One small note about micro spikes… be very wary of the heel slipping off. I nearly died on black ice near a frozen waterfall while hiking in Iceland. It wasn’t steep at all (about 20 degrees and then flat ) but I was was about 5m from the edge of a waterfall. My spikes had slipped off my heel and when I put a step forward onto what I thought was grass on soil but was actually grass poking through black ice, my leg went from under me and I was headed toward the waterfall wi5 no way of stopping, fortunately there were two rocks at the edge that I managed to brace against.. I now use a strong Velcro strap to lift the back of the heel up.. also, unless sharp they won’t grip well on hard ice without a good stamp

Thanks for consistently promoting active living💪🏻 Getting out in nature on f.ex a hike is one of the most physically/mentally rewarding things we humans can do if we are able to - and looking at the big picture it’s a very low impact and sustainable hobby compared to a lot of other popular leisure activities people engage in👍🏻

Really beautiful images and good choices for gear. Always looking to see what other people are using. Been liking your videos.

I found one of those micro puff jackets on clearance at REI and it’s the best winter jacket I’ve ever owned. So warm and light, and love that blue. Now you’re tempting me with that yellow backpack, even though I don’t need another pack.

Microspikes are one of the best inventions for winter hiking. The popular trails in the North Shore mountains near Vancouver are so well trodden that snowshoes are almost never needed. They're great for firm snow or flat(ish) ice, not so good in softer or slushy snow (learned that the hard way). I don't have too many issues with grip on ice but my wife does as she weighs less than me. I find layering difficult in winter as I overheat so easily on the uphill. I'm often down to my t-shirt, which I supplement with the pull-on sleeves that cyclists sometimes wear if it's cold. A mid-weight fleece and puffy jacket are always in my bag to cover up when I stop moving. I have insulated winter boots but it has to be well below freezing for me to want to wear them so I often wear my summer hiking boots, although they can wet through if the snow is wet (as it often is here on the BC coast). As someone else mentioned, gaiters are invaluable for off-trail travel in soft or deep snow. A Thermos of hot water (or tea or hot chocolate) is also one of our mandatory items for winter hiking. Even if we don't drink it hot from the Thermos, it's useful for warming up the water in our water bottle. Definitely going to get one of those electronic hand-warmers though.

I would add gaiters for deeper snow and I always like trekking poles. A buff around the neck is always nice as well. I sometimes bring a pad to sit on in winter and rain. And great content as always.

Happy to see you wearing it! 💪🏻

This is a really inspiring and informative video.

Vivobarefoot’s trail shoes are all great. I have both the Primus Trail and the Tracker FG. For winter hiking it is imperative that you get a model with the thermal insole though. Of course I prefer to take out the insole on warmer days to maximize ground feel.

Certainly good advice with the layering concept. As a farmer, most of my hiking time is in the winter so I’ve had to dial in the layering. I also happen to be one that sweats a lot and that makes moisture management more critical. The base layer that works best for me is the Brenja (Norway) merino/poly mesh. A poly sun hoodie and I’m good down to freezing. Under freezing I add an Alpaca hoodie- I find alpaca is superior to merino as it breathes better and hold far less moisture, not mention surprisingly warm. Temp control is with alpaca neck gaiter which I find is as important as the beanie. I can regulate head heat loss with the sun hood and alpaca hood- more than enough down to windy 20deg F. This works so well for me I left my puffy coat at home when did 10 days early season in the Icelandic Highlands. Gloves and socks as you described. I have been a fan of SilverLight since they came out. However, below freezing I find I need to add a thin poly sock liner- makes a huge difference. If there is going to be water crossings etc I take a pair of waterproof socks because my trail runners are not waterproof.

Stellar video! Thanks

Thanks. I use Buffalo Systems Gear from the U.K. I use the Teclite shirt in damp cool weather down to 30F with no layers underneath. Or just cold weather while hiking. On the outside, at times, I use the Buffalo wind shirt. In colder weather,

Thanks for showing us Montserrat!

