Team Geared Up

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND (Team Geared Up) - Ah, electricity.  One of those natural and fundamentally important parts of our everyday life. The greatest achievement of man could arguably be our ability to harness it and in an increasingly electronic focused society it hard to get away from, even in the great outdoors. However the following gadgets I’ve come across are probably not what you were expecting to read about.

The first one, pictured above, is the UDAP Bear Shock Electric Fence, now if Alec Baldwin and Anthony Hopkins had one of these in The Edge, it would have been a whole different kind of movie. Designed for those who decide to ignore all the clearly labeled warning signs along the trail on their Alaskan hiking expedition and eventually pitch tent in the thick of the middle of Grizzly territory and not have to worry about have their arm bitten off.

The Bear Shock ultra-lightweight and battery-powered electric fence system lets you sleep soundly in the backcountry by securing your 30-by-30-ft. camping area in which to set up your tent and gear. The Bear Shock electric fence delivers a 6,000-volt shock when touched – that’s enough to scare off any bears that wander a little too close for your comfort. Great for backpacking and camping, the Bear Shock electric fence weighs just 3.7 pounds with its two D-cell batteries, which will provide enough juice for approximately five weeks of continuous use, and it packs up in a small 5-by-20-inch storage bag. Don’t leave your safety to chance, buy the Bear Shock electric fence for $299.95

Next up we have something a little more conventional. A power generator. But this is no normal generator (what did you expect? its techie tuesday after all…). This is the Millennium Cell and Horizon Fuel Cell HydroPak Power Generator and its a generator like no other. Co-developed by Singapore company Horizon Fuel Cell and American firm Millennium Cell this tiny 8.6 x 8.2 x 3.9 inch 2.6kg device is small and light enough to even fit in a big rucksack. The device uses a refillable hydrogen cartridge, water activated system to create clean green energy. Energy output peaks at 50W and can generate a maximum 270watt hours per cartridge and has a 110v AC power supply and two 5v USB ports. The best part is that they are claiming it will give you enough power for 30 days after activation! Production starts second half of this year and the unit runs for about $400 and each cartridge costs $20. Check out the video below to learn more.

Having lived in topical areas for most of my childhood I know what kind of danger lighting storms can be. Getting hit by lighting is rare but not as rare as some of us think. Its also very hard to tell on out own how electrified the air is and how prone we are to getting hit by lighting. This little device is called the SkyScan Lightning Detector/Storm Warning Device and it does exactly what it says on the box.

The Lightning Detector/ Storm Warning Device is designed to recognize distinct electromagnetic charges from lightning to tell you how far away it is and the direction it’s moving. The Lightning Detector features four LED alert lights that signal you when the lightning is at ranges of 0-3, 3-8, 8-20 and 20-40 miles, giving campers plenty of time to seek shelter from the storm. The 9-Volt batteries will give you up to 70 hours of use. The Lightning Detector/Storm Earning Device retails for $225.

-Alx-