Minneapolis Considers “Greenway” Street Conversion

Minneapolis is already one of the best places in the country for cycling, but city planners are now considering a plan that could transform a low-traffic street in the northern part of town into a “linear park” that wouldn’t allow cars. We’re also not talking about a block or two, but rather 30 blocks running north to south.

Under the plan current home owners would actually lose access to the street and would thus have to park in alleyway or lots constructed near the green space. It would also link some of the northern city neighborhoods to downtown Minneapolis as well as offering a connection to other city trails. Map of the proposed park after the jump

Hydration Packs For All Occasions

No matter what the adventure one thing you probably can’t bring enough of is water. Platypus, which has created a niche with its collapsible water pouches, has looked to create a hydration pack for virtually any cycling occasion and more, and its new line-up includes three primary lines: Cross Country (XC), All Mountain (AM) and the Multi-Sport (XT). The above XC line is for those who want to go out on a causal road or mountain bike ride, with just enough liquid refreshment. These feature build in pump sleeves and tool storage pocket.

Continue reading Hydration Packs For All Occasions

Bush Leagues

Bush Smarts is about Living Wile, and the New York-based builder, designer and supplier of camp gear has put together a robust library of outdoor gear that includes stuff that is truly practical and not gimmicky. With more than 70 products this could be smart gear to have out in the bush, brush or wilds.

Bush Smarts Official Website
[Via GearPatrol: Bush Smarts]

Surelock is a Sure Thing

The MSR SureLock TR-3 are trekking poles that will put the user in just the right position. These poles offer easy adjustment but at the same time provide a solid lock, ensuing that these are there when you need it. The SureLock three section poles provide an on-the-fly two-finger adjustment system with glove-friendly operation. The 7000 series aluminum poles are also sturdy enough for use in rugged terrain, but lightweight enough that they don’t weigh the user down. It is almost elementary SureLock! Video after the jump

Survival Knife for a Mountain Man

According to movies and TV mountain men were quite rugged individuals and the SK Mountain survival utility knife would probably be something that intrepid individual might want to carry. It is part of a collaboration between Camillus Knives and Survivorman series host and survival expert Les Stroud.

It features a 4 3/4 –inch long by 1/8-inch thick 440-stainless steel blade that offers a 3 ¾-inch cutting surface and one-inch long saw tooth blade. This makes for a handy knife for camping and general outdoor use, while the Carbonitride Titanium bonded drop tip blade is reinforced to survival serious use.

The handle is made of glass filled polypropylene, with visible green thermoplastic rubber inserts to make it easy to grip and easy to find should it end up on the ground. The knife features a large lanyard loop, and rugged steel pommel that can be used as a hammer in a pinch, while hard ballistic nylon automatic lock knife retaining sheath is like a second tool. It features a signal mirror mounted on the fold out compartment, which can also be used to hold small items like a sewing kit or matches, plus it offers an integral pull through blade sharpener, fire starter, miniature LED flashlight and signal whistle. There is also 10-feet of nylon cord that come on a built in wrap area behind the mirror and sharpener.

This might almost be too much knife for a mountain man!

Camillus Knives Official Website

Go Back to Berkeley to Get Low Down

They say you can’t go home again, and while we don’t know what they mean or who even “they” might be, we do know that you can get Back-To-Berkeley and even do so down low, or rather Back-To-Berkley Low Down via a trip to North Face.

The outdoor retailer is offering these hiking shoes, which could allow you to walk back home or to the back woods. These feature retro looks, but include some current technology, such as waterproof suede, polyurethane coated ballistic mesh upper and inner HydroSeal waterproof membrane liner, PrimaLoft Eco insulation and Winter Grip rubber outsoles. There are also IcePick temperature-sensitive lugs. Continue reading Go Back to Berkeley to Get Low Down

Made in America: Crafty Blade

Having a good knife while out in the wilds is never a bad idea, and even if you’re not an outdoorsman you probably would appreciate the fine crafted American made Bush Crafter ($99.99) from Camillus Knives. Made of 1095 high-carbon steel, this knife offers a razor-sharp edge that will remain sharp even after a whole lot of abuse, while the light drop tip fat belly blade is designed to be highly-functional for campers and hunters along.

