Outdoor Gear

My Sleep System for Camping out in -30 Degree Temperatures to Get the Shot

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I’m currently testing the new Sigma 105mm f/1.4 ART lens for a full review. One of the things I wanted to try and get was some wildlife images with the incredibly shallow depth of field that this lens is becoming famous for. That’s quite a tall order because 105mm is not all that long of a focal length on a full frame camera! This week I drove a few hundred kilometres East into part of the Yukon that I haven’t had much chance to explore before. We haven’t had snow in a couple of weeks and this meant some of …

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My New Favourite Boots for My Winter Photography

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I hate to be cold or wet when I’m photographing outdoors. Nothing stifles my creativity faster! When I lived in British Columbia I used to take regular trips to the Rockies, where temperatures would always be a lot lower than my home mountains (Coastal Range BC). For this reason I was somewhat well prepared for my recent move to the Yukon, but there’s still a slight difference between having to put up with occasional temperatures below -18Celsius (0F), and having that be part of your daily routine for several months of the year. In fact its regularly -30Celsius (-22F) here …

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LifeStraw Flex Water Filter Review

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The LifeStraw Flex is a portable water filter that can be used to remove bacteria, parasites, microplastics and particulates from any water source.

My New Kayak: Boréal Design Compass 140 Ultralight

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This week I picked up a new 14ft touring kayak so that I can reach a few new places to photograph. I’ve had my eye out for something like this for a couple of years but when I heard about the Ultralight series from Boreal Design, I knew I had found my ship! The Compass 140 was already a great kayak for my purpose, with plenty of storage fore and aft, as well as a day hatch and a wide enough cockpit that I could keep a camera and super telephoto lens between my legs. But the Ultralight version of …

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Gear Check: Best PFD for Photographing from a Kayak

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Long term blog or social media followers of mine will know that I love to photograph wildlife from a kayak because it gives you such a wonderful low perspective. One of the challenges with photography from a kayak, or any small boat for that matter, is keeping gear safe, but also readily available. All of my larger photographic gear goes into a set of SealLine Bulkhead View dry bags, but there’s a few smaller items that are just nice to have on you at all times. Until very recently I wasn’t that sure how to accomplish this, but then I …

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Shedding Pack Weight: MSR PocketRocket 2 Stove

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A stove is a common necessity on the trail, but not all stoves are built equally. If you really want to lighten your load, this is an area for weight savings and decreased volume. I tested out the MSR PocketRocket 2 stove and you can find my thoughts on it here.

Shedding Pack Weight: Flexible Water Bottles

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In my quest for a lighter pack, this is easily one of the cheapest and most noticeable changes I made to my usual backpacking kit. Click through to find out why these things are so awesome!

Reader Question: Which Kayak Do You Use to Photograph From?

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Photos of my kayak photography setup always draw a lot of attention and result in a lot of questions. In order to answer these definitively, I’ve added a new “Photography from a Kayak” section to my Gear Guide that explains which kayak I use, why I chose it, and what other accessories are needed to complete the whole setup. PS. Did you check out the Photography EDC kit section that I also added recently?

Gear Check: Nemo Designs Fillo Pillow

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A video review of an awesome new piece of gear that I discovered recently. This is now in my “essential travel gear” list! A must-have item for people who travel a lot or like to go camping with their cameras.