When announced that it was teaming up with to create a line of bike accessories for cyclists who want to keep their electronics safe on the go, it seemed like a meeting of the minds of two eminently style-conscious brands.Ěý

A number of products—from a mini messenger bag to a tech organizer—are available for a limited time in select Apple stores and on starting today, and we were able to put some of them through the wringer before they hit shelves. Our verdict? The two brands turned out some pretty damn good-looking gear, with great features and a handful of flaws.Ěý

Convertible tote backpack ($150)

Rapha says it designed to handle the demands of your daily bike commute while also being stylish and large enough for overnight travel. The pack’s measurements (3 by 15 by 12 inches) pale in comparison to what a Manhattan bike messenger might lug around, but I was able to fit my lunch, a 40-ounce water bottle, and two hardbound books in the main compartment, while my laptop fit snugly into the raised sleeve, and pens and notebooks went into two internal zip pockets.

DWR treatment and AguaGuard zips kept the contents dry during a torrential early-summer thunderstorm, and the down-filled padding added comfort, although it provided little assurance that my MacBook would survive unscathed if I hit the deck.

Indeed, there were a few areas of the bag that seemed to favor style over function—namely, the straps. It would have been nice to see some of that down padding used there, as they began to chafe after a few miles of riding. Also, the magnetic clasps that hold the straps together when in tote mode look clean but can come undone when in motion. Nothing catastrophic, but for the money I’d have liked something a little burlier.

In all, it’s a great-looking, comfortable pack if you’re spending a weekend night on the town and need some space for your stuff, but for daily use it lacks the simple functionality of something like .

Mini messenger bag ($130)

Rapha creative director Alex Valdman says that the company designed the to help its photographers shoot while on the move. It can certainly hold a camera and a couple of lenses, but it’s also one of the cleanest-looking, most functional handlebar bags I’ve ever used. On a recent gravel ride, I easily fit my iPhone, my wallet, a spare tube, a cycling cap, and a couple of gels in the front pocket, where they stayed bone-dry for 50 wet and muddy miles, thanks to the same DWR treatment and AguaGuard zips used on the backpack. The magnetic clasps and durable straps kept the bag secured to the front of my bike, with almost no shifting around over rough terrain, and the over-the-shoulder strap easily clipped to the bag when I made the obligatory midride coffee stop.

Despite its svelte looks, the bag’s massive storage area easily holds a rain jacket, a water bottle, a multitool, and a few other knicknacks. Accessing it while the bag is on the bike is tough, as the clasps block the zipper, but with such a sizable front pocket, essentials are within easy reach.

MacBook sleeve ($70)

Paired with the backpack, the adds an extra layer of security when riding through city traffic. It’s made with the same down padding and rainproofing, and it accommodated my aging 13-inch MacBook Pro nicely. (There are also 12- and 15-inch sleeves available.) One user-friendly feature it lacks is a carry handle, but I guess that’s what the pack is for.Ěý

Aside from the padding and fashion colors (the sleeve and other products come in blue, black, and yellow, with pink and gray accents), there is very little to distinguish this sleeve from the dozens of others on the market, and $70 is a lot to invest in something that’s going to sit inside a drawer or a bag most of the time.

The post Rapha and Apple Make Predictably Gorgeous Commuter Bags appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

Of all the gear I’ve covered over the years, I may have the most knowledge about stuff that helps you answer nature’s call outside. Having battled both giardia and norovirus on river trips, not to mention losing 40 pounds to waterborne illnesses during a six-month stay in South America, I can dig an eight-inch deep cathole in seconds and have my squatting technique down to a science.

But I’m a decidedly low-tech woods pooper—I’ll admit to using rocks as trowels. So I called on the expertise of three people with a combined 50-plus years of teaching clients and students how to go to the bathroom outside. Here are their best tips.

Make a Shit Kit

Saylor Flett, who has been teaching outdoor recreation and leadership at  for more than a decade, always, regardless of activity, puts together a very simple but very important set of products in a Ziploc that he calls a “shit kit.” This kit includes a travel-size bottle of hand sanitizer, twice as much toilet paper as he plans to use, and a couple tablets of Pepto-Bismol. Bringing what seems like way too much toilet paper is a smart bet—running out is disastrous, and TP doesn’t have much of a weight penalty.

