Hiking | Evolving Consumer

Timberland at 40

Timberland is celebrating its 40th year in business with a very special 40th Anniversary Ltd. Collection, where only 1,973 of each style will be made available – while numbers #1 and #1973 will be put up for auction. Bidding began this week and will continue until October 5th, with all auction proceeds going to Rainforest Alliance.

As the company notes:

“These are the boots that have not only withstood our tests for durability and protection, they’ve withstood the test of time. This special collection is limited to only 1973 pairs each to celebrate the 40th anniversary of our very first original Yellow Boot – the one that started it all.”

Timberland 40th Anniversary Ltd. Collection Official Website

Going Asolo

Whether you decide to hike with a friend or hit the trails solo you can do it with the Asolo Piuma, a light but supportive boot. It is heavier than a trail running shoe, so it isn’t meant to replace one – but it still provides natural movement more than a lot of boots. It features a suede/nylon mesh upper and Vibram sole that provides a secure footing on most terrain. While it isn’t waterproof it is meant to be rugged enough for hiking beyond the beaten path.

Asolo Official Website

Made in America: Bullet Time

In video games bullet time is just another form of slow motion, but on the trail bullet time is anytime you’re packing the Bullet Rack Coyote. This slim American-made pack from Goruck offers a 3L hydration bladder and attachment for a MOLLE-compatible GR2 Field Pocket. The military-grade, highly water resistant material will go the distance and provide liquid for the trip.

Goruck Bullet Ruck

Over Yonder

If you’re looking to head over yonder and see the world, then load up the iPhone with the free mobile Yonder App, which makes it easy to find great outdoor destinations. Users can further track their adventures with geo-tagged video and images, follow other users, and share experiences with the Yonder community and other social networks.

Yonder automatically identifies a user’s current location and displays a feed of nearby places to explore. Users can filter the feed by one of 18 different activities including hiking, biking, rock climbing, kayaking and more.

Yonder Official Website

Anorak Ready for Fall

While it was introduced in the spring, The Anorak from Nobis is ready for the cooler weather that we can soon expect. It is rain and weather resistant thanks to the polyurethane coated, DWR treated cotton/nylon outer shell.

This jacket features a Nobis mesh liner that offers enhanced breathability, while the one-way zipper at the center front and three-way zipper side seams will keep you from getting hot under the collar or anywhere else. The Anorak further offers plenty of pockets so you can just about anything on a hike or just a trip to the store.

Nobis The Anorak Official Website

PROTKT and Serve

Taking that iPhone on a ride is cool, especially as it can be used with a variety of apps, but you’ll want to make sure it survives the ride. This is where the Wahoo Fitness PROTKT comes in. This iPhone bike case is sleek and slim, yet weatherproof and shockproof – providing users a simple and secure solution to accessing their iPhone through rain, dirt, snow and of course – sweat.

It even comes bundled with the Wahoo Fitness App for cycling – transforming the handset into a powerful fitness tool – which you can combine with fitness sensors to wirelessly monitor all your crucial information. It can also be used with a neoprene hand band for use while walking, running or hiking.

Wahoo Fitness PROTKT Official Website

Rand McNally Maps the Way

While the Rand McNally name likely evokes atlases and books, the company knows a thing or two about GPS as well. The Rand McNally Foris 850 is designed not to be read at a desk, but out on a trail or while on a bike. Out of the box it features more than five million miles of roads and trails preloaded onto the device.

These include trails in National and State parks and forests, rails-to-trails routes, and of course US street and contour maps. The rugged and waterproof Foris 850 features a three-inch anti-glare touchscreen, compass and altimeter. It runs on two AA batteries and it can go where the road or trail takes you. Video after the jump

OGIO’s New Gambit

Lifestyle bag maker OGIO is betting big on the Gambit, a go-anywhere backpack that features a crush proof “Tech Vault” pocket, along with utility pockets and additional storage for virtually any gadget or gizmo you’d need to take on your next adventure. There are even dual side water bottle and accessory holders so everything is within reach. It also offers a HUB (Hybrid Unibody Backpanel), which includes increased shoulder strap foam padding for daily use or those long treks.

OGIO Official Website

Dwarf-Sized Axe

The Joseph Bowen Micro Hatchet TAD Edition is not an axe for a dwarf but it be used one-handed, while its design centers the force of the impact into the middle of the blade allowing for even hard objects to be cut. It is skeletonized to reduce weight, and it features one large center hole to aid the grip. This might just be the axe to take hiking, camping, unless you actually need to chop a lot of wood.

Joseph Bowen Micro Hatchet TAD Edition Official Website

Vapur Filter

We’ve liked what we’ve seen with Vapur’s foldable water bottles. These are serious space savers for those on the go in the wilds. Now the company has unveiled its Explorer Series MicroFilter, which offers a lightweight, chemical-free water purification system that utilizes the most advanced hollow fiber membrane technology on the market.

The MicroFilter comes with a 1L Eclipse Anti-Bottle in either Olive or Night Blue, and in addition to using it with the Anti-Bottle, it can also be used like a straw to drink straight from the water source or squeezed from the Anti-Bottle into another beverage container. This creates a truly portable and versatile filtration system.

Vapur MicroFilter Official Website

Hunt Down

Just because the knife has the moniker “Hunter Pro” doesn’t mean you have to actually be a hunter, or a pro. This tactical knife might still be the one to have when you’re out camping or hiking. It is made by Victorinox, the folks behind the Swiss Army Knives, and this folding blade design is optimized for one-hand access while the heavy gauge stainless steel blade locks securely in place.

It offers an ergonomic grip that will have you cutting like a pro.

Victorinox Hunter Pro Official Website

Rino Radio

Getting off the grid and away from it all is good in theory, but perhaps a little communication isn’t such a bad idea. This is where the Garmin RINO 655t GPS/2-way radio comes in quite well. It can put TOPO maps, FRS/GMRS radio, altimeter, compass and weather radio right in the palm of your hand.

The NOAA weather can alert you to incoming storms, while the waterproof design is up to IPX7 standards so it can endure a storm or two. There is even a built-in 5-megapixel autofocus camera with automatic geotagging functionality.

There are times to leave the iPhone and other handsets at home, but this is one radio you shouldn’t go into the wilds without.

Garmin RINO Official Website

Transformable Pack

If you are a child of the 1970s, 80s or 90s there was probably some afternoon cartoon or TV show that featured a giant robot that came together from a number of other vehicles. The heroes always waited until the end to create this mega robot, which remains unclear to the adult viewer.

Perhaps the folks behind RukSak Bags grew up watching such quality programming, as they’re looking to roll out a bag that is modular, flexible and can break down in several bags for various needs. John Hubbel and his wife came up with the concept after he returned from a tour in the Middle East as part of an anti-terrorism team.

He found that one bag didn’t fit all purposes and having a bag that could be flexible made ensuring he had just the right gear for the job. The result is that wearers can add or remove items as necessary – from a simple lumbar bag to a full rig for a multi-day trip in the wilds. Hubbel is now looking to raise funding via Kickstarter to bring the RukSak to market – probably an easier task than fighting some super robot from another planet. Video after the jump