Outdoors

20:59 March 25, 2008 PDT

The most powerful sporting rifle in the world

March 26, 2008 There are a few videos doing the rounds on Youtube at present showing people firing the A-SQUARE Hannibal 577 Tyrannosaur rifle and getting blown away with the recoil. It’s not surprising, because the monster gun is actually purpose built to stop charging Rhinos, Hippopotami, rogue elephants and it gained its name because it could indeed stop the biggest dinosaur – it’s the most powerful sporting gun in the world and shoots a 750 gr bullet at 2700 feet per second – the recoil of the 13 pound, US$4000 gun is so powerful that despite three mercury reducers in the butt plus a huge pad area, it kicks like a mule. Read More

Let there be light… and breeze

00:23 February 26, 2008 PST

Photo courtesy of The Coleman Company, Inc.

February 26, 2008 If camping is your game then space is likely to be a high-priority, so anything that successfully delivers a "two-in-one" option is always going to be a winner. This new tent power system from Coleman produces both light and a cool breeze for that little extra comfort whilst in the great outdoors. Read More

Camping in style: Coleman's battery powered blender

15:11 February 10, 2008 PST

February 11, 2008 For those who love camping but can't bear to be away from their fruit smoothies, Coleman has created a battery powered blender that you can take just about anywhere. Read More

Magellan and Primordial announce practical off-road GPS system

By Kyle Sherer

16:28 February 5, 2008 PST

Ground Guidance software will be integrated the Magellan Triton

February 6, 2008 Magellan has partnered with Primordial to integrate the Ground Guidance system into its Triton line, providing a combination of elevation data, land cover and aerial imagery to generate more practical data for those who venture off-road. Currently, GPS can only provide off-road users with simplistic maps that often fail to include obstacles such as dense forest, lakes and rivers, steep inclines and natural hazards. The Ground Guidance system is designed to generate practical and efficient off-road routes through inhospitable terrain. Ground Guidance color codes the map into fast, slow and impassable areas, giving users the opportunity to plot their trip accurately and safely. Read More

Coleman’s Nightlight Airbed for camping kids

By Jude Garvey

16:07 February 5, 2008 PST

Coleman Nightlight Airbed
Photo courtesy of The Coleman Company, Inc.

February 6, 2007 Kids love camping but as soon as the sun sets, the great outdoors can seem a little scary, especially when they have to crawl into a dark tent. The Coleman Company's solution is the Nightlight Airbed, a kid's camp bed consisting of a comfortable 8-inch thick air-mattress with a built-in nightlight. The 3-LED nightlight lasts for 8 hours, so it will provide a reassuring glow long after the campfire has died down. Read More

Barz' ingenious Reader Sunglasses

23:46 February 3, 2008 PST

Barz Optics began creating purpose-built eye-protection for extreme watersports but the company’s ingenuity has seen it diversify into an array of products pursuits involving wind, salt, water, dust, sand and glare. Now it is entering the mainstream with an innovative set of wrap-around, low-cost, lightweight, polarized sunglasses with built-in non-polarized reader lenses – so you can read your GPS, mobile phone, PDA, digital instrumentation while in roughhouse conditions. We tried them and they are bloody marvellous! Read More

Snowter: the BMX of the ski slopes

22:50 January 21, 2008 PST

January 22, 2008 The winter sports market is proving a little conservative it would seem. Inventors looking to push beyond skis and snowboards in search of new ways to enjoy the ski slopes aren't getting much enthusiasm from major companies – but those that have the vision and means to bring their own ideas to the market are coming up with some very interesting results. We recently covered Venomsnow's Switchboard, essentially a snowboard with a suspended steering bar – and now there's the Snowter, which looks something like a seatless BMX with two mini skis replacing the wheels. You split your feet between the front and rear pedals as you like, then steer it with the handlebars at slow speeds, and dig the rear in to carve turns or drift it like you're power-sliding once you've got some pace up. Read More

