For two years, Jason Klass has been updating the world on the latest and greatest trekking equipment at Gear Talk. Mr. Klass tells us about his favorite gear brands, his most memorable hike and more.

How long have you been blogging? What was the inspiration behind Gear Talk?

I started casually blogging in 2006 on my old site Homemade Backpacking Gear. But I didn’t take it seriously until 2007 when I started Gear Talk.

My biggest inspiration was probably Tinny from Minibulldesign. I liked his videos on his alcohol stove designs and wanted to start making my own to share with people. I had no idea how to edit (or even shoot) video, but I taught myself and started posting some videos. I was shocked to find that people actually liked them despite my lack of on-camera presence. What I found was that people cared more about the gear than the quality of the video or the personality. It’s really that shared passion for backpacking gear of my audience that keeps me going.

What’s been your most memorable hike? Why?

Probably a hike I did a couple of years ago through Salt Creek Canyon in Canyonlands National Park. I was with two good friends and lots of interesting things happened on that trip. It had rained heavily the night before we arrived (unusual for that area), and the clay on the dirt road was extremely slippery. Even in 4-wheel drive, my Jeep came very close to sliding off the road and down a 200-foot cliff several times. The road was also blocked by boulders that came loose from the cliff above from the rain, and we had to get out of the car and move them aside to pass.

Within the first 20 minutes of our hike, we saw two mountain lions together. It’s rare enough to see one, but two at the same time is pretty amazing. I’ll probably never see that again.

On the third day, a severe windstorm kicked up all the sand and turned the sky totally red. With the red sky and all the weird rock formations, it felt like were on Mars. The wind was so strong it actually snapped one of my friend’s tent poles. None of us had a pole sleeve, so we had to improvise a fix with some extra tent stakes and some duct tape. But at night, it was so clear that we could see millions of stars and even spotted several satellites racing across the sky.

On our way out, we also found a lot of ruins and cave paintings. This trip had everything: gorgeous scenery, archeology, wildlife, danger and a slight disaster. What else could you want?

Hands down, what’s your favorite brand when it comes to hiking gear?

You can’t ask a gear junkie to pick just one! But I do have different favorites for different types of gear. For clothing, I like REI because they copy a lot of high-end designs and make them cheaper and better. For stoves, Minibulldesign alcohol stoves are the best in the world. For backpacks, Gossamer Gear makes the most innovative lightweight packs out there. When it comes to tents, I like Big Agnes a lot and have been using one of their tents for a couple of years now. For some reason, the only hiking shoes that fit me perfectly are Merrell so that’s my favorite in that category.

Tell me some items that hikers often overlook before hitting the trail.

Actually, I think the opposite is the bigger problem: People take too many items. I’ve seen people on Mt. Whitney with lawn chairs strapped to their packs. If you need to be that comfortable, you might as well stay home, sit on the couch, and watch the Nature channel. Many people think that the more they carry, the safer and more comfortable they’ll be. I’m part of a growing movement that’s trying to dispel that myth.

You recently visited the Gore-Tex facilities. Was there anything aside from the eVent/Goretex side-by-side comparison that surprised you?

Two things. First, the people. Every single person I met there was amazing. Without exception, they knew everything there was to know about fabric technology and were passionate about what they do. Employees there actually argue with each other over who has the best job in the world. Everyone from lab technician to executive was down to Earth and fun. I think there’s a perception out there of Gore as a big, bad, corporate giant. But when you get to peak behind the curtain, you see it’s not like that at all. They’re just regular people with an impressive commitment to quality and integrity.

The other thing that impressed me was the amount of testing they do. Most fabric companies just sell their fabric to a manufacturer and they do what they want with it. But Gore actually tests the end product. So if Merrell makes a new shoe with Gore-Tex, they have to first send it to Gore for testing and approval before they can sell it. They have rooms full of machines that put gear through all kinds of torture tests. One machine flexes shoes underwater hundreds of thousands of times to check for leaks. I saw a room with 80 washing machines that run 24 hours a day to test durability of jackets and other garments. There are wind tunnels, rain rooms, and all kinds of gear-testing contraptions reminiscent of Wonka’s Chocolate factory. It was absolutely fascinating and I walked away with a better understanding of waterproof, breathable fabrics and even more confidence in my Gore-Tex jackets.

What are you working on right now?

Yesterday, I launched a new website for people who like to fly fish while they backpack: BackpackFlyfishing.com. It’s something I’ve been talking about doing for years, but with all of my other sties just didn’t have the time. I’m a former fly fishing guide and have been fly fishing on my backpacking trips ever since I moved to Colorado.

When I drive to a stream to fish, I wear a big vest full or fly boxes, waders, a net, etc. But when you have to carry all of your gear miles into the backcountry, you really have to pare down. I searched the net for sites that might talk about backpacking and fly fishing and found virtually nothing. So, I decided to make it myself.

There’s a blog where I will share my tips, techniques and gear reviews. There’s a forum where people can share their knowledge and ask questions. I’ve also assembled a small collection of unique gear that is perfectly suited to backpacking and fly fishing. Everything is light, compact, and affordable. I’ll be adding more products soon, including some that I am designing and manufacturing myself. With all of that, I’ll be busy for a while.