SINGAPORE (Team Geared Up) - I watch Russell Davies blog for my interest in mobile technology and was pleased to see this little expedition of his. On his first (and last?) ascent of Ben Nevis he strapped Nokia N95 to his chest strap on his rucksack and set it to post live photos & GPS location to the internet every minute.

On the way up it worked for precisely three minutes. But, on the way down it worked for a bit longer, so this video is about an hour of descent from the top of Ben Nevis, compressed into a minute, down to about 1000m, where it stopped working. Not sure why. I like it though, it works as proof of concept. I’m not sure what the concept is exactly, but it’s proved.

Watch Video:

a bit of a descent of ben nevis from russelldavies on Vimeo.

The Flickr set of photos is worth looking at too.

Quirky, but a nice project.

-Robin

(Image Credit: Russell Davies Flickr Set)

Above we have the Exped Wallcreeper Sleeping Bag ($229) which is basically the drunken love child between a down jacket and a sleeping bag. At first glance you have a standard toasty down filled sleeping bag with a funny looking hood but then thanks to a bunch of zipper openings your sleeping bag then lets you to free your arms from the sides and put them in front side pockets and let your legs out allowing you move around or get out of your tent without you having to freeze your nads off.

If you are anything like me then you have watched to many movies like The Edge and Castaway and have now become completely paranoid that the next plane you get on will have you ending up stranded in the middle of Alaska or on an a uninhabited island and fending for survival. Ok maybe thats just me but anyway, (even though this kit isn’t as complete as mine) for $33 the Adventure Medical Kits Pocket Survival Pak is small and cheap enough to have in your backpack, car, boat, plane or just about anywhere you might need it to give you that extra edge in surviving if the worst case were ever to happen. It contains the tools you need to help yourself out of a bind – a signal mirror; fire starters; a whistle; duct tape; a sterile scalpel with disposable blade; a compass; heavy-duty aluminum foil; waterproof paper; a magnifying lens; stainless-steel safety wire; 10 ft. of 150-pound-test braided nylon cord; nylon sewing thread; a sewing needle; fish hook; sinker; swivel; a pencil; safety pins; waterproof survival instructions; and a Pocket Survival Pak contents list. You may think you’ll never need it but when the unexpected happens and you are caught stranded awaiting rescue without even a match stick, what are you going to be thinking then?

I love simplicity and multi use gear, so whenever I find one thing that can replace two or three things to make my pack lighter and more spacious I’m definitely going to choose that over a more cumbersome alternative. Now this won’t make a huge difference but the heat resistant, teflon coated and funky colored Light My Fire Spork Original utensil which is a fork/knife/spoon hybrid is the first step in lightening the load.

If you have ever hiked/camped in very wet or humid places like the Amazon or the snowy Alps, you know how much of a nightmare it can be to get a fire going. The Light My Fire Maya Dust is an awesome fire starter that will make your life a ton easier when trying to light a fire in soggy conditions. This fire starter contains 80 per cent resin and the result is an extremely hot flame. It comes in a 1oz waterproof snuff box that fits in your pocket and sells for $4.50 a pop.

Lighting is essential for outdoor adventure and camping, that is if you ever want to get anything done in darker conditions. So its obvious that one of the most important members to anyone’s kit is a flashlight of some kind. But in the end technology will ultimately fail us. Why? Energy. Eventually (unless you have one of those hippy solar powered/wind up/shake-to-power lights) your batteries are going to run out. When that happens, you need some kind of fail safe. “Another flashlight or batteries!” you say, sure in most cases this is the solution but on longer trips where your resources are limited to what you can carry and there is no where to recharge but you need just enough lighting to cook at night or hang out in a tent there’s this: The Nuwick 120 Hour Candle. Yes 120 hours! The Eco-Friendly, FDA approved, paraffin based candle will ensure light, heat and is even safe to cook with when you find yourself needing to go back to basics. You can safely store the 120 Hour Candle indoors, in your vehicle or in your backpack without the worry of harmful emissions or a potential fire hazard, because it’s non-toxic, and contains no dangerous chemicals or flammable fluids. The candle comes with six movable wicks, a can of wax, tweezers and matches, and retails for approximately $9.99.

