Think of any cliché of wilderness beauty and it’s nearly certain to fit in with the fjord region of Norway. Last month, our writer took a week to tour part of the region. Here’s a peek at what he saw along the way.
We had four grown men and a stationwagon. We had mountain bikes, backpacks, paddles, life jackets, shoes, and all the food and extra gear required of a weekend away. Fortunately, we also had a trailer.
Lie on your belly and swim. That’s the totality of your control on a new invention, the Bellyak, from an Asheville, N.C., company. The thick-hull creation essentially looks like a kayak with its top chopped off.
Got an underwater adventure on your calendar? A camera accessory from GoPro, new this week, was made for snorkel and scuba enthusiasts.
Episode No. 2 in our “Off The Map” series takes viewers to Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, where GearJunkie and crew paddle a mile-long stretch of sandstone caves to go “spelunking in a boat.”
“Like spelunking in a boat.” That’s how a GearJunkie editor described a unique kayaking trip to a set of sea caves on Lake Superior this week. The venue was the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, and the occasion was a day-long paddle and photo shoot for our upcoming “Off The Map” video series.
How about taking a 7,000-mile trip over land and water with zero fuel? How about creating a new verb at the same time, “fatbikerafting”? That’s exactly what Andrew Badenoch is set to do with a project called 77Zero.
Filling a niche between a wetsuit and a drysuit, the Barrier Pants from Season Five borrow fabric technology from the world of wintertime outerwear. Our editor tests the pants on an icy Oregon river during a series of surfski paddling sessions this month.
For some fun, as well as in prep for Team GearJunkie/YogaSlackers’ return to Chile and the Patagonian Expedition Race, we took a Christmas break trip to the Oregon Coast. Road biking, big-wave kayaking, water rescue drills, and smoothies laced with habanero sauce were all a part of the action!
From an inflatable pillow to camp journals and a neat canoe seat, this post, written by Pam Wright of UpNorthica, dishes on a dozen options for that hard-to-gift outdoorsy person on your holiday list.
Handmade in Oregon, a new line of sports helmets will eschew plastic and composites as protective shell material and instead rely on old-fashioned wood. Hard hats for biking, paddling, snow sports, and climbing in the works.
As iconic outdoors destinations go, Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area takes a top spot. Our contributor, back from a solo trip, offers a few tips on gear for anyone planning to push a canoe into the quiet waters on their own.
Gear Junkie’s Austrian adventure continues with a canyoning session deep inside a river gorge in the Alps. Rappelling waterfalls, leaps, and cold-water swims included in the trip.
Among an arsenal of stay-in-contact communication devices, the SPOT Connect is unique. The small device links to a smartphone to provide a connection to a satellite network, allowing you to type and send messages from remote locations around the globe. Gear Junkie tested the setup on a sailing trip last month.
With the solstice past, it’s summertime now officially! And with it, we’re wearing sunglasses most days, even in Minnesota where GearJunkie is based. This review covers a pair of lux sunglasses with a prescription lens from Costa Del Mar.
Custom-built to carry out research projects, break Arctic ice, hit high speed on open water, and negotiate the wildest seas, the Pangaea is a one-of-a-kind sailboat and the eponymous base for Mike Horn’s Pangaea Expedition, a four-year journey. This photo-heavy post provides an inside peek.
Touted to combine the “versatility of a utility trailer” with attributes found in a haul-behind unit made for gear, SPACE Trailers are hitch-ready equipment haulers that come in three primary styles and can tote copious amounts of gear for camping and outdoors use.
Gear Junkie took three days off to sail with world-famous explorer Mike Horn, stowing away for a ride on the Pangaea sailboat for a few hundred miles along the Californian coast.
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 trip.
The latest product from SPOT LLC, an “asset protection” package made for the boating market, has GPS-enabling controls that fit on a key fob.
In cold water, a dry suit can be an essential, life-preserving piece of equipment. Gear Junkie tested a Kokatat dry suit this year kayaking in Patagonia and swimming in a winter river.
Mad River built its first Malecite canoe in 1971. For 2011, the classic canoe design gets an update and a new hull.
“Beam me up, Scotty!” To the surf break, that is.
On calm water and through rapids, Gear Junkie tests the inflatable kayak/raft hybrid that is the ZOIK AlterEgo.
Ryan Stuart, the gear editor at Canada’s Explore magazine, tests the All Star whitewater kayak for Gear Junkie.
They may look like inflatable pool toys. But pack rafts can be serious tools for backcountry exploration.
Become one with the rapids on a riverboard, a whitewater craft on which participants swim half-submerged to navigate chutes and drops.
A long-awaited idea, the Scarab is a multisport helmet certified as safe for a half-dozen sports, rock climbing, cycling, kayaking, and equestrian activities included.
A kayak rack for $35? Yep. Meet the old-school solution, Yakima’s Foam Blocks.
It’s January 17, white and cold in Minneapolis. But I’ve got a race to prepare for. Here are a couple shots from my icy training day.
Writer Jason Magness put the Simon River Sports Hammer paddle to the test on multiple expeditions this past year. Here is his verdict.
No, thanks.
