GearFlogger

Samsung Reclaim phone with Sprint service

Cell phones may not seem like backcountry gear at first blush, but the reality is that we all carry them for both convenience and safety when in out in the sticks. Heck, you can even get cell signal on the summit of Denali if the wind is right. If you're going to carry, the Samsung Reclaim with Sprint service is worth a look for it's green credentials.

Green is more than skin deep for the pack-of-cards-sized Reclaim. It starts with the packaging, including a fact sheet made from a piece of paper you can plant to grow wildflowers. OK, maybe that's skin deep, but the fact that Sprint is ranked #20 on the EPA's Green Power Partnership Fortune 500 list is significant, and so is $2 of every purchase going to the Nature Conservancy's Adopt an Acre program. The phone itself is made from 40% corn-based bio-plastic free of the more noxious chemicals. The 2.6 inch 320x240 screen is bright and sharp, displaying mostly helpful green tips like, "unplug your charger when not in use." Don't worry, you can turn off the guilt once you've internalized it.

The phone is well-equipped as a smartphone, with a fairly intuitive interface, EVDO high-speed data connectivity, streaming media, decent 2MP camera/camcorder, Sprint Mobile Email and the now-usual array of GPS and digital music functionality with standard headphone jack, which is to say more features than you can shake a stick at. Some of this stuff asks you to register, which dissuaded us from using it. There are also plenty of opportunities to integrate it with social networking features like MySpace and Facebook if you're so inclined. There's even a postage-paid mailer to recycle your old phone. They save a bit of paper by only including a quick-start guide, and you can download the full manual.

95% of our use is as a phone, and voice quality was good to great. If you're big on texting the keyboard is just OK; it could use more tactile separation between keys. The included charger uses a micro USB connector - not a mini - and you'll need to buy a cable of that type if you don't already own one to connect to a computer. A 512MB Micro SD card is included, along with a normal SD card adapter (nice!). All in all it's a pretty good deal, and encouraging to see a green-focused phone that treats the environment a lot better than most electronic gadgets.

$0.01 (normally $199.98) with a new service plan at Amazon

Brunton SolarRoll solar panel

While you're waiting for your Wonder Twin powers to activate (keep drinking that tequila!), it doesn't hurt to have a backup power plan. The Brunton SolarRoll is a flexible solar panel that is tough, lightweight, packable and comes in 4.5, 9 and 14 watt (15.4 volts, 900mA) versions.

The SolarRoll 14 puts out enough to charge a laptop, camera, or sat phone, measures 12x57 inches and easily rolls up to 3 inches in diameter. It maintains flexibility even after a long time in storage, and doesn't do too badly in the cold. The 14 weighs in at a pound even with the cigarette lighter adapter, one of three that come with the unit. The other two are a 4-prong DC (2.5mm, 3.5mm, 4x1.7mm and 5.5 x 2.5mm) and a 12V cable with alligator clips. Most people will probably want to charge laptops and smaller electronics, and there's a good chance that the included plugs won't work so be prepared with a car adapter.

In use the SolarRoll works great. Just unroll and drape over the tent, rock or backpack. With a little ingenuity you can pretty much hang it anywhere. Even on cloudy days you can trickle charge most batteries. The SolarRoll has reverse current protection so you can leave things plugged in overnight without worrying about overcharging. It's also waterproof and much tougher than glass panels. The included plastic case is quite useful for storing other small items; it's about 16 inches long and a little bigger in diameter than a quart bottle. If you need portable power, the SolarRoll is a great solution.

$342.68 at Backcountry

Datexx ULTRABattery charger

Let's face it, the backcountry experience occasionally requires a little electronic assist: avalanche beacon, cell phone, GPS, laptop, camera, MP3 player, personal massage device (hey man, it's not for me...), you get the idea. But what happens when the battery dries up and the fun goes away? ULTRABattery to the rescue!

The Datexx ULTRABattery is a nifty little unit that uses a USB port and cable with various adapters to charge stuff. I used it travelling recently - did I mention it's the only unit of this type that is FAA approved? - and it repeatedly charged my BlackBerry and camera with no problems. Even after multiple charges it wasn't drained, and the cool thing is you can press a button on the front and a charge remaining indicator lights up.

It comes with a USB adapter and a bunch of common cell phone tips. There's a USB jack as well so you can plug devices in directly. It's funny, I'm always complaining about batteries running down, and now I can't remember the last time I went on that particular rant. Oh wait, I remember now: it was the time I didn't bring the ULTRABattery. Lesson learned.

