Apparel

Review: Wool-Based ‘Active Jacket’

For those not-so-cold active days, this wool-blend Ibex jacket has become a Gear Junkie favorite. A streamlined, hood-less design, a thin breathable back, and a…

Written by Stephen Regenold November 23, 2011

The North Face: ‘Commitment to the Core’ for 2012

Significant technologies for 2012, including a new down insulation alternative, were unveiled in Colorado last week by The North Face. Gear Junkie was on site…

Written by Stephen Regenold November 14, 2011

‘Performance’ Underwear made of Cotton

Cotton kills? No longer, according to Polarmax, which touts a new treatment that makes old-fashioned cotton a viable material for performance wear. In this column,…

Written by Stephen Regenold November 04, 2011

Not Your Daddy’s Softshell: 2011/12 Jacket Review

Gear Junkie founder Stephen Regenold tested more than two-dozen jackets in 2011 for this site as well as Outside magazine, for which he coordinated the…

Written by Stephen Regenold October 27, 2011

Mesh Jacket Cited as ‘Bug-Proof’

We test Columbia Sportswear’s new airy bug jacket in the depths of the Great North Woods, a.k.a. Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Our intrepid reviewer…

Written by T.C. Worley October 04, 2011

‘Maize-Based’ Compound Adds Cooling Effect to Columbia T-Shirt

Gear Junkie tests a T-shirt with embedded crystals set to go through an endothermic reaction that issues a cooling effect each time sweat soaks into…

Written by Stephen Regenold August 29, 2011

Paracord Bracelet Unravels to 16-Foot ‘Mini Rope’ for Outdoors

“Wear it, unravel it, survive!” That’s the somewhat melodramatic but highly illustrative tagline for Survival Straps’ namesake product, a bracelet made of paracord that can…

Written by Stephen Regenold August 26, 2011

Ultimate Summertime T-Shirt?

Quick-wicking, sun protective, and durable in the outdoors, the Eco-Speed-T from RailRiders is among Gear Junkie’s favorite shirts for activity outdoors in hot weather.

Written by Stephen Regenold July 25, 2011

Euro Rockstar Outdoor Jacket

Softshell material up top, and goose down insulation below. That’s the premise of a unique new jacket for 2012 from the Swiss skiwear company KJUS.…

Written by Stephen Regenold July 19, 2011

GearJunkie/YogaSlackers Visits Ibex Outdoor Clothing

This week, in the sleepy town of White River Junction, Vt., we visited Ibex’s headquarters to meet the men and women (and dogs!) behind the…

Written by Stephen Regenold July 14, 2011

Haute Outdoors? Columbia Hires New York Fashion Designer

In an unlikely partnership, Columbia Sportswear has announced a collaboration with Jeffrey Kalinsky, a New York fashion designer, to deliver an “ultra-premium” outerwear and footwear…

Written by Stephen Regenold July 07, 2011

High on Argon: Q&A with Founder of Inflatable Jacket Company

Handheld cartridge air pumps are usually reserved for bike tires. But Utah-based Klymit thinks it’s found a better way to insulate jackets and sleeping pads…

Written by Stephen Regenold June 21, 2011

Stingrays and Pixie Dust: Columbia Sportswear 2012 Product Peek

Last night, at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, amid dinosaur bones and live stingrays undulating in a shallow pool, Columbia Sportswear previewed…

Written by Stephen Regenold June 15, 2011

Waterproof Cotton ‘Rain Shirt’

Among the strangest apparel products we have tested all year, this button-up cotton shirt is touted as a performance piece for city biking. Its strange…

Written by Stephen Regenold June 03, 2011

Haute Tactical: Triple Aught Design

TAD is known for stealthy, high-end — and military influenced — products made for the outdoors. The company’s sleek new San Fran storefront, a wood-floored…

Written by Stephen Regenold May 20, 2011

See-Thru ‘Wisp of a Bike Jacket’

It packs to the size of a hockey puck. It weighs just 3.5 ounces, as scant as a single Clif bar. But unfurl this Castelli…

Written by Stephen Regenold May 19, 2011

LG Cycling Kit: ‘Designed for Pros’

This crazy-expensive bike suit was tested in a wind tunnel and touted to “exceed the standard for aerodynamic performance and speed.” Our writer gave it…

Written by T.C. Worley May 18, 2011

Primer: CORDURA Fabric Explained

A quick post about the brand behind our ‘Search for the Most Durable Person’ contest this month. CORDURA makes fabric for everything from bike-messenger bags…

Written by Stephen Regenold May 16, 2011

High-Tech Running Clothes: Salomon ‘Sensifit’ Line

You might look like Spiderman all dressed up in the EXO clothing. But any weird looks you get are worth it for the performance gains…

Written by Stephen Regenold May 10, 2011

Outside ‘Gear of the Year’

In its next issue, due on newsstands at the end of this month, Outside magazine will announce the Summer 2011 winners of its Gear of…

Written by Stephen Regenold April 17, 2011

Test: 3 oz. Jacket

It weighs about 3 ounces and packs in a tiny stuff sack smaller than a fist. But the Cirrus Pull-On from Rab can add enough…

Written by Stephen Regenold April 07, 2011

‘Realfleece’ Wool Apparel

Mention the term “fleece” in an outdoors setting and people think of a synthetic fabric. Icebreaker steps back to the origins of fleece with a…

Written by April 04, 2011

Test: SeasonFive Water Line

Staking claim between a rash-guard and a wetsuit, SeasonFive has a unique offering with its new line. Our writer tested the apparel on a recent…

Written by T.C. Worley March 30, 2011

Adidas Enters U.S. Outdoor Market

Athletics behemoth adidas AG is entering the U.S. outdoor marketplace with footwear, apparel, outerwear, and optics. Gear Junkie gets a Q&A with an adidas managing…

Written by March 24, 2011

The Odd World of Icebreaker

Mix the Brothers Grimm, international fashion photography, a hint of Salvador Dali, and a crew of New Zealanders obsessed with merino wool and you get…

Written by March 23, 2011

Action Pants: ‘Softshell Jeans’

Oregon-based Thunderbolt Sportswear offers a premium pair of pants with its namesake “softshell jeans,” a Schoeller-based product that retails for $188.

Written by March 15, 2011

Review: Women’s ‘Down Puffy’

It weighs 8 ounces and packs to the size of a grapefruit. Our contributor gave the Gnar Jacket from Sierra Designs a test in the…

Written by March 09, 2011

Test: Heat Elite Jacket

Contributor Josh Turner puts the Columbia Heat Elite Jacket to an ultimate objective sedentary test: Spectating at a football game on a winter day at…

Written by February 01, 2011

Yak Wool Sweater

The average male yak weighs upwards of 1,000 pounds and produces a fine wool usable in the making of insulating apparel. Khunu USA employs yak…

Written by January 31, 2011

‘Best in Show’ awards (part II)

Part II of Gear Junkie’s “Best in Show” series highlights top products from the Outdoor Retailer trade show and includes touchscreen gloves, an alpine “smock”…

Written by January 26, 2011

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