Trailspace Blog Gear

PLB's and self-sufficiency can be a hot (i.e. controversial) topic in the Trailspace forums. Now the discussion has gone mainstream:

Tired from a hike? Rescuers fear Yuppie 911
Last month two men and their teenage sons tackled one of the world's most unforgiving summertime hikes: the Grand Canyon's parched and searing Royal Arch Loop. Along with bedrolls and freeze-dried food, the inexperienced backpackers carried a personal locator beacon - just in case.

In the span of three days, the group pushed the panic button three times, mobilizing helicopters for dangerous, lifesaving rescues inside the steep canyon walls.

(from the Associated Press)

The PLB episodes detailed in the article above are cringe-worthy: a woman frightened by a thunderstorm; three, yes three, calls (and subsequent emergency responses) from those Grand Canyon hikers for 1) lack of water, 2) salty-tasting water, and 3) some unknown reason. (Couldn't someone take the PLB away after the first rescue attempt —which the hikers declined — right after handing them a big bill?)

The article says that some rescue officials are starting to keep stats on PLB usage. As a numbers freak, I'd be interested to know, beyond anecdotes, what the effect of PLB usage is on backcountry rescue services. How many and what percentage of PLB owners attempt activities or take risks they wouldn't without that piece of gear in their pack? What are the costs for unnecessary or irresponsible rescues versus situations where PLB's save time and rescue costs?

There are lots of issues here. As one rescuer quoted in the article says, "We are now entering the Twilight Zone of someone else's intentions."

Oh, and I'm left with one additional question: were those Grand Canyon hikers really carrying “bedrolls”?

Via Trailspace member overmywaders

A 2008 SIGG bottle

Many people are feeling misled, angry, betrayed, and confused after it was confirmed in an article by outdoor industry publication snews.net this month that popular SIGG bottles made before August of 2008 included BPA in their proprietary liners.

SIGG and Laken now both admit that their aluminum water bottles manufactured before August 2008 contained the much-maligned endocrine disruptor Bisphenol A (BPA) in the liner. All bottles now produced by SIGG and Laken use a new liner that is certified BPA- and phthalate-free.

It’s important to note that every manufacturer of aluminum water bottles had BPA in their epoxy liners until last year, when SIGG and Laken began using a new BPA-free liner (stainless steel bottles have none). One presumes that aluminum bottles sold by all other companies still contain BPA.

So, unless you’re sure you’ve bought a new version of a SIGG or Laken assume your aluminum bottles have BPA (so do the cans in your pantry, by the way). Since both versions of the Laken and SIGG bottles were available for sale past August 2008, refer to this info for help identifying your bottle.

SIGG never claimed to be BPA-free in their materials, but instead very carefully positioned their bottles and liner as a non-toxic, water-based, non-leaching, and healthy, “green” alternative to polycarbonate plastic bottles. Many inferred that the bottles were BPA-free, even when they were not, which the company knew as early as 2006. Many others were suspicious of the company’s unwillingness to divulge its “proprietary” materials when asked point-blank if the bottles contained BPA.

Regardless, in 2007 and 2008 SIGG knowingly sold a record number of pricey aluminum water bottles containing BPA to a BPA-in-polycarbonate-plastic-scared public.

There’s still much disagreement about the safety of BPA, but personally, I’m tired of all the dodging and confusion. I’m sticking with stainless steel.

For more information:

"Is Your Aluminum Bottle BPA-Free?"

SNEWS's "Aluminum bottles you are selling may NOT be BPA-free" (subscription required)

With the economy down, there’s been a lot of talk about summer "staycations" and families camping as an alternative to a big expensive trip. Last week at OR, I asked Kelty about this trend and heard, oh yes, we can outfit a family of four with sleeping bags and a tent for the price of one ticket to Disney World.

Now, this is an appealing concept, but I wanted to see if the math held up.

First I went to Expedia and checked Saturday-to-Saturday summer flights from Portland, Maine to, Orlando, Florida (obviously your mileage will vary on this point):

Flight: $400
(all but one option cost at least $400 per person with taxes and fees)

Checked bags: $60 round trip
(2 bags, $15 each way)

Flight Total: $460
(1 person, with bags)

Then I turned to Trailspace to choose some Kelty gear (after all, they made the claim).

