Don't fight the crowds today!

Don't fight the crowds today!

Friday, November 26, 2010

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What could be worse than spending your entire day fighting crowds, looking for parking spaces, and roaming from store to store looking for that perfect gift for that special hiker in your life?

You can avoid all this and enjoy the convenience of shopping from your own computer by clicking on our own Smoky Mountain Day Hikers Store for hiking gear and apparel from some of the best outdoor brands. We also have a wide variety of books related to hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains and Southern Appalachian region. Just click here to visit our online store or check out some of these hot deals:

* Ultralight Adventure Equipment (ULA) has a sale on Komperdell Trekking Poles right now: Get 30% off on Komperdell C3 AIRSHOCKS (SALE: $122.50, Retail: $175) and Komperdell C3 DUOLOCKS (SALE: $108.50, Retail: $155).

* Altrec Outdoors has their 6 Days of Deals where you can find up to 60% off on a variety of outdoor gear items. And through Saturday, you can get an additional 10% off - using coupon code: blackfriday10

* Don't forget to check out Amazon.com for some of the best bargains on books, cameras, computers, movies, toys, electronics -- or almost any other gift item you can think of.

* Backcountry.com is offering up to 50% off on Women's Softshell, Fleece, Down and Rain Jackets, and up to 40% off on Men's Down Jackets.

* You can also take advantage of No Sales Tax and Free Shipping on all outdoor gear purchases over $50 at Backcountry.com (tax included on orders from Utah residents).


Thanks for supporting HikingintheSmokys.com!


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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The Smoky Mountain Hiking Store is Open

The Smoky Mountain Hiking Store is Open

Saturday, December 12, 2009

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With Christmas less than two weeks away, I wanted to remind everyone that the Smoky Mountain Hiking Store is open for business! In addition to hiking gear and apparel from some of the best outdoor brands, we also have a large selection of books related to hiking, the Great Smoky Mountains and the surrounding region.

Some new titles you may be interested in include;

* Just Passin' Thru (just released)

* 3000 Miles in the Great Smokies

* Historic Photos of Appalachia

* Sanctuary: Meditations from the Great Smoky Mountains

* Waterfalls of North Carolina, a comprehensive map that features over 300 waterfalls in the western North Carolina region.

You can also support HikingintheSmokys.com by visiting Amazon’s new Outdoor Recreation Store which offers outstanding deals on a wide variety of hiking, camping and outdoor gear.

P.S. There are only 5 days left to order for Christmas for Free Super Saver Shipping at Amazon.




Jeff
Smoky Mountain Day Hikers Store

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The Smoky Mountain Hiking Store is Open

The Smoky Mountain Hiking Store is Open

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

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With Christmas and the Holiday Season rapidly approaching, I just wanted to remind everyone that the Smoky Mountain Hiking Store is open for business! In addition to hiking gear and apparel from some of the best outdoor brands, we also have a large selection of books related to hiking, the Great Smoky Mountains and the surrounding region.

Some new titles you may be interested in include; 3000 Miles in the Great Smokies, Historic Photos of Appalachia, Sanctuary: Meditations from the Great Smoky Mountains, and Waterfalls of North Carolina, a comprehensive map that features over 300 waterfalls in the western North Carolina region.

You can also support HikingintheSmokys.com by visiting Amazon’s new Outdoor Recreation Store which offers outstanding deals on a wide variety of hiking, camping and outdoor gear.




Jeff
Smoky Mountain Day Hikers Store

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The Smoky Mountain Day Hikers Store

The Smoky Mountain Day Hikers Store

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

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With Christmas only weeks away, it’s time to start thinking about a gift for that special hiker in your life, or, maybe some new gear for yourself. Let the Smoky Mountain Day Hikers Store help you. We offer quality gear and apparel from some of the best outdoor brands, including; Columbia Sportswear, Kelty, Garmin, Leki, Marmot, Mountain Hardwear and North Face.

With a slowing economy, shoppers will be making extra efforts to make their dollars stretch this season. We can help by offering you some the most competitive prices on hiking gear around.

No need to burn gas or fight traffic at the malls either. Online shoppers enjoy the convenience of shopping for books, gear and apparel from home or work.

Just click here to see our full selection.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, and more.

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Gearing-up for the Fall Hiking Season

Gearing-up for the Fall Hiking Season

Saturday, September 27, 2008

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With the fall season already here, it’s time to check your outdoor wardrobe to make sure you have all the right gear for cool weather hiking.

During the fall, winter and spring seasons, it’s usually a good idea to dress in layers, especially when hiking in the mountains. This allows you to easily add or remove clothing as temperatures fluctuate as a result of changes in elevation or changes in weather patterns.

