EZ Fit Snow Insoles

ezfitinsoles.com
Nothing ruins an epic day on the mountain faster than aching feet after the first few runs. The solution—buying a new pair of ski or snowboard boots—certainly tantalizes. But the problem could very well be your footbed—the removable foot-shaped pad (insole) that sits directly under your foot in the boot. That’s where EZ-Fit comes in. Application is a breeze: free the old factory insoles from inside your boots, use them as a pattern to trim the Snow insoles with a sharp pair of scissors, then drop ‘em in. They start to mold to the contours of your feet the moment you put on the boots.You’ll quickly notice better stability, less foot fatigue and improved control on edging and power transfer. The cushioning and comfort provided also helps you avoid pain in the foot, knee, hip, and lower back, breathing new life into your ski and snowboard boots—and hopefully to your next outing to the slopes.

$40

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Flojos Andre Slides

www.flojos.com, 12 ounces
When some people dream of winter, images of snow-laden trees, deep powder, and glistening icicles dance in their heads. But for others, cold weather signals that it’s time to flee south to white-sand beaches, sun-filled skies, and Mai Thais. For those days when your ski boots aren’t appropriate, we recommend Flojos Andre Slides. We love the slip-on styling that is more dignified than flip-flops, and dispenses with the inevitable rubbing of the thong strap between your toes. The egg crate-style footbed not only provides that aaahhhh comfort we love, but also delivers a massage-like feeling as you walk. We not only like the Andres for the beach, but for apres ski and snowboard wear as well. The vegan-friendly footstrap is wide, which helps keep the slides from sliding off, and it provides some additional support if you’re hiking across rough terrain to the hot tub. The sole is ribbed for traction, but because of the composition, it’s suggested you don’t leave these baking in the sun while you catch a few waves.

$42

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Merrell Daily Brief Shoulder Bag

www.merrell.com
Nicely straddling the world of outdoor needs and urban styling, the Daily Brief has quickly risen to the top ranks of one tester’s massive collection of shoulder bags. Much of that’s due to its slew of features: a smart mixture of both cotton-touch poly and water-resistant waterproof, 200D tarpaline makes it a bag that’s a comfort to use while still standing up to the elements. The bag boasts 20 liters of internal storage, including a Velcro-secured padded laptop sleeve, a separate padded slot for tablets, and almost too many pockets. Indeed, sometimes stuff would just disappear amidst all the sleeve and pocket options. But we do love the zip-secure outer pocket (with three internal sleeves) as well as the elastic side pockets (one with a snap closure), which can fit water bottles, small notebooks, or a backup camera lens. The whole thing rides on a 1.9-inch-wide shoulder strap made of nylon seat belt fabric, with an easy-to-adjust buckle and additional padding at the back. Save the profusion of extra pockets, most of these assets are pretty standard in any urban-friendly satchels, but what really set Merrell’s bag above the rest is the waterproof zipper running the length of the weather-resistant main flap. This gives you near-instant access to the bag’s insides without having to unclip the twin buckles. We could grab our camera, swap lenses, produce our passport, or just check our itinerary with blissful ease. The flap also has a clip for a bike light and webbing lashes that fit a U-Lock, but we’d likely forgo the external lashing of the lock as it made the bag a bit top-heavy on longer commutes.

$99

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Alite Mantis Camp Chair

www.alitedesigns.com
We’ve never been big fans of the standard camp chair—the awkwardly folding, bulky canvas gigs with the even bigger carry bags. Even with drink holders in both arm rests, they’re never as good as we want. Well, San Fran-based Alite Designs must’ve heard our quiet dissatisfaction, because their Mantis Chair really hits every sweet spot. The chair employs the same pole assembly tech found in tent frames—a simple, but genius design solution—to create a ridiculously strong, breathable 210D ripstop nylon chair that holds up to 250 pounds. The frame assembles in seconds, and the four corners of the seat slide seamlessly into the tips of the aluminum poles (color coding keeps things easy, though our testers hardly needed the guidance). The chair sits about eight inches above the ground on four cylindrical legs, providing all-day comfort, whether you prefer to keep your feet flat, sit Indian-style, or contort into some other quasi-yoga pose. Plus it fits into a carry sack that’s a modest 17.5 inches long and five inches in diameter. The two-pound chair is ideal for car camping, but a bit hefty for backcountry applications. To address the needs of ounce-scrimping backpackers they’ve developed the Monarch chair ($70; pictured, right). Built off the same design as the Mantis, the Monarch boasts only two legs:your feet offer the additional stability, which lets you slowly rock as the chair takes the bulk of your weight. The Monarch provided the same body-hugging comfort and support as the Mantis (with the same 250-pound weight limit), but weighs in at a feathery 1.3 pounds, packing into a stuff sack that’s 12 inches long and only 4.5 inches in diameter. The Alite designer refers to the Monarch as the “six-beer chair” because, after six beers, balancing on its two legs can be…challenging (and potentially humorous for those around you). We see this a challenge, but some might find it an insurmountable obstacle. Both of these chairs are as at home at outdoor concerts or on the beach as they are tent-side. The thin diameter of the chair legs means that the feet can sink into wet dirt or sand, leaving the sitter off balance (or in a slow-motion fall). But on dry land, both chairs proved to be admirable outdoor thrones. And a bonus: one three-year-old car camper even figured out how to wear the Monarch.

$120

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Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter

cascadedesigns.com/platypus, 10.75 ounces
Water filters are the bane of existence for our Southwest testers. Thanks to the region’s typically silt- and algae-prone desert waters, we’ve killed expensive filters in less than a gallon of use. And we’ve never found a very reliable filter. Until now.

Oh, the current Gravity Works system is still a filter, so we remain cynical, but these are the lightest, most convenient, and reliable water filters we’ve ever used. And that is something big. In our humble opinion, they’re as close to perfect as water filters get. With hoses, filter cartridge, zip case, and two four-liter water bags, the system weighs a mere 10.75 ounces and rolls into a 3 x 9.5-inch package. Using it couldn’t be simpler. One Platypus bag gathers dirty water, and another is for the filtered water. A long silicone hose and a low-pressure, two-micron filter cartridge quick-connect runs between the two bags. Fill the dirty water bag and hook up the system. Backflush briefly to speed up filtration by eliminating air bubbles in the filter, then hang the dirty water as high as possible (laying it on ledges also works). Come back in about five to ten minutes to find a gallon of clean, effortless water.

One 4.0-liter system easily kept five people chugging away during a three-day, 90-degree guided trek through Capitol Reef. Gathering water simply required scooping it, attaching hoses, and circling back periodically to check progress. Within an hour of hitting camp we had full hydration packs for next day’s hike, plenty of cooking and coffee water, and a spare bag filtering away overnight. Compared to the usual monotonous pumping and cleaning, this was a revelation. One tester claimed the gravity feed system regained him “one free hour every day.”

Despite back-flushing, the GravityWorks cartridge started to slow by the end of our 15-day trip. On the upside, full performance was easily restored by back-flushing several bags of hot sink water when we got back home. Two other identical cartridges did not show the same slowing during similar uses and time frames.

Despite these quibbles, this is still the most convenient, compact filtration system we’ve found. Light, easy to deploy, cleanable, and fast enough for on-the-move refills or group hydration. For January 2013 and beyond, GravityWorks has added 4.0-liter and 2.0-liter “Complete Kit” packages. These come with all accessories plus a Universal Bottle Adapter with waterproof connector that hooks directly to most reservoirs, bottles, or hydration tubes. So drink up, campers.
-Steve Howe

$110

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