Hiking | Evolving Consumer

Excursion Bags to “Adventure-Proof” Electronics

Nothing beats getting away, and if you’re the kind of traveler who likes an adventure you know that can mean roughing it or it can mean the conditions can be a bit rough. Either way that’s not good for your electronics, which remain all too fragile. And while there is no shortage of shoulder bags, few are designed to handle the great outdoors and protect your electronics.

But Briggs & Riley have introduced a line of bags for your off the grid trips. The Excursion Field Bag and Excursion Messenger Bag will provide safe and secure storage for your tablets, netbooks and other electronics.

These provide a pull system for easy retrieval and plenty of storage for USB drives, mobile phones, business cards and more. These offer water resistant zippers and are well padded, but still lightweight so you won’t need a team of Sherpas for that hike in the woods.

Briggs & Riley Official Website

Hands On: Hi-Tech Wool Socks

“Wool is warm and stays warm even when it is even wet.” At least this is the type of statement that we heard throughout high school while participating in a Lifetime Activities outdoor program. Instead of playing baseball and football as our sports; we would bike, hike, canoe, go spelunking and rock climb all around Western Pennsylvania, the East Coast and sometimes out even West.

It was often cold and sometimes damp during these activities which is why our instructors insisted on a wool wardrobe for each of us. We would use old wool button down shirts and wool Army surplus pants along with heavy calf-high wool hiking socks. These garments would certainly keep us warm, even when wet, but there was one major drawback – they were itchy! Continue reading Hands On: Hi-Tech Wool Socks

Texas Power Company to Pretty Up Trails

Richardson, Texas is about to get some new hiking and biking trails, courtesy of Oncor Electric Delivery Company. The Oncor Texas Trails program will turn the company’s transmission rights-of-way into hike and bike trails.

Oncor worked with la terra studio, a Dallas-based landscape architectural firm to develop a design template for the Oncor Texas Trails project. Oncor employees will volunteer their time to support this program and follow the landscaping template to beautify the trails.

“We are in our communities listening to our customers and they tell us that community trails are important to them,” said Oncor Chief Customer Officer Brenda Jackson. “The Oncor Texas Trails program is a way we can truly give back to our customers throughout our communities. It will also give our employees another opportunity to support community needs.”

The power company already has a number of hike and bike trails in its transmission rights-of-way. New templates for the trails include recreational use of transmission rights-of-way, including native and low maintenance landscape designs.

The Oncor Texas Trails program is a part of Oncor’s commitment to supporting health and fitness initiatives.

Oncor Electric Delivery Company

Geigerrig Hydration Packs Win Outdoor Retailer Award

Spring is finally here, but for Geigerrig, winter went out in a big way. The company, which is maker of hydration packs and hydration systems, won the best new product award at the 2011 Winter Outdoor Retailer Show, and was selected as “Editor’s Choice” from Adventure World Magazine:

“These are the best hydration bladders on the market. They have plenty of well deserved awards to prove it. The bladders are actually called engines because, while they look similar to a regular bladder, they actually spray water. Just pinch the bite valve with your teeth or fingers and the water sprays right out so that you can keep the oxygen flowing into your lungs while you drink. You pump up a separate chamber in the engine to pressurize it with a ball similar to that of a blood pressure cuff which is stowed in a pouch on the shoulder strap of your pack.”

These packs are noted for their pressure pumps that mean users aren’t sucking water out of a tube. All you have to do is bite or pinch down and the water will flow. The result is that because water flows, users tend to drink more often. And staying hydrated is the key.

There is even a video of how easy this system is to use (video after the jump) Continue reading Geigerrig Hydration Packs Win Outdoor Retailer Award

Trimble Updates AllSport GPS Apps for Android

Trimble released new versions of its AllSport GPS app for the Android Market. This includes AllSport GPS Pro ($3.99) and AllSport GPS (free). The programs collect more than 20 fitness stats and calculate calories burned to help people reach their fitness goals. AllSport GPS apps track 14 outdoor fitness activities including running, cycling, skiing and walking. The apps also let you access real-time weather forecasts, chart workouts over time, and view street and park maps.

Continue reading Trimble Updates AllSport GPS Apps for Android

SIA: Like Sleeping on Air

One thing that isn’t so great about the great outdoors is sleeping on the ground, especially in the winter when said ground can be frozen. If you’re looking to be a little less extreme in your extreme travels, or just seek a little comfort while roughing it, Kymit has you covered. Or rather they have you undered, as in the company has a product that means no more sleeping on the ground.

At least weeks Snowsports Industries America trade Show Klymit showed off the Interia X-Frame, a sleeping pad for campers that can fold down to the size of a nine-ounce, soda can-sized pack – yet blows up in no time. It inflates via a simple push-pull valve that is entirely lung powered with 10 or so puffs. In other words a bit of huffing and puffing means no more sleeping on the dirt.

Klymit Official Website

Hit the Trails with Trimble apps on V Cast

Trimble-topo — A topographic map of the Mount Evans trail in Colorado.

Whether you’re working out; hiking or seeking geocached treasures, you may be bringing three or more devices on your jaunt. A phone to stay connected and be able to call for help if necessary; a GPS device to guide you on your walks or track progress for workouts; and possibly an MP3 player to keep you entertained on the long run.