Real coffee around the campfire: Handpresso portable espresso maker

20:58 January 15, 2008 PST

January 16, 2008 The expression "roughing it" can be a little off the mark these days given the availability of increasingly high-tech camping gear designed to merge the comforts of home with the experience of the great outdoors. One definite sore point among the coffee loving travelers at Gizmag is the need to revert to the instant variety when on the trail, but French "Nomadic Espresso" specialist Handpresso may have just the solution. The Handpresso Wild is a simple, lightweight espresso maker that works without electricity and promises quality coffee with a perfect crema anywhere you can find hot water. Read More

Designer Wellies: fashion meets function for the farm or play time

16:14 January 3, 2008 PST

January 4, 2007 Most commonly women’s footwear falls into two categories – fashionable or functional – with precious little overlap. In the spirit of modern fashion, Rosie Roo from Australia is bringing a change to functional women’s wet weather footwear with their spunky new wellies/gumboots/galoshes (depending on what part of the world you’re from). Read More

VholdR's laser-guided all-in-one helmet videocam

19:23 December 20, 2007 PST

December 21, 2007 Online video sharing has absolutely exploded in the last few years – and the cresting wave of extreme sports we use to wrench ourselves out of the risk-free banality of modern life is showing no signs of slowing down. Helmet-cam technology provides a natural and easy means for the average rockclimber or motorcosser to record and distribute the action and excitement of their weekend – and latest-gen all-in one units like the VholdR push the state of the art further forward with MicroSD memory, laser dot aiming and leveling, and nearly an hour's worth of 640x480, 30fps capture out of a tiny, featherweight, helmet-mount device. Read More

Small innovations make big impact on the trail

17:29 December 11, 2007 PST

December 12, 2007 In some situations the simplest ideas can make a big difference and these innovations from Guyot Designs are a case in point. The SplashGuard and Squishy Bowls are convenient, low cost solutions that make spending time on the trail that little bit easier. Read More

Katadyn Vario Water Filter

22:50 December 9, 2007 PST

December 10, 2007 The Vario from Swiss water purification specialists Katadyn provides a versatile solution to the age old problem of avoiding stomach bugs while on the trail. Capable of producing up to two liters of filtered water per minute, the Vario gives the user a choice between two or three different filtration stages - one for when speed is required and and a second for extending cartridge life. Read More

Tracking system promises faster help for avalanche victims

15:54 December 5, 2007 PST

Researchers and mountain rescue workers discuss the requirements to be met by a new, autom...

December 6, 2007 A new positioning system which will use Galileo, the future European global positioning satellite system, may prove to be a life saver for avalanche victims. Avalanches kill hundreds of people worldwide every year. In the United States annual avalanche deaths have averaged 25 for the last ten years, with 20 deaths occurring in the 2006-2007 season. Read More

Kabe's Royal Tower: the lord of the trailer park

22:15 December 4, 2007 PST

It seems whatever you want to buy, there's somebody out there making a bigger, more luxurious, more expensive version. Caravan travel has always been about bringing a few creature comforts from home with you on the road – and if your home happens to be a bit of a palace, we've found the caravan for you! KABE already make the longest caravan around with their enormous Hacienda – and for 2008 they're bringing out the tallest too. The double-storey Royal Tower might not fit under certain bridges, but it'll guarantee you're king of the trailer park, master of all you can survey from your cushy balcony view… that is, if you've got a car that can tow it! Read More

Nissan adds new tent to outdoor accessory range

By Darren Quick

16:20 November 22, 2007 PST

Nissan adds new tent to outdoor accessory range

November 23, 2007 Nissan has released a second dedicated tent designed to fit onto the rear of any Pathfinder, Murano, new X-TRAIL or QASHQAI. The tent attaches onto the rear of the vehicle with the use of adjustable straps and an elasticated sleeve, which fits over the complete rear-end of the vehicle and provides enough room for the tailgate to be opened up into the tent living area. Inside, the living area measures 3 meters x 3 meters to accommodate up to four adults, six if you include the back of the vehicle, and with over 2 meters in height at the peak of the dome there is plenty of standing room. Read More

Life saving Nebulus floatation device

16:29 November 18, 2007 PST

November 19, 2007 Over 50 deaths per year in the US and Canada are attributed to drowning when snowmobiles and ATVs (All Terrain Vehicles) crash through thin ice. In an effort to significantly reduce the risk of such tragedies occurring, the University of Minnesota in partnership with JTW Associates have developed the Nebulus Emergency Flotation Device - a self-inflating shell that deploys quickly and allows a water or ice rescue to be performed by one person without waiting for back up. Read More

