Trailspace Blog (page 10)

Gear Maker Profile: Jack Myers and Jack Tier of Jacks ‘R’ Better

Retired U.S. Army officers and hikers Jack Tier and Jack Myer's quest to shave pounds off their backpacking gear led them to selling quilts and accessories for hammock campers.

Gear Maker Profile: Kevin Kinney of Empire Canvas Works

Three decades into the Age of Gore-Tex, some people are still wearing cotton and wool into the woods in the depths of winter. They have a fellow traveler in Kevin Kinney, owner of Empire Canvas Works.

Gear Maker Profile: Aaron Rosenbloom of Brasslite

Aaron Rosenbloom probably will never get rich selling his little Brasslite alcohol stoves, but that was never the point. “I made them for myself,” says the devoted backpacker.

I’m Lost, Help Find Me: A SPOT Gear Test

Bill Straka explains the types of personal locator devices available for the backcountry and tests the SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker in redwood forests, a snowcave, and other locations.

Gear Maker Profile: Brian Frankle of ULA-Equipment

Brian Frankle builds backpacks so he can take long hikes. On long hikes, he finds ways to build better backpacks.

Consider Resoling Your Footwear

Mountain Soles in Portland, Ore., has been resoling and repairing hiking boots and other outdoor footwear since 1979.

Gear Maker Profile: Henry Shires and his Tarptents

Henry Shires never planned to get into the tarptent business. The tarptent business got into him. Read the first in a series of gear maker profiles by Tom Mangan.

Outdoor Retailer: Restore Old Gear with McNett

“We can fix just about anything. There really isn’t a problem we haven’t seen,” says George Farkas, product and marketing manager at McNett, makers of care and repair products for outerwear, tents, footwear, and other outdoor gear.

Outdoor Retailer: Electronics

Today we bring you more gear news and information from Outdoor Retailer Winter Market 2009, this time in electronics: the Timex Expedition WS4, Lowrance Sierra, and ACR Electronics MicroFix 12.

Outdoor Retailer: Wrap Up

Tele skier and lightweight backpacker Ron Rod beat four other design students in the Project OR competition.

Outdoor Retailer: Lippi Primaloft and Down Selk'Bags

Lippi Outdoor, the Chilean company that created the Selk’bag, has introduced two updated versions of its wearable sleeping bag and a new kids bag.

Outdoor Retailer: Merrell NADA Jacket

Every season, Merrell Apparel challenges its design team to think outside the box and develop a concept piece. For fall 2009 the piece is the NADA (Not Any Dye Applied) Jacket.

Outdoor Retailer: Kodiak Cakes

One thing I like about Outdoor Retailer (in addition to all of the gear, of course), is meeting people and their products I’d never hear about otherwise. Take Joel Clark and his family’s Kodiak Cakes.

Outdoor Retailer: SteriPen FitsAll Filter

SteriPen, makers of ultraviolet water purifiers, introduced the FitsAll Filter, a 4-micron filter for use before purifying water with a SteriPen.

Outdoor Retailer: Jetboil Flash PCS

Love the Jetboil PCS personal cooking system, but want to stand out from the crowd? The new Flash PCS version will come in four colors—black, gold, purple, and blue—and has several new features that reportedly increase the PCS’s performance and ease of use.

Outdoor Retailer: CamelBak ShredBak

This week CamelBak unveiled their latest hydration system: the ShredBak "integrated hydration vest." Designed primarily for winter sports, the ShredBak is a water-resistant soft shell vest with a built-in 72 ounce hydration reservoir that includes an insulated tube and bite valve.

Outdoor Retailer: GoMotion Waist Light Kit

Here's something that caught my eye yesterday, on day one of Outdoor Retailer: GoMotion, makers of body-mounted LED lights, is introducing the Waist Light...

Outdoor Retailer: Primus EtaPackLite Stove

This afternoon, Scott Kaier showed us the EtaPackLite, Primus’s newest and lightest two-person EtaPower stove, following the design of the EtaPower...

Outdoor Retailer: Coghlan's, the outdoor accessory people

In 1959, Norm Coghlan, who sold and rented camping gear at his Winnipeg gas appliance store, started selling the Camp Stove Toaster to customers who wanted...

