Material Research

Seeing as now all 7 of us have taken hold of specific directions, there has been many questions of what kind of materials we will incorporate. In performance gear, there are many things to consider. The nature of the environment these products will be used in requires extra strength and durability, often waterproofing and antimicrobial qualities as well. Working with light weight materials is absolutely necessary.

Taking a larger view, we have a desire and obligation to consider every aspect of the life span of these materials, from cradle to grave. This requirement leaves us looking in two different feilds for answers. Recycled materials, while being a super good option for using the means we have instead of resorting to fresh elements, still can have a harsh process with all that must be done to make them fit for reuse. Alternative materials, like Hemp and Bamboo have certain characteristics that are beneficial, but the processing for bamboo material especially is consequential.

And as things tend to come down to, the price point of our chosen materials is a huge factor. We believe that there are not enough quality options at price points that make sense. We want to provide the best, with the least material necessary, and the best price for what we deliver. These products should not be of an elite status simple because they are expensive. This goes into a very deep pool of thought that we have skimmed the surface of together. Expect more on this topic.

We were fortunate enough this weekend to meet with a fellow avid adventurer, Erica Tess. We met Erica at Patagonia while preparing for our Ecuador trip, and besides selling us some great clothing, she was stoked to hear about our plans to climb and design at the same go. Erica herself is interested in designing performance apparel and is studying at FIT. So over some strong coffee, we were able to give her a recap of our experience, and get some insight from her on what it's like to obtain fabric samples, find performance materials, and what kind of recycled materials are manufactured, and where we can find them. And then of course we dreamed of the possibility of finding funding and starting our own design studio. Many thanks to Erica, and we look forward to working with her further!

LED SURFER

A Night-time Snowboarding Short Lights Up the Last of the Winter Snow.

http://www.nowness.com/day/2012/2/16?ecid=ema1642&CID=

Mountain Tech

Three innovative outdoor accessories that make the future now.

Innovations in on-mountain tech offer enhancements that increase both fun and knowledge.

http://www.coolhunting.com/tech/on-mountain-tech.php

http://www.reconinstruments.com/products/mod

HOTCAN

Check out this cool design. These HOTCANS have been around for quite some time, used by both the british forces, and those hopeless at cooking, heres how it works: "Inside is a can of food surrounded by an outer can and in the space between the two cans is a water sachet and granular limestone...When you insert the spike into the three holes in the top rim o the can this pierces the water sachet, the water then flows into the limestone and a natural reaction occurs between the limestone and water which produces heat. This warms up the food inside the can and within 8-12 minutes it will be a perfect eating temperature of 60-70 degrees Celsius. "

This isn't exactly as sustainable as a stove or campfire, but it has something to it that just makes you think "survival."

CONCEPT FOR POWER IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Check out this article from Core77 today about a portable wind turbine prototype:

http://www.core77.com/blog/technology/frog_future_or_fiction_revolver_turbine_prototype_21740.asp#more

world view

This is a great article of health and the outdoors. We all know why we love it, but, unfortunately, not everyone has the same lifestyle. BBC talks about it in their article here.

Best Made Company

Thoughtful gear and tools.

http://www.bestmadeco.com/

Themal Energy into Electricity

The BioLite Stove is designed to "make cooking on wood as clean, safe and easy as modern fuels while generating electricity to charge phones, lights and other electronics off-grid." The BioLite team explain:
"Open wood fires are inefficient, wasting potential energy and creating toxic smoke due to incomplete combustion. Carefully designed stoves that use fans to blow air into the fire can dramatically improve combustion. However, such stoves require small amounts of electricity to power their fans and most people who cook on wood are without grid or battery access.
BioLite stoves solve this problem by converting a fraction of the fire’s thermal energy into electricity to power our combustion improvement system. Excess electricity is made available to users for charging small electronic devices such as mobile phones, LED lights, GPS and many others."

http://www.biolitestove.com/BioLite.html

The first two weeks of January 2012 we all took a trip to the Ecuadorian Andes. My family, hosted the group in a farm close by to the capital city, Quito. During this time, we had a great experience climbing a few of the mountains in the northern region of Ecuador. We reached the summit of Pasochoa (13779 ft), Illiniza Norte (16,818 ft) and Cotopaxi (19,347 ft). We also did some rock climbing and a short backpacking trip to the crater lake of Altar. During these travels we all experienced and analyzed some of the areas of design we want to explore. Here are some images of the adventure and stunning landscapes.

Manastash / eco-friendly clothing

Manastash is an outdoor brand, established in Seattle, USA in the year 1994.
Its philosophy is to make the best possible clothing, using sustainable materials, such as hemp or recycled fleeces.

http://www.manastash.com/en/keyword/index.html

Pedometer wristband

Pedometer wristband motivates schoolchildren to be active

MOVband is a wristband pedometer designed to motivate and reward exercise.

We’ve already seen wristband devices designed to motivate kids into physical activity, but what makesMOVband different is that it is available to schools through a loan program, which could encourage a far wider uptake of the device.

MOVband was created by a teacher and fitness instructor in response to rising child obesity in the US and budget cuts in schools that have caused a decrease in physical education. It was designed to be simple, stylish and accessible, ensuring kids will want to wear them and can use them easily. The black band — priced at USD 19.99 — displays the number of steps made by the wearer and comes with a range of colored accessory bands — USD 4.99 each — that wearers can “earn” once they achieve certain mileage. In this way, the device aims to promote exercise through friendly competition between individuals and groups. For schools with minimal budgets, MOVband will initially loan the wristbands for a fundraiser challenge, then take payment from the money raised. The video below explains MOVband in more detail:

Statistics show that child obesity figures in the US have trebled since 1980, and also that more active children perform better academically. Can you think of more ways to inspire children to stay active?

Website: www.movband.com