Gear News

What’s New and Noteworthy

February 5, 2023

Katabatic Down Jackets

If you asked me what my favorite piece of gear was, I wouldn't hesitate. For 9 years running, it's been my Katabatic Palisade and Sawatch quilts. I used the 30-degree Palisade down to 11 degrees on the Appalachian Trail. I used the Sawatch 15-degree quilt for a month on the Great Divide Trail, where we only had 3 days without precipitation. They performed incredibly well in both of these situations.

So you can imagine my delight when Katabatic announced an entirely new product line – down jackets. Katabatic offers two versions – the lightweight Tarn and the heavier Tincup. Both have hoods. I got my hands on a Tarn, and I'll have more testing notes soon. But the specs are impressive:

  • Pertex Quantum shell

  • RDS Certified 850+ fill power HyperDry down

  • Internal box wall construction on top of hood and shoulders, with no external stitch lines

  • The Tarn weighs 8.6 ounces for women's medium, with 3.2 ounces of fill

  • The Tincup weighs 10.4 ounces for women's medium, with 5.0 ounces of fill

Stay tuned for my testing notes. In the meantime, read our full review of down jackets or synthetic jackets.

If you have a Katabatic jacket, let me know what you think!

Katabatic Tarn Down Jacket

Katabatic Tincup Down Jacket


Gear We Didn't Know Existed

A ChargeTab emergency phone charger on the Wonderland Trail

Last summer on the Wonderland Trail, my sister pulled out something I'd never seen before – a single-use emergency phone charger. I normally wouldn't recommend single-use products, but after reading about ChargeTabs, I changed my mind.

  • Batteries are refurbished and rescued from landfills (no lithium is produced)

  • Package is biodegradable

  • Weatherproof packaging

  • Free recycling program

  • Comes fully charged

  • 2900 milliamp hours

  • No wires needed

  • 2-year shelf life

  • Not rechargeable

  • Weighs 50 grams (1.8 ounces)

  • iPhone, USB-C, and micro USB versions

So, what are the use cases?

  • If you’re hiking and backpacking and you’ve drained your battery pack (or forgotten it)

  • If the power goes out at home and your battery pack isn't fully charged

  • If you’re traveling and forgot your charging wire

  • Keep one in your backpack, travel bag, glove box, or purse for emergencies

Never run out of power! This is going in our backpacking accessories, emergency kit, and how to support a thru hiker articles!

ChargeTab Emergency Portable Charger


New Running Shoe Options for People With Wide Feet

A person wearing the Topo Athletic Ultraventure 3 trail running shoes with leaves and trees in the background

Topo Athletic recently added wide sizes for two of their running shoes – the Ultrafly 4 road shoe and the Ultraventure 3 trail shoe. Topo is known for its anatomical toe box, so we were excited to see even more sizing options. Wide widths are available in both women's sizes 6 to 12 and men's sizes 7 to 15, but only in certain colors.

If you're overwhelmed by choosing a trail running shoe, we can help. Or read more about our favorite trail running shoes and hiking shoes.


Topo Athletic Ultrafly 4 Road Running Shoes

Topo Athletic Ultraventure 3 Trail Running Shoes

Naomi Hudetznews, new products