Four-person tent: $160
(either the Trail Dome 4 or Grand Mesa 4)

2 adult sleeping bags: $220
(men’s and women’s Light Year XP 20, $110 each)

2 kids sleeping bags: $80
(Little Creek 30 Junior, $40 each)

Tent/Bags Total: $460
(family of 4)

Verdict: It worked! I found a tent and four sleeping bags for the same price as flying one person to Florida and back (having them exactly equal was an unintended fluke).

This is not meant to recommend a specific brand or products, and obviously, you can shop around for deals, but, I think this shows that the spirit of the example holds up.

Now, I think this family still needs some daypacks for hiking, so they'll go slightly over the one-plane-fare budget. However, since we've saved on the cost of three additional plane fares and Disney World accommodations, food, and entertainment, I think they can swing some new packs:

2 adult packs: $200
(women's Redwing 2500, and men's Redwing 2650)

They can even splurge on a bigger tent if they want.

So, before you book tickets for your next trip, you might consider what gear you could use closer to home, long after that overcrowded flight is over.

This is from the July 25th New York Times:

Bear-Proof Can Is Pop-Top Picnic for a Crafty Thief

It was built to be impenetrable, from its “super rugged transparent polycarbonate housing” to its intricate double-tabbed lid that would keep campers’ food in and bears’ paws out.

The BearVault 500 withstood the ravages of the test bears at the Folsom City Zoo in California. It has stymied mighty grizzlies weighing up to 1,000 pounds in the backcountry of Yellowstone National Park.

But in one corner of the Adirondacks, campers started to notice that the BearVault, a popular canister designed to keep food and other necessities safe, was being compromised. First through circumstantial evidence, then from witness reports, it became clear that in most cases, the conqueror was a relatively tiny, extremely shy middle-aged black bear named Yellow-Yellow.

Read the full article>>

We’ll continue our post-OR coverage this week, as we still have some gear to point out to you. In the coming months, you’ll also see some of that gear (and other pieces) tested by Trailspace.

In the meantime, here are some personal post-OR thoughts.

Ultra-OR
Several companies gave out pedometers to track your mileage and raise money for charity. This is a nice idea (actually, I did it on my own at winter market).

I picked up a pedometer from Montrail at the beginning of Day One (they didn’t have them for Day Zero/Open Air Demo). Counting only walking around inside the Salt Palace, I covered 15.84 miles in four days. That’s nearly four miles a day. Hiking and running outside before and after the show, I added another 25 miles. Hey, OR week could be called an ultra!

Never Buy Before
Never ever buy any gear, unless absolutely necessary, immediately before heading to OR. You will see something better or improved and risk buyer’s remorse, becoming disappointed in what you oh so happily just purchased days or weeks ago.

Example 1.
I really like the Petzl e+Lite. I’ve had one for years, and just ordered another for my son. Lo and behold, Petzl showed me an e+Lite, now with a whistle on the strap. It’s shipping now. I could have bought one for half price at the Petzl booth, but already had the old one coming in the mail. It’s okay, I didn’t really need an extra whistle. Still, I keep thinking about it.

Example 2.
My toddler has a small Klean Kanteen with sippy spout. My one gripe has been that there was no loop or handle to fasten it via a carabiner to our kid carrier. So I bought a different brand's stainless steel toddler bottle with plastic loop at the REI in SLC just days before the show. It leaked on my spouse.

Lo and behold, two days later Klean Kanteen showed me their new sport/loop combo top. Problem solved. They were kind enough to give me one immediately, along with a snazzy red bottle, which we put to immediate use.

Copycats
As a member of the working media I get a special sticker on my badge that allows me to take photos (many of which you've seen here). I typically ask company reps for permission first, but occasionally take pictures while wandering the aisles.

At this show, I twice had reps approach while I was taking pictures to check out my credentials (a first ever!). The Patagonia woman asked quite nicely, explaining they’d been having problems with unauthorized photo taking. Another company’s rep just shouted, “you can’t take pictures!” Oh, wait you can, she backtracked, after realizing I had just met with their marketing department.

I understand why Patagonia and others must protect their property from being copied, especially products that haven’t even reached market yet. That’s understandable.

