Summer Buyer's Guide
Archive
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Optic Nerve Dolby sunglasses.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Panasonic DMC-LX5 camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Wave Sport Project X kayak.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the First Ascent by Point 6 Lightweight Hiking Socks.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Puma Faas 500 running shoe.
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 Highgear Axio HR watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Maui Jim Backyards sunglasses.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Leupold BX-3 Mojave 10x42 binoculars.
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 Outdoor Research Echo Duo Tee.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Rusty Dwart surfboard.
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 Coghlan's Heavy Duty Camp Grill.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Native Apres sunglasses.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Carson 3D Series 8x42 binoculars.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Ibex Shak Lite Half Zip Long-Sleeve.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Firewire Dominator CBD surfboard.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Big Agnes Mystic SL 15.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Montbell Burner Sheet.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Oakley Batwolf sunglasses.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Pentax DCF BC 9x32 binoculars.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the NRS Big Earl kayak.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Saucony ProGrid Mirage running shoe.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the V.I.O. POV.HD Camera System.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Therm-a-Rest BaseCamp Mattress.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Kaenon Hard Kore sunglasses.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Nikon D7000 camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Walden GSI Epoxy SUP.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Mizuno Wave Elixir 6 running shoe.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Waterworks Force SL fishing reel.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Brunton Solaris 4 USB solar charger.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Revo Guide sunglasses.
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 Surtech Gerry Lopez Surf Music standup paddleboard.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Orvis Access rod.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Scott S4 855/4 fishing rod.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Motorola Brute i680 cell phone.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Bollé Vortex sunglasses.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Leica V-LUX-2 camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Adidas Boat CC Lace water shoes.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the L.L. Bean Wicker Creel fishing basket.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Sage VXP fishing rod.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the SuperTooth Disco Speakers.
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 Smith Scientist sunglasses.
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 North Face Double Track running shoe.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the GE DV1 Mini Camcorder.
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 Rudy Project Steelium Full Metal watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Smith Optics Tenet Sunglasses.
While most folding bikes compromise wheel size or frame design, Ritchey’s unique coupling system delivers a full-size race rig. Also available in a sultry mix of titanium and carbon. ritcheylogic.com…
Heat-moldable sections in the upper give the M230 a custom-fit feel, while the carbon-reinforced nylon soles nail the balance between efficient pedaling stiffness and hike-a-bike walkability. shimano.com…
Like the Epic, the brand-new, full-carbon Blur XC is scary light—one tester pulled it right off the ground while navigating a short, punchy climb. And while its rear shock doesn't boast the same techy approach the Epic's does, the Blur flat-out rips on fast singletrack. Credit Santa Cruz's proven Virtual…
em>Packed Trail In a word: smooth. The Cascadia 4 can handle both big miles and varied terrain, making it an ideal training shoe for trail marathons or ultras. The environmentally sensitive BioMoGo midsole (which, Brooks claims, will break down in a landfill 50 times faster than most…
With nine pockets (including a hideaway bottle holder) and a magnetic closure that makes getting at junk a cinch, the burly nylon Stroll is the perfect personal assistant. 1 lb, 380 cu in; merrell.com…
Yeah, it’s just a beach chair—a beach chair that’s made of ash and stainless steel, has big and small cargo pockets, and can be carried hands-free, like a backpack. Most important, this baby reclines like you’re in business class, so you can tap in to the perfect nap angle.
