The idea is that this is somewhere we discuss our gear, what we use, what we like. what we tried and didnt work, what was good about it, what sucked, that kind of stuff.
I did a quick stats survey of the most popular AR packs, and this is what I came back with
All this data came from the manufacturers web sites
| Pack | Web site | capacity | Weight | Price |
| Camelbak HAWG | www.camelbak.com | 13 Litres | 910g | $185-$100 |
| Camelbak Rally | www.camelbak.com | 18 Litres | 680g | $70 |
| Camelbak Razza | www.camelbak.com | NN Litres | NNNg | $NNN |
| Camelbak Mule | www.camelbak.com | 7.9 Litres | 765g | $80 |
| Salomon Raid Race 300 | www.salomon.com | 31 Litres | 635g | $69 |
| Salomon Raid Race 200 | www.salomon.com | 20 Litres | 510g | $59 |
| Gregory Reactor | www.gregory.com | 11 Litres | 700g | $69 |
| Gregory Advent Pro | www.gregory.com | 40 Litres | 1300g | $140 |
| GO Lite 24 | www.golite.com | 19 Litres | 600g | $79 |
We all use different headlamps, so we have quite a good selection to provide advice on.
I like my Petzl Tikka Plus because its so small, and the 3 AAA batteries last forever, but its not as bright as a lot of the heavier lamps, which makes it hard for me to see much if I am out with others with brighter lights.
If thats happening, then I take my Petzl Myo 5, which runs of 4 C cells, so is much heavier, but I have the version with teh extension cable and the remote battery pack which fits nicely into the top of my pack.
As a last resort, I have my trusty Petzl Artic ZOom. This is super bright, but only last for about 9-12 hours on a single special 9v duracell, which is pretty heavy, and costs a fortune
Last week, Mike bought me a new lamp, which is just fabulous.
I didnt know it until later, but it was reviewd in the latest edition of ASM, and made the Editors choice
Here is a link to a site where its a lot cheaper than the MSRP listed in the article Coast Cutlery
Gerry from team Missing Link came out for a snowshoe with us a few weeks back, and was wearing a couple of LED torches that were blindingly bright. He got them on some deal thru ebay for $18 a piece, and had rigged them up one on each shoulder strap for his backpack
They where the Luxeon 3Watt LED flashlight. You can find them easily enough, just do an MSNSearch for LuxeonLED Flashlight, and you should find the following Luxeon 3 Watt Flashlight on MSNSearch