Hydrate on the high seas
The CamelBak Molokai ($100) has been designed specifically with water in mind, and that’s not just in reference to what it hauls. Stand up paddleboarders, especially, will rejoice at the thought that the company has designed its latest edition with details specific to their sport. Made entirely out of quick-drying material, the vest will feel [...]
Look cool, stay cool
Gore Bike Wear’s Fusion GT AS ($280) might be the only jacket cyclists need all year. Whether you’re on the trail, on tour under the hot sun, or battling the freezing rain — the lightweight and extremely breathable Gore-Tex engineered shell provides protection from the wind and water, while still remaining comfortable. It’s nearly mountain-bike [...]
It's all in the wrist
The next time you find yourself 90 yards out, in the pines, with no line of sight to the green; open your club face and sneak a peek at your wrist. If you were wearing the new Garmin Approach S3 Golf Watch ($350), the fear of carpet bombing your score card would be lessened considerably. [...]
Don't leave for the Poles without it
Two questions. First: have you ever run a marathon at the North Pole? Second: have you ever spent nearly $2,000 on a running jacket? If you answered “yes” to either question, then read on. Taking extreme technical wear to, well, the extreme the UVU Cold Race Jacket 01 (£1,200) is built from the ground-up for [...]
Put a Korker in it
Constructed from the same synthetic material found on whitewater rafts (vessels that deals with no shortage of nasty, wet conditions), the Korkers Chrome Fishing Wading Boot ($199+) can take on nearly any surface, thanks to a blend of clever features, including an interchangeable sole system called OmniTrax. Swap in the rubber sole for normal conditions, [...]
Eyewear Turned Spywear
GoPro may be the leading provider of tag-a-long video equipment when crazy adventures call, but that doesn’t mean their solution is the only way to let your body be the camera man. Pivothead is peddling a new line of video recording eyewear. At the moment, four styles of glasses are available, all of which look [...]
Seamingly Ordinary
Around the time when Samurai warriors last used metal armor in battle during the Satsuma Rebellion of 1877, an entrepreneurial Norwegian fisherman named Helly Juell Hansen was busy creating another form of armor — oilskin jackets, trousers, sou’westers and tarpaulins to protect sailors from the cold and wet. Developed at first using coarse linen soaked [...]
Socks on Steroids
Barefoot running is the “Bieber fever” of sports at the moment, and nearly every major athletic footwear brand out there has produced some form of barefoot running-style shoe to capitalize on the trend. The Swiss Barefoot company rides the same bandwagon with a slightly different twist. Their ultra-tough socks are made from a blend of [...]
Foot for your sole
At the start of the last century, mountain climbers wore what essentially amounted to wooden clogs on their feet. Soon, the first “tricounis” climbing shoe was developed, which featured a leather sole outfitted with steel cleats that improved traction on ice, but did little for rock climbers. To learn about how Vibram changed the footwear [...]
2 Coats, 18 Days
Seasons are something you can take for granted when you live in LA — I do — rarely giving you an opportunity to truly test cold weather gear. Granted our desert climate can create temps in the high 30s on winter nights, but it’s still not the right environment for challenging the winter gear that [...]
Clothes that keep up
Nonetheless Garments is a new Chicago clothing brand dedicated to creating stylish menswear that can also withstand the fluctuating weather conditions of commuting. The magic all starts with using advanced materials like Polartec NeoShell, which has twice the airflow of comparable waterproof materials, without looking like it was shorn from a Paratrooper. Like any good [...]
Be fleet of foot, swift of fleece
If you’re looking for a solid technical mid-layer fleece that stands apart from the rest, take a look at the Helly Hansen Swift Fleece ($130). We tried one on for ourselves this winter and found it easily more than capable for cold-weather activities and casual goings on, as well. The body is slimmer than most [...]
Light Trail
Taking the road less more traveled, Adidas Outdoor (think: an athletic approach to getting outside) has unveiled a lineup of gear for 2012 that has us ready to shed the parkas and hit the trails. Namely, the Terrex Fast R Hiking Boot ($195). Featuring a high-tech Traxion sole developed in conjunction with Continental — yup, [...]
Puff Daddy
Most people who spend time in the high latitudes own some sort of insulated jacket or vest. And most of these ubiquitous puffy garments are filled with goose down, the undisputed king of insulation. But while it’s true that down has the best warmth to weight ratio of any batting, fall through the ice and [...]
It takes two to tango
Speed or power? That’s the decision you’ll need to make before you don a pair of Nike Zoom Kobe VII System Supreme ($140-$180, Dec. 22). Two interchangeable inserts provide either full-length Cushlon midsole and ankle cuff for a power bias, or a Phylon midsole with Nike Zoom units and a low-cut power-stretch cuff for aiding [...]
