Backpacking and backcountry snow sports can be an excellent way to stay active and enjoy nature. Whether it is a day trip or multi-day adventure, some gear will be required. Food, water, a tent and a stove are just a few of the items that might be needed. Start piling up the gear and it is not inconceivable that your backpack could weigh over 50-pounds. It doesn’t sound like much, but after hours on the trail, that 50-pounds might as well be 1,000-pounds. Lightening the load can be done by reducing the amount of gear and supplies, or reducing the weight could be achieved by starting off with lighter weight gear. There are certainly a number of companies producing lightweight backpacking gear; just most of them have left the U.S. to manufacture their product line overseas. Kifaru International of Wheat Ridge, Colorado produces an assortment of lightweight backpacking gear and unlike their competition, they are still manufacturing their product line on U.S. soil. Continue reading Made in America: Kifaru International
Author: Brian O'Connor
Made in America: Boone Titanium Rings
Back in the early-to-mid 1990s, the cycling industry saw a number of companies producing computer numerical control (CNC) machined components, often out of aluminum or titanium and anodized in some crazy colors. Consumers couldn’t get enough titanium on their bikes – think of the obsession today over carbon fiber. For whatever reason, the craze didn’t last. Many of those companies either faded away or were bought up by another company to ultimately just be produced in China. Then there were those companies that diversified and are still manufacturing a product today. There are far fewer examples of these companies that evolved, but they do exist. Boone Titanium Rings of Roswell, Georgia is one example of a company that started in the bike industry and is now manufacturing wedding and other types of fashion rings, out of titanium and still made in America. Continue reading Made in America: Boone Titanium Rings
Made in America: Lynskey Performance Products
Even though the company Lynskey Performance Products has only been around since 2006, the Lynskey name has been involved with the bicycle industry much longer. Back in 1986, David Lynskey merged his knowledge of exotic metals, gained through the years of experience that has family had in the metals industry, with his desire to build a lighter bike frame for competition. The result was the beginning of the titanium bicycle frame company, Litespeed. For the next 13 years, David Lynskey, along with other family members, were the faces behind the name ‘Litespeed’ until they sold the company to the American Bicycle Group in 1999. A few years went by and the non-compete agreements expired, but the desire to build titanium bicycle frames never did die. In 2005, with the encouragement of their mother, the Lynskey family decided to jump back into the bicycle business and Lynskey Performance Products was born on January 1, 2006. Video after the jump
Made in America: Vew-Do Balance Boards
One of the best ways to avoid injury, sports related or not, is to have strong core muscles; and my wife reminds of this when I am doing an activity that might injury my back. “Hold your stomach muscles,” is the statement that she often repeats to me and she is right. Over the past year, strengthening those core muscles has become part of my workout routine and it has really helped. I have had less cycling related back injuries and I find that my back feels less ‘tweaked’ after a good day in the saddle.
There are many was to strengthen your core, from basic home exercises to specific Core Conditioning classes offered by some gyms. Along with these exercises or classes another device can be used will help you strengthen you core, improve your balance and is fun – a balance board. Vew-Do of Vermont has been designing and manufacturing balance boards for exercise, rehabilitation and just plan fun since 1990. Videos after the jump
Made in America: Redfeather Snowshoes
This week’s Made in America post appears on a day when the Colorado Front Range is finally getting pounded with its first winter storm of 2012. If the weather forecasters are correct, we may see up to 18-inches of snow by the time the storm is done. What better day to feature a company that has its roots in Colorado and may actually help me get out and around. Redfeather Snowshoes was founded back in 1988 by another Colorado resident who too was snow-bound, but that individual was a triathlete who lived up in Leadville, Colorado at 10,000-feet. His original design utilized an aluminum frame with a ‘V’ shaped tail that reduced the chance of a tail from one shoe from hitting the other shoe, especially while running and overall improved maneuverability while snowshoeing. This simple change to the shape has lead to the modern sport of snowshoeing that we know today as noted by Jim Tucker on the United States Snowshoe Association (USSSA) website. Continue reading Made in America: Redfeather Snowshoes
SIA Demo Day: OZ Snowboards
Those individuals who choose to start a business during these difficult economic times have my admiration, especially those who chose to start one in a market that some view as being very saturated. Adam Browning is one such individual who took his 20 years of passion for the sport of snowboarding and has started the Evergreen, Colorado based company, OZ Snowboards. During this the SIA Demo Days at Winter Park, OZ Snowboards took the opportunity to show off their new line of boards for the 2012/13 season. Continue reading SIA Demo Day: OZ Snowboards
SIA: O-range ‘Welded’ Bags Charge Us Up!
When it comes time to look for a backpack, messenger bag or a simple sleeve for you iPad (or other tablet), the choices that are out on the market can be mind boggling. The options seem endless, but there is hope around the corner. While walking the show floor at SIA, we noticed a booth of bags with a look that was different from any others that we had seen before – simple, elegant and functional. Just about every pocket, closure and strap had a purpose. Once we learned that the bags were Italian designed and manufactured, it made even more sense. The company, O-range, has a product line worth looking at when the time comes to purchase that next bag or sleeve. Continue reading SIA: O-range ‘Welded’ Bags Charge Us Up!
