Miveu Provides Personal View

Sometimes even we get confused between persons – as in first person or third person, and don’t get us started on second person. But the same can be said of video cameras – either you are the subject or else you’re providing the perspective. There are numerous helmet and handlebar mounted cameras out there, but a big problem with these is that one’s head tends to move a lot, creating a very jarring video when played back.

Now Miveu has provided something a little different – a chest strap system for use with an iPhone. This not only provides the best location for a camera as the body is a bit more stable than the head, but it also means the device is better provided. It can also be used in activities that don’t require a helmet, but one downside is that the Miveu provides very limited protection and isn’t waterproof.

But for those who like to record the action with a first person perspective (see we do know the different persons), the Miveu will provide YOUR view! Check out the CES promo video after the jump

Outdoor Retailer Show: High Teko Socks

Numerous companies do socks, and throughout the year we see a lot of socks, but Teko Socks, which was founded in Boulder, Colorado in 2004, works to make a leave a smaller footprint of sorts. The company, which showed its latest line at the Outdoor Retailer Show, uses proprietary fiber combinations mixing traditional organic wool inter-weaved with polyester. The result says the company is a sock that is comfortable and functional, while also being sustainable and have a low ecological impact. Sounds like a step in the right direction!

Teko Socks Official Website

OGIO Designer Bags Goes for Endurance

Designer sports bag and apparel company OGIO just released its OGIO Endurance Collection. The line has bags that address the needs runners, swimmers, triathletes, cyclists, downhill mountain bikers and other athletes in endurance sports and competitions.

The seven-bag line is built to provide organization, protection and comfort for athletes taking part in high-intensity workouts and competitions. The line is made with lightweight yet sturdy materials that protect gear, yet make it light enough to carry to a race or location to workout.

Continue reading OGIO Designer Bags Goes for Endurance

GammaTech RT10C Gives New Meaning to “Fully Rugged”

Designed for industrial applications, the GammaTech RT10C fully rugged computer could be one for those who need a solid machine for globetrotting adventures. This lightweight computer is built to Military 810G standards and IP65 rated for dust and water protection. With its sealed design it is a tablet PC that is drop-proof, spill-proof, shock-proof and truly watertight.

It features a touch-screen 10.2-inch wide display with LED backlight – meaning it can be used even if shade isn’t always an option. It is powered by an Intel Core i7-620UE mobile processor and offers integrated HD graphics, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support. For security it features TPM 1.2 fingerprint recognition.

The RT10C offers as many connections as it might take to get to the middle of nowhere, including two USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, PCMCIA slot, two mini card slots, CompactFlash slot and VGA port. An optional vehicle or office docking station includes four USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet port, Serial port, and VGA port. Battery life is rated at five hours of usage with its nine-cell Smart lithium-ion battery. Pricing to be announced, but can you really put a price on a machine that might just live up to be indestructible?

Durabook RT10C Official Website

A New Republic for Bikers

Cycling isn’t exactly the sport of kings – and on a bicycle most riders are fairly equal. The concept of Republic Bikes is to let riders do their own thing. And while we’ve seen custom jersey makers, this company offers custom bicycles that riders can even design themselves.

The company, which promises designs as unique as its customers, outfitted Google with a fleet of bikes for its Googleplex in Mountain View, California.

For everyone else Republic offers a 3D bike Shop that allows users to visualize the design in 3D. From the website users can create their own custom bike, decide on color and components and then have it build. Turnaround time varies depending on the complexity of the design, but bikes are assembled in the USA at the Republic distribution center in South Florida and then shipped out.

While not as easy as going to the shop and buying a bike off the rack, this ensure that your bike is very much a bike about you.

Republic Bikes Official Website

Outdoor Retailer Show: Trail Maps for the Head

Many people claim to know a trail like the back of their hand, while others claim to have trails on the brain. Now thanks to Buff, maker of headwear, wearer’s can truly have the trail on the brain – or at least head. At the Outdoor Retailer Show they showed the new trail maps line of Buff headwear. Heady indeed!

Buff USA Official Site
[Via Gear Junkie: Gear for 2012: Outdoor Retailer Trade Show]

Outdoor Retailer Show: Sherpa and Yeti Bring Power

We know that Sherpas can carry a lot of stuff, and we expect a Yeti (that would be the Abominable Snowman) would certainly be seriously tough too – but now the Sherpa 50 and Yeti 1250 will bring portable power as well. We missed Goal Zero at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month unfortunately, but the company also hit the Outdoor Retailer Show and showed off its new products that bring portable power.

The Sherpa 50, which won a CES Innovation Honoree for Portable Power, can charge consumer devices including phones and laptops. It weighs just 14 oz., and can provide DC and AC (with inverter) outputs, as well as USB ports that output 1A of power. It can fully charge via a solar panel in 5-10 hours or within 2-3 hours via a wall outlet, and in turn, can power a smart phone for 10 hours, and can ensure that writers (like us) can keep typing even when there is no power in sight. At about $249.99 that’s not a bad price to pay to have power on the go. The Sherpa will be ready to pick up the load in June 2012. Continue reading Outdoor Retailer Show: Sherpa and Yeti Bring Power

Meet the Down that Doesn’t Like Water

Down feathers are great for outdoor gear. It’s loft provides warmth in a lightweight form for jackets, sleeping bags and other garments. Yet when it gets wet, and that can easily happen outdoors, it loses its loft and therefore warming properties. Water might just be the downfall of down.

Continue reading Meet the Down that Doesn’t Like Water

Outdoor Retailer Show: High Tech Low Tech Cup

In Finnish a Kuppi is ac cup, and for centuries Finns would warm their hands by using a “little cup” or “Kuppilka,” which held a warm beverage. It was typically low tech such as wooden cup. But now Kupilka is a new high tech twist on the low tech that is designed for hikers and campers, or just anyone who wants a cup with the look that is straight out of the wilderness.

The drinking cups (they make utensils too) are made of natural fiber composites mixed with thermoplastic – basically 50 percent pine fiber wood mixed with 50 percent plastic. The result is one that doesn’t absorb smells, are insensitive to humidity and are dishwasher safe. But they are also recyclable, so if it should crack or break it can be ground down and casted again. Plus they offer a rugged look for those who would like to endure the great outdoors, just like the Finns!

Kupilka Official Website

Outdoor Retailer Show: Self-Adjusting Headlamp

There have been several products that allow wearers to cast a little illumination on the path ahead, and at the recent Outdoor Retailer Show the NAO was one that turned heads – and still cast the light where it needed to go. The soon-to-be-released NAO headlamp from Petzl features an integrated light sensor that is mounted near the LEDs on the front. It reportedly analyzes ambient light and then “instantly and automatically” adjusts the light-beam output to suit the conditions. We call this a bright idea indeed!

[Via Gearjunkie: Intelligent Illumination? Headlamp ‘Self-Adjusts’ its Beam]

Hydraulic Brakin’ Into the Road

Hydraulic brakes have long been a staple on mountain bikes for years, but now Magura has introduced the world’s first hydraulic braking system for use on the road. The RT8 TT is a hydraulic rim brake system that can work with lightweight time trial and triathlon bikes. Continue reading Hydraulic Brakin’ Into the Road