The North Face Phoenix 3 Tent

www.thenorthface.com; four pounds, 13.3 ounces
I took this three-person tent out on a three-day backpacking trip with seventh- and eighth-grade kids in the Mount Jefferson Wilderness in Oregon. We had moderate temperatures and sunny skies with no rain. Temperatures ranged from the mid 60s to the mid 40s. The trail took us through forests and briefly to tree line for two nights of camping on the slopes of Mount Jefferson.

The tent was used by two boys and was pitched quickly with no problems–which was a refresh accomplishment. It has an intuitive single-walled tent design with a symmetrical floor plan. With two identical poles and one short ventilation pole it was very quick to put up. It’s clearly one of the simplest tent designs I’ve used in recent years.The rectangular floor plan puts an all-mesh door at either side, and the rain fly gives you enough room in the vestibule to store a pack and a pair of boots outside of either doorway. Inside, two kids slept comfortably, and the tent’s weight was easily split between the two.

Both the poles and the tent–made of TNF’s durable waterproof/breathable DryWall fabric–felt durable enough to handle harsh conditions, though that three-day outing didn’t afford any foul weather to put the tent to true test. We’ll see how well it ventilates in warmer conditions and colder conditions, such as 30 degrees with rain (editor’s note: no short supply of those conditions in the Pacific Northwest). It’ll be good to see how well it breathes to reduce condensation and of course how well it kept the rain out.
-Greg Bueker

$389

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Turner Burner Mountain Bike

www.turnerbikes.com
This classic bike disappeared from the market nearly a decade ago, and we’ve mourned their loss like a cast-aside beau. But at Interbike this year, the Burner returned. Revamped for 650b wheels (or, in Turner-talk, 275) the Burner boasts 144 millimeters (nearly seven inches) of travel for all-mountain riding. Made in Murrieta, CA, the frames features DW Link suspension, a journal bearing system, Fox Float CTD shocks, and 142×12 thru-axel. Turner Bikes was founded by NORBA pro-racer Dave Turner, one of the founding fathers of full-suspension mountain bikes. We’re not guaranteeing that you’ll be winning World Cups or UCI Championships in your first season on the Burner, but you’ll feel like a pro with the bike’s superior performance, pedaling efficiency and smooth action ride.
Available spring 2013

$2,495

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Rapha Windproof Shirt

www.rapha.cc
A utopia mix of form, fit, and function, the Rapha Windproof shirt is ideally suited to the urban cyclist who wants a high-tech medium-weight shell that doesn’t cast the impression that his life is only about biking. The smooth-to-the-touch stretchy poly has been treated with DWR to fend off light bursts of rain, and remains 100 percent impervious to bone-chilling gusts and squalls, ideal for fall and spring morning or evening rides, and suitable as a mid-layer for when the mercury dips into the lower double-digits. On a long trail ride in the mid 50s the shirt,provided the perfect degree of warmth and wind protection when paired with a thin merino layer.

But the little details are where the shirt really shines. We love the fashion-forward tailoring, with the button-down collar, zip and button central closures, and longer sleeves and a drop tail for ample coverage while pedaling. Other cycle-friendly details include wide, glove-friendly loop grabs to access the chest pocket, central zipper, and the small back-right pocket. The front buttons aren’t as glove friendly, however, and the batch of reflective fabric running parallel to the zipper on the back pocket could be a touch too cycle-geek-obvious to casual eye.

Inside you find loving elements like an upper liner decorated with a sly chain link print and pink piping at the collar seam for a pop of color. But perhaps nothing speaks the forward-thinking aesthetic of the shirt (and British-based boutique cycling brand Rapha) than the graphic on the left inner flap: a black-and-white illustration of a heart, with TNT stenciled across it. Below the drawing, a quote worth reprinting in its entirety: “Do you know how we keep going? Look, this is cocaine, chloroform, too. And pills? You want to see pills? Here are three boxes… In short, we run on dynamite.” –Francis Pellisier in Le Petit Parisien July

On sale now at www.rapha.cc for $115

$190

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Patagonia’s Advocate Program Raises Funds for Local Conservation Efforts

