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If you've ever wanted to channel your inner Huckleberry Finn and raft down the Mississippi - or if you've just wanted to camp out on the lake and not beside it - you need the Shoal Tent from SmithFly.
One of the greatest advantages you have in any fight or self-defense situation is the element of surprise. Wear a gun on your hip and you are instantly recognized as dangerous. Wear it concealed, and nobody knows you are dangerous but you. Anything can be a weapon or a tool. Even if you don't have a weapon, your body can become one. Of course, we surely can't forget the value of a high-powered, tactical flashlight as a self-defense tool. This is what law enforcement teaches in their "Run, Hide, Fight" campaign. If someone is attacking you, use what's in your environment. But what if something you use on a regular basis was designed to be both a weapon and a tool? That's where tactical pens come in. But what makes for the best tactical pen for any occasion? We sat down to make a list. And then we went and chose the one we think is the best. Scroll onward to find out.
Biolite makes some cool, innovative lights and camping equipment, and their original Campstove was an innovative way to convert your campfire into useful energy, charging your smartphone as the wood burns. The Biolite Campstove 2, however, is even better.
The Smart Revolution will stop at nothing, we suppose, and we've now seen our first Smart Jacket - the Levi's Commuter Trucker Jacket, a collaboration between Google and Levi's to bring technology to a totally classic piece of outerwear.
Amazon just keeps on releasing new Echo's, and the newest member of the family - the Echo Spot - will be out just in time for Christmas. The Echo Spot seems to be building off the Echo Show, the latest model and first to include a screen. But in this case, they've actually decided to shrink the Echo, but still give it a screen. The result is a device that looks just like a bedside alarm clock, and functions like one too
Lightweight, breathable mid-layers may seem like a dime a dozen in the outdoor apparel world, but that doesn't stop us from getting excited whenever one of our favorite brands releases a new one; there are constant innovations in ventilation and insulation tech, and it seems like somebody is always coming out with something lighter, warmer and more breathable. North Face's contribution for this coming winter is the North Face Ventrix.
Not everybody has the funds to buy brand new gear. And to be honest, sometimes it's just not worth it; buying used gear can be much more economical, and you some solid deals, and it's better to reuse gear than just toss it, right? Patagonia, one of our favorite outdoors brands, gets this, and they've launched a new used gear store to help out: Patagonia Worn Wear.
Going out into the wilderness can be dangerous. The vast, vast majority of camping trips and outdoor expeditions will go off completely without a hitch, there is always some inherent risk, of getting lost, falling off your bike and hurting yourself, or running into some unexpected, inclement weather, and it’s important to be prepared for a situation like those. And since cell reception can’t be relied on in the backcountry, it might be a good idea to look into a personal locator beacon or satellite messenger to take with you.
You're at a restaurant and want to share your food. You are shopping in your local big box store and you want to live stream your experience to your Facebook friends. You are walking the dog and feel your Twitter followers really want to walk with you. These are all the times you probably DON'T want to use the new FrontRow Wearable Camera! The "selfie world" is overkill. However, you are trekking along on your daring hike and we want to see it! FrontRow has reinvented the camera by allowing you to seamlessly connect and share your media adventures live to Facebook Live, Twitter Live, YouTube Live, Periscope, or other ways to share content. The time-lapse feature is really cool. With the hands-free operation, you may forget it is hanging around your neck or clipped on your person or ride.
Really, is there a more timeless toy on the market than Legos? These babies aren't just for the small tykes in the house. If you've ever been to a BrickUniverse event, you will quickly realize there are grown "kids" spending hours upon hours creating projects that will literally take your breath away. Just take a Lego weapon engineer and combine Legos and what do you get? The Lego Desert Eagle.
The fear is real. You invest $3,000+ in a bike and trusting it to a bike chain and tree is a bit unnerving. If a thief wants to steal your bike, he will find a way. However, now you will be able to track and locate your investment and hopefully find the criminal also. The Sherlock Anti-Theft Bike Tracker is a GPS enabled device that is hidden in the bike frame. Using your phone app, you can always know where your bike is located.
As much fun as widescreen TV's and home theaters are, they just don't compare to seeing a film in the theater; the big screen and sound just make for a much more immersive experience that you just can't get at home. Unless, of course, you get Cinera.
This might be the coolest travel bag we've ever seen. Developed by the folks over at Freitag (out of Germany), the Zippelin bag is actually an inflatable duffel bag made out of old used truck tarps, old inner tubes off of bikes, and seat belts.
Your dog can't chew this one up! You can walk down the composition notebook isle at your local store and it will have the same look as what your parents saw back in the day. It seems there hasn't been a lot of innovation in school supplies...until now. Enter Rocketbook Everlast. Technology meets the age-old composition book.
Minimalist and utility wallets are meant for slimming down the load in your pocket as well as being built to handle any trip you might throw at it. And these days, they're also asked to provide a layer of protection from potential cyberthieves. The Trayvax Original does all three.
What’s the James Brand, you ask? We’re not sure if the name is supposed to sound something like James Bond or not, but we do know that they are a group of adventurers from Portland who, a few years ago, started designing knives that fulfill their search for something modern, slim, and functional. They have a few EDC-ready knives at different price points, but if we’re looking at one, it’s their first invention, the Chapter Knife.
The Kletterwerks Flip is a throwback to 1975, when Kletterwerks first appeared on the outdoor scene. The design is reminiscent of the original mountain climbing design; it's slim and sleek, with a top opening design that zippers open and lets you pack everything in vertically.
Camping table? Sure, we can think of some uses for one of those. Like playing checkers, as the Eclipse Camping Table from ALPS Mountaineering lets you do. The Eclipse Table is built almost like a regular old lawn chair or camping chair, but is instead a foldable, portable table made for enhancing your campsite
We love camping hammocks. They’re light, portable, easy to use and supremely comfortable, a great way to sleep in what is practically perfect comfort, at least compared to the cold ground. Their only problem is that sometimes, you just don’t have a place to hang one; they need two solid trees or posts (though sometimes you can get away with a couple of perfectly placed rocks). The ENO Roadie offered a good solution for car camping – the only drawback being, you need a car. But now ENO (that's short for Eagle's Nest Outfitters) seems to have come up with another solution – the ENO Nomad.
What's this, more Under Armor hiking boots? It's still a little bit jarring to think of hiking boots and Under Armor in the same sentence, but they've already proven themselves to make some pretty comfortable, versatile pairs, and the Field Ops Gore-tex are no different. They actually market them as hunting boots, and they'll definitely serve whatever purpose you need them to.
Amazon Basics has always made some high-quality products at very affordable prices, kind of like how you can get almost everything you like at your grocery a lot cheaper, just by purchasing the generic store brand. Their selection of camping gear is no different.
Declaring a single brand of sneakers or athletic shoes as the best is to throw down some fighting words; everybody’s got their fanboys (looking at you, Nike and Adidas), and some people aren’t too keen about letting other brands vie for the title. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for other brands to try, which is what Athletic Propulsion Labs is doing with the Techloom Pro, their high-tech, high-end trainers.
Swiss Army Knives are perhaps the most iconic piece of equipment we can think of, known for their versatility and heritage, having been manufactured in Ibach Switzerland since 1884; just ask MacGyver how great they are. So why is Malvaux trying to improve it?
Have $400 to drop on a single pair of jeans? Saint Unbreakable may not be the first "designer name" you think of, but their Unbreakable Jeans are just as good - if not better - than a lot of the other names out there, especially for motorcycling.