My friends, welcome to this episode of The Outdoor Gear Review. In this one, I backpack about 10 miles up to a mountain campsite that I haven’t visited in at least a year, and it was a battle to get there. The payoff is huge though—an incredibly beautiful spot, perfect temps around 54–55° at roughly 6,000 feet, and a sky that just can’t make up its mind. With thunderstorms possible and the wind ripping outside the forest, I get my tarp up early and pitch it high for comfort—this setup is about staying dry, not sealing myself off from airflow. As the evening rolls in, the storms start firing all around—non-stop thunder to the south, east, and north—until one finally skirts close enough to make things very real. Lightning hits WAY too close on the other side of the hill, and later we even get hail with a noticeable temperature drop. I also talk about why there’s no campfire (statewide fire ban, drought conditions, and people starting fires anyway), and I continue testing gear like the ultra-light Nemo Hornet Osmo Elite, hoping for a solid rain test. By morning, the rain has tapered off, the ground is still dry, and I start the hike out—downhill this time—staying ahead of the sun. Strength and honor.