To start off, it’s always a good idea to wear a wicking tee-shirt as a base layer no matter what time of year it is. Wicking tee-shirts are superior to cotton shirts in that they “wick” sweat from your body.

As you hike (or perform any other type of physical exertion), your body produces sweat which helps to cool your body as it evaporates from the surface of your skin. Sometimes, however, the volume of sweat you produce is too great for all of it to disperse. Instead, the excess gets soaked up by your clothes. Performance apparel solves this problem by "wicking" sweat away from your body, just like the wick of a candle absorbs liquid and draws it upward. Wicking shirts, made from polyester-blended fabrics, pulls perspiration away from the skin and pushes it through the clothing's surface where it evaporates. The result is a comfortable, dry hiker.

Even in cold weather your body will sweat during heavy exertion, such as when you’re climbing elevation during a hike. In fact, it’s even more important to keep your body dry while hiking in cool or cold weather. If you have to stop, or if there’s an emergency, a wet cotton shirt on your body can be uncomfortable, or possibly even lead to hypothermia.

I’ve been wearing wicking shirts for many years now. More than a year ago I purchased an Omni-Dry Mountain Tech T-shirt from Columbia Sportswear and have had the opportunity to use it on many occasions. I have worn it in both warm and cold weather and I can say it has done an excellent job of keeping me dry. In addition to wicking sweat away, the shirt has UPF-15 rated sun protection and resists the build-up of odor causing bacteria.

Another important item you need to have on the trail is a rain jacket that will keep out both wind and water. Again, this is something you should wear, or have in your backpack throughout the year.

Several months ago I purchased the Columbia Sportswear Thunderstorm Jacket. So far, I’ve only had one chance to wear it. It did, however, receive a fairly good test on that one occasion. I was hiking in the Flattops Wilderness Area in Colorado this summer when we got stuck in a surprise thunderstorm which forced us to hike four miles in steady to heavy rain. My upper body remained completely dry and I never felt chilled from the cool breeze. I was very pleased with the performance of this product and was happy that I made the upgrade from a competitor product.

The Thunderstorm Jacket is a waterproof, breathable jacket which also resists internal condensation to keep you dry in any conditions. The Omni-Tech technology provides premium waterproof/breathable protection by using microporous membranes which keeps water from penetrating the fabric, yet allows perspiration to escape. Columbia also seals all seams on the jacket.

With a wicking tee-shirt as a base layer, and a rain jacket to keep the elements out, you should be properly set-up for early fall season hiking. But as the season progresses you’re going to need an additional layer to keep you warm. Unless it’s brutally cold, you’re probably only going to need a light-weight fleece jacket, or even a fleece vest for mid-to-late autumn hiking.

In addition to providing insulation from cold weather, fleece is also very effective at wicking away moisture, not to mention it’s breathable, durable, soft and comfortable to wear.

A good light-weight fleece jacket option for this time of year is the Marmot Reactor Fleece Jacket. It’s a 100-weight Polartec fleece with a full-length zipper, making it easy to add or remove depending on weather conditions. The jacket also has insulated pockets to keep your hands warm.

If you’re looking for a vest, check out the TAIGA Thermal-Pro Vest. It’s made from light and water-repellent Polartec THERMAL-PRO 'Shearling' fleece. The vest has three zippered pockets and two inner pouches.

Finally, you may need a few apparel items, such as socks, hat and gloves, to help keep you dry and warm. Winter gloves and socks are probably going to be too bulky and will provide too much warmth during the fall season.

Check out the Thorlo Coolmax Light Hiker Crew Sock or Under Armour Liner Gloves as light-weight alternatives for keeping your extremities warm during the fall.

If you need to keep your top warm, pull on the Outdoor Research Diamond Beanie. This is a 100% acrylic, medium-gauge knit hat that will keep your noggin warm without causing your head to suffocate.

For more in-depth information on any of the products discussed in this article, or to see the full selection of all our hiking gear, please visit the Smoky Mountain Day Hikers Store.


Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com Detailed information on trails in the Smoky Mountains; includes trail descriptions, key features, pictures, video, maps, elevation profiles, news, hiking gear store, and more.

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Hiking Gear Store

Hiking Gear Store

Sunday, July 20, 2008

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If you've been over to the HikingintheSmokys.com website in the last couple of days you may have noticed the addition of the new hiking store. Although all of the products on the site are currently available for purchase at this point, we are still in the process of building the store and fine-tuning the design. The intention of the store is to offer top quality hiking gear and apparrel, as well as books and DVDs related to the Smoky Mountains.

Any feedback about the store is welcome. Are there any hiking related items or brands that you would like to see? Are there any other categories of Smoky Mountain related books that we should add to the site? Is the navigation of the site easy to follow?

Please feel free to leave a post on this blog or you can email me at info@hikinginthesmokys.com.

Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com

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