GearFlogger

Pelican Rechargeable 7060 LED Flashlight

I'm man enough to admit when I have a problem, and so I freely admit to a flashlight fetish. Being able to turn darkness into light with the push of a button is just awesome, I don't care how old you are.

Field expedient lighting of all kinds has gotten so much better in the last few years. I was looking at the Pelican 7060 LED rechargeable flashlight, and in between looking at it and receiving one in the mail the lumens increased from 130 to 175. Now that's progress! So here's the bottom line on the Pelican: it rocks. Seriously bright, throws light forever, tougher than nails (motto: "You break it, we'll replace it... forever), and rechargeable to boot.

The 7060 was developed in collaboration with the Los Angeles Police Department, and the attention to detail shows. It's rugged grip is no-slip, no way, no how, and even the serrations on the shroud have a purpose: if you leave it activated standing on a flat surface you'll see the light. The aluminum heat sink is effective, and the included holster is servicable, although you might want to upgrade to leather.

At 8.5 inches long and just under 11 ounces, it's not compact, but the extra length handles nicely. The dual switches - butt end and standard - have a great feel. Best of all: no paying out the nose for batteries: the 7060 plugs clips into a wall charger and the lithium ion batter takes less than an hour to fully recharge. You'll get well over an hour run time. Bottom line: if you're looking for a rugged, mid-size flashlight and want to make the move from halogen or xenon to LED, the Pelican is your light.

$115.99 at Amazon

Sitka Gear Flash 20 pack

Sitka Gear likes to push the envelope with their designs, and their Flash 20 technical daypack has a few tricks in its bag. The Flash is designed for hunting but photographers and other gearheads will like it too. It comes dressed for success in Gore Optifade, a camouflage pattern specifically designed to fool animal vision.

The 3lb 7oz pack is rated at 2,000ci, enough for an ultralight overnight or a day trip with room for small to medium game. The silent and waterproof StealthTex fabric is stretchy so you can really stuff it in. The Flash is a top loader (no floating lid) with pockets galore: the main compartment has a smaller zipped hydration pouch pocket with clip, as well as a smaller MRE-sized mesh zipped pocket. There are two fleece-lined pockets, a small one on top and a large one on the back, perfect for lenses and scopes.

Also on the back are two more pockets, one large sized, open at the top with a buckle closure and one smaller with a side facing zipper.  All the zipper pulls are sausage-finger and glove compatible, with stay-open rubber half-rings. Finally there are two quart-bottle-sized open mesh bottle-pockets on the sides and two zipped compact-camera-sized pockets on the waist belt. For strap-on gear the two side compression straps and two rear straps give you plenty of options.

The removable aluminum frame and stiff framesheet do a great job of supporting the load, and the Flash carries better the more you load it. There's plenty of air on your back thanks to the curve of the frame, and in a pinch you could stash some of your load there. There are adjustments galore: the sternum strap has a good bit of vertical travel, and the waist belt is trick: the adjustment webbing routes through a cool little redirector that allows you to pull them forward to snug it up. This is a much more natural motion than pulling back and once you get used to it you resent packs that don't have it. One nitpick in an otherwise great pack: it's one size fits most and the limiting factor is the shoulder straps, which could use about six more inches of travel to fit longer torsos.

$219.99 at Amazon

REI Comfort LTG chair

Low to ground. If that doesn't describe my fat ass, I don't know what does. LTG, baby, and now I have a place to park it. REI has all our asses covered with the Comfort LTG chair, a supremely comfortable camp chair that also stands up to the inevitable Jack Daniels-fueled hijinks that will ensue because that's how your friends roll.

The LTG is a classic folding chair design that has a perfect angle to either put your feet up if you have a log handy, or to leave them down. The lumbar pillow slides up and down the back so you can get it just perfectly behind the sore spot in your back.

The only downside is the weight and space. OK, that's two downs. At six pounds you're not going to want to carry the LTG to high camp, although the weight is put to good use as it's rated to 250 pounds, which is enough to hold both my ample cheeks, even after a gluttonous evening. Second down: it only folds once so it doesn't compact down like some transformer chairs. Yet for car camping or carrying to the park or hooking on a stroller it's perfect. Here at the GearCave the LTG seems to live inside until it's called upon to perform in the field. It's that comfortable. And at the moment, it's that cheap, on sale at REI.

