Let's dive into the gear used: I took a Gregory Mountain Zulu which holds 38 liters, weighs 2.9 ounces empty, and retails for $150 (depending on where you look it might be more, it might be a little less).
We’re at the Coconino National Forest in northern Arizona (about a mile north of Sedona), and our starting point today is Brins Mesa Trailhead, also known on the map as Jordan Trailhead. Definitely come by 4x4 if you can because this dirt road gets pretty bumpy.
Vaucluse joins the show to discuss innovative and unique ideas for the outdoor community. Brice shares his product, the Cool-Dry Backpack Frame, which seeks to solve the problem of back sweat while also giving feedback to Derek and Carl about their own innovative ideas.
I took with me this Gregory Zulu 40-L pack. You can find it online for about $195, and it has what they call a “free float,” or ventilated suspension. The backpack itself is made out of HDPE polyethylene material, weighs 2.9 lbs, and the curved frame is made from 4-millimeter alloy steel and fiberglass.
We are in the Mcdonald's Sonoran Preserve, north of Phoenix and just outside of Scottsdale, where you can get access – very quickly – to a choice of fun and easy trailheads and start hiking.
We love to sweat less and explore more, so I equipped this Osprey Backpack with the Vaucluse Cool-Dry Airflow Frame. I have a Talon 22-liter, and as you can see, it already has some type of mesh and curved frame to help with sweat.
Learn how the Cool-Dry Airflow Backpack Frame was invented and how it helps backpackers moderate their core temperatures, thereby reducing the amount they sweat.
I'm sharing an extraordinary hike where we’ll discover some rocks that look like man-made sculptures!
Welcome to the Marcus Landslide, located inside the McDowell Preserve in Scottsdale, Arizona, just northeast of Phoenix.
Greetings, my fellow hiker! Today, I'm taking you to the backcountry of Sedona, Arizona, where you will get some great views and (even better) no tourists.
Welcome to the Sounds Like a Search and Rescue Podcast, Also known as SLASR. We do a sneak "peak" of the Cool-Dry Frame, new piece of gear that allows hikers to experience hiking without the fear of sweat running down their backs from their backpacks.
Today I'm sharing one of the most iconic views you can find in Sedona, Arizona, and it's really easy to get there. This is a very simple hike right out in Sedona that you will love. If you have just a short amount of time in Sedona and want to get to the best of the best, you will enjoy this hike.
Whether you are a beginner hiker or an experienced hiker – there's gonna be everything that you could possibly want in this hike up Mescal Mountain.
You will find there's a steady incline for probably the first hour. You are climbing up, up, and up, so it's not flat and easy. I think a steady incline for almost an hour can be quite challenging. Finally, you enter the Sonoran Preserve. Head to the Gateway Trail Loop.
I walked west on The Quail Trail to North Cook/Kirkwood. I started out from the parking lot west of Sam Houston Tollway. Follow the north side of a slow-moving stream called Buffalo Bayou. There's plenty of tree cover, as I mentioned, so you're protected from sunlight. I think it was about 85°F, so still pretty warm.
I'm going to be sharing an excellent hike just 45 minutes north of Phoenix, Arizona, where you're not going to find many other people, but you will see landscapes I would call the true “Wild, Wild West.”
I'm sharing with you a fantastic hike that gives you great views of many of the beautiful red rock formations in Sedona. We start in the town just south of Sedona called Oak Creek Village. Tucked away just west of highway 179, you have several options for making to most of the Coconino Forest.
Greetings, my fellow hiker! Today, I'm excited to share with you an incredible hike I took just north of Sedona, Arizona, where you'll get some unbelievable views of the red rocks that make Sedona so famous!
Looking for a fun, easy, and scenic trail in Northeast Phoenix? Look no further than the Lost Dog Trailhead. I took three different trails. I started from The Lost Dog Trailhead and took The Lost Dog Wash Trail (say that a few times fast!). Then there’s also The Old Jeep Trail and The Sunrise Trail.
This side of the park, as you can see by this topography map, is much flatter. So it's comfortable. Of course, it was getting warmer, but as I went down, I could feel the cool breeze, and my body was cooling down quickly. Going up, I was getting a little warm but, given it was an hour-long hike, overall, it was nice.
If you're like me and have to keep moving, whether through airports or commuting to work, some days it’s easier to get from point A to point B with just a backpack.
I'm sharing a fantastic hike just south of Sedona, where you'll get fantastic views of the red rocks without all the other hikers. If you've ever been to Sedona, you know that it's very popular, and sometimes there are many people on the trails.
Here is my first experience hiking the trails northeast of Phoenix, Arizona, called the McDowell Sonoran Preserve Southern Range (based on how they describe it on the map). I thought it was going to be flat. That it would look like a desert. Absolutely not! I'm happily surprised that there is a whole lot more to discover.
"The Cool-Dry Frame held up to its name this time... I did a lot of sweating on this trip, and my back (and front) held the evidence of it, but the frame allowed the breeze to come through, cool down the back, and wick away moisture."
I have come to Park City to attend the Big Gear Show. A fantastic event where hundreds, I mean hundreds of different gear companies are here to display and come and show what's going on to media retailers. Today, I am sharing what I learned about rubbing shoulders with some of the big brands.
Brice here, from Vaucluse Gear. I’d like to share with you just how you can quickly install our Cool Dry Frame on a Gregory® backpack.
But you can pick any backpack and still quickly and easily install this Cool Dry Backpack Frame, which is going to help air flow between your back and the pack.