$26.05 at Amazon.com

DeLorme Earthmate PN-30 GPS

DeLorme has been doing digital maps for a long time, and their expertise shows in the Earthmate PN-30 GPS unit (waterproof, baby!), sitting in the middle of the Earthmate lineup between the -20 and the -40 with a 32 channel chipset, dual core processor and 500MB of memory and only giving up the 3-axis electronic compass and barometric altimeter.

Setup of the lighweight 6oz unit is slightly confusing (what GPS isn't?), with little description of some of options (saving maps to SD card versus internal memory, the Topo USA 8.0 versus the PN map CDs) and a few other small glitches (when done transferring to internal memory it says done transferring to SD; refers to "the connect to computer page” but doesn’t say how to get to it).

The PN-30 took a while to get its first fix, but after that it was fairly snappy. It laid a nice track on a 15 mile through hike, but for some reason the backlight wouldn't turn off and by the end of the eight hour hike it was dead. A quick search of the DeLorme website yielded an easy fix, and since then battery life with two AAs has been good. More concerning was the screen locking up at one point, but since then I've been unable to replicate the problem although I found reference to it on user forums. The software is amazing, but takes some investigation to get a handle on. The 3-D views are very cool and you can generate any kind of data your skeevy little heart desires.

The unit itself is a bit thick, and for some reason the lanyard is at the top of the unit so as it hangs around your neck the screen is upside-down, but otherwise the PN-30 fits nicely in the hand and the buttons provide good usability. The screen is quite nice, rendering topos beautifully. Overall the PN-30 is one of the better GPS units we've seen. The problems are minor and mostly common to outdoor GPS units (confusing setup and map management), which in general have a ways to go to match the friendliness of, say, in-car units. The maps, once you figure the software out, are great fun. If you're looking for a rugged, waterproof GPS with powerful software the DeLorme Earthmate PN-30 fits the bill.

$299.95 at REI

SanDisk Sansa slotRadio music player

Normally I don't like surprises. Like the time I asked the SheFlogger for Snap-On tools for my birthday, but we somehow ended up with a strap-on, which was not nearly as fun for me. I can happily report the SanDisk Sansa slotRadio player is a good surprise,giving you a ton of music for your backcountry edification, as long as you understand what you are and are not getting.

What you get is the new slotRadio format that gives you 1,000 songs on various themed micro SD cards for $49.99. That's five cents per song, as opposed to a buck a song from just about anywhere else, so theoretically you save big bucks. Various SanDisk Sansa players accept the card, including the somewhat confusingly named Sansa slotRadio player we tested, and supposedly phones are on the way that support the format. SlotRadio players also accept albums using the slotMusic format as well as micro SD cards with your own tunage.

The player is simplicity itself: tiny and lightweight with a built-in sturdy metal body and clip, you can choose between FM radio (RBDS compatible, no less) and the card, adjust volume, switch between the seven built-in playlists, and skip songs. The songs are good but not great audio quality, and they are totally locked to the card (no copying) and you can't go back through songs. The last limitation is far and away the most annoying because there is no reason not to include a reverse button.

SlotRadio is designed to provide an equivalent experience to listening to the radio, but without annoying commercials and inane DJs. No computer is needed so it's pretty much a zero-effort experience. I found the included Billboard Mix music card to have a great selection of songs spanning genres and time, and the overall listening experience was great; I discovered and rediscovered a lot of music and was continually pleasantly surprised by the tracks. Bottom line: with the exception of no backtracking, what slotRadio does it does very well and inexpensively.

$99.99 at SanDisk

DeLorme Earthmate PN-30 GPS

So you want to have an affair with Mother Earth but you're not sure where to begin?

$299.95 at REI

Suunto T6c heart rate monitor

Normally I rely on the SheFlogger to tell me how out of shape I am. No longer. I unpacked the Suunto t6c heart rate monitor, a scary, glossy malevolent presence in my cardio-free home. I stared at it, and it stared back. "You fat fuck," I heard it say. After an hour of affirmational self-talk I fired it up and entered my vital stats. I had solid base data from a waterboarding session at Seattle Performance Medicine and I entered it in.

The chest belt is soft, not like some HRM straps that feel like a giant watch band around your nipples. It synced with the wrist unit seamlessly and I was off the couch. I won't bore you with all the spec details; the t6c does everything any other HRM does, and a whole lotta more. You can get a feel for it by downloading some of the training guides, the quantity and quality of which set Suunto head and shoulders above the competition. This document goes into the t6c's specialty, how it measures EPOC - excess post exercise oxygen consumption - and how to maximize training effect. The t6c utilizes your VO2max and lactate threshold numbers as well, so it's a party.

