Category: Hiking

Map My Hike With New iPad App

Is the iPad really durable enough to go on long hikes? The folks at Backpacker magazine and Trimble Outdoors apparently think so, as they have announced the release of Backpacker Map Maker, a mapping and trip planning app for the Apple iPad. From the touch-screen tablet computer hikers and backpackers can find wild places, plot GPS points and plan their next adventure over seamless topographical maps.

“Our readers absolutely love maps. As avid backcountry explorers and GPS users, they like to view, create and annotate their topos, and with Map Maker, they can now harness the beauty and power of their tablets to experience maps in an extraordinary and dynamic way,” said Jonathan Dorn, editor-in-chief of Backpacker, and vice president, AIM Outdoor Group. “Map Maker is a portable, practical tool for hikers, a great way to relive their adventures, and the perfect complement to GPS Trails, our smartphone navigation app for in-the-field use.” Continue reading Map My Hike With New iPad App

Wearable Sleeping Bag

With heating costs rising people who spend their cold evenings in front on the couch watching TV can curl up in such things as a “Snuggie,” “Snuggler, “Doojo” or “Toasty Wrap.” All the various names equate to the same thing, it is a sleeved blanket.

Maybe this was on Chilean graphic designer Rodrigo Alonso Schramm’s mind or possibly on his body when he came up with the idea of the Selk’Bag or Musuc’Bag, which is essentially a wearable sleeping bag. Whereas the “Snuggie” is basically a blanket with sleeves, the Selk’Bag – named after the nomadic Chilean Selk’nam people – is actually a sleeping bag with arms, legs and hood, as well as nylon soles with anti-slip pads. No doubt it makes answering nature’s call in the middle of the night a little easier too. With this Chilean-designed sleeping bag you’ll never have to be chilly again while camping.

There is even a kid’s model with front kangaroo pocket, a light weight version and one coming soon with detachable feet for those who want to wear boots, or possibly let their feet breathe. It is certainly an interesting concept, but we wonder – if you don’t have to get out of bed while camping how is this going to help. We almost expect to see people hiking in Selk’Bags in the future.

Selk’Bag Official Website
[Via Gizmag: Selk’Bag is a sleeping bag that you wear]

How Are You Fixed for Blades, Light and Whistle?

When off in the wilds there is always one more thing you could use, but each “thing” means additional weight plus the chances that something will be lost, forgotten or misplaced. But Adventure Medical Kits of Oakland, California has a nifty three-in-one survival tool that is blade, light and whistle. The Core Lite features a short steel blade that is just over two-inches in length, and can be used for “notching and grooving branches, plus a small single LED light. It won’t replace any big flashlight, but the bluish light help offer a little illumination on things. Continue reading How Are You Fixed for Blades, Light and Whistle?

Hands On: Flash Shopping Site The Clymb

While some of you don’t need an introduction to flash shopping sites, I think it’s required here. Over the past few years flash shopping sites have emerged to bring the “sample sale” experience to online shoppers. They generally focus on an area of luxury goods such as fashion, home goods and home décor. Shoppers generally have to subscribe to be granted entry to the site, and get email notifications listing the sales each day. These sales, like sample sales, are for a limited time of about two or three days, and the site might host three or 12 sales from different designers or manufacturers on any given day. Continue reading Hands On: Flash Shopping Site The Clymb

Interbike 2011: Darn Tough Vermont Heads to Vegas

From Vermont to Vegas, with the heat, the casinos and the sights we hope that the team from New England survives this week, but as their name suggests they aren’t just tough. In fact, they’re Darn Tough Vermont, and this is the company that offers an unconditional lifetime guarantee that means “no time limits, no restrictions, no tiny type.”

The company is making this its Interbike debut, and showing its Vermont-made, lifetime-guaranteed Merino wool and Coolmax socks. The company takes part in providing the highest density knitting (1441 stitches per square inch), and that is paired with fine-gauge Merino wool yarn (21.5 micron) to create a sock that “simply refuses to quit.”

The company doesn’t quit on its friends either. Last week, in response to the devastation that has affected Vermont communities in the wake of Hurricane Irene, which included Darn Tough Vermont’s own hometown of Northfield, the company pledged to make an initial donation of 2,000 pairs of socks to those in need across the state.

