Bela Sardines
May 28, 2008
The blog never suffers for lack of testers. You’d be amazed at how many people willingly accept gear samples, even though they have to actually wear and use the gear and then tell what they think about it. You’d think that the obligation would drive people off, but the Geargals are dedicated to our mission and will dutifully accept what comes along with it, even if it’s gear samples from the best outdoor gear manufacturers around. It’s touching, really, our commitment to this blog. We know that our willingness to take one for the team helps other women figure out what gear they need.
Our latest venture was to find out whether or not women need sardines. I have to give it to Verde PR out of Durango, Colorado for shamelessly inserting a few cans of Bela sardines into one of their gear shipments to us. As if we’re going to let gear go untested, even if it is tiny, intact fish stuffed into a can with only marginal relevance to our blog mission. And test we did, gathering around with crackers and our highly toned palates to have what one Geargal called a “perfect balance of carbs, fat and protein” (note: that includes the crackers).
We sampled several flavors: the Sardines in Tomato Sauce, the Sardines in Olive Oil, and the Boneless Skinless Sardines in Olive Oil. You will note that there is one constant in all of the above flavors: SARDINES! If you don’t like sardines, you won’t like these sardines. Fair enough, right? But even if you think you don’t like sardines, you might like the boneless skinless version of them, which are really quite tasty and allow the eater to avoid unsettling glimpses of spines and other bony structures. They kind of taste like packaged tuna, only better. See what I mean about highly toned palates? Sometimes it all just comes down to “no icky bones in this kind!”
Even if you love sardines, the downside to taking them on trips is that they’re accompanied by an aluminum can that, once opened, will undoubtedly a) smell like fish for the rest of the trip and b) have to be packed back out. It would also be difficult to carry around leftover sardines since the can isn’t resealable, so you’d have to eat them all in one go. And that might be a chore, because sardines are not as little as I thought they would be. Who knew? People who have tried sardines, that’s who. Anyway, after giving it a little thought, I realized that these little packets of sea life have their uses beyond mere nutrition. You can bring them along on backcountry trips with overamorous partners and not have to worry about ways to repel them – your sardine breath will take care of that. If you really dislike your partner you can stuff the half-empty can into his backpack and just make sure to run faster than he can, or at least get him in between you and the next bear. Just kidding about the bear thing. But after having been on a few trips with that type of partner, I am starting to think that sardines belong in my emergency kit. Unless anyone out there has a “How To Pick Non-Sleazy Backcountry Partners” manual we can review.
Mountain Hardwear Transition Jacket
May 28, 2008
I’d like to pretend that I am systematic and discerning, carefully weighing the pros and cons of each item I review and presenting my findings in an objective and organized manner. However, I think by now my cover is blown and anyone who reads this blog knows that my reviews are based on personal opinion, random emotional reaction, and hard-won experience. Whatever, I know good gear when I see it.
But seriously, I know it’s good gear when it never sees the inside of my closet because I wear it so often, and the Transition jacket is the leader of the pack right now. The simple, one-pocket design gives it a clean, low profile (except when you put something bulky in that one pocket, which is also, weirdly enough, on the back of the jacket. Yep, the back. This is handy for….something, I’m sure) and it’s made of this special Mountain Hardwear miracle fabric that is perfect in any type of weather. I’m not sure if it’s technically “waterproof” but water has yet to seep through it at all (though I admit I have never worn it in a downpour, so bear that in mind).
The fit is just about right – the body is trim, with nice roomy sleeves. Not too long in the torso, but just long enough. It’s got a hood if you’re into that, but the hood stays out of the way if you’re not, a nice plus. The one heartbreaking flaw is that the sleeves are just a wee bit too short and I therefore can’t make use of my favorite feature, the thumbholes. I really love thumbholes even though I don’t believe they serve any useful purpose (well, have YOU ever had a jacket whose sleeves rode up to your elbows if you didn’t use the thumbholes? I didn’t think so), but the too-short sleeves make the Transition’s thumbholes cut off my circulation and leave rather unattractive thumbhole-marks on my hands. So they’re just kind of a useless addendum to this otherwise outstanding jacket. And for ladies with non-ape factor arms, the Transition is probably perfect.
