Win a Marmot Variant jacket with Polartec

Not everyone dreads the arrival of winter. Here at Gadling, we actually get pretty excited about seeing our breath, making the most of snow days and sipping hot toddies. That’s because we understand that there are two keys to enjoying winter. First, dress appropriately. A good coat goes a long way towards getting you to embrace some chilly air. Second, take advantage of all the fun activities that winter has to offer. Why hunker down indoors until Easter when you can get outside for a snowball fight, ice skate on a local pond or simply take a walk on a clear winter day? Hot cocoa always tastes better after some time spent outside. So, to help you dress the part and stay active all winter, we’re giving away a Marmot Variant jacket with Polartec Power Stretch.

The Marmot Variant jacket is perfect for people who want to be on the move even when the temperatures begin to dip. It keeps your core warm while the Polartec Power Stretch allows for full range of motion. Whether you’re walking to class, snowshoeing through the woods or simply cleaning off your snowed-in car, the Marmot Variant will keep you warm and comfortable.

We have one men’s medium in “Vapor Blue/Black” to give away to a very lucky Gadling reader. All you need to do to enter is leave a comment below sharing your favorite outdoor winter memory. Maybe you built a massive snow fort. Perhaps you raced your sled down the highest hill in town. Or, if you’re like my grandfather, you just had to walk five miles to and from school barefoot (uphill both ways, of course).

Whatever it is, just tell us your favorite winter activity memory in a comment on this post and we’ll select one respondent at random to win the Marmot Variant jacket with Polartec Power Stretch.

  • The comment must be left before Friday, November 19 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • One winner will be selected in a random drawing.
  • The winner will receive a Vapor Blue/Black Marmot Variant jacket in a men’s medium (valued at $140).
  • Click here for complete Official Rules.
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, including the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.

How I keep my backpack organized

I’ve become such a smug packer. On my last trip, I packed for three states, two countries, and three climates, which varyied from Alaska winter to springtime Mexico, and I would proudly show off display my bag (which I carried on each flight) to anyone who was (or wasn’t) interested.

What’s ironic is that I’m a total mess – I’m famously disorganized, and the contents of my bag will spew over the floor and bed of my hotel room in a colorful vomit until it’s time to move on. So, in order to contain my sloppy piles, I’ve implemented a packing strategy that has changed my travel life. Well, it’s less of a strategy and more of a product: Eagle Creek’s packing cubes. (Full disclosure – I receive a pro-purchase deal on Eagle Creek products, but I was buying packing cubes long before that privilege.)

For my round-the-world trip, I used a Marmot Diva backpack, which is thin and deep, and only has a top opening. With the packing cubes, I could color-coordinate (pants in the yellow cube, shirts in the blue one) and grab exactly what I needed rather than dig blindly through the black cavern of the backpack. Though the pack is cylindrical and the cubes are square, I could use the empty space along the sides of the cubes for stuffing dirty clothes, books, and shoes.I found that the half-cube size works better for me than the full size. The full one is so big that it ends up becoming just as disorganized as my pack would be without one, unless I’m taking bulky winter gear. The half cube is perfect for my lighter clothes: I simply roll everything up into tubes and line them up inside. I use a long tube cube for my underwear and one or two pairs of socks. Once I’m home, I’ll throw all my travel accessories (pack towel, hand sanitizer, headlamp, etc) into a cube or two and keep it in a drawer, where it’s all in one place.

I would have included a picture of my own stellar packing job, except that I’ve been home a month now and my stuff is currently spilling out of my cubes and pack on my bedroom floor….

Nothing Says iGlove You Like This Gift

So the gift you bought a loved one didn’t go over well? Maybe this will be, er, more warmly received.

iPod lovers are rejoicing at Marmot’s new iGlove gloves and glove liners. Not only do they keep your hands warm and dry, but touch pads on the fingers of these glove liners allow you to operate your iPod click-wheel, without completely exposing your hands every time you want to skip past that last summer’s hit tune, which is not as appropriate to listen to while on the slopes.

The patent-pending fabric lets the electrical charge from your finger pass through the liner. And, of course, the liners work with any glove, or can be used on their own.

Not that some of us will be enjoying much skiing this year (there’s no snow in Europe!), but it’s good to know that somebody figured out how to make winter sports more compatable with the iPod.