Gear
ArchiveCamping Special, April 1997 The Right Duff Are you sure you know what it takes to pick the perfect campsite? By Brad Wetzler In Plato’s realm of ideals, you’d find the perfect campsite floating in the ether, next to a…
Outside magazine, July 1996 Pack Up, Head Out, Zoom In Camcorders, CD players, even boom boxes built for the wilds By Andrew Tilin Forgive me, o Thoreau, Abbey, fellow hikers and campers, for I have navigated the wilderness with Walkman and camcorder…
Outside magazine, October 1996 Technology: Advanced Photo System By Glenn Randall If you want to avoid the mystery in the trip to pick up your prints, consider a completely new photographic format: the Advanced Photo System. Developed by the Big Five–Canon, Fuji, Kodak,…
Outside magazine, March 1996 Buying Right: Pavement Protection By Andrew Tilin The potential for skin to mix with pavement when you’re skating is worth a few ounces of prevention. And nowadays, we really are talking ounces: Wrist guards no longer…
Outside magazine, January 1996 Buying Right: Winter-Wise Boots By Glenn Randall Insulated hiking boots are more expensive than rubber-bottomed, felt-lined pac boots, and they’re not quite as warm. But pac boots aren’t made for walking; for anything a step more vigorous than ice fishing…
Outside magazine, June 1999 BUYING RIGHT Next Up: An Attachment for the Kitchen Sink Thule 400 Aero Foot and Big Mount If you’re still wedging your bikes into the trunk each weekend, or if you’re hoping that…
Outside magazine, May 1996 CD-Rom: Everest Quest By Rod Willard These days you can find CD-Roms on every oft-visited place from Yosemite to the Australian outback. But Peak Media’s Mount Everest: Quest for the Summit of Dreams stands out for one simple reason: It’s…
Camp Outs, Family Vacations 1998 Leave No Trace CAMP OUTS Happy Trails From an all-day jaunt to a weeklong trek, seven kid-tested routes to the wilderness…
Family Vacations, Summer 1996 Essential Gear: Hydration Systems It’s axiomatic that you need to drink water when exercising, particularly outdoors. Still, most people underestimate the amounts of water required for proper hydration–as well as the seriousness of failing to maintain it. Herewith, a crash course…
Hardware and Software, February 1997 Couture A-Go-Go Functional yet snappy travel garb for a haul of any length By Bob Howells Stifling heat is no excuse when you appear bare-legged at Cairo’s Mohammed Ali Mosque. You either rent a ratty…
Outside Magazine, 1999 Annual Travel Guide Never Say Dry Just snorkel, surf, dive, sail, fish, paddle a kayak … DIVING ——— Red Hill, Maui On Maui all dive boats lead to Molokini crater, the underwater equivalent of…
Outside magazine, December 1995 Geosynchronous Satellites in the Palm of His Hand Governor Moonbeam navigates the political landscape with his GPS gizmo By Jerry Brown A goofy presidential campaign full of the usual suspects is coming around again. Media pundits, working for…
Camping Special, April 1997 Freeze-Dried Is for Losers A guide to culinary success alfresco By Brad Wetzler Anybody can scarf pb&j while perched on a mountain rock, but one might argue that you’re not really camping till you dirty a…
Outside magazine, July 1996 Footwear: A Splashy New Breed By Jonathon Hanson Sport sandals are evolving furiously–offering sophisticated footbeds, grippier soles, and multitudinous strap arrangements. The only problem is, they’re still sandals: cool, light, great in water, but lacking the support and protection…
Outside magazine, October 1996 Extras: A Case for Insurance By Glenn Randall The one drawback of an slr is that it’s too bulky and heavy to stow in a coat pocket. An SLR isn’t tough enough to withstand dust and water if you…
Outside Magazine, February 1995 Last-Minute Essentials By Bob Howells What’s that peculiar smell in your pack? Probably your towel, that soggy mildew factory that you’re always stuffing back in before it’s completely dry. Replace it with an easy-wring, quick-dry Paktowl ($12), made of soft…
Outside magazine, July 1994 Equipment: When You Could Use a Stiff Belt By Dana Sullivan…
Outside magazine, June 1995 Camping: Bibler Escalante Tents By Rod Willard What happens when a legendary maker of single-wall expedition tents builds a model for those of us who don’t spend our vacations in the Himalayas? We get the benefit of extreme-adventure experience in…
1999 Family Vacation Guide All the Right Stuff for Family Camping By Douglas Gantenbein Tents A sturdy, packable tent is your family’s home on the trail. For summer camping, look for something light and well-ventilated.