I can't keep but admire Bestard mountaneering boots. Their FF series is the lightest in class

Based in Scotland, I'm a fan of the combination insulation-windshell, to replace that 'midlayer' you have - examples like the Buffalo Mountain shirt or Rab VapourRise jackets (my favourite) - as they're warm but breathe well enough to prevent overheating. I don't know if I'm as open to an insulated shell that traps moisture.

I laughed at how joyful you were about snow! In Montana, I am ready for spring but we still have two months to go of off and on snow. I wear my Altra sneakers all winter in Montana. I put gorilla duct tape over the fabric toe box to keep air out, and by itself this helps with warmth and snow, but if it’s really cold, I stick a toe warmer on top of my socks at the toes. The tape reduces the air which keeps the toe warmers from over activating. If it’s really cold I can wear two pairs of socks. Lastly, I can slip on rubber grippers from Costco or Amazon to keep from falling on ice. Thank you for sharing your gear!

Nice video, I'm always wearing my vivobarefoot when going for long hikes in the beautiful mountains here in Catalunya. And indeed, seeing show on Montserrat.. very cool

Good info. You've applied a lot of experience. I've got a Patagonia puff jacket. I can't think of any other piece of kit I have that stinks faster and stays stinky until it's washed. I leave it in my car just in case. Buying it was a mistake. I'm not just being cranky. I just spent a month sailing across the northern Pacific (Japan to Canada) bathing about every five days, wearing the same t shirt and underwear for those five days, but over these, layers of merino wool (two on top, medium and heavy; leggings on the bottom) - I wore these for 30+ days 24 hours a day. They still do not stink. I keep sneaking up on them thinking that I've just gotten used to the stinky. and if I come in from a day out I'll be able to catch a whiff. Nope. They are still good to go. No synthetic can do this (especially the junk that claims it can.) Over this I also wore a dense wool sweater from the Aran Islands. It too doesn't stink. I did find that a cheap plastic Japanese rain jacket was warmer, blocked the wind, than my much nicer goretex Berghaus rain jacket. And it did pick up some stink (with all that wool between it and my body. ) Mostly I just wore both jackets. Berghaus outside, it was bigger and had more and better pockets, and it is more versatile. (Tip you can buy clothes in Japan. Montbell has really good stuff. Right now I'm wearing some nylon pants I got there that I just love. I'm 5'8" most sizes Large. In Japan I'm XXL and the arms and legs are often just a bit short. I think you can find one size bigger, 2XXL but not everywhere.) Nylon as you know you can wash in the sink, wring out, then put on and it'll dry in an hour. My apple green nylon travel shirt is at least 15 years old. It was in China in 2004 and it went to Vietnam to pick up the boat. (And my students had a good laugh when I showed them photos proving I'd been to the Great Wall - and five years later I was wearing exactly the same clothes, including that shirt.) Hoods are all great. Sometimes you just wear them all. I have a Mustang drysuit that has no hood. And could use more pockets. I got a thin merino buff on Amazon that was too impossibly small. I sewed a spandex patch. I regret having thrpwn out a polo shirt style wool sweater a couple of months ago. It was a 40+ year hand me down (cigarette burn holes). That would've made a terrific buff. On my legs after the leggings was cheap thick fleece sweat pants, then cheap plastic Japanese fisherman pants and then a better, softer pair. Gil sailing boots, about 1.5 sizes too big. There's not a lot of hiking on a sailboat, so probably not for the mountains. The extra room allowed me to add another layer of socks. If I can't freely wiggle my toes my feet get cold and numb (I"ve got bad circulation hands and feet.) I would've worn this winter hiking and in the rain. I'll always put on a cheap rain poncho. Rain jackets like the Berghaus do keep you dry, but it I expect a lot of rain, I try to keep it dry. On the boat rain is not a problem. What's a complete drag is having to do something forward and get hit by a saltwater wave. It takes three days for the raincoat to dry enough to wear and it never really does dry it just gets kind of greasy damp. Good point about the flat shoes. I used to buy all those inserts. Then I read about the Tarahumara Indian runners in Mexico. Everything flat since then. My feet have never been better. The bindings on my expensive snowshoes just rotted away (stretchy plastic good for about two years.) So I made new bindings out of webbing, and then I found out that my shoe size had gotten bigger. My new hiking boots didn't fit the bindings. (I made some mistakes in this process). So I just put on my knee length SealSkinz and my rubber/neoprene kayaking boots. Worked great, feet warm. And everything was higher and tighter so snow getting in wasn't an issue. And most importantly -- I could wiggle my toes.

