Backpacker Magazine – Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2012

Fall/Winter Gear Guide 2012: Food

Fuel the biggest cold-weather adventures.

by: Lauren Gladu & Kristy Holland

Tags:
• Gear
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• Food
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Backcountry Bartender
Upgrade chilly evenings—responsibly!—with packable booze and brews.

Stacked Wines Chardonnay, Merlot, and Pino Grigio
Four classy cups stack vertically and snap apart into individual containers pre-filled with fruity chardonnay, complex merlot, or crisp pinot grigio. “A classy ‘glass’ of wine is the perfect end to a long trail day, and the shatterproof plastic cups reseal, so they’re perfect for storing leftovers,” says one tester who recommends the warming red. $15 (750 ml); stackedwines.com

Clif Family Winery Climber Pouch Wines
This bulk-style wine bag packs a liter and a half of bold cabernet sauvignon or chardonnay in a 1.4-ounce sack that saves you 1.75 pounds of bottle weight. The push-button dispenser also keeps air out, so your wine stays fresh on extended trips. $17 (1.5 L); cliffamilywinery.com

Kru 82 Vodka
Sealed in lightweight, water-bottle-style stainless-steel bottles ranging in size from a 1.75-liter jug to a 200-ml flask stand-in, this crisp vodka is perfect for trailside martinis or cocktails. Reuse the shatterproof bottle for water to hydrate post-party. $6 (200 ml); kru82.com

Oskar Blues Deviant Dale’s India Pale Ale
Dale’s hit the backcountry-beer bull’s-eye by pairing this 8-percent brew with a 16-ounce, tall-boy-style can. “With twice the alcohol of other beers and a bit more to sip on, I could carry one Deviant Dale’s instead of a sixer of lesser brew,” says one tester. $13 (4-pack); oskarblues.com

Shot Pak STR8UP Spirits
Packing one of these 1.7-ounce liquor pouches makes it easier than ever to mix a hot-buttered rum, Irish coffee, or brandy toddy to sip campfire-side. Testers report that these liquors are stiff enough to mix, and smooth enough to serve as a martini. All six varieties of the straight stuff are good, but stay clear of Shot Pak’s mixed shooters, which testers didn’t like. $3 (50 ml); shotpakinc.com

Widmer Brothers Brewing Hefeweizen mini-keg
On winter trips when pulling a sled makes it possible to tote luxe cargo, the party-sized capacity of this mini-keg (equivalent to 10-plus pints) is perfect for hut trips. The pourer dispenses a perfect head for every cup of the unfiltered, American-style hefeweizen. The only catch: You have to finish the brew within eight hours, before it goes flat. Bring friends. $22 (5 L); widmerbrothers.com



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