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Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the MTM Special Ops Silverair Stryk watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Freedom Hawk 12 UL kayak.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Sperry Ping Buckle water shoes.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Hi-Tec V-Lite Infiniti HPI running shoe.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Sea to Summit Traverse XTII sleeping bag.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Rudy Project Steelium Full Metal watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the New Balance 890 running shoe.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Orvis Premium Brodin Guide Net.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including The North Face Gold Kazoo.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the St. Morits Momentum Atlas Limited Edition watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Chaco Z1 Pro water shoes.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the La Sportiva Quantum running shoe.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Suunto M5 watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Casio Ediface EFA-132 watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Keen Gorge Boot.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Patagonia Rio Gallegos fishing waders.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Highgear Axio HR watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Fossil Big Tic Orange Silicone Negative Display watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Brooks Ravenna 2 running shoe.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Patagonia Rock Grip Wading Boots.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Timex Ironman Race Trainer Pro Kit watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Victorinox Swiss Army Dive Master 500 Mechanical watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Teva Gnarkosi water shoes.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Montrail Fairhaven running shoe.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Tech4o Discover watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the New Balance Minimus Trail running shoe.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Columbia Sportswear Drainmaker water shoes.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Saucony Progrid Peregrine running shoe.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Garmin Forerunner 410 watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Smith Scientist sunglasses.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Asics Kayano 17 running shoe.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Mammut Ajungilak Alpine 3-Season.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the REI Grand Tour 85M backpack.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Smith Optics Tenet Sunglasses.
With goatskin palms, waterproof-breathable fabric, and the perfect amount of insulation, these gloves provide the best of both worlds: warmth and dexterity. powgloves.com…
THE CLASSIC If Toyota made a jacket, it would be a lot like the Escape: solid performance, great value. Made of Gore-Tex Performance Shell (the new name for the classic two-layer waterproof-breathable fabric), the Escape shucked off the elements in the nastiest Northwest storms. It’s not as light as comparably…
Perfect for backcountry or nordic skiing: A touch of spandex gives this soft and lightweight wool beanie a snug fit. smartwool.com…
“Big and stable…these hogs peg the powder-skiing fun meter,” said one tester. And unlike most skis this fat, it doesn't get squirrelly at high speeds on firmer snow. 136/110/126, 9.3 lbs; bdel.com Bonus: Love the UPS brown and subtle holograms. Bummer: It's available only in two lengths (182…
Use your ski pole to switch this durable binding to the more efficient touring mode (instead of your toe pivoting in the binding, the binding pivots with your foot). 3.7 lbs; bdel.com Bonus: Choose from three compression-spring cartridges of varying stiffness (binding comes with one; pay $56 each…
Thanks to the stiff carbon-fiber tongue and “stringers” that laterally reinforce the Zzeros, these ultralight four-buckle boots felt surprisingly solid and stiff bombing down steep shots around Loveland Pass. 7 lbs; dynafit.us Bonus: Grooved guides in the toe make the boots much easier to click into the bindings than…
Like their namesake, these shades are made for performance on the road. Everything about them screams cool, from the unbreakable blue-green polycarbonate lenses to the slim, squarish frames. porsche-design.com…
During blizzard conditions on a 40-mile backcountry ski race, this 800-fill-down, highly water-resistant shell kept our tester’s core “warm without the bulk of a traditional Michelin Man coat.” Also available in a hooded version called the Catalyst for $20 more. 1 lb; thenorthface.com…
1. With its fully gusseted tongue and a smooth sock liner, the Aether Tech just fits great. The easy-to-adjust Boa Lacing System provides a uniform snugness all around the foot—no pinching or pressure points. The foot-sculpting midsole is made from just the right amount of soft, single-density foam to…
Ultra freaks, take note: Gu’s new high-powered sugar slurp has about three times the citrates and amino acids of its regular gels and may help battle fatigue in extreme races. Taste? Salty and a touch bitter. gusports.com…
Perforated side panels let out steam nicely, while a hem drawstring, an extra-tall collar, and soft chin padding help seal out the chill. 5.9 oz; merrell.com Bonus: Low-key style is coffee-shop friendly.