The t6c also has a built-in altimeter, something most other HRMs lack. Mountaineers, ski randoneers and tri-freaks will appreciate the ability to track vert until the cows come home. You can even strap it on and let it run all day to give you a baseline caloric burn guide, it's got the memory to hold it. And there's a women's version. Suunto has "pods" for every conceivable use, including a chest strap that can record data without the wrist unit for events where watches are not allowed. For teams there is all kind of functionality that lets a coach track multiple athletes simultaneously, seriously kick-ass. The software is a bit geekish, but with manual in hand you'll get it wired. Bottom line: the t6c is hands-down the best HRM for backcountry athletes serious about taking their game to the next level.

$399.00 at Backcountry

Suunto Core multifunction watch

Suunto has made precision outdoor electronics since forever. Before they went all battery-crazy I owned their first product, a dive abacus. The beads were stainless steel, it was mounted on a giant wristband, really a nice unit. It used to be mostly serious divers and their ilk who used Suunto, but lately they're moving into the average joe market by porting their great electronics expertise to more platforms.

The Core is a great example, a multifunction watch that does the whole ABC thing: altitude, barometer, compass. Oh yeah, and get this: it tells you the time! The altimeter goes to 30,000 feet, so you can take it to the top of the world. It logs everything and you can graph it all out on-screen. The barometer function has a very useful storm warning, and the alti/baro modes have a neat automatic setting that switches back and forth as you start and stop moving. You can even set sunrise and sunset times according to a database of cities. All this in a lightweight package you can wear in the shower.

The Core is not meant for scuba, but it makes a great snorkeling partner and will give you depth readings down to 30 feet. The Core really shines as a mountaineering tool. OK, so here's the secret beta. It comes in various versions priced from $250 to $500, but all have the same exact electronics and interface, it's just the quality of the materials that varies, i.e. plastic versus aluminum housing. One glitch: the backlight is effectively useless unless it's very dark, but I'm told they're working to correct this.

$249.00 to $499.00 at REI

Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS and HRM

Electronics of all kinds have been giving me a serious case of the ass lately. I could fill up my own landfill with the junk they send me. I saw Garmin's Forerunner 305 combination watch, GPS and heart rate monitor on sale at REI and even though I've always wanted one of each I looked for reasons not to buy it.

Finally I took the plunge, and after a couple weeks of using the 305 I am surprised to report... it works! Not only does it work, it works well. As an added bonus the "quick start" manual is exactly that, and I was up and running - well, not literally, you know what I think about running - within minutes after charging was complete.

The 305 let me put in my own five heart rate zones that had been tortured out of me by the thugs at Seattle Performance Medicine. I strapped on the included wireless heart rate chest strap, which synced immediately and stays connected within at least fifteen feet so you can leave the wrist unit on a shelf while you lift weights, for example. I stepped outside and it acquired satellites very quickly. I hopped on my mountain bike and knocked out twenty miles, ogling the beta throughout. For the truly sick you can even get add-on kits to measure pedal strokes and foot strikes.

Back at Flogger Central I installed the software on a PC and plugged the watch into the USB port; the cable also plugs into a wall adapter for charging. No need to RTFM, I found the "retrieve data" button and bingo, there was my workout graphed however I pleased, with a crude but readable route map to boot. The software tracks how much time you spend in each heart rate zone, speed, distance, you name it. The only downside is that the unit, while small for a GPS, is largish for a wrist watch. I ordered a kit that will let me swap out the rubber wristband for a more flexible strap that will also allow me to hot-swap it between bike and body. There's a lot left to learn about this unit, but I'm here to report the out-of-box experience is sweet!

$299.00 at REI

Etymotic hf2 headset + earphones

In the industry battle for your earwax, Etymotic launches a new offensive with its hf2 headset that combines a hands-free microphone with noise-isolating earbuds for your listening and speaking pleasure.

Whether you're looking to fill your expedition downtime with some tunes or just trying to dull the painful tedium of aerobic exercise, it's great to have a high-quality headset around. The hf2 definitely fits the high quality part: they have the same response accuracy as the higher-end ER-4 model, which is very good indeed with wonderfully authentic representation across the full spectrum.

Noise blocking is very good, as is the microphone quality, making the hf2 a hard-to-beat combo unit for listening to music and making/taking calls on your wireless phone. A music/call button handles the transition seamlessly. The unit comes with multiple eartips for different sized ears as well as replacement filters and a filter cleaning tool, all in a compact zippered pouch that takes negligible weight and space. The 4ft cord gives you options for putting your phone/digital music player in your pack, and a sliding keeper lets you snug up the fit to your liking. All in all, a rare combination of full feature set and exceptional quality at a reasonable price.

$179.00 with free shipping at Amazon