Olympus Stylus Tough 8010

Olympus Stylus Tough 8010

These days it seems everyone wants to share photos from their latest adventure with friends and family. Whether it’s Facebook, Flickr, or good, old-fashioned email, we love to brag about out adventures with pictures and videos. The Olympus makes capturing those images and videos a breeze. That said, the real value in the Stylus Tough 8010 is the beating it can withstand. Waterproof to 33 ft, shockproof to 6.6 ft., and freezeproof to 14˚ F, the Stylus Tough 8010 sports a 14 megapixel still camera and is capable of shooting 720p high-definition video. The tap controls allow you to navigate the menus while wearing gloves and the 5x optical zoom lets you get closer to the action. The one thing we would have liked to see on this camera is a GPS to allow for automatic geo-tagging. Next time…
$399
www.olympus.com

Petzl Tikka Plus2

Petzl Tikka Plus2

The Tikka/Zipka line of headlamps from Petzl has been one of the most hyped line of products in recent memory. So, why all the fuss? We tested the Tikka Plus2 for several months and we’re happy to report that we believe the hype. The Tikka Plus2 features both white and red LEDs with continuous and strobe features in both colors. In addition an economy mode is available in white to save batteries. The Tikka Plus2 can burn as bright as 50 lumens, casting a beam up to 35 meters and will last up to 140 hours in the economy mode. The Tikka Plus2 is powered by 3 AAA batteries and will accept lithium for ultralight and cold weather excursions. The battery compartment is very easy to access while still maintaining an IPX4 (water resistant) rating so there is no worries about getting caught in a passing storm. A low battery indicator will illuminate when the lamp reaches 50% battery life and the beam will only illuminate 5 meters. The push button was easy enough to use even with gloves and there was not a single report of the lamp inadvertently being tuned on in a pack. The lamp remember what color LED was last used and returns to that color when turned on but we would like to see it return to the mode as well since we often use economy mode.
$39.95
www.petzl.com

Apple iPad

Apple iPad

The new Apple iPad may just be one of the best things to happen to travelers in a long time. Adventure Travel often does not allow for taking of a lot of discretionary items and I often travel without much in the way of electronics but that is not always an option for everyone. If you blog on the road or are ‘backpacking’ Europe, the iPad may be just what you need. Offering the ability to read books, watch movies (even in HD!), surf the internet, and utilize some of the 225,000+ Apps, the iPad is the ideal choice for  your entertainment and education venue on the trail. And because you can also download iWork (Apple’s suite of office software) it’s perfect for the travel blogger on the go. Although if you are looking to do a lot of content creation, we might suggest a low-profile bluetooth keyboard. If you need internet access away from a wi-fi hotspot a 3G version is also available and a camera kit that connects to the iPad via the dock adapter is available and allows you to read SD and CF cards.
$499-$829
www.apple.com

Starbucks VIA Instant Coffee and Instant Iced Coffee

Starbucks VIA

In October of 2009 Starbucks released its version of instant coffee, VIA. Backpackers, don’t let the term ‘instant’ scare you. VIA is created using a new way of ‘micro-grinding’ coffee that tastes as close to a cup of brewed joe as you’re likely to find in ‘instant’ form. Starbucks offers Colombian medium brew, Italian Roast (bold and delicious) and Decaf Italian Roast (why?), and as of June 2010, VIA Iced Coffee. VIA is truly the first instant coffee that can pass for coffe. And, the iced variety will even dissolve in cold water to produce a nice glass of pre-sweetened iced coffee. We could do with a little less sweetener in the iced variety (or perhaps an unsweetened variety??), but having struggled for so long to find good, portable coffee on the trail, we’re not going to hold this against Starbucks just yet.
$5.95 (5 packets)
www.starbucks.com

Adventure Insider Magazine – September 2010

If your married to the idea of nostalgia, single copy runs will be available on MagCloud next week. Until then take a look at the PDF and let us know what you think.

Petzl Adjama

I’ve climbed in Petzl harnesses for years. They were the first to the market with the auto double back buckles and I loved the ability to loosen up my leg loops while hanging out between climbs and belays. When it was time to retire my old Petzl Calidris I began shopping strictly for a Petzl harness and ended up with the Adjama. I was thrilled with the light weight and how incredibly breathable the harness is. There is nothing better for sport climbing during the summer months. The unmolded rear gear loops are great when wearing a backpack and your harness. While the harness is not excessively padded the fit is excellent. I have never experienced any pressure points while hanging, even for long periods of time. If you know anything about the Calidris harness it had two waist belt buckles so no matter what you were wearing you could always have the harness centered on you body. I was spoiled. The Adjama only has one waist belt buckle and most of the time it centered and fits well; however, the occasional day of Ice climbing led to an acceptable but less than desired fit. Like I said I was spoiled. Most harness only have one buckle. I miss the twin buckles and the ability to completely remove the harness by unthreading all of the buckles to take it off without having to step though anything at all, it just peels off (useful while wearing crampons). My only real gripe about the Adjama is the front gear loops. They sit too far forward on the waist belt. It makes the gear very easy to reach, but more times than not the gear ends up on the inside of your leg. Highly annoying when climbing long trad pitches. I thought it wouldn’t be a problem, but after just one season in the harness I am one again shopping for a new one.

Quick Review:

Design: Light weight climbing harness
Retail: $85.95 (Buy)

Why it’s hot:

• Highly Breathable
• Light Weight
• Double Back Buckles

Why it’s not:

• Front Gear Loops
• Only one waist belt buckle

http://www.petzl.com/