Outdoors | Evolving Consumer

Lane to Change

PeopleForBikes – formerly Bikes Belong – has announced the Green Lane Project has entered phase 2.0.This month it began accepting applications from U.S. cities hoping to be amongst the next six selected to lead the way in building protected bike lanes.

Launched in 2012, the Project has worked closely with six major U.S. cities –Austin, TX; Chicago, IL; Memphis, TN; Portland, OR; San Francisco, CA; and Washington, DC. This project has sped up the installation of protected bikes lanes around the country.

Applications are open from October 18, 2013 through January 2014. Cities should file a letter of intent to apply by November 15, 2013. The six new cities will be announced in Spring 2014. Video after the jump

Cartoony Zombie Apocalypse Comes to the Range

It is October and Halloween is just around the corner, plus with AMC’s The Walking Dead back on the air you might be in the mood to shoot some zombies – without having to deal with that whole zombie apocalypse and the breakdown of civilization thing.

This year Champion Targets has introduced its new VisiColor Cartoon Zombie targets that are added to its line of photo-realistic zombies. These cartoon versions off some less menacing targets – for those that might have nightmares about the undead and all that.

Champion Official Website

Weekend Reading List (10.19.2013): Off Peak, Custom Ride, 3D Health

Off Peak

From BikeRadar: London tackles lorry danger with off peak delivery trials
Lorries – a frequent cause of serious and fatal injuries to commuter cyclists – could become scarcer in the London rush hour under plans to trial more early morning and night time deliveries. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (10.19.2013): Off Peak, Custom Ride, 3D Health

Klear It Up

When taking a mobile phone or tablet to the great outdoors you often bring some of it home with you. The SmartKlear from LensPen will have you erase the grim and grease from touchscreens. It features a cleaning pad that is impregnated with the same carbon compound used in other LensPen products designed for camera lenses and binoculars. This means no liquids, cloths, or sprays.

There are about 300 cleanings per pad, so you can take the phone with you and know you can get it clean when you get home. Continue reading Klear It Up

Scope it Out

While a photography tripod will work with a spotting scope, the MeoPod TP-1 is one specially designed for sport shooters. It features a two-way fluid head, guided by a long handle, which delivers vibration-free panning and tilt action. This can be a big plus when digiscoping or iScoping in movie mode.

The MeoPod TP-1 also offers a lockable handle that provides for quick and stable “image capturing” after the target is acquired; while target shooters may find this feature handy as well. When using an angled spotting scope and Meopta MeoPix iPhone Adapter, the shooter can see and photograph bullet holes in targets at long distances without having to leave the shooting position.

This durable tripod weighs just under six pounds and folds to 26 inches for easy carrying in the field or to the range. The MeoPod even provides quickrelease levers to speed deployment of the padded, anodized legs, and its unique leg pivots adjust to four different angles for more versatile observation and photography. The maximum total height with center riser extended is 70 inches, and there is a center hook on which to hang extra weight, such as a backpack, for additional stability.

With this scope you can take your best shot.

Meopta USA Official Website

Playground Power

Kids seem to have a lot of energy, and perhaps playtime can mean power time. Empower Playgrounds has developed a merry-go-round that generates electricity. The company president Ben Markham came up with the concept while in Ghana, where he took part in an 18-month stint volunteering.

According to reports a healthy 8- to 12-year-old can generate about 150 watts of energy per hour whilst vigorously playing, so Markham took this idea and created playground equipment that can utilize this power.The equipment is designed to turn a windmill generator with more than 70-percent efficiency, and the power can be used to help provide power that can be stored for later use by the school.

Empower Playgrounds
[Via Fast Company: A Merry-Go-Round That Turns The Power Of Play Into Electricity]

Spencer for Rider

The leaves are changing colors and cool weather isn’t so much coming as it has arrived. The Oliver Spencer Biking Gloves will keep the heads warm as the temperatures fall. These are knitted from soft lambswool that features just a bit of nylon to provide shape retention and added durability. The leather palms will help improve grip.

Oliver Spence Biking Glove at END Clothing

Hunt GPS

The thrill of the hunt is only thrilling so long as you aren’t lost in the woods. The new Magellan eXplorist 350H GPS for Hunters will ensure that you find your way. It features pre-loaded detailed base maps with contour elevations and Game Management Units (GMU), Digital Globe satellite imagery for virtual scouting ability, hunting specific waypoints, hunting geofences and a rugged, camouflage exterior.