I'm really bad at layering so i always appreciate seeing what other have to say in order to figure out what's best for me! Also i saw that while you talked about the Magna's, you also showed the Tracker Deacons at 10:47. Have you tried them out? What did you think?

Climbing this mountain with nobody near you and in wide open environment wouldn't be a problem at all during covid years. I used to jog a daily 5k walking my dog, and lockdown days were the best. Almost zero traffic, so no urban noise or pollution, and I even let the dog off leash in part of the route 😊

Amazing informational vid! 😎👍

Thanks so much- always love your videos! Quick question, I live in Pennsylvania and it is notorious for small rocks that stick out of the ground and are often pretty brutal on the feet and ankles (see how many people curse Pennsylvania on the Appalachian Trail lol)... do you feel the vivo's would be thick enough? I do love to feel the trail but trying to find a good balance in dealing with the spikey rocks. Thanks so much

RAB make some great stuff. Really well thought out gear. Btw, that's not old gear, it's character and memories.

Solid advice. One thing I'd change. Barefoot shoes should not be an easy recommendation for most people. Anecdotally I've had lots of friends end up with chronic plantar fascitis after swapping to a low drop shoe. If you're going to use a shoe of this style I recommend you build into them slowly over a couple of years.

What do you think of a soft shell jacket for hard scrambling/ easy rock pitches? I’m thinking it’s more durable than a thin rain layer but should still keep the worst of the weather off you when belaying up the second if you need to pitch things out. Easy rock climbing can be quite abrasive on your clothes

Last week while doing the Gokyo Ri hike , we started hiking at 5 am , I make a rookie mistake …( I can say that I had some experience after doing the Thorang La + the tour du Mont Blanc to name a few ) , I wore my rain hard shell jacket as insulation due to the very low temperature , my base layer and my merino wool liner ended up getting very wet with sweat .It was too late ! 😅 I was soaking wet underneath …

Hey Chase any thoughts on barefoot style shoes for an Aussie backcountry fisherman? I typically hike blue mountains in colder months with many river/stream crossings with water up to waist. Have tried many styles of footwear over the years. Hiking Boots, Trail runners, wading boots but yet to find something I’m comfortable with. I do like the idea of being able to feel a lot more with the barefoot style but do understand that no specific type of footwear works in every situation. Absolutely love your channel mate and your wellness insights have helped me immeasurable

Hi Chase. I really like the Blue Ice Firecrest 28. Would you see this for day hiking in Europe, during summer? Thanks

I like lambswool and cashmere jumpers. I find they are superwarm, flexible and not bulky. I tried to avoid having non-natural fabrics next to my skin. I also wear a cashmere beanie. A solid investment and should last years. I know some don't recommend them but a wool scarf can be good too. warm but not as restrictive as a buff. I wouldn't wear if going technical climbing.

I appreciated your content and the advice on the handwarmer/battery is something I'll seriously consider but on the microspikes I'd like to know how much did you put those "no-brand" chinese imitation to the test. I personally wouldn't trust my safety to anything which I can't check the safety standards and quality. There are quite a.few reputable brands out there, I own Nortec spikes and they're amazing, quite strong yet lightweight, fast to wear, rustproof... but CAMP for example make very good if slightly heavier (and cheaper) ones. Please let us know.

I'm a bit newer to your channel and looking for some advice. I am going to be doing a backpacking trip up Pikes Peak in CO this year, do you have a video on safety advice, or general advice, for summiting a 14er?

ever considered Pertex jackets? ultra lightweight, pack away tiny, windproof (not waterproof), but the thing is, in snow conditions, it wont rain. but the real good thing is with Gortex you can get Ice forming inside the jacket, however with Pertex Ice cannot form.

