Max's Summer Staff Picks

My Top Pick: QuikClot

A few years ago, I added QuikClot to my med kit and hoped to never use it. I knew that it would give me the best chance at arresting bleeding and I knew that it was developed for military use and was well-tested. 

When it came time to help a friend, I did not hesitate to enlist QuikClot as our first line of defense. I placed one 4" pack(equal to two 2" packs) on the wound and secured it by an ace bandage. QuikClot arrested the bleeding, and held for 3 hours, allowing us to safely extricate and make it to the local hospital. My friend later told me that the doctors applauded our field bandage and attributed it to a successful outcome that they had in the subsequent surgery. 

QuikClot now travels with me on all my backcountry adventures. 

Hoka Tecton X2

I discovered plated shoes in the summer of 2023 and I have not looked back. Whenever I have concerns about my own performance in the mountains, I put on a carbon plated shoe and my worries are laid to rest. A carbon plate gets me the most stiffness, propulsion, and protection that you can find in a trail running shoe. 

The Tecton X 2 becomes exceptional when you factor in it's impressive 250 gram weight. That makes it one of the lightest shoes that we carry at Alpenglow Sports. Thanks to the carbon plate, the Tecton is stiff, supportive, and protects my feet. I favor this shoe anytime I need to perform and my best and anytime I need to go off trail into loose, sandy conditions. 

Birkenstock Arizona EVA

I love that you can get the Birkenstock style and support at a $50 price point. And they float! My summer activities are in and around the lake and I love the "no worries" attitude that a cheap pair of sandals creates.

I'm on my second pair of Arizona EVA sandals and I've already purchased my third. That indicates two truths: They do wear out in a season of hard use, and I am so keen on maintaining a pair of EVAs that I keep one ready for the day that they do eventually fail. 

Hoka Stinson ATR

I grew up in skate shoes, a world where "board feel" was the most important thing. Cushion was the enemy of board feel so skate shoes were notoriously flat and short on cushion. Nowadays, I'm making up for lost time by favoring maximum cushion shoes like the Stinson ATR 7 from Hoka. 

More cushion creates more stiffness. More stiffness equals more support. Thanks to their stiffness, maximum cushion shoes require less flexing and springing from your foot which leads to lower fatigue over time. 

The foam of the Stinson 7 is tuned to be as responsive as possible while absorbing as much impact as possible. I find the shoe to be well balanced in my daily walking and trail use. 

Platy 1L & 2L Bottles

A crush water bottle is a great tool for backcountry adventures. A water bottle that gets smaller as I drink water helps my pack stay tidy and helps me optimize weight distribution. I like the Platy over other crush water bottled because of it's tall-and-narrow shape. I tend to "Compartmentalize" and find that I can always find an easy-access place for a platy bottle.  

These bottles do have a limited lifespan but mine have lasted for many long seasons of hard use. I have both the 1 liter and 2 liter versions. I prefer a narrow-mouth bottle for ease of drinking. 

Natrapel Lemon Eucalyptus

I like to joke that Natrapel is the hippie perfume of choice. I personally am wooed by it's scent! Its rare to find a bug spray that you actually WANT to put on and I often take it one step further: Offering it to everyone at the hangout so we can chill in peace and free of the DEET-laden bug sprays of olde. 

Natrapel won "Gear of the year" in 2020 and that award is well deserved. Please find me around the campfire and tell me that I smell nice. 

Copper Spur UL Tent

I like to pretend that I like ultralight everything but there is always a consideration of comfort. I started exploring Big Agnes tents on their stellar reputation and plethora of ultralight tents that offered different features. In the end, I chose the Copper Spur over lighter options and have been so happy with the decison. 

The Copper Spur is a freestanding tent that feels incredibly roomy while having an impressively low weight. This tent has near-vertical side walls which alows you sit up straight without brushing a dew-covered tent wall that soaks your gear. I love camping in a comfortable tent and am happy to carry the extra grams to have an amazing experience at camp. 

A Copper Spur UL1 is offered by Big Agnes even though we don't carry it at Alpenglow Sports. We would be stoked to help you special order that tent. 

Endurolytes

I keep a dime bag of Endurolytes on me during every big adventure. I like how you can fine-tune your sodium intake based on your level of perspiration. I find Enduroluytes are a small but mighty supplement that give me confidence and reliably keep me out of the hole.

Because most hydration solutions have flavors and sugars, bringing extras takes up room in your kit. Endurolytes are so small and light that I often bring more than I need. It's a pleasure of mine to share these with friends and they are always welcomed. I am curious to try the Endurolytes Extreme but haven't ever really needed more sodium than these provide.

Cuban Rice Bowl

This meal has the most calories of any backpacking meal that we carry. It's made by Good To-Go who uses only real food and does a great job with flavors and spices. 

You never know how crushed you are going to be after a big day in the backcountry. I gain confidence knowing that I have an exceptionally caloric meal in my pack that is utterly enjoyable to eat. This makes a great base to add fresh or preserved ingredients to. And no, it's not two servings. 

Maurten Drink Mix 160 

I never used to drink my calories. I didn't think I had any problem eating and I rarely had stomach issues on big days. Then I started dosing my bike bottles and realized that I could feel even better and fuel myself even easier. 

Maurten is the ultimate drink mix because it uses their patented hydrogel technology. The hydrogel encapsulates the carbs and calories in what my body believes is a water molecule. Water is processed in the small intestine, so your stomach will send the hydrogel directly to the small intestine for processing. The small intestine breaks down the hydrogel and processes the carbs and calories. 

The small intestine is much more reslient and causes far fewer GI issues than the stomach. While it's kinda crazy, I like that Maurten "tricks" my body into better outcomes.