Return Of The Dana!

In the mid-90', Dana Design was the backpack for thru-hikers on the Appalachian Trail.  I liked mine so much that I bought a second one two years after my thru-hike despite the steep price of $400+ And Dana Gleason, founder of his namesake Dana Designs, has returned to the market!  After selling his company and watching a series of outdoor companies fumble with a once dominant brand - Dana is back (and so is the Terraplane). The U.S. Military and U.S. Forest Service "hot shot" … [Read more...]

REI Alpharetta – Over 800 people waiting in line at 10am

  REI opened their 5th store in the Atlanta metro area today in Alpharetta, GA and clearly their marketing folks have figured it out.  There were over 800 people waiting in line at 10am when the doors opened. Yeah .... people love free stuff, and REI delivered.  The first 200 in the door received a water bottle with a $25-100 gift card inside.   I opted to head back to work rather than line up as shopper #804.  How in the world did so many people get off work mid-morning … [Read more...]

Reese Witherspoon Sports Vintage Hiking Look For The Movie Wild

The filming of the movie Wild has begun, and both Cheryl Strayed and Reese Witherspoon are tweeting photos from the set.  As you recall, the movie is based on Stayed's best selling book which chronicles her adventures (or mis-adventures) on the Pacific Crest Trail in 1995.  The wardrobe team got this one right, because they have Witherspoon decked out in a vintage external frame backpack and old school leather hiking boots (complete with colored laces). The movie is set to release in … [Read more...]