With 75 preprogrammed beaches around the world, the 100-meter-depth-rated Tide 3.0 churns out high and low tide, direction, and wave height for any day in the next 15 years and features stopwatch, alarm, and dual zones. freestyleusa.com…
The single-hinge design makes for a comfortable grip on these backcountry-ready binocs. And with a wide field of view and excellent clarity at dawn or dusk, they’re ideal for viewing wildlife. 10.5×45; leupold.com…
The G1 is the first phone loaded with Google’s Android operating system. And as you’d expect, it’s all about integration: Android promises to bring the same level of multifunction- ality you expect from Google—search, mail, maps, documents, etc.—to multimedia mobile devices. The interface isn’t quite there yet, but we’ve…
Not only is this the fastest filter we’ve ever tested; it’s also the smallest. This hot-dog-size baby easily gushes out two Nalgenes per minute. Plus, the HyperFlow attaches to almost every water bottle, and you can clean it without tools. 7.4 oz; msrgear.com…
In years past, a freestanding two-person shelter this light (sub-four pounds) would have been either as cramped as an MRI machine or as flimsy as a $5 umbrella. Or both. Sierra Designs keeps the Vapor Light sturdy and saves weight by using Jake’s Foot pole anchors along with superlight…
The light-yet-stable Vapor Flash bridges the gap between an overnighter and a multi-day hauler. At 3,200 cubic inches, this traditional top-loader is just big enough for several days’ worth of gear (one tester even hauled a six-pack in it). But at a waifish three and a half pounds, it…
Downhill Dream Trek’s redesigned aluminum Remedy pedals surprisingly well for an all-mountain, 5.9-inch-travel bike—especially with the Fox Float Rp2 rear shock in its firm Pro Pedal setting. And while it’s a decent climber, the point here is rolling past big obstacles on the climb and then flying over them on…
Backcountry Headquarters There are plenty of sturdy and roomy four-person base-camping tents on the market. What makes the Hideaway our favorite is that, while it’s downright cavernous it’s still light enough (nine pounds) to take into the backcountry. And once there, it’s a comfy base of operations, with two huge…
Stay Connected When you pair Delorme’s full-featured GPS (topo maps, aerial photos, 3.5 gigs of memory) with the companion Spot transmitter, something very cool happens: In addition to sending standard Spot messages (“I’m OK,” “SOS”), you can also type 48-character text messages to friends, Twitter, or Facebook. Annual subscription starts…
Simple Security Talk to any jacket designer and he’ll tell you the same thing: The more pockets and doodads a waterproof jacket has, the more seams it requires, and thus the more opportunities water has to seep through. That’s why the Stash, part of online gear retailer…
Eventually, you’ll probably own multiple pairs of shoes for different types of rock, but at first you want something with a flat last and ample support that’s agile in a variety of conditions, like SCARPA’s Thunder shoes. scarpa.com…
Mountain Most of the mountain-bike shorts we tested had a lot going on: multiple pockets, vents, and doodads. Not the streamlined Rambushes: They're easy to adjust, have just one pocket, and, most important, they're made of a comfy wool chamois that's naturally odor-resistant. smartwool.com …
Because of the repetitive pounding of road running, you need a shoe designed for your particular foot strike. (Consult a specialty running store to diagnose your type.) If you overpronate, with your foot and ankle tending to roll inward, you need a “light stability” or “stability” shoe to help…
Long-Distance Voyager Ultramarathoners are a picky lot, but ours loved the Cascadia 5. The shoe has enough forefoot flexibility and torsional (twisting) rigidity to keep foot fatigue at a minimum on insanely long runs. Thankfully, it’s also comfortable enough for casual days—one reason this is the top-selling trail runner in…
Easy Rider Using the Ritchey Breakaway system, this chromoly touring bike’s frame splits, and the whole thing packs down beautifully into one checkable suitcase in about ten minutes. Upon reaching your destination, you’ve got a sprightly ride that takes full racks and fenders, comes with fat 35-millimeter Schwalbe rubber…
Recon Artist Brawny and balanced, the TLS is a 4,976-cubic-inch beefcake that shuns bling for practicality—perfect for a Thailand traverse where rain, muck, and brusque Bangkok cabbies failed to breach the 900-denier fabric and stout compression-molded bottom. No rummaging, thanks to the straightforward suitcase-style design, which splays open to reveal…
Weekender The back panel on this space-efficient pack—we carried up to four days’ worth of supplies—closely mimics the curve of a woman’s back, which makes it so comfy, testers forgot they had it on. We love the side zip for getting at buried stuff. 3.7 lbs, 3,112 cu in;…
Slick Amphibian A unique mix of racing style and military fatigue, the new “khaki” Formula 1 is, at less than $1,000, a really good deal from TAG. Water-resistant to 200 meters, with a scratch-resistant crystal, it’s built to handle field duty, but the hipster look suits any urban setting.
If you prefer to do sun salutations in a T-shirt, opt for something moisture-wicking, like this mostly polyester one, which also has strategically placed mesh panels for releasing steam. marmot.com…
While you can continue to use your daypack, eventually you’ll want to upgrade to something climbing-specific, like this 2,250-cubic-inch hauler, built roomy enough for a rope, a sling full of quickdraws, and extra layers. Why else do we love it? Ski loops mean it can double as a winter…
Stash this tissue-thin, rain-resistant polyester shell in your jersey. It’s three ounces with a pocket, vents, reflective stripes, and a micro-stuffsack. bontrager.com…
These shades are stylish and technical. Peripheral vision is great, and they stay firmly in place when running around on the beach. Go for the polarized version ($220) if you’re heading for water. oakley.com…