Gear
Archive
You can now use clipless pedals with sneakers when you want to ditch your bike shoes
Gear companies know how to make packs lighter, jackets more waterproof, and skis burlier. The only problem: young people couldn’t care less.
Leatherman: A multitool invented by Tim Leatherman after wishing he had a pair of pliers while working on a rust-bucket Fiat with a pocket knife during a 1975 European road trip.
How a humble wooden fishing craft became the quintessential Grand Canyon ride
Pulaski: A wildland-firefighting tool that combines an ax and an adze and is used to clear brush and small trees.
And how it's going to change the way you see all of your stuff
Jogging Stroller: A stroller that allows parents to run and, theoretically, get their toddlers to nap.
Westfalia: A breed of Volkswagen camper van prone to expensive repairs, yet beloved by those who own them and coveted by road-trip dreamers everywhere.
Blake Mycoskie: A 38-year-old philanthropist and entrepreneur who founded Toms Shoes (originally Shoes for a Better Tomorrow) in 2006.
Lumbersexual: A fashion-conscious male urbanite whose clothing and accessories project an aura of rugged manliness.
Jeremy Jones: A pioneering big-mountain snowboarder and snowboard designer.
Hummer: The civilian version of the military’s Humvee off-road vehicle, which was produced by AM General from 1992 to 2006.
Nalgene bottle: A durable, wide-mouthed vessel originally designed to hold chemicals.
Doug Tompkins: Businessman and crusading conservationist who cofounded the North Face and Esprit.
Heart-Rate Monitor: A device that measures a wearer’s heart rate; particularly useful for monitoring exertion in athletes.
A category of gear that came into being in the late 1960s as more and more skiers ventured beyond resort boundaries.
Jeep: A four-wheel-drive vehicle first produced for the U.S. Army during World War II.
Swiss Army Knife: The world’s first consumer multitool, designed by cutler Karl Elsener with two blades, a screwdriver, and a can opener.
Double Vacuum: A technology dating back to 1892 that suspends one container inside another, leaving a small amount of air between the two to insulate the inner contents from external temperature changes.
Lifetime Warranty: A company’s promise to repair or replace an item that breaks.
USGS Topographical Map: A detailed representation of a landscape, created by the United States Geological Survey, and a rare example of something every bit as beautiful as it is useful.
Gone are the days of rangers in fire lookout towers. Now, mountain-top cameras are being used to spot smoke and flames.
Jack O’Neill: A former commercial fisherman widely credited with inventing the neoprene wetsuit.
A rapid sequence of radical innovations, such as appeared in cycling between 1984 and 1987, the sport’s Age of Enlightenment.
Garmin Forerunner 201: The world’s first all-in-one GPS-enabled running watch, released in 2003 by Kansas navigation company Garmin.
Pack Raft: A small inflatable raft that can be rolled up to fit in a backpack.
Founders of the Recreational Equipment Co-op (REI), which the couple started in their West Seattle home in 1938 as a way to help climber friends gain access to cheaper ice axes and harnesses by ordering bulk gear from Europe.
Blimp-tired bicycles were developed for one of the most grueling endurance races in the world. But then everyone else realized how much fun they were.
Surfboard Fin: A structural element, usually made of wood or fiberglass, attached to the bottom of a surfboard to aid maneuverability.
The brand of zipper that is likely keeping your britches up at this very moment. Headquartered in Tokyo, 81-year-old YKK (short for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha, which translates as Yoshida Company Limited) was founded by Tadao Yoshida, who started making custom zippers to take advantage of breaks and…
The Perfect Size Wheel: An elusive and controversial hoop that allows mountain bikers the ability to optimize progress over rocky terrain.
Fly rod: A skinny stick, usually 6 to 13 feet long, used in conjunction with a reel, a line, and hand-tied simulations of in-sects to catch fish.
Telescoping front forks and articulating rear frame triangles that absorb bumps and shocks.
Wetsuit: An insulating garment that allows individuals to spend more time in cold water.
A sturdy, purpose-made fishing boot that has become the gold standard of footwear in the 49th state.
The surprising tendency for technical products and trends from the outdoor world to find their way into mass culture.
Duluth pack: A heavy canvas rucksack, patented in 1882 by French Canadian Camille Poirier in Duluth, Minnesota, along the shores of Lake Superior.
Dutch Oven: A large cast-iron pot and the campfire cooking vessel of choice for pioneers, cowboys, and river guides.
Vasque Sundowner: A svelte hiking boot that serves as a testament to how well-made products can endure despite evolving design trends.
Polarization: A lens technology that cuts glare created when light reflects off materials like plastic and glass.
Little Things: Those items that mark the difference between a miserable experience and a joyous one—pit zips on jackets being a prime example.
The world's leading design center for outdoor footwear—everything from featherweight climbing shoes to hard-shelled mountaineering stompers—is a small city in northern Italy where craftsmanship reigns.
