Outdoors

October 19, 2006 This product is simple, cheap and effective. Guyot Designs’ Firefly costs US$22 and converts any standard wide mouth bottle into a lantern. It's perfect for any outdoor adventure, whether in the backyard or in the backcountry. The Firefly's unique design allows it to be used right side up, upside down, or hanging from the nearest handy branch. The lid contains an LED light which creates a warm glow throughout the bottle and as light levels can be varied, it can double as a low level night light for those nights when the moon is obscured yet it’s bright enough at its highest setting to read by. The electronics are sealed, so you can even turn it upside down or let it swing in the breeze from a nearby tree branch without fear that the electrons and water will fizzle it all out. The good thing about having kit like this is that you still win if you never use it, cos it means you’ve never been stuck without a ready supply of electrons.  Read More

UPDATED September 28, 2006 A few weeks ago we reported on the Innovan which fits to a 4WD chassis to turn it into a campervan, and can also be dropped off the flatbed and serve as a stand-alone unit. The key aspect of the Innovan’s engenuity is the folding design which enables it to cheat the wind by folding down when driving, and open up to offer a spacious interior when parked. Now we’ve seen another variation on the same theme and it’s equally worth a look as it is even more aerodynamic than the Innovan.  Read More

September 13, 2006 Making its debut at the Fire Rescue International Expo 2006, which opens Friday in Dallas, Texas, the Jadoo XRT is a powerful new addition to the lineup of fuel cells and accessories available from Jadoo. The XRT has the power density demanded by the emergency preparedness market delivering 2200 Watt-hours (180 Amp-hours) for emergency radio and laptop battery Recharge, Emergency Lighting, Portable Satellite Phones and Modems and offers critical support power when the grid is either unavailable or unreliable. Supporting Jadoo’s N-Gen fuel cell power unit and N-Stor fuel storage canisters, the Jadoo XRT weighs only 50 pounds, but provides the energy of four 45 Amp-hour batteries weighing over 100 pounds. A mobile, rugged fuel cell power package, the XRT can be configured to deliver application runtimes well beyond that of standard deep-cycle, marine batteries.  Read More

August 23, 2006 We’ve written about massive all-modern-convenience off-road motorhomes such as the DRACO and Wothahellizat but we’ve never seen anything quite like the Innovan for efficiency. The fibreglass camper shell is light (about 500 kgs unladen), extremely strong and very versatile. It can be fitted to any conventional tray-back ute or modified dual and king cab chassis and will open out like a Swiss Army Knife (movie) inside 30 seconds (movie here). When configured for travel, the aerodynamic shape of the camper minimises wind drag and the cross-wind problems usually associated with campers and vans, and the light weight means that when attached to a four wheel drive, it can go just about anywhere (pics inside the story prove this). The ingenious design offers one of the most versatile rigs we’ve ever seen, because you just jack up the air suspension, put some legs in place once the van is off the tray, you have the convenience of a normal ute. Innovan is seeking international distributors and licensees for the design.  Read More

August 11, 2006 In the beginning, snowmobile helmets were motorcycle helmets, often failing to meet the injury protection standards of the day, and invariably quite unsuitable for the severe winter conditions encountered snowmobiling. In addition to the extreme windchill factor, the most pressing problem with adapting a motorcycle helmet to snowmobiling is the fogging of the visor, which caused many a heart palpitation as riders attempted to lift the visor to defog it or risked the inevitable of riding with partially obscured vision in what is essentially a sight-response sport. Bombardier Recreational Products has been working in the recreational product field for a long time now and in recent times its inspired recreational machine concepts for 2025 have been a huge hit with Gizmag fans, most notably in the form of the Embrio One-Wheel Concept and recreational watercraft. The BV2S is a helmet system designed to offer an improved experience when riding a snowmobile and represents the best effort so far to tackle the issues of breathing out and maintaining a crystal clear visor.  Read More

August 9, 2006 Now here’s a good idea for people who use backpacks and travel on public transport where exposed zippers and pockets pushed in the faces of potential thieves could result in the loss of valuable electronic gear or potentially even more valuable data. The SecurePack has no exposed zippers or exterior pockets which prevents access to the interior of the pack while it is being worn. This unique design ensures that would-be thieves cannot steal anything from the pack, even when maneuvering through crowded streets, subways, airports, or other vulnerable situations.  Read More

August 7, 2006 Almost exactly a year after the 345 horsepower, 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine powered Barbeque which became an all-time Gizmag favourite (read more than 500,000 times) comes another custom V8 BBQ from Muscle Car BBQ Grills with several significant differences for companies wishing to show some promotional flair: it uses genuine parts to create a very authentic final result (your choice of Chevrolet, Ford, Oldsmobile or Hemi valve covers), it comes with the pistons of your choice as the controls, and you can have your logo fashioned into the surface of the grill at regular intervals so you can quite literally brand all the food cooked on the BBQ with your distinctive trademark.  Read More

July 27, 2006 Birmingham Design has developed an innovative cot that weighs less than 10 lbs and doubles as a normal backpack with 5000 cubic inches of storage - enough for a 10 day trip. The cot portion is 74”x21”x17” (1.9m x 53 cm x 43cm) and 16cm above ground at its highest point and 10cm at the lowest - just enough to suspend a person in some degree of comfort. Being easily carried and filled with anything else you might need, Fotias pack ‘n sleep is highly adaptable for a multitude of purposes and can be used as a back pack, day traveler, as part of the gear for a car or as a spare bed when unexpected guests decide to stay the night. As it sets up inside three minutes, it has great potential for backpackers wishing to wait comfortably in airports, bus stations, indeed, anywhere, but its most likely use though, is for someone who wishes to camp or backpack without sacrificing their sleeping comfort.  Read More

July 9, 2006 Pitching a tent isn’t hard, but it is one of those things that seems to encounter endless problems for newbies. It’s invariably done when it’s going dark, when you’re dog tired and its almost always done in a less-than-ideal place – like policemen, good camping spots are plentiful when they’re not needed and scarce when they are desperately required due to the onset of darkness or inclement weather or both. French sporting products company Decathlon set itself an unlikely goal when it decided to create a tent that pitches itself – the concept was that such a tent would enable many more people to enjoy the wonders of camping and nature. It also had to be incredibly light and impossibly small and lack nothing in terms of function or creature comforts, oh, … and easily folded back into nothingness. Anyway, they did it! You unclip the tent, throw it in the air, and it completely assembles itself before it lands on the ground. It fits two people, folds up again in 15 seconds, weighs 3.5 kg and costs EU49 (US$63).  Read More