Looking for an all-purpose windbreaker to take hiking? Well this jacket really *is* all purpose. This transformer of clothing can turn from a jacket into a backpack into a pillow, depending on your needs.
Xip3’s “Hybrid Revolution Gear” turns from jacket to backpack by flipping straps out from a pocket in the liner and folding the body inside. It has zippered compartments, which provide about the same amount of space in either mode (760 cubic inches–equivalent to a small day pack).
if you jog or bike after dark, you doubtlessly know the dangers of being out on the streets with traffic. Drivers can’t see you well, especially at twilight when the eyes are struggling to adjust to rapid changes in available light, so it’s important to aid them by making yourself a little more noticable. You can spend lots of money buying reflective vests, anklets, belts, dangly sticks, etc., but this Jog-a-Lite Cut’n Peel Stick-On Tape tape from REI is an inexpensive way to modify your existing exercise gear.
Just cut off a strip and tape your outfit with any marks you want (it also works on bicycles and helmets). The reflective vinyl tape will help drivers to see you better, and the product description promises it will stay stuck in cold and wet weather. It’s also supposed to be resistant to abrasion, so it’ll last for a good long while. Of course, at $5 it’s not that expensive to replace.
The reflective tape is available in white or lime green.
One of the hardest parts about skiing or snowboarding is sitting in the wind and cold on the lift rides up the mountain. With other winter sports such as snowshoeing and cross-country skiing, your body is always working, so it’s pretty easy to stay warm. That’s not usually the case with downhill skiing or snowboarding though. Even if you have good gloves, the wind always seems to sneak in around the wrists. That’s why some bright person invented Wristies Wrist Warmers.
These fingerless gloves are longer than usual, extending halfway up your forearm. They’re thin enough to be used as inserts beneath your regular waterproof gloves, but heavy enough to keep your wrists nice and warm and protected from the wind. $11 gets you a pair from the Snow Shack. (Kids and adult sizes available.)
Whether you’re skiing or just running around town this winter, your hands can get cold when the temperature drops. These heated gloves look like the perfect gift for someone who spends time outdoors in a cold climate. I know I’d love them for skiing.
Each glove is powered by 4 x AA batteries, which will give you 8 hours of warmth on the high setting or 6 hours on the low setting. The gloves are also warmed with “Thinsulate,” which is supposed to give you breathable warmth even when the heating element isn’t turned on.
Available from Hammacher Schlemmer for $25, the gloves come in medium, large, or extra large.
Heated Gloves
Activa is one of my favorite places to shop for workout gear, because all the shirts and pants I’ve gotten from them have been of a high quality that last a long time. I bought my first gym outfit there almost two years ago, and even though I wear it two or three times a week, it’s stood up well (most other things seem to develop holes in, uhm, private places in that time) to all the active stuff I do.
Anyway, I found one of those web sites that keeps track of online coupons*, and they’ve got a section for Activia coupons. There’s a coupon code up there right now for free shipping, so I may just have to check things out.
*Paid link
Okay, ladies, it’s time to stop borrowing your boyfriend’s/father’s/brother’s for hiking and walking (or even worse, just buying the men’s socks to start with because they always seem cushier…).
These X-socks are specifically designed for you. Some of the high-tech features are duckbill-shaped foot guards to protect the entire toe and instep area and Lambertz-Nichols Achilles tendon protectors to guard that sensitive area beneath the ankle. Special air-flow channel systems ventilate the sole of the foot, and a heel protector is supposed to keep you from getting blisters.
You can get X-socks that are designed for Nordic walking, power walking, running, skiing, golf, or trekking (I’m not sure how trekking is different from walking, but I’ll take the manufacturer’s word for it). More information at the company’s site:
Whether you’re a runner, a hiker, or a tennis player, you probably like to do some of your exercising outdoors, especially when it’s warm and sunny. The sun can be rough on your eyes, though, so you might be tempted to put on a cap of some sort. I don’t know about you, but hats always make my head hot. That’s why I was interested by the Brooks HVAC mesh hat.
Just about any old sports cap with a bill will keep the sun out of your eyes and let sweat evaporate, but this hat goes a step further. Not only is the area under the bill black to combat the sun, but the hat has inner panels of “silver-infused, thermo-regulating HVAC” that dynamically move heat away from your head to the cooler bill, where it’s then released. Not bad, hunh? As you’d expect, the cap is adjustable for a custom fit.
The price? $20 from the Running Warehouse.