GearFlogger

Surf Survival

OK, full disclosure: like Charlie, I don't surf. And after reading Surf Survival it's possible I am too scared to ever try, but if I do you can bet your waterlogged ass I'll take this book with me. SS is written by a trio of doctors: Andrew Nathanson, Clayton Everline and Mark Renneker, with a foreword by surfing legend Gerry Lopez. Their purpose seems to be to catalogue everything that could possibly go wrong to inflict pain, disease and humiliation on a surfer's body.

And oh do they succeed. After a few gentle chapters on basic sea sense, fitness - accompanied by beautiful surfing SheFlogger yoga pictures - and nutrition, they get to the gory stuff. Graphic photos of throats cut by surfboard fins. Nasty shots of third-degree sunburn. Shark bites, rashes, knobbies, ulcers, it's all here baby. The cure for most of this? Piss: "...surfers from all corners of the globe seem to share the widely held belief that urine is the universal antidote for all manner of marine stings... if it is a jellyfish sting, piss on it. Fire coral sting, piss on it. Sea urchin, stonefish, whatever: piss on it. Unfortunately, this time-honored remedy is not supported by a single shred of scientific evidence..."

No backcountry buddy should ever let so-called scientific evidence stand in the way of urinating on a friend, but let's ignore that for the moment. Surf Survival is easily one of the most comprehensive sport-specific health and wellness handbooks we've ever seen. With solid advice from medical professionals, statistics to back up their claims and information on everything that can go wrong with every part of the surfer's body, this book is clearly an instant classic. Call it sixteen chapters to a longer life. For diagnosis, prevention and treatment, Surf Survival is the go-to book for grommets and bitchin' betties alike.

$9.95 at Amazon

REI Endeavor vest

One vest to rule them all! We're big fans of REI's Endeavor line of clothing, and this vest absolutely rocks. The double-weave 89% polyester/11% spandex material is the best of all worlds: UPF 50, breathable, wind resistant and repellent of light precipitation. It's the ultimate travel clothing, the shorts having survived a month of bushwhacking in the Yucatan among other tests.

Lately we've been living in the Endeavor vest. It's a format we've been looking for lo these many years, an ultralight vest with two reach-across chest pockets and two hand pockets, all zipped. Why ultralight? Sometimes all you need is a little wind protection, just a tad more warmth, or a few pockets. OK, fine, it's the pockets that sold us. Why some vendors only include one chest pocket has always been a mystery to us. The big deal is you can warm your hands and not worry about losing essential small items such as wallet and cell phone, which are tucked safely in the chest pockets.

The Endeavor vest has a soft tricot collar lining and a hem drawcord, and that's it. It has a close athletic fit, and if it came in black it would be an awesome addition to your work wardrobe. The material - did we mention it rocks? - is tough and stretchy, always returning to a classy pressed look with minimal care. Highly recommended. More colors please.

$59.50 at REI

Novara Expanding Wedge seat bag

Remember the wedgies you used to get during gym class? This is different, so quit your whining. Straight outta Novara, REI's house brand for biking, the Expanding Wedge is a perfect little seat bag that mounts on your seat post, with one important caveat, so read to the end for once in your ADHD-driven existence.

The Wedge has a main compartment with a side zipper and key tether that's big enough to hold a 6' cable lock, multitool, spare tube and some smaller odds and ends in a separate mesh section. When I get ready to head out I'll unzip the expanding part and throw in a cell phone, energy bar and garage remote or keys. The Wedge attaches easily to your seat rails and quickly untwists so you can take it with you when you lock your bike up at the pub. There's a velcro tab to keep it fixed to the seat post, and the webbing strap on the bottom is perfect for keeping your rear fender on the straight and narrow, or strapping on a pump. We've heard mention of people using extra clips so they can switch the wedge between bikes, but we can't find these mythical extra clips anywhere. Anyone?

There's even a place to clip an LED please-don't-hit-me light or reflector on the back. OK, so the caveat is this: small bikes, specifically those of the SheFlogger category, may not have enough seat post showing to fit this bag. We'll keep searching for an alternative, but for bigger bikes this is the bag to beat. If you're in to beating bags, that is. And why shouldn't you be?

