gear

Every now and then I get a chance to chat with new designers. Their stories often define what their brand will be. Ethan Wishnick is an example of this. I had the opportunity to conduct an interview with the climb and ski instructor who set out to design his own line of technical apparel Toren.

So, tell me a little bit about the history of Toren. Who, or what is Toren?

Toren is a new brand of technical apparel created to deliver top of the line, great fitting products at unbeatable value. I founded Toren in 2013 and will be bringing our first products to market this spring.

How did you come to be?
I’ve always loved the outdoors and been an avid skier. Prior to my professional life in New York City, I was a climbing instructor in Boston and a ski instructor in Vail. As a passionate consumer of technical apparel and gear, I saw a hole in the market for great fitting, reasonably priced high quality apparel. Toren was founded to fill that hole.

Every outdoors adventurer knows what they want in outerwear, but what do you want in your gear, and why?
Fit, function and value. It’s not complicated – I’m looking for high quality apparel that can take whatever abuse I throw at it and keep me looking good through it all. Everyone talks about the “one quiver ski” – that perfect ski you reach for regardless of the conditions. I’ve spent years looking for the “one quiver jacket” and I think the Fundamental Shell might be it.

What is your target market?
We’re targeting discerning customers who are adept and comfortable with online shopping and looking for value driven brands with strong ethical standards. We recognize that people wear technical apparel for more than just outdoor pursuits, and we’re concentrating on consumers looking for transitional styles that work for both for your daily commute and weekend getaway.

What are you bringing to the table?
Most importantly, we’re bringing unprecedented value to technical apparel. We’re also really focused on transitional styling, as we mentioned, and fit, the other key area that we recognized as lacking. Our products are designed with a tailored cut and a close to the body, flattering fit which allows for full range of movement without excess bulk.

What separates you from other brands?
Toren’s direct-to-consumer business model sets us apart. By selling exclusively via our website www.toren.is, we’re able to eliminate the traditional retail markup and pass along huge cost savings to our customers. Additionally, our blog features regular updates on development and production of products and we actively solicit feedback on our designs, which gives our customers a stake in our products and fosters community engagement. Finally, we believe good business is more than just turning a profit, and we’re contributing a portion of all proceeds towards getting kids active outdoors, a social cause we really identify with.

What’s the technology behind your products?

We’ve been working with leading Japanese textile manufacturer Toray to develop our fabrics. Toray’s line of Entrant membranes is one of the best on the market and we’re thrilled to integrate such technically advanced components. In addition to using the highest quality textiles and trims, we’re paying close attention to how we can integrate everyday technology into our products. Each jacket will feature an inner chest pocket made with clear polyuretha

We’re really excited about this innovation and we think it’s going to go a lot further than your overpriced monthly cell phone insurance towards protecting your phone from water damage or that accidental high dive off the chairlift.ne plastic that allows for the use of a smartphone while in the pocket.

Let’s talk fabric, fills and breathability. What can we expect to see?
Our debut product, the Fundamental Shell, will feature a 3-layer mini ripstop polyester fabric with a Entrant Toray Delfy membrane. This lightweight fabric has a waterproof/breathability rating of 10,000mm/10,000mm and strikes just the right balance of durability and comfort. For Fall/Winter 2014, we’re looking at Toray’s revolutionary four-way stretch knits and new synthetic fill options, which compete directly with Primaloft One.

I was told your big launch is 2014, what is your new lineup going to look like?
We decided to keep the initial lineup tight, focusing all our energies on producing the best 3-layer shell we could imagine. The cross-functional Fundamental Shell will be available Spring 2014. We’re working on our Fall/Winter 2014 collection and hope to include an insulated hardshell, puffy, and midweight pullover.

Thanks, to Ethan for his time. We’re interested to see what Toren brings to the table this year.

What are your thoughts on their new line and the idea of a touch-screen friendly pocket?

You can reach out to and connect with Toren through the links below:

It’s not every day that you see a pair of MICROspikes facing off with a golf cart. I’m guessing the thought hadn’t even crossed your mind. But, we endeavour to please and we want to make sure that gear can stand up to our rigorous testing.

Oh, and we like to have fun!