Gear obsession has its ugly side—as much as we always want a new jacket, bag, or an unscuffed pair of shoes, we often don’t really need them. That, of course, seldom stops us. But it does lead to clutter—and more than our fair share of recycled cardboard boxes. But happily Patagonia is helping assuage our guilt. Partnering with 1% for the Planet, Patagonia Shoes is hosting a variety of events this fall with both online and brick-and-mortar retailers (as well as at the online Patagonia store) in an effort to raise awareness and funds for conservation efforts. All participating vendors will donate $10 to local initiatives for every pair of Patagonia shoes purchased. The first online event is currently live with Online Shoes, with proceeds benefiting The Conservation Alliance, and ends on October 22^nd, 2012 The second runs on Zappos.com from October 23 to November 24, with proceeds to the Friends of Nevada Wilderness. A state-by-state list of brick-and-mortar retailers who are also participating (along with the specific dates and the local conservation effort that’ll benefit) can be found at Patagonia’s Advocate Weeks website.

As for which pair of shoes to buy? We’ve already expressed our enthusiasm for the Patagonia women’s Fore Runner and the Naked Maui Mock. But we also really like their aptly-named Advocate line. These minimalist shoes boast a 20-percent recycled EVA footbed, a 15-percent recycled insole, and a durable, 20-percent recycled rubber tread. The microfiber uppers are durable, yet soft-to-the-touch. The minimalist shoes weigh around 5.5 ounces (depending on the model) and collapse down to next to nothing for simplistic, pack-and-go travels. Of the eight models (four for men, four for women), we’re particularly drawn to the sly styling of the Lace Plaid ($75, pictured above) as well as the new Advocate Chukka ($80), a winter-friendly version with a recycled fleece collar and lining to keep your feet toasty.

Start at $60

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Factory Visit: Chris King Precision Cycling Components

Chris King. In cycle circles the name emits gasps of awe and envy. Its precision-made bike components exist in the most rarefied of bike porn—small, perfectly hand-crafted headsets, hubs, and bottom brackets that elevate the standard bike into the cycling stratosphere. And, after a highly sought-after tour of the Portland, OR-based Chris King Factory last month, it’s clear that the high quality associated with each product extends to all elements of the company.

Chris King started the eponymous company 36 years ago, after honing his metal-crafting talents working in the medical tool industry. As with the first hand-constructed piece, everything that leaves the Chris King factory is made in the United States. All the metals are purchased from North American mills, and most of the machines on the floor have been custom-tweaked to suit a particular purpose. And when something on the machine breaks, they craft a new part—some machines on the floor date back 15 years.

As a metal shop, they’re also acutely aware of their environmental impact. Rather than the standard toxic materials, Chris King uses soy oil as a lubricant when cutting metal; not to mention an in-house tool they created to compress the scraps so that 98 percent of the oil is re-used. Every hub is hand-buffed for 20 minutes, and all the other parts are finished by an industrial shaker that tosses the metal with crushed walnut shells—polishing everything to a brilliant shine. Each machine also has its own air filter to remove any potentially toxic fumes. The factory is likely the best-smelling metal shop on the planet.

Life for the 96 employees at Chris King is equally bright. A gourmet cafeteria employs two full-time chefs and serves three squares daily, each meal sold without mark-up; the price is dictated by the cost of the ingredients. They’ve developed a great no-car commuting incentive that lets participants who walk, run, bike, or use public transportation rack up meal credits and extra days off. Even the free coffee has been painstakingly chosen by Chris to be of the highest possible quality.

No wonder Chris King was one of the small business owners invited to the White House this year to take part in a discussion about the current state of domestic manufacturing.

Cielo Bikes—some of the nicest, hand-crafted bike frames on the market—also come out of this unassuming Portland warehouse. As with the components, each rig is crafted not as part of some aggressive schedule to dominate the cycle world, but to aspire to the high-quality expectations that all cycling purists truly desire. We’re already dreaming up our perfect rig. Hopefully it’ll be one of the 330 bikes they make each year. Thank god they only make five models—or we’d never decide.

Prices vary.

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