Innovative equipment

“I am looking for innovative hiking gear of any kind. If anyone knows of any new products on the market that they have found to be great please let me know. It could be anything from shoe laces to stoves to compasses to backpacks. Thanks for your thoughts! Happy trails.”

“how about a lightweight packable hookah”

“Sounds like a Backpacker article to me.”

“I like my Waldies shoes! They make great camp shoes, lightweight and have room for heavy socks.”

“LOL! Skiracer, you put the words out before I could do it. :-)”

“backpacker article? Not sure what you guys mean...or if that is bad or good. Simply...I am a student doing some research on the outdoor equipment industry. I need to try and identify leading trends in the market. Thanks!”

“Oh. We thought you meant gadgets.

For years the trend in backpacking gear was bells and whistles, which make gear heavy. Now the trend is lighter, since more and more people want lighter gear so they can carry it easier. You should research the whole ultralight and homemade movement.”

“Cotton is making a comeback in a big way.”

“My favorite piece of equipment is my blue Lexan bottle for scotch.”

“Think that is Crazy Mikes too! I like the yellow bottle. It makes everything look like pee!”

“Yeah, just don't ever mistake it for your pee bottle. LOL!”

“jeepers - the gear I consider the best is stuff I make myself but if you want to see some really innovative gear just check out the stuff at blowfish.com”

“Thanks everyone for your help...keep it comming! And if there are innovative gadgets out there I would still love to hear about them.

BACPAC says cotton is comming back...where do you see that and why!? Does anyone agree with him?”

“bacpac is pulling your leg. then again, he could actually be talking about the new silicone-encapsulated cotton that Nextec is working on.

gadgets:

MSR Miox pen
what's that "jet boil" stove? is that the ceramic burner stove that MSR gobbled up the rights to?

and yeah, the lightweight movement is where a lot of innovation is happening.”

“Thanks Scarbubble. Shame on Bacpac for teasing little innocent me :-P I will check into the above metioned items!”

“Seems this industry could better connected to applied materials science disciplines.

Winter backpackers have all this fleece gear that makes for a lot of weight. Seems the military could benefit from advanced cold weather fabrics too.”

“Here are a few things you might want to to searches on:

Silicone impregnated nylon - a very light waterproof nylon used in tents and tarps

Water Treatement - Look at the latest Backpacker magazine for the latest technology here

Footwear - Hybrid high-top tennis shoe and hiking boot - The Montrail Excellerace is an example

Technology - ever smaller GPS units with mapping software

Frogg Toggs - Lightweight, e=inexpensive Waerproof/Breathable layer - but not as durable as gore-tex”

“Isn't there a new gear that is still in experimental stage that you can eat? Honest Jeepers. And also one company is working on a biodegradeable stuff.”

“Edible underwear has been around for a long time. Just ask Lizs.”

“Jetboil.com

Talk about innovative!

oh, and a product near and dear to my heart:

KampRite's newest Tent Cot...Made for TWO people...Sin City in the Campgrounds....lol (Cabelas has them in their online catalog in the cots section).”

“i cannot believe no one's mentioned the TerraQuest yet! for shame.”

“Be sure to check the TerraQuest like lyra asked. It has to be the most innovative equipment in years.”

“for lightweight bleeding edge eqpt. go to backpackinglight.com”

“I got my terraquest a few months ago and now I take it on every hike!

The new lightweight thighmaster is pretty kewl, you can use it with your water filter when pumping and if you're fast enough with it, you can use it to light fires!”

“Do you guys know the home page for the TerraQuest equipment..I can't find it!

Thanks for all the tips...they are great! Keep em comming!

Does anyone know anything about Golite Equipment!? www.golite.com

The JET BOIL seems very cool!”

“I have a Golite Race backpack. It basically replaced my day and weekend packs. It’s not exactly heavy duty so I have to use a lot of care when I use it. I guess durability must be sacrificed for lightweight.”

“I use Golite Breeze and day packs.
Nice cheap light packs.

Hey DOM, I've been eyeing the GOLITE TEAM ADVENTURE RACING PACK for some time now. I like the water bottle holders on the hip belt. If it came in any other color other than bright yellow I would probably buy one.”

“The sun yellow is more orange than yellow”

“picky picky”

“I have a GO-Lite daypack, and a new breathable jacket and pants (all bought on sale from sierratradingpost.com, BTW). I love the daypack, the jacket works beautifully, haven't had the opportunity to test the pants yet. My impression is: simple, no bells and whistles, light, sturdy enough, well thought out designs. Not overbuilt or bomproof.”

“Does anyone know the website for TerraQuest equipment!? Sounds like great stuff!”

“I think Artex has pictures on his webshots site...”

“That TerraQuest is da BOMB!”

“Are they associated with ALPS Mountaineering? <G>”

“Hey... Is this it?”

“Thanks Tilt...but I did not get the impression that TerraQuest equipment are off road vehicles. Maybe I should ask everyone...what the heck is TerraQuest!?!?”

“They make some of the best gear out there. I recently purchased the TerraQuest Snipe 0 degree down bag for $925. I know it's very pricey, but they make the best stuff out there, hands down. I saw Artex's CT Tent. I think he spent like $1,200 for it, but the ting is amazing! Where else can you find a 100 sq. ft., freestanding, 4 season tent that weighs under 1.5 lbs?”

“BTW, my 0 degree bag is 1,000 fill goosedown, and weighs 9 oz's.”

“Dang jeepers, all the serious lightweight backpackers know about TerraQuest.
Where ya been? Backpacker.com?”

“Hehehe...Well...like I said...I am new to all this! But for something so popular...no one can seem to find the website!”

“Thanks Buddah!”

“No website for Terraquest. They are very old school, and operate out of an abandoned distillery somewhere in Georgia. They mainly sell through word-of-mouth and rarely seen catalogs. I purchased my bag at the actual store in GA. I guess they shay away from selling in major gear stores as well.

I'd give you a phone number, but I can't remember what it is. Maybe Artex can tell ya!”

“Hmmm... most distilleries in Georgia are outdoors...

Or maybe in a toolshed.”

“hehe...is this another stupid question...who is Artex and how do I reach him!? ;-)”

“Yup, jeepers. Buddha Bear is oozing with terraquest knowledge. I bought mine via Artex. I think he's the East Coast sales rep?”

“Buddah Bear...who is Artex and how do I reach him!?”

“Artex is "The One". You cannot reach him, he shall reach you!”

“Matrix reruns.

oy.”

“lol...oky....now I must just wait and be patient huh? Let him know my paper is due in 2 months ;)”

“check out traser.com Lots of cool stuff!”