Gearzilla » Camping

Timberland Radler Trail Camp Mid Insulated Boots

nborchelt — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:00:30 +0000

shop.timberland.com
Serious mountaineering and winter camping often calls for serious footwear like hard-plastic, crampon-friendly boots. But when you finally reach the end of the day, the feeling of freedom from those boots beats out even shedding a World Cup-tight ski boot. But unlike hanging by the fire in a warm lodge, après in the backcountry means colder temps as the evening fades into night. That’s where the Radler Trail Camp Boots excel. They zip together at the soles when not in use, which means they take a fraction of pack space that would otherwise be swallowed by another pair of kicks. When you’re ready, unzip ‘em and nestle your feet in more than 14 ounces of water-resistant, breathable Thermolite insulation. The outsoles are made of twin rubbers that give you the perfect degree of protection and traction, and the next day you can zip ‘em closed and stash them in your pack, where they’ll be waiting.

Bonus: we’re seeing clearance sales of up to 50 percent off these shoes!

Winter OR Round-Up: Princeton Tec Vizz Headlamp

nborchelt — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 18:00:46 +0000

www.princetontec.com
This March, Princeton Tec will unveil a new outdoor/all-purpose headlamp that should hit the sweet spot for weekend warriors and backpackers looking to light up the backcountry (or brave a power outage). The design of the Vizz itself is nearly idiot-proof, with one big button—and that’s about it. Press the button once and you illuminate two ultra-bright red LEDs, press it twice and get dual ultra-bright white LEDs. You can also hold the button down to cycle through the modes, which includes a 150-lumin max-bright LED that can illuminate up to 90 feet. The Vizz is waterproof down to one meter for up to half an hour, and runs on three AAA batteries—with a built-in power meter to let you how much juice you’ve got left in the estimated 160-hour run time; a low-battery indicator also triggers when you’re down to 20 percent.

Winter OR Round-Up: Sea to Summit Spark Sleeping Bag

nborchelt — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 18:00:01 +0000

www.seatosummit.com
Weighing in at a whispery 12.3 ounces, the new Spark is a 850-fill waterproof down sleeping bag that’s primed to become a minimalist’s favorite outdoor resting place. The bag is rated to 46 degrees and packs down to the size of a softball. It’ll be out this August in both regular and long lengths. The 10D Pertex Quantum shell is treated with DWR water repellency, with a soft-touch nylon interior. Through-hikers, adventure races, and dedicated minimalists will love the bag’s awesome weight-to-warmth ratio.

Winter OR Round-Up: Snow Peak Lapel Torch Flashlight

nborchelt — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 13:00:52 +0000

www.snowpeak.com
This inventive flashlight from Snow Peak reminds us of a lavaliere microphone. You clip the battery pack to…wherever (belt, pack, tent pole, tree branch). Then you affix the powerful magnet on the light to another location—the brim of your baseball cap, the seam of your coat, your shoulder strap, a fold or pocket in a tent; the magnetic is strong enough to make a connection through your fingertip. It’s a fun, highly versatile way of directing up to 70 lumens of illumination where you want it. You can also nestle it on the batter pack itself to create more subdued ambient light.

It runs on three AAA batteries, runs for 140 hours on the lowest of three settings, and will hit the shelves in late March/early April.

Winter OR Round-Up: Stanley Adventure eCycle Flask

nborchelt — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 13:00:07 +0000

www.stanley-pmi.com
We honestly didn’t think that Stanley—who’s been making great food and beverage containers since 1913—could improve upon their Classic Flask. But they proved us wrong. This spring, be sure to save a Jackson for their new eCycle Flask.

This eight-ounce container is made from recycled (and recyclable) plastic, and it boasts two lids—an attached bottle-style screw-top, and a large hinge top. The latter open the top wide for a thorough cleaning, so you can use this flask for any variety of drink (mixed or straight, non-alcoholic or otherwise) without worrying about lingering tastes or smells. The dishwasher-safe flask is also leak-proof. Better still, thanks to the wide-mouth opening, you can also use this flask as a makeshift dry box for your various electronic must-haves….

Big Agnes Blackburn SL Sleeping Bag

nborchelt — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 13:00:43 +0000

www.bigagnes.com, two pounds, 13 ounces
When you’re camping in winter, a nice warm place to rest can be hard to come by. That’s why I love the Big Anges Blackburn SL down sleeping bag. As the temperature dropped into the single digits I found myself happy to crawl into this zero degree-rated bag. The Blackburn utilizes vertical baffles that run the full length of the bag to great effect. Only moments after crawling into this bag you feel toasty warm. Big Agnes does some clever things here, starting with the integrated pad sleeve; instead of adding insulation to the bottom of the bag that just ends up getting compressed and becomes useless, the Big Agnes system relies on the sleeping pad to provide lower insulation while you sleep. This also cuts down on the weight and packed size of the bag. But if you go from a 1.5-inch-thick, self-inflating foam pad to a three-inch pad, you’ll definitely lose room inside the bag. This bag has a few other trick up its sleeve. The drawstring around the face closure is stretchy shock cord, so as you move around inside the bag the opening can flow and move with you. The top of the bag boasts a pillow stuff sack, perfect for their $30 inflatable Air Core Pillow, or for a rolled-up fleece. And the horseshoe-shaped draft collar tucks comfortably around your neck to keep the warm air in and the cold air out. You can choose between two lengths (regular and long) and which side on which you prefer the zipper. The rectangular fit further enhances the loose feel of the bag; if you hate feeling trapped in mummy-style sleeping pads, but worry about sacrificing warmth by introducing “empty spots” in a more traditional rectangular bag, the Blackburn is the perfect solution to truly comfortable cold-weather slumber.
-Chris Boyle

