Saturday, January 12, 2008

Backpackgeartest.org


I am growing a bit weary of politics, so I thought I'd blog on something I actually like for a change. I have recently found a website, backpackgeartest.org, that allows ordinary people to submit reviews of backpacking gear that they own and to become testers of gear that is sent to them to review. The site also has an archive of all of the gear reviews that can be extremely helpful to people looking for an honest opinion about a piece of gear they're considering buying.

I have been going through the process of becoming a gear tester and I have to say that the group has really structured the experience so that it is easy and relatively painless, yet it is tough enough to weed out those who are not serious about it. I'm impressed with the site, its standards, and its member reviews which are almost always informative. If you're into backpacking, I would highly recommend the site.

This post gives me another opportunity to show off a camping picture too. The picture for this post was taken on my recent trip to Cold Mountain. We are camped just off the Art Loeb trail about a mile and a half from Deep Gap.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Does alcohol fit the gear test? 'Cause Rock'N'Rye travels really well in a pack.

Anonymous said...

I've never been to Cold Mountain but I've been close. I used to love heading up to the Shining Rock Wilderness. Your post reminds me that I need to get up there again.

The Blue South said...

Shining Rock is a wonderful place. My experiences on the Art Loeb have been unforgettable.

Anonymous said...

I used to use the Ivestor Gap trail and the one leading up from the Graveyard Fields area. Forget the name.

Anonymous said...

I've been in BackpackGearTest for about 2 years now. It's been a wonderful experience and I've had the opportunity to test many pieces of gear that I wouldn't have had the opportunity to try out under other circumstances.

Have fun!

Anonymous said...

Err, Uhh...isn't this "blog" called the blue south, not the "blue south guy writes about his camping trips"?

The Blue South said...

Very savvy, anonymous. This blog is indeed entitled "the blue south" and not "the blue south guy writes about his camping trips". However, I reserve the right to exercise complete and, often, arbitrary discretion over the content of this blog. When I get sick of politics, I write about things that make me happy. Sorry if that offends your sensibilities.