Spring - InsideOutdoor Magazine

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Gear “outdoors,” and “outdoor activities” largely have been presented, at least to mainstream audiences, almost exclusively through high-energy action sports, speed, thrills and the element of risk. Most folks, most of the time, simply don’t often run into messaging that emphasizes communing with nature or bonding with friends and relatives. Maybe that needs to change. A recent survey by Leisure Trends, for example, suggests Americans are split on whether outdoor time should be used for physical exercise or relaxing, with 56 percent preferring to take it easy and socialize when outdoors and 46 percent preferring to be active. There also might be an opportunity to align with the nation’s concerns over the economy by re-emphasizing the financial relief afforded by a camping vacation, even when including any initial gear purchases. Nowadays, a brand new family tent came be gotten for less than $200, sometimes less than $100. That’s clearly less than a few nights at a hotel for a family of four, and the tent can be used for several years. Appetizing food, meanwhile, easily can be packed nowadays for a fraction of the cost of a few meals at a restaurant, and the campground is far removed from the snack shops, t-shirt stands, arcades and activities that empty a parent’s wallet at a typical tourist trap. Indeed, there is a small amount of historical data to suggest such a case would resonate with consumers. After the attacks of 9/11, another period in time when Americans experienced a sense of instability, there were brief but noticeable rises in number of total camping outings and the average number of outings per participant. In 2002, both outings and frequency hit their highest levels since the late 1990s. There’s also lots of cool gear and gadgets to rally around, in terms of both equipment and accessories. To get some of those creative, marketing juices flowing, following is a small selection of innovative new items that we believe possess strong sellthrough potential among the crowd of campers. Eureka! N!ergy Screen House After hearing the “oohs” and “ahs” over its original N!ergy tents last year, Eureka added the N!ergy Screen House for this year. Ideal for campgrounds, picnics or a full day at the soccer field, the new N!ergy Screen House features all the benefits of Eureka!’s portable and rechargeable E! Power system to power 12-volt accessories inside the tent. The three-season screen house contains four independently controlled outlets. Three are detachable and can swing to the center of the screen house for table-top use. The fourth, fixed outlet is positioned in the center of the ceiling to power an overhead light or fan. This six-pole rectangular screen house has 120 square feet of interior space, and the factory installed wiring system can be removed by unfastening the hook-and-loop closures of the built-in wiring sleeves. Suggested retail is $214.90 (including the E! Power Pak, sold separately). www.eurekatent.com Primus EasyLight Latern The EasyLight offers just about everything a camper would want in a lantern. It’s compact, bright and easy to light. Running on pressurized gas canisters, the EasyLight also features a patented, almost noiseless burner and adjustable brightness settings that max out at 80 Watts. The EasyLight weighs 6.8 ounces and requires only 55 cubic inches of pack space. Made of corrosion and maintenance-free materials, it comes standard with a piezo electric igniter and retails for $65. www.nagear.com Fozzils ThinkFlat Tableware There are no more good excuses to use paper plates at the campsite. Fozzils ThinkFLAT designs are super light, pack flat then snap into full-size tableware with a few folds. Easy to clean with a nonstick surface, Fozzils are designed for the ultra-light backpacker but also can be conveniently used for short hikes, picnics, travel and even as dog bowls. My kids even have taken their foldable bowls to the movie theatre to divide up that big tub of popcorn. www.fozzils.com La Fresh Sunscreen Travel Wipes Applying sunscreen lotion to squirming kids is not exactly a fun time for parents, and it’s never easy to make sure their sun-exposed parts get full coverage. Sunscreen travel wipes make the job so much easier, and La Fresh uses “high-end sunscreen” and biodegradable towelettes for its new SPF 30 Sunscreen Travel Wipes. Easy to pack, with no risk of leaks or messy explosions, the wipes come in packs of four at a suggested retail of $4.50. Also new from La Fresh are all-natural, biodegradable and Deet-free insect repellant towelettes. www.LaFreshGroup.com 36 | InsideOutdoor | Spring 2008
Gear Coghlan’s Micro Latern The LED Micro Lantern stands a mere 2 inches tall and weighs around 1 ounce with batteries – making it one of the smallest and lightest lanterns around the campsite. The Micro Lantern features a rugged plastic body with a water-resistant rubber switch and a keychain mounted on top. For distress situations, the Micro Lantern has a flashing mode that blasts out its bright LED light for a full 50 hours using two three-volt button cell batteries. In regular mode, the batteries will last for up to 25 hours. www.coghlans.com HitchSafe Key Vault Having once dropped my car keys in a rolling stream, at night, while camping in Carson National Forest, New Mexico, it’s not hard to see the value of the HitchSafe Key Vault. Better for spare key storage than crawling under your truck to find where you put the hide-a-key, the HitchSafe also addresses the dilemma of securing keys, cash and credit cards at times when carrying them can be a hassle, or there is a chance that any cash or credit cards left in the vehicle could be stolen. The HitchSafe is secured with two hitch pins inside the hitch receiver via two sliding metal bolts. The bolts can be removed only when the 10,000-combination drawer is removed, and the combination drawer is concealed and protected with a dust cover. It takes only seconds to install/uninstall with no tools required. www.hitchsafe.com Java Log & Pine Mountain Firelogs The U.S. Forest Service says transporting firewood lets treekilling insects hitch a ride into the woods. These insects cause billions of dollars in damage, lost revenue and prevention expenses every year. In some states, bringing firewood into parks is no longer allowed, and in-park firewood collection tends to be discouraged, if not prohibited. The solution? Turns out shopping may be more eco-friendly than chopping. The new Java-Log, for example, is made with recycled spent coffee grounds and allnatural wax, while all-Natural Pine Mountain firelogs are made from renewable resources, including recycled sawdust and all-natural wax. Both Java-Log and Pine Mountain firelogs are longer-burning than firewood, (2 to 3 hours per log), produce fewer emissions than firewood and require no kindling or stoking (simply light the paper wrapper). www.Java-log.com, www. pinemountainbrands.com Fargason Tent Chair It’s always a bonus when a product has multiple applications, and the Tent Chair is ideal for just about any activity under the sun. Aside from the campground, the Tent Chair is ideal for the beach, watching little league games, waiting for the fish to bite or in the back yard by the pool. It’s designed to set up in minutes, weighs 10 pounds in its carrying case and can support adults up to 295 pounds. It features two large, zippered windows in the canopy and a zippered storage pouch. Fargason offers the Tent Chair in five colors: blue, red, yellow, crimson, camouflage and checkered flag. www. fargasonoutdoors.com Spring 2008 | InsideOutdoor | 37
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Page 6: Editor’s Letter Technology and Te
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Page 13 and 14: ADAPTIVE COMFORT
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Page 17 and 18: CLIMASHIELD GREEN INSULATION, ECOS
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Page 27 and 28: VISIONS FOR YOUR BUSINESS Discover
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