Gadgets for outdoorsy activities.

Andy!!

I've recently got more into camping/hiking/the great outdoors in general. It's something I've wanted to pursue for a long time but only recently had the means to do so. It's a great way to get active and fit too. I also have a penchant for innovative gadgets and toys. I imagine the two go together perfectly.
So here's my request from you lot. If you guys know of or use any gadgets/specialized clothing/camping cookware/kickstarters even that make spending time in the great outdoors better, please link them here!

muckish

A Kestrel weather meter to show temp, wind chill, wind speed, pressure etc.. http://www.kestrel-direct.com/shop/itemDetail.do?itm_id=152407&itm_index=0&item=0825

apoeiguq3094y

muckish wrote: »

A Kestrel weather meter to show temp, wind chill, wind speed, pressure etc.. http://www.kestrel-direct.com/shop/itemDetail.do?itm_id=152407&itm_index=0&item=0825

150 USD!!! that seems pretty steep for a barometer/temp gauge. I have this http://www.suunto.com/us/en/products/Outdoor_Sports_Instruments/suunto-x10/suunto-x10-military
It gives, pressure or altitude (depending on mode you want), GPS position (in OSI grid reference numbers), logs your route, follows preplanned route, temperature, digital compass. Gives a storm warning if you stay a constant altitude, e.g. overnight.

Oh - it also tells the time Its USB charged - about 8 hours with heavy use, 24 hours with light use.

Very handy as a double check when navigating in bad conditions.

SomeFool

Jetboil!!!!!!!

johnayo

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=75228

duckysauce

johnayo wrote: »

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID=145&pID=75228

+1 best bit of tech you can have on the hills imo.

Andy!!

Looking for something a mite cheaper now I have to say! :P That jetboil thing for instance, very cool. Will definitely look into that thanks!

Sev

I bought avalanche beacons a while ago for a remote mountaineering trip. I know it's unlikely equipment to need in the Irish hills, and it's rare that I ever have a use for mine.

But... what is cool about them, is playing with them and practicing to use them around the house... they're basically tracking beacons, and when you home in on one it goes "beep beep beep beep" really fast, like in the movies!

It's possibly the most interesting outdoor related novelty gadget I have.

My friend has a little flint firestarter keyring thing. It's pretty cool, creates fantastic sparks, it's possibly something like this?

http://www.gofastandlight.com/Model-1-Ultralight-Flint-Steel-Magnesium-Fire-Starter/productinfo/SU-K1/

The paracord bracelet is a popular one too

http://www.survivalstraps.com/

I recall seeing a range of "Bear Grylls" survival gadgets in a shop in town recently (Outdoor adventure store on liffey st.) including a Bear Grylls branded machete!

I also came across this just now on a random google search, I'm skeptical.

http://mashable.com/2012/01/08/powertrekk-offers-unlimited-water-based-gadget-power/

Sev

A bivvy bag is a useful piece of outdoor kit:

http://www.alpkit.com/hunka/

or a bothy bag

http://www.terra-nova.co.uk/Product_Type/Tents/Bivi__Bothy_Bags

Came across this a while ago, I wonder how effective it is:

http://www.balloonbed.com/

For a lightweight cooking device, personally I prefer something smaller than a jet boil, like an MSR Pocket rocket.

http://www.rei.com/product/660163/msr-pocket-rocket-backpacking-stove

There are also portable UV water purification systems for camping/travelling but I don't know much about these.

A useful thing to have for camping/outdoors/adventuring is a solar powered usb charger.

Sev

I believe every outdoor person should have a down jacket (or similar insulated belay jacket). One dedicated piece of clothing for keeping you warm that you throw over you when you stop moving and it starts getting cold.

Something like

http://www.mountain-equipment.co.uk/the_gear/clothing/insulation/lightline_jacket---277/

or

http://www.alpkit.com/shop/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16341&category_id=300

or

http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Insulated-Jacket-Reviews/Patagonia-DAS-Parka-Mens
http://www.andy-kirkpatrick.com/articles/view/the_belay_jacket

Down is a great invention. Down sleeping bags are great too. Take a look at the "alpkit pipedream" range.

What is so fantastic about down is it's warm and compressibility to weight ratio. If you spend a few bucks and get a jacket/sleeping bag made of really high quality down, you'll have an extremely warm piece of equipment that will pack down into a very tiny stuff sack.

I also have an alpkit Pipedream 200 half-bag (Not sure if they sell them anymore, I dont see them on their site). It's a sleeping bag just for your lower half. The idea is that you combine it with a down / belay jacket. It's a rather specialist gadget that I use for sleeping light on climbs.

A good down/synthetic sleeping bag or jacket is expensive, but a very good investment.

Carawaystick

Sev wrote: »

Down is a great invention.

Discovery... no-one invented birds

Sev wrote: »

What is so fantastic about down is it's warm and compressibility to weight ratio. If you spend a few bucks and get a jacket/sleeping bag made of really high quality down, you'll have an extremely warm piece of equipment that will pack down into a very tiny stuff sack.

Until it gets wet.... not so warm then.

Andy!!

Excellent Sev thank you for your posts!

preacherman

Carawaystick wrote: »

Until it gets wet.... not so warm then.

This is true of any material to be fair ... My advice to the op is to buy a decent set of Exped waterproof drybags

Sev

preacherman wrote:

This is true of any material to be fair

Yes, but especially true with Down, it is a solid point.

Personally, I don't actually own a down jacket, I carry around my trusty DAS parka with me everywhere. It doesn't pack as small as an equivalently warm down jacket, but the big advantage is that it can get soaked and still provide excellent insulation. Whereas down becomes a bag of soggy feathers.

Not that I'm suggesting synthetic loft is the way to go, sometimes I wish I had a down jacket instead, so it would take up less of the often precious space in my climbing bag. The case often made in support of the down jacket is that any time you would expect to crack it out, it will probably be cold enough that any precipitation will be hail or snow, and thus not wet the jacket as much.

preacherman wrote:

My advice to the op is to buy a decent set of Exped waterproof drybags

I'll second this. The exped dry bags are great for carrying around food, and general stuff you don't want to get wet, like maybe first aid gear.

I also highly recommend the podsac airstream compression sac for packing your sleeping bag. The problem with packing your sleeping bag into a regular dry bag is that it's difficult to both squash it down and let the air out. Whereas the podsac ones are made of a breathable waterproof material which lets the air out as you crush it, but remains waterproof.