Last year I tried out a set of Kahtoola’s K10 trail crampons and was really impressed with their deep spikes that really dug in when I needed them. This year I was given a set of MICROSpikes to review and give my honest opinion of. I’ll tell you upfront, they’re pretty sweet.

Here are the stats for you:

• Made of: 400 series heat treated stainless steel and synthetic rubber upper
• 12 3/8” (1 cm) multi-directional spikes (10 on the extra small)
• Weight: 13.6 oz for the medium (S: 12.2 oz, L 14.4 oz, XL 15.6 oz)
• Warranty: 2-year
• MSRP: $64.95

What are they for?

I’m sure you can add to this, but these are great for everything from trail running to ice fishing to hiking to shovelling the driveway. Everywhere I’ve tried them they’ve given me excellent traction. They are ideal for non-technical hiking or peak bagging where trail crampons would be overkill, but where your typical footwear is insufficient. I even recommend keeping a pair in your car in case of emergencies on your winter trips. Oh, and they’re good for tug-o-wars too.

Ease of use

The rubber on the upper grips footwear really well. This is great as it keeps them from slipping off your footwear. It requires very little effort to put them on and I didn’t bother looking for instructions. They’re very intuitive and within a minute I had them fitting tightly and correctly centered on the bottoms of my boots.

Quality

They haven’t gone cheap with materials. The rubber is rated to stay flexible down to -76 degrees and is quite beefy. I can say the same for the chains and spikes.

What do I think?

The MICROSpikes by Kahtoola are a solid piece of kit that I strongly recommend you take a look at. The price is really fair for the product and I’ve already heard of people finding it on sale for 20% off the MSRP.

Check out the MICROSpikes at your local gear shop, or if you want to support us, feel free to shop at amazon through the following Affiliate link: http://amzn.to/1csiwEr

I have my share of jackets in my closet and all of them have a role. One thing I didn’t have was a work jacket for all those DIYs and outdoor projects that shred lighter weight fabrics. When I was asked to review something from Carhartt, I jumped at the chance.

Carhartt is the go to name in work-duty outdoor wear. They’re the construction workers choice as they’re built to last. You tend to pay a premium for them, but that pays out in the long term. To some that means it lasting them for decades and to others that means picking them up for a steal second hand.

The Bad Axe jacket is a waterproof breathable jacket. It has a Nylon shell (with durable water repellant finish) and a 3-layer breathable/waterproof membrane. It’s seam sealed so you’re not going to get moisture in it. All of the zippers are water resistant which will keep just about all water (except when swimming!).

As for the breathability let’s start by stating that there is no such thing as a jacket that’s 100% breathable AND 100% waterproof. That said, the jacket doesn’t suffer from the sauna effect that some jackets suffer from. To increase breathablity, Carhartt adds full length pit zips.

The jacket’s pockets are huge. There are two waist pockets, an exterior chest pocket that they term a “map pocket” (which gives you an idea of capacity) and an inner pocket for your wallet or other. There’s even an internal media port so you can put your mp3 player in your map pocket and have the earphones snake out through the inside and over your ears.

What I liked about this jacket apart from the other things was that it uses heavy duty Coralast reinforcements in typical wear zones  around the shoulders, elbows and cuff.

The MSRP for the jacket is $280 and that’s the typical price that you see it at. It’s a high price for a jacket, but as anything carhartt, you’re paying for the quality, which as many people will tell you lasts decades, if not a lifetime.

So, what Carhartt gear o you own and love? Would you buy this jacket new? I’d love to see your comments down below.

I always carry a SPOT Messenger with me on my trips, but as I was going out for 2+ weeks on the John Muir Trail (and because SPOT offered) I decided to take along their new Satellite phone with me.

I love my SPOT Messenger (II), but it’s only one-way communication. I can update my position and status so friends and family know where I am, but I don’t know how my family is doing-Now that I have 4 kids that’s important for me.

It’s a good thing I had it as my son ended up in the hospital and I was able to check how he was doing, chat with him personally and work out with my wife whether or not I should be heading home.

This is just one of many scenarios that one doesn’t expect or plan for that are very good reasons to bring a satellite phone. The new SPOT satellite phone proved itself on the trip and did so while offering crystal clear service.

