Tsunami debris. Photo: Stiv Wilson By Stiv Wilson, 5 Gyres Institute Out across a plastic stratified strand, two surfers, silhouetted in the failing light, are finishing a session. A year and half ago, this wasn’t a surf spot. A tsunami destroyed everything around here, shifting the coast enough…

With so much phone and so little pocket room, you need cases that will protect your 4G device from wind, dirt, dust, and water—so that it may live to Instagram another day.

Patagonia says its Down Shirt, which it unveiled last summer, is the “lightest piece of insulation on the market.” That’s a bold claim, but it could well be true: The 800-fill “shirt” weighs less than six ounces (and costs $250, patagonia.com). If you plan to use it more like…

Just two

Week of October 31-November 6, 1996 Pampered honeymoon seclusion Backcountry fun in the Canadian Rockies Thanksgiving on Maui with teenagers Moderate hiking trips in January Mexico: Too many options to count Moderate hiking trips in January Question: First, I’d like to say that…

Photo: the*roving*sheep/Flickr Everything you need to know about tonight's Olympic primetime coverage—without knowing what actually happened. WOMEN’S INDIVIDUAL ALL-AROUND GYMNASTICS The world’s best gymnast doesn’t win gold—because Jordyn Wieber didn’t qualify for the all-around competition. It makes no sense that the U.S. can’t have three competitors in the all-around, but…

Photo: dearbarbie/Flickr Everything you need to know about tonight's Olympic primetime coverage—without knowing what actually happened. MEN'S INDIVIDUAL ALL-AROUND GYMNASTICS Japan’s Kohei Uchimura comes into the competition as the favorite, considered by many to be the greatest male gymnast of all time. The 23-year-old (remember, “gymnast age” is a…

Photo: marcopako /Flickr Everything you need to know about tonight's Olympic primetime coverage—without knowing what actually happened. WOMEN'S TEAM GYMNASTICSThe U.S. women come in looking for their first team gold since 1996’s “Magnificent Seven.” Can they become the—sorry Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, et al. but…

Probst says candidate would boost Oly bid

What are the pros and cons of jackets made with Ventile? Is this material worth the money? What about Nextec? Alex Strongsville, Ohio