Best New Gear from Winter Outdoor Retailer 2012, Part 2

Post 2 of 2 rounding up the coolest new gear from this season's Outdoor Retailer geartopia convention in Salt Lake City.

Reactive Lighting: Petzl Nao Headlamp
It's not just a new headlamp—it's an entirely new category of headlamp. The Nao is the first headlamp to employ "reactive lighting," which adjusts the brightness of the beam based on where you look. Smart sensors detect ambient and reflected light and brighten, or dim, accordingly. You need a brighter light to peer into dark surrounding woods, for example, but less light to illuminate a map in your hands. Petzl touts the headlamp as its brightest yet, a whopping 355 lumens at maximum.

The technology provides convenience and can also help conserve battery power, but it's not cheap. Watch for the Petzl Nao ($175) in July—and expect to see this technology in more headlamps soon.



Louis Garneau Winter Bike Boots
One of the biggest challenges of winter cycling is keeping your feet warm. This is especially true if you ride with clip-in pedals; the metal connection between shoe and pedal transfers in a lot of cold. Louis Garneau's new Glacier Road Shoes ($179) and Ergo Grip Shoes ($179) offer warm (the Ergo is rated to 0 degrees Fahrenheit), insulated coverage for your winter biking feet, including protection from the cold underfoot. Available up to European size 46.

Terra Nova Quasar Backpacks
Terra Nova is a UK-based ultralight gear manufacturer that will be rolling out a line of ultralight packs in 2012 that use cuben fiber, an ultralight material that has its origins in the sailing industry. The Quasar line will be available in a 45-liter capacity model (17 - 21 ounces) and a larger 55-liter version (19 to 30 ounces, depending on accessories). Watch for it in February ($240 to $300).

For more on Winter Outdoor Retailer 2012, check out the blog coverage at Gear Junkie, Sectionhiker, and The Gearcaster.

“Equipped” is an AMC Outdoors blog, written by Matt Heid.

Best New Gear from Winter Outdoor Retailer 2012, Part 1

Winter Outdoor Retailer wrapped up today, bringing to a close the latest installment of the great gear smorgasbord. Twice each year, outdoor gear manufacturers gather in Salt Lake City to hype their latest, greatest products. Here are some of the standout products and technology that caught my attention this year. Post 1 of 2.

Timberland Radler Series
Check out the ultra-packable design of the Radler Trail Camp shoe ($65)—it folds in half and zips together like a wallet. In 2012 Timberland is adding a Radler insulated camp boot, which zips flat together with its mate for easy packing. Both styles feature a rubberized sole with a solid tread and can easily handle serious use, both inside and outside your tent or cabin.

Brooks Range Invasion Tent
It's a single-wall four-season tent for two that weighs a scant 3 pounds, 7 ounces ($599). The tunnel-style tent features an external pole system that sets up first; the body is then hung inside the structure—a major plus for windy conditions. Made from ultralight waterproof silnylon. (Watch those crampons!)



Water-Resistant Down and Wool
Sierra Designs debuted its water-resistant "DriDown" technology at this year's show. (I highlighted it in my previous post: Waterproof Goose Down?). Brooks Range, a mountaineering-specialty company, also introduced a similar "DownTec" technology with its 800-fill Mojave Jacket ($299, pictured right).

New Zealand-based Icebreaker unveiled a line of water-resistant merino wool insulation that "uses nanotechnology and triple-layer construction to increase performance." Translation: Drier, warmer, lighter wool in damp and wet conditions. Here's the press release.

“Equipped” is an AMC Outdoors blog, written by Matt Heid.

Waterproof Goose Down?

Goose down is the ultimate insulation, providing an unparalleled warmth-to-weight ratio. It just has one fatal flaw: If it gets wet, it loses all of its insulating ability. Enter a new species of treated, highly water-resistant down.

The idea is simple. Coat each individual down cluster, plumule, and feather with a thin layer of water-repellent, or "hydrophobic," material. This keeps water from penetrating the down and causing it to collapse in a wet, useless blob. (For more on the amazing structure and properties of goose down, check out my recent Equipped column, Down Time: The Story of a Miracle Material.)