“Everyone is giving what they can during this challenging time for our state,” said Ric Cabot, owner of Darn Tough Vermont. “While food and water take precedent, a new pair of socks can go a long way for a family who has lost many necessities, or for someone who is standing all day in damp, humid conditions trying to rebuild their community. I know it’s just socks, but it’s what we do.”

This isn’t only darn tough, but it is a darn nice thing to do!

Darn Tough Vermont Official Website

Easton Packs In a Lot in Portable One-Person Tent

Smaller is better, at least when it is something you have to bring along while hiking or biking. Smaller is not better when it comes to having someplace to rest your weary head however. But Easton Mountain Products has come up with a solution in its new Kilo 1P ultra-light one-person tent. It basically 1 uPs the Kilo tent that was introduced last summer, and which turned heads at the 2011 Utah Innovation Awards.

The Kilo 1P is a three-season, minimalist shelter that is designed to be an alternative to traditional bivvy shelters, and includes shorter pole segments that make it easily packable into a daypack, kayak or bike pannier. It features one person capacity, is there-season usable, weighs 1 pound 14 oz, and is made of waterproof nylon ripstop material. Continue reading Easton Packs In a Lot in Portable One-Person Tent

Strap It On For When You Might Need It

When you’re out in the woods it never hurts to have an extra length of high-strength cord, but with all the gadgets, gizmos and gear that you might carry it might seem that bringing one more thing is the cord that broke the hiker’s back. However, the folks at Survival Straps had another idea.

Maybe they watched that old Wonder Women series on TV and saw that magic bracelets are the way to go. While the Survival Straps won’t stop a bullet, there is a lot these things will do. Essentially the straps are made of a paracord – 550 test military spec paracord to be precise – that can be untied and unfurled when the need arises. The Regular Survival Bracelet is about $25 and is an inch wide, resembling a watch band, and it unfurls to about 16 feet. This can be used in anyway where paracord might come in handy – to replace a boot lace, sling an arm, replace a broken strap on a pack or just about anything else. Continue reading Strap It On For When You Might Need It

Keeping the Creepy Crawlies at Bay

After a long hike or day on the bike making it to your campsite, the last thing you want to do is fight off the bugs while relaxing. Dousing yourself in ‘deet’ is a solution, but there is a family owned company in Tucson, Arizona who has come up with a different solution. The Hammock Bliss company has recently announced a new product to keep the bugs at bay while relaxing in your hammock – the Sky Tent.

The new Sky Tent, is as the name implies, a tent that is elevated off of the ground, and turns a properly sized hammock into a cocoon protecting you from bugs while providing room for your gear and sheltering you from the rain. The netting used in the Sky Tent has 2,100 holes per square inch which keeps the smallest of bugs out along, while reducing “the chilling effect of the wind.” The coated rain fly is constructed of oversized 75 denier polyurethane providing complete protection from the rain for your hammock and your gear.

Along with the bug screen and rain fly, the Sky Tent, which is available for $119.95 in blue or black, includes and attached waterproof stuff sack for storage and easy access to your “sky space” with YKK double pull zippers. 80-inches of 6mm climbing rope per side to is included to hang the Sky Tent and 100-inches of cord at four corners secures rain fly to the ground.

The Sky Tent is measures in inches 138x73x43 and weighs only 45 ounces. You will need to supply your own hammock which Hammock Bliss, as you probably guessed, also sells and can be ordered online at the same time the Sky Tent is ordered directly from them. If you love the freedom of hanging on a hammock, let the Sky Tent keep you from bugging out of your next hiking trip!

Hammock Bliss Official Website

DeLorme to Introduce Award-Winning inReach Two-Way Satellite Communicator

If a product wins a Best of Show honor for a product that isn’t even out yet you know it is probably something special. DeLorme, maker of GPS and satellite communication technologies has been honored with an Outside Magazine Gear of the Show award and GearJunkie.com Best of Show award for the new inReach two-way satellite communicator.

From the early reports this device is the next best thing to Captain Kirk’s communicator and it utilizes a number of unique advantages compared to other satellite communicators. This device relies on the market-leading Iridium satellite network, so inReach can deliver two-way text messaging with full-pole-to-pole global coverage and message delivery confirmation. It also provides remote tracking.

