I lived on the west coast of the United States for the better part of a decade and spent much of my time outside engaged in some outdoor activity. The west coast has a lot to offer to outdoor enthusiasts such as myself and I made sure to take full advantage of it while I was there. Over the years spent hiking through the mountains and extended camping trips, I quickly learned what equipment worked well for me. 

There was lots of trial and error involved as well as endless ours of research dedicated to what type of gear worked best for my physical frame. There is nothing worse then being an hour into a twenty-two mile hike and finding that your new backpack doesn’t quite sit on your hips the way you envisioned; now your faced with the decision to either turn around or power through it. The same does for your camping gear, the last thing you want to do is show up at your campsite with a sleeping bag rated for warm weather and the forecast says its going to be 30-deg F that night. Not fun.  The gear you decide to take with you, has a huge impact on whether or not your going to have a great time, so choose wisely!