Posts filed under 'Gear'
As you may know, one of the biggest and baddest adventure races on the planet is underway. Primal Quest 2008 got underway yesterday and is running through this week and next week. Teams are racing through Montana and encountering a number of obstacles as they make their way through the different adventure sports involved.
This year you can track the teams here through SPOT technology. SPOT Satellite Messengers are small handheld devices you can take in the backcountry to signal out for help in case of an emergency. They use satellite technology so you can get a signal out even if your cell phone is out of range
“This year we are really elevating the Primal Quest experience by teaming up with SPOT and offering the best, custom leaderboard and mapping software we’ve seen to date,” states Don Mann, Primal Quest Director.
Race fans can register for a chance to win a SPOT Satellite Messenger signed by the winning team and learn more about Primal Quest Montana 2008 Presented by SPOT at www.findmespot.com/primalquest
June 24th, 2008
Growing up I seemed to differ from my other female teen friends in one important way; I did not like jewelry. Crazy, I know, but I preferred the free flowing less cluttered look. I still don’t have my ears pierced even.
What I didn’t realize until my adult years is that I simply preferred going natural and keeping my jewelry simple. Recently on a trip to Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains, I decided I wanted a necklace that made me feel natural, beautiful, and sexy; hard goals to achieve while camping, but The Koru spiral shaped necklace by Wandererimports made it easy.
The Koru necklace came via mail from a small company based in North Carolina who make a variety of elegant and natural jewelry. Each piece came with a title and an information card explaining the meaning, origin and inspiration for the jewelry.
I felt a deep connection to each piece due to the detailed themes and meanings. I feel like I’m wearing a piece of nature and passing on positive vibes every time I wear them.
Price $19.50
Phone: 828.215.3532
E-mail: wandererimports@hotmail.com
Enjoy!
June 23rd, 2008
I had the opportunity to test out the Sea To Summit Large Waterproof Map Case. Most of my fishing involves a kayak, so the opportunity to test the gear would present itself. I floated the Watauga River a couple of months ago and this would be my chance. I was going to float two sections of the river: one section I had been on before, but I had always been with a guide, and the other section would be totally new.
The first day, a friend and I decided to float the section we knew about, but we would add a mile or so to the float. That made the float easy because we would not need a shuttle; we would float from the cabins to the take out point and we left a vehicle at the take out point early the day of the float. We started the float a little later than what I would normally, mainly because of some last minute decisions. Before we left put a copy of the map in the map case and tied the map case around my fly rod holder. That way I could grab a hold of the map at any time to see how far we had gone and how much further do we have to go. I also marked locations of major & minor rapids on the map too.
We started down the river. My friend, Laura, had just bought a kayak, but did not bring it on this trip, so we borrowed another kayak. In the slow water, I went over basic paddling strokes, casting from a sitting position, etc until we approached the first set of rapids. Not being familiar with this section of the river, I got out of the kayak, and used a rope to walk the kayak. This started out a good idea, but turned bad towards the end of the rapids. At the very end of the rapid another rapid joined the main rapid at a ninety degree angle. When my kayak hit the side rapid, the rapid rolled my sit-on-top kayak over, with all of my gear in it. And since I was grasping tight on the rope, it dragged me with it. I went under the water couple of times. I pulled myself to kayak and swam to the side of the river. I rolled the kayak back over and believe it or not, all of my gear was still there, even the fly rod.
Yes, the fly rod was there and intact; not a break or scratch. The only thing I lost was my hat, but that was quickly replaced when I got home. Of course, my gear bag had water in it, but not much and the cooler had some river water in it too. But of all things that were soaking wet, including me and the three gallons of cold river water in my waders, the map inside the map case was completely dry. I had planned on dunking it the river, but I had not planned on taking it on an undersea adventure. If kayaking or canoeing is your thing, get one of these cases. If adventure racing is your thing, get one of these cases, you will not be disappointed. The case is light weight and comes in a smaller size if the large is too big. It also has long strap on it to tie or clip to objects or you can wear it around your neck. The map case is easy to use, it open and closes easily by folding the map case and is locked in place by Velcro tabs.