Family Vacations, Summer 1996 Spin Control So what if you can’t catch air–skinny tires still rule the road By Laura Hilgers Our Favorite Places | Inside Skinny | Staying Safe…
Outside magazine, November 1995 Update: Beyond-Basic Bindings By Glenn Randall Every major brand of bindings performs just fine these days–and has for years. So, having mastered the basics, the manufacturers have been busy tweaking their latest bindings to improve edge grip, help carve a…
Hardware and Software, February 1997 Necessities By Bob Howells A few personal favorites round out a practical traveler’s wardrobe. The Tilley Endurables T3 hat ($45) is a subtle classic, and offers unparalleled comfort: Made of vented, water-repellent cotton duck, the T3 comes in…
Outside Magazine, 1999 Annual Travel Guide Gear to Go Travel Bags Secret compartments, mesh pouches, and zip-out extensions for all your stuff By Robert Earle Howells CONVERTIBLES —————— You know what a long suitcase portage does…
Outside magazine, May 1996 Wow, Man, That’s Some Righteous Shoe In what passes for a victory in America’s anemic War on Drugs, Adidas has agreed to change the name of its new sneaker, “The Hemp.” Made from the plant that produces marijuana, the shoe stirred up…
Outside magazine, June 1995 Buying Right: Polarized Sunglasses By Bob Howells Shading against the beach sun means dark specs, a broad-brimmed hat, and a frill-edged umbrella. Shielding against that sun, however, means polarized glasses. There’s a big difference between polarized lenses and all…
Outside magazine, July 1996 Carriers: Rack “Em Up, Shorty By John Lehrer Hoisting a bike to the roof rack on a sport utility vehicle is a stretch for all but the very tall. It’s easier to reach a hitch-mounted rack, but then there’s…
Outside magazine, October 1996 Essentials: The Lowdown On Lenses Glenn Randall When you invest in an slr camera, you’re paying for flexibility, which in broad terms means the ability to swap lenses. Options are great, but for your first lens, buy the fastest…
Review, June 1997 Move Over, Spandex And make way for a variety of threads appealing to cyclists of every tread By Dan Wildhirt Nike jersey, Dirt Designs shorts, Nautica vest Time was, tight-fitting cycling clothes were limited to the…
Outside magazine, August 1995 Tents for Three Seasons–and Then Some No one shelter does it all, but the best take you from summer to winterish conditions By Douglas Gantenbein I have a friend who has a jacket, a backpack, and a collection…
Outside magazine, March 1996 Mountaineering: It Came from Rockford High-altitude mutant Ed Viesturs’s careful assault on the top of the world By Andrew Tilin “It was all about putting another deposit in the Karma National Bank,” says Ed Viesturs…
1999 Family Vacation Guide, Don’t Spare the Bubbly All the Right Stuff for Whitewater By Steve Shimek Rule number one of river travel: Rafters have more fun if they’re toasty warm. On a scenic Class…
Family Vacations, Summer 1996 Essential Gear: First-Aid Kits The Wilderness Medical Society conducted a study that was published in the Journal of Wilderness Medicine. Researchers polled backpackers coming down off trails in Yosemite National Park and discovered that 14 percent had to cut short their…
Bodywork: Fitness for the Outside Athlete, November 1996 Equipment: Striking a Balance By John Alderman Chances are, you’ll never try to pull off a 720-degree spin with a tail grab on your snowboard. But if you do want to, or if you…
Hardware and Software, February 1997 Pan-Optx Sunglasses By Sarah Bowen Shea Glasses or goggles? The new Pan-Optx Raptor ($105; 800-393-9273), makes moot the vexing question of how best to protect your eyes on piste. In fact, these sunglasses–designed with peripheral molding that snugly…
Outside Magazine, 1999 Annual Travel Guide Shooting from the Trip Photo safaris to hone your skills and sharpen your focus By Kara Ryan E-MAIL FROM: DAKAR, SENEGAL On the outskirts of Dakar, middle-aged borro-borros, West Africa's traditional pharmacists, sit on blue…
Outside magazine, April 1996 Sturdy Boots Without the Burden Lightweight, trailworthy hikers for both fast-moving day hikes and overnight jaunts By Douglas Gantenbein Horrific tales of foot agony in decades past are the best argument for today’s lightweight hiking boots, so here’s…
Outside magazine, June 1995 Smooth-Sailing Crafts, By Land or By Sea On the car or in the water, boards and boats that are a breeze to handle By Nancy K. Crowell God does not deduct from a man’s life the hours spent…
Outside magazine, May 1995 Fly-Fishing: Bridger Mountain Pack By Jerry Gibbs As happy as you and your favorite daypack are with each other, spend some time together fly-fishing and you’ll discover shortcomings: Once you’ve stuffed it to capacity with just your waders and awkwardly…
Outside magazine, October 1996 Classics: The Field Jacket By Donovan Webster In 1890, in the english seaport town of market place, south Shields, a craftsman named John Barbour began making specialized outerwear to protect local mariners from the wet and cold of the North…
Review, June 1997 Essentials: Lids that Fill the Bill By Dan Wildhirt Bell Image Pro Each year, helmets get safer, lighter, and more comfortable. This makes choosing one mostly a matter of style, and the current point of decision is visor…
Outside magazine, August 1995 Essentials: Protect That Shelter By Douglas Gantenbein The tent of your dreams won’t stay dreamy for long without regular maintenance. Some hints that should keep a backcountry roof over your head for years to come: Adhere to Setup Etiquett…
Sport and adventure are often yoked to deception, and the chronicle of outdoor accomplishment comes studded with tales of those who deployed the Big Lie.