Let’s look at the features and then see my thoughts:

The Spot Global Phone

• Dimensions – 5.3” x 2.2” x 1.5”
• Weight – 7.1 oz
• Battery  – removable 2600 mAH, 3.7v Li-on (proprietary)
• Display – 4-line, 12-character, Color
• 99 entry address book
• 10-digit local phone number
• Receive 35 character text messages
• Free Long Distance to North America)
• Optional Data kit
• MSRP: $499

What do I think?

The peace of mind that having a satellite phone offers someone that is away, in the back country is awesome. My family felt much better knowing that I was not only able to call out in case of an emergency, but that they could call me and chat with me if they needed to.

The Spot Satellite Phone provides incredibly clear calling. I was able to make crystal clear connections every time. I could hear very clearly and so could friends and family on the other end.

The Phone is small and lightweight. A single charge gives 4 hours of talk time. I kept it off when not in use and I kept a charge for 7 day despite daily calls to check on family.

The Spot Satellite Phone uses the Globalstar network. They’ve recently launched 24 second generation satellites to improve coverage. Coverage is great,but does have a few gaps. I never had a problem making an initial connection, but every now and then after talking for 5 to 10 minutes I might lose the signal and not get it back until a new satellite came into range. That said, service was generally excellent.

When the guys who were with me on the John Muir Trail couldn’t get a signal on their cellphones they turned to my Spot phone to check in with friends and work.

Satellite phones are now offering rates similar to cellphone technology when it was taking root. Spot offers rates for as low as 25 cents a minute (I used to pay that for long distance calls to my then girlfriend on my cellphone ten years ago).

You’ll definitely want to get a phone case for it as the screen tends to get scratched.

How could it be improved?

I personally would like to see a USB charge cable for it. Pretty much everything can be charged by USB now-a-days and with the plethora of portable solar chargers out there it makes sense to go that route. As an emergency device it makes sense as well. That said, carrying an extra battery can help avoid the necessity of charging on the trip. I only charge the phone once over the course of two weeks.

A couple times movement in my backpack caused the power button to turn it on and I lost some battery life unintentionally. This is not unique to phones (I currently have the same problem with a smartphone I’m using as well) but it’s something that could be improved by a recessed power button as see on some cellphones.

Conclusions

Satellite technology is getting really economical. With more and more people venturing out of cell coverage on adventures and for work, I see more and more people turning to satellite technology.

If you’re going to be in the backcountry in areas where there’s no cellphone signal, you should consider the convenience and safety that the SPOT phone offers.

I experienced that first hand when I was in the middle of the John Muir Trail and my son caught pneumonia. I know that it offered me huge peace of mind knowing that I could call up and monitor my his recovery, knowing that a quick 911 call could get me out of there if I needed it.

Check out the SPOT Satellite Phone on the SPOT website here.

A while ago I was sent a Grand Trunk Double Parachute nylon hammock to review. What can I say more than awesome?

When I was a teen and working a hard summer job I had a hammock. I’d set it up by our pond after work and take a nap listening to the birds. It lasted until visitors came over and the girls thought it would be fun to see how many of them could fit in it. I miss those days of relaxing, and I will say that Grand Trunk has done an excellent job allowing me to revisit those days… and for making a hammock that is built like a tank.

Let’s look at the facts:

• 2-person hammock
• Material: Parachute Nylon
• Features: Triple stitched seams, mildew resistant
• Dimensions: 10.5 feet by 6.5 feet
• Capacity: 400 lbs
• Style: Gathered
• Includes: attached stuff sack/pocket, nautical carabiners, rope, setup instructions
• Weight: 20 oz. all included
• Price: $65

What are my thoughts?

Right out of the bag it’s ready to go. I was able to figure out setup in no time at all. The hardest part was finding trees! There’s nothing complicated about this and everything comfortable.

I give two thumbs up on the construction. The included hammock and rope is very durable. The first time we set it up my wife and 4 kids were there watching. Although built for two, we ended up piling in the whole family (a little over 400 lbs!) and had no complaints from the hammock.