Here’s the odd part. Once it’s known that I’m from the media and presumably don’t have nefarious motives to make counterfeit jackets or packs, it’s suddenly okay for me to take pictures, which I can then post on this blog, for anyone to view.

So, are copycats just uninterested in authorized photos on outdoor gear sites?

Publicity = Info
I’m repeatedly surprised by companies that spend loads of money to go to OR, set up booths, and publicize themselves in advance (oh the many e-mails and phone calls), yet don’t do something as simple as upload a PDF with images and specs to the OR press site, or have a pres kit on a USB stick available.

OR exhibitors, if you have a press kit or other info, please post or share it once that info goes public, or tell us where to find it. You may just find some of your products featured here. Yes, I can look for your PR contact's e-mail address and then request that info and wait for them to find time to send it to me, but should there really be that much legwork to learn more about you and your cool gear?

Legitimate reasons to hold back info are rare. So, unless you've got state secrets, get your info out there, otherwise we won’t know. On the other side, thank you to the many great PR reps who make it easy for me to find their info.


The Show
The show felt quieter from the outset, as might be expected with the economy, but many companies and PR folks assured me they were still quite busy (though would they tell me if they weren’t?).

While attendance over the four days was down, the people who were there seemed focused and busy. This time around, there was space to walk in the hallways and to and from the bathrooms. It can be nice not to have to maneuver my way down the aisles.

But, the loss is the absence of small, innovative, unique companies that didn’t make the show. For better and for worse, the Salt Palace was a bit less bloated. I didn't miss the extra fat, but I did miss discovering some more small unknowns.

Today we bring you a smorgasbord of gear from Outdoor Retailer, including sporks for one and all, mini 'biners that are the real deal, climbing dogs, and uniquely-shaped ice axes.

Apparently it was a climbing-focused day.

Light My Fire Sporks

Light My Fire’s bright plastic Sporks will soon be available for little kids and (drum roll…) lefties! The Left-Handed Spork will be sold in two-packs for $6. The Baby Spork will be sold in three-packs (or triplets) for $6.

The new spoon-fork-knife combos are expected to be available in October 2009.

Metolius Full Strength Mini Carabiner

Designed for all climbing applications, the FS Mini Biner is a hot-forged, keychain-sized carabiner with full UIAA-rated strength. Weighing just under 23 grams, the fully functioning FS Mini lets climbers shed pounds off their rack without sacrificing performance. These hot forged rigs are ideal for quickdraws, cam and nut placements, or for attaching equipment, and the wire gate enables ease of use for clipping.

Available spring 2010, along with the FS Mini Wire-Gate Quickdraw.

Weight: 0.82 oz (23 g)
Strength: 22 kN / 7 kN / 8 kN (5175 lbf)
Individually tested to 50% of rated strength
CE/UIAA certified
MSRP: $7.50 (single), $43.50 (6-pack)

Ruff Wear DoubleBack Harness

Because sometimes dogs need to rappel too, now there’s the DoubleBack Harness designed for climbing, mountaineering, canyoneering, and lifting and lowering your dog in exposed areas.

According to Ruff Wear, makers of dog gear, a number of climbers and mountaineers wanted to use other Ruff Wear safety harnesses, such as the Web Master, as actual climbing harnesses for their dogs. But the Web Master was originally designed to to lift search-and-rescue dogs up and over obstacles, not as a genuine climbing harness.

As Ruff Wear got more and more inquiries they became concerned about the dogs’ safety, and ultimately developed the DoubleBack Harness, a true, strength-rated climbing harness for dogs.

The adjustable harness is named for its double-back, two-tone webbing system that helps verify proper use. The back leggings fold up and stuff out of the way into a pocket for the approach. A blinking red safety light is located by the tail.

The Doubleback is available in sizes XXS to XL, sized by girth.

See a picture of the harness being tested on Ruff Wear’s dogblog.

Available October 1, 2009

MSRP: $124.95

CAMP Mountaineering Axes

The Italian climbing company CAMP is 120 years old and still family-owned. The great grandfathers of CAMP’s current management created the first axes and crampons for the Italian military. For 2010, CAMP is offering three new mountaineering axes. The X-Class, X-Tour, and the lightweight X-Lite (11.6 oz), all have a unique head shape to optimally position the hand over the shaft.

