OV Blog

We’ve all dreamed of summiting a peak in our life, whether figuratively or literally. There’s a reason why climbing mountains is one of the most common metaphors for overcoming challenges and doing something hard. Here at Outdoor Vitals, we encourage everyone to keep trying to summit their peaks, both the physical and metaphorical. But there are a few things you should know before attempting to summit an actual peak.

Which stove is the best for ultralight backpacking? Our first try in the field was NOT what we anticipated. 

The secret to happiness? Simplify. Living Ultralight is not only creating lightweight, premium gear, but it's also about reducing the number of material things we own to make space and time for more outdoor adventures. Less is more when we purchase with intention. Quality over quantity. Additional material things make planning and preparing for trips long and stressful, but when we can understand and live by the motto "Living Ultralight", then we can make time for the adventures that matter most.

Taking care of your gear is like taking care of your teeth: if you do a good job, you'll save tons of money, and have something you can rely on to do what it's supposed to.  This article will go over how to keep your gear in good condition so you don't have to replace it as often, and can always rely on it.  

Down is light, compressible, and warm. Synthetic insulates even when wet.  Can't we have both? Outdoor Vitals says YES with our new LoftTek insulation! Learn about what it is and how it works, with a sneak peak into some products we will insulate with LoftTek.

This article goes over costs, weights, advantages, and disadvantages of both ground and hammock camping in an objective and non-biased format.

As the outdoor gear industry continues to advance and new technologies are being introduced, it can be hard to know what exactly you should be looking for.  One particularly important choice is what type of insulation to get in your sleeping bag or quilt. This article will help separate the different types of insulation and the aspects and features of each.

Starting out as a backpacker, I had no idea what I was doing.  I didn’t know much about gear or even how to use it.  What we’ll cover here will help you skip a lot of the same mistakes I made as you’re gearing up for a backpacking trip.