The 6.5 foot width gives plenty of room for sitting up, lying down with two people and/or closing the hammock around you to keep out bugs. Just yesterday I was in the backyard and despite the abundant wasps (it’s a really bad year for them where I am) I remained untouched while I slept.

The only improvement I would say out of the box would be to include longer rope. The ropes are good for up to about 16-18″ diameter trunks. Anything bigger and you’ll need to add more.

If you’re looking for a backyard hammock, something to take camping or even day hiking/funpacking I strongly recommend checking out the Grand Trunk Double Hammock.

Take a look at our video review below to see it in action.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the Grand Trunk Double Parachute Nylon Hammock for free from Grand Trunk Goods as coordinated by Deep Creek PR an Outdoor Industry Public Relations Company in consideration for review publication.

You may have seen the Chawel on the Dragon’s Den. It’s a 5 in 1 changing towel designed by Canadian Dan Plante.

The basic concept is a towel that can be used to change in public. It has a hole at the top for your head so you can get inside and change on the beach, in the park, or anywhere there are prying eyes. Having said that, it can be used for much more, like:

• A blanket
• Sleeping bag
• Pillow
• And many other things you could think of

On the side of the Chawel you’ll find a pocket that you can use to store valuables and keys.

The Chawel comes in three models:

• Chawel Hybrid – made of Polyester and providing a warm fleece on one side and includes a set of eye sleep mask.
• Chawel Traveller – made of cotton terry and microfleece
• Chawel Sport – Quick Dry anti-bacterial fabric

The Chawel comes in two sizes: a medium and a large. We have a large Hybrid and a medium Sport.

We’ve taken them both on backpacking and day trips to the park/lake. I prefer the Sport for my needs, but I can easily see how the Hybrid and Traveller would be useful for flights and people living out of a suitcase. We found the Sport did a better job of drying one off and then drying itself off.

Just last weekend we were in the parking lot and had to get the kids changed for swimming so we pulled out the chawel. I felt much more comfortable having the kids (and myself) covered up. The only complaint is that there isn’t a kids version that they don’t drown in, but it does do a great job.

If you’re going to spend a lot of time at the beach or park and don’t want to change in those nasty bathrooms, the Chawel will definitely save you from a lot of embarrassment and prove to be a versatile, multi-use purchase.

To close off the OR Show updates it’s time to look at your feet and listen to their counsel. Alternatively you can look at what interested me at OR Show in the foot department.

Forsake footwear combines that skater shoe look and comfort with technical, all-weather performance.Choose from tree models: Hiker, Pilot and Thurston.

Rocky S2V was mentioned earlier, but I thought it deserved mentioning again. This technical footwear with built in survival gear in the insole may make you think James Bond. It’ll be interesting to see how these do in the comfort department after a long day survival hike.

Adidas Outdoors has put their recent acquirement of Five Ten climbing shoes to good use. They’ve taken the famous Stealth rubber and added it to a line of

Hand made technical footwear coming out of Italy with a solid reputation? Yes please. AKU Footwear has been around for a long time, but is now making its foray into North America. One thing is for sure, these are some nice looking shoes and hiking boots. They offer good support and traction. After destroying a pair of La Sportiva Ultra Raptors on the John Muir Trail I’m ready for something beefier.

Swedish company Icebug made a strong showing with shoes and boots that incorporate studs into the sole. No more traction issues when you’re running, hiking, ice fishing or doing anything else on snow or ice. They’re the same kind of studs you’d find in a winter tire, and I’m a big fan of studded tires. For those wondering, the rubber allows the studs to receed on tile and concrete surfaces so that your studs don’t cause you to skate and loose your balance.

Wolverine has improved their Creek Bed water shoe to solve my previous complaints. Now boasting an insole and coming in a light neoprene option as well, they’re really making an entrance into the water shoe market.

Topo Athletics makes a split toe shoe. The idea is to allow your toes to spread more naturally. Similar to the five toes concept, this two toed shoe give a bit more independence for your big toe while keeping the others a bit more protected. Of course, this philosophy wouldn’t be complete without a zero drop design, would it?

From Survival to clothing tech, there were a lot of surprises and neat ideas that I’ve thrown into this post.