Hi man, i’m going to iceland in late october and wasn’t sure on what type of pants i should get, what’s your recommendations

That artifact at 6:18 scared the daylights out of me lol

I am flying in from Canada and starting the GR11 in August of this year. Just wondering where I can source Isobutane for my Soto Windmaster along the trail?

Anymore feedback on that Cortazu Insulated Hard Shell? How does it compare to Gortex alternatives?

Your vids are just amazing. This vid is just astounding with its straight forward info and recommendations. Now for that second job to afford it- LOL. I learned the hard way……YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

What base layer weight level would you recommend for weather in the 30s with high winds. The job would be a air port ramp agent

I find it crazy that people actually didn’t leave their houses during Covid. I logged more miles in the mountains during Covid than any other time in my life.

Hey chase, could you make a similar video for summer hiking please

I stay within my limits during winter in the mountains so not doing anything extreme, but I’ve found Vivobarefoot tracker Forest ESC + micro spikes are a great combo. Even without spikes, actually find them grippier than my old ridged Scarpa ribelle as the softer flexible sole is less likely to glance off icy rocks. Increased surface area also seems to help in deeper snow.

I transitioned over to barefoot shoes last year and use them all the time except when backpacking. I'll probably plan some lighter load trips so I can take them out. Those Magma FG's look nice. I like how Vivobarefoot switches up the colors.

Fantastic video! I live in Pyrennes too (Huesca side) and Im using barefoot style shoes for my everyday hehehe although I still have my rigid boots for Alpinism... Im wondering if you have tested any brand or model which is at least wider than others, so we can get that aspect of barefoot shoes...? Im currently using one model of Kayland too, but man, my feet get so tired after the kilometers...I am trying now Altras Lone Peak for less winter mountaineering... But in winter with the need of crampons... Idk. Thanks mate and keep going!!

I own a pair of kahtoola microspikes, but I've recently learned "hillsound" does their own in an interesting design I'd also like to try at some point.

I just wish more companies would make high quality no-water-in-or-out-jacket that has zippers for letting moisture out. This, together with a light breathable wind jacket should be all you need for the mountains in my view (20+ years of experience). This goretex trend is getting out of hand and we all know that rain gear will wet out eventually ... so the trick is to have best of both worlds by actually having the two worlds in your pack -- one breathable and one non-breathable.

Babe wake up, new gear video dropped

Hello Chase. How you doing? I have a question for you. I know you usually wear Vivobarefoot shoes in the mountains and have tested different models. I recently made a couple of hikes with a Primus Trails II FG and i was pleasantly surprised, but winter is coming and Im looking for a better suited option for the season? What is your experience? Which model do you think will be good for winter hikes (I doesnt count the ones when you need crampons and a rigid boot too)? Have you tried another good brand apart from Vivo? Xero seems to have some interesting models too. Thank you in advance mate. Your content has helped me a lot

This is great and, as ever, very helpful - THANKS. However, for so many (me included), winter and early spring is not snow; it's cold and wet; it is rainy, soggy and muddy. It looks like most of your gear would transition to that, apart from the boots. In that event, how might you amend your boot choice for days of rain?

Merino wool glove liners-same concept as your two hats.

Busted! Your pack contained the basics- clothing, some food, thermos of hot hydrating goodness,......where's your first aid kit?!? Ack!

Re your 5 beginners gear video. Please, hope it's okay to ask here. Hi Chase. Can you tell me, why not Spon battery banks? I assume you mean Toospon? It's what I use. A 30000mAh.

How do you like the Magna FGs vs the Magna ESCs? What's been the pros and cons of the different outsole/lug styles in your experience?

Cortazu is very expansive, would take other brand name that are as good, Columbia, North Face, OR, Rab, Arc'teryx but that one also is expansive!

Would you still recommend the Magnas in really wet conditions? I have some concerns about the wool upper being less waterproof.