X-Class for alpinism and general mountaineering
Weight: 18.9 oz (535 g)
Lengths (cm): 50, 57, 65, 73
Adjustable leash

X-Lite for ski mountaineering, high altitude climbing, and adventure racing
Weight: 11.6 oz (328 g)
Lengths (cm): 50, 55, 60
Touring leash

X-Tour for general mountaineering
Weight: 18.3 oz (520 g)
Lengths (cm): 50, 57, 65, 73
Slider leash

Bill S offers his point of view on Day Four (July 24) of Outdoor Retailer.

Today, the last day of the 2009 Outdoor Retailer Show Summer Edition, started with a leisurely awakening, a lot of sorting, and the packing of the car for the drive home. I had to check out of my sumptuous quarters, go have a gourmet breakfast at the McD across the street, and stroll through the (relatively) cool morning air the 3/4 mile to the Salt Palace. Well, it was only 76 degrees, with clouds looking like it might rain, so a bit on the humid side. Still, it was cooler than the previous six days of 90-100 degree weather.

The last day of the show is always a rush to catch the people you couldn't make appointments with and try to catch the rumored "amazing breakthrough" products (which usually are not — either amazing or breakthroughs). The other thing is the "fire sales" — the vendors who have products they do not want to ship back home and sometimes will give away free (fine if you want that product, yet more trash if you have no interest. Guess what most of the free stuff is).

Injinji

Performance Series Injinji sock.

First stop was at the Injinji booth. Injinji introduced "fingered" socks in a big way a few years back. At first, these were all anklets. I tried them and found that they reduced the amount of callous buildup between toes, and found other people who said they reduced blistering more than other sock schemes they had tried (hah! it's mostly boot fitting, folks, with socks the next level after you get the boots right).

Anyway, my complaint had been that there were no boot-height socks in their line. But my demands, er, suggestions, have been answered. So I picked up a pair of their merino wool crew socks and a pair of their Coolmax wicking socks for testing. Watch Trailspace reviews to find out if they work well. Yeah, I know, some people think "fingered socks" are weird. But for some uses, they may be the answer.

Hilleberg

Petra Hilleberg and the Altai tent, Hilleberg's new six-person, yurt-shaped shelter.

Next to Hilleberg, since Bo Hilleberg had not been there earlier in the week. I took a photo of Petra Hilleberg standing next to the Altai tent, which I mentioned in my Day Two coverage. Petra's official title is President of Hilleberg USA, and she is based in Washington state.

I also got a good look at the Bivanorak, a combination bivy sack, anorak, and cagoule. It can be used as a bivy sack, for hiking with your full pack under it (tuck the bottom hem up and fasten in place with the drawstring), a rain jacket, and emergency shelter.

But mostly, I just chatted with Bo about skiing and snowshoeing in Sweden. He described the hut system in great detail, including the best times of year to go for summer and winter treks. The huts have a hut warden present during most of the year. The warden has food available, as well as stoves to cook on (lightens the pack). When the huts are crowded (such as in late March and in April), you can pitch your tent outside and still eat inside. I am keeping the best times of year as my personal secret (wouldn't want to get there and find half the Trailspace readers there at the same time!).

Leki

Display for Leki's new SuperLock mechanism.

Close to the Hilleberg booth was the Leki booth. At the Winter show, I had a discussion that has actually been continuing for a couple years about shock absorber vs non-shock poles. Most Trailspace readers know I do not like shock absorbers in my poles, although I strongly advocate using two poles for most hiking. The shock absorbers I have experienced tend to feel like pogo sticks. The Leki folks claim that their new shock absorbers are very different (I have a Leki monopod that has a shock absorber that I keep locked out).

This time they took the "try it you'll like it" approach. So I now have in hand a pair of their new Ultralite Thermolite Aergon poles, the Makalu. I will admit that in the brief test in the Salt Palace, they seemed to absorb the shock of a hard thrust reasonably without skittering like a shockless pole often does. We shall see after a few miles on the trails. I do promise to keep an open mind, and really am looking for things to help to aging muscles and joints.

Leki's new SpeedLock mechanism does not come with a shock absorber at present, so I am not testing that pole system out.