Eco One has a technology that works to break down plastics in gear and clothing when it enters the landfill. They’re claiming a 1-10 year disintegration. That’s real Biodegradability in my books. This sort of technology is already featured in gear by Brooks, Sanuk and other brands.

Adidas Outdoors is using a Dry Dye technology that cuts down the use of water in the dying process. It saves 25 liters of water, which is huge for one shirt… just think about what we could do with the millions produced every year!

Sierra Designs has pulled out another idea, use a stretchable fabric with their dri-down jackets to get a more comfortable jacket and a better range of motion.

Sierra Designs showed off their new performance knits. For individuals (like me) who are rough on their clothes these hold up against abrasion much better than your typical gear.

Rocky S2V puts out clothes, shoes and other gear targeted at the survival market. From flint devices and foot warmers in the sole of your boot to survival kits and transmitters in their jackets they are definitely a first in their field.

At first I thought these were just your typical cobra weave key chain accessories, but they each house a complete survival kit. Check out the image below to see what’s inside!

Geigerrig brought out another hit with their elastic nano-tubing. Taking advantage of their pressurized tubing they’ve improved on bulky and large hose needed for sucking by replacing it with 4mm tubing that is lighter and more versatile.

Tribe-one came out with a cool tool called the “PackTach” designed to add connection points to pretty much everything. I have one and love to show off the concept to people as I think it’s a great tool when you need a tie out!

Did anything from this list or others you’ve seen impress you? Leave a comment below.

There was a lot of items catered to the kids and camp category that stuck out at the Outdoor Retailer Show. Let’s grab a for and dig right in!

Grand Trunk Goods‘ Micro stool is 10 ounces of ultra-compact seat that can hold up to 250 lbs. It even has a mesh storage pocket underneath to keep that book you brought off the ground. This fella slips into its 6″x12″ storage sack when not in use.

This was the first time that I’d spent a lot of time with Joovy in person so I had a lot of catching up to do. Good for camp or home, their folding “Nook” high chair with Leatherette is stylish, compact when packed and easy to clean, two very important things when camping with kids!

To keep the kids off the ground these Foocots by Joovy come with their own sheet and can pack up and out of the way when not in use. For a bit of luxury these are a cool little option.

Ok, I geeked out with this one. New to the line, this folding stroller boasts a stand up space for a second child or alternative 2nd seat as seen above.

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For ages my wife has been looking for a huge cargo wagon to carry kids and things. Joovy came through again! They had much more on display, but I could talk all day about their other products (like their Pre-bike!)

Scrubba is an australian company offering a laundry machine that doubles as a dry sack… or is that the other way ’round? They’ve improved the scrubbing board for this year claiming that 3 minutes of scrubbing in the scrubba is as good as a laundry cycle. It’s a bit steep ($65) but for doing laundry on the trail, it’s hard to beat!

Travel Chair has been in the market for a long time with their collapsible camp chairs. They even hold a lot of patents on some of the original ideas. This year they came out with both guns blazing by offering an extremely competitive and portable camp cot called the “SleepRite”. With a 300lbs capacity and weighing in at under 5lbs this 7 piece cot isn’t complicate to setup or easy to break!

The camp chairs are usually first to go for me because of how much space they take up. Travel Chair‘s Joey can hold 300 lbs, weighs under 2 lbs and folds down to 4″ x 4″ x14″. It’s the biggest innovation to come out of the camp chair industry in a long time!

I had the pleasure of flying home next to the company’s founder and it was great to hear the company story and celebrate their successful sales contracts. Expect to see this in stores everywhere next year.

Biolite has been around for a while now, but they’ve come out with another reason to buy their stove. The KettlePot. This simple kettle is nothing special, but it’s designed to house the Biolite when not in use. The entire Biolite system slips inside the Kettle for easy storage. Enjoy your tea!

We did our best to visit every booth at OR Show this summer and keep our ears to the ground for what was impressive and innovative. There were some impressive things happening in the Backpacking department that we thought were worth mentioning. Here is the backpacking gear that is either on the market now, or up and coming and worth a look.

