Nikon Coolpix AW100

Nikon AW100

Nikon certainly wasn’t first to market with a ruggedized camera, in fact they were pretty close to last. That said, the wait was worth it. With built-in GPS (a glaring oversight on many cameras in this class) you can go back and find exactly where a photo was taken. No more guessing. Using software that will map photos such as Apple’s iPhoto, Google Earth, or the built in maps at the bar can be a fun way to share memories of your trip. The AW100 features full 1080p video, 16MP photos and one handed operation. The AW100 is designed to take a decent amount of abuse too. Waterproof up to 33ft. shockproof up to 5ft. and freezeproof make the Nikon AW100 one star performer in the outdoor camera arena. Probably not quite worth upgrading if you already have a camera in this class, but if not, this is the one.
$379.95
http://www.nikonusa.com

Hydro Flask Growler

Hydro Flask Growler

Earlier this year Hydro Flask released their growler and frankly, it’s glorious. The double wall insulation keeps beer fresh and cold until you’re ready to drink it, up to 24 hours. Because it’s made of 18/8 stainless steel it will stand up the abuse that riding in your pack all day will dish out. It also won’t break when if falls on the rock or gets banged around in the back of your car on the way home. You can also store anything you would like to keep warm in the growler (soup, chili, tea) but we prefer to the use it for it’s intended purpose. Hydro Flask makes double-wall insulated flasks in sizes ranging from 12oz. all the way up to the 64oz. growler including a food flask of which we are big fans of the entire line.
$49.99
www.hydroflask.com

Mountain Hardwear Medusa

Mountain Hardwear Medusa Gloves

Cold hands? No problem. Even while ice climbing all day in some of the most demanding conditions. Mountain Hardwear bonded their propriety OutDry waterproof membrane directly to the Medusa’s outer shell making the gloves some of the most waterproof gloves we have ever tried. The Medusa’s also include a removable windproof softshell liner not only makes the glove nice and warm but protect your hands when you need the added dexterity of not wearing the shells. The nose wipe on the thumb is another great feature. While the wipe isn’t the softest material on earth it does stay free of snow and ice. If you are looking for a pair of gloves that spends a decent amount of time outside during the winter you could do much, much worse than the Mountain Hardwear Medusa.
$150
http://www.mountainhardwear.com

Adventure Medical Kits

Travel Medical Kits by Adventure Medical Kits

Adventure Medical Kits makes first aid kits for a range of outdoor and travel medical kits wherever your choice of activity of destination. Adventure Medical Kits packs all of their kits in very organized kits that are very convenient to use and carry. Kits designed for use on the water include watertight cases, travel kits are in portfolio type cases that make for easy packing, and an women’s specific travel kit is available. If you have a loved one that spends much time outdoors or on the road get them piece of mind that comes with knowing they have medical supplies should they need them.
$10-70 (travel series)
http://www.adventuremedicalkits.com

Apple iPad

iPad 2

The last thing you need is someone else telling you how great the iPad is. Sorry, but it’s true. For those that travel on a regular basis lugging a laptop around can be a real pain. With countless travel apps for checking into flights, reserving hotels, finding things to do in a new city, and countless other tasks once you get hooked on your iPad for travel it’s tough to do without it. But it’s the fact that it can all but replace lugging around your laptop where the iPad shines. E-mail, web browsing, apps for blogging, text processing, presentations, and almost any other items you need to get done on the road. Presentations can even be given with available adapters. While doing a lot of content creation on the go can be a little awkward on the touchscreen a bluetooth keyboard is available that will ease that pain. Many people are big fans of the other e-readers on the market such as the Kindle and Nook as well. And while we can certainly get behind that we love the versatility the iPad offers. And while there are other tablets on the market that promise similar functionality none have caught on to this point. So this year it’s the iPad 2 that gets the nod and even with the 3G making travel more convenient the wi-fi version should be sufficient for most people.
$499-$829
www.apple.com

Donations to Charity

Charities in this country provide many services that are near and dear to many of our hearts. If you have someone in your life who travels or loves the outdoors there charities no doubt protect some of the land they use. With the prolonged economic problems currently facing us many charities have seen a large drop in donations and this can be your chance to help them. If you really don’t know what to get that special person maybe a donation in their name could be the best gift. Some examples for donations include the Access Fund, Doctors Without Borders, or even the Red Cross. Many local charities are great candidates for your gifts as well. In addition you get a tax deduction for this gift, it is the end of the year after all and it’s kind of like giving and getting at the same time.

