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.
WESN Henry Pocket Knife
WESN’s latest pocket knife is a blur between art and function. The Henry knife has a Swedish-sourced 2.35-inch Sandvik 14C28N stainless steel blade with a 3-inch handle and a titanium body. The tool is also complete with a paracord attachment point at the bottom and comes with either titanium or cherrywood scales. Get the WESN Henry for $80-95.
Simms Women's G3 Guide Wading Jacket
Launching this week, Simms’ spring 2020 collection includes this jacket for female anglers. Made for “fishing functionality,” the Simms Women’s G3 Guide Wading Jacket has a GORE-TEX three-layer fabric upgrade, fly box-compatible chest pockets, and watertight cuffs. This jacket is rugged, stylish, and just plain durable — and available now for $450.
Fox Speedframe & Speedframe Pro Helmets
The third helmet in Fox’s aggressive MTB helmet lineup, the new Speedframe helmet model offers lots of airflow, MIPS technology, and goggle retention without too much bulk. The Speedframe will come in a full-face Pro model or a dropframe option for extra ear and head protection. Our staff would love to try this good-looking trail helmet. The Speedframe helmets start at $110 and come in a variety of colors.
HEADSPIN Outdoor Light
HEADSPIN makes a light tool that can be converted for any situation. The HEADSPIN light comes in a package with five attachment tools for $170. For that price, you get the 2-ounce, 400-lumen rechargeable light unit, headlamp mount and strap, flashlight mount, wall-charging mount, rail and bike mount, and carrying case. The light mounts to the attachments with a unique one-hand-friendly magnetic connection. If you’re looking for a light that can do it all, this might be it.
All-City Cycles Thunderdome
Now available as a complete bike for the very first time, the Thunderdome (from $750) is All-City’s UCI-approved racer bike. Crafted from 7000 series aluminum and drilled for front and rear brakes, the 2020 Thunderdome has carbon blades, round-profile tubing, and a velodrome-legal geometry. This bike could be great for urban cyclists and track racers alike. The Thunderdome will retail for $1,599 for the complete bike or $750 for the frame only.
Tranzend Ultra Coat
Want to be part of wave of the future? Check out the Ultra Coat, a jacket made with sustainable materials like recycled bottles and coffee grounds. Launched on Kickstarter yesterday, the Tranzend Ultra Coat (from $299) is also electrically heated, with zoned heating panels that connect to a portable 5V power bank and offer three heat settings to adjust to your environment. The Ultra Coat is meant to be snowproof, windproof, and provide UV protection.
Stayhold Snow Shovel
Launched at the end of January, Stayhold’s Compact Snow Shovel is a shovel, ice-scraper, and squeegee in one made with a strong ABS thermoplastic. It has safety reflectors, two handles, a handle guard, a strap slot, and more. Use it to clear snow off your car, or even as a traction device in a sticky situation. The Snow Shovel comes in two sizes (normal and mini) and retails for $15-30.
100% S3 Limited-Edition Sunglasses
The latest limited-edition shades from 100% celebrate the success of a Dutch cyclocross champion. The neon-orange S3 HiPER Red Multilayer Mirror Lens ($195) are sports performance sunglasses with cylindrical HD scratch-resistant lenses on a grippy, lightweight, impact-resistant TR90 frame. The glasses support interchangeable lenses and are also available with a photochromic lens option.
MagConnect EDC Keychain
An ever-useful product in the EDC world is the modified keychain tool. This one, called the MagConnect Keychain ($10), is a simple one: It uses a magnet to attach tools to your keyring. If you’re like me and carry a bike key, car key, multitool, flashlight, and more on your keyring, you know you usually don’t need all of them jangling at once. With MagConnect, simply connect and disconnect tools as you wish depending on the adventure.
Chaco Chillos Slide Sandals
While “Chillos” may sound like a delicious Spanish food, it’s not. Instead, Chaco’s latest sandal style, the Chillos slides ($50), are available for men and women and made with a high-abrasion EVA outsole, Chaco’s durable jacquard webbing straps, and an injection-molded buckle. We haven’t tried them, but they float in water and come in fun colors, making them a great option for travel, post-workout, or around the pool and campfire.
Western Rise Diversion Pant
Western Rise’s new Diversion Pant is the easy answer for minimalist travelers. The Diversion Pant ($138) has a unique durable double-weave canvas exterior with a fleecy, soft, dobby-weave nylon interior fabric. The pants are Western’s first with four-way stretch and also have a hidden zippered security pocket and a C6 water-repellent treatment. They are available for men in black or blue-gray.
Santa Cruz E-Mountain Bike
Santa Cruz’s Heckler mountain bike got a big boost this year with e-bike capabilities. The Santa Cruz Heckler CC E-Mountain Bike (from $7,399) has 27.5-inch wheels, a full-carbon frame, SRAM wireless shifting, and, of course, a Shimano DU-E8000 motor for electric assist. For a high price tag, you get top-shelf features like internal cable routing, carbon wheels, SRAM display units, and two color options. Depending on the model, the bike will weigh 46-48 pounds and retail for up to $13,099.
