Let me tell you a little about myself so you know what to expect in the future. My name is Andrew, I am a business and marketing student at Cal State Fullerton, I run a small handplane company called FishHook Handplanes, and I work as a camping and climbing sales specialist for REI. My job allows me to try out a lot of gear so hopefully there will be a nice long list of gear for you to read about. I will do my best to be fair, though I do have some brands that I tend to favor.
My philosophy is to be lightweight but prepared. I tend to be pretty rough on my gear and I have high standards for what makes a piece of quality gear. That being said, there are a lot of different philosophies when it comes to gear. I get to hear about all kinds of styles at work when customers share their ideas. I will take this into account when I review a piece of gear.
Here in Southern California, we have a TON of opportunities to get outside. We are fortunate to have lots of world class climbing nearby, good waves all over the coast most the year, lots of trails and the best backpacking you can do anywhere in the Sierras as well as decent local hikes in all different environment which means lots of opportunities to try out gear in lots of different situations. I hope you find the information helpful and that you enjoy reading the blog! The first gear review: the Arc’teryx Gamma MX softshell jacket.
On Route 