1999 Family Vacation Guide, Unsung Heroes The right cameras to take on the road By Douglas Gantenbein Vacation means pictures. But it also means a decision: What kind of camera to schlepp along? 35mm? APS?…
Outside magazine, May 1996 Essential Gear: Foot Coverings Think of your footwear as helmets for your feet: If you do wind up in the water, ricocheting off boulders in the feet-first position, you’ll appreciate a little sole asylum. Despite the fact that the first sport…
Review: Hardware and Software, November 1996 Dynabee Hand and Arm Exerciser By Bob Howells A 4,000-pound nautilus machine will work the big muscle groups, but if it’s your forearms and hands you want to strengthen, there’s a piece of equipment that’s considerably more…
Outside magazine, April 1995 The Bags of Summer For the kind season, bedding with just enough less of everything By Douglas Gantenbein Be overprepared. That’s the Boy Scout hypermotto that many campers mistakenly live by when it comes to bedding down in…
Outside Magazine, 1999 Annual Travel Guide Gear to Go Seaworthy Stuff Shield your camera from spray, your toes from rocks, your eyes from the sun By Robert Earle Howells WEATHERPROOF BAGS ————————— Whether the adversary is…
Summer 2000: A Gear Odyssey This year, at least, there wasn’t a tornado. A twister that struck before opening day became the biggest story out of last year’s Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City. But this year, new gear made…
Outside magazine, June 1995 Essentials: Water-Loving Sunscreens By Bob Howells Before you pick a sunscreen off the local beach shop shelf consider its tenacity along with its potency. Unless the concoction is waterproof–or, if you go by the Food and Drug Administration’s more accurate…
Outside magazine, May 1995 Trekking: The Nature Ear By Mike Steere Like binoculars, Walker’s Nature Ear is a field tool that makes nature seem closer and clearer–albeit less natural. Listening in on coastal Alaska with one of these tiny amps stuck in your ear…
Outside magazine, October 1996 Simply Sophisticated Cameras Single-lens reflex cameras give photographers of all abilities the power to choose By Glenn Randall Verse of a Natural Beat Mountains and Rivers Without End, by Gary Snyder (Counterpoint, $20). In…
Review, June 1997 Extras: Rounding Out the Two-Wheeled Wardrobe By Dan Wildhirt Louis Garneau Ergofit Route gloves A few accessories selected in the name of comfort can make cycling much more pleasant. Rarely do I ride without Pearl Izumi’s Sleeveless Base…
Outside magazine, August 1995 Buying Right: The Latest in Wicking Duds By Michael Hodgson Technical summer wicking-wear comes in two flavors these days: form-fitting, for achieving sweat equity with your spandex-clad compadres, or loose and comfortable, for assimilating to the rest of society. With…
1999 Family Vacation Guide, The Itinerant Toddler All the right stuff for toddlers By Gretchen Reynolds As new parents soon learn, the defining achievement of toddlers is not walking, it’s willpower. If your little one…
Family Vacations, Summer 1996 For Mega-Hauling, The Mini-Van Is Still Hard To Beat New this spring is Mercury’s Mountaineer The buzz in minivans for ’97 is the Chrysler Trifecta. Three years ago, the manufacturer scrapped its existing blueprints, whipped out a clean sheet of paper,…
Review: Hardware and Software, November 1996 Buying Right: Bombproof Duds for the Backcountry By Andrew Tilin Devoted backcountry skiers and snowboarders searching for new togs work from a different priority list than the rest of the downhilling populace. Features that add convenience…
Outside magazine, April 1995 Essentials: The Pads to Pack By Douglas Gantenbein It’s not all in the name: sleeping pads do smooth over the rocks and twigs, but they also insulate you from the cold ground. A roundup of pads that elevate your body…
Women Outside, Fall 1998 Crash Tested Hollywood’s most brazen stuntwomen demonstrate how to dress for the fall (and the car wreck … and the explosion … and the 20-story leap) Fashion by Vicky McGarry, Photographs by Andrew Eccles, Text by Sarah…
Winter Travel Guide 1996 The Always-Prepared Traveller By Bob Howells Pentax 8 x 24 UCF WR binoculars The stylish Pentax 8 x 24 UCF WR binoculars have rubber armoring and a sealed body to keep knocks, spray, and rain from sullying the…
