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Aescention

Even the most serious “outdoorsman” probably wants a little creature comforts when sleeping in the wilds. After all who really wants to sleep on the cold, hard ground? If having a little cushion under your sleeping bag is your thing, then the Aescent tent, which is being developed via a Kickstarter campaign, might be for you.

This four man tent features an inflatable mattress built into the base. Instead of a being just an air mattress on the floor, this is actually a series of intertwined compartmentalized chambers, which provides a more supportive sleeping surface – and that could help leave you fresh for another day in the wilds. Video after the jump

The KoldRush to the Head

As winter finally is turning to spring that means summer isn’t far off. Anyone who puts in the long miles on a bike knows that the sun can beat down on the helmet and just heat things up. The KoldRush is a new bike helmet accessory that is being developed via a Kickstarter campaign. This takes the approach that a little cool water dripping on the head can cool you down. The still in concept device, which was designed by Scott Powers, is built around a 24-ounce reservoir that is mounted to the seat post, while an internal pump drives the water through a tube to the back of the helmet.

This does seem to be a rather complicated way to get some cool water to the head, but on a hot day it might be worth it. It could also be a good kind of “cold rush” to the head – as opposed to say eating ice cream too fast on a hot day! Video after the jump

Reflective Ride

Being seen at night at night is crucial when on a bike. The Lumen Retro-Reflective City Bicycle doesn’t exactly light up the night sky, but it features a reflective paint that looks black during the day yet reflects light at night. The creators, including Jefferson McCarley of the Mission Bicycle Company, noted that in most urban environment glow-in-the-dark paint is actually not all that visible, but the reflective paint on the Lumen bike is much harder to miss. This bike requires no batteries.

The Mission Bicycle Company, which launched a Kickstarter project to bring the Lumen to market, has been working with Halo Coatings to develop the innovative coatings on the bike. It seems like a bright idea and one to reflect on. Video after the jump

Mobile Exercise System Gets Kickstarted

Last month the TAO WellShell, which was demonstrated at this past CES, recently launched as a Kickstarter campaign. TAO-Wellness is looking to develop the world’s first mobile, isometric exercise system for a fall 2014 release.

“We received a great deal of interest from the tech and fitness community as a result of our launch at CES,” says Philo Northrup, president and co-founder of TAO-Wellness. “But the question we kept getting asked was, ‘When and where can I get a TAO?’ We decided to optimize TAO for manufacturing and turn to Kickstarter to deliver them to our supporters as quickly as possible.”

The Kickstarter campaign will run through April 17. Video after the jump

Knock Out Game

The infamous “knock out game” that kids may be playing on the streets is no joke, but the truth is boxing can be a good way to burn some calories and relieve some stress. Virtual KnockOut looks to go from mobile boxing game to a realistic, full impact boxing training. The developer have launched a Kickstarter project to bring the game to market.

“The days of boring workouts are over,” says Pete Gustin, founder and CEO. “With mobile technology, manufacturers can deliver arcade quality experiences at incredibly affordable price.”

By combining mitt trainers with a mobile app users can punch away and make a real game of it! Video after the jump

Half Way There

A Half-Track is a cross between a tank and a truck. These aren’t used so much today, but the notion of “half” still exists as the Halfbike suggests.

Its designers, which launched a Kickstarter campaign to help bring the device to market, see it as truly half way between a scooter and a bike. It is actually a tricycle of sorts with a big wheel in the front and two small tires in the back, but it is designed as an urban transport solution – making it easier to go from point A to point B than on a traditional scooter – but still smaller than a traditional bike.

The unique design could also give a serious workout to the glutes, quads and buttock muscles as there is no seat! But thanks to its small size it could be ideal for navigating crowded urban streets. Video after the jump

Get Insight

There are plenty of fitness monitors on the market, but BSX Athletics is looking to bring out the Insight, which it has billed as the first ever all-in-one wearable sensor that can pair with a sports watch. It includes lactate threshold technology, heart rate monitoring, cadence tracking, and can monitor pace and calories burned.

