Outdoors
Lotus deploys unique Concept Ice Vehicle to the Antarctic
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August 24, 2008 Look closely and you'll see a Lotus badge on the side of this fascinating device. Built to act as a scout to plan routes for heavier vehicles on flat, hard-packed ice, the Concept Ice Vehicle (CIV) is set to perform its first tour of duty in Antarctica with the Moon Regan Transarctic Expedition. Three oversize, suspended skis give the ultra-light CIV a low friction contact patch, and handle the steering as the biofuel-powered propeller drives the vehicle forward. Braking is another issue - a large, spiked metal arm is forced down into the smooth ice, dragging the CIV to a halt - and it comes equipped with a radar to detect hidden ice crevasses that could spell trouble for the rest of the team.
Suunto X10 GPS wristop computer
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Suunto has unveiled an upgrade to its X9i flagship outdoor GPS wristop computer. The more powerful X10 model features improved tracking, longer battery life and faster performance, including the ability to track better in difficult conditions such as heavy foliage.
Leatherman Argentum collection
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In the spirit of finding any excuse to bling up just about anything, Leatherman are celebrating their 25th anniversary with the release of the Argentum Collection – a line of limited edition leatherman tools hand crafted by silversmith Adrian Pallarols that range in price from US$240 to US$40,000.
Beach Pockets secures your sun umbrella
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We've encountered solutions to the problem of runaway sun umbrellas before, but there's a practical simplicity about this one. Beach Pockets from Seebreeze is a simple way to secure your umbrella by using sand on the beach to weight it down and prevent it from blowing away.
Garmin's waterproof nuvi 500 / 550 GPS for the explorer
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July 23, 2008 If you're the kind of explorer who tackles driving, cycling, boating and hiking in the space of a day or weekend, Garmin's new nuvi 500 series is the GPS you shouldn't leave home without.
Banana Guard – protecting your banana
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Bananas have been one of the world’s staple foods for at least 7000 years and remain popular due to their nutritional value and instant energy boost. Sadly, for all their virtues, bananas don’t travel well and just aren’t as appetizing when they’re squashed. Now you can carry and store your banana safely in a backpack, pocket, school bag or sports bag.
The Grab-it Pack
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With the plethora of digital cameras, PDS, phones, digital media players adding to the physical burden we carry every day, sometimes it gets to be a real problem just dealing with the load. Fanny packs and back packs are potential answers to the problem, as was the Quickdraw Clip System we covered earlier this week, but now there’s another player in the mix that is worthy of consideration – the GRABIT PACK. It’s a simple but ingenious invention and the work of former stuntman Louis Kiss who recognised the need for carrying capacity that offers “fast access while not getting in the way”. It’s more accessible than a sling bag and ideal for the user Louis envisaged - photographers, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, Police Officers, Paramedics, messengers, landscapers, and Film Industry “grips” and makeup artists.
Buzzball gets things rolling
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Looking like the next evolutionary step for Zorbing - but without the need for a downhill slope - the Buzzball is a giant sphere from New Zealand based promotional concepts company Evento which allows the pilot to create their own wild ride. The motion and direction of the Buzzball are controlled by a pilot inside the sphere via left and right control triggers which provide power to the driving wheels. These inner wheels in turn spin the 'pod' on its axis around the inside of the ball.
WASP Injector Knife
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No matter how far personal weaponry advances, the last line of defence has remained the same. If a threat gets really up close and personal, divers, soldiers, campers and hunters all have to rely on their trusty knife when all else has failed. The trouble is, if your shark, elephant or enemy combatant is close enough for you to stab them, they're well within range to lay some serious hurt on you if your knife aim isn't true - and there's plenty of angry animals out there capable of disposing of you even with a blade hanging out of them. That's why WASP have created the Injector Knife, which forces a massive charge of freezing compressed air into the stab wound. WASP claims the shock and tissue freezing can stop the largest of land predators in its tracks, and it's even more effective on underwater predators.
Flaik snowsports tracking device
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Flaik is a personal tracking device for skiers and snowboarders that fuses GPS & GSM/GPRS technologies to monitor personal performance criteria including speed, distance, altitude and airtime.
Outdoor solar workstation
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If you are having trouble getting out of the office, maybe it's time to get the office out. This eco-friendly workspace by Mathias Schnyder is designed as a calming haven where office dwellers or uni students can escape to the great outdoors.
The PLB – risk mitigation for adventurous people
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Boating, camping, four-wheel driving, hiking, off-road motorcycling, snowmobiling – they’re all fun to do, and they all carry considerably more risk if you’re on your own – break a leg, sprain an ankle, get bitten by a snake or a spider, and suddenly you may not be able to get out without assistance. The availability of the Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) changes that – it’s risk mitigation for adventurous people. Set off your PLB and it transmits your location (GPS coordinates) on internationally recognized distress frequencies monitored by the likes of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System (SARSAT). In the event you’re under the canopy and GPS isn’t acquired, they can still calculate your position through Doppler Shift.