I wish I had a photo of me soaked to the bone, but I was a little shocked by what happened. Just to let you know, after I went for my drink in the river. I began yelling to Laura, “Go Back! Go Around!” But it was too late; she went into the drink too. We are both alive and still kicking and we finished out the day catching nice trout on dry flies and nymphs.
June 19th, 2008
With the Teva games being in my back yard this weekend, I thought it only fitting that I give the “Official Footwear of the Teva Mountain Games” a test drive.
It was 6:05 AM when my dog alarm went off. She, unlike her owner, had not been celebrating a good Teva Games showing into the wee hours. Feeling terrible I slid out of bed and slipped sockless into these. Mmmmm micro fleece liner. 10:00 AM, walking around Teva Games in casual comfort. 1:00 PM, Out of town and up to the mountain to lounge around the lake. 2:30 PM, Sun is out! Impromptu hike. 6:00 PM, still hiking, inspecting beaver dams, and looking for arrowheads. 12:14 AM, Stomping out ashes from campfire. 6:10 AM Blinding sunrise awakens me, I’m still wearing the shoes. My dog didn’t seem too motivated today, so I went back to sleep.
After a 24 hour test drive, I gotta say these are pretty comfy. Be sure and check them out here.
June 11th, 2008
Continuing with this unprecidented shoe reviewing extravaganza we have a great addition from New Balance.
Several of us bloggers here at Outdoorzy got to test out the New Balance 920. This shoe is a real treat for anyone into water sports. It also does wonderfully as a casual shoe. Unique freatures include; Synching lace system, Grippy foam inner foot bed, Vibram outer sole, Mesh upper, and gutters around the top of the sole to drain water. They come in a myriad of colors too; Black/Orange, Orange/Gray, and Blue/Yellow were our favorites. They are retailing for just under $100, and can be found in stores and online.
Here are the deep thoughts from each of our reviewers…
Me (Wade)
I love these shoes. They are as light as a feather but still seem durable enough to put through an adventure race. The lacing system works fine for me, it synches the shoe up tightly on my foot. The tongue pocket that holds the laces seems to work okay too. The vibram sole is essential for the water. They grip well on wet surfaces without having big lugs. I’ll admit that I was skeptical of the gutter system. I didn’t think it would work at all when I took a look at it. But when I pulled my feet up out of the creek on my last two canoe trips the water just poured right out. I also like the easy clean-up. The footbed on this shoe just pops right out, you spray them down with a hose, and a few hours later they’re ready to take on a run…. or to your buddies cook out. I haven’t run in them yet. They don’t have much arch support, and I tend to need more of that, so I will most likely use them mainly for casual wear and on the water. If you’re looking for a good trail running shoe consider something like the New Balance 1061.
BlowSnow
I really like them. I must say the best part is the attention to detail. The laces are the perfect length,
the lace keeper works. The soles are tough and good, stiff and grippy, perfect for creek bottoms. My
favorite detail is the grippy insoles! So awesome. Most of the time you get your feet wet, they slip
around in the shoe. I am so pumped on the insoles, why hasn’t anyone else thought of this? They look cool
work great, I’m going to start showering in them.
Buster
They are very comfortable and I like the design features.There appears to be no seams or edges of materials that rub on the foot and cause an irritation.
I like to run around barefoot in my other shoes (no socks) and when I pull my foot out of a normal shoe, the foot bed or insert that is glued in always wants to come out. I like the design in that the foot bed is meant to come out and is not glued in.
I like the porting and mesh on the sides and the water comes out quick. There is no pooling of water in the shoe.