On Consuming

With the holidays upon us it is almost too easy to get caught up in the giving spirit. While it is nice to receive things and certainly a joy to give please consider the impact before you buy something you don’t need. Monday, Nov 28 also known as Cyber Monday turned out to be a record in sales…ever. Patagonia on the other hand ran a full-page ad in the New York Times with the title ‘Don’t Buy This Jacket’ (ad below) reminding us that everything we buy damages the earth. No preaching, just thought the ad was worth sharing. Enjoy.

Patagonia 'Don't Buy This Jacket' Ad

'Crack/trad shoes' - Scarpa Techno

Maybe it’s your first pair of rock shoes.  Maybe you are looking for a second pair of shoes to increase your performance.  Or maybe your current shoes kill your feet or you want some specialty shoes for a specific type of climbing.  There are many different reasons for purchasing a new pair of rock shoes but knowing what you need is the only sure way to get exactly what you want.

Types of Shoes

There are a few main types of climbing shoes and they are all designed for a specific purpose.  There are shoes for comfort while climbing all day, shoes for cracks, shoes for edging, and shoes for extremely steep and overhanging rock.  Keeping in mind many shoes overlap categories, let’s take a look at each. When trying on climbing shoes attempt to place you foot in positions you will encounter while climbing.  Most reputable gear shop will at least have a couple of climbing holds on a wall you can step onto.  Worst case, while wearing both shoes ensure you are able to rock forward onto your toes, if you experience discomfort try another size or a different shoe.

Comfort Shoes

'Comfort shoes' - 5.10 Spire

Although not a very technical term, it does sum up the purpose of these shoes.  These shoes are designed to be able to be worn all day with minimal discomfort and are generally low-cut and mid-stiffness.  They do, however sacrifice edging ability and sensitivity.  Most climbers start with shoes in the comfort category for three reasons. First, they’re inexpensive.  This is generally a concern for someone just starting a new sport, especially one that can be as expensive as climbing.  Second, although there is no such thing as a real “all-around” shoe, the comfort shoe is as close as it gets.  And third, frankly it doesn’t matter.  This is just the shoe you use until you want to increase your performance or determine you need a shoe for a specific purpose.

Examples:

• 5.10 Spire
• La Sportiva Cliff
• Scarpa Freestyle
• Evolv Royale

Sport Shoes

'Sport shoes' - La Sportiva Miura

Sport shoes are not as comfortable, but many climbers find the trade off worth the added performance.  Sport shoes have chiseled toes and a relatively larger arch than shoes designed strictly for comfort.  Within this category shoes range from relatively stiff to extremely sensitive.  Stiff shoes are designed to hold small edges all day long and are very beneficial to climbers lacking strong foot muscles.  The drawback is the loss of sensitivity.  Over time you adapt to this and have no problem telling what is underfoot, but for climbers switching from a sensitive shoe to a stiff shoe there can be a learning curve. Extremely sensitive shoes provide tremendous smearing ability and feel.  The downside to this type of shoe is it can become fatiguing on long face climbs with a lot of thin edging especially for people lacking strong foot muscles. Sizing these shoes can be more difficult as the toe boxes of these shoes vary greatly.  It is important to try on different shoes and make sure you have something that fits your foot well.  This is not the time to order the new “greatest ever” shoe on the internet without trying them on.

Examples:

• 5.10 Anasazi
• 5.10 Galileo
• Evolv Pontas
• Evolv Defy
• Scarpa Mago
• Scarpa Booster
• La Sportiva Miura
• La Sportiva Katana

Crack/Trad Shoes

'Crack/trad shoe' - La Sportiva TC Pro

Crack/trad climbing shoes are used for just that, crack and traditional climbing.  They differ from sport shoes in that they are designed to be more comfortable for use during long trad routes as opposed to shorter (generally one pitch) sport routes.  These shoes are designed to give the climber a toe box designed for foot jams and extra rubber and material around the front of the shoe to help it hold up to the demands of crack climbing.  Some shoes feature a higher cut to protect your ankles while climbing cracks.  These shoes are also designed with some comfort in mind as they tend to be used on longer routes and most climbers will typically not size these shoes quite as small.  It is very important to make sure your toes lay nearly, if not completely, flat in the shoe.  Foot jams are not a pleasant experience for many climbers and having the right shoe sized properly can make the difference between looking at a summit to looking down from a summit.

