Primer: Water Purification in the Outdoors
Clean drinking water in the wilderness is never guaranteed. In this roundup review, Gear Junkie looks at a half-dozen purification products made for the outdoors.
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 the Year awards. Here’s a sneak peek. . .
Suunto ‘Everest’ Watch
Climb Mount Everest 20 times and Suunto might make a watch for you. That’s the case with a new model made in honor of Apa Sherpa, a foremost high-altitude mountaineer. GJ gives the watch a test.
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 warmth to save the day on a hike or a remote climb.
Test: Adidas ‘Do-All’ Shades
They cost $325. They come with a detachable nose cover and a siliconized “head strap.” Meet the strange and amazingly versatile Terrex Pro sunglasses from Adidas.
‘Save the Poles’ Gear
Eric Larsen’s year-long expedition reached the world’s three “poles” — the North and South Poles and the top of Mount Everest. This column dissects some of the unique gear that helped along the way.
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 director for a peek at the company’s ambitious plans.
Best OfView All
‘Birdseed’ Energy Bar
A compressed block of nuts and seeds — flax, pumpkin, sesame, sunflower — make Raw Crunch bars appear to be made for the birds. Gear Junkie takes a taste test.
Bite-Size Energy ‘Solids’
Sidewalk chalk or energy food? Gear Junkie tests “the strangest energy food he has yet to try,” Hammer Nutrition’s chalky, hard Perpetuem Solids.
Test: GoLite Shangri-La 3 Teepee Tent
Can you say ultra-light? Gear Junkie tests a minimalist tent for a week in the wilds of Patagonia.
The Gear Junkie Show: Iceland!
In collaboration with Trails.com, Gear Junkie founder Stephen Regenold hosts a new video series. Episode No. 2 was shot last summer on a volcano in Iceland.
Trip Report: ‘Tunnel Vision’ Climb
Gear Junkie recounts a recent rock climb in Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, where peaks rise thousands of feet off the sand, and petroglyphs bake in the desert sun.
Interview: Alpine Speed Freak
Switzerland’s Ueli Steck, a record-setting solo climber, is one of the speediest alpine technicians on the planet. Gear Junkie caught up with Steck for a quick Q&A on climbing and the new Swiss Army Knife that bears his name.
‘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” jacket, and a GPS device that connects to your smartphone.
‘Best in Show’ awards (part I)
The twice-annual Outdoor Retailer trade show, held in Salt Lake City, is an exhibition of the best outdoors equipment in the world. Gear Junkie offers part I of our “Best in Show” gear list from the hundreds of new products that debuted in Utah last week.
OR Trade Show: 2011 Teaser
The Gear Junkie crew is off to Utah this week and the twice-annual Outdoor Retailer trade show. Here’s a quick visual tour of a few new products that have already caught our eye.
Six Outdoor Essentials
Equipment can break. Your body can wear down. These six items have helped Gear Junkie endure and work through bad breaks, gear malfunctions and pain.
Trip Report: Hornby Island, B.C.
Hornby Island, a dot of land in British Columbia’s inside passage, was the venue this fall for a solo trail run adventure. Gear Junkie recounts the run with an interactive SPOT map (including photos and GPS details!) created for the trip.
Ridge Rest ‘Solar’ Camp Pad
Bombproof and inexpensive — and with a new heat-reflecting aluminized surface! — Cascade Designs’ Ridge Rest Solar camp pad offers a smart sleep option any time of year in the outdoors. Our writer gives the pad a winter test.
‘Top 10’ Gear of 2010
Drum roll. . . GearJunkie’s annual ‘Top 10’ Gear picks award the best of the best outdoors equipment after a year of use and abuse around the world. Congrats to Rab, Inov-8 Ltd., Icebug, Garmin, Ibex, Suunto. . .
Hardshell Jacket ‘Rebirth’ in 2011?
Will 2011 mark the rebirth of the waterproof-breathable jacket? A slew of recent news from Polartec, Mountain Hardwear, Columbia, and Gore points to substantial upgrades on the “breathability” side of the hardshell equation.
Long-Distance Radios
Not your grandfather’s walkie-talkies. Motorola cites 35 miles as the maximum communication range for its new handheld Talkabout radios.
Indoor ‘Ice’ Climbing
The IceHoldz line of permeable plastic holds are made to take repeated ice ax placements to allow for training indoors. Numb fingers and falling ice shards not included.
Review: ULTRA Headlamp
Overkill for the average hiker, but an essential tool in certain high-stakes nighttime scenarios, Petzl’s ULTRA headlamp is in the running as the brightest on the market.
‘Boy Who Conquered Everest’
Highly controversial or highly awesome? You can decide. Jordan Romero, the 13-year-old who climbed Mount Everest, co-wrote a kids book on his experience.
First Ascent ‘Tech Hoodies’
Eddie Bauer First Ascent bridges the elusive hoodie/mid-layer gap with a pair of tech tops. T.C. Worley gives the concept a multi-month test.
Via Ferrata Climbing Gear
A bonafide sport in the Alps, but almost unknown in America, Gear Junkie tests equipment for the climbing discipline of via ferrata.
‘Best in Show’ awards
GearJunkie.com’s inaugural “Best in Show” awards highlight a dozen innovative new products seen at the Outdoor Retailer trade show this month.
The Swiss Trip
Climbing, mountain biking, and factory tours were part of the experience this week in Switzerland, where I went to research an upcoming story on the origins of the Swiss Army Knife.
CamelBak Antidote
Hydration stalwart CamelBak touts a “redefinition” of the water reservoir with its to-be-released Antidote line.
JanSport Rainier Climb
T.C. Worley ropes up on JanSport’s annual Mount Rainier Seminar, a mountaineering clinic and ascent of Washington’s highest peak.