First on the list was pack and gear maker Boreas. They impressed with a 3 pack nesting “Bootlegger” system that shares the same frame and harness through the 3 packs. Just pop one bag off the frame and you can attach the frame to another pack. The largest pack in the set is a dry bag, so everything can be stored inside that for optimal (and dry) space.

When you talk sub 10 lb anything, you don’t normally think of Kelty. The new “Trailogic” line escapes the expectations by offering a 5ol pack designed to carefully and easily store their 800 fill dri-down sleeping bag (with waterproof head and foot box), inflatable 14 oz sleeping pad and 2-person tent. The whole set comes in at 9lbs 9 ounces and has a price point of $799. While not ultralight, the pricepoint is awesome and the quality looks great… My question? Is this Kelty?

The Trailogic 2p tent uses shorter poles to allow it to pack down into a small rectangular package.

The Optimus heat isn’t new, but coming off the John Muir Trail I better appreciate the benefit of this piece of kit… especially after repackaging all my freeze dried meals into Ziplock bags.

It’s not a new concept, but it was nice to see hammock maker eno come out with their own hammock with permethrin coated bug mesh. The Junglenest will really keep the bugs at bay so your evenings include more R&R.

Exped has come out with some new 2-person sleeping pads. They feature left and right inflation chambers so couples can independently adjust the firmness of their side of the mattress. Oh and for a bit of luxury it can be folded in half for a really comfy night.

Grand Trunk has added a sleeping bag to their line. This model fits around the hammock to save weight on an underquilt. You can use it separately and close off the holes for the hammock too! It is a heavier bag at a bit under 4 lbs, but consider the saving of not needing an underquilt or sleeping pad.

Sierra Designs came out of the woodwork with a whole bucket of new products including two new sleeping bags. This model (showed off by Eileen of www.Rockgrrl.com) hybrids a quilt with handholds in the top to allow more flexibility and comfort as well as better temperature control. On the bottom it has a universal sleeping pad sleeve to help you stay on the mattress at night. Oh, and it does away with the zipper completely!

Sierra Designs’ second bag as designed to double as a down vest to be worn around camp. Although it sounds a bit silly, the concept is quite cool. The hood is more like the hood of a jacket too and fits snugly on your head. The bottom of the bag folds up and hooks onto the back of the bag to stay off the ground so you can wander around camp and stay warm without having to get out of your bag. I would definitely leave my down jacket behind if I had this!

As well as pulling out a new 2-person quilt, Therm-a-Rest has tweaked some of their temperature ratings (adding 5 degrees of warmth to the Antares) and added a women’s line of bags.

Another successful kickstarter campaign, the Alpine Hammock has gone through a lot of revisions to tidy it up, make it more breathable and prepare it for market.

This quick deploy mesh Bivvy or IBNS by Catoma Adventure Shelters caught my eye right away. This 30 ounce item that retails for only $115 is sold out online for a reason.

We had to come back to Sierra Designs to show you what they have been doing with their tents. They’ve put the Vestibules on the side of the Flash 2 with access to them through zip vents on this hybrid 1.5 wall tent. There’s lot of breathabilty and airflow and their design has enabled them to raise the overhang to keep weather out while giving you shelter if you want to cook in the entrance of your tent.

The Flashlight line follows the Flash tents philosophy of keeping your gear out of the tent door by having half vestibules on each side. This line can be pitched with Trekking poles if you want to save a little more weight too.

There was a lot more out there in this department, but this is what stuck out to us. What about you? What have you seen that you liked at the show?

http://www.eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com/

We did our best to visit every booth at OR Show this summer and keep our ears to the ground for what was impressive and innovative. There were some gems and we wanted to share a few. Here are the gadgets that are either on the market now, or up and coming that we thought deserved a mention.

There were a lot of solar solutions at the show, but these items from the Bushnell’s Powersync line stood out. Their retractable-extendable form and rugged protective cases make these cater to the outdoors person.

In addition to upgrading the look and including the 12V car adapter in the Nomad 7, Goal Zero rolled out their Yeti 150 and 400. The Yeti line is a battery pack designed to charge pretty much any device you have. It can be charged at home as well as via Goal Zero’s line of solar chargers.

