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Archive for the ‘Shelter’ Category

NEMO Equipment Donates Sleeping Bags to Hurricane Sandy Survivors

Monday, November 19th, 2012

We recently found out about a good turn that NEMO Equipment paid to their fellow Hurricane Sandy survivors. They provided us with this press release.

Our neighbors in New York and New Jersey have been hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, a fire that destroyed over 100 homes and a Nor’easter that buried the still standing homes and wreckage under several inches of snow earlier this month. While we know New Yorkers are a resilient bunch, we also know they need our help. With guidance from Robin Hood, NEMO has sent 50 sleeping bags to St. John’s Bread and Life in Brooklyn.

“We had sleeping bag samples left over from our 2011 Adventure Product Testing Program that we had set aside with the intent of donating; we just hadn’t yet picked the organization. When Hurricane Sandy and the following Nor’easter hit, we knew there’d be a need. We’re glad to be able to do something for our neighbors in New York and we’ve put the word out to other outdoor industry companies, hoping they’ll jump on board,” said Cam Brensinger, president and founder of NEMO.

For more information on how you can help in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, you can contact Robin Hood or The Red Cross.

We are BIG fans of NEMO Equipment. It’s not just about the level of innovation that they bring to shelter systems but more importantly, they are great people. And it’s things like this that show it. If you want to invest in quality outdoor equipment then take a hard look at NEMO Equipment.

Kifaru Adds Weebie to Lineup

Wednesday, October 24th, 2012

Kifaru has introduced the Weebie to their popular field blanket-style sleeping gear lineup. It’s intended for use by children. Manufactured from the same lightweight DWR coated RhinoSkin face fabric and Climashield Combat insulation as the Woobie and Doobie, the only difference is its smaller size; 61″ x 61″.

Sorry no photos yet but it’s available in reversible Coyote/OD or Coyote/MultiCam.

www.kifaru.net/woobie

MSR – Luxury Lite Mesh Cot

Tuesday, October 16th, 2012

Introduced during OR Summer Market, MSR’s Thermarest brand is offering the Luxury Lite Mesh Cot. I just tried this sample out during an industry get together courtesy of Open Range. It’s very cool. The longest component is 12″ and it can be broken down for carriage or stowage.

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As you can see, it gets you just off the ground but the design flexes to support your body. Definitely beats sleeping in the dirt.

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The mesh cover is lightweight and available in a variety of colors. Lengthwise, it is supported by 2 shock corded poles. It is suspended off of the ground via 12 circular nylon feet which accept aluminum poles that arch for tension to keep everything taught. It’s a real slick set up. What amazes me is how compact and light it is. It’s under 3 lbs complete. This is how big it is stowed.

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Open Range Service Group can support unit or agency orders.

openrangesg.com

T1 Sleeping Bag Introductory Offer

Thursday, October 4th, 2012

The T1 Sleeping Bag from Tactical Assault Systems has arrived. As an introductory sale through the month of October they are only $99.99, $70 off the retail price. This bag features a removable mosquito head net and thermal face cover, a waterproof bottom to prevent moisture from coming up from the bottom, and reinforced foot area for sleeping with footwear. Made with Primaloft Insulation. Sale ends October 31st, 2012.

Full Feature list:
• Primaloft Insulation Technology
• Rugged waterproof bottom prevents moisture from coming through
• Inner shell made from 210T Ripstop Nylon.
• Flat filled insulation to prevent cold spots
• Reinforced footing to prevent damage from boots or footwear
• YKK Zippers
• Anti-snag zipper with Velcro tab closure
• Draw cord in hood
• Internal misc pocket (holds extra thermal hood)
• Comfort temp: 5ºC (41ºF)
• Extreme temp: -5ºC (23ºC)
• Squared compression sack utilizes more space in packs.
• Length: 91″
• Width: 32″(at shoulder) 20″(at feet)
• Weight 3lbs 2oz

www.extremeoutfitters.us

Strike – Hold! Covers The Jerven Fjellduken

Tuesday, September 11th, 2012

Norway’s Jerven Fjellduken has been described elsewhere as a “space blanket on steroids.” Strike-Hold! recently published a write up on the Mountain Tarp which is constructed from a non-breathable, aluminum-lined water and wind-proof material. Available in 5 different models, it can be used as a shelter or sleeping bag.

The coolest thing about the Fjellduken is its specialized camo pattern. As you can see, it’s well suited to Norway’s mountainous terrain.

Check out the article on www.strikehold.net.

US Made Mountain Serapes Now Available from HPG

Thursday, August 16th, 2012

Hill People Gear has announced that they are bringing Mountain Serapes back regularly and these latest deliveries are made in USA! The Mountain Serape is a fantastic 3-season multi-purpose garment/sleep system.

Hill People Gear told us how these are different from previous models:
-Made in the US out of US materials (which required the price increase)
-Based on feedback from Joe when he was using one on a helicopter in Afghanistan, we added a hook on the drawcord so you can go into greatcoat mode without using the zipper if you want to
-The material is a little beefier, resulting in a finished weight of 2.5 lbs
-The zipper pull on the main zipper is an “over the top” so it can be manipulated from either inside or outside of the Serape
-Insulated with Primaloft insulation quilted to the inner shell only. This makes the piece a little bit warmer and more weather resistant

They are available in Ranger Green and MultiCam with a Ranger Green liner.

www.hillpeoplegear.com

Darley Days Ft Drum – Eureka Rapid Deployable System

Thursday, August 9th, 2012

Shown at yesterday’s Darley Days, this Rapid Deployable Shelter from Eureka! turned some heads.

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Designed to interface with TEMPER tents, the feature that is drawing folks to the RDS is its articulated unique frame system. It kind of reminds me of those mobile vestibules many use for picnics. You stretch the frame out and use pins to keep it from collapsing.

What’s really neat about it is that you don’t have to lift parts up into the air and held them in place while you get everything lined up.

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The RDS also features replaceable windows and the skin is made from a PVC coated, high tenacity polyester fabric.

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www.darleydefense.com

OR – Sierra Designs

Saturday, August 4th, 2012

It’s common knowledge that down is a great insulator but that it loses it’s insulative properties when wet. About 18 months ago Sierra Designs began investigating technologies that would help down to continue to perform even in wet conditions.

Ultimately, after rigorous testing, they chose a treatment called DriDown. But, before that could happen, one of the challenges that Sierra Designs had to surmount was the development of testing protocols to ensure consistent performance measures regardless of down treatment. They’ve offered them up to industry and are open to investigating other methods as well.

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This example is of a shake test. At this point the samples have had 349 shakes. The example on the left is DriDown, the middle a competitor and the right untreated down. By the way, DriDown shakes out wet at 3725 shakes on average.

DriDown is a polymeric treatment. This means that it will take longer (10x) before you need to take shelter before your down becomes unviable. It will also dry 33% faster than untreated down. This could very well translate to insensible perspiration as well.

It looks to be a very promising technology and I look forward to hearing about how it performs in the field.

www.sierradesigns.com