Adventure Medical Kits

Ultralight Adventure Medical Kit

Adventure Medical Kits has done some repackaging of their line of first aid kits to more closely match the various types of outdoor activities. The Ultralight series is now double-packaged with an inner ziplock bag that remains sealed until you need it (transparent so you can see exactly what is in it), and carried inside a very light coated nylon outer bag. This keeps the supplies in condition longer.

The Pocket Survival packages are filled with items that have been found in practice to match what is really needed in survival situations. The other lines go all the way up to the equivalent of a full ER crash cart minus the prescription meds, and even then provide containers for them.

One thing I personally have found about the AMK kits is that they really do have what is needed (including a copy of Eric Weiss' little book that is filled with a wealth of "improvisational" information — you don't need a special splint device, since you already have what you need for a splint in your regular pack, IF you know how to recognize it, or look it up in the little book).

One of the recent additions to some of the kits and available separately is QuickClot, a powder that speeds the clotting of blood in a wound. This show they added a nosebleed version of QuickClot, which I suspect would come in handy for parents of young boys.

Lowrance

Lowrance Sierra

Lowrance continues to attempt to return to the consumer GPS receiver market with their Endura receiver line. These three units, the Sierra ($549.99), Safari ($384.99), and Out&Back ($229.99) differ primarily in the included basemaps, inclusion of barometric altimeter and magnetic compass, and those accessories apparently so vital these days, picture viewer, MP3, video player, and voice recorder (Magellan and Garmin also include these in certain models, with Delorme the lone holdout among the major handheld GPSR manufacturers in sticking to the navigation functions, leaving out the entertainment functions).

All three have color touchscreens, which is the standard these days. The high-end Sierra has the most detailed standard topographic maps, with a detailed road network and 100-foot contour intervals for the whole US.

Grivel

 I visited the Grivel booth to find out what their current situation is, since Grivel North America (Mark Twight's company) had shut down last year. Grivel is now exporting directly from Italy to the U.S. So we will still be able to get the high quality Grivel climbing gear, possibly at a lower price, without the intermediate distribution center.

Bushnell

Out of curiosity (and because Alicia had asked about it) I stopped by the Bushnell booth to see what the story is with their BackTrack unit. This is a simplified GPS receiver that is intended to help the user return to their starting point without having to learn all the functions of the higher end GPS receivers. The retail price is about $70.

The unit is the size of a large (palm of the hand-sized) compass. At the start of your hike, you mark your location with one of three symbols. At two more locations along the way, you push a couple buttons to select another symbol, which provide a total of three reference points - your start and perhaps two trail forks. To return, a press of a button shows an arrow giving the direction to whichever of the three reference locations you want to return to. The arrow is connected to a built-in magnetic compass, so it will always point to your selected destination (straight-line direction). The unit does not show or record a track, so at trail junctions, you have to remember which branch of the fork you need to take. 

My initial feeling about this device is that it might be useful for a young child or an elderly person (that's someone at least 20 years older than I am!) who will not be going very far and will be on paths or trails with few branches. However, it is way too low a capability for general use. Consider that for under $100, and often for $50, you can find a more fully featured GPS receiver that a 4 or 5 year old can learn to use that shows tracks that the child can easily learn to follow, with a set of buttons that are only a bit more complex than the BackTrack. However, I have not actually used the BackTrack, and might find differently in use.

Petzl

A couple of promised items in the climbing area are now available. One is the Petzl Reverso 3, a direct competitor to the Black Diamond ATC Guide. These belay/descender devices are very similar in having the deep notches to provide more friction for today's thinner ropes, plus a hole to attach a cord to aid in releasing the rope for an indirect belay. The major difference is that the release hole is vertical on the BD and horizontal on the Petzl. There is some discussion going on in the climbing community about which is better.

Omega Pacific

Another item now available is the pair of smaller link-cams from Omega Pacific. The two larger sizes have been out for a while now and found a lot of enthusiastic users. While they are expensive, the wide range of cracks they fit reduces the number of cams that it is necessary to carry in the vital and common mid-sizes of cracks. In my experience with the two larger sizes, they seem more dependable than the various off-set and other approaches to extended-size cams. Still, the complexity of the construction gives a bit of pause, when compared to the simplicity of the more standard symmetrical cam designs.

