SwiftyPaddler's Reviews & Views

The WindQuester Horizon 2 Lite A new company based in British Columbia called WindQuester reached out to me in July, offering me one of their tents for review.   “What’s the catch?” I asked.   None!   The tent was mine to keep in exchange for me providing my personal review.   WindQuester wouldn’t see my review in advance, or have any input into it whatsoever, i.e. I would be providing my unvarnished feedback without reservation.   “Awesome” I said, let’s do it!   Of the two tents they offer, I selected the WindQuester Horizon 2 Lite, an ultralight 2 person tent. Horizon 2 Lite In It's Top Loading Stuff Sack The tent arrived a day later, and I immediately began checking it out.   It wasn’t that long ago that I was in the market for a new two person tent for car camping and short portage trips, so I was already primed on what to look for.   I’ve since set it up multiple times, and have taken it with me into the backcountry.   A short review of...

As someone who frequently travels in backcountry, I’m occasionally faced with the challenge of finding a suitable campsite to set-up my tent and spend the night.  While I usually manage to make things work, in these circumstances I’m envious of hammock campers who have much greater flexibility in where they camp, requiring only two trees which are more or less 3m apart.  For this reason, I’ve been thinking about purchasing a camping hammock for several years, and finally pulled the trigger this past Spring. Hawk Nest Hammock Inside Included Bag There are many camping hammock options on the market to choose from.  Some look like traditional hammocks, some look like a tent suspended on a rope, another looks like a sleeping pad hanging at a right angle between trees!  Most of these options are fairly expensive, falling into the range you’d expect for a mid to high end tent. Hawk Nest Hammock Without Rainfly One of the reasons that I held back on purchasing a hammock is ...

When heading out on my longest trip of the year, I wanted a medium sized bag for all of the miscellaneous loose things that I have with me in my canoe: granola bars, map, first air kit, a wide angle lens, camera batteries and more.   It needed to be rain proof and easy to carry on portages.   This Bowman Gear Nomad Pack   was exactly what I was looking for and has since become one of the standard bags I bring with me on all my trips.   A great purchase - well made and super versatile! Bowman Gear Nomad Pack After many an uncomfortable night camping, I decided I needed a new sleeping pad, one that was wider than what I had been using and didn’t crinkle every time I moved on it.   After much research and feedback from folks at Canadian Outdoor Equipment, I settled on an EXPED Dura 5R LW (Long, Wide).   It gives me lots of room to stretch out, is nice and thick with a solid 5R rating, and   fits perfectly in my MSR Hubba NX tent .   I’d be lying to s...