Gear Review: Kuhl Renegade Cargo Short

Gear Review: Kuhl Renegade Cargo Short

Saturday, May 18, 2019

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Earlier this week I had the opportunity to test my new pair of Renegade Cargo Shorts during a hike in our local park. The Renegade is made by Kühl, an outdoor clothing company based out of Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Kuhl website states that "Going off the grid takes more organization than you might think." The Renegade Cargo Short "features pockets inside other pockets to ensure your important items are secure. And the DURALUX™ fabric feels soft while giving you enough stretch to go anywhere you want to go. Get organized for the adventure ahead with men's cargo shorts made with innovative features." The product description continues by stating that "DURALUX™ feels like cotton, superior anti-abrasion, stronger, softer, more breathable than standard nylon."

By all appearances the Renegade Cargo Short is a very well-made pair of shorts. Despite being made with durable fabric, the Renegade feels fairly soft, and more importantly, is extremely comfortable. I also appreciate the ample pocket space. I own a well-known brand of hiking shorts that doesn't even have back pockets. In another well-known brand of hiking shorts that I own the pockets are extremely shallow, with barely enough room to fit my normal-sized wallet. The back pockets on the Renegade are the perfect size. Additionally, the Renegade sports side and front pockets as well.

At first I thought the shorts felt a little tight when I first put them on. However, after wearing them around the house for awhile they seemed to fit my form more naturally. Not only will I be wearing them on hikes, but the design looks so great that I'll also be wearing them around town as well.

My only real complaint with the Renegade Cargo Short is their length, which comes just over my knee-caps. Style-wise, I'm more of a fan of shorter shorts. This is just a personal preference, however.

All in all I think the Renegade is a great pair of shorts, and look forward to wearing them in the mountains this upcoming season. For more information on the Kuhl Renegade Cargo Shorts, please click here.




Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com
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Trail Tested: Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx

Trail Tested: Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx

Sunday, September 7, 2008

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I purchased my Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx GPS unit several months ago specifically for the HikingintheSmokys.com project. There are a ton of bells and whistles on this product, including an odometer, altimeter, electronic compass, mapping, geocaching, various outdoor calendars, and many other options, statistics and functions. I use the Garmin extensively for all the mileage and elevation figures on my web site. This product review will focus on the functions I primarily use.

As you might guess, I need accurate mileage data for the trails on my website. The odometer on this product provides me with that accuracy. I have tested the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx against known distances and have found it to be nearly exact, if not exact, in its distance measurements. People intimately familiar with Great Smoky Mountains National Park might notice a few instances where my reported mileage figures are slightly different than what the Park has listed on their maps. I believe the Garmin to be more accurate. I spoke with a backcountry park ranger in Glacier National Park a couple years ago and he scoffed at the "officially" reported mileage figures for the trails in that park. He claimed that he didn't trust any of those figures because of the way they were calculated.

My other primary use with the Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx is with its altimeter function. I've seen elevation measurements on this unit fluctuate by as much 20 or 30 feet for the same location from one measurement to another. The reason for this is because it uses barometric pressure to calculate elevation. That measurement will fluctuate when there's movement in barometric pressure, such as when a front or a storm passes through the area.

Additionally, elevation figures on the unit have always been within 20 or 30 feet of known elevations within the Smoky Mountains. I’ve only had one issue with obtaining a reasonable elevation figure. This occurred at the Alum Cave trailhead where I noticed that I was off by more than 500 feet when compared to the known elevation of this location. However, once I got to the top of Mount LeConte, the problem was corrected and there was only a 10 foot difference compared to the known elevation at the summit. This anomaly is easy to explain though. A very strong and powerful storm swept through the Smokies just hours before our hike that morning. I returned to the same trailhead on three additional occasions and the Garmin reported elevations that were very close to the official elevation for the trailhead.

Despite the small fluctuations, elevation measurements are reasonably accurate.

This particular Garmin model allows me to link the unit directly to my computer so that I can download elevation data from each of my hikes. Elevation is recorded every few yards by the unit, and is saved to what Garmin calls a “track”. I then load the tracks into Microsoft Excel and create the elevation profile graphs that you see on each of my trail pages.

