It’s also worth noting, several of our testers opt for the full-finger glove over the fingerless; when you take a tumble, your hands always hit the earth (pavement-covered or otherwise), and we prefer as much comfortable protection as possible when that inevitably occurs.

www.petzl.com, 6 ounces
“Throw away all your old flashlights and headlamps,” said our tester after taking the NAO on a three-week road trip. “The reactive-lighting NAO is the only headlamp you’ll need, or want to use.” We don’t take the word “revolutionary” lightly, but the new NAO headlamp is worth getting excited about. In contrast to other lamps, the 400-lumen NAO has a beam that automatically adjusts to focus on your target. If you’re pouring over topo maps, the light adjusts to a wide beam with low output. When you look out the tent fly to see if it’s a raccoon or bear rustling by the picnic table, the beam focuses, with greater light intensity for—drum roll please—a distance of 300 feet. Other advantages include fewer manual adjustments and a better burn time than any other headlamp we’ve tested. The NAO comes with a single rechargeable lithium battery that’s guaranteed for 300-plus charges—we didn’t do the math, but that’s a lot of alkaline batteries you won’ t need to buy. Each charge provides nearly five hours of use in high Reactive mode (the auto-adjust) or eight hours in low Reactive. You can set the lamp on a constant function, which disables the sensor, but cuts significantly into the battery life, as the Reactive power setting really does make power use more efficient. The rechargeable battery can be replaced with 2 AAA batteries, but our testers swear that the rechargeable battery ups the lamp’s performance. We were leery of the downloadable battery management program that allows you to adjust the light intensity, burn time, and beam distance on a computer, but are happy to report that even techno-troglodytes found it easy (and fun) to customize the lamp’s performance. The easiest option is using the custom profiles pre-programmed to enhance performance for specific activities like climbing, running, trail running, and hiking. Two features worth noting: a big off-on knob that’s easy to manipulate with gloves or in the dark and a water-resistant shell that never leaked, even during a monster Texas monsoon that one tester encountered while night hiking up a mesa near Lajitas.

We here at Gearzilla love looking forward into the brave new world gear innovations. But sometime we like to pause and express our affection for products that have become part of our daily outdoor-lovin’ lives.  Such is the case of the Bianchi San Jose.  This single-speed all-steel bike gets everything right—one tester has been using it for daily commutes for years, but it has also performed well in mellow singletrack and on gravel and dirt towpaths.  You can run it as a fixie, but we prefer the ability to…actually brake when cycling in urban environs. We swapped out the saddle and went for the Crank Brothers’ Eggbeater pedals, and over five years of near-daily use, we’ve had to swap in new tires, replace the chain, and re-wrap the handle bars—and soon the Cane Creek brakes will need a serious retrofit. But that’s typical of any bike, and it’s still as ridiculously light, nimble, and fun to ride as it was when we bought it over five years ago.  The only sad part? It seems Bianchi isn’t offering the full bike; their site displays only the bike frame.  But those less inclined to build up their own perfect commuter rig can still find the San Jose (including the gorgeous eggshell blue one) on Craigslist.

www.elnaturalista.com
Traveling is a lifestyle we embrace (even when it means heading to a city surrounded by mountains only to spend a weekend trapped in a fluorescent-lit convention center).  As such, products that echo our love for world travel hit our wander-lustful sweet spot.  El Naturalista’s shoes reflect the company’s passion for travel by letting the love of a place influence the design. The Campos are perfect example. The shoe’s sole have been crafted to look as if you’re flying high above the earth, gazing down on acres of farmland, the rocky topography of mountains, the serpentine twists of rivers—it’s a detail everyone should notice, even though it’s hidden until you kick your feet up and relax. But this shoe has more than excellent topography on its underside. The soft rubber sole is married to the rest of the shoe by jute, an all-natural, fully-waterproof hand-spun vegetable fiber that looks like coils of rope.  The silky-soft uppers also boast the same hand-stitching and attention to detail, with micro-perforations to help breathability without reducing water resistance, and an off-tone patch of leather at the heel.  The insole and microfiber lining sport silver microparticals—said to create a magnetic field that improves blood circulation and reduces inflammation. We’ll get back to you on that claim. But we do know that the silver ions enhance the evaporation process, improving moisture management inside the shoe. The microfiber absorbs up to eight times its weight in moisture, which eliminates odors and prevents bacteria.  The price is dear for your standard casual shoe—but the subdued-yet-stylish profile, and the Spanish company’s unabashed affection for all kinds of travel—have made these comfortable shoes one of our personal favorites.

The series has three packs (Poco: $199, Poco Plus: $259, and Poco Premium: $299); we tested the Poco Plus and think this model gives you the most bang for your buck. All of the packs feature torso adjustment, but only the Plus and Premium offer a Fit-on-the-Fly Hipbelt that lets you tweak the length of the hipbelt pads while you’re wearing the pack. These two models also come with the must-have sunshade, which is ingeniously slipped into the back of the pack and springs out (with a near-audible boing) when you pull it out. The Premium features a removable daypack and a changing pad, so it’s up to you if that’s worth the extra $40. Regardless of the model, all the packs are for kids who can sit-up unassisted and weigh at least 16 pounds. The adjustable seat and shoulder straps also mean that the pack can grow with your kid. The stability proved to be reassuringly perfect after several outings. The maximum load is 48 pounds (carrier, child, and gear combined). The Poco Plus weighs 6 pounds, 15 ounces, so with a 25-pound kid in tow, you have 16 pounds to play around with. That’s a heavy load for a day-hike, but the pack has a hydration sleeve and a mesh back-panel to aid in staying hydrated and cool.