I want one of these, really bad.  The Marmot Variant jacket is a combination of my favorite outerwear material (soft shell fleece) and synthetic fill insulation.  Besides looking distinctly sci-fi, it has thumb holes (a necessity) and a nice fit for layering.

I have an unfortunately small number of slots in my gear inventory for outerwear, but I think a little more research on this one may be necessary.  Too bad it’s not green.

$140 from Marmot.

Nothing like a walk in the woods on a nice day.  On Saturday I went for a hike in Twanoh State Park.  Unfortunately, the weather remained pleasant, and I did not have to build a shelter, start a signal fire, improvise weapons, or rappel down any sheer rock faces. There’s always next time.

Cheap Target Aviators.  Having served me well for going on ten years, my Oaklies just aren’t really my style anymore.  These get the job done most of the time.

The North Face Apex Bionic jacket.  Not necessary after the first half mile or so, sadly.  This was my first softshell, and although it’s showing its age, I still love it.  On the lookout for a replacement though, ideally with a hood.

Crumpler Keystone.  I was hoping this bag would make me a fan of Crumpler.  It didn’t.  It sacrifices far too much functionality for looks.  But I paid a lot for it, and it beats carrying my Stealth Reporter around in the woods.  I’m actively seeking a replacement.

Nikon D90 DSLR.  Words cannot describe how much I love this camera, especially compared to my old D50.  I also brought along a few lenses, but I don’t feel like posting the entire contents of my camera bag (not right now, at least…).

Asolo Fugitive GTX boots. Again.  I suppose these will probably make an appearance on the list whenever I’m venturing outdoors.  In this case, they proved their worth on two occasions.  I almost rolled my ankle on a rock, which they prevented, and I waded through a stream in search of pictures, which they facilitated.  Yay!