Examples:

• La Sportiva TC Pro
• La Sportiva Tradmaster
• Scarpa Techno
• Evolv Quest-AF
• 5.10 Grandstone
• 5.10 Copperhead

Bouldering/Steep Face Shoes

'Bouldering/steep face shoes' - La Sportiva Testarosa

There are also shoes made specifically for bouldering or steep and overhanging rock.  They are characterized by a significant down turned toe designed to help the climber get more of the shoes rubber on the rock and put more power into the big toe.  These shoes can be very uncomfortable if not sized correctly but beneficial for those exclusively climbing very steep rock. Again, it is very important to get a shoe that fits your foot.  You are are going to get very tired and discouraged if you have to remove you shoes after every attempt at a boulder problem.

Examples:

• 5.10 Blackwing
• 5.10 Dragon
• 5.10 Jet7
• La Sportiva Testarossa
• La Sportiva Solution
• Scarpa Stix
• Evolv Talon
• Evolv Predator

Sizing

The most important thing to remember when looking for climbing shoes is the fit of the shoe.  No matter what promises they make to improve you climbing ability, it won’t work if it doesn’t fit.  Make sure the heel doesn’t slip; and obviously you won’t get much rock climbed if you dread even putting them on.  As many manufactures have different cuts, the best place to buy your new shoes is a local retailer.  Yes, they are more expensive than buying online, but they will make sure you have the right size.

Men’s vs. Women’s

Many shoes are made with a men’s and women’s version.  Men that have a low volume may find it beneficial to buy a women’s shoe while women with high volume feet may find a men’s shoe provides a better fit.  Again, your best bet is to try them on.

Linings

One last thing to consider is the shoe made of.  You can expect an unlined leather shoe to stretch up to a full size.  Lined leather shoes may stretch half a size.  While lined synthetic shoes are said not to stretch, however some models will stretch a tiny bit.

Slippers vs. Velcro vs. Lace-up

Climbing shoes are offered in a few different styles.  Slippers just slip on and off making getting in and out of them easy but lacks any way to fine tune the fit.  Velcro shoes generally have two Velcro straps that still makes it simple to put on and take off but allows some fine tuning of the fit.  Finally, lace up shoes allow you to fine tune the fit the most but you sacrifice the ease of getting them on and off.  Which you decide on will be strictly a matter of personal preference.

Now That You’ve Found Your Shoes…

So after an extensive search you have found a pair of shoes that fit you feet well. Since you don’t want to have to replace them right away it is important to take care of them. Do this by keeping them clean, it’s obvious you don’t want to wear them all day at the base of rock walking though fine dirt and mud as that will force dirt and small rocks into the soles. This is going to reduce the friction the soles of your shoes are able to create. As a rule of thumb if you are trying to keep your rope out of it you should try to keep your shoes out of it. If you do need to clean your shoes you can do so by hand. To clean the soles take a clean cloth and do a little scrubbing.  You can also take sand paper and lightly go over the soles, do this in a back to front manner and avoid side to side motion. It should be obvious that if you do this after every climb you will shorten the life of your shoes significantly.

Do what you can to avoid direct sunlight and heat.  While climbing on the sunshine slab may make this difficult, put your shoes in the shade when you are not climbing.  The base of your shoes are held in place by glue that is heated during the application of the sole.  Allowing your shoes to get hot will reduce the bond between your shoes and their soles potentially allowing them to delaminate, shortening their lifespan and reducing their performance.

If you spend much time at the local crag you have probably seen many climbers with big fancy backpacks with plenty  of room who have their shoes clipped onto the outside of their packs.  This is so those shoes can have the chance to dry out and get a little fresh air in an attempt to keep them from stinking.  Some climbers keep a dryer sheet in their shoes to help keep them dry and smelling fresh-ish.  One last note, if you are going to have your shoes re-soled (after all they are already broken in) do the re-soler a favor and either wash them by hand and give them a chance to dry, or stick them in the freezer for a couple of days.  The cold will kill the bacteria that makes them smell.  While this will only last until the next time you wear them but your re-soler will greatly appreciate it.

Recommended shoes manufacturer websites:

• La Sportiva (http://www.sportiva.com/)
• 5.10 (http://www.fiveten.com/)
• Scarpa (http://www.scarpa.com/)
• Evolv (http://www.evolvesports.com/)