$18.29 (on sale from $24.50) at REI

Granger's One Step Wash and Waterproofer

If there's one thing we like to hear down here at dirtbag central, it's wash and wear. Better would be just wear, but sometimes you gotta throw civilization a bone.

For those occasions when you've got some filthy technical shell that's lost it's waterproof mojo, Granger's One Step Wash and Waterproofer is the shortest path to improvement. It won't restore your DWR to like-new, but it noticeably improves water resistance on Gore-Tex, eVent, Conduit, Membrain and the like.

Each 10 oz. bottle will treat about four jacket-size garments, so it's definitely a positive return on investment. Just pour it into the wash, run one cycle, tumble dry medium heat and you're back to your nasty old habits. Bonus: it does a good job of getting the funk out and no nasty smell afterwards, except for your own personal reek. I don't care if you call it musk. It stinks. Nobody wants to smell you. Soap, dude.

For footwear, check out Granger's G-Max Footwear Gel Cleaner ($2.98 at Amazon) and G-Max Universal Footwear Waterproofer ($9.16 at Amazon). Again, they don't work miracles but it's a small investment to protect your expensive go-fasters.

$14.00 at REI

Black Diamond Fuse lumbar pack

Whatever happened to the black leather fanny packs from the 80s? Oh, that's right, we turned them around, tricked them out and now we call them lumbar packs. Like hair bands and Vanilla Ice, that just proves that you can't keep a good idea down, and Black Diamond serves up a nice model with the Fuse.

The Fuse is a speedy little number, weighing in at 8oz. Dual water bottle pockets suitable for 20oz bottles or smaller have two straps each to adjust fit so your hydration doesn't end up on the trail. They even tuck away into a tunnel between the main pack and the waist belt. The waist belt has a zipped pocket on each side for nibbles, and the main pack has a smaller zipped pocket inside with a key clip.

The Fuse is a great minimalist pack for trail runners and fast hikers. The large paddle shaped hip belt is comfortable, and the mesh lining does a decent job of managing sweat, at least to the point that it doesn't slide around too much on bare skin. A nice touch is the dual side pulls to tighten the waist belt. It's just big enough to store a light shell jacket and snacks, and with two bottle pockets you can use one for water and one for bear spray if you need to. The Fuse does the job and won't slow you down.

$44.95 at Moosejaw

Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance

I read Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and to be honest I had to force myself to finish it. If the guy really wanted to commune with nature he should have got on a mountain bike. Of course, then he would have had a breakdown, and then he would have needed to know how to fix it. He would have needed Zinn and the Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance, but it wasn't available back then. Irony!

The best thing that came out of Pirsig's book is the title for Lennard Zinn's book, which has become a necessary text for those of us who try to dick around with our own rides. The 2010 5th edition is updated from the 2005 4th edition, losing a chapter (cycling computers) and an appendix (pedal and cleat compatibility) in the process, yet somehow growing in length as it treats new developments such as 29 inch wheels and belt drives.

Suitable for beginners to experts, you'll learn all you need to know and possibly more than you want to know about everything from brake adjustment to building a wheel. The illustrations by Todd Telander are clear and helpful. The only frustration is minor, and that's the lack of a section up front explaining what's new in this edition. Aside from new technology, the format is a bit different with the readability improved and the addition of Pro Tips with additional information. Bottom line: if you own a mountain bike, spend the little bit extra to have this book on hand for when you inevitably need it.

$15.51 at Amazon

La Sportiva Arco rock shoes

La Sportiva hand crafts the highest quality footwear in Northern Italy, and even finds time to throw a bone to the weekend warriors out there who don't need the entire force of the universe transmitted through their big toe (we're talking about you, Miura!).

The La Sportiva Arco is a beginner's shoe, but the flat fit built on a forgiving last provides all day comfort for anyone who isn't climbing teen grades. The left-right dual velcro closure is quick and easy, even with gimpy hands after a long pitch. The Arco is comfortable enough you might not take it off as often as you do the foot Ferrari you're using on your two-year project.

Top quality at a reasonable price, and you get the same rubber that Tommy Caldwell wears, a full 5mm of Vibram XS. And skanky feet, fear not: the Arco uses a synthetic Dry Best anti-funk liner in the arch and tongue, with unlined leather everywhere else. Like almost all La Sportiva footwear, best for medium to low volume feet.