Backcountry Water Treatment Part 4: Methods for Making Water Safe

Whether you choose to treat your water by boiling, filtering, chemical treatment, or UV radiation depends on a number of factors, like convenience, cost, and what might be in your water.

YouBars.com: Make Your Own Energy Bars

Creating your own custom energy bar can be a lot of fun. And it's even easier if someone else does the baking for you.

Backcountry Water Treatment Part 3: What is in Backcountry Water?

Biological, chemical, and aesthetic contaminants can be found in any water source, even in the backcountry, potentially ruining a trip. And you can’t tell just by looking.

Backcountry Water Treatment Part 2: Keeping Your Water Supply Safe

Keep water sources clean and uncontaminated whenever and wherever you camp, whether it’s summer or winter, wilderness or front country, for the sake of you, other hikers, and wildlife.

Backcountry Water Treatment Part 1: Proper Hydration

Stay sufficiently hydrated while hiking, backpacking, or climbing to avoid dehydration's dangerous effects and a ruined trip.

Safe Hiking During Hunting Season

Break out the fluorescent orange vests and hats. Here are a few safety reminders for hiking, mountain biking, trail running, or any activity that gets you out in the woods during hunting season.

Outdoor Retailer: New Kids Outdoor Gear

Getting more kids actively outdoors has become a mission for the outdoor industry in the past couple of years, and a number of companies introduced new...

Outdoor Retailer Trend Alert: Skirts Hit the Trails

Female runners have probably noticed that skirts and skorts have come into athletic vogue (see the August cover of Runner's World, anyone?).

Outdoor Retailer: Four-Season Backpacking Tents

Although Outdoor Retailer Summer Market is generally a showcase of spring/summer products, I saw several new four-season backpacking tents being unveiled.

Get the Kids Outside: Play With Fire and Knives

Yet more reasons to get the kids outside: A lack of time spent playing in the great outdoors can make kids literally shortsighted.

Outdoor Retailer: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

Amid all the tents, backpacks, and sleeping bags, I spotted a few interesting camp kitchen items at Outdoor Retailer: For 2009, Mountain House has reduced...

Outdoor Retailer Trend: Hiking Boots Get Trail Running Tech

For years, lightweight backpackers have been ditching their hiking boots in favor of lighter, more nimble trail running shoes.

Outdoor Retailer: Bits and Pieces

Having escaped the Salt Palace and survived the domestic air travel system, I've finally had a chance to catch my breath and review my notes.

Outdoor Retailer: Black Crater Cord Lock Light

Here’s a nifty multi-purpose gadget: the Cord Lock Light from Black Crater. As the name implies, this is a miniature LED light embedded within a cord...

Outdoor Retailer: Trekking Poles

If you’ve gone shopping for trekking poles lately, you’re probably all-too aware of the numerous options available in grips, shocks, pole materials,...

Outdoor Retailer: Marmot MemBrain Strata

Marmot is introducing a new “2.5 layer” version of the company’s MemBrain waterproof-breathable laminate.

Outdoor Retailer: Light, Green, Innovative

A couple weeks ago I asked what sorts of trends you wanted to hear about from OR. Three major areas of interest emerged: lightweight, eco-friendly, and...

Outdoor Retailer: Eureka Chrysalis

Hammocks have long existed on the fringes of the backpacking shelter market. Served by just a few dedicated niche manufacturers – Hennessey, Clark,...

Outdoor Retailer: Ultimate Survival Technologies Sparkie

Ultimate Survival Technologies is introducing a compact version of the company’s BlastMatch flint-and-steel fire starter.

Outdoor Retailer: Therm-a-Rest NeoAir

Three decades ago Therm-a-Rest rethought the air mattress, adding foam and creating the self-inflating, insulated sleeping pad.

Outdoor Retailer: Lippi Selk'Bag

This spring, Trailspace forum members debated the merits of the Selk’Bag, a hybrid sleeping bag / snowsuit made by Chilean outerwear manufacturer Lippi.

Outdoor Retailer: BPA Free

The outdoor industry has a new catchphrase: “BPA Free.” In the wake of the BPA scare that Trailspace has followed over the past year, all the major...

MSR HyperFlow revisited

Earlier this year I reviewed a prototype of the MSR HyperFlow Microfilter. Well, we've been testing a production HyperFlow, and the outflow coupling seems to be much stronger and better-assembled.