Some of us were aware of the PowerPot from its successful Kickstarter campaign, but regardless, the PowerPot continues to impress by allowing us to charge via USB while we cook our food… over the fire or over a stove. They even showed off some other devices which demonstrate that they’re not a one hit wonder.

Another huge rage is waterproof cases for all our electronic gadgets. SnowLizard showed off their SLXTREME 4 that boasts a solar charger on the back to give you a bit more power.

While I was on a pre-show hike organized by outside media I got to try out the new Suunto Ambit. This GPS watch offers a lot for the gear head who wants to keep accurate track of distance, time, altitude, etc.

Energizer surprised me with some very high lumen and high quality flashlights. The really good thing? They manage to keep their price and weight down!

Out with the old CFL camp lights and D-cell batteries. The new Energizer flashlight line up makes use of LED technology and AAs. The Lumens are high and the battery life is long. The line uses laser etching to evenly distribute the light for better use when you just want to see where everything is. The Folding Lantern on the right boasts 300 lumens for lots of picnic table games into the late evening.

What’s Solar Power without a way to store it? Eton showed off their low profile Boost4200 battery packs with shake sensor to let you know how much energy is stored inside. They also showed their Boost Turbine (Below) which you can charge by the dynamo crank as well as via USB.

The Eton FRX3 weather alert radio impressed with its multiple ways to be charged. In addition to the obvious hand crank, there’s USB, Solar and even an extra slot for AAs.

2-way texting and the ability to remotely turn on tracking and ping for a location make the new InReachSE by Delmore make this Satellite Communicator the best we’ve seen on the market.

Oregon Scientific’s Chameleon POV camera offers dual lenses, waterproof case and a variety of accessories. Although it’s only 720p, it records both swiveling cameras at the same time to provide more bang for your buck. I could see this becoming a tool in my arsenal of video gear.

Text Anywhere has done things differently by taking a satellite feed and turning it into a wireless hotspot. Devices can pair with the unit and send emails and tweets, as well as receive them. A great way for people working in remote areas to keep in touch with their home base.

Stay tuned for our other updates as we look at what else impressed us at the OR Show. Did you stop by the OR Show? What impressed you in the gadget department?

It’s summer and there are few predators as pervasive as the mosquito. My son already bears the battle wounds on his arms and neck of these nasty creatures. I don’t like putting chemicals on their clothes so an alternative is in order for the troop. As a camp combo item, I was sent the Thermacell Outdoor Lantern / Mosquito Repellent combo item to test.

We first used it at a party in the back yard. We had a group of mums out with their 0-2 year olds and it was prime hunting grounds for the mosquitos. I pulled out the lantern, installed the butane cartridge and batteries, installed a cartridge and fired it up.

In a minute or so I could see (but not smell) a small bead of smoke coming from the top. Within a few minutes the mums were able to stop their swatting and carry on their chat uninterrupted. The addition of the light meant that even as it got darker they were able to continue their mom-chat into the darkness.

The mat uses allethrin, a chemical copy of pyrethin. The natural insect repellent pyrethin comes from the pyrethin flower, a member of the chrysanthemum family.

It was a great test of the product that has proven itself a great tool for backyards and car camping.

One of the restrictions on the box is that it supposedly covers a 15 diameter circle. This isn’t a lot of space. It makes it more keyed to a picnic table, but on a still night (and that’s when the mozzies are out) it worked on a larger area (20-25) with only the people on the outside of that range swatting every now and then.

The light on this device is powered by the 4-AA batteries and puts out a moderate amount of light via the LEDs inside the shroud.

Here’s the stats:

• Repels mosquitoes, black flies and other flying insects
• Shields a 15 x 15-foot area
• Easy to use – no candle or open flame
• EPA Registered
• MRSP: $31

Uses:

• 4 AA batteries (for light)
• 1 Butane cartridge (lasts 12 hours)
• Thermacell Mosquito Mats (last 4 hours)
• MRSP: $7.50 (for 1 cartridge and 3 mats)

The Thermacell Mosquito Repellent Lantern is a nice alternative to spraying your kids with chemical repellents and burning the stinky mosquito coils. I found it to be an effective little piece of kit that I would happily include in my kit for family campouts.