Outside Magazine's 'Essentials' gear list

Tonight I give you an interesting list from the September issue of Outside magazine, an issue that was dedicated to “The Life List.

Between the covers of this issue, the editors and writers gave readers a best-of list they called “The Essentials.” Here’s how they described the items on the list.

“There’s the great you want, and there’s the gear you need. After much internatl debate, we present the 25 products every guy should own.”

Below I give you the overall category followed by their recommendation.

1. One Big Bag: The North Face’s Base Camp Duffel ($110).
2. A Warm Jacket: First Ascent’s Igniter ($199)
3. A Headlamp: Black Diamond’s Spot ($40)
4. Fat All-Mountain Skis: K2 SideStash ($950)
5. A Three-Season Tent: REI’s Half Dome 2 Plus ($199)
6. Winter Boots: Merrell’s Whiteout 8 Waterproof ($130)
7. A Smart GPS: DeLorme’s PN-60 ($400)
8. Trail Shoes: LaSportiva’s Wildcat GTX ($125)
9. The Right Sunglasses: Smith Optic’s Hideouts ($179)
10. Snowshoes: Louis Garneau’s Vector UX Trek 824 ($165)
11. Soft-Shell Pants: Westcomb’s Recon Cargo Pants ($200)
12. One Bomber Multitool: Leatherman’s Wave ($99, pictured above)
13. All-Purpose Sandals: Keen’s Newport H2 ($95)
14. A 15-Degree Sleeping Bag: Sierra Design’s Trade Wind ($270)
15. A Top-Notch Storm Shell: Arc’teryx’s Beta AR ($425)
16. An Attic For Your Car: Yakima’s RocketBox ($279) and Thule’s Frontier ($330)
17. A Pocket Camera: Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-ZS7 ($400)
18. An Ultimate Midlayer: Marmot’s Vars Half Zip ($140)
19. Utility Gloves: Gordini’s Approach ($50)
20. Running Shoes: New Balance’s 1226 ($140)
21. A Training Watch: Timex’s Ironman Race Trainer ($150)
22. A Weekend Backpack: Osprey’s Aether ($229)
23. A Backcountry Bed: Big Agne’s Diversion Insulated Air Core Recycled ($90)
24. One Good Boat: Old Town’s Penobscot ($1,389)
25. The Perfect Bike: Specialized’s Epic Comp 29 ($2,800)

If you went out and bought each of these items at the prices listed above, it would cost you $9,583. The least expensive item on the list was headlamp (No. 3) and the most expensive was bike (No. 25).

If anyone out there’s wondering what to buy me for Christmas, I’d really like the training watch (No. 21) or the camera (No. 17)

The original article was written by Justin Nyberg and Sam Moulton with photographs by Inga Hendrickson. If you’re interested in reading the entire article online, visit http://outsideonline.com/gear/201009/gear/travel-ta-north-face-base-camp-duffel-sidwcmdev_151454.html.

In the end, let me know if you own any of these items. What do you think about them? Do you like them or not? Would you recommend them to a friend? What other items would you include among a list of “essentials” for outdoor fun? Let us know in the comments section below.