Hunter Pack

Hunting can be thirsty work, and Timber Hawk has stepped up with the Spike Pack, a storage and Hydrapak Bladder for those heating out in the woods during hunting season. It is slim and form-fitting, allowing wearers to crawl through bramble and brush without getting snagged, and it also features an easy to clean bladder with insulated hose to keep it from freezing in cold weather.

The Spike Pack also offers plenty of storage, including a compartment for medium-sized gear, and a zippered mesh pocket, while the main compartment will allow for wearers to store an extra layer of clothing. So that hunters aren’t without their optics, the Timber Hawk Spike Pack even includes a Hawkeye Bino System so there is need for an additional shoulder harness.

Timber Hawk Official Website

Wedge Issue

We’ve seen no shortage of innovative tent designs, and Heimplanet has impressed us with its geodesic inflatable Cave tent, which his ideal for those looking to take the family – or several friends – to the woods. Now the company has created something a little more compact with the inflatable Wedge, a tent made for two! The company says setting it only requires for users to “roll out, inflate, finished.” There is no ripcord, no semi-rigid poles to assemble, no hooks or gussets. Just inflate, stake and shelter is ready – instant campsite.

Heimplanet Official Website

Board of Glass

httpv://youtu.be/vmZ1QfZ9Skk

In last week’s Every Third Thursday, Signal Snowboards’ founder Dave Lee left the factory to travel across the sea to an Italian glass factory to create a handmade glass snowboard—the most delicate build to date!

Signal Snowboards: Every Third Thursday

Michigan Governor Calls for Truly Massive Trail

Imagine riding from just north of the Ohio border in Michigan – from Detroit anyway – all the way to Wisconsin? That would be a serious ride, but Michigan Governor Rick Snyder (R) has lauded Michigan’s trails and called for a multi-use trail that could run from Belle Isle Park in the City of Detroit all the way through the state. (Click on the map above for a closer look)

The Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance has reportedly helped with the trail routing, which would tie together existing bike lanes and even sidewalks through Detroit and further north. We call this in a word ambitious but it could certainly be an epic trail for runners, riders and anyone else who wants to get away from it all.

Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance

GoPro Goes to the Mountain Games

GoPro has announced that it has become a title sponsor for the Vail Valley Foundation’s extremely popular Mountain Games, a celebration of mountain sport, lifestyle and music. The GoPro Mountain Games will be held June 6-9, and will see athletes from around the world compete in nine sports and 25 disciplines including running, cycling, climbing, rafting and slacklining. We’re sure this year will see GoPro provide even more ways for athletes to share the experience with the world.

GoPro Mountain Games Officials Website

Big Wheel for Big Kids?

By the time most of us move from the Big Wheel to a real bicycle we tend not to look back. But Joe Hadzicki and his son Tyler have looked to create a grown up trike, and the result is the ONDA Cycle.

The duo have taken their concept to Kickstarter and are looking to the crowd sourcing site to produce what they stress is not a bike or board. They have promised that the ONDA Cycle could be the “most daring machine you’ll ever ride.” This isn’t exactly a getting from point A to point B with speed, but like many children’s toys – including those Big Wheels – allows riders to spin out. Continue reading Big Wheel for Big Kids?

Firestarter Hot Foot

It pays to be prepared while hiking, and to have the right equipment, which could include the ability to start a fire. Since it is all too easy to forget to pack those items the Substratum hiking boots from Rocky S2V will bring it for you and more.

Think of these as the boots that will do thinking for you that includes specially designed fire-starting equipment inside. One boot holds an Ultimate Survival Technologis Sparkie flint firestarter while the other boot holds two UST WetFire tinder cubes. These also include a needle for small repairs or sutures, 10-feet of military grade 550 cord, knife blade for cutting jobs, two fishing hooks, two swivels and two weights, tin foil for signaling, cooking and reflecting heat and even wire for snaring and binding.

With these boots you could catch your dinner and cook it up.

Rocky S2V Substratum Hiking Boots Official Website

Cloud-Based Tent

The high-tech world is moving to the cloud, but so too may those looking to camp out. And while maybe it isn’t exactly the “clouds” UK-based tent maker Tentsile has introduced the “Stingray,” which will get you off the ground at night. Currently being refined through a Kickstarter project the Tentsile Stingray is being viewed as ideal for flooded terrain or other areas where the ground is otherwise unsuitable for a traditional tent, but we like to think of it as a penthouse for the campsite! Video after the jump

Made in America: POV Backpack

We’ve seen a number of action camera accessories that are designed to change the perspective, including a few wearable systems that change the view from first-person to third-person – putting the rider/runner/athlete in the shot.

The latest gizmo to entry this market is the VuPackPole, a POV/action camera backpack mount, which is now being developed by creator/designer Rodger Dean through a Kickstarter project. This pack is being designed and assembled in Alaska, and the frame is made using a CNC process from HPDE plastic, while the subsystem all and joint is made in Washington.

While this will allow wearer’s to be in the shot, the designers also noted that one problem with typical head-mounted systems is that the video can be shaky and hard to watch. By moving the camera to a pack it is more stable as well. According to Dean the joints will still give under pressure so no worries about getting caught up on branches! Video after the jump

RollerSafe Promises Safe Roller Skiing

Roller skis are commonly used to train in the off-season but with one serious drawback – it can be difficult to stop. Without snow to carve into stopping can be tricky. This is why it is said that necessity is the mother of invention, because the need to stop has resulted in the RollerSafe.

These street skis utilize a wireless disc-braking system that makes it easier to control the speed and more importantly come to a safe and complete stop. This is controlled via a small trigger-based toggle that is integrated in the pole handle, and allows users to control the speed without any major physical motion besides a flick on the stick. Video after the jump

Bike Friendly Tent

Getting away from it all still has its downsides, and those who head out to the wilds on a motorcycle need to worry that it will have to endure sitting out in the elements. It isn’t as if you could put in the tent with you… but actually that’s the idea behind the Series II Expedition Tent by Redverz Gear. It offers the capacity to house two people and a bike. Video after the jump

Weekend Reading List (02.16.2013): Run in the Sun, Sinead Had Speed?, Tri on the Rise, Helmets for Kids

Run in the Sun

From Men’s Health: Why You Should Move Your Workout Outdoors
Winter blues are reason enough to seek out the sun. But here’s another: People with adequate levels of vitamin D—produced when your skin is exposed to the sun’s rays—have about half the risk of developing type 1 diabetes, according to a new study in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

 

Continue reading Weekend Reading List (02.16.2013): Run in the Sun, Sinead Had Speed?, Tri on the Rise, Helmets for Kids

SIA: Zeal Optics Ski Goggles

Recorded at the SIA Snow Show 2013 in Denver KineticShift  visits the Zeal Optics booth to get a look at their high tech goggle designs. Spokesperson Allie explains the features of the HD Camera and Z3 GPS Goggles.

Zeal Optics Official Website