Use a Trowel

If you’re going to dig a cathole to poop in, a good rule of thumb is to make it a minimum of six inches deep and wider than you might expect. “It is much better to have way too big of a hole than too small of a hole,” says Jared Spaulding, a instructor for more than 15 years. While you can dig a hole with flat rocks or just about any sturdy stick, Spaulding suggests that beginners start with an inexpensive orange ($9), which his students use. “The chance of burying your waste appropriately is better if you have a decent digging utensil,” Spaulding says.

Supplement Your WAG Bag

If you have no choice but to pack out your feces—like when climbing a big wall in Yosemite—you’ll need to bring WAG bags (short for Waste Alleviation and Gelling, an old brand name). Flett prefers the budget-friendly ($4). While all WAG bags have everything you need to take care of business, including TP and a moist towelette, Flett suggests bringing extra toilet paper and a Tupperware to quarantine the bag after it has been used. While one bag per person per day is ideal, if you’re bold and comfortable with your adventure partner, you can get by with one bag per two people per day by sharing.

Rent a Groover

While it might be tempting to buy a groover—the brilliant system of a toilet seat attached to an ammo can—or its fancy cousin, the ($205) to save dough on rentals over time, it’s not necessary. Rental companies will clean the groovers between trips. “You start with a clean system, fill it with feces, and deliver it back to the company to deal with,” Flett says. “At the end of a long trip, that is worth all of the money in the world.”

Wash Those Hands

It sounds simple enough, but keep a couple things in mind: You should be 200 feet from water, as even biodegradable soap can be bad for streams. I personally stick with ($18) because it can pull triple duty as dish soap and toothpaste. Spaulding suggests opening the tops of your soap and water bottles before doing your business to minimize the likelihood that you’ll contaminate them.

Bring a Plastic Bag (or Several)

Please pack your TP out. Even if it’s the biodegradable stuff, it doesn’t break down fast enough to avoid a disgusting eyesore and health hazard for people coming through the area after you. Spaulding uses bread bags to carry his used toilet paper, but I prefer Ziplocs because I trust the closure to hold something in that I really don’t want spilling out into my pack.

Get a pStyle

When I asked advice from field scientist and guide Dana Flett (sister of Saylor), she responded with a ringing endorsement of the ($13), which projects pee out rather than down. “I am loyal to the pStyle because it is small, rigid, and easy to use,” she wrote. “I am a field scientist and always take it with me while working,” Flett says. “I work in meadow and wetland systems with very few places to hide, and it allows me to pee near co-workers without showing them all of my goods. It’s also good for climbing as I don’t have to take my harness off and can aim away instead of dribbling down a route that someone else will soon be ascending.”

The post The Best Gear for Going Poo in the Woods appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

Last year, a good friend of mine caught chronic giardiasis. The diarrhea that resulted was unpredictable, frequently sending him scrambling for a bathroom. For most of the year, that meant his dating life was totally on hold and he couldn’t travel. Already a thin guy, the resulting weightloss caused him to look visibly ill. To him, the worst part was the embarrassment all this caused, all from a parasite he caught on a camping trip here in California.

Which is why I want to address a story that ran last week.Ěý, Ethan Linck rehashed an eight-year-old study that found that contaminants in backcountry water sources are exceedingly rare. Using that evidence, he argued that you don’t need to clean water on camping trips in the U.S. and Canada. “The idea that most wilderness water sources are inherently unsafe is baseless dogma, unsupported by any epidemiological evidence,” Linck claims. He goes on to suggest that the outdoor recreation industry has pushed sales of water filters in order to sell campers on added complication they don’t need. He says he long ago stopped purifying his own drinking water while camping.

: “There is no good epidemiologic evidence that North American wilderness waters are inherently unsafe for consumption,” author Thomas R. Welch argues. The study tested a water source in a high-use area in the Sierra Nevada mountains, in central California—the kind of place you’d expect to find contaminants.ĚýResearchers found only trace amounts of giardia there: one would have to drink more than seven liters of the water to get sick, they said. In other, less frequently used areas, the study found no harmful bacteria or protozoa.