I like the drawstring method of the shoes, however, this is where my story turns. Upon putting my shoes on for the first time, I grabbed the grey tab on the end of the shoe laces to straighten out the laces and to begin tightening down the shoe, when one of the shoe laces came out of the grey tab and through the plastic thing that holds the laces tight. I had to find a way to pull the shoe lace through the plastic piece, then even up the laces and tie a knot to hold them together. I understand that having the plastic piece is cool new way of holding and tightening shoe laces, but how much more time and design effort would it be to tie a knot in the shoe laces in the beginning and then stitch the grey tab over the knot.
… Happy ending though. This was a great opportunity to test the New Balance customer support. So Buster did. He took them to a New Balance store and explained his situation. They replaced the shoes and only charged him $5 for the shipping. Some New Balance stores are privately owned, and not part of the main corporation. So this is why he paid shipping. But they were happy to do it, and were very friendly and understanding.
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All in all we give these kicks a 5 stars out of 5. Great shoe that uses New Balance running technology and blends it with the basic shoe idea Salomon crafted. The result is a shoe that is extremely versatile yet stylish.
June 9th, 2008
By now you may have seen the caps that fit on your water bottle (Nalgene style) that have LED lights inside to turn the bottle into a lantern at night. If not, let me introduce you.
These “light caps” have only been on the market the last year or two. They are a great way to make your water bottle pull double-duty. I have tested one of these before that used batteries to power it. Although it added some weight to your bottle that was unacceptable for some ultralighters.
Meet the Sollight. It fills a new niche for those of us who like this concept, but may have wanted a lighter lid, or didn’t like replacing the batteries. This lid operates on 100% solar power. It emits up to 8 hours of light when fully charged. It can be used with any wide-mouth bottle such as Nalgene and Camelback brands, and boasts 4 LED lights beaming light out. I used this on my recent AT section hike, and it was a nice novelty. I had several people ask me about it and they all thought it was cool.
There are an estimated 146,000 tons of disposable batteries thrown into US landfilles annually. If you hate batteries, like me, consider this little fella. There is no need to replace batteries every few months. Also consider the environmental advantage to using solar power. No batteries to discard, and the energy is completely renewable. This light is brighter than ones I’ve tested in the past, and lighter as well.
The only real drawback to this lid is that it doesn’t come with a leash to attach to your bottle. I made one out of some accesory cord, so no big whoop. If you decide to buy one make sure and use a clear bottle. If you use a bottle with color it will diminish the amount of light you have. Also, if you use a sipper lid you will need to remove that to get the best bang for your LED. Don’t worry about losing your charge in the daytime accidentally, it turns itself off with a daylight detecting feature.
Good product that you can purchase at your favorite outdoor retailer, or buy online here.
June 4th, 2008
Does this mean I have to run? When I opened the box and pulled this things out it was almost blinding. They are loud, the picture doesn’t do the color justice. At first glance they look like alien clown shoes,,, I mean that in the coolest possible way.
I played in these shoes everywhere. I ran in them, I hiked in them, I jumped in creeks in them. They preform great. I love the light weight and breath-ability. The sturdy Vibram sole is my favorite feature. i have found that too many lightweight multi-sport shoes skimp on soles. Running over jagged rocks with the sole of a ballet slipper is not my idea of fun.
I also really like the ankle support they provide, coming up slightly higher than a tradition runner. I fully expected to blister on my achilles, (’cause I don’t wear socks) but they didn’t even irritate me a little.
I would definitely recommend these to anyone looking for a light, durable, trail runner / adventure racing shoe. I think for the price, they are a good value.
I personally like shoes that make a statement, if color and subtlety are something that is important to you, they do make a nice grey version.
Check them out here.
June 2nd, 2008
Being Big Boned, I have had to deal with some friction issues my entire athletic life. I have used it all, baby powder, that stuff that looks like a deodorant stick, Chamois Crisco. One year at basketball camp I got the waddles so bad they called me “Penguin”. So thankfully, not one but two, separate people sent me this stuff to try. I never knew so many of you cared about my condition.