Pepper-spray may deter bears better than guns
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March 27, 2008 New analysis from Brigham Young University suggests that those traveling in bear territory may be better off leaving the guns at home and packing pepper-spray instead. The bears, we expect, agree.
Solar gadgets for the great outdoors
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A couple of nifty solar gadgets for the outdoors: the Solar Mosquito Guard and Solar-Powered Fan are a steal at just US$10. And the best bit, 10% of all proceeds help send inner-city kids to Earth Day for Kids at the nonprofit Solar Living Institute.
The most powerful sporting rifle in the world
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March 26, 2008 There are a few videos doing the rounds on Youtube at present showing people firing the A-SQUARE Hannibal 577 Tyrannosaur rifle and getting blown away with the recoil. It’s not surprising, because the monster gun is actually purpose built to stop charging Rhinos, Hippopotami, rogue elephants and it gained its name because it could indeed stop the biggest dinosaur – it’s the most powerful sporting gun in the world and shoots a 750 gr bullet at 2700 feet per second – the recoil of the 13 pound, US$4000 gun is so powerful that despite three mercury reducers in the butt plus a huge pad area, it kicks like a mule.
Let there be light… and breeze
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February 26, 2008 If camping is your game then space is likely to be a high-priority, so anything that successfully delivers a "two-in-one" option is always going to be a winner. This new tent power system from Coleman produces both light and a cool breeze for that little extra comfort whilst in the great outdoors.
Camping in style: Coleman's battery powered blender
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February 11, 2008 For those who love camping but can't bear to be away from their fruit smoothies, Coleman has created a battery powered blender that you can take just about anywhere.
Magellan and Primordial announce practical off-road GPS system
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February 6, 2008 Magellan has partnered with Primordial to integrate the Ground Guidance system into its Triton line, providing a combination of elevation data, land cover and aerial imagery to generate more practical data for those who venture off-road. Currently, GPS can only provide off-road users with simplistic maps that often fail to include obstacles such as dense forest, lakes and rivers, steep inclines and natural hazards. The Ground Guidance system is designed to generate practical and efficient off-road routes through inhospitable terrain. Ground Guidance color codes the map into fast, slow and impassable areas, giving users the opportunity to plot their trip accurately and safely.
Coleman’s Nightlight Airbed for camping kids
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February 6, 2007 Kids love camping but as soon as the sun sets, the great outdoors can seem a little scary, especially when they have to crawl into a dark tent. The Coleman Company's solution is the Nightlight Airbed, a kid's camp bed consisting of a comfortable 8-inch thick air-mattress with a built-in nightlight. The 3-LED nightlight lasts for 8 hours, so it will provide a reassuring glow long after the campfire has died down.
Barz' ingenious Reader Sunglasses
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Barz Optics began creating purpose-built eye-protection for extreme watersports but the company’s ingenuity has seen it diversify into an array of products pursuits involving wind, salt, water, dust, sand and glare. Now it is entering the mainstream with an innovative set of wrap-around, low-cost, lightweight, polarized sunglasses with built-in non-polarized reader lenses – so you can read your GPS, mobile phone, PDA, digital instrumentation while in roughhouse conditions. We tried them and they are bloody marvellous!
Snowter: the BMX of the ski slopes
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January 22, 2008 The winter sports market is proving a little conservative it would seem. Inventors looking to push beyond skis and snowboards in search of new ways to enjoy the ski slopes aren't getting much enthusiasm from major companies – but those that have the vision and means to bring their own ideas to the market are coming up with some very interesting results. We recently covered Venomsnow's Switchboard, essentially a snowboard with a suspended steering bar – and now there's the Snowter, which looks something like a seatless BMX with two mini skis replacing the wheels. You split your feet between the front and rear pedals as you like, then steer it with the handlebars at slow speeds, and dig the rear in to carve turns or drift it like you're power-sliding once you've got some pace up.
Real coffee around the campfire: Handpresso portable espresso maker
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January 16, 2008 The expression "roughing it" can be a little off the mark these days given the availability of increasingly high-tech camping gear designed to merge the comforts of home with the experience of the great outdoors. One definite sore point among the coffee loving travelers at Gizmag is the need to revert to the instant variety when on the trail, but French "Nomadic Espresso" specialist Handpresso may have just the solution. The Handpresso Wild is a simple, lightweight espresso maker that works without electricity and promises quality coffee with a perfect crema anywhere you can find hot water.
Designer Wellies: fashion meets function for the farm or play time
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January 4, 2007 Most commonly women’s footwear falls into two categories – fashionable or functional – with precious little overlap. In the spirit of modern fashion, Rosie Roo from Australia is bringing a change to functional women’s wet weather footwear with their spunky new wellies/gumboots/galoshes (depending on what part of the world you’re from).