Heat the race-worthy, carbon-soled R220 in an oven at an authorized shop and a special vacuum will mold the shoe to your foot for a stable, slipper-like fit. bike.shimano.com…
GIGGLES FOR ALL Funboards are often overlooked because they don’t have the sexy lines of a shortboard. But for most casual surfers, this WRV Fun Fish is just right—and the 7’6″ model we tested is the most user-friendly board here. Its flat bottom made for easy paddling and acceleration, allowing…
PORTABLE AND RUGGED Packing down to carry-on size and weighing just 24 pounds, the Helios is light and compact enough for hikes to remote lakes and rivers—or to check on your flight to Belize, without weight or size penalties. The tough, 1,200-denier hull pumps up as stiff as a…
HI-DEF, IN HAND The V1253 is a fine still camera, thanks to 23 scene modes that match almost any scenario imaginable, plus a macro mode that can focus as close as two inches. But with its ability to capture HD-quality videos, and in such a minuscule package, this may be…
Gearing up for a long haul on two wheels or feet? This GPS-enabled training android measures speed, distance, and heart rate, and the included software creates three weeks of workouts and tracks performance. polarusa.com…
TOUGHER THAN IT LOOKS The waterproof Terrex may look like every brightly colored sneaker out there, but one of our testers proclaimed it “rugged as hell” during an off-trail scramble up Santa Fe’s ski basin. We think he was referring to the outsole’s combination of soft, grippy rubber and deep…
1. No gimmicks here. The North Face’s new X-Radial suspension is the real deal. The secret is a lightweight aluminum, X-shaped frame that’s reinforced on the top and bottom to deal with heavy loads (up to 55 pounds) and actually pivots at the center of the X, which means…
USER-FRIENDLY AND PACKED WITH FEATURES How many cup holders does your tent have? The Electron RC comes with two spill-saving coffee slings, part of an accessory package that also includes a clip-on ground cloth and gear loft. Those throw-ins made the tent’s $260 price tag all the more amazing for…
VERSATILE THREE-SEASON SACK The EcoPro costs a bit more than Marmot’s other synthetic 15-degree-rated models (like the Trestles 15, $90). But this bag has good karma. Its insulation and shell are spun almost entirely out of recycled plastic bottles. In fact, the only unrecycled things on this roomy bag are…
The hiking-boot mainstay built its classic arch support into these shoes. Tiny perforations in the toe allow water to escape, while the mesh blocks grit. hi-tec.com…
The best-kept secret in the boot world? Tasmanians know better than anybody how to combine good looks, slip-on ease, and soft yet firm footbeds to create high-mileage, go-anywhere kickers. blundstoneus.com…
This workshop-sturdy unit can accommodate all bike sizes yet weighs less than 20 pounds and packs into a 39-inch-long carrying case. pedros.com…
THE CHANGELING Good for Groomed Runs Twist the Power Switch on the tail 90 degrees from “dynamic” to “power” mode and the Tigershark morphs from a damp, stable cruiser to an unrelenting high-energy carver. The switch engages two slender carbon-fiber rods inside the ski that load up…
The best goggles we tested, the frameless and interchangeable I/O offers unparalleled peripheral vision. But credit Smith’s Vaporator technology—a valve in the double lens that prevents distortion—for the optical clarity. smithoptics.com…
Good for Touring Though recently bought by K2, 32-year-old Karhu has so far stayed true to its roots, continuing to make some of the best touring skis on the market. Testers found the Storm predictable, versatile, and, of course, an absolute blast in soft snow. “Edgy and stable at…
Made of lightweight carbon fiber, this sturdy probe is long enough for real rescues and thick enough to feel solid in chunky debris. 8 ft extended, 16 in collapsed, 8.7 oz; genuineguidegear.com…
Good for BackcountryPatagonia’s H2No shell is about as closed off as North Korea, only much cozier, thanks to a polyester mesh lining that puts a warm buffer between your skin and the well-guarded exterior. patagonia.com…
ROAD-AND-TRAIL HYBRID Good for Packed Trails Take a road trainer and a trail runner, smash them together, and voilà: the Adrenaline ASR 5. Medial posting (a.k.a. denser foam) in the midsole delivers moderate pronation support, a rarity in trail runners, and the slender fit feels nimble…
