When I write about gear or services, I may publish a preview or a review. I might even start with a preview and later add a review. Allow me to compare and clarify. +
Presented to the public for the first time at the Friedrichshafen Outdoor 2008 show, the new Garmin Oregon GPS switches from buttons and thumbwheels to a touchscreen user interface. +
Lightweight waterproof bike panniers from… Pacific Outdoor! The makers of sleeping pads and other backpacking items introduce a whole new line of bike-specific products. The LTW Front Fender achieves an impressive weight to volume ratio. +
Actually, these are tents, not bivies. A couple of super rare, bombproof, compact, single-wall shelters using the very breathable eVENT fabric. Optimized for high-altitude winds, snow and cold. +
A rare, half-zipped, lightweight, eVENT rain pant from Rab. A crucial item for serious rain, mud and wind. +
Very light, full-featured rain jacket made of the eVENT waterproof / breathable fabric: the new Rab Momentum answers the needs of lightweight backpackers still contemplating the leap into minimalism. +
An intermediately sized, 1,3 L (44 fl oz) lightweight titanium pot that might be just perfect for snow melting during fast and light winter backpacking trips. +
Exactly the same as the BackpackingLight.com’s FireLite Titanium Esbit Wing Stove, the Esbit Titanium Solid Fuel Stove will be distributed by Esbit starting January 2009. OK, there is a difference: the logo. +
Esbit, the renowned producer of hexamine solid fuel tablets, readies a 720 ml solo titanium pot with a lid for the ultralight backpacking chefs that apply the “cook in a cup” haute cuisine methods. Available beginning 2009. +
Scheduled for spring 2009: a rare, ultralight windshirt made of Pertex Quantum. The Montane Slipstream will continue to brave the wind and the common misunderstanding of the product’s use. +
For spring 2009, Cascade Designs renames their 3-season lightweight Therm-a-Rest, the current “ProLite 3” self-inflating sleeping pad, to just “Prolite”, and updates the mattress to reduce its weight. +
Against all common backpacking wisdom, Therm-a-Rest creates an air mattress without foam or high-loft insulation. The new sleeping pad achieves an R-value of 2,5, a very light weight and a super compact roll. +
Built around the 1,5 L (48 oz) Nalgene water reservoir that’s got a clever magnetic bite valve, this running-specific backpack hugs the upper torso with a sternum-centered harness and geeks out with a remote-controlled wire compression system. +
A super-minimal, ultralight, wind-resistant vest for outdoor runners. If you like to run fast, stay cool and remain dry, this surprising piece from The North Face may be just for you. Reduce to the bare essentials. +
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