It even ships with a one-year subscription to Digital Globe satellite imagery that gives hunters the ability to “virtually scout” a future hunt location from the comfort of home, where a satellite view of the area intended as hunting grounds is provided. Hunters can then quickly identify areas of interest such as game funnels, potential feeding areas, and suitable glassing locations. The areas of interest can be marked and waypoints loaded into the eXplorist 350H, ready for the field along with an area of Digital Globe satellite imagery.

Hunting-specific waypoint icons can also be used to mark animal tracks, rub marks, water and food sources while in the field and are readily accessible on the Magellan eXplorist 350H, so users won’t have to type in information. Points marked in the field can be even be uploaded back into Magellan’s VantagePoint software application on a computer, allowing any hunter to build up their own hunting specific database over time. The geofence feature of the Magellan eXplorist 350H will further automatically alert hunters when they are approaching any GMU boundary to ensure that they stay within the area that they are permitted to hunt.

The eXplorist 350H is ready for the hunt, but will you be?

Magellan eXplorist 350H Official Website

Weekend Reading List (10.12.2013): UniRider, Shoe Hole, Football Tech

UniRider

From Gear Junkie: Man Rides Unicycle On 525-Mile Bike Tour
Riding 525 miles on a bicycle is a solid physical challenge. Grandfather of five Mark Massie made it tougher, opting to ride the entire California Coast Classic Bike Tour on a unicycle. Continue reading Weekend Reading List (10.12.2013): UniRider, Shoe Hole, Football Tech

Wiley X Active in Black

Wiley X knows a thing or two about Black Ops, and its collection of sun glasses now includes the Active Series P-17. This has been one of the company’s most enduring and popular sunglass models for law enforcement, shooting enthusiasts and other tactical wearers.

Wiley X P-17 combines a Matte Black frame with Smoke Grey lenses, for a look that’s professional, stealthy and understated. The Black Ops P-17 looks good while meeting the stringent ANSI Z87.1 High Velocity and High Mass Impact Safety standards, providing OSHA-grade protection for all wearers and a wide range of activities. These even provide wraparound-style coverage with clear peripheral vision and full protection against harmful UV rays and can help eliminate distracting eyestrain and keep tactical wearers focused on the situation around them.

Wiley X Official Website

Fowl Weather Bag

If the weather outside is foul, then the Tenzing TZWF13 Waterfowl Bag may be just the one to bring. It features 2,830 cubic inches and has lots of pockets, 27 in all, for keeping and organizing all items, and it is built to deal with the conditions that waterfowl hunters face.

This bag is constructed from 600 Denier polyester with PVC waterproofing and DWR coating, and offers a rigid and waterproof EVA base so it can be set down in a muddy and wet environment without fear that it will soak up water. It further offers both a zippered top to keep the elements out, while a storm shielf cover fully envelops the bags openings.

Foul weather won’t ruin this fowl bag.

Tenzing Official Website

Serious Headlight

Fenix doesn’t mess around when it comes to providing some illumination, and the new HP25 features two individual Cree XP-E LEDs; one that is a spot light while the other is a serious flood light. Each light has its own control, and these are designed to be easily found by touch.

The 90-degree flood offers four variances while the spot offers three, and with click the brightness increases, so you won’t find yourself blinding everyone in a dark room when you power this one up. Of course for the ultimate illumination there is the ability to combine the flood and spot where each generates 180 lumens! The Fenix HP25 features an IPX-6 rating for waterproofing so it will stand up to rain and even some downpours, so this one is ideal for those who want to hike at night or really need to find something around the campsite after dark.

Fenix Official Website

Stay Dry on the Greens

OGIO has introduced its new Aquatech collection of golf club bags that promise to keep clubs dry and safe from the elements. These new bags expand on the collection and combines three stand bags and three cart bags to conveniently cater to any golfer’s preferences. These feature SPF 3X protection, which preserves each bag’s vivacious color and keeps it looking new longer than the industry standard.

These bags weigh in at less than five pounds for the cart option and less than four pounds for the stand, and each bag in this collection includes a waterproof rain cover and fleece lined valuables pocket to protect those most precious assets. Continue reading Stay Dry on the Greens