Mountain Hardwear is based right along the San Francisco Bay and made its name selling expedition-strength tents, parkas and other mountain-centric gear. Like so many others in the gear biz, they’ve added their name to a vast range of clothing — coats, pants, hats, gloves, pretty much anything that goes next to your skin or that keeps the rain off it.

I ran a scan at Backcountry.com for everything marked down 30 percent or more. Here’s the result.

This kit, designed by Equipped to Survive founder Doug Ritter, weighs in at a sliver under 4 ounces and has a bunch of things that could come in handy: Whistle, mirror, compass, fire starter, Tinder-Quick, waterproof survival instructions with illustrations, duct tape, scalpel blade, utility wire, magnifying lens, nylon thread, sewing needle, nylon cord, fish hooks and sinkers, aluminum foil, safety pins, pencil, waterproof paper.

Reviews at Backcountry.com are solid. Samples:

• “Honestly, I have never used this kit–nor do I ever want to need to–but anytime I head outdoors doing something I might not have thought all the way through, this little sucker is with me.”
• It has a nice selection of survival tools, all you really need to add is an emergency survival blanket/shelter, and maybe a small light source, and you have a very nice survival kit in a tiny little package that fits right in your pocket.

As the commenter noted, your No. 1 concern in a survival situation is shelter; could be an emergency blanket; could be a hollow tree. Preserving body heat is fundamental because hypothermia can take you out quicker than anything short of a shark attack. You really need something to keep the wind and rain away first, but once you’ve secured that, all these little gadgets can come in very handy.

Backcountry has it at $25.99, a nice slice off the suggested retail of $32. (If you buy from them I get an 8% commission). A Google shopping search shows most are in this price range. Amazon has it a buck cheaper (I get a smaller slice if you buy there).

New Balance is downright zealous about shoeing the fat-footed among us. Perhaps the biggest market for New Balance among hikers is ultralight backpackers — if they’ve got a load under 15 pounds they don’t really need over-the-ankle hiking boots. Often any pair of good-fitting running shoes will do.

Mens New Balance 908 Trail Runner, $79.99 at WeGotYourPack.com


Womens New Balance 873 Trail Runner, $49.99 at Massey’s Outiftters

New Balance 966 Leather Country Walker Shoes – Men’s $79.83 at REI

I don’t have any NB shoes in my closet right now, though I did spend a couple hours one day last year going though box after box of them at the Gilroy Outlet Mall. My feet are as finicky as those Persians in the cat food commercials, so I didn’t find exactly what I was looking for, but I’m always thinking the next time I go shoe shopping I’ll be giving New Balance a look.

You have to read the fine print with New Balance shoes: each model caters to a certain kind of foot or running style; some are for people with high arches, others are for those who land hard on the outsides of their soles.

It’d be nice to be able to tell you there’s a vast array of markdowns on NB shoes out there; unfortunately I’m not seeing too many among my favorite retail sites. A scan of my retail affiliate partners turned up the models pictured here and not much else. (Disclosure: if you buy I get a 5% to 10% tip).

Even Zappos, whose catalog would be the size of three New York phone books (if such things existed anymore), had an unimpressive collection of New Balance shoes on sale, and none marked down more than 10%. (I have no deal with Zappos). There is a decent array at the clearance area at NBWebexpress.com (I have no deal w/NB either) but again, you kinda sorta need to know what you want in advance. (UPDATE: a reader sent me a link to Joe’s New Balance Outlet. Looks like this is where all the bargains are hanging out, though I haven’t bought anything there and can’t vouch for it personally; the Pricegrabber rankings are pretty good, though.)

Hikers have to decide whether they need the upper-ankle support that boots provide. I’ve gone both ways — I don’t really need the upper-ankle support, but high-top shoes to keep a lot more crud out, which makes for much more comfortable treks. Related links at Two-Heel Drive:

• Hiking shoe shopping — a refresher course
• Hiking boots: anybody still wearing them?

This is an intriguing deal for a pioneering gearhead: REI Outlet has an overstock of the Brunton Lander Stove (so named because it looks like something Buzz Aldrin fumed in while Neil Armstrong got all the “one giant leap for mankind” glory). The dual-fuel stove runs on white gas and canisters, and is so new it hasn’t been reviewed much beyond a sqib at Outside Online: “The Lander runs on either white gas or a butane canister but works best in liquid mode in sub-zero weather.” (Uh, dude, wouldn’t that be true of all white-gas stoves?)

Still, stoves of this ilk usually run at least a hundred bucks, so it might be worth a look if you’re a winter camper into trying new things. A few things I noticed from the product description page: It has no simmer, auto ignition, windscreen or heat reflector, but does come with a parts kit and cleaning tool. (Note: they don’t toss those things in anticipating you’ll never need them.)

Currently $58.93 at REI Outlet, vs. MSRP of $148.50. Backcountry.com has it at $96.95 at the moment.

(Disclosure: If you buy one, I get a tip a 5% tip from REI or 8% from Backcountry.com. If you return it, they take the tip back).

Backcountry Outlet is trying to unload a bunch of these doozies. This color is called “Frcoked Up Picasso” (discontinued, imagine that).

Actually there’s an all-black version that isn’t nearly so, shall we say, decorative.

The idea behind these is that when you peel off your insulated snowboard pants, you reveal your true edgy with-it-ness. Note the copy: “Don’t head up the lifts without the Burton Men’s Midweight Pants on your ass. ” Hee Hee, they said “ass.”

Many more tweaks to come, of course. This just makes it much easier to post gear updates, and add categories, tags and search functions.

Because you’d all go raving mad without them.