Archive for the 'Gadgets and Gear' Category

Other Outdoor Nerds

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on April 23, 2008
in Gadgets and Gear, Geek Stuff, Technology and backpacking
. 0 Comments

So apparently I’m not the only giant nerd who also enjoys getting dirty outside. Boing Boing’s Gadget Editor Joel Johnson has just headed into the wild, uncontrolled wilderness of New York’s Harriman State Park with a bunch of gadgets and those solar panel chargers we read so much about, but will probably never, ever buy.

He’s attempting to blog, review and twitter (is that a verb now?) while camping and hiking — and making nerdy jokes that I very much appreciate.

For the less nerdy of you, his opening post details his list of gear and — as we all do — complains about his pack weight (almost 50 pounds for a 3-4 day! Damn!). My favorite gear item is a copy of Thoreau’s “Walden” on an Amazon Kindle.

Later, he panics when his solar panel appears to stop working, and manages to post a Flickr video via a 1xRTT wireless internet connection.

I’m sure that kind of cell-phone internet flies on the East Coast parks, but I wouldn’t bet on it out here. But still — I’d love to have a blogging office-view like Joel’s got:

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Actually, I’d love to have a blogging office period.


Image by Joel Johnson

News Flash: Unplugging Helps You Relax

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on March 6, 2008
in City Life, Gadgets and Gear, Technology and in the media
. 1 Comment

The New York Times’ Mark Bittman found himself helplessly attached to his technology - it got so bad he was sleeping with a laptop next to his bed so checking his email could be the first thing he did in the morning and the last thing he did before he went to bed.

He decided enough was enough, and tried to take a 24 hour “Secular Sabbath,” unplugging all of his electronic and communication devices to take some time off from being Connected To The World. At first, he was apprehensive:

I worried about the colleagues, friends, daughters, parents and so on who relied on me, the people who knew that whether I was home or away I would get back to them, if not instantly then certainly before the end of the day. What if something important was happening, something that couldn’t wait 24 hours?

… but as the day went on, he got calmer, and actually found he was able to be more productive.

Huh. I bet any one of us could have told him that.

I guess, even though I’m using a GPS and digital camera, hiking has always been my ‘Secular Sabbath.’ One of the reasons I never take an iPod with me on the trail is that I like just hearing the wind, birds, and water instead of the city noise we’re subjected to every other day. The calm I feel from hiking is even more pronounced when I’m backpacking for a few days.

Read the full article at the NYT, to learn how Bittman got more relaxed, learned how to get more done, and saw how the trend is starting to sneak into the corporate world.

… or, if you don’t want to unplug, just wait a few years for electricity-generating microfiber hiking pants.



Via Lifehacker.

Photo by *nathan.

Neutral on ND

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on February 27, 2008
in Gadgets and Gear and Photography
. 0 Comments


Image by Fishtail@Taipei

Chances are, if you take a camera with you when you hike, the majority of the shots you’re taking are landscapes. If you’re like me, you’re probably using a point-and-shoot, and probably get a little irritated when the sky or ground gets blown out in your final shot.

The folks at All Day I Dream About Photography have written up a handy primer on the beloved Neutral Density Filter, a handy lens that basically equalizes the light exposure on the different areas of the frame - which also allows you to shoot at a slower shutter speed.

As a preventative measure, the site also posted an entry about why you don’t need an ND filter, saying if you’ve got a tripod and some time to fire up the ol’ Photoshop, you can get basically the same results.

As for me, I don’t own one, as I’d probably have to hold it over my camera’s lens manually. Plus, when I’m on the trail, I’m usually “shooting from the hip,” so to speak … but I have wanted to check one out to see if it would make a big difference.

I’ve also heard that a pair of polarized sunglasses will do the trick in a pinch.

Garmin Colorado Minisite

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on January 28, 2008
in GPS and Gadgets and Gear
. 1 Comment

What better way to pass the time waiting for the Colorado to hit store shelves so you can drool over it in person than viewing a virtual Garmin Colorado on your computer monitor and drooling over your keyboard?

Then behold, fellow future poor-folks — the Garmin Colorado minisite, lovingly rendered in Flash and chock full of information on all the bells and whistles you’ll soon be using to justify your $640 purchase.

Go check it out. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Gnome Tent Pegs on Clearance!

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on January 11, 2008
in Gadgets and Gear, Geek Stuff and camping
. 1 Comment

REI started up one of its semi-regular clearance sales today, but aside from a few decent looking deals on winter boots, it doesn’t look like there’s all that much to get psyched about. Unless you want a pair of poorly-reviewed snowshoes or an in-tent electric fan (WTF?).