$109.00 at Amazon

Outdoor Research Ferrosi women's capris

Yeah, that's purple baby! Not to worry, Outdoor Research's Ferrosi women's capris - also available in a man-pri, a.k.a. "3/4 pant" - comes in very attractive and more subdued brown mushroom (much more of a handsome brown than the online pictures show) and gray pewter as well as the bright berry color. But hey, go big or go home, right?

The Ferrosi collection is targeted at climbers, but it will work and work well for literally anything. The SheFlogger is proof of this as she has been living in her pair for the past month. No, we're not kidding, morning, noon and night, she loves them that much. The reasons are obvious: the Ferrosi capris look good and wear effortlessly. The 86% ripstop nylon is woven with 14% spandex for the perfect blend of performance and comfort. Breathability and wind resistance are excellent. The SheFlogger was even clumsy gracious enough to spill her favorite beverage on it, and it wiped clean in one swipe.

The material is tough, so scrape away in your favorite off-width. It stays neat, so head into town on your cruiser. The waist has a soft tricot lining, and is secured by a drawcord with tapered loops for a belt if that's what floats your boat. The fly has both zipper and double snaps. The hand pockets are open and shallow, and there are two zipped butt pockets and a zipped left thigh pocket, which is the one you'll end up using to stash small flat items. OR obviously went the extra distance in designing and testing the Ferrosi pieces for both men and women, and now you get to reap the benefits.

$70.00 at Moosejaw

Perfect Foods Bar

We're always on the lookout for munchables to switch it up on the trail. New to our pockets is the Perfect Foods Bar from a bunch of suspiciously fit looking San Diegans. We suspect genetic engineering. The old man evidently was a partner of Jack LaLanne's back in the day, and the kids were the subjects of years of recipe testing.

Things have obviously worked out, and the Perfect Foods Bar is a great addition to your backcountry grab-bag. The bars come in five flavors: peanut butter, almond butter, carob chip, fruit and nut, and cranberry crunch lite. All have a similar major league nutty taste, like fresh whipped peanut butter with the various flavorings as an added sensation. All are very good, sure to send nut lovers into seventh heaven.

The bars are mostly organic, made from an impressive mix of whole foods and rich in all the good things, like protein and dietary fiber, and low in the bad stuff, especially salt. The only downside is that the bars crumble easily, probably because they don't have all those nasty preservatives, but this is easily remedied by keeping them refrigerated or even frozen before a hike, and of course packing them carefully. Good stuff, and good for you.

$19.50 for a box of 8 at Perfect Foods

Magellan ToughCase iPhone GPS case

Apple's Jesus phone is ubiquitous these days, even in the backcountry. With built-in GPS - yes, the iPhone 4 has true GPS and not just cell tower triangulation, so you can use it out of cell range - although in typical Apple-speak you have to dig to figure this out. So how do you protect your (overpriced) investment from the inevitable bounces, splashes, drops, shocks and other tribulations of the trail?

Magellan's ToughCase is one answer, and it's definitely not a one-trick pony. The ToughCase (two words, no space, title case, aaaaggghhh!) starts with a rugged, waterproof case that is a hunka-hunka protective love: almost six inches tall, just over an inch and a quarter thick and three inches across. No additional software required.

The ToughCase has two tricks up its clamshell sleeve. First, a battery that will give an additional 80% charge to your Jesus phone. Second, a more accurate GPS chipset, reducing the circular error on the built-in set from (subjectively, I'm not a scientist dammit!) tens of meters to single digits. This kind of sensitivity might ironically be more useful in urban areas rather than in the bush, but we know those of you who just have to have all your decimals in the right places will appreciate it.

The ToughCase allows complete access to all iPhone controls and ports. The case also provides mounting options (a belt clip is included) and the device works with Magellan's RoadMate and other location-based apps. There is an external button and lights to tell you where the charge level is at, and another button allows you to toggle between battery and GPS or battery only. An internal power switch will conserve the charge for longer periods of non-use. Overall the combination of protection, extended battery life and increased GPS accuracy is a compelling combination, especially on sale!

$105.36 (on sale from $199.99) at Amazon