Bluewater

Bluewater has introduced several haul lines that feature polyester sheaths. These should be more resistant to UV degradation, plus they are stiffer than their nylon counterparts. The extra stiffness partially counteracts the slipperyness of their tiny diameter when using them in a double-rope rappel, where the haul (or pull-down) line acts as the second line with the climbing rope.

Remember yesterday’s post about Brooks-Range’s ultra ultralight winter Rocket Tent? Well, CTF³ fabric, the same extremely light, strong, waterproof material used in the Rocket, is being introduced in a line of stuff sacks for Granite Gear.

The Uberlight CTF³ Drysacks are fairly transparent roll-tops with stitch-free seams in a “space saver shape” (meaning they’re more boxy than round, so as not to leave gaps in your pack).

CTF³ is made by Cubic Tech, a company that specializes in high performance fibers with high strength-to-weight ratios, such as sail cloth and aerospace materials.

The Uberlight CTF³ Drysacks will come in four sizes: 7 liters, 10 liters, 13 liters, and 18 liters, and in four translucent colors: blue, green, yellow, and orange.

They're “half the weight of ultralight!” proclaims Granite Gear’s product information. Unfortunately, those weights aren’t included in that information, but I will add them once known. Until then, if you know how much “ultralight” weighs, just divide that in half! (Edited to add weights below on 7/27/09)

Granite Gear says, the drysacks weigh less than half of similarly sized sil nylon sacks, but the CTF³ fabric (a non-woven laminate reinforced with Dyneema fibers) has five times the tensile strength.

Personally, I’ve checked out both the Uberlight CTF³ Drysacks and the Brooks-Range Rocket Tent and can vouch for their extreme lightweight and strength (Brooks-Range let me reef on a piece of the fabric at their booth). Suffice to say, if they can build a 1 pound 7 ounce tent out of CTF³, stuff sacks shouldn’t weigh much at all. However, that weight-to-strength ratio doesn’t come cheap.

Granite Gear’s Uberlight CTF³ Drysacks will be available February 1, 2010.

Dimensions:
7L: 4.5" x 7" x 17"
10L: 5" x 7.25" x 20"
13L: 5.25" x 7.75" x 21"
18L: 6" x 8.75" x 22.5"

MSRP’s:
7L: $38.95
10L: $41.95
13L: $44.95
18L: $48.95

Weights:
7L: 15 grams
10L: 17 grams
13L: 19 grams
18L: 21 grams

(Edited to add weights above 7/27/09)

Easton, the company known for making tent poles, has been branching out lately. Last winter they introduced their own line of snowshoes. Next, they’re introducing tents and a line of trekking poles for 2010. First, we’ll introduce the Easton tents.

Xi² Expedition Tent

A two-person, four-pole, four-season tent, the Xi² has dual doors and vestibules, a Carbon FX/aluminum hybrid frame, matching color-coded canopy sleeves and poles for easy set-up, taped nylon taffeta bucket floor, triple ventilation chimneys, multiple guy points, reflective door openings and guy lines, internal pockets, integrated pole/compression stuff sack, and an available footprint.

Peak height: 44" 

Stuffed size: 20.5" x 7"

Weight packaged: 7.5 lbs

Minimum weight: 7 lbs

MSRP: $539

Si² Mountain Tent

A two-person, three-season, three-pole tent, the Si² has a new Carbon EVO lightweight all-carbon frame, dual door entry with single vestibule (optional second vestibule available), multiple guy points, waterproof/breathable EPIC fabric, optional internal gear net, and an available footprint.

Peak height: 40"

Stuffed size: 18" x 7"

Weight packaged: 4.5 lbs

Minimum weight: 4 lbs

MSRP: $399

Scott Kaier showed us a prototype of the Primus EtaSolo integrated canister stove at Outdoor Retailer today:

The Primus EtaSolo has a piezo ignition and built-in heat exchanger and windscreen. It comes with a 0.9-liter pot with lid. It uses a small to medium gas canister, and you can adjust the heat to boil or simmer.

The Primus EtaSolo will be available for spring 2010.