VholdR's laser-guided all-in-one helmet videocam
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December 21, 2007 Online video sharing has absolutely exploded in the last few years – and the cresting wave of extreme sports we use to wrench ourselves out of the risk-free banality of modern life is showing no signs of slowing down. Helmet-cam technology provides a natural and easy means for the average rockclimber or motorcosser to record and distribute the action and excitement of their weekend – and latest-gen all-in one units like the VholdR push the state of the art further forward with MicroSD memory, laser dot aiming and leveling, and nearly an hour's worth of 640x480, 30fps capture out of a tiny, featherweight, helmet-mount device.
Small innovations make big impact on the trail
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December 12, 2007 In some situations the simplest ideas can make a big difference and these innovations from Guyot Designs are a case in point. The SplashGuard and Squishy Bowls are convenient, low cost solutions that make spending time on the trail that little bit easier.
Katadyn Vario Water Filter
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December 10, 2007 The Vario from Swiss water purification specialists Katadyn provides a versatile solution to the age old problem of avoiding stomach bugs while on the trail. Capable of producing up to two liters of filtered water per minute, the Vario gives the user a choice between two or three different filtration stages - one for when speed is required and and a second for extending cartridge life.
Tracking system promises faster help for avalanche victims
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December 6, 2007 A new positioning system which will use Galileo, the future European global positioning satellite system, may prove to be a life saver for avalanche victims. Avalanches kill hundreds of people worldwide every year. In the United States annual avalanche deaths have averaged 25 for the last ten years, with 20 deaths occurring in the 2006-2007 season.
Kabe's Royal Tower: the lord of the trailer park
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It seems whatever you want to buy, there's somebody out there making a bigger, more luxurious, more expensive version. Caravan travel has always been about bringing a few creature comforts from home with you on the road – and if your home happens to be a bit of a palace, we've found the caravan for you! KABE already make the longest caravan around with their enormous Hacienda – and for 2008 they're bringing out the tallest too. The double-storey Royal Tower might not fit under certain bridges, but it'll guarantee you're king of the trailer park, master of all you can survey from your cushy balcony view… that is, if you've got a car that can tow it!
Nissan adds new tent to outdoor accessory range
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November 23, 2007 Nissan has released a second dedicated tent designed to fit onto the rear of any Pathfinder, Murano, new X-TRAIL or QASHQAI. The tent attaches onto the rear of the vehicle with the use of adjustable straps and an elasticated sleeve, which fits over the complete rear-end of the vehicle and provides enough room for the tailgate to be opened up into the tent living area. Inside, the living area measures 3 meters x 3 meters to accommodate up to four adults, six if you include the back of the vehicle, and with over 2 meters in height at the peak of the dome there is plenty of standing room.
Life saving Nebulus floatation device
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November 19, 2007 Over 50 deaths per year in the US and Canada are attributed to drowning when snowmobiles and ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles) crash through thin ice. In an effort to significantly reduce the risk of such tragedies occurring, the University of Minnesota in partnership with JTW Associates have developed the Nebulus Emergency Flotation Device - a self-inflating shell that deploys quickly and allows a water or ice rescue to be performed by one person without waiting for back up.
Venomsnow’s Switchboard hits the ski slopes
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Venomsnow’s Marcel Jonker hopes his company’s double-hinged Switchboard will open up a new segment in the winter sports market alongside skiing and snowboarding. The Switchboard is made up of two short woodcore boards joined end-to-end on a double hinge, with lightweight footstraps on top, twin skates underneath the rear board, and an aluminum steering bar on a pogo stick-like suspension unit mounted on the front board. Is it the evolution of the snowboard, or the kick-scooter of the ski slopes? Whatever your opinion, it’s hard not to be fascinated by this innovative product from the Netherlands.
Sturdy picnic table for outdoor dining purists
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November 2, 2007 Collapsible picnic tables can suffer from a number of shortcomings – too small, too flimsy and ill suited to sitting down at to enjoy a meal in comfort to name a few. Not so with this “Pack and Go Picnic Table”, a sturdy fold-away table that seats four people and can handle up to 800 pounds.
Fold-up sports helmet easy to stash
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September 18, 2007 Bicycle helmets might be light, but they’re still very annoying to carry around because of their awkward shape. Stashkit have taken aim at this problem by producing a fold-up helmet that offers all the protection of a regular lid, but stows away much more easily. It’s the perfect companion for a fold-up bicycle.
TomTom’s new flagship navigation device - the GO 920 T
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August 30, 2007 TomTom unveiled a new flagship model, the TomTom GO 920 T at IFA in Berlin today. The highlights of the new GO 920 T include 4 GB of internal memory, enabling complete maps of 41 European countries plus USA and Canada to come pr-installed, new Enhanced Positioning Technology which results in a more continuous navigation experience and an RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver to receive up-to-date traffic information is included in the box. The new GO 920 T will be available in the last quarter of 2007 at a price of EUR550.
Magellan’s new Triton GPS includes a camera, compass, barometer and flashlight
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August 9, 2007 While we think Magellan’s hopes of making a GPS the central convergent device are folly in the longer run, the company’s new Triton series of portable handheld GPS receivers feature an interesting and useful range of functionality including a 2MPX camera, SD card slot, electronic compass and barometer, speaker/microphone and flashlight.
