think they are ok and if they save me from going snow blind then who cares

I mentioned that i purchased some gear from REI and Amazon, I purchased my Arcteryx Alpha SV jacket from Moosejaw as they had a 20% off sale, I purchased most of the gear from Backcountry and for very good reason, Not only did they give me exceptional service but gave great prices on every item i wanted, Shipping was free and 2 day, Although shipping was free with Moosejaw it was sent USPS and took a week, When i received my Patagonia Nano Air Hoody although ordered in Large it was way to big for me (i am a large in everything else) and Backcountry not only gave free return shipping the replacement was with me 24hrs later-exceptional, A big shout out to Ethan there.

I am looking forward to putting everything through its paces, I have already worn the Eddie Bauer trousers and the Patagonia Hoody and love them

Dave