This product seems to locate satellites fairly quickly, usually taking only about a minute or two to find one. In all the different terrains and in the deepest old-growth forests of the Smokies, I have never had a problem acquiring or keeping a satellite, except on one occasion. This happened to be at the Alum Cave trailhead on the same day as previously mentioned above. On that day, it took several minutes before I was able to finally locate a satellite. Again, I chalk this anomaly up to the storm.

As I mentioned above, the GPSMAP 60CSx has many bells and whistles. I found that the unit interface makes it very easy to navigate through each of functions. Additionally, I thought it was fairly easy to learn how to use and to set-up most of the options as well.

All in all, I really like this product and would recommend it to anyone.

If you would like to see more in-depth product information, please click here.


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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Trail Tested: Hiking Hydration Options

Trail Tested: Hiking Hydration Options

Monday, September 1, 2008

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One of the most important things while hiking is staying properly hydrated. Hiking in any type of weather depletes your body of liquids. To replace those lost fluids you need to drink frequently. If you wait until you feel thirsty you’re more than likely already dehydrated. The more dehydrated you become, the less efficient your body is at cooling itself down. Your endurance decreases and your body becomes less efficient at walking as well. Dehydration can cause muscle cramps, headaches, fatigue, heat exhaustion, heat stroke and even acute mountain sickness. Obviously, dehydration is something you want to avoid.

If you’re hiking for less than an hour under normal conditions, more than likely you’ll only need a standard water bottle for your hydration needs. If you’re hiking for more than an hour, or it’s very hot, or if there’s a lot of climbing involved, you have a couple of choices. You can carry multiple water bottles in your backpack, or you could use Nalgene Bottles, a Platypus, or a Camelbak hydration pack. Each option has its pros and cons.

When I first started hiking, I used Nalgene Bottles to carry extra liquids. Nalgene Bottles are an extremely efficient way to store extra water for hiking. The wide mouth makes it easy to fill, as well as re-filling your drinking bottle. The wide mouth also makes it easy to add ice cubes to your drink.

Nalgenes are also extremely durable. With the possible exception of the loop, which keeps the lid attached to the bottle, it would be very hard to break this product. One additional benefit of Nalgene Bottles is that they dry quickly after use. This is important because you don’t want to trap any liquids in your container while you’re storing it or it will get moldy and smell.

My only complaint with Nalgenes is that they continue to occupy a lot of space in your pack after you’ve used the contents. This really isn’t a big deal, just a personal preference. Because of this, however, I made a switch several years ago to the Platypus. I especially liked this option because the container collapses as you consume your liquids. Once finished, the Platypus takes up virtually no room in your pack.

Although the Platypus is made with a flexible plastic, it’s still very tough. I have two Platypuses that I have stored folded and they still are working fine after several years of uasge. The Platypus can also be frozen or boiled. Furthermore, I have never had a problem with water tasting like plastic.

There are two downsides to using the Platypus. Again, neither of these are big issues. One, it takes two or three days for the container to completely air dry before storing. The second thing to think about is that it takes two hands to pour your water from the Platypus into a water bottle.

Interestingly, Platypus has recently introduced a “Hoser” system, which is very similar to the Camelbak hydration pack, a very popular choice among mountain bikers. The Hoser Hydration System allows hikers to stuff a Platypus in their pack, attach a hose, and create a hands free system. A bite valve allows you to drink without ever having to touch a water bottle. This is an excellent choice if you’ve had problems staying hydrated on hot days because you just don’t drink frequently enough.

The final hydration option is the Camelbak. My wife uses her Camelbak from time to time. The Camelbak company provides you with the option of purchasing a reservoir and tube system that you can stuff in your pack, or a backpack with the Camelbak system already installed within the pack. My wife likes her Camelbak because it holds all the water she needs, and she finds it easier to drink, thus keeping her properly hydrated.

Her biggest complaint is that sometimes the system has the taste of plastic. Also, on hot days, the water that sits in the hose tends to get hot if exposed to the sun. It can also be a challenge keeping the drinking valve clean while out on the trail. Finally, it can also be a challenge getting the reservoir dry after usage.

If you would like to see more in-depth product information, or if you would like to see a full selection of hydration systems, please visit:

www.hikinginthesmokys.com/store.htm

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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