Minneapolis is already one of the best places in the country for cycling, but city planners are now considering a plan that could transform a low-traffic street in the northern part of town into a “linear park” that wouldn’t allow cars. We’re also not talking about a block or two, but rather 30 blocks running north to south.
Under the plan current home owners would actually lose access to the street and would thus have to park in alleyway or lots constructed near the green space. It would also link some of the northern city neighborhoods to downtown Minneapolis as well as offering a connection to other city trails. Map of the proposed park after the jump
No matter what the adventure one thing you probably can’t bring enough of is water. Platypus, which has created a niche with its collapsible water pouches, has looked to create a hydration pack for virtually any cycling occasion and more, and its new line-up includes three primary lines: Cross Country (XC), All Mountain (AM) and the Multi-Sport (XT). The above XC line is for those who want to go out on a causal road or mountain bike ride, with just enough liquid refreshment. These feature build in pump sleeves and tool storage pocket.
Bush Smarts is about Living Wile, and the New York-based builder, designer and supplier of camp gear has put together a robust library of outdoor gear that includes stuff that is truly practical and not gimmicky. With more than 70 products this could be smart gear to have out in the bush, brush or wilds.
The MSR SureLock TR-3 are trekking poles that will put the user in just the right position. These poles offer easy adjustment but at the same time provide a solid lock, ensuing that these are there when you need it. The SureLock three section poles provide an on-the-fly two-finger adjustment system with glove-friendly operation. The 7000 series aluminum poles are also sturdy enough for use in rugged terrain, but lightweight enough that they don’t weigh the user down. It is almost elementary SureLock! 
According to movies and TV mountain men were quite rugged individuals and the SK Mountain survival utility knife would probably be something that intrepid individual might want to carry. It is part of a collaboration between Camillus Knives and Survivorman series host and survival expert Les Stroud.
They say you can’t go home again, and while we don’t know what they mean or who even “they” might be, we do know that you can get Back-To-Berkeley and even do so down low, or rather Back-To-Berkley Low Down via a trip to North Face.
Having a good knife while out in the wilds is never a bad idea, and even if you’re not an outdoorsman you probably would appreciate the fine crafted American made Bush Crafter ($99.99) from Camillus Knives. Made of 1095 high-carbon steel, this knife offers a razor-sharp edge that will remain sharp even after a whole lot of abuse, while the light drop tip fat belly blade is designed to be highly-functional for campers and hunters along.
If Jeremiah Johnson were around today and opted to go into the woods to become a hermit he’d probably opt for something like the just announced Mountainsmith Haze pack to carry his gear. Empty this pack weights just 1.9 pounds, but it can carry 50 liters of gear in its open main body, while the outer mesh pockets provide places for all the things a modern mountain man might need.
We’ve seen Magellan really go the distance this year with its eXplorist GPS receivers. These are rugged, waterproof and of course handheld. The fishing based ones cast off earlier this summer and now Magellan has said to take a hike.
GPS is great, but when you’re on a road you typically still have an idea of your location. For trails and other outdoors activities, if the GPS stops marking when you step off the trail, it’s useless. Garmin just released its fēnix Outdoor Watch, which still tracks and directs adventurers, even when they’re off the beaten path. 
Sandals don’t likely come to mind as the most ideal footwear for hiking, but we should consider for centuries in hot regions sandals were actually the de facto shoes. The Romans wore sandals and built an empire with its soldiers in this footwear and that was before building those roads. 
Google noted last week that it was “obsessed over building great maps for our users—maps that are totally comprehensive (we’re shooting for literally the whole world), ever more accurate and incredibly easy to navigate.”
Runtastic added two features to its activity tracking app. Ideal Weight 2.0 and Altimeter are now part of the Runtastic Pro apps, which cost about $3.99 in the Android and iPhone app stores.