SIA: Carbon Fiber Meets the Trail with the ‘Kilo’ from Crescent Moon
Skis, snowboards, poles and boots – these are just a few of the winter sport items that use carbon fiber in their construction. Carbon fiber has been the material of choice for higher end equipment due to its high strength to low weight ratio. Not only is it light weight and strong, but it is the type of material that can make an overall product stronger by adding additional layers in higher stress areas. Wanting to tap into the advantages of this material, Crescent Moon of Boulder, Colorado is in the process of testing their newest and lightest snowshoe, the Kilo.
The new Kilo is simply named after its weight – 2.2-pounds with bindings for both pairs, making them easily one of the light pair of snowshoes on the market. Crescent Moon is not new to the snowshoe market, they have been around since 1997 and primarily use aluminum in the construction of their frames. At the SIA show this year, they are showcasing the Kilo that is uses carbon fiber in the construction of the entire frame of this snowshoe. Continue reading SIA: Carbon Fiber Meets the Trail with the ‘Kilo’ from Crescent Moon
SIA: Kulkea Debuts the Ski Trekker Backpack in Denver
A typical day of resort skiing along the Front Range in Colorado usually starts off with an early morning start, two hour drive, parking anywhere from a few feet from the base of the mountain to over a mile away and sometimes dressing in the car. The rush of getting to the slope sometimes means that your gear is strewed all over the car, which inevitably means that something will be left behind. At the 2012 SIA show in Denver, the Massachusetts company, Kulkea, is debuting a new backpack to help transport your all of your Alpine gear from the car to the slope in one backpack. The new Ski Trekker is designed to not only hold your boots, helmet and gloves, but also your skis.
The unique feature of the Ski Trekker is how balanced the pack is when loaded. The boots each fit in separate pockets, one on each side; while the skis slide down through the center of the pack. The skis are held in place by straps and a ski ‘boot’ similar to those seen in some automobiles. This ‘boot’ or sleeve keeps the skis from slamming the back of the legs while walking with a loaded pack. If the weather turns damps, a sleeve fits over the skis covering the top opening of the backpack.
It may seem that the ski sleeve design would make the loading of this pack difficult, but that is not the case. Stand the Ski Trekker on the ground, place the skis in the opening of the pack, lift the pack up around the skis and secure them in place. As easy as it sounds, the loading procedure is best demonstrated in the video. Video after the jump
Made in America: LoneWolf Dogwear
If you are an avid reader of KineticShift, you know we love our gadgets. With the newest GPS ‘this’ and latest fitness tracking app ‘that’ always being showcased, it might seem that technology is the only thing that motivates us to stay fit; but sometimes it is something as simple as taking our friend’s dog on a snowshoeing adventure that gets us motivated for a workout in the snow. We can dress for the cold and add layers as needed, but not all dogs are properly equipped to handle temperatures well below the freezing point with just their fur coat. This is where LoneWolf Dogwear comes to the rescue and offers custom dog clothing to help keep your four-legged friend warm in the snow.
LoneWolf Dogwear, based in New Ulm, Minnesota, is a company that manufactures a line of products exactly as the name implies – garments for canines. They manufacture dog clothing to keep your pooch warm, dry and/or highly visible. LoneWolf Dogwear knows that not all dogs are created the same and that the only way to produce a properly fitted garment is to custom manufacture them one by one, so each garment is made ‘to order‘. With each garment being made to order, it only make sense that they are all made in America to guarantee the quickest possible turn around times. Continue reading Made in America: LoneWolf Dogwear
SIA: No Slope Required with the Banshee Bungee
It is not always necessary to have a slope to pull off a few tricks on your board, all it takes is a tow rope and a vehicle. Now, not only is the hill unnecessary, but so is the vehicle. In what may appear to be an ACME rubber band used by Wile E. Coyote, Banshee Bungee is producing a bungee cord that can be anchored to a fixed object, pulled backwards and released to tow a rider on a snowboard up to 35-miles per hour. Continue reading SIA: No Slope Required with the Banshee Bungee
SIA: Spyderco May Be Able to ‘Assist’ You
What may seem to be an odd place for a knife company, Spyderco of Golden, CO, had a booth at the SIA show this year featuring most of their models. One knife in particular caught our eyes, not for any other reason than how it might help you or I our of a backcountry ‘situation’. On the surface, the Assist looks to be just a regular, single bladed knife, but it has so much more to offer. Continue reading SIA: Spyderco May Be Able to ‘Assist’ You
Made in America: MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoes
Snowshoeing is an activity that most able bodied people can do during the winter, just as long as there is enough snow. This is proving to be a fairly light snow year, at least in Colorado, but hopefully as we get into the later winter months that will change. There are quite a few companies that still manufacture their snowshoes in America, and one recently caught our eye due to its unique features. The MSR Lightning Ascent, by Cascade Designs, looks like a traditional snowshoe from a far, but has a whole list of features that set these shoes one step ahead of the competition. Continue reading Made in America: MSR Lightning Ascent Snowshoes