MSR Reactor Stove Grabs Top Award At 2013 ISPO - Video

MSR's award winning Reactor 1.0L Stove System

MSR's Reactor 1.0L Reactor Stove System grabbed top honors in the "stove" category at the 2013 ISPO sporting-goods trade show held in Munich in January of this year. The recently introduced Reactor 1.0L system is specifically geared toward soloists who put a premium on a "fast-and-light" style of hiking and mountaineering.

While the Reactor 1.0L Stove System is new to the market, Mountain Safety Research (MSR) is well known and respected among guides and outdoor adventurers. According to a review by Alpinist magazine, "MSR has long made the stoves favored by guides... MSR's Reactor is by far the best. In my experience, the Reactor reduces my fuel needs by 50 percent." Another review, by Outdoor Gear Lab, calls the Reactor, "the fastest, easiest to use, and most storm-proof camping stove we tested."

The following video is from Outdoor Gear Lab's review of the Reactor Stove:

MSR's Reactor Stove Systems includes the new, IPSO award-winning 1.0L system, a 1.7L system, and a 2.5L system, all of which are highly praised. Benefits that MSR claims of their Reactor Stoves include:

• Unrivaled Boil Time: Outperforms the competition in head-to-head lab tests—boiling .5 liter of water in just 1.5 minutes—with an even greater advantage out in the real world.
• Unmatched Wind Protection: Heat exchanger completely encloses radiant burner head, virtually eliminating the effects of wind to maintain outstanding boil times and save fuel.
• Maximum Efficiency: Patent-pending radiant burner, heat exchanger and internal pressure regulator produce best-in-class, fuel-sipping efficiency in all conditions.

For full reviews of MSR's Reactor Stoves, check the following:

Alpinist - MSR Reactor Stove: Powerfully Efficient

Outdoor Gear Lab - Hands-on Gear Review: MSR Reactor Review

Packing Tip: Osprey Airporter LZ - Save Your Straps!

A backpacker with her closest travel companion - her pack

Backpacks and rucksacks are hands-down the luggage of choice for many of today's budget world travelers, aptly named "backpackers."

More than anything, a backpacker needs his or her backpack to hold up to the beating it will receive being thrown into airplane baggage bays, on bus roofs, and over horse saddles day after day.

It is more than a backpack - it is a seat, a pillow, a coffee table, a closet. It is home.

Osprey, well known for their packs and uber-efficient travel equipment, has a practitioner's grasp of the demands that are placed on their packs by trekkers around the world every day.

The Osprey Airporter LZ was birthed out of Osprey's practical understanding of the backpacker's way of travel - a simple, durable, light and packable duffle bag who's one and only job is to protect zippers and straps from the careless hands of baggage handlers, security checkpoint personnel, bellhops, and bus drivers.

The old Airporter was one-size-fits-all.
Now, you can choose one to fit your pack.

The Osprey Airporter LZ's constuction is simple: a cavernous duffle with a single, top-loading zipper and a sling strap.

Now, this long-time favorite of trekkers and backpackers has gotten injection of Osprey's genius. The updated Airporter now comes:

• In three sizes to more suitably accommodate packs of different volumes;
• With improved handles;
• With a more comfortable shoulder strap. 

As much as I love my old-model Airporter which has served me and my pack faithfully for years, all three of these improvements are much appreciated. A great buy for US$30-$40, this is a no-brainer - you should definitely have the Osprey Airporter LZ in your luggage stash.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park To Charge For Backcountry Camping

A measure to introduce a fee for backcountry camping in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which was adopted last year, goes into effect 2 days from now, on February 13th. The National Park Service has said that fees collected will allow for more staff and longer hours in the Backcountry Office, in order to provide more trip planning assistance for potential visitors.

The system for obtaining permits is still being finalized and the latest information can be found at the Great Smoky Mountains Backcountry Camping website, but the word so far is that it will be $4 per person per night to camp in the backcountry and that an online reservation system is in the works.

Reservations may be made up to 30 days in advance, so be sure familiarize yourself with the new system in advance and nab your reservations before someone beats you to it!

Hosteling Bangkok - The Best of Cheap AND Chic

Bangkok used to be well-known as Asia's home for cheap accommodations, affordable drinks, and budget thrills for backpackers and world travelers, but the Asian financial boom of the '90s and Bangkok's financial renaissance have cause prices to move in one direction - up.

CheQinn hostel brings bright color and modern style together

Now, finding cheap room and board can be a challenge for travelers on a shoestring budget, and often "cheap" comes at the expense of cleanliness and comfort (and sometimes even safety).

However, the BBC has set out to remedy that by scouting a handful of Bangkok hostels that are economical without sacrificing the standards of today's "flashpackers."

BBC Slideshow - Bangkok's hippest hostels

If you're looking for cheap digs while you tour Bangkok's ornate temples, instead of reserving a room in Thailand's tallest building, check out one of these modish hostels:

• @Hua Lamphong - No frills but right in the thick of it, @HL is just down the street from Silom Plaza
• CheQinn - Ideal location near world-renowned Bumrungrad Hospital, east of Siam Square
• HQ Hostel - Located halfway between the river and Lumphini park in the Patpong district
• Lub d Siam Square - Right at the flashy Siam Square shopping complex, this is the heart of Bangkok
• Lub d Silom - Another option near HQ Hostel in Patpong district
• Suneta Hostel Khaosan - We weren't able to find an official website for them, so your guess for contacting them is as good as ours
• Take A Nap - Great location near Lumphini Park and the Saladaeng BTS station

New Pack Manufacturer Mile High Mountaineering Gets High Praise

Outside Magazine has been putting upstart pack manufacturer Mile High Mountaineering's flagship Salute 34-liter hiking and climbing pack through its paces on multiple different climbing pitches across Europe. After rigorous testing in Spain, France, and Germany, Outside's thoughts? "A perfect pack for climbers."

Among the original touches Outside's testers noted:

• "its unique S-shaped zipper, which winds around the top compartment and down the packs’ body"
• "the plastic-reinforced hang loop—designed much like a gear loop on a climbing harness"
• "the comfortable but compact suspension system that uses a lightweight M-shaped piece of flexible aluminum to create a simple frame for the pack"

Jumping onto the outdoor gear landscape in 2009, Colorado-based Mile High Mountaineering has stuck with what they know, producing a small-but-innovative line of activity-specific packs. Instead of expanding quickly, MHM has focused on packing their packs with perks to make their users fall in love with them. As the Outside article shows, it's clearly working!

Outside Online's full article: Mile High Mountaineering Salute: A Perfect Pack for Climbers

Hiking Boots - What Is The Right Footwear For Your Trail?

The right hiking boots are the means
to many memorable miles

Trekking, hiking, tramping, walkabout - whatever you call it, a hike is a great way to get out and enjoy the outdoors. When it comes to hiking, not too much is needed - an idea of where you're going (a map and compass are probably a good idea), proper hydration, protection from the elements, and of course, adequate footwear.

50 years ago, the "choice" was pretty basic - full leather hiking boots with aggressive lugs on the sole. There wasn't really anything else on the market. However, since that time not only have the number of options burgeoned, so have the number of categories of hiking footwear - so how do you navigate the increasingly congested waters of outdoor footwear?