Posts Tagged double-duty gear
Columbia Sportswear’s Fashion and Function for the “It Girl”
Columbia Sportswear didn’t get so popular without some clever marketing and equally clever design to back it up. After spending 16 hours surfing the manufacturer’s booths at the winter Outdoor Retailers show, it was easy for me to get a little cynical. Are there really major noticeable differences between 500 fleece jackets or 200 different pairs of hiking socks?
I capped the show off though with something that reminded me why there’s a lot to celebrate about the current crop of wonder apparel: a fashion show from Columbia. The company slid me into a VIP seat next to the runway where I could be dazzled by their form-meets-function collection for women that will be hitting the stores this coming fall.
I gotta say I like their attitude. They say this collection is for the “it girl” out there, who may be in her 20s but may be a 40-something mother. She bikes, she snowboards, she hikes, but she works, she pounds the city pavement, and she runs errands. What she wears needs to be comfortable and warm but look good. Her clothes need to do more than one thing. They need to do what they promise without a lot of fuss.
That’s my paraphrasing of a more finely-tuned marketing message, one you’ll surely have seen a lot of by this time next year. Based on what I saw, touched, and tried on, however, they back up the hype with great technology and design.
Enjoy the fashion show video above, especially if you thought that being warm in the outdoors and looking great had to be mutually exclusive.
For more on what’s out there now, visit Columbia.com or search for Columbia at your local retailer, REI.com or Backcountry.com.
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on January 24th, 2010
Live From the Outdoor Retailers Show
Recently John brought you the latest in electronics and gadgets from CES. Now I’m wallowing in a sea of fleece and waterproofing to bring you the latest in travel gear from the Outdoor Retailers Winter Show. Here the gear manufacturers strut their stuff and the retail buyers decide what’s worth stocking. Fortunately, they also allow a few of us writers and bloggers in the doors to report on what’s new and notable.
Hats from Mountain Hardware
My first impression was, “What recession?” While this industry has felt some pain, overall the likes of Keen, Patagonia, Columbia, Teva, Kelty, and Mountain Hardware are looking amazingly healthy. It makes sense when you think about it: camping and hiking are still pretty cheap recreation options compared to a lot of other things a couple or family could spend their money on.
This industry has some problems though, which were outlined in no uncertain terms in a kick-off breakfast I attended. To paraphrase, the majority of people who frequently enjoy the outdoors are white, male, and relatively well-off. Women are gaining, minorities are going from next to nothing to something, but overall there’s a lot of work to do to make the outdoors look anything like the demographics you find in American cities. The good news is, lots of really dedicated foundations and organizations are doing great work in getting kids off the asphalt and into nature. Let’s hope they keep the momentum going.
In terms of products, I’m super-encouraged by what I am seeing here. There seems to be a serious movement toward the principles we espouse here on a weekly basis. Products are being touted as affordable, multi-functional, and durable. Instead of ever-more-specialized expensive niche items, I’m seeing a shift back to items that really pull their weight and can do more than one thing. In other words, Practical Travel Gear. Everything is getting lighter, more eco-friendly, and more useful to the average traveler, which is a beautiful thing.
Sure, there are still $800 jackets, $500 sunglasses, and skis that cost more than most people make in a month, but those products are increasingly in the minority. It’s all about you getting your money’s worth. That doesn’t mean everything is manufactured in China with crappy materials and shoddy workmanship: a much larger number of products than I expected are being produced in the U.S. or Europe. But everyone is keenly aware that you need to feel good about what you’ve paid for that item for years on end. On that score, things are looking very bright.
New Camelback Water Bottles
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Travel Light on January 22nd, 2010
Stow and Go Pocket Gloves from TrailHeads
As the south gets gripped by a cold freeze, I’ve worn gloves more times in the past month than I usually do all winter long. So I’ve had plenty of chances to try out these nifty Stow and Go Pocket Gloves from a company that puts out lots of nifty items: TrailHeads.