When camping, a shower is usually a luxury. “Nay!” says the people of Sea to Summit, “The days of subjecting your fellow outdoorsmen to your stink are over!”. Check out the Sea To Summit Pocket Shower. When fully unfolded it has a capacity of 10 liters and a 20 foot cord that can be hung up on just about anything. Its super easy to use with a convenient little shower head that also functions as the on/off knob. When fully open you get about eight and a half minutes of shower time. Not bad for an incredibly small and light shower bag that zips into a three-by-six-inch pouch and weighs only 4.25 oz. $24.95

I’ve seen ponchos and rucksack rain covers but the clever guys at Sea to Summit have decided it makes more sense to combine the two for maximum protection from the wet. And I tend to agree. The Sea To Summit Siliconized Cordura Tarp-Poncho is basically an over sized raincoat that covers you and your bag and its versatile tarp like Ultra-Sil material makes it light and completely waterproof. It can also double and triple as a ground sheet and with its cleverly added built-in guy attachment points it can become a make shift shelter. For $79.95 its a little on the expensive side but good luck finding a poncho with this many features. So whether you are hiking in Ireland (zing!) or a hunchback caught in a hurricane, this is an essential piece of kit for you.

Outdoor multi-function sport watches are great for you are outdoors and using all of its crazy features but they can often look a little too military or high tech for general use so when you get back to the office you either look like you still got a piece of your RoboCop costume still on or just got back from Marine training. Meet the Suunto Lumi Sportif watch, the most elegant looking sports watch you’ll find. Don’t worry though just because its high fashion, doesn’t mean its low function. On the contrary this watch has a slew of features to whet your techie appetite. The Lumi Sportif has a day counter which lets you know exactly when the sun is rising or setting in over 400 locations world-wide. On treks, it also logs the duration of the trip and your altitudes. Its barometer forecasts the weather and provides storm warnings; and the digital compass always points you in the right direction. And if you ever wanted to know what different weather conditions were in French or English or Spanish or German, for that matter, not to worry because the Lumi Sportif boasts all four of these languages.

Last on my list, and this one was just for fun, is the Coleman 5-IN-1 Quickbed Convertible Air Bed. This is just because I’ve never seen a multi purpose air mattress or what equates to an inflatable futon basically. Here’s what Campist Blog has to say:

The 5-IN-1 Quickbed Convertible Air Bed offers various mattress configurations, so customize it to suit your camp configuration. Need to accommodate a couple of campers? Use the 5-IN-1 separately as two twin mattresses. Camping couples may prefer to zip the twin mattresses together for a king-sized bed to share. If you’re sleeping solo, stack and snap the two twin mattresses for a comfortable raised twin. If the sleeping situations are all taken care of, and you need a place to lounge, convert the mattress to a sofa, which includes two smartly designed cup-holders. The Airtight System is guaranteed not to leak, and made of exclusive PVC, the 5-IN-1 Quickbed Convertible Bed will offer durability for years of use. Retails for $44.99.

Well thats about it. Check back in for future round ups as I scour the internets for some of the best outdoor gear around.

-Alx-

TGU Video. Press Play.

LONDON, UK (Team Geared Up) - USA to Zurich, Zurich to London, next Ireland or Singapore…. who knows where this board will surface next!? Eitherway I enjoyed my first day of Longboarding today. Big thanks to Bustinboards.com for sending TGU a board for review (read our Bustin Boards Complex 42inch Review by Alx).

For an outsider like me to the sport of skating, Longboarding seems to have roots in the ‘outdoor community’. It’s widely compared to surfing or snowboarding and today I could see that. It’s also cooler and more practical. Although I’m not sure how practical any of this is unless you live in the rolling hills of California!

Descriptions of Longboarding vary. I’ve been trying to find some riding tips before hitting the tarmac today (literally)! I got a little worried when I came across this description of how to brake on wikipedia:

Air braking involves standing upright on your board as tall as possible with arms outstretched to catch as much wind resistance as possible. This is primarily done in speed boarding to reduce speed but is not an effective way to stop. This only works at high speeds.