There are a few very obvious problems with all this:

1. While it's correct that there is little scientific evidence of significant pathogens in wilderness water sources in the U.S. and Canada, there’s also very little scientific study on the subject. The most thorough research cited by Welch appears to have been conducted two decades ago by the editors of Backpacker łľ˛ą˛µ˛ąłúľ±˛Ô±đ.Ěý
2. Not all backcountry water sources are created equal. Welch’s work relies on water testing conducted only in a single highly-protected mountain range in a single highly-regulated state— California's Sierra Nevada. Do studies conducted there translate to Minnesota’s Boundary Waters, or Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp? To suggest that they might is ridiculous. It's also worth noting that pathogen levels are constantly in flux—variables like rainfall, temperature, season, and animal behavior all play a role. The level of pathogens recorded at a single water source will vary month-to-month and year-to-year.Ěý
3. The study makes no account for how different people recreate outdoors and how they define that recreation. “Backcountry” may mean the High Sierra to Linck, Welch, and me, but something else entirely to a Cub Scout troop on the East Coast. As Welch details in his study, water sources adjacent to a sewer outlet have plenty of documented cases of spreading pathogens.
4. Linck’s assumption that cleaning backcountry water requires a “$99.95 microfilter pump” is simply wrong. Cheaper, simpler methods can actually be more effective, and don’t place a heavy financial or weight penalty on the user. Simple chlorine dioxide tablets will kill any protozoa, bacteria, cyst, or virus you’ll find in North America, and . Boiling water is free, if you have a stove, and 100 percent effective.
5. The low rates of infection reported by Welch’s study don’t control for whether or not any water purification methods were used by the study group. As Linck argues, virtually every backpacker is using a purification method of some kind, so the reported infection rates are misleading in this context. The low rates of infection reported could actually be a strong argument for the use of purification techniques and products.Ěý

Together, those issues create a highly misleading and arguably irresponsible conclusion. There is not sufficient scientific evidence to tell people not to filter their water—only enough to prove that some water sources in the Sierra Nevada may be safe to drink without treatment.Ěý

The irresponsibility of the don’t-filter argument is exacerbated by two things:

1. While most giardia,  e. coli, cyrptosporideum, and waterborne pathogens induce fairly minor illnesses in adults, the effects can be much more severe if the infected person suffers from immunosuppression, is very young or old, or, as with my friend, is simply unlucky. In children, for instance,  giardiasis can may lead to symptoms as severe as delayed physical and mental growth, slow development, and malnutrition.
2. Effective treatment options are affordable and easy to use. Use an expensive filter because you're short on time or like cleaner tasting water—cheaper methods will keep you just as healthy.Ěý

Both Welch and Linck argue that the failure to wash hands after taking a poo is responsible for more infections than drinking unpurified water. But while that is an argument for taking some hand sanitizer along, it is not an argument against water treatment.

The next time you go camping, you should do both.

The post Actually, Slate, You Really Should Filter Your Water appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

When it comes to choosing sports drinks, the debate is hot and heavy. Options abound, from electrolyte-charged powders and tablets to bottled alternatives ranging from sugar-filled to calorie-free. Some fat-adapted athletes are even pouring (made from medium-chain triglycerides or fat molecules) into water bottles and downing the stuff midrace to prompt their bodies to burn fat as fuel.

The stakes are high. Choose the wrong drink, and you could end up keeled over with a bout of GI distress or bonking with just a few miles left in your race.

What’s the right call? That really depends on the type of workout you’re doing and whether your drink is supposed to boost performance or just maintain hydration. We talked to experts to clear up the confusion and help you develop a bonkproof hydration strategy. Ultimately, you’ll need to listen closely to your body and experiment to find which flavor combos and methods work best. Use these guidelines as a starting point for your next endurance challenge.

Electrolyte-Only Mixes

What They Are: Electrolyte tablets, powders, or waters that contain minimal carbs and calories. Typically, these solutions contain only sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, though some also contain caffeine.

