Toasteeeeeee!!!

Holy crap! For someone who is a cold cold sleeper, I can't believe I've found a sleeping bag that is TOO warm for most of my camping. The REI Women's Kilo Plus is rated to -5 degrees F, making it perfectly warm and comfy for those nights below 32 degrees. Which was perfect when I was still living on the East coast, but now I'm on the left coast..... a little overkill. This is the first sleeping bag that's actually made me break out in a sweat. Nothing close to -5F temps where and when I camp but I'm the kind of cold sleeper who shivers in her 20 degree bag on 40 degree nights. This bag has been great for nights in the Sierras at altitude and in the winter in Joshua Tree. For a warm bag, it packs down nicely for multiday backpacking trips (thanks to the 750 fill down). I also love that this 5'2" girl no longer has to deal with an icy cold footbox area because this bag is the perfect length. There's also a little draft collar that you can snuggle around your shoulders to keep extra toasty warm. And speaking of shoulders, it's definitely a women's bag that's contoured for smaller shoulders - so less dead space to have to heat up. On the minus side, it's pricey, but I guess that's what your yearly coupon and dividend is for...

Wild Country Women's Vision Harness

Having gotten almost 8 years worth of wear out of my old Black Diamond Momentum Harness, it's long past time for me to replace it with something new. After trying on many, many harnesses, this one wins the prize for the most comfy. Nice wide swami that's padded, as are the adjustable leg loops. And pretty affordable, around $55. Also lots of safety features, like wear indicators on the belay and leg loops. It also has a little haul loop rated to 10kN that can be occasionally handy. What's really great about this harness is the truly female fit - the rise in the front is definitely longer than men's/unisex harnesses. And it actually has made a significant difference in the comfort and fit for me. What I haven't loved about the harness is the gear loop placements. The two rear loops unfortunately lie too close to, well, my rear. It's been tough to rack up gear in an organized way and reachy for me too. Which means unfortunately, I'm still looking for a comfy, all around harness.