Okay…so I know that I am a little late in posting this since Outdoor Retailer was in late January. Upon returning from OR, I took a little holiday to south Florida for a mid-winter warm-up. Then upon my return, Pittsburgh received the most snow in a single month on record (thus preventing me from flying out to Ecuador to cover the Huairasinchi Adventure Race). And, since most of the gear spotlighted below won’t be available to the general public until at least spring…we are still very much ahead of the curve. And, can you ever get too much info about new gear for our wish lists?

The North Face Kishtwar Jacket
The North Face Kishtwar Jacket is a new softshell that features Polartec® Power Shield® Pro fabric which the manufacturer tells us will deliver the best combination of breathability and weather protection. I for one can’t wait for this jacket to show up on my front porch. Features: Alpine fit • Fully adjustable fixed hood • Two hand pockets • One chest pocket • Non-abrasive molded cuff tabs • Hideaway hem cinch cord
$279

Teva illum
The Teva illum is a redesign of my footwear of choice…the flip flop. What sets this ‘flop’ aside is that it contains a detachable LED Pedlamp for lighting up the area in front of your feet for those early morning scrambles down to the water’s edge. Other features: Spider365 rubber sole • LED light waterproof up to 3 feet
$60 (leather) and $50 (synthetic)

Primus EtaSolo Camp Stove
Single person cooking systems are note new to the market but I was intrigued with a few of the features that the EtaSolo will bring to the table. The EtaSolo will boil 0.5 liters of water in just over 2 minutes (and they claim that it will have lower fuel consumption) and will cost about $15 less than other models on the market.
$100

Brunton Flip n’ Drip
At over 40 years of age, I have never tasted coffee. Yet, I am drawn to this product nonetheless. The Flip n’ Drip is compatible with most camp stoves and brews up to 16-ounces of your favorite hot beverage. It contains a reusable mesh filter.
$60