When to Use Them: Take a few swigs during to keep your body primed for the duration of your effort. If the weather is exceptionally warm, up your intake to replenish the extra minerals you’re sweating out.

A Note of Caution: If your workout will last longer than 90 minutes, bring along other fuel that includes calories and macros, says Tara Whiton, an ultrarunner and PhD candidate in East Tennessee State University’s sport physiology and performance department. Whiton still uses electrolyte-only drinks to make sure she’s properly hydrated during big runs, but she gets her actual fuel from nonelectrolyte chews and gels that provide a hit of glucose. (Plus, they take Whiton’s mind off the physical act of running as she chews.)

Low-Carbohydrate Mixes

What They Are: A powder or tablet that dissolves in water and offers some fuel in the form of smaller amounts of carbohydrates. They’re meant to be paired with other forms of midrace nutrition.

When to Use Them: For efforts longer than 90 minutes, turn to these mixes as part of your overall fueling strategy. They’re perfect for those who need variety between liquid and solid nutrition options. , a California-based hydration beverage company, spearheads the school of thought that a lower-carb mix is ideal for moving fluids from the gut and into the bloodstream, allowing for quicker hydration and better nutrient absorption. “The typical sports drink has a carbohydrate concentration higher than what occurs naturally in blood, so the body’s physiological response is to pull water from the vascular system to dilute the substance,” explains Ben Capron, a spokesperson for OSMO. In other words, the company believes the average drink could dehydrate you. A solution like OSMO, however, which has just nine grams of carbohydrate per mix, more closely matches the carb concentration of blood, negating dehydration risk and possibly improving your system’s ability to digest the other fuel you’re using. offers a similar powder that clocks in at 11 grams of carbs per serving.

A Note of Caution: Due to the low carb count of these mixes, you’ll need to take in fuel from other sources for longer or harder efforts. Alternate swigs of these solutions with bites of easy-to-digest foods throughout your race for max nutrition.

Low-Calorie Beverages

What They Are: These drinks, often marketed as flavored waters, replace glucose (read: fuel) with fake sugars to keep the calorie count low.

When to Use Them: Never. Athletes need carbs, so unless you’re getting your fuel from another source or only doing a short workout, these drinks are going to leave you feeling weak after 90 minutes. The takeaway? “I don’t think there’s a place for artificial sweeteners in endurance sports,” says Whiton.

A Note of Caution: “Artificial sweeteners can actually pull water into the gut,” says Curry. Hello, stomach upset.

Carbohydrate + Electrolyte Mixes

What They Are: You’ll find these on just about every marathon and triathlon course, and for good reason—you get fluids, carbs, and electrolytes in one convenient gulp. “They’re specially formulated to deliver 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour, which is what most people need,” Curry says.

When to Use Them: Choose a sports drink like this if you’ll be running or riding a near-marathon distance or time. Athletes vary in exactly how much fuel they need and how much their stomachs can tolerate, so Whiton advocates buying a powdered mix versus a premade beverage. That allows you to tailor the specific ratio to your personal needs by adjusting the mix-to-water ratio.

A Note of Caution: If you need to take in more than 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour for an especially hard or long effort, look for a drink that uses more than one type of sugar, ideally glucose or maltodextrin plus either fructose or sucrose, says Whiton. Your body is limited in how much glucose it can absorb and use at one time, but fructose relies on a slightly different transport system to move sugar from the gut and into the bloodstream, allowing you to circumvent the glucose roadblock. By consuming a glucose-fructose combo,  that you use your fuel more efficiently.

Carbohydrates + Protein + Electrolytes Drinks

What They Are: Bottled drinks that replace some of the carbohydrate-derived calories in a typical sports drink with protein.

When to Use Them: When you’re going long and slow. Try these mixes when your endurance event will last longer or cover more distance than a marathon. Although protein may take too long to break down to shave seconds off your time, “there’s some evidence that ingesting branched-chain amino acids—the building blocks of protein—can help improve mental focus in long endurance events,” says Whiton. The other advantage of adding protein is that it may help with muscle repair once you finish. When you work out, about 15 percent of your energy comes from the nutrient, says Whiton. Usually that energy is derived from your body breaking down muscle—something no athlete wants. Whiton says if you add protein to your drink mix, you might be able to avert the breakdown of muscles—or at least spur on the rebuilding process afterward.