Because 20 percent of the 650-fill insulation is goose feather, rather than higher-quality down, this standard-issue puffy is incredibly affordable but still toasty in the low teens. Bonus: Waterproof-breathable Pertex fabric protects the sleeves and shoulders. 1.3 lbs; outdoorresearch.com…
Good for SnowshoeingEven on the coldest days of field testing in Vermont, the waterproof-breathable Summit County kept our toes toasty. Plus the insulation is infused with carbonized bamboo to reduce odor. keenfootwear.com…
Its solid performance and great price made this our top pick for intermediate riders. Nice touch: An antimicrobial coating helps keep them from funking up the condo. ridesnowboards.com…
To create our new favorite road shoe, Sidi took the slipperlike synthetic upper, full-carbon sole, and adjustable heel retention of its top-of-the-line (and rather narrow) Ergo 2, then reassembled it all for those of us with wider feet. sidiusa.com…
From a world championship–winning race bike to a revolutionary all-mountain bomber, dozens of bikes took our abuse for months on trails all over the Southwest. Our verdict: Suspension technology is doing things we couldn't have imagined five years ago, and carbon fiber is changing our expectations of what bikes should…
Moderate Stability Think of the Triax+12 as a Mini Cooper. While wider-footed testers found the cockpit a bit cramped, everyone else raved about the shoe’s fast and in-control feel. Credit the Triax’s ample cushioning for heavy heel-strikers and nimble, low-to-the-ground profile. A sturdy medial post provides a…
It’s a sandal or a shoe. Four large teardrop-shaped openings and 12 drain holes keep them free of water, and a slimmed-down quick-lace system holds them firm. Step on the heels to turn them into sporty clogs. newbalance.com…
Super-zoom digicams have come into their own. Check out the ten-meg 565’s specs: RAW shooting, exposure lock, built-in image stabilization to reduce image blur, a 20x zoom that stretches from 26mm to a ridiculous 520mm, to name just a few of its SLR-like capabilities. Over a week in Mexico,…
This tiny, lightweight travel alarm clock/speaker system charges your iPod and delivers surprisingly solid sound via a pair of stereo speakers at the sides. Plus you can throw a couple of AAs in it, toss it in your bag, and take it to the beach.
They might be slip-ons, but that doesn’t mean the fit is sloppy. The Drakes are actually a surprisingly snug and techy shoe, with (mostly) waterproof uppers, a sticky outsole, and a reinforced toe box. ahnufootwear.com…
Fast and Light We love that the Stumptown LT is made mostly from recycled materials. The only thing that impressed us more was its performance. At a wispy 11 ounces, it’s the lightest trail shoe that made the cut this year, and it quickly became a favorite…
Soft ShellsThe soft Cocona-and-polyester lining makes the Kenosha the warmest wind shell here. It proved its mettle on everything from a whale-watching trip in Maine to a 30-mile mountain-bike epic on the Colorado Trail. We even used it as a midlayer on a spring skiing tour in Rocky Mountain…
As with previous Kazoos, this 15-degree bag is still stuffed primarily with 600-fill down and bedecked with smart features—glow-in-the-dark zipper pulls, easy-to-adjust hood, etc. Even more impressive, this Kazoo’s shell and insulation are made with 100 percent recycled materials. Plus, it’s a hybrid. There are compression-resistant, synthetic insulation pads…
Extend the body of this two-in-one flashlight and it converts into a lantern with a 360-degree LED bulb that casts a warm orange glow. Plus, it conveniently takes four sizes of alkaline batteries (AAA to D). 7 oz; brunton.com…
Good for Resort The problem with some boots with a Boa lacing system—wire laces you ratchet snug—is that you can’t fine-tune the fit. The Thraxis solves that by letting you tighten the liner and the upper and lower portions of the shell separately. It works: Testers…
Good for All Mountain Bring the Xplorers up to speed and they’re as damp and predictable as any ski in this test. Ski them lazy and slow and they won’t buck you. In other words, K2 has mastered the easy-to-ski mid-fat all-mountain ski. Thanks to the right…
Good for Resort Testers were truly shocked: You’re not supposed to be able to get a boot this good at this price. The key feature is the special plastic underfoot: It’s formulated for optimum energy transmission, and they must have gotten the recipe right, because the Sensor…