Weight: 13 ounces

MSRP: just under $100 

Scott Kaier showed us the Primus Express Spider compact canister stove at Outdoor Retailer today:

The Primus Express Spider will be available for spring 2010.

Weight: 7 ounces

MSRP: $60

The Rocket Tent, Brooks-Range Mountaineering’s minimalist two-person winter mountaineering tent, weighs an amazing 1 pound 6 ounces for winter set-up.

The 1 pound 6 ounce Rocket Tent from Brooks-Range Mountaineering

Brooks-Range achieves this astonishingly low weight through its “theme of redundancy.” If you’re already carrying two ski poles and an avalanche probe, why not use them for your tent’s structure, instead of carrying additional tent poles?

The Rocket Tent uses your avalanche probe as a ridge pole (a probe extender is included, if needed), and two adjustable ski or trekking poles cross at the front to finish the frame.

Ski poles, along with an avalanche probe, support the Rocket Tent.

The tent is made from extremely lightweight and strong CTF³ fabric, with a metallized color to minimize heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. Originally used as sailcloth, CTF³ is very UV- and tear-resistant and exceeds the standards of sailcloth testing. It’s also 5,000+mm waterproof, “absolutely waterproof,” said Mark Kelly of Brooks-Range. “The fabric will burst before water penetrates it.”

Conversely, this means the tent is not breathable, so three zippered vents are needed for ventilation.

The Rocket Tent has an aerodynamic shape, and one door and one vestibule. Summer poles are provided for year-round use, and a floor footprint is available.

Brooks-Range designs professional-level backcountry gear for mountain and ski guides. The Rocket Tent was designed by mountain guide Dick Jackson and will be available in several weeks.

The author tries out the Rocket Tent.

Rocket Tent Specs:

Winter weight (without poles): 1 lb 5.9 oz (620 g)

Summer weight (with included poles): 2 lbs 0.4 oz (920 g)

Floor area: 21.5 ft²

Vestibule area: 7.0 ft²

Peak height: 38"

Packed size: 6" x 10" x 2"

MSRP: $600

Bill S offers his point of view on Day Three (July 23) of Outdoor Retailer.

Nikon

Thursday morning started early in the morning by joining the Audubon Society's birding trek to the Inland Sea Shorebird Reserve. We were joined by a representative of Nikon's binocular division who loaned us each a pair of the new Nikon EDG binoculars. Having used Nikon cameras and binoculars for many years, I expected the binoculars to be good, but to say the least, I was blown away. And these weren't even the vibration-reduction version!

Nikon EDG binoculars.

The birding itself was great, with the very first bird we spotted on entering the Reserve being a golden eagle. The many birds spotted included avocets, killdeer, snowy plover, gadwalls, willets, ibis, pelicans, and three different kinds of gull. At the end, I tried to stuff the binoculars in my pack, but had to give them back. By the way, the various versions of EDG range in price from $1,600 to more than $2,000.

After recovering from sticker shock and thinking about it, I will have to say that these were such a huge step up from my older 7x50 Nikon binoculars that they are well worth it if you are an avid birder. And if you aren't an avid birder, it wouldn't take very many jaunts with your local Audubon expert to get hooked with something this good. (No, I have no connection with Nikon other than using their gear, and they seem to be resistant to just giving me a pair of their binoculars — maybe I ought to be sour grapes).

I was getting pretty puzzled about my problems with the Salt Palace's wifi connection until I found that others, including the vendors (on a supposedly separate system) were having lots of problems as well. So the last two days of reports are coming out after the show has closed. I am also adding a few revisits here.

Superfeet

I revisited the Superfeet booth to get the full explanation for the eight colors of Superfeet. Although to some extent it is marketing, the colors are also color coding for usage. Note that all feature antimicrobial top fabrics:

Hot Pink: intended for women's ski boots, these are heat retaining.

Hot Red: same as above, but men's ski boots.

Orange and Berry: for running shoes, these two have a curved last, and narrower heel, and cushioned forefoot (orange for men, berry for women).

Green: the traditional hiking boot insole with the most heel pocket, and the thickest padding.

Blue: for casual shoes. These add less volume, since most people add these on top of the manufacturer's insole, where other users remove the insole shipped with the footgear. Boot manufacturers normally intend for the user to put in an aftermarket insole, as I and others have noted on Trailspace previously.