The Insight can sync at the same time with both ANT+ and Bluetooth 4.0, and thus provides greater flexibility to uses. BSX Athletics has launched a Kickstarter project to bring the Insight to market. Video after the jump

Allo Allo!

The Allo promises to be the world’s first bike mount-speaker combination, which can provide riders with a safer way to access a smartphone while riding. The Allo features a built-in speaker that can allows users to listen to music, navigation and even make phone calls without having to take their hands off the handlebars and without the need of headphones.

“I’m passionate about biking and music and saw there was no safe product out there that let me combine the two,” said Benji Miller, inventor of the Allo. “After seeing many cyclists illegally and unsafely use their earbuds or phones while riding, I wanted to create a way for people to use their smartphones while still being safe, which is when I first started designing and creating the Allo. With design experts on the team, they fine-tuned the concept to what it is today.”

Miller launched a Kickstarter project earlier this month to help produce the Allo. Video after the jump

Sail or Fly?

The Flying Phantom is a sailboat that apparently lives up to its name. Launched earlier this year at the Paris Boat Show, this $40,000 catamaran will likely be used in a number of sailboat races in 2014. The Flying Phantom can get up on its foils in wind as low as seven knots sailing downwind, and upwind if the speed is above 10 knots. According to the makers its maximum speed has hit 33 knots, but it could easily reach 45-50 knots in the right conditions. Video after the jump

Six More Cities Get Green Lanes

PeopleForBikes – formerly Bikes Belong – has selected six more cities for its Green Lane Project. The bicycle advocacy group will conduct a two-year program to build protected lanes in six new U.S. cities including Boston, Denver, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Seattle. This follows the original Green Lakes Project that brought lanes to Austin, Chicago, Memphis, Portland, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Green lanes are on-street lanes separated from traffic by curbs, planters, parked cars or posts intended to help organize the street and make riding a bike an appealing option for more people.The six cities, which were chosen from more than 100 U.S. cities that submitted letters of interest for the program, will receive financial, strategic and technical assistance to create the lanes.

Green Lane Project Official Website

Infinity Plus One

We are in a minimalist world and it is evident by the Infinity Pedal from MöBIUS CYCLING. We’ve seen other clip-in cycling pedals that are just an axle but most require a bit of training and practice to get used to – however, the Infinity Pedal is much like any other step down clip-in pedal. It just happens to be round.

For this reason it appears that you don’t need to align the pedal to clip-in. Just step in or step on and clip. For those looking to cut down on weight the Infinity is about as light as they come. The titanium version of the Infinity Pedal, which is being developed via a Kickstarter project, weights just 190 grams.

This design features just one moving part and is designed to be easily maintained and rebuilt. That could allow it to be a pedal that could last until infinity and beyond. Video after the jump

Fix It Again

Last year Fix It Sticks caught our eye when it successfully launched its first radically designed, all-new bicycle tool on Kickstarter. For 2014, Fix It Sticks is returning to the crowd funding site to help launch two new products, the “Fix It Sticks Replaceable Edition” and the all-new “T-Way Wrench.”

“Each of these tools essentially combines a 3-way wrench, T-wrench, multi-tool and screwdriver all in one small, tough, portable package,” said Brian Davis, founder of Fix It Sticks. “Our new tools easily replace a few hundred dollars worth of shop tools and will free up shop storage space. Besides the bits we provide, the design accepts driver bits found at any hardware store. Virtually any bit can be used; sockets, Torx, hex, and Pozidriv.” Video after the jump

All Oar Board

If you have a stand up paddleboard and would prefer to do some sitting you are in luck. The Oar Board allows for quick conversion of a board into a single scull rowing boat. The Whitehall Rowing & Sail company of Victoria, BC have launched an Indiegogo project. It can be attached to a paddleboard in just five minutes and the polymer and marine-grade powder-coated aluminum should be ready for the water. Video after the jump