This month Sierra Designs unveiled its "DriDown" technology, which features treated goose down that, according to the company press release, "stays dry 7 times longer in the presence of rain, melting snow, or spills, maintains 98% loft after a night in a high humidity environment, and dries 33% faster when it does get wet." (Sierra Designs remains vague, however, on the precise technology and chemicals used to create DriDown, noting only that it "features a molecular level polymer" and "a proprietary application method.")

So this new form of down is not exactly waterproof, just much more water resistant than the untreated alternative. This presumably provides minimal benefit if you're wearing a down jacket in the rain for a while (it will still eventually get soaking wet), but does have huge upsides for maintaining the loft of sleeping bags in humid environments or on long winter trips, where moisture buildup can become an issue.

In June, Sierra Designs will introduce the new treated down in a line of 600-fill DriDown sleeping bags, which will retail from $199 to $299. Across the Atlantic, the UK-based gear company Berghaus also just introduced its own line of hydrophobic down, which it's incorporated into a few hybrid jackets like the Mount Asgard. If hydrophobic down lives up to the hype, I would expect most other major gear manufacturers to introduce similar products in the years ahead.

“Equipped” is an AMC Outdoors blog, written by Matt Heid.

Photo courtesy of IDFC

New England Life List Trips: Book Reservations Now

Sometimes the most essential piece of gear for a big adventure is something completely intangible: a camping, hut, or cabin reservation. If you hope to visit some of New England's most iconic destinations this summer—including Baxter State Park (and Katahdin, pictured), Acadia National Park, and AMC huts atop the Presidential Range—consider booking your trip now. Right now you can have your pick of days, even holiday weekends. A few months (or even weeks) from now, you won't.

Acadia National Park
Maine's national park offers two drive-in campgrounds—Blackwoods and Seawall—both of which can be reserved up to six months in advance through Recreation.gov, the comprehensive reservation site for recreation on most federal lands. As of January 15, ample sites were available through July 15, including every weekend. To reserve a site in remote Duck Harbor Campground on Isle au Haut, you'll need to contact the park directly after April 1.

Baxter State Park
Baxter State Park opens its rolling reservation system for summer camping Tuesday, January 18. Reservations can be made up to four months from a given date (July 1 opens on March 1, for example) by mailing in a completed reservation form. You cannot book reservations online, though you can check current availability. You can, however, book reservations online or over the phone within 14 days of arrival—it is often worthwhile to check availability, especially if you have flexibility with your exact dates

You must make reservations for both drive-in and backcountry campsites. The park's most spectacular—and coveted—backcountry campground is Chimney Pond, which nestles at the base of Katahdin and tends to book almost instantly. (The single site at Davis Pond—a key overnight location for backpacking trips—is another crucial spot to reserve early.)

AMC Huts
Perched above treeline along the spine of the Presidential Range, AMC's Lakes of the Clouds Hut (right) and just-renovated Madison Spring Hut (below) offer eye-popping scenery and convenient overnight locations for a multi-day adventure on the Northeast's highest mountains. They are also two of AMC's most popular destinations. Reservations are now open for the entire 2012 season; several weekends are already full (or close to it) at Lakes of the Clouds. Make a reservation now.

AMC of course offers a range of other lodging opportunities, including six more huts in the White Mountains, wilderness lodges in Maine, and several lodges in New Hampshire locations, including Mount Cardigan, Pinkham Notch, and Crawford Notch. If you motivate to make your reservation now, you can have your pick of days this coming season.

White Mountain National Forest Cabins
One final mention: The White Mountain National Forest offers three public cabins for overnight use, most notably Doubletop Cabin. You can book them up to six months in advance through Recreation.gov.

“Equipped” is an AMC Outdoors blog, written by Matt Heid.

The White Mountain Direttissima: Summit all 4,000-Footers in One Continuous Hike

Thousands of people have climbed all 48 of New Hampshire's 4,000-footers. Very few have tagged them all in one single continuous hike.

In a recent post on SectionHiker.com, Philip Werner muses on the "White Mountain Direttissima." The premise is simple: Summit all 48 of New Hampshire's 4,000-foot peaks in one continuous hike without outside support. The trip must be done entirely by foot, carrying all supplies for the entire journey—no food resupplies, no car shuttles.

