RRT Christmas Wish-list

The RRT Christmas Wishlist

By: Santa Claus

Ho Ho Ho and Merry Christmas to all of you adventure seekers, world travelers, friends and family of RRT, and everyone else out there.  Every Christmas these fine folks down at RRT send me their Christmas Wishlist and I can’t help but get giddy over all the gear they’re hoping to get.  I can’t get them everything on the list, but I can at least clue you in to some of the things that they want.  Who knows, it might give you an idea of what to ask me for yourself…

 

 

“Dear Santa, I want a pair of Rab Hut booties, so I can use them up north on my winter trips as a camp slipper and keep my tootsies nice and warm in the tent.”

Santa- I can’t promise you Rab booties with Cirrus synthetic fill and a Pertex outer, but Santa will do his best. We wouldn’t want Iceman getting chilly on his cold weather winter trips.

 

 

“Dear Santa, I want a new Rab Neutrino Jacket without paint stains that I could use for springtime in Alaska.  If you can’t get your hands on that though, I would be happy with one of those Banana Savers filled with candy, preferably M&Ms or Skittles…”

Santa- Candy and Banana Savers, I can do. 800 Fill Power goose down jackets with Pertex outers get a little tricky this time of year…  I need one of those myself for the cold sleigh ride I must take once a year.  I’ll see what I can do for ya Joe, might have to make a trade and you come paint the North Pole.

 

 

“Dear Santa, I want Inflatable Boardworks Raven Stand Up Paddle Board for Christmas, so I can surf the Little Miami all summer long!”

Santa- I have one of those Raven SUPs up here at the North Pole!  Mrs. Claus and I use it when we go away on vacation too; it packs down to 36”x 12” into its own carry bag weighing 25lbs altogether, fits in the sleigh great!  I love it too because it fits my heavy frame with its 215lb capacity.  We’ll have to go for a float together this summer and test ’em out.

 

 

“Dear Santa, I want more time with my friends and family because I already have everything I need.  If you want to put me on the list for a new climbing rope in about 7 years that would be great though…”

Santa- Olivia, we’ll get you on the top of the list for a 70 meter 9.8mm Sterling Rope in the next few years.  This holiday I can promise you plenty of time around friends and family, especially your RRT one.

 

 

“Dear Santa, I want a GriGri so I can safely belay all of my friends and family.  A GriGri would really help when everyone else needs a take so I can grab a quick snack while they sit on the wall.”

Santa- GriGris are a tough one, the assisted locking is nice, but shouldn’t you use a regular ATC like everyone else?  Didn’t I get you one of those Mammut Smarts last year?  Wait, how much climbing gear do you have?!  We’ll have to think about this on; if I find a top rope setup in your chimney, Christmas Eve, your odds could be better.

 

 

“Dear Santa, I want a 30-year shelf life can of Mountain House Biscuits and Gravy so that I can have it every day for breakfast through 2019.”

Santa- That’s a lot of gravy…sounds delicious. I think I could get in on this one with you Emma, but we’d be devouring that can in about a week. Santa goes through a lot of food, especially after the late night out.  I can at least try to get you one of those nice two serving packs they make so you can have a dinner or breakfast.

 

 

“Dear Santa, I want a Secrid wallet, so I can store six credit cards, cash, and my driver’s license, all in a low profile, RFID-blocking wallet.”

Santa- RFID-blocking!  That would be so useful when I’m traveling or spending too much time around the elves, they’re getting too crafty…  I checked my credit card statement, and someone had bought half a ton of candy canes!  What are those elves gonna do with all that candy…?  Anyway, Santa can safely say, I think you’ll be getting one of those for Christmas.

 

 

“Dear Santa, I want an MSR Guardian water filter, so I can get water in really cold weather and not have to sleep with my water filter and not have to buy a new filter cartridge for the next 9 years.”

Santa- Those Guardian filters are something else…  You could probably drop it off a cliff and it would still work, I hear they self back-flush the filter too!  Sounds like a great piece of gear, might be a little overkill for most but between you and Iceman I’m sure you’d get some use out of it.

 

 

“Dear Santa, I have been on a quest for awhile now to find the perfect rain jacket for when I have that itching to get out into nature but that also just happens to be during a category three hurricane… That’s why I’m hoping you can hook me up with a Patagonia Torrentshell Jacket to keep me dry. I would also like to respectfully request it in navy blue because it makes my eyes pop.”

Santa- Patagucci is always a nice Christmas present; I especially love the Down Sweater Hoody Mrs. Claus got for me last year.  That’s a wonderful jacket too, wonderful pit zips with large pockets and a synch helmet hood.  I can’t guarantee the navy-blue color because the elves are on a small strike right now, but I think a nice sprouted green jacket would complement your eyes just as well.

 

 

“Dear Santa, I want a Red Swift Pack 12 boat for Christmas with cherry trim and adjustable seat.  I want to paddle all over the Boundary Waters and different lakes in Colorado.”

Santa- Pack boats are always nice for the sleigh, they weigh a fraction of those heavy plastic and aluminum boats so its way easier to shove them down the chimney…  Plus, they paddle like a champ, I really need one of those for touring through the ice bergs up here at the North Pole.  If Mrs. Claus gets me one, I’ll get you one, how about that?

 

 

“Dear Santa, I want a Western Mountaineering Bison sleeping bag so that I will never be cold again”

Santa- Negative 40 degree sleeping bags are hard to come by, especially ones with 850+ fill power goose down and Gore Wind stopper outer materials.  That’s a bag where I could camp outside in the North Pole every night and not even come close to shivering once.  That might be hard to get, but if it does show up under your tree, you’ll have to come up north for a visit and test that baby out…

 

 

“Dear Santa, I want a Rab Alpha Direct Jacket for Christmas.  I want to stay toasty warm on those winter nights where it’s not quite cold enough for down and during the day while I’m crushing miles on the trail in frigid winter weather.”

Santa- Rab makes some killer jackets, like I was telling Joe earlier.  That Alpha Direct, with its Polartec insulation lining and Pertex outer shell is great for the light winter days with just a little bit of cold temperatures but packed with activity.  Let me know what color you want and it’ll be coming your way.

 

 

“Bark Bark Bark, Sprechen, Bark Bark.”  Translation – “Dear Santa, I would like a pair of Ruffwear Griptex Dog Boots.  This would help keep my paws warm, pretty, and mud free when Brandon and I go on muddy runs, winter hikes, and much more.”

Santa- Well Gaia, you know how much I love dogs, especially ones that love being outside as much as you.  If you keep being such a good pup this year, I think we can make this one happen.

 

 

“Bark Bark, Whine, Yip, Whine, Bark Bark Bark.” Translation – “Dear Santa, I would like a Ruffwear Omnijoring system, so I can pull Ben around on the trails in the winter once he gets some skis.”

Santa- Wicket, I hear Ben tried to pass you up for some professional sled dogs in that Fjallraven Polar thing…  Not cool.  Since you’ve been a good dog this year, as long as Ben gets some skis before the big day, I can most certainly make sure there’s a nice new harness and bone waiting for you, so you can pull Ben along on all the snow-covered trails.

 

With all of the RRT crew’s wishes for Christmas, maybe you came up with some ideas of what to ask Santa for.  If I can’t get it for you, maybe RRT can help you out…  From myself and all the RRT family, have a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays!