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.
Pocket Sky
In case you don’t get enough blue light from your computer, Pocket Sky ups the dosage to 11. Or so it seems. While it may appear wacky, Pocket Sky’s intentions are healthy. With soft blue light, Pocket Sky intends to enhance wakefulness, performance, and well-being while suppressing the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone. The brand informs users to use Pocket Sky for only 20 minutes per day. And it markets the use for people experiencing jet lag or those who work at night. Pocket Sky claims to be eye-safe and was tested to photo-biological safety standards. To learn more about how you can get one step closer to becoming X-Men’s Cyclops, head to Kickstarter, where Pocket Sky goes for $121 early bird.
100 Year Vest
Pack a hammer, machete, maps, flasks, iPad, water bottles, and more in your vest with the 100 Year Vest — Vollebak’s latest release. The 100 Year Vest is a garment with nine pockets, two large zipped pockets, and three military belt tapes for carabiners. Vollebak claims that with all of these storage options, this vest can hold as much gear as your backpack. Beyond the pockets, the 100 Year Vest uses three layers of fabric for windproofing and fireproofing. A final cotton layer provides next-to-skin comfort. The vest is available now for $495, which may sound insane. But if it holds up to its 100-year claims, that’s only $4.95 every year for 100 years!
SmartHalo 2
Navigate the urban grid with the SmartHalo 2, a smart biking navigation device. The SmartHalo 2 fixes onto the front of your bike and functions as a GPS, fitness tracker, light, messenger, and anti-theft alarm. It uses a Light Halo that circles around the information in the center to prompt directions. And PeekDisplay offers crisp pixels in the center of the device for comprehensive and simple information. To use the SmartHalo 2, you just have to swipe with the touch surface below the halo. The SmartHalo 2 is on Kickstarter now for $99.
Old Spice x Danner
In one of the more intriguing collaborations we’ve seen, Danner teams up with Old Spice for a limited-release boot. These kicks kick off Old Spice’s new Fresher Collection of deodorant. And while the shoes may appear similar to classic red-laced Danners of yesteryear, the boots leave behind special prints with each footprint. On the outsoles are the phrases “take only photos” and “buy only Old Spice.” Only 120 pairs of the boots are for sale, with 100 percent of proceeds donated to the Trailkeepers of Oregon.
Outlery Cutlery
Fit your fork, knife, and spoon into your pocket with Outlery. This packable silverware option is impressively small, measuring just 2.5 x 3.2 inches. Each utensil screws together in three pieces, and the box includes all the options you need for a meal. It seems like an awesome option for backpackers, travelers, or those looking to reduce their plastic usage. Outlery is on Kickstarter now for $36.
Lyra EDC Knife
From the shape of a medallion, the Lyra unfolds into a functional EDC knife. Made with titanium, the Lyra uses a linkage design to fold both the handle and blade into itself. The brand, Horizon Knives, makes the Lyra with hard and durable D2 steel. The knife has a locking mechanism and lanyard hole to attach to keys. Lyra is on Kickstarter ow for $79 early bird.
Bose Noise-Cancelling Headphones 700
Welcome to the future of noise-cancelling. Bose announced the Headphones 700 this week, the brand’s new flagship model. With the Headphones 700, you get 11 levels of noise cancellation to minimize distractions in loud places, or hear the world as if there wasn’t noise-cancelling at all. The wireless headphones are optimized with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa and boast a four-microphone system that picks up and isolates your voice. But the features don’t end there. Read more and preorder the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 for $400 on Bose’s website.
NeatIce
Prevent nasty cooler funk with NeatIce, a reusable and eco-friendly freezer pack. Essentially, NeatIce is a waterproof container that you can put ice or water in and freeze. Then, with a frozen NeatIce package, you can keep your cooler contents cool without water pooling at the bottom. With a 320-denier nylon fabric, NeatIce is durable, and a TPU zipper keeps contents secure. It can fit up to 8 pounds of cubed ice in its 15 x 9 x 6-inch package. NeatIce is available now for $35 per bag.
Labfresh
Spill-proof shirts have been around for a while, but Labfresh is different. Labfresh launches on Kickstarter with a Polo shirt option that uses FreshCore, a cotton treatment. FreshCore used on cotton shields the fiber from both liquids and bacteria. So the Polo shirt is antibacterial and repels stains and odors. The marketing material is pretty impressive, with red wine stains washing off with a splash of water. Labfresh is on Kickstarter now, with polo shirts for $49.
70th Anniversary Nalgene
Nalgene celebrates 70 years this summer with an anniversary bottle. The brand, founded in 1949, commemorates its roots with a print of its first logo, a prowling mountain lion. And like all Nalgenes, this 1L bottle is BPA- and BPS-free, durable, leak-proof, and dishwasher safe. The $12 bottles are available now.
ADV3NTURE Backpack
Another maximal, full-featured, overbuilt backpack? The ADV3NTURE 3-in-1 Backpack is different. ADV3NTURE has an astounding 32 features including two coolers, a removable daypack, breathable back panel, and hard sunglass case. The pack functions as two packs that can zip together to form one large pack. View the full list of the ADV3NTURE’s features on its Kickstarter page, where it goes for $159.
Dandelion Tire
Dandelions can be a nuisance, but to Continental, they are a resource. The German tire brand announced a new kind of rubber made from dandelions. Continental sources the rubber from the Russian dandelion, or Taraxacum koksaghyz, instead of the standard rubber tree. Whereas rubber trees take 7 years to harvest, latex from dandelion root takes just 6 months. Continental claims the dandelion rubber will be of the same quality as that derived from rubber trees. The brand hopes to mass-produce the dandelion tires within the next 5-10 years, with the first debuting at this year’s Tour de France.
