Campground Review: Palo Duro Canyon State Park is approximately 20 miles east of Canyon, TX, which is a moderately populated city that gives you access to fuel and other necessities, if you happen to forget something. We stayed at the Sagebrush Camp Area, which ended up being perfect for our group. As we had the maximum number of people on our campsite, we needed more space for vehicles (which you can see from the photos had two of our roof top tents on them). The reason for our visit was predominately for mountain biking and hiking, and while the hiking was good (not great like Big Bend or multiple place in Colorado), the mountain biking was top shelf. The trails were mostly well maintained single track, offering options for both the new and experienced rider. Tip: At the entrance to the Hackberry Camp Area, there is an entrance/exit to one of the best MB trails in the park. It doesn't appear on the map and runs all the way back to Mack Dick pavilion.

We visited during Memorial Day, and the temperatures were just about perfect. A little warmer than we would have liked during the day, but the temperatures fell rapidly after sunset, which allowed us to sleep comfortably. Tip: If you're not used to West Texas weather, you need to be prepared for the occasional night time wind storm.

Overall, this is a must-do in Texas. I would hands-down recommend Big Bend before Palo Duro, but Palo Duro is 100% worth the trip.

Gear Review: I received the HellaGood Belmont Blanket through TheDyrt.com gear review program, and put it good use during our trip to Palo Duro. After "ordering" the blanket, it was promptly shipped and arrived at my doorstep in just a few days. After opening, you could tell immediately that Belmont was trying to do things a little different. The blanket rolls down to a nice size, comes with a leather retaining strap that can be used to keep the blanket in a storable form, and also has a small riveted hanging strap (perfect!). Once you open the blanket up, you can get a feel for the quality, and type, of fabric that was used. The outer layer is a full shell-type 100% waterproof material, which feels soft to the touch and sturdy, while the liner is a soft fleece. The construction is straight forward and appears to be bombproof.

We ended up using the blanket quite a bit at night around the fire, in our ENO hammock, and in our roof top tent. Around the fire, and in the cool mornings, the blanket was perfect, light and comfortable. In the roof top tent, we used the blanket as an extra layer; starting off with the Belmont Blanket, then adding layers as the night cooled. Where the blanket really shined was in the hammock. Once you got settled in the hammock, you could throw the Belmont Blanket on top of your sleeping bag as a waterproof layer, either for the morning due, or any unannounced showers. My only critique of the blanket is that, due to the materials used to make it waterproof, it feels like you're wearing a giant technical shell. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just a bit different that I'm used to.

Overall, after using, we'll definitely be keeping the Belmont Blanket in the truck. Either as a light blanket, an emergency rain shell, or as an addition to our camping supplies, it makes sense to keep this thing around. If you're interested in the blanket, you can check it out over at the Belmont Blanket website.