THE NORTH FACE womens Thermoball Traction Bootie

The Whisperlite International burns white gas, kerosene, and unleaded gasoline — any liquid fuel worldwide, which makes it the stove of choice for expedition mountaineers and long-distance travelers. The all-brass and stainless steel construction has zero plastic in the fuel delivery system. The shaker jet cleaning mechanism clears clogs without tools — you shake the stove and a wire inside the jet clears the orifice. MSR has been making the Whisperlite since 1984 with minimal design changes because the original design was already this good. Every component is individually replaceable through MSR's parts program.

Hand-forged by Swedish smiths in Axe Village (Gransfors), using the traditional charcoal-fired forge technique — each axe head is individually forged, not cast, which creates a tighter grain structure in the steel. The hickory handle is straight-grained American hickory, hand-fitted into the head and secured with a wooden wedge and a steel wedge. The steel is hardened to 57-59 HRC — hard enough to hold an edge through extended splitting but tough enough not to chip on knots. The smith's initials are stamped into each axe head as personal quality certification. Gransfors Bruks axes are still handed down as heirlooms.

The Copper Spur uses a 15-denier high-tenacity ripstop nylon body with a 1200mm hydrostatic head waterproof rating and factory-taped seams — all seams are sealed at the factory, not just the critical ones. The DAC Featherlight NSL poles are aluminum alloy with a specific wall thickness that makes them lighter than steel without sacrificing strength. The pole clips (rather than sleeves) allow the pole to flex independently of the tent body, reducing tear-out stress at the attachment points. Big Agnes offers a repair parts program for poles, zippers, and fabric. Used by Himalayan mountaineering teams and thru-hikers who can't afford tent failure.