Yellow: raised heel profile, intended for cycling shoes and skates (I intend to try these in the near future, since I bicycle a lot).

Black: thinnest, intended for dress shoes and flat feet.

Black DMP (Dynamic Molding Process): these form an impression of the foot from wearing them. They are intended for aging feet and Type II diabetics, as well as others with fairly rapidly changing foot shape.

Triton 2000 from Magellan.

Magellan

After participating in the Magellan Geocache contest at the Open Air session (Day Zero), I stopped by their booth to see what was new. Magellan has changed owners several times over the past few years, but the new owners seem to have their eye set on making the best use of Magellan's long history in the consumer GPS receiver market.

A couple years ago, they started a partnership with National Geographic maps, with the current units allowing the uploading of Topo and TrailSmart maps directly onto the Triton units. There were a number of bugs that have now been resolved (I would blame the use of a Microsoft operating system for some of the bugs at least, based on personal experience developing applications using MS products — lest you think this means I am an Apple fan, I have found virtually identical bugs in Apple OS's). The Triton I used during the caching contest worked well, though I was new to the touchscreen interface being used and have yet to see an operating manual.

Rite in the Rain

Weatherjet Ink-Jet Paper

Rite in the Rain had a booth at the show this time, which I had not seen before. They produce a line of waterproof papers, which many of us use in notebook form. I like to use their printer paper for the courses in land navigation I teach, and so complained to the folks at the booth about how difficult it is to find the printer version. They told me that I can order directly by going to their website — good to know. Their paper isn't exactly the most glamorous product, but when you are keeping a journal in the rain forest or in the wet winters we have in the Sierra, that's what you need.

Brooks-Range

I visited a number of other booths on Thursday, but most had only incremental changes (or "new colors"), with several others already covered by Alicia. I do want to add something to her comments about Brooks-Range. This company has products primarily aimed at professional guides. They have a range of map tools and guide-oriented gear, such as their emergency sleds and the Rocket Tent that Alicia reported on. Their gear is generally well-made and well-thought out. However, because they are aimed at a niche market and have a small production, their products are, in my personal opinion, over-priced.

All-in-One Map Tool Pro.

Many of their mapping tools are available at lower prices from vendors in another, related niche market, namely for surveyors and foresters, as well as a wider SAR market. A good source of the map tools (some virtually identical) is Forestry Suppliers, located in Jackson, Mississippi, and with a very complete website. In the SAR and guide niche, NOLS has a lot of the same "guide cards."

However, their rescue sleds are pretty unique as a readily buyable product, though directions for making the same thing on your own (or even improvising on the spot) can be found in a number of backcountry ski and winter camping books. They introduced a rescue sled specifically for snowboarders at the show.

The Rocket Tent is a very interesting product, since it uses the avy probe and adjustable ski poles you will already have with you (it is pretty much a single person tent). I can see some uses for it, though it is a bit on the pricey side.

With more than 900 exhibitors attending Outdoor Retailer, I can’t possibly see every one. But, my son really wanted to give Gibbon Slacklines’ outdoor setup a try, proving kids can immediately spot fun and that we should all try new things.

He ended up trying all four slacklines in front of the Salt Palace, back and forth and back again, for 20 minutes, with a little help from the folks at Gibbon. It was simple, fun, and addictive. I think we’re going home with our own slackline for the backyard.

www.gibbon-slacklines.com

Reggie Bennett from Ultimate Survival Technologies demonstrated several pieces of emergency and survival gear for us at Outdoor Retailer:

• WetFire fire starting tinder cubes (0.2 oz per cube)

• BlastMatch one-handed fire starter (2.6 oz, 4")
• Sparkie mini, one-handed fire starter (0.8 oz, 2.3" x 1.2" x 0.7")
• StrikeForce two-handed fire starting system, with a WetFire tinder compartment in the handle (3.7 oz, 5")

Watch this for Bennett’s handling of the WetFire cubes alone:

The BASE (Basic Adventure Survival Essentials) Kit is a waterproof kit containing the JetScream emergency whistle, StarFlash Ultra signal mirror, two cubes of WetFire, and a Sparkie (2.4 oz, 5" x 4").

www.ultimatesurvival.com