The main target markets for these are runners, cyclist, and others who need to leave the house with just one or two esssential items, like a house key or a bit of money. They would work well as general travel gloves too since they’re lightweight, compact, and useful as an additional place to hide some cash. You could also use them for spring skiing, with beer money handy that doesn’t require digging through your pockets with gloves on.
Each hand has one double-flap pocket that keeps an item close and secured on the top of your hand. If the item is something flat, you don’t even notice it’s there. On top of the pocket is a Hyperreflect strip that helps you be more visible at night—always handy on the road when there are tuk-tuks or auto-rickshaws manned by suicidal drivers whizzing by. (Or cars sliding around on ice.)
The gloves are made of Lycra, so they conform to your hand, are washable, are breathable, and dry quickly. There’s a terry lining though to feel nice against your skin. TrailHeads Stow and Go Gloves list for $28 and are available at their own site or at Amazon.
While you’re at their site, check out the other interesting items that will set you up for being active in cold weather. Women might especially dig the Goodbye Girl Ponytail Hats, which also come in kids’ versions.
Posted by Tim in General Gear, Travel Light on January 13th, 2010
Review: Eye-Fi Explore Video Camera Card
Occasionally, I run across a gadget that leaves me wondering, “How did they do that?”
The Eye-Fi Explore Video wireless memory card, that plugs into digital cameras and uploads still photos and videos, is one of those. While it has some limitations, what it does is pretty amazing.
The Explore Video card will connect and automatically upload pictures to your computer through a wireless router on a home network. It can also connect to thousands of Wi-Fi hotspots around the country. And it can upload, without ever taking the card out of the camera, to photo- and video-sharing services such as Facebook, Flickr, Picasa and YouTube.
It works with cameras that use SDHC storage and is the same size as a conventional card. The 4 GB Eye-Fi card will hold more than 500 pictures, at highest JPG quality, on my Nikon D90.
Just think of the possibilities. Travelers can easily upload and share pictures from the road. Or, I could walk around the house taking family photos while they transfer to the computer automatically. The card has good range and the signal even holds up well through walls.
I found it takes 10-15 seconds to upload a high-resolution picture to the computer with file sizes of 5-7 MB. Videos, if your camera supports them, can take much longer because of the bigger file sizes. I didn’t find any objectionable battery drain with my D90.
The Explore Video card can also geotag photos, adding location information which can be seen with some programs and Internet-based sharing services.
Setting up a computer to receive the photos is quick and easy, using a card reader that plugs into a USB port. The card can be set up to connect to encrypted routers. (Time out for a reminder—always encrypt wireless signals at your home or office. You never know who might be driving by or trying to connect from next door.)
Eye-Fi’s online support is excellent and addresses just about any question imaginable on setup and operation.
There are some limitations. The main one is connecting to many free, public Wi-Fi hotspots.
Eye-Fi cards will seamlessly connect to Wayport hot spots. There are more than 10,000 across the U.S., including hotel, fast-food restaurant and airport locations.
The trick is trying to connect to other public Wi-Fi signals. It can be done, but only if the signals are unencrypted and do not use a splash or log-in screen.
There are also some limitations on geotagging, which does not use GPS for determining locations. Instead, it homes in through the locations of nearby wi-fi signals without connecting to them. In areas with few signals, geotagging might not work.
Some cameras provide more support for the card than others. For example, some upper-end Nikon DSLRs will show on the screen when photos are being uploaded. Most cameras do not show any indication when an upload is in progress, though you can choose to be notified by e-mail or text message when it completes.
The Eye-Fi Explore 4GB Video card retails for $99.99, but you’ll find it on Amazon for less. That includes one year of access to Wayport hot spots. After that, the price for Wayport access is $14.99 a year.
For travelers who take lots of pictures and like to share them with family and friends, the Eye-Fi Explore Video card can make the task a whole lot easier. And it won’t take up any more room in your bag.