It works. Does it work better than other powders in a yellow bottle? I can’t really say. It is less tingly (some people like the “angel kisses”) and it’s label is considerably funnier. Having two, I get to keep one on my desk at work. While this does make things more comfy after my lunch rides, it brings a lot of fun into the workplace.
Personally I think for biking and running a personal lubricant works best. (easy dirty mind, not that kind, but like this or this) This stuff is great for after the shower, before bed, anytime you need to keep essential areas dry. I recently used it on a really long drive, and I must say, it totally helped with that twelfth hour tickle-butt.
Also, as a guy who hates wearing socks, I sometimes need help to keep from stinking up my new sneaks. I have been spinkling a little MBP in the Merrells I’m testing (blog coming soon) and they still smell fine and my feet stay dry!
Check it out here
May 30th, 2008
Summer is a time when the sun beats down on you and you sweat all over. It’s also a time that you can break out your “summer shoes” so your dogs don’t get all soggy and stinky. Summer shoes are fun, they can be flops, sandals, ventilated runners, water shoes, clogs, and on and on.
So over the next few weeks Outdoorzy will be reviewing some of the coolest shoes out this summer. We’ve been running, hiking, fishing, swimming, paddling, and lounging so we can provide you with the 411 you need to keep those ugly things on the bottom of your legs as comfortable as possible as the heat comes on.
Starting us off, the Merrell Calafina.
I had the pleasure of testing these casual flip flops out myself over the past few weeks. I spent one week on the AT wearing gore-tex-ified boots that kept my feet fairly warm all day. I had to wear socks at night to keep my feet warm in the chill of the higher elevations, so when I returned to civilization i slipped these guys on so my feet could breathe. I don’t normally wear flip flops, I’m a sandals guy, but these were a good transition for someone who likes sandals. The suede leather sole provides some grip to prevent slippage. The leather on the strap
that crosses the top of your foot is padded and comfy. And the bottom of the shoe is a Vibram, and we all know what that means… well if you don’t, it means that they won’t be slipping on any wet surfaces. Spilled your margarita at the pool? No problem, keep walkin like nothing happened. (then be sad later cuz margaritas are pricey).
The Calafina has an elevated heal, so if you have a Napoleon complex don’t worry, you have an extra inch on people. If your Chacos are muddy from the river, and you need to throw something on to go to the bonfire this weekend, the Calafina would be my recommendation. They retail for $50, but heck you’ll be looking like Magnum PI and the ladies still love that, no matter how young they are.
May 29th, 2008
Over the past year I have ran more than I ever have in my life. Last year I woke up one day and wanted to try to run a 5k. I trained for a while then ran two 5ks. This year I am going to run a 10k here in town (I need to start training for that soon). For the 5k I bought a pair of New Balance running shoes and ran quite a bit outside, on pavement, around a local park here in town. Those shoes were great, but I don’t think they were specifically built for the outdoor running I was doing.
New Balance recently sent me a pair of their 811 AT to test out. I have ran a total of about 10 miles in them since I got them, so they are still being broken in, but they feel great! One thing I love about them is the ABZORB® EX in the heal. It gives great cushioning and shock absorption. They also stay really tight while I run. I have had a lot of trouble in the past with running shoes becoming untied while running, which, yeah, is a huge problem. I tie these once right before running and don’t think about them again. They don’t even begin to feel loose on the distances I normally run at one time (2-3 miles).
The treading on the bottom of the shoes are also pretty heavy duty, which is because these are a trail running shoe rather than a straight street shoe. However I run through the rubber on shoes fairly quickly and these should stand up a little longer than normal street shoes. If you are a big guy who runs, these would be a great pair for you to try out.
One last thing I like about these shoes is that I can wear them while not running. They work well with jeans and shorts, and again, since they are all terrain, they are good for any weekend adventure you may have.
Overall, these shoes are great. I have never really tried much trail running, but once I get better at running I would like to give these shoes a shot in that environment. I highly recommend the New Balance 811 AT.
May 25th, 2008
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