A Note of Caution: Protein is a slow-moving fuel. Adding too much could result in real gastric misery, so be sure to test your approach on easier efforts and start with small amounts before ramping up.

The post Everything You Need to Know About Sports Drinks appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

Admit it: There are plenty of times when your into-the-wild adventures involve electronic devices. For car campers to preppers, the Kalisaya provides portable solar power to keep those devices running at a full charge.

Designed by Israeli-American startup Kalisaya, the KaliPAK 401 uses a quartet of collapsible solar panels to deliver 384 watt hours and 26 ampere-hours of on-demand energy. Translation: it can charge an iPhone more than 120 times or power seven nights’ worth of continuous LED lighting when fully charged. Inclement weather isn’t a problem, as the device comes with a waterproof backpack that accomodates powercords for a rainy-day recharge.

The KaliPAK isn’t the only portable solar generator around, but it is the first to come with a dedicated mobile app. Connect your smartphone to the tool via Bluetooth to monitor the KaliPAK’s reserves, as well as all connected devices’ energy use.

The Kalisaya KaliPAK 401 Kickstarter campaign had raised over $150,000 at the time of this writing. The company has pledged to donate one out of every 50 units produced to President Barack Obama’s , which aims to boost electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa.

$298,Ěý

The post Kalisaya KaliPAK 401 Mobile Solar Panel appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

Unless you’re a backpacker studying abroad, life on the road entails more than just throwing a pair of underwear and a fleece into a ragged duffel.

Modern nomads, folks who do all their work on the road thanks to the ubiquity of WiFi, need to pack for business meetings, trips to the tropics, and last-minute summit bids. In short, this means mastering the art of having all the essentials without knowing exactly where you might end up.

So we took some , a growing group of borderless travelers who eschew most possessions but remain connected to the Internet. You might be surprised how few items you need on the road, says Philippa Young, a guerrilla filmmaker with , a team of multimedia storytellers who travel the world. “It’s only when you completely lose a bag that you realize how little you need to survive. I stay on the minimizing curve, but I’ll also throw in a luxury (like a coffee grinder and beans) now and again to keep things interesting.”

While we don’t suggest you abandon all your luggage, these gear tips will get you through just about anything—whether it’s a week-long business trip or months-long, drop-everything adventure.

Lightweight Running Shoes

Unless you’re training, a loud pair of technical trail shoes will be overkill while traveling. Try a minimalist style like the , in a dark color like black or grey, which looks good with just about anything and packs down small.

Blazer

All hail the blazer, a panacea for when you need to look sharp but are short on clothing. It can easily be worn with jeans and a white T-shirt or over a lightweight, solid-colored dress. Try a linen cotton , which designs minimalist, neutral clothing.

Rain Shell

A is a must, as is a that can be worn over a sweater (of which you need no more than one or two). We like Patagonia’s , which is perfect for fast-and-light, rainy trips. Stick with the black colorway.

Tech

You’re not a technomad if you don’t carry a few gadgets. Buy a universal adapter such as the , which works in 150 countries. For those working long days off the grid, an extra phone battery such as the , compatible with iPhone, HTC One and Samsung Galaxy, can be essential. Conveniently, it doubles as a phone case. Books won’t let you pack light: opt for an e-reader like the or . A read-later app like or means you can catch up on your reading list even when you’re offline.

The Practical Stuff

hold dirty laundry, wet clothes, liquids that are liable to explode, and can organize unruly bundles of cords and cables. Opt for a lightweight nylon duffel for any short side trips you might take. duffel is durable enough to check on a flight, but light enough to pack when not in use.

A thin beach-style sarong or a few yards of fabric works well as a towel, sheet, or scarf, depending on what climate you end up in. When you need tweezers, scissors, a corkscrew, a nail file—or all of the above—a will have you covered. And you will almost always find a use for , so keep one or two clipped to your bag.

