A peek at emerging products from the sometimes cutting-edge, sometimes quirky world of gear design. Explore the grid below or click through for a slideshow.
Artesian Cutlery Corsair
Here’s a pretty unique twist on the EDC knife: a cleaver blade. This slick little pocket knife from Artesian Cutlery has a high-quality S35V steel blade. It has a concave front that flares toward the tip. But the base maintains a cleaver-like shape with a modest belly. It has a titanium and carbon fiber handle and titanium pocket clip. The Corsair will cost you a hefty $229.
Solo Stove Yukon
Solo Stove takes the smokeless campfire and makes it way, way bigger. The Solo Stove Yukon is the largest fire pit in the brand’s collection. The stoves are pretty amazing, using double-wall pits to create secondary combustion. This dramatically reduces the amount of smoke from the fire. It’s awesome for backyards, where smoke smell may annoy the neighbors. Plus, no more stinging eyes or stinky clothes. The Yukon is available for preorder now for $550.
Merrell Trail Glove 5
Merrell has updated its stalwart Trail Glove minimalist running shoes to better fit the foot under load. “We changed the barefoot last, taking into account what the foot looks like when it’s load-bearing. It’s kicked out a few more millimeters,” said Erika Derylo, Merrell’s manager for Trail Running. Beyond the wider last, the fifth edition of the shoe also has a probiotic treatment to fight stinky bacteria. Get it now for men and women.
Vans Surf Boot
Vans introduces its first surf boot for warm- and cold-water conditions. The Vans Surf Boot (Mid and Hi) emphasizes grip, skin-tight fit, and climate versatility. It borrows the minds that crafted Vans’ respected skateboard grippiness and boardfeel in its surf boot. The Surf Boot has a perforated neoprene upper, ports in the sidewall for water flow, and a proprietary Vans Surf rubber outsole. Vans Surf Boots range from $65 to $80 for the Mid and Hi, respectively.
MODL Water Bottle
MODL presents itself as the most versatile bottle, offering shower, sports bottle, and filter modes. With a collapsible design, MODL can exchange its caps for a shower nozzle, hands-free drinking hose and filter, or a sports cap. It has a hexagonal design so it won’t roll away, and, with handles, it can attach to your backpack or bike. The versatile water bottle is on Kickstarter now for $34.
Black Eye Pro Kit G4
Up your mobile photography game with the Black Eye Pro Kit G4. This kit comes with three lenses to clip onto your phone and provide quirky and unique images. Included is the Portrait clip, which yields a 2.5x optical zoom, Cinema Wide mode with a 120-degree field of view and no distortion, and Fisheye, which offers an even wider field of view and the classic fisheye look. The kit is available now for $250 and includes a storage container. Check out the example images on the brand page — the lenses look pretty impressive.
SurfEars 3.0
Prevent surfer’s ear with the third iteration of Creatures of Leisure’s product, SurfEars 3.0. Plug these into your earholes and prevent water from entering yet still hear the surrounding sound. The brand redesigned the product completely for version three, and this model is more durable, better-fitting, and available in more sizes. A pair of SurfEars 3.0 goes for $60.
The Ultimate Travel Shoe 2.0
The shoe market continues to get more niche each week, and the Ultimate Travel Shoe 2.0 adds to the mix with benefits of “aqua shoes.” Released this week, Tropicfeel launches The Ultimate Travel Shoe 2.0, a versatile sneaker. According to the brand, the shoe combines the benefits of “aqua shoes,” sport shoes, hiking shoes, and stylish urban shoes. It has a grippy outsole, drainage holes, SprintLaces for quick tightening, and a sleek design. The Tropicfeel Ultimate Travel Shoe 2.0 is on Kickstarter now for $72.
LastSwab Reusable Cotton Swab
In effort to reduce the prevalence of single-use goods, LastSwab introduces a Reusable Cotton Swab to help prevent ocean litter. Dubbed as a travel and home product, the LastSwab works with a soft-feeling rubber that can be washed and therefore reused. It comes with its own carrying case, has a durable stem, and comes in two models: one for ears and the other for makeup. LastSwab is on Kickstarter now for $21 for two.
Made-in-the-USA Timex 'American Documents'
Cowhide from Minnesota. Gorilla Glass from Massachusetts. Assembly in the good old USA. Watch behemoth Timex is bringing manufacturing to the States with the American Documents collection. The line of four watches has Swiss movements but bolsters the burgeoning American watch movement. The elegant watches hit a higher price point than most Timex models at $495 each. Each watch has a 41mm crown and is water-resistant to 30 m.
Lazer Coyote and Impala
The 100-year-old brand Lazer introduces a line of helmets at this year’s Sea Otter with the Coyote and Impala. Borrowing elements of its urban and road cycling helmets, Lazer integrates its Turnfit system for quick horizontal and vertical fit adjustments. The Impala is the higher-end helmet of the two, boasting 22 large vents, an action camera vent, deep rear coverage, and a low profile. The Coyote and Impala cost $80 and $120, respectively, and are available with MIPS.
GIGA Wind Turbine
Charge your gadgets on the go with GIGA, a portable wind turbine. To use GIGA, strap its guyline straps and stakes to the ground, then let the wind do the work. It connects with USB and offers up to 5 watts of power. In case it’s night or you’re out on a cloudy day, wind power seems to be an alternative to portable solar solutions. GIGA is on Kickstarter now for $129.