$24.09 (on sale from $34.50) at REI

Sierra Designs, Terramar, Clif support tornado relief

It's not always about the gear; sometimes it's about what the people who make the gear choose to do. Sierra Designs, Terramar, Clif and other companies teamed up to help our fellow Americans hit by the recent tornadoes in Missouri and Alabama:

"On August 10, a tractor-trailer loaded with outdoor gear from Sierra Designs, Terramar, and other sponsors such as Clif Bar, Manzella, Sierra Trading Post, Outdoor Research, Sole, Chacos, Merrell, and FRS stopped in Joplin, MO, delivering much needed apparel, footwear, and nutrition products to the local United Way for distribution.  The next evening, the same truck pulled into Tuscaloosa, AL to drop off the rest of the gear at the Temporary Emergency Management Services center."

Good on ya!

Full press release

Marmot Alpinist Bivy

Yea, we have seen the light! The fast and light, that is, and woe unto those who travel with too much crap on their back, for they shall wail and gnash their nasty teeth and beat their sunken chests. Go forth and get a bivy, we say.

The Marmot Alpinist bivy is about as minimalist as possible. Constructed from Marmot's 40D Nylon Membrain waterproof breathable fabric, and with fully taped seams, the Alpinist weighs in at less than a pound. It rolls up the size of a quart bottle, although it will also flatten in your pack so it can be crammed in anywhere. Feature-wise it has a three-way zipper and... well, that's all. It's big at 36"x86" so you won't have any problem stuffing a sleeping pad inside; that will also keep it from rolling too much so you can find the zipper easily. This is definitely not for the claustrophobic, however.

The 3-way zipper allows for one or two openings, starting above your pointy little head and going down the left side far enough to get in or out with just a little wrangling. There's a good storm flap that with a little forethought allows for multiple venting configurations. Probably not a good idea to zip it all the way up, although we didn't test it that way. Again, the key word is minimalist: there is no mesh and no pole. It would be nice to see a little of each, but then that would add to the weight. The Alpinist is a tough little sucker too, with a slightly heavier fabric on the bottom to resist wear and tear. For ski touring, big walls and just-in-case use the Alpinist will score big with those who follow the gospel of St. Fastenlite. And in perfect GearFlogger orange, no less.

$109.93 (on sale from $149.00) at REI

Adamo Peak mountain bike saddle

I thought I was happy. I tooled around technical mountain bike trails in perfect contentment, nary a thought given to my saddle. Then I rode the Adamo Peak saddle, and now my happiness overfloweth.

Adamo got its start with big, super-comfy toilet seat style saddles, designed for modern day cowboys, people like bike cops who work all week on their rides. But check it out, Adamo makes a full line of road performance saddles, and because I don't suffer from that particular sickness it took me a while to discover they make a mountain bike model as well: the Peak.

Riding the Peak after a stock saddle is like going from a Camaro to a Ferrari. You thought you were happy with the Camaro, but OMG the Ferrari! I've always been a bit slow to get behind the saddle on tricky descents, but the rounded back on the Peak made it thoughtless. Bam, it just happens, and once you're riding your rear fender your stomach is resting comfortably against the broad back of the saddle. Going forward to climb or side to side on tight singletrack, the Peak feels effortless and very quick.

Like any performance biking gear, comfort is secondary. The Peak does its best by incorporating gel and foam padding, but like a Ferrari the Peak is all about performance, and you'll like it best on varied terrain where you're moving around a lot. If you're looking to upgrade your mountain saddle, the Peak should be at the top of your list. UPDATE: check out the demo program at TriSports.com!

$149.95 at TriSports

Princeton Tec Push front bike light

Biking at night seems like an accident waiting to happen, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. If you're one of those hardy souls who relies on your bike as your primary means of transportation, or if you're just one of those winter biking nuts, chances are you're out in the soup and the more light the better. Remember the GearFlogger motto: safety third!

Princeton Tec has a nifty package for you: the Push is a dual purpose front bike light that acts as a safety light while providing illumination. The rear button activates three modes for the main : bright, not so bright and flashing. In all three white-light modes there is also a flashing red light aperature on each side that provides effective left and right marker action.

The Maxbright LED is rated at 100 lumens, which in practice on hi-bright mode is enough to illuminate a solid 50 feet ahead at trail speed, and over 100 feet if you're stationary. That's enough to pick your line, and given that most night riding is done at a more sedentary pace you'll have no problem when Push comes to shove. Three AAA batteries give you 4 hours at max bright, 14 hours on lo-bright and over 60 hours on blink.