Remember: If you haven’t used an item in a while, exchange it for something else. “If it doesn’t fit in my backpack, then I don’t take it. If there is a useful item I have packed and I haven’t used it in a month, I will exchange it for a different item. Useful items are things like cables, a pocket knife, solar lights, and even cutlery,” says Alicia Sully, a guerrilla filmmaker with .Ěý

First Aid

When it comes to toiletries, less is more. It’s rarely difficult to find a bar of soap or a bottle of shampoo, so don’t waste space by bringing them. However, toting hard-to-find essentials that you don’t want to be caught without is always a good idea. These include: for adjusting to new time zones; , because if you need this, you need it now; a high-strength for mosquito bites and skin irritation; earplugs for shared accommodation; and , which is often pricey if bought in airports or abroad.

Creature Comforts

Slippers like —or even freebies from a hotel—can make any floor feel a little less unfamiliar, while a for tea or coffee is great for early train rides or cold nights outdoors. (It’ll taste even better if you bring your favorite tea from home.)

Credit Cards, Passports, and Evernote

No self-respecting technomad would have a credit or bank card with foreign transaction fees, so switch to a , like Capital One. Don’t forget to back up photocopies of your bank cards and passport on the cloud or in Dropbox, as well as on a USB stick, as it’s easier to get a replacement when you have the relevant numbers and expiration dates of the real thing. Lastly, use an app like to store your itineraries and to keep frequent flier membership numbers easily accessible.

The post Gear to Transform How You Travel appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

The dodo bird went extinct.Ěý

The Migrating Mural Project on Sage to Summit, a mountaineering store in Bishop, California.

One of two sheep painted on the Bishop Gun Club’s wall. This bighorn represents the Wheeler Ridge herd unit; the arrow represents a temperature gradient, along which they migrate seasonally.

When the internet took off, many wondered if books would, too. When tablets became popular in 2010, San Francisco-based realized these portable devices offered an oppotunity keep book binding alive. Each of the company’s iPad covers are made locally using traditional bookbinding techniques. Dodocase has, essentially, given book bindings relevance in a world of technology.

And in an effort to prevent yet another extinction, Dodocase recently teamed up with , an art studio that “specializes in creating environmental campaigns, exhibitions, science illustrations, and fine art.” For this particular collaboration, Ink-Dwell founder Jane Kim hopes to publicize the plight of California’s endangered mega-fauna through limited edition  iPad cases. Each case looks like a hand-painted moleskine notebook, and the first in the series (available now) features Kim’s oil painting of a rare and majestic Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep.Ěý

The image comes from Kim’s project, a series of massive paintings of endangered animals displayed along the migration corridors they share with humans. The first chapter of the Migrating Mural showcases the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep via six murals along a 150-mile stretch of Highway 395 in California’s eastern Sierra.

Bighorn sheep were plentiful in this area until the 1990s, when they were nearly wiped out by a disease carried by domestic sheep. But with continued conservation, they could be off the endangered species list within a decade.Ěý

Coming in 2014: the Dodocase/Ink-Dwell Coho Salmon case and Whooping Crane case. Proceeds benefit the Migrating Mural and the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association.

$125,.

The post Covet: Dodocase Bighorn Sheep Endangered Species iPad Case appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

Finally, waterproof gadgets no longer look like Playskool toys. It all started last year when a Santa Ana, California, company called Liquipel announced that for $60 it would dunk your smartphone or tablet in an invisible, waterproofing chemical soup. The stuff works unbelievably well—and makes you wonder why most electronics aren’t waterproof straight out of the box. Sony’s is.

The 10.1-inch device comes coated in a proprietary nanotechnology that keeps it running while submerged up to three feet below the water’s surface. It’s also among the best tablets on the market. The sound from its stereo speakers is crisp and loud, and the Xperia is both slimmer and lighter than the iPad. Plus, its screen features the same technology found in Sony’s flatscreen TVs, which display 16 million colors. The result: images look cinematic, even in the hot tub. $499 for 16GB.