Outside magazine, June 1995 Climbing: REI Spire and Sentinel By Douglas Gantenbein With the invention of the laminated-foam climbing harness, hanging after a fall or during repeated long rappels has become almost tolerable. Firm but conforming, foam greatly reduces the pinching and binding that…
Outside magazine, May 1995 Suspension Bikes for All Seven affordable off-road machines that make boinging a right, not a privilege By Alan Cote A mountain bike with front suspension isn’t what it used to be, and that’s worth three cheers. Just a…
Outside Magazine, October 1998 Review: Rain, Rain, Bring It On From backwoods anoraks to city slickers, the latest shells look good and repel even better By Andrew Tilin JACKETS | BUYING RIGHT |…
Review, June 1997 Buying Right: Roomy Packs for the Lower Back By Nancy Prichard Waltz into any reputable gear shop and announce that you’re looking for a fanny pack, and you’ll be politely corrected: They’re called lumbar packs, if you please. It’s…
Review: Hardware and Software, January 1997 PowderWings Lite Snowshoes By Rod Willard Modern snowshoes, with their lightweight frames, durable decking, and surefooted cleats, are a boon for winter athletes. But when it’s time to lash them to your pack, they’re every bit as…
1999 Family Vacation Guide, A Wheelie Good Time All the Right Stuff for Biking By Douglas Gantenbein This year, bicycle buyers will find more and superior features for the same or lower prices — goodies…
Dispatches, June 1998 History Camelot Exposed An intimate encounter with JFK’s base layer By Tizia Garden For all his virile athleticism, let it be said that John F. Kennedy was no icon of hard-core outdoor adventure. The man never…
Review: Hardware and Software, November 1996 Other Stuff: Cat Eye Stadium Light By Alan Coté Monday Night Football and a Monday night bike ride don’t have much in common except the same time slot–and now the same lighting system. The new…
Outside magazine, April 1995 Buying Right: A Stove for Every Fuel By Michael Lanza Your tried and true white-gas stove will reliably follow you many places, but across an ocean isn’t one of them: Outside North America, white gas is as rare as…
Women Outside, Fall 1998 Equipment The Girl-Gear Revolution State-of-the-art clothes and accoutrements that give unisex the boot. By Gretchen Reynolds and Cristina Opdahl GEAR | TRAVEL | FITNESS |…
Outside magazine, June 1995 Guide to Summer: Moral Superiority Wears Curve-Lasted Sneakers How to revel in those 95 degree, 70 percent humidity runs By Lynn Snowden Dawn must be breaking, since the only time a sane person runs in 95-degree heat and…
Outside magazine, May 1995 Accessories: Because One Does Not Ride on Frame and Wheels Alone By Bob Howells Air Zound Rechargeable Bike Horn ($30) The it’s-a-safety-device spin with which this horn is marketed is only part of the story. There’s also the…
Outside Magazine, October 1998 Review: Chained to Your Desk? Not Anymore. By Mark North JACKETS | BUYING RIGHT | THE OTHER STUFF | BOOKS…
Outside magazine, September 1996 Buying Right: The Backcountry Briefcase By Bob Howells AH, THE LAPTOP COMPUTER, EMBLEM OF freedom! Walls fall away as our definition of the workplace expands. But even in the age of the virtual office–anywhere from your airplane seat to…
Outside Magazine, February 1995 Mountaineering: Ortovox F1 Focus By Douglas Gantenbein An avalanche transceiver is a bit like bear repellent: best to know how to avoid needing it, but when you do need it, better be sure it works. And avalanche transceivers are about…
Outside Magazine, 1999 Annual Travel Guide Gear to Go Winter Ware Skating skis, snowshoes, and other toys By Stuart Craig The toughest part of a backcountry getaway is deciding what gear to bring. Do you cater to your…
Gear Up: All the right stuff for biking If you’ve considered trading in that 1972 Schwinn Collegiate for something a bit more…modern?, now’s a great time to do it. Visit any cycling shop and you’ll find…
Outside magazine, September 1999 GEAR High Design: Mountaineering’s Trick New Tools “I guess the Everest fascination has gotten folks interested in climbing,” says Tracy Roberts, “and now they want to get a good snootful of it.” As a guide on…
Outside magazine, August 1996 Apparel: Patagonia’s on-the-Go T By Bob Howells How does a t-shirt justify a $29 price tag? Well, it’s a smart combination of 70 percent environmentally correct organic cotton and 30 percent Capilene polyester, of wicking long-underwear fame. The key…