The mount is very well designed, with a quick-release tab to remove the light cylinder, and since it's self-contained you can then use it as a flashlight. The clamp should fit any handlebar setup, and there's even a few degrees of left/right pivot with adjustable tension. Rugged and water resistant construction tops off a nice design, and at 4.3oz it's light on the handlebars.

$49.00 at REI

Jetboil Flash stove

Jetboil shook up the stove world a few years back with its revolutionary namesake stove. The little one-pound stove always knew it wanted its own handle, so after working as a runner, sucking on a 40 down at the corner and yelling "five-oh" it finally proved itself and was awarded a street name: the Flash!

The original Jetboil was a great design, and the Flash wisely keeps all that worked and makes some small but real improvements. If only all products evolved this way! The 1L cup with integrated heat exchanger is pretty much the same, but the neoprene insulator has been updated with a fancy little three-stripe thingie that turns orange when the contents are about to boil. At first it seemed kind of gimmicky, but it was cool to be ten feet away from the Flash and be able to see at a glance when it actually needed attention. More useful is the little tab for holding utensils.

There's nothing gimmicky about the performance. The Flash still cranks up hot water in no time at above-freezing temps. Even down towards single digits Fahrenheit it did a respectable job, bringing water to a boil in about five minutes (Jetboil makes another stove for colder temps). The reliable push-button ignitor is new and improved, as is the burner, and best of all the temperature control knob now has a flip-out wire bail that can be used easily with gloves on. The bottom plastic cup removes easier as well, and the stove base, fuel canister and very cool new included folding tripod base all conveniently stow inside the cup with room to spare. The tripod has notches for two sizes of canister and provides a very stable base; you can pick the whole thing up while it's burning and move it easily. Bottom line: a fantastic three-season canister stove.

$99.95 at REI

Teva Zilch sandals

And now for something completely ridiculous: the Teva Zilch sandal. When it showed up we thought, no way, it's too minimalist, it will be too uncomfortable and will fall apart.

Well, no, no and no. The Zilch is the awesomest. It fits like a glove, feels like it has way more cushioning than it possibly could have, and it deals with everything from water to pavement just fine.

We've not been a big fan of toe loops before, having tried some popular models and not liked them, but for some reason the Zilch just fits. The toe loop has a bit of elasticity so that we just forgot it was there. Sizing seems right to us too, as does strap placement. OK, perhaps they could move the rear heel strap just a smidge forward, but that hasn't stopped the Zilch from becoming our go-to sandal for just about everything this summer.

$55.93 (on sale from $80.00) at REI

MSR HyperFlow water filter

Water is very important. For one thing, it's used to make beer. If that's not enough for you, try slogging through the desert with nothing but a bag of peanut butter sandwiches and nothing to wash them down with. Not so smart now, are ya?

Even on long day trips it's a lot lighter to carry a filter than all the water you need. MSR's HyperFlow has a lot going for it, but if you don't like to really get to know your gear it may just drive you crazy. The HyperFlow requires a stout arm to pump, and the more you use it the harder it gets. There's a backflush procedure that, if you do it right and often (every 8 liters), will "reset" the unit. You actually have to learn and practice the procedure, which may turn some folks off. Searching YouTube will assist.

On the plus side the filter really puts out, about 2oz per pump. The prefilter is super-thin and will drink from the shallowest sources; if it floats around too much you can use the velcro strap to secure a stick or other object to keep it down. The bike-pump style design is overall very solid with no breakable levers or flimsy parts, with one caveat: the hollow-fiber filter design is not supposed to be frozen, dropped or kicked around too much. The clean cap is not leashed to the unit, so be careful not to lose it.

The wide-mouth bottle adapter works great and can be attached to Camelbaks without taking them out of the pack. You can also hook up a piece of tubing to fill just about anything, or just aim carefully. The whole unit with included storage sack is 10.5oz. You gram weenies can cut weight by carrying only the pump and prefilter and trimming the intake tube a bit. Bottom line: If you're willing to put in the time and trouble to learn the system, you'll get a light, compact, efficient and effective filter. If you want simple, look elsewhere. Free advice: as with any filter, always carry a chemical backup.

$99.95 at Altrec