Verizon added three services from GPS-enabled outdoors activity provider Trimble: AllSport GPS; Trimble Outdoors; and Geocache Navigator through its V Cast subscription service. AllSport is an app that tracks workouts such as walks, runs and bike rides with maps. The app records more than 20 stats including distance, time, speed, and calories burned. The program lets you track goals as you progress through the season. Continue reading Hit the Trails with Trimble apps on V Cast

Granite Gear Sheds Weight

Whether you’re hiking or camping there is always a lot of gear to carry, and keeping it dry is always an issue. The best method is to use drysacks, but every bag you bring along adds to the weight. And we always would think of granite as being quite heavy, yet Granite Gear instead has managed to actually help shed some weight with its new line of overnight Überlight CTF³ Drysacks.

These manage to tip the scales at just 15-21 grams (or in terms you might easier understand 0.53-0.74 ounces). The packs are constructed of the same wafer-thin composites that are used in the construction of World Cup yacht sails. And if the material goes out to sea you can expect that it will be waterproof. The Überlight CTF³ Drysacks range in size from seven to 18 liters (425-1100 cu. in.), which should be ideal to help you get organized without taking up too much space in your packs. The biggest downside to these drysacks is that they shed weight without shedding much in the way of price, in fact the Überlight CTF³ Drysacks come in at $38.95, but can you put a price on reducing weight in the pack? Continue reading Granite Gear Sheds Weight

Hands On: Hitting the Trail With the Montrail Sabino

Montrail-Sabino-Trail-Shoe — Montrail Sabino Trail Shoes

Over hill, over dale, I hit the dusty trail and the Sabino carried me along. After years of primarily being one to pound the pavement, I laced up with a pair on Montrail Sabino shoes and got off road. Now truth be told, given the state of many roads and even sidewalks in much of the country these days, finding “off road” isn’t as hard as it seems. But these performance running shoes are really designed for stability in true trail conditions.

The Sabinos are heavier than many of today’s lightweight running training shoes, but that’s because these need to stand up to harsher terrain. In other words you wouldn’t use a sports car where a SUV needs to go – then again, many SUVs probably couldn’t go where these shoes will take you. Made of synthetic leather and lylon mesh upper materials and thermoplastic midfoot shank, the Sabinos fit like a glove and were just right for the rather humid and warm day when I hit the trail. Whether we’ll be able to say if these were neither too hot nor too cold will have to determined at another time, but it is safe to say that these will do the job in a variety of weather conditions. Continue reading Hands On: Hitting the Trail With the Montrail Sabino

Tweet from the Mountain Tops with DeLorme GPS

There’s nothing like a “Climbed a category 4, now on the summit” post to Twitter or Facebook. “Just got back to base camp after a category 4 climb to the summit” is a pale substitute. But when you’re out of cell range, those location posts are difficult if not impossible. Many serious hikes and climbs take you out of range. Not only are you unable to text your family, post messages to social networks for your friends, you can’t easily call for help if your hike should come to that.

The DeLorme PN-60w with SPOT Sattelite Communicator is a rugged GPS handheld with the ability to send outgoing messages to email, cell phones, Facebook, Twitter, Fire Eagle, SpotAdventures.com and Geocaching.com. Posts are geotagged and tracked by Google Maps. You might not be able to post a photo with your message, but you can give your precise location. The PN-60w, which runs about $549.95, also has GPX file support to better manage and save waypoint, geocache, and other files. The unit has an elevation profile tool that pinpoints user location; new poer management and display options extend battery life. The PN-60w has 3.5 GB of onboard memory to store maps and aerial imagery. Continue reading Tweet from the Mountain Tops with DeLorme GPS

Columbia Ravenous Eat Up the Dirt on the Trail

If running on the pavement just isn’t your speed, and you prefer to get down and dirty than Columbia Sportswear has you covered – and your feet too. For 2010 the company has released a shoe that will let you eat up the trails. The 2010 Ravenous is just 600 grams a pair, and these feature a cushioned underfoot to make the hard trails seem not so hard.

To ease additional pounding the Ravenous are using what Columbia is calling a 3D Techlite heel system to offer a conforming fit while helping runners maintain stability in really rough terrain. This further provides a cushion that will make you feel like you’re running on a cloud while working up some dust. The shoes further offer a mesh upper, which is ideal for those summer heatwaves. But to protect your feet from the trails there is also a front toe bumper for good measure. All this combined result is a lightweight shoe that take a beating, and still looks stylish on or off the trails.

Columbia Ravenous Trail Shoe

Insect Spotted, Shields Up

Have you ever seen those Orkin bug commercials where the human size (or larger) insect comes to the door – or in one case to the hot tub? That is probably an all too familiar feeling that many people get around insects. Obviously bug spray and a professional exterminator is great for the home, but what do you do when you venture to the territory of the bugs?

Shield-Repellent-Apparel — Shield Repellent Apparel

One solution is to dress up, as in wear appropriate attire that will protect you from insects. Insect Shield’s line of clothing and gear repels a variety of insects including mosquitoes and ticks, and best of all this specially treated clothing has protection that is invisible, orderless and long lasting. So you can still wash the gear after trekking through the woods. The company offers a range of products for outdoor adventure, as well as simple hats and scarves for gardening. There are even products designed for kids and infants too, so you can take the young ones with you on the next hike.

For more extreme journeys there is gear for hunting, complete with camouflage patterns, as well as insect shield bug suits, head nets and bug socks. While not exactly the most stylish gear its better than scratching bug bites afterward.

Insect Shield Official Site