Page 5 - Apparel

There is a pilgrimage through Europe named the El Camino de Santiago de Compostela, the Way of Saint James. There are several routes through France, Portugal, and Spain that conclude at the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in northwestern Spain, where it is said that the remains of the Apostle James are buried. Thousands of people walk this journey every year. It can take up to a month's time to travel, unless apparently, if you are a speed walker, the shorter routes only take a couple of weeks. Regardless of the path taken, it's said that the journey begins once you step outside your front door. I'm not making a pilgrimage through Spain or France. I am walking out in my own backyard along the River's Edge Trail, which follows the Missouri. The mayflies swarm like some kind of spring snowflake storm, getting stuck to my sunglasses. Th... Read more

Sock of the Month: Darn Tough Over-the-calf Work Socks Hello out there to all my fellow North 40 shoppers (and others). I've been asked to "test" sock of the month, and so I thought, "Why not?" These socks were designed to be worn with western boots, so they are over the calf and well built. A little background on me- I was born and raised down around Billings, Montana and managed a ranch out there until the late 70's. After that I was a bootmaker here in the Northwest, so I know about the anatomy of a foot, and the "hotspots" you sometimes get when you get into leather work boots. After many years in leather work and boot fabrication, I opted for a change and went into furniture repair. I have seen everything you can think of in my line of work, and this job takes me everywhere in and around Montana. I am on my feet all day, so comfort... Read more

Mountain Hardwear is a great company with a selection of gear that's ready to take on the craziest of adventures. They've got gear and equipment for everything from skiing to hiking to mountain climbing to camping. And all of it is top notch. They put their best into everything they make to provide the best gear out there for all you crazy adventurers. But that's not all that they do. While they are a top-line outdoor gear company, Mountain Hardwear is also very involved with the community. They support and are a part of a number of outdoor associations to better the communities they serve, seeking to help everyone from the climber to the nature lover. Just to name a few of their associations, they support the US Forest Service, donate to the American Alpine Club (AAC) as well as fund one of their explore grant, and are a member of the A... Read more

Anyone whose own a down jacket knows what to expect. It's warm, lightweight and comfortable- until it gets wet. There are probably a number of stories where someone goes out on a camping trip, skiing or something else with a nice warm jacket and comes back with a heavy, wet one. Though, that is to be expected. The plumes that down jackets are made of, while incredibly efficient in maintaining warmth, are incapable of resisting moisture from soaking in, no matter the quality. And when it gets wet, that superior ability to maintain warmth goes out the window. It's a bit of a letdown when the material makes for such a nice, warm jacket otherwise. Of course, that was before Mountain Hardwear changed that little fact. Mountain Hardwear knows from experience that down is a great material to have on skiing or expedition trips for warmth, but al... Read more

Having a brand goes beyond the name. A brand reflexes the values, the passions, the integrity, and more importantly, the people involved with the brand, from the owner to the consumer. A brand should be synonymous with what it stands for as much if not more so than the product or service that they provide. We ourselves went through a change of name, from Big R to North 40 Outfitters, and try our best to maintain and improve our brand. However, this article isn't about us; it's about at brand that we are proud to be associated with, even if we are only a small part of a bigger whole. Mountain Hardwear is more than what their name suggests, though they live up to that name pretty darn well. With a line of products that is designed to endure the craziest of adventures, that really isn't that surprising. But that is the point right there, I ... Read more

Lewiston, ID: Approximately 12 hours from my archery elk camp in Montana. It's the grand opening of our store in Lewiston, ID. Everyone is excited, customers are buzzing about our giant store and the expanded selection of Farm, Ranch and what seems like everything else you could ever need, including a Salted Nut Roll... I had no idea I was about to discover the Darn Tough Hiker sock. The sock Drew is wearing in the photo is the first sock in this extensive list...see what kind of socks you can discover here. At, the time I was excited for the opening of our Lewiston store... but not just for the new store. It's mid-September and my phone is blowing up with texts and pictures from my buddies in the field. My mantra for the weekend, "Stay focused on Lewiston, your week of hunting will be better if you leave here knowing you didn't daydrea... Read more