Venomsnow’s Switchboard hits the ski slopes

03:41 November 7, 2007 PST

Venomsnow’s Marcel Jonker hopes his company’s double-hinged Switchboard will open up a new segment in the winter sports market alongside skiing and snowboarding. The Switchboard is made up of two short woodcore boards joined end-to-end on a double hinge, with lightweight footstraps on top, twin skates underneath the rear board, and an aluminum steering bar on a pogo stick-like suspension unit mounted on the front board. Is it the evolution of the snowboard, or the kick-scooter of the ski slopes? Whatever your opinion, it’s hard not to be fascinated by this innovative product from the Netherlands. Read More

Sturdy picnic table for outdoor dining purists

20:06 November 1, 2007 PDT

November 2, 2007 Collapsible picnic tables can suffer from a number of shortcomings – too small, too flimsy and ill suited to sitting down at to enjoy a meal in comfort to name a few. Not so with this “Pack and Go Picnic Table”, a sturdy fold-away table that seats four people and can handle up to 800 pounds. Read More

Fold-up sports helmet easy to stash

21:41 September 17, 2007 PDT

September 18, 2007 Bicycle helmets might be light, but they’re still very annoying to carry around because of their awkward shape. Stashkit have taken aim at this problem by producing a fold-up helmet that offers all the protection of a regular lid, but stows away much more easily. It’s the perfect companion for a fold-up bicycle. Read More

TomTom’s new flagship navigation device - the GO 920 T

05:16 August 30, 2007 PDT

TomTom’s new flagship navigation device - the GO 920 T

August 30, 2007 TomTom unveiled a new flagship model, the TomTom GO 920 T at IFA in Berlin today. The highlights of the new GO 920 T include 4 GB of internal memory, enabling complete maps of 41 European countries plus USA and Canada to come pr-installed, new Enhanced Positioning Technology which results in a more continuous navigation experience and an RDS-TMC Traffic Receiver to receive up-to-date traffic information is included in the box. The new GO 920 T will be available in the last quarter of 2007 at a price of EUR550. Read More

Magellan’s new Triton GPS includes a camera, compass, barometer and flashlight

20:42 August 8, 2007 PDT

Magellan’s new Triton GPS includes a camera, compass, barometer and flashlight

August 9, 2007 While we think Magellan’s hopes of making a GPS the central convergent device are folly in the longer run, the company’s new Triton series of portable handheld GPS receivers feature an interesting and useful range of functionality including a 2MPX camera, SD card slot, electronic compass and barometer, speaker/microphone and flashlight. Read More

Sandgrabber solves age old problem of the runaway beach umbrella

By Kyle Sherer

17:11 August 4, 2007 PDT

Sandgrabber solves age old problem of the runaway beach umbrella

August 5, 2007 Several factors can detract from a relaxing day at the beach – sunburn, bugs, and sudden gusts of wind taking your umbrella away. But while sunscreen and bug repellent are useful against the former two irritations, they form a less than effective protection against wind guided umbrella missiles. A solution to this problem is offered byThe Original Sandgrabber, a device designed to secure beach umbrellas very firmly to the ground, making beach holidays safer and eliminating the hassle of playing umbrella chasey. Read More

Gagetek Propane Tank Scale for outdoor grill enthusiasts

May 11, 2007 High on the list of “big bummers to avoid” in the coming months is running out of propane mid-meal during a backyard barbecue or tailgate party. With this in mind, Gagetek has developed a US$30 electronic propane tank scale which should ensure it never happens again. Using a simple, one-button design with LED lights that alert the user to the amount of propane left in the tank and when it’s time to refill, the new electronic propane tank scale is designed for standard 20 and 30 lb. propane tanks commonly used on most barbecues, outdoor heaters and RVs. Powered by two AA batteries, the durable device weighs less than two pounds is claimed to be highly accurate. Read More

A new spot to park your arts in Fort Lauderdale