The post Reviewing the Waterproof Sony Xperia Tablet appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

AT&T Pantech Element tablet

The fact that this new Android 8.3-inch tablet (1.5 inches shorter than an iPad) is waterproof—able to handle a 30-minute dunk three feet under the surface—is cool. Above-average graphics, 16GB of storage, front and rear cameras, and video are also nice. But, as with the new iPad, it’s the ’s 4G LTE network capability (read: blazing download speeds) that we liked best.

Grace Digital Audio Eco Terra Boom Box

Though we can’t speak to the meaning of “Eco” here, this fully submersible, shockproof portable is ideal for a raft or canoe trip or a relaxing day at the beach. At five pounds it’s not backpack fodder, but it will last longer (25 hours of play time from four C cells) and sound better than punier speakers. Compatible with any MP3 player or phone.

Mophie Juice Pack Outdoor Edition iPhone case/battery pack

Armor and extra power are always a good thing. doubles the battery life of your iPhone 4 or 4S while also adding a reassuring shell to protect it when (not if) you drop it. This bundled version also gives you a one-year subscription to a NeoTreks-powered Outdoor app that turns an iPhone into a GPS, with 650,000 trail maps of the lower 48 states.

Replay XD1080 Video Camera System

The GoPro revolution is finally spawning worthy wearable-camera rivals. At just 2.8 ounces, Replay’s featherweight is one of the most impressive. The clamp-based mounting system feels solid, and video quality is about the same as GoPro’s. The audio is a clear step up, but the Replay’s interface isn’t quite as intuitive. Upshot: it’s a serious competitor.

Magellan eXplorist 110 GPS

You can pay five times as much for a with all the extras. Or you can keep it simple with this mini (it’s small enough to wear around your neck), easy-to-use, full-color GPS, which comes preloaded with maps of more than 200 countries. Bonus: it runs on AA batteries, which you can find virtually anywhere. Bummer: no topo maps for wilderness areas.

SteriPen Freedom water purifier

The latest iteration of tiny (2.6-ounce) UV water purifier is the best yet. The Freedom can charge not only from the wall but also through a USB connection, letting you juice it up via a laptop or solar charger for 8,000 one-minute 16-ounce treatments.

The post The 6 Best Travel Gadgets of Summer 2012 appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.

Etnies Jameson 2 Eco Shoes

Finding gear that performs well and also blends into big-city life is hard enough. Finding gear that does both and is also produced by an environmentally and socially conscious company? Practically unheard of. That's why we were pleasantly surprised when we heard about Etnies Jameson 2 Eco shoes. The supercomfy Jamesons are made almost entirely from old bike tires, rubber gloves, and plastic bottles. Plus, they're part of the company's Buy a Shoe, Plant a Tree program. (The saplings go to Costa Rica.)

Mend Messenger Bag

Mend's double cotton canvas messenger bags have a different story to tell: each one is constructed by refugees from the war in Northern Uganda.

Nixon Ceramic 51-30 Watch

A lot of watchmakers try to strike a balance between rugged construction and refined style. Nixon nails it with the Ceramic 51-30, a classic-looking, big-faced watch that's waterproof to 300 meters.

Helly Hansen Spitsbergen Shirt

Just aobut every guy can use a new flannel shirt. (Welcome back, 1993!) So get him a nice one, like Helly Hansen's Spitsbergen, which is slim-fitting but not too snug.

G-Form Extreme Sleeve 2 iPad Case

How tough is G-Form's Extreme Sleeve 2 iPad case? The company's marketing campaign includes a YouTube of employees dropping a bowling ball on it from three feet up—with the device inside. Conclusion: You can take your iPad bowling (and also on your bike).

Nau Down Shirt Jacket

From its nod to sustainability (2 percent of its sales go to humanitarian and environmental causes) to its goal of using zero virgin petroleum prodcuts, Nau is as dedicated to doing things the right way as it is to creating stylish and functional outdoor apparel. To wit: this slim-fitting, DWR-coated, tough-enough-for-the-mountains Down Shirt jacket.

The post Gifts for an Urbanite appeared first on şÚÁĎłÔąĎÍř Online.