It's a long, strenuous hike. Any White Mountain Direttessima runs at least 250 miles with nearly 100,000 feet of elevation gain and loss. Werner doesn't map out a precise route, but does reference a successful 2007 Direttissima by Mats Roing. (You can view his trip journal at Views from the Top, a Northeast hiking forum and web site.)

Planning a Direttessima presents some interesting challenges. The summits are unevenly distributed, with several distant outliers (Moosilauke, Cabot, Passaconaway, etc.). Your pack is heavy initially but steadily diminishes as you progress, which affects your early and late route selection. You need to figure out where to start and where to end, then determine how many days of food you'll need for the adventure. Plus you can consider establishing short-term base camps to tag surrounding peaks on long dayhikes. It's an engaging puzzle to figure out an optimal route and strategy.

Roing completed his 2007 Direttessima in 11 days. His route began over Moosilauke and the Kinsman Range, went over Franconia Ridge and around and into the Pemigewasset Wilderness, headed south to the Sandwich Range, back north to the southern Presidentials and Mount Washington, east to the Carter Range, and then completed one last leg north over the northern Presidentials and on to the final peaks of the Kilkenny Range.

Interested in planning a Direttissima? For a quick survey of the possibilities, I recommend AMC's White Mountain National Forest and Guide (freshly updated in 2011), which covers nearly the entirety of the White Mountains on one side (the northern Kilkenny Region is on the other side). It also conveniently indicates the 4,000-footers, making it easy to spot them as you trace potential routes.

Hike on!

“Equipped” is an AMC Outdoors blog, written by Matt Heid.

How to Boil Water in a Paper Pot

And you thought titanium was lightweight. If a new patent-pending design from Hexa Pot becomes a commercial reality, you may soon be able to boil water in a half-ounce container made from paper.

Constructed from a "special non-toxic waterproofing multi-ply paper material," the Hexa Pot is named for its six-sided, hexagonal design and is capable of withstanding the heat required to boil water or other liquids (though not for cooking solid food) without burning. It lies flat for easy packing, folds together quickly, and even includes two flaps that extend upward from the sides for easy lifting. To pour liquids, simply grab the flaps and tilt the pot forward; the hexagonal shape creates a sharp-angled, easy-pouring corner at the front. When cooking, the flaps fold down to keep the included paper lid in place.

The Hexa Pot is made from a biodegradable material that can be tossed out, recycled, or even composted. Though designed for single-use, Hexa Pot claims that it can be used several times before the paper material starts to degrade and/or leak. A small and a large size have been created to date, weighing in at 0.3 ounces and 0.5 ounces, respectively.

Here's the catch. The Hexa Pot doesn't yet exist for purchase. It's a project on Kick Starter, a web site that generates public funding for creative projects like this one. Anybody can donate to help make the Hexa Pot a reality; I certainly hope they make it. The minimum pledge is only $1, though if you pledge $15 or more, you'll receive your very own Hexa Pot as a thank you for your support. (Like any Kick Starter project, if you make a pledge and the company fails to reach its target, you don't pay anything.)

The fledgling company is trying to raise $25,000 to get the Hexa Pot off the ground. As of January 8, they were still shy of $2,000 with only 19 days left. Regardless of whether Hexa Pot succeeds, there seems little doubt that this type of ultralight cooking technology will start appearing in packs in the coming years.

“Equipped” is an AMC Outdoors blog, written by Matt Heid.

A Primer on Ski Wax

If you cross-country ski, friction is your enemy. Minimize its fun-slowing effects and you'll go faster, farther, and with less effort. Ski wax is a crucial ally in this battle, so it's worth knowing the basics of how it works. First of all, ski wax comes in two varieties: glide wax and kick wax. For most skiers, the friction-reducing properties of glide wax make it the more important of the two; it should be regularly applied to every type of cross-country ski, including skate and so-called "waxless" styles...

This column originally appeared in the December online edition of AMC Outdoors. You can read the full story here.

“Equipped” is an AMC Outdoors blog, written by Matt Heid.

(Photograph: Pat Bagley)