Whats the toplayer in 8:12?

This is unrelated to this video but do you have any suggestions for patellar tendonopathy? I hurt my back recently and started walking more to soothe it. I went from 10000 steps a day to 14000 in a few weeks and my knees began to feel worse and worse. Turns out my 6 year old running shoes and my well loved hiking boots were causing poor walking mechanics that ultimately contributed to my knee pain and also my continued back pain. I had brand new shoes and boots sitting in reserve so I’ve switched them out now and am walking less. I also do the cracr hamstring stretching 3 times/week and the daily movement for hikers routine. Any suggestions of something I should add or subtract from my routine?

Im planning on hiking the Chimborazo 6 months from now, what kind of shoes, clothing will you recommended? Looking forward to get the Mountain Proof knees program.

What was the temperature? How cold would you take these layers before swapping with warmer layers?

I had experienced hiking in snow before. and one big problem I had was my toes would get really cold and even got some burns on the skin from the cold which got a really long time to heal. I loved hiking on mountains though and really want to go back, but I'm in this never ending search for which boots/socks I should use. I did use some north face hiking boots which were water proof but ventilated and used merino wool socks. I still got really cold toes. Any tips? please

Chase what are your thoughts on hand straps on poles? - I’m thinking of cutting mine off - in case of a fall whilst wearing resulting in dislocated shoulder or broken wrist

Why are you differentiating between Catalan and Spanish products?

❤

12:33 After few years I think Vest + SoftShell + Poncho RainCoat on is way better then hard shell . hard shell appears to me as overpriced compromis it does not work well against hard rain (ponoch wins) and is not so breathable (softshell wins), there is one advantage it looks better than Poncho RainCoat . I don't climb so my view may not fit yours.

check out Ridgeline from NZ - excellent gear

"Just vent and you don't sweat." Who are these people? I can be butt naked there doing a hike and still sweat. More useful for people like me Use stuff that keep you warm even when you sweat. Merino Or even better The fishnet merino shirts Looks dumb but works amazingly under a normal merino shirt. Quite common in the nordics

Cataluña is part of Spain, just in case you didn't know

You lost me when you said don't fill your thermos with coffee! Madness

How does one actually learn ice climbing and stuff like that? I get how you learn hiking and get used to mountaineering, but how do people learn how to climb up a mountain is out of my scope.

Barefoot shoes were the missing piece nature lovers didn’t know they needed

If Buff is from Catalunya, then Rab is from Yorkshire, Blue Ice from Haute-Saboye and so on...

Too effing cold here

I wish I could find a barefoot shoe that was shaped anything remotely sensibly for a my feet. All the barefoot brands make such a big fuss about how they have so much toe space, but this only applies to a very specific food type since the space is only lateral not vertical. The shoes are soooo flat at the front: why? If you have duck feet that are very broad and flat, then yes, you will have plenty of toe space. However, my feet are not broad and I have high arches and "tall" big toes. There just isn't enough vertical space; they pinch over the arches and press down on my big toes (you can see the shape of my toenails pressing against the upper).

Hello Chase, how can I contact you to have more information about one to one training? Do you have a work email adress? Thank you.

Chase, you cut off your beautiful curls, didn't you? Damn!

? One pic shows you wearing a shell 5 yrs ago, and now a Patagonia puff coat? Micro spikes? Patagonia and micro spikes go very very well together, but neither have an iota of use in the mountains, forest, camping, hiking, and I'll now add just one personal note... They both do belong in the garbage.

Chase have you watched Dominion 2018? It shows how Wool and Down are harvested

You should really be carrying an ice axe when doing winter hiking with any significant snow. I saw you had two climbing axes but they're not appropriate for that still of hiking. Self arresting is no joke

Can't level the house 🤣

You couldn't go outside during Covid? 😮 that seems unreasonable and unscientific.

This channel is just a whole load of nothing

One big thing about barefoot shoes... they suck and are bad for you feet.

Believe in Jesus Christ, trust in Him for your eternal salvation and repent of your sins!