Over the past few years, REI has lead by example in retail by closing their stores on the day after Thanksgiving. Instead of requiring their employees to work amongst throngs of stampeding maniacs on Black Friday, they’ve chosen to close up shop and promote the idea of “Opt Outside”. REI is still offering a ton of great deals though, they’ve just chosen to offer them early. I’ve put together a list of some of the best items below.
The Julbo Aero is the most comfortable pair of sunglasses I have ever owned. The Aero has a flexible and grippy frame that wraps the contours of my face and stays put through any activity. I’ve been using the Julbo Aero for hiking, backpacking, trail running, and travel over the past year, and will share my experience in this review.
The Vivobarefoot Ultra 3 is a lightweight anatomically shaped shoe that gives you a nice barefoot feel. The Ultra 3 provides impressive underfoot protection via a puncture resistant outsole. My favorite part of the shoe is the EVA upper with hexagon cutouts, that allows my feet to breathe in hot weather, drain and dry after getting wet, and still feel protected when kicking around a campsite.
Having a reliable portable charger is critical for those of us that work on the go. I’ve been using the myCharge Ultra Portable Power Outlet for the past few months, and will share my experience in this review.
Hiking and travel pants are an incredibly important piece of kit, especially since most of us “lightweight packers” will only bring along one pair for a multi-week trip. I’ve tried many pairs over the years that just didn’t make the cut. Here are four that have endured the test of time.
The Sony Zeiss 16-35mm Vario-Tessar f/4 is a zoom lens built for Sony’s full frame mirrorless camera lineup. Featuring a wide angle zoom range, a weather resistant solid metal build, and optical image stabilization, the Sony 16-35mm is a dream come true for travel photographers. I recently took this lens with me to Iceland as my only option, and will detail my experience in this review.Â