I’m still kicking myself for missing a great deal on a one-person ultralight tent on their last clearance, so now I check the web site IMMEDIATELY when I get REI’s email notice. I’m such a good little consumer, I am. But, after a few minutes of obsessive clicking, I stumbled upon what might be the single greatest outdoor item ever unleashed on an unwitting public: Gnome Tent Pegs.

Yes, they are exactly what they sound like — tent pegs made to look like David the Gnome after taking too much colloidal silver.

And yes, the gnomes ARE inflatable — so you can also use them as pillows or, as the web site recommends, companions on your next solo trip.

Of course, using these may be the reason why you’re taking so many solo trips in the first place.

Garmin Colorado Reviews

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on January 7, 2008
in Gadgets and Gear and Technology
. 7 Comments

With the Consumer Electronics Show now in full swing, there will most likely be a ton of new information coming out about the highly-anticipated Garmin Colorado. But until that deluge of press releases hits, we can mop up our collective gadget-lover drool while gawking at the few stiffs lucky enough to actually get their hands on one.

GPS Tracklog has a few new images and a helpful one-page but you’re really going to want to head toward GPS Magazine.

They’ve got a 6 page comprehensive write up of their first impressions of the unit, which seems generally very favorable. They’ve got their qualms with the menu structure and the scroll wheel-like “Rock ‘n’ Roller,” but in all honesty it can’t be much worse than the thumbstick on my eTrex Vista CSx.

For me, the major selling point of the Colorado is the sexy new map view — with topographic shading and even an option for a bona-fide 3D view of your route. It’s going to be great to have a Garmin that can display something that actually looks like where you’re going hiking, instead of an image that looks like a leftover printout from your old dot matrix printer.

Start saving up, though — suggested retail price is about 600 bucks.

Yikes.

For more information, be sure to check out Garmin’s new official product page for the Colorado.

Amazon Garmin Sale

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on December 14, 2007
in Gadgets and Gear
. 0 Comments

The GPS Tracklog got the scoop on Amazon’s annual Clear-out-the-GPS Sale.

Garmin units of all stripes are on sale, with deep Amazon discounts and - more often than not - additional mail-in rebates.

I picked up my eTrex Vista around this time last year, with a king’s ransom of mail-in rebates. So far, their deal on this model isn’t all that great, but for an extra 60 bucks you can pick up the GPSMap 60CSx, which is probably the best Garmin unit you can snag … at least until the Colorado hits shelves.

Garmin Colorado?

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on December 11, 2007
in Gadgets and Gear and maps
. 0 Comments

The Groundspeak forums were all a-twitter about the possibilities of a new model called the Colorado.

It’s rumored to have all the goodies of the current Garmin line - altimeter, electronic compass, SiRFSTARIII chipset, etc. But this bad boy’s also supposed to showcase a giant, high-color display, a temperature sensor, wireless communication between devices, and - most awesomely - the ability to display aerial photos and shaded topographical maps.

It’s expected to hit stores in Spring ‘08, and retail for around $500. If that’s not true, then hopefully they’ll at least start offering some good rebates on the excellent GPSMap 60CSx.




Via GPS Tracklog.

EveryTrail v 2.0

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on September 28, 2007
in Gadgets and Gear, Geek Stuff and Web Sites and Apps
. 1 Comment

The team behind the excellent GPS / outdoors site EveryTrail have pulled back the curtain on version 2.0.

EveryTrail is a really fantastic site that I use to store all of my GPS trail data and integrate into online write-ups. It’s very easy to upload your data, create a trip of your own, and seamlessly add pictures from your Flickr sets. With the new version, it’s much easier to search for trails - both with text and on a global Google Map mashup.

In 2.0, there’s also a lot more information available at a glance on the hike’s individual pages, and overall it just looks nicer. Which, on a web site, is pretty damn important.

If you haven’t poked around over there, yet, it’s definitely worth your time. Oh, and go give all my write-ups thumbs up, why don’t ya?

Affordable Beacon

Published
by
Modern Hiker
on August 13, 2007
in Gadgets and Gear, Technology and Web Sites and Apps
. 1 Comment

The Spot Beacon is a personal satellite phone / emergency beacon that uses a private network instead of bothering the feds when you’re in trouble — and it’s also more affordable. At $150 (with a $100 / year subscription), it’s definitely less of a hit to the wallet than the 5 to 6 hundred the government-network beacons will run you.

Despite the lower price, these are a bit fancier — it also tracks your progress in real-time on Google Maps (!!!), and can contact your friends and relatives via phone, email, or text message if you’ve got a non-emergency situation or just want to let them know you’re ok.

Moms everywhere will approve, once the product launches on November 1st.

Via The Goat.