It features a tough-as-nails canvas Micarta handle that is 4.5 inches long and which provides an serious grip for the user, while the steel lanyard slot will work with both traditional leather/nylon cords or a nylon strap used by climbers. This one even features a hand-made leather sheath.

Camillus Knives Official Website

Mountainsmith Pack Worthy of a Mountain Man

If Jeremiah Johnson were around today and opted to go into the woods to become a hermit he’d probably opt for something like the just announced Mountainsmith Haze pack to carry his gear. Empty this pack weights just 1.9 pounds, but it can carry 50 liters of gear in its open main body, while the outer mesh pockets provide places for all the things a modern mountain man might need.

There are pole carriers, ice axe loops and plenty of places to tuck a mobile phone, GPS device or other gizmos. Let’s face it, just because someone opts to be a hermit doesn’t mean they want to be completely out of touch! The Haze will be available next year for those looking to get off the grid, even if it just for a week or so.

Mountainsmith Official Website

Magellan Says Take a Hike

We’ve seen Magellan really go the distance this year with its eXplorist GPS receivers. These are rugged, waterproof and of course handheld. The fishing based ones cast off earlier this summer and now Magellan has said to take a hike.

The company announced its TOPO! Special Editions, which provide hikers with a best-in-class total navigation solution, offering National Geographic’s TOPO! maps with up to USGS 1:100,000-scaled topography for planning and visualizing long trips, while USGS 1:24,00-scale topography is also provided for fine detail.

The eXplorist 310 TOPO! Edition includes an eXplorist 310 GPS device with a 2.2-inch color screen with rich graphics and a simple user interface; while the eXplorist 510 TOPO! Edition includes an eXplorist 510 GPS device (right) with a built-in camera, microphone and a 3-inch color touchscreen. Both TOPO! Editions include one-year of unlimited map downloads that never expire once downloaded. The Magellan eXplorist TOPO! Editions will be available in August for an MSRP of $199.99 (eXplorist 310 TOPO! Edition) and $299.99 (eXplorist 510 TOPO! Edition).

Magellan eXplorist Official Website

Garmin’s fēnix Outdoor Watch Goes Off Trail

GPS is great, but when you’re on a road you typically still have an idea of your location. For trails and other outdoors activities, if the GPS stops marking when you step off the trail, it’s useless. Garmin just released its fēnix Outdoor Watch, which still tracks and directs adventurers, even when they’re off the beaten path. Continue reading Garmin’s fēnix Outdoor Watch Goes Off Trail

KEEN Sandals Ready for Hiking

Sandals don’t likely come to mind as the most ideal footwear for hiking, but we should consider for centuries in hot regions sandals were actually the de facto shoes. The Romans wore sandals and built an empire with its soldiers in this footwear and that was before building those roads. Continue reading KEEN Sandals Ready for Hiking

Google Offer Hiking Trail Views

Google noted last week that it was “obsessed over building great maps for our users—maps that are totally comprehensive (we’re shooting for literally the whole world), ever more accurate and incredibly easy to navigate.”

We’ve seen this with Google Earth, which offers that bird’s eye view of just about everywhere. On the ground there has been Google Street View as well – but now the company is heading to the trails with Google Street View Trekker, a hi-tech backpack-contained system that will essentially bring Street View to places that can only be reached on foot. Video after the jump

Runtastic Adds to Mobile Fitness Tracking Apps

Runtastic added two features to its activity tracking app. Ideal Weight 2.0 and Altimeter are now part of the Runtastic Pro apps, which cost about $3.99 in the Android and iPhone app stores. Continue reading Runtastic Adds to Mobile Fitness Tracking Apps