Alite Clover Cook Set

nborchelt — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 13:00:51 +0000

alitedesigns.com
Alite Designs already won our hearts when they announced their innovative program to lend camping gear, but the products they’ve released in 2012 keep ‘em on the shortlist of outdoor companies to watch in 2013. And their creative approach to common camping woes continues with the announcement of the Clover Cook Set cooking utensil, which is currently getting crowd-source support on Kickstarter. The three-in-one tool includes a big spoon and a spatula with a serrated edge that join together to form a pair of tongs, arguably one of the best tools for cooking, full stop. Flip ‘em around, and they slide together into a thin, space-saving package. The tools are constructed from heat-resistant, dishwater-safe BPA-free nylon. We had the chance to play with a prototype last August, and liked what we saw….
The first production run is slated for late March/early April 2013

Hydroflask 21-Ounce Water Bottle

nborchelt — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 13:00:43 +0000

www.hydroflask.com
What seems like a no-brainer of an idea is often times something that takes a while to get to market. After years of enduring 1,001 different hard and soft plastic water bottles, aluminum and stainless steel vessels, and a similar number of hydration reservoirs, what we often yearned for was something that kept our precious fluid hot on the cold days, and cold on the hot ones—without lugging an old-school, heavy and bulky thermos into the backcountry. Enter Hydroflask, who employ double-wall vacuum insulation in their stainless steel water bottles, keeping hot liquids hot for an advertised 12 hours (without creating a scorching—or even warm—exterior), and cold liquids cold for up to 24 hours. We tested both claims, and they were accurate (insulation times, it should be noticed, that are comparable to other vacuum-sealed bottles on the market). The high-quality food-grade 18/8 stainless steel (the same metal used in most cutlery) means the bottles are BPA free and highly resistant to retaining odor, taste, and bacteria. The double-wall insulation also means the bottles won’t “sweat” with condensation, so you won’t saturate everything when you stash the bottle in a bag. The bottles come in practically every size you’d want, with both narrow and wide mouths. We’ve already gushed about their Growler, and we’re also enamored with the 18-ounce wide mouth bottle ($24) as a travel-friendly companion, the 2.2-inch mouth makes it easy to fill from an airport water fountain after clearing security. But the 21-ounce “standard” mouth bottle may be the perfect bottle for the active set. It provides more storage (of course), and the narrower mouth means less spilling, but it’s also compatible with Hydroflask’s Revolve water filter ($40), which threads into the bottle and can generate 75 gallons of water devoid of most fresh-water contaminants, including Giardia and Cryptosporidium.

Alite Twig Pod

nborchelt — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 13:00:12 +0000

www.alitedesigns.com, 1.6 ounces
The self-portrait may be the reigning Facebook profile photo trend, but all those close-to-the-camera, off-kilter shots with your arm extending into the great beyond shouldn’t dominate your wall. Alite’s Twig Pod offers an easy solution, ideally suited to help you document your outdoor adventures. This quick-to-assemble monopod has a rugged stake at one end so you can literally plant it in the earth, angle the shot, set the timer, and let the world bear witness. The 30-inch height is perfect for a from-the-hip angle, and the ball-head mount lets you position the camera in all imaginable angles. Then, when you’re done posin’, the Twig Pod collapses (much like a tent pole) to fit into a seven-inch-long stuff sack. Then you can stash the 1.6-ounce device and forget about it until you need it again. You can also use the Twig Pod to take long exposure shots, and it’s suitable for point-and-shoot cameras (as well as iPhones when accompanied by the $15 Glif, a one-piece stand and tripod mount). Serious photographers are better off with a true monopod, but for lighter cameras and people looking for fun ways to get real self-portraits, this one’s a low-cost winner.

Snow Peak Offers Sneak Preview of New Retail Space

nborchelt — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:00:47 +0000

Attention residents of Portland, Oregon: Snow Peak, the company behind some of the downright sexiest base camp and backcountry gear on the market, is offering a sneak preview of its future retail shop in the city’s hip Pearl District. Now through December 24^th you can play with their expansive line of high-end camping gear, and check out some of the curated brands that compliment their outdoor-inspired lifestyle like Nau, Westcomb, Fjallraven, and Boreas.

Snow Peak started back in 1958, when founder and accomplished mountaineer Yukio Yamai started making his own stuff because the things on the market weren’t cutting it. Today his Asian sense of aesthetics still carries through, especially in such products as the Mini Hozuki Lantern, the Hybrid Trail Cookset, and the light, durable Titanium mugs (pictured above) .

The store is located at 410 NW 14^th Avenue (Portland, Oregon) and officially opens in February.

We’ll be profiling more Snow Peak stuff in early spring to rev you up for the 2013 camping season….