Many people claim to know a trail like the back of their hand, while others claim to have trails on the brain. Now thanks to Buff, maker of headwear, wearer’s can truly have the trail on the brain – or at least head. At the Outdoor Retailer Show they showed the new trail maps line of Buff headwear. Heady indeed!
Buff USA Official Site
[Via Gear Junkie: Gear for 2012: Outdoor Retailer Trade Show]
In Finnish a Kuppi is ac cup, and for centuries Finns would warm their hands by using a “little cup” or “Kuppilka,” which held a warm beverage. It was typically low tech such as wooden cup. But now Kupilka is a new high tech twist on the low tech that is designed for hikers and campers, or just anyone who wants a cup with the look that is straight out of the wilderness.
The drinking cups (they make utensils too) are made of natural fiber composites mixed with thermoplastic – basically 50 percent pine fiber wood mixed with 50 percent plastic. The result is one that doesn’t absorb smells, are insensitive to humidity and are dishwasher safe. But they are also recyclable, so if it should crack or break it can be ground down and casted again. Plus they offer a rugged look for those who would like to endure the great outdoors, just like the Finns!
In this high tech age there is no shortage of ways to stay in connected, but there is no app for making fire. And while there are high-tech fabrics and materials to keep warm, sometimes a fire is necessary to survive. At this week’s Outdoor Retailer Show in Utah, InstaFire demonstrated its fuel, which makes an optimal fire starter that can burn in severe weather. This fuel source, which has no harmful chemicals or vapors and can even be stored near food, will light and burn in wind, rain, sleet and snow. It has a 30-year shelf life as well, so it will be there when you need it. Burn baby burn!
In this high-tech era with texting, email and video chat sometimes the older technology gets left behind. But there are still times when you might need to write something down on actual real paper. But try taking that paper out in the rain, or even on a run or bike ride where sweat will get it wet, and you end up with soaked pulp. Water and paper don’t mix – at least most of the time. We’ve seen waterproof cameras, waterproof headphones so why not waterproof paper?
At SHOT Show in Las Vegas this week we were shown Rite in the Rain, a new type of waterproof paper that can survive rain, sweat and spills. The company has introduced a variety of paper products, including a nifty Outdoor Journal that can allow hunters, hikers, and just about anyone else who still take handwritten notes to have a notepad that can survive the elements. Video after the Jump
While the notion of a zombie apocalypse is likely (and hopefully) just a thing for movies and TVs, the popularity of it clearly is having an impact in the real world. At this week’s SHOT Show in Las Vegas Otis Technology, is introducing the Zombie Gun Cleaning System, which is designed to clean all 5.56MM rifles, 9MM and 45 caliber pistols, and 12 gauge shotguns.
There isn’t anything here that will actually stop the walking dead – for that a good firearm will of course do, at least if movies and TV are to be believed. But the kit does pack everything you’d need to keep your firearms ready just in case you do need to take on a zombie. Read the rest of this entry »
For urban dwellers and those with tight spaces finding room for a bike can be no small task. Italian designers BYografia have introduced a solution in the form of a bookshelf designed for bikes. This allows the bike to be hung from the front wheel, while the accompanying shelves allow for storage of other bike gear – or maybe a few books!
BYografia Official Website
[Via PSFK.com: Bookshelf Bike Rack Offers Cycle Storage Alongside Your Reading Materials]
There must be a demand for waterproof cases. Not long after we mentioned to you about the DryCASE, the folks at Benzitech sent us info on their new iDry waterproof cases for smart phones and tablets. The cases seal a device to keep out water, yet allow the devices’ touch screens to be used through the case without removal. They can submerge down to 30 feet underwater, and they float, too. The iDry products come with waterproof ear bud headphones, armbands, and neck straps.
Apartment Therapy's stylish fitness finds.
The folks over at Apartment Therapy have rounded up nine stylish fitness- and sports-related products that look sleek enough to stand alone as furniture, even if you never actually use them.
As someone who has used one of the products, the Technogym VISIOWEB, I can attest it works as well as it looks. With its large 19-inch display that does TV and iPod/iPhone connectivity, this is one piece of exercise equipment that I absolutely drool over.
[Via Apartment Therapy: Resolution: Admire Good Design … And Workout More]
We’ve all heard the old saying “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Not everything can be as easy and throwing a can in the blue bin or reusing a paper bag. Frankly, not everything can even be reused or recycled practical manner. Take an old bicycle inner tube for instance: while it can be used as a tie down strap or to hang tools in the garage, it isn’t really practical, so most of us just chuck them in the trash. Green Guru of Boulder, Colorado is changing the way we think of trash and they are reusing old bicycle inner tubes and neoprene wet suits in their product line. Read the rest of this entry »
There an old saying about how certain materials can travel through a goose, but here is a new twist on seeing through a goose, or more actually a down jacket. Hi-Tec Sports has provided a type of see-through jacket with dyed feathers that allows the flaunting of the down.
Instead of worrying that a down jacket could look bulky and thus unflattering, the jackets feature colored feathers that can be seen through the transparent shell. Reportedly this looks good but doesn’t affect the insulating properties of the down.
In this way the feathers of a goose can be shown off like the feathers of a peacock… if you’re into that sort of thing!
Hi-Tec Sports Official Website
[Via GearJunkie: Colored Goose Down as 'Bling' in See-Thru Jacket]
Looking to get a grip? The ChukGrips might just be the answer. These are multi-positional, ergonomically correct pole handles that can be used for hiking, walking, cross-country skiing and even mountain climbing. These provide a good position of the hand and wrist in relation to the poling stroke, and is ideal as well for those with large or otherwise bulky gloves, making these good for use in snow sports and for trekking through deep snow.
The grips can be attached to existing poles without too much effort, or are available as a complete package. Either way these are good for those looking to get a different kind of grip for their poles.
ChukGrip Official Website
[Via Snow Shoe Magazine: ChukGrips Transform Everyday Trekking Poles into Essential Snowshoeing Equipment]
You and your riding buddies have just finished an all day mountain bike adventure and you are back at the car digging into the cooler to reward yourselves with a tasty beverage. Where’s the bottle opener?!?! There are none on your key chains and no one in the parking lot has one. Sure, you are mountain bikers and nothing is going to keep you from a cold bottle of suds, but slamming the bottle on the side of the guard rail can often lead to a sudsy mess and half of your hard earned beer on the ground. StemCAPtain has come to the rescue with their headset top cap that doubles as a bottle opener.
This past VeloSwap in Denver, we had a chance to chat with Mike Hogan, one of the StemCAPtain owners, who handed us a bottle opener to try. Bikes and beer goes hand and hand, so on the bike this opener went. The installation was just as easy as the StemCAPtain Clock and StepCAPtain Thermometer that we tested earlier this year and the entire install took less than two minutes to put on the bike. Read the rest of this entry »
Room for the Skipper and his Little Buddy
Here is something even the Professor on Gilligan’s Island never crafted: a Hammock Boat. This concoction, which is making the rounds online, was reportedly seen near University of California at Davis (with reports varying as to how long ago that was), and we’re not sure if it came about after a weekend binge or a marathon of old TV shows. While it seems silly, it probably does provide a good upper body workout. But we can see this appealing very much to those who’d rather just float down the river instead.
[Via Bonjour Life: Hammock Boat Concept]