Socks: the thing that's ruined a thousand hikes... and a thousand camping trips. For outdoor enthusiasts that have faced the beast of bad socks (and have had the bloody blisters to prove it), you already know how important your socks are to enjoying your time outdoors. For the rest of you, as yet unbroken (or should we say "unblooded"?), outdoor enthusiasts... you may have just stumbled across a blog that saves your feet and your experience outdoors. If you're wondering, "Why are socks so important, and why should I pay so much more for ONE pair... when I can get 4 pairs for under $10?" Then this is EXACTLY where you need to be. Men: Check these socks out to see what I am talking about... and for the ladies, these. Good socks are expensive for a reason--they're built to fit your foot and do a job those "normal," 6-pair-a-pack cotton, wh... Read more

Why should you maintain your footwear? Simple. So you don't lose appendages. Dear Reader: What follows is a fictitious rendering of events that could have possibly happened at some point in time. Don't let these fictitious events happen to you. Waterproof with one of our Nikwax products available online here.  In the beginning of his life Dan wanted to be an alpine skier or a cross-country musher. He bought a pair of White's Firefighter Smoke Jumper Boots online from North 40 Outfitters in case he needed to jump into an arctic firestorm. (You can buy the same boots here.) But Dan didn't follow his dreams, and instead he settled for a job in the Bay Area where he paid 3,000 dollars a month for a one bedroom apartment above a noodle shop. Dan wore his White's Boots for 12 years, and when he finally saved enough money to travel to the No... Read more

There's many ways to patch a coat. You can go with the "farm-store" fix and use Duct tape or Gorilla tape to fix a down jacket... Or you can follow the recommendations from Mountain Hardwear and use Tenacious Tape--this is a time tested and a sure-fire way to get a quick fix. But let's get a little deeper with it-- the video below offers a step by step fix for using Tenacious Tape. Check out our Gorilla section here or you can use the Mountain Hardwear prescription here. Repairing Pinhole/Puncture in a Down Jacket There is one hole we'd like to talk specifically about, and that's the pinhole or puncture hole. These are normally much smaller, and only have a few fibers of down or fill material protruding. When it comes to a rip like this, a small dot of Zap-a-Gap, an integral part of the fly fisherman's accouterments, or any other type ... Read more

If there were ever an upside to having to tolerate frozen windshields, frozen roads, and frozen snot, I suppose it would be this: with the coming of winter comes the embrace of big, soft, fluffy socks. For the next 3 to 6 months, depending on how much snow decides to fall in May (or June for that matter) I get to wear socks on my feet that feel more like slippers than they do socks. I like to think about this fact when I am up 45 minutes earlier than usual so I can shovel my driveway and scrap my windshield most mornings (thanks winter). I recently got my hands on, and feet into, a new pair of Fox River Wool Work Boot Mid Calf Socks. I have been wearing a number of different winter socks this season and I immediately noticed two things about these socks: They were much taller than most of my other socks, and, they stayed put on my leg mu... Read more

Is a sock liner a vestigial remnant (that means throwback) of a time when hiking socks were made of Brillo pad type wool, or do they have a place in the modern sock era? Wellllllll-- kind of, but not really. That's vague, true, so let's break it down. The Evolution of Wool Socks Wool has come a long way since the old days of Brill-Wool- Merino wool is stock and staple in most hiking socks and hiking/backpacking gear because it often negates the need for wearing sock liners. Check out these socks made with Merino. Plus Merino is even used in base layers like these. The purpose of a sock liner, like Luke says in the video, is to add a hydrophobic layer between your skin and the thicker, insulating layer on the outside. This will allow sweat from your foot to be wicked away from your skin and help prevent "hot spots," blisters or discomfor... Read more

I wanted to test these socks in a real atmosphere to see if they could live up anywhere close to their name "40 below." Not sure how many of you guys have been in 40 below ZERO weather but that's pretty cold. In fact, that's so cold that I did not get to test these socks down to that level, but I did get to test them in relatively cold working conditions at about ZERO degrees. In this test we were insulating an old shed, outside of town, at night, on the coldest night of the year from about 6PM to a little after 10PM. So- my point here is that it was cold. It's important to keep your feet warm in the winter. Warm feet keep your feet dexterous, and actually improves the ability for your immune system to function properly and fight of flus. The 40 Below socks are warm, and have 49% wool content, the best natural fiber for warmth, odor, and... Read more