I will share my hike to Cathedral Rock, a fantastic trail, if you ever find yourself in northern Arizona.
So we took a nice little hike to Cathedral Rock that I will share with you. I think it's a spectacular hike if you're looking for great views, accessibility, and fun. The hike (in all) takes just about an hour. So it's short and delivers awesome views in very little time.
Greetings, fellow hiker! Today, I will show you a very simple hack for sweating less when you're wearing a backpack.
I want to share with you how this light and simple contraption we call the Cool-Dry Backpack Frame can really improve airflow between your back and your backpack.
"I started hiking at the warmest part of the day, with a light breeze. I got to our first site at four miles (6.5 k) with an unexpectedly very dry shirt and, most notably, a dry back. I could actually feel the cooling air wafting through the space between my back and the pack! Although variables may not make the comparison of much note, I (in a purple shirt) was dry and the back of my hiking partner (in a blue shirt) was wet."
Jim Armstrong, founder of L-5 Imaging in Carrollton, Texas, provides Search and Rescue services with a focus on night operations in wilderness areas. Jim to put the Cool-Dry Frame to the test. Located in northern Texas, Jim usually deals with extreme heat when going out on trails - the perfect environment to test the Cool-Dry Frame.
Last weekend was the hike of all hikes for us. We trekked 13 miles up 3,748 feet to reach the peak, Pointe de Banc Plat (6,257 feet). While it is not the highest peak you’ll ever hike, it does provide spectacular views of the Lac d’Annecy, the Mont Blanc, and other major mountain ranges of the Alps.
The trail definitely offers a few challenges – if you want an adventure with stunning views, this is the hike for you.
We explored this beautiful 5-mile loop trail near Brison-Saint-Innocent, in Savoie, France. It is just south of Geneva, Switzerland, and directly east of Lyon, France.
The trail is considered a moderately challenging route and takes an average of 2 hours 53 minutes to complete, based on the All Trails app (see more details about the trail below).
I returned to the Dentelles de Montmirail to complete a full circuit around two ridges, the Grand Montagne and Dentelles Sarrasines.
The last time I was here, I started from the northwest side of the Dentelles and only went around the Grande Montagne.
The Dentelles are the foothills of the highest peak in Provence, Mont Ventoux, which is situated just to the east.
The dramatically jagged shape of their peaks was formed by horizontal strata of Jurassic limestone being folded and forced into a nearly upright position and subsequently eroded into sharp-edged ridges and spikes.
The great outdoors didn’t disappoint last weekend.
I trekked nine miles around the picturesque village of Montagne, France, and discovered some remarkable landmarks. Its 15th-century windmills, Les Moulins De Calon, reminded me of the Dutch countryside. I’d never seen windmills in southern France before but when I reached the hill where they stood, I understood why they were there: there was a lot of wind!
I hit the hiking trails in Southwestern France in late May. While the town of Saint-Émilion is known for making some of the finest red wines in the world, I must say the trails through the vineyards equally deserve applause.
Backpacking around the vineyard allows you to uncover the hundreds of years of agriculture this region has traditionally enjoyed.
Not every backpacking adventure has to be in the great outdoors, right? We often take a backpack with us when vacationing, too.
I recently took my Vaucluse Gear Cool-Dry Backpack Frame with me on vacation to Bordeaux. Located in southwestern France, the city is best known for its wine.
Mike’s feedback on how the Vaucluse Cool-Dry Frame performed in Saguaro National Park just outside of Tucson, Arizona:
“With the warm temps my back didn’t sweat at all…nice! So far, I like what I see. It’s well constructed, lightweight, flexible, and doesn’t feel odd when wearing it."
Here is Joe’s feedback on how the Frame performed:
"The difference in heat buildup became evident almost immediately, though. My back was not getting hot as it otherwise would, and it stayed much more comfortable than I would have expected."
This week was the ultimate sweat check. I took the biggest (55L) backpack that I own on a hike in Austin, Texas, in some seriously humid weather. In fact, there was so much humidity, that there was no way I was not going to sweat. The test was, could I keep my body temperature cool and save my backpack from getting soaked in sweat?
I partnered with a Backpack Gear Test to test out the Cool-Dry Frame. With over 15 years of testing equipment, BackpackGearTest.org (BGT) is a premier source for online backpacking, hiking, and camping gear reviews. They proudly offered to conduct a comprehensive review and test the Frame. The first field test was conducted in warm and sunny Grant, Alabama.
Warm weather is officially here. Last Saturday morning, I took a fantastic 7-mile hike through the Greenbelt outside Austin, Texas, with a hiking group of around 15 people. I brought my Deuter Speed Lite 32L pack on the three-hour hike. Of course, the backpack is bigger than what I needed, but I wanted to put my Cool-Dry Frame to the test with a large pack.
I traveled from Austin to Kansas City for the weekend with my Ebags Mother Lode Travel Backpack. The backpack is fantastic for packing everything I would ever need for a long weekend in Kansas City.
I brought my Gregory 40L pack on an 8-mile hike through the Greenbelt just southwest of Austin, Texas. The pack is much bigger than what is needed for a day hike, but I wanted to put it to the test with the Cool-Dry Frame.
You could say Texas is the perfect place to test the frame! The three-hour hike started in low temperatures but crept up to the 50s, feeling more like the 60s.
Who cares if it's 70 degrees... when it's this humid, you are definitely going to have some problems.
As the heat starts coming, here is how we are staying cool and dry.
Our customers are sharing their experiences of how the Cool-Dry Frame is keeping them sweat-free on their hikes.
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