The Gear Guide

It’s spring, when a young man’s thoughts turn to...new gear, naturally

by Chris Weiss

It’s April. While this can be a sad time of year in Colorado as slopes around the state close down one by one, it also means the arrival of spring and a whole different set of outdoor activities to keep busy with. Since we’re all eager to enjoy the longer days in the forests, mountains and deserts around the state, April is the perfect time to check those gear closets to make sure everything is in place and working properly. For those who might have some shopping to do, here’s a look at some brand-new outdoor sports gear being released for spring.

1. Therm-a-Rest NeoAir
The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir is an exciting development in camping mats that can make one’s time in the wilderness far more comfortable. Essentially, the NeoAir combines the light weight and convenience of an ultralight air mattress with the warmth and weather protection of a heavier, insulated pad. Rather than insulation, the NeoAir uses technological construction to protect you from that cold uncomfortable ground. A Reflective Barrier in the mattress reflects your body heat upwards, while reflecting the cold air back at the ground, providing a thin thermal insulator that keeps you warmer through the night. At the same time, the Triangular Core Matrix construction limits airflow inside the mattress, helping increase both warmth and stability.

With all this technology inside, one might expect that the mattress is both heavy and bulky, but it’s quite the opposite. Four sizes are available and the smallest weighs just 14 ounces and packs down to the size of a one-liter bottle. It’s truly the best of both worlds. NeoAir will retail for $120 to $170 based on size.
www.thermarest.com

2. Timex Expedition WS4
Anyone who’s spent significant time in the outdoors probably has an outdoor sports watch or two. Features like altimeter, barometer, thermometer and compass are pretty standard among such watches so it’s no surprise or exciting advance that the Expedition WS4 includes all of these. However, what is cool about the WS4 is its massive “widescreen” face that allows for clear display of four separate readings. Instead of having to toggle between modes all the time, users can simply turn their wrist and get all the information needed. The huge watch looks pretty impressive too, assuming that one has the wrist to pull it off. At $200, it’s relatively inexpensive in the outdoor sports watch class.
www.timex.com

Timex Watch

Sleeping Bag

3. Lowrance Endura GPS
The Lowrance Endura is a GPS unit that provides a rare service: it uses technology to make operation easier. So often we’re unable to truly benefit from great new technology because we have no idea how to use it. The high-end Sierra is a touch-screen GPS that uses a very basic four-menu screen to make operation easy. The GPS comes loaded with features including a 3D digital compass, barometric altimeter, detailed preloaded mapping, four gigabytes of internal memory and a microSD slot enabling up to 32 additional gigs. The mapping is provided by Intermap’s Accuterra high-resolution topographic maps, which include outdoor trail networks and points of interest. It also has NAVTEQ road maps for the continental United States. Weighing in at just 5.8 ounces, the Sierra is waterproof and submersible. The Sierra will be available in May with a retail price of $549. Lowrance will also offer two less expensive models in the Endura series, which will feature similar construction and touch-screen functionality, but with fewer features and preloaded maps. The Safari will retail for $385 and the Outback will be $230.
www.lowrance.com

Lowrance gps

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