When paired with either an Android smartphone or a DeLorme Earthmate PN-60w handheld GPS, the inReach lets users send and receive 160-character messages to and from family and friends. Messages can also be posted to Facebook and Twitter. In case of emergency, inReach users can send messages describing their situation so that responders can come prepared. Continue reading DeLorme to Introduce Award-Winning inReach Two-Way Satellite Communicator

Multiuse Headlight

As summer comes to an end dusk comes a little earlier. This means night time riding is picking up as well, and here is where a little illumination can ensure that you get home safely. River Rocks Designs has introduced a new affordable wearable light for cycling, hiking or even for spelunker helmets.

The TecTrek Headlamp is hands free and compact. It features a weather proof O-ring polycarbonate casing, with a l125 lumen LED light that is ideal for dark inside and outdoor activities. The light features multiple color modes – including red for night vision retention or emergency use, blue for fluid tracking, and green for night map reading. The red can also be switched to repeat to be used as single light.

The headlamp also allows for an adjustable focus, from long range to wide field soft light, and can be dimmed when the brightest light isn’t needed. It can run on full power white light for more than four hours, or low setting for over 20 hours, and green for greater than 100 hours! About the only downside is that it runs on AAA alkaline batteries, but at $34.99 it still sounds like a great deal and a good way to shed some light on your nighttime activities.

River Rock Designs, Inc. Official Website

Magellan Adds DigitalGlobe to Help eXplore the World

Adventure travelers and those who like to get off the beaten path and see the world will now know where they’re going, even when doing exploring in distant lands. Magellen GPS has announced a new series of worldwide satellite and aerial imagery-enhanced maps for its Magellan eXplorist and Magellan Triton handheld GPS units. These new maps provide Magellan handheld GPS users with high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery from DigitalGlobe, a leading provider of earth imagery solutions.

Globe trekking travelers can now get detailed and precise overhead pictures of their surroundings while on the go, and this is meant to help users discover nearby environmental features during outdoor activities. This can be used for hunters for pre-season scouting, and for identifying game funnels, while anglers can use to locate new fishing holes. Geocachers can spot obstacles before encountering them, while hikers and outdoor enthusiasts can get a preview of surroundings to make sure they don’t miss something truly special.

The DigitalGlobe images are available to Magellan users for virtually any area on the planet, from well-traveled parks and sites to more remote and rarely visited locations. The new DigitalGlobe-enhanced maps are compatible with the following Magellan handheld GPS units: eXplorist 310, eXplorist 510, eXplorist 610, and eXplorist 710; and Triton 400, Triton 500, Triton 1500 and Triton 2000. Continue reading Magellan Adds DigitalGlobe to Help eXplore the World

GPS Device Adds Camera

Over the years we’ve seen GPS added to smartphones and many digital cameras now offer GPS tags. But now Garmin, the maker of satellite navigation technology, sees that turnabout is fair play. The company has announced the addition to the GPSMAP 62 series of rugged outdoor handheld devices – a built-in 5 megapixel camera with automatic geotagging to capture the highlights of any adventure and allow you to share the locations or navigate back to that site. GPSMAP 62stc and GPSMAP 62sc were unveiled at the Teva Mountain Games in Vail, CO, capping a week of exciting new Garmin outdoor handheld announcements by Garmin that included innovations in the popular eTrex, Rino and Astro families.

In other words this is a GPS device with a build camera. Continue reading GPS Device Adds Camera

Fitness Healing the Arizona Economy

There is no denying that getting out and doing some hiking, biking or running is good for the body – but according a recent study from economic consultants Brigitte Bavousett and Gerald O’Neill Jr. fitness can be even better for the economy. The pair prepared a study, titled “Sustainable Economic Benefits of Human-Powered Recreation to the State of Arizona,” and found that the “human-powered” outdoor recreation industry produces $5.3 billion in annual retail sales and generates nearly $471 million in state tax revenues.

The study concluded that 86,000 jobs were directly created from the fitness sector, while 100,000 jobs were indirectly created. The economic consultants even noted that closing state and national parks actually had a negative impact on economic recovery. The thinking hers is that keeping parks open encourages people to use them, and thus buy new products, which puts people back to work.

Meanwhile, Arizona’s neighbor to the west, California, is looking to close state parks to save money. Maybe the new governor should hire these consultants so residents in the Golden State don’t go without those parks.

[Via Arizona Daily Star: Hikers, mountain bikers, climbers boost economy]