Posted by JohnG in General Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on January 5th, 2010
Best and Worst Travel Gear of 2009
We’ve been cranking out first-person reviews of travel gear on a daily basis and trying out lots of things as we hike, backpack, explore new cities, and navigate airports. Some items disappoint, some thrill, some defy expectations, so here’s a list of what worked and what didn’t in 2009.
Kara Williams
Item I used on the most trips this year
These Lucy capris pictured above are comfortable and stylish—they can go from the hiking trail to the dinner table. I wore them on the top of the Continental Divide in Colorado, to Maya ruins in Belize, to an ecological preserve in Mexico, and eating lobster in New Hampshire.
Worst piece of crap I gave up on
This battery-operated mosquito repellent is a travel-gear don’t. The blue plastic fan looks like a toy, so it’s dangerous to young children. Plus, it’s dorky and doesn’t work.
Most useful item for $20 or less
The Flip & Tumble bag. A reusable shopping bag that compacts into a tiny, squishy, 3-inch ball is a must-have for any traveler. Use it to tote items to the pool, buy groceries at the local market, or protect packed clothing from dirty shoes on the return trip.
John Gordon
Item I now cannot live without
It took a long time, but I’ve finally found a Bluetooth headset I can love. Motorola’s Endeavor HX1 (pictured at the top) offers excellent audio quality for normal conversations and true bone-conduction technology, like special forces use, to knock out extreme noise. Voice prompts make it easy to use.
Worst “Do we really need this?” item
Some things I just don’t understand, like Planesheets for covering airline seats. Besides the dubious claims of cleanliness, I’d just feel a little weird being the only passenger on the plane sitting in a zebra-stripe seat.
Most questionable travel app
iPhone and iPod users are familiar with the marketing line, “There’s an app for that.” Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Without Fear app is supposed to calm white-knuckled flyers. There’s a screen that says, “This is natural. We know you’re scared. You’re going to be OK.” Like that’s going to help.
Never leave home without it
My AT&T Tilt 2 smartphone (same as the HTC Touch Pro2) lets me keep in touch with friends and clients whether I’m at the neighborhood store or in another part of the world. Sure, AT&T sells a lot more iPhones than this model. When the iPhone gets a real keyboard, can tether to my laptop and lets me swap out the battery, I’ll consider it.
Tim Leffel
Worst Case of Greenwashing
There was plenty of greenwashing to go around this year and the “green gear” tag keeps making its way onto things that really aren’t. I debunked plenty of these, but the most obvious one was this Altus Lumen LED light that burns through four AA batteries in an hour. Decent product otherwise, but the bombastic claim of being “the world’s first sustainable portable LED light” turned out to be based on one factor: the shell is 75% recyclable—provided you pry it all apart and separate the pieces when the thing dies.
What I used the most this year
There were plenty of items I tried out and then put on a shelf. The new things I tried that became a permanent part of my ensemble included the Tom Bihn Aeronaut carry-on bag (pictured at the top), my Teva Omnium sandal shoes, and pretty much everything I put on from ExOfficio—including their underwear. And I almost never pack my bags without a pair of Tifosi Optics sunglasses and some kind of Keen Footwear shoes.
Item that caused the most mixed feelings
I have to admit the Starbucks Via instant coffee tastes ten times better than Sanka or Folgers, but at $1 a serving, it sure better! If you already like the over-roasted, burnt taste of Starbucks, you’ll like this stuff. Even if you don’t, instant coffee that’s drinkable would be worth packing on a camping trip or when staying any place where hot water is more readily available than real coffee.
Honorable Mention – Past year’s standout that keeps coming back:
Travel gear item I would gladly do infomercials for
Only real travelers who have used it believe this $99 SteriPEN Traveler is for real. It looks fishy, I’ll admit: you stick this in the water you’re going to drink, the light kills everything, then you can drink away. But I, my wife, and my daughter have used this daily in 9, 6, and 4 countries respectively without getting sick. ‘Nuff said.
Posted by Tim in Adventure Gear, Business Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on January 1st, 2010
