Summer Buyer's Guide
Archive
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.
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 Patagonia Go To shirt.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the REI Radiant 0.
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 St. Morits Momentum Atlas Limited Edition watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Julbo Zulu Sunglasses.
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 Hi-Tec V-Lite Infiniti HPI running shoe.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Sierra Designs Pyro 15 sleeping bag.
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 Casio Ediface EFA-132 watch.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Rudy Project USA Gozen Sunglasses.
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 Marmot Plasma 15 sleeping bag.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Brooks Trailblade running shoe.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Victorinox WT Hardside Trolley 20 rolling luggage.
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 Nikon EDG 8x32 binoculars.
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 Orvis Premium Brodin Guide Net.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Channel Islands Black Flag Whip surfboard.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Osprey Shuttle 32 rolling luggage.
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 Hobie Elite Race standup paddleboard.
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 La Sportiva Quantum 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 REI Grand Tour 85M backpack.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Canon EOS 60D camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Delta Catfish kayak.
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 Patagonia Rio Gallegos fishing waders.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Yurbuds Ironman Performance Raising Earphones.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Thule TCRU-2 60 Liter Upright rolling luggage.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Olympus E-5 camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Elie Strait 140 XE kayak.
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 Patagonia Rock Grip Wading Boots.
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 Apple iPad 2 tablet.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Pentax WG-1 camera.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Necky Vector 13 kayak.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Merrell Avian Light Sport Hikers.
Outside reviews the best gear in the 2011 Summer Buyers Guide, including the Stewart LSW surfboard.
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 Suunto M5 watch.
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.
Yes, it cranks. But the true test of stoves this size is how well they simmer—and the Bantam passed our (scientific) evenly-cooked-pancake test with flying colors. White gas only, 10 oz; brunton.com…
Mountain Stalking Rugged, comfortable in-hand, and damn near hurricane-proof, the Legend Ultra is a mountain man’s binocular. The glasses are outfitted with Bushnell’s ED Prime Glass, which offers impeccable light transmission and color resolution, allowing them to excel in low-light conditions. That, combined with their ample field of view for…
Even if you don’t know your starboard from your jib, it’s nice to have shades that are up to making the run to Tahiti. Though designed to dominate the fishing, sailing, and watersports categories, Costa’s superfine 580 glass is a thrill to wear anywhere. Silver mirroring ups the cool…
Quickly replenish your energy stores mid-run with 13 grams of carbs (maltodextrin and fructose), 55 milligrams sodium, and an easy-down, Tang-like taste. cytomax.com…
Perfectly tailored, ultralight, rustle-free, and, if you opt for the shield-your-eyes neon-green color, unbelievably car-repellent. Translation: It’s our favorite do-it-all shell. 3.3 oz; sugoi.com…
At just nine ounces, the über-flashy S-Works is the lightest lid on the planet. Deep vents, Kevlar reinforcement, and an ingenious full-head fit system make it as sensible as it is light. specialized.com…
We love the Zen’s 2.5-inch screen and crisp sound. Music, photos, video, FM, and voice recording are standard, and a card slot lets you boost storage. PC only; creative.com…
SMOOTH AND STEADY Liquid Logic consulted a flotilla’s worth of southeastern kayak instructors when designing the river-running Remix. The result is a boat that’s about as user-friendly as they come: No edginess, no surprises, and easy to keep upright in squirrely water. And if you do flip? “It’ll literally roll…
Lightweight aluminum sheathes both standard and serrated blades. A perfect pocketknife. gerbergear.com…
Bushwhacking to the beach? The DWR-coated and tightly woven Inertia Peaks won’t blanch. Making for the water? Snap the roll-up legs into place and take a dip. cloudveil.com…
LIKES IT ROUGH The Voyageur was one of several shoes that we sent to our most abusive tester. His take: They’re “as tough as beef jerky.” After several weeks of hiking, the upper’s sturdy leather hide, the rock-solid stitching, and the company’s trademark brawny toe bumper showed virtually no signs…
Tiny and versatile: Simply slide the featherweight, CR2-lithium-powered headlamp’s toggle to strap it to anything, be it your cranium, messenger bag, or handlebars. 1.4 oz; coleman.com…
A TINY SUMMERWEIGHT BAG The North Face claims that its revamped line of Flight Series bags are the first synthetic sacks to rival equivalently rated down bags in weight and compressibility. We were skeptical, but this 40-degree comes pretty darn close. The secret? It’s stuffed with Climashield’s newest stuff,…
Thanks to a full-length TPU Flexion Plate that instigates forward motion, we simply felt fastest in these light stability shoes. In other words, they’re pricey but worth it. And you can run them hot: The breathÂable mesh is treated with temperature-regulating material that actually seems to work. 10 oz;…
The Willis freestyle vest employs Astral’s split-panel design with two independent foam sections. An inner panel hugs your ribs, while the outer panel moves with your shoulders. astralbuoyancy.com…
LIGHT BUT TOUGH Like a clever fighter capable of KO’ing guys with considerably more heft, the Thunderhead offers protection that belies its light weight. That’s because it’s cut from Gore’s best stuff, Pro Shell, with lighter, thinner (but more abrasion-resistant) material in the shoulders. The hood is beautifully designed—easy to…
FOLLOW THAT VOICE Calling HP’s Travel Companion a GPS unit just isn’t fair. The 4.3-inch screen is huge, and 3-D technology means maps can be viewed topographically or at street level—making for foolproof (and fun) navigation. On the road, mate it with a Bluetooth cell phone and it doubles…
The super-breathable Tattoo comes with 3/4-length sleeves for (minimal) extra protection, a loose fit that can accommodate arm and torso pads, and a roomy zippered rear pocket. louisgarneau.com…
We double-checked the weight of every bike—and a lot of the other gear—on these pages with this user-friendly scale. Hang it from a work stand or roof beam, and see if those new wheels are as light as the manufacturer claims. (They probably aren’t.) feedbacksports.com…
Mild Stability Old perceptions die hard, and a few of our testers initially scoffed at the idea that Puma, better known in other sporting arenas, is making legitimately high-performance running shoes. The Concinnity III changed that. At under ten ounces, it’s a remarkably fast and agile shoe.
Stable and protective, the all-terrain Release, with its women-specific fit, cushioning, and outsole, was our top pick for rocky trails and all-day hike-and-run epics. 11 oz; patagonia.com…
These four-mil neoprene booties are as burly as the steep granite gorge in the Sierra after which they’re named. Supersoft sticky rubber makes them grip the rocks on tough portages; a low-profile fit makes them comfy in your kayak. teva.com…
1. Hi-res still camera and hi-def videocam. Sure, digicams can shoot video. But not like this. Video is recorded through high-quality interchangeable lenses on a full-frame 35mm sensor, providing the type of manual focus and other controls previously available only to Hollywood DOPs. Stunning. And the .mov format makes…
Not only do these noise-isolating audio/phone ‘buds have some of the best sound quality we’ve ever heard; they’re hands-down the most comfortable and wearable, with silicone and foam tips. ultimateears.com…
Don’t let the laid-back, skate-shoe looks fool you. With sturdy Vibram outsoles and tough, water-resistant uppers, the Boaris are meant to double as your lightweight hikers. patagonia.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…