Hmmm. Best to keep under running pace I think!

Here’s how the pro’s do it… this will be me in a few weeks :-) watch this space. In the meantime, watch Adam Coulton… incredible balance:

I would actually like to be able to ’slide’, aka using your hands with special gloves to powerslide. Looks great:

-Robin-

LONDON, UK (Team Geared Up) - Pat Phelan from Cork, Ireland, emailed me this morning to say MaxRoam is now live. This is a truly global project for all world travellers, backpackers & tourists!

This is “The Sim That Doesn’t Know You’re Travelling”…

MaxRoam lets you have local numbers in up to 50 countries all forwarding to one SIM card. From this SIM card, you can then travel to 100’s of countries and allow your friends/family call you on a local number at local rates. It gets better too, you don’t need to pay the local roaming rates of the country your in, MaxRoam has got much cheaper rates and will connect to its own network. e.g. check out the rates for New Zealand - cheaper than buying a pay-as-you-go Vodafone.co.nz SIM over there for your trip.

It gets better again - we’ve seen the new handsets Pat is about to launch. These things will connect to Wifi clouds too, allowing calls to be re-routed over the internet cutting out half the billing costs. Bring it on!

Pat Says:

This is a complete new departure for people hammered with roaming charges every day.

This is only the beginning of a road map which will see Cubic Telecom make a profound difference to the future of mobile telephony and enable the people who have been completely overlooked by the mobile companies keep in touch with loved ones regardless of where they are.

I’m hoping to be able to offer TGU readers the opportunity to buy MaxRoam SIMs through an affiliate link very soon but if you order today from Pat directly, you’ll be in for the chance to win an unlocked iPhone!

-Robin.

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Geared Up Blog) - I bought myself a yellow/black Suunto Vector yesterday. Some of the features on the watch are great. Not that i know how to use it fully yet. It took me a while to figure out just how to set the correct time, but once i looked at the manual it was easily done…. ;-) I know the main complaint people will have about the watch is that it is quite big on your arm but i don’t it at all. I’ve never really owned a watch before, always just had to rely on my phone as a way of keeping the time.

Suunto Vector is truly an instrument that you cannot leave home when planning any kind of outdoor activity. Hiking, climbing, off piste skiing all share one common feature in order to practice them safely, you need accurate, real-time information about the surroundings. And this is where Suunto Vector, a versatile device that it is, delivers.

Regardless whether you are climbing mountains, riding a muddy bike track, or skiing off piste, Suunto Vector will not let you down even in the toughest of the tough situations. It combines an altimeter, barometer, and an electronic compass with all the features of a sophisticated sports watch.

-Eoinod-

Head over to The Anti Hype blog where I will soon be posting a snowboarding playlist for you to test drive this baby with.

Features

* Motorola® Bluetooth® wireless technology
* DJ-Style Headphones
* One-Touch Mute
* Compatable with any iPodâ„¢, MD, CD, or tape player
* Removable headset included
* SoftFITâ„¢ Comfort Liner
* Removable Goggle Gasket
* Ultra Lightweight In-Moulded Polycarbonate Shell
* Quick Clipâ„¢ Earpads
* Zip Clipâ„¢ Ratcheting Chin Buckle
* ASTM 2040 / CE 1077 Certified
* Compatible with Bluetooth 1.1 or 1.2 phones that support headphones and hands-free profiles
* Compatible with devices that support Bluetooth Stereo Music (A2DP) and Control (AVRCP) Profiles
* Includes Motorola S805 Bluetooth Stereo Module

Anyway it’s called the Easyglider and according to Gizmag:

One of the more interesting personal transportation devices we have seen in recent times is the German-made EasyGlider - an electrically-powered wheel with a handle that offers a quite unique motive experience, exhilarating speed and a range of 35km on each charge.

I’ll go back to the running stuff now.

-Aisling-

Image credit: Gizmag

LONDON, UK (Team Geared Up) - The well-known ‘PC Magazine’ sent us a story by email today, to point out their article “10 Unsinkable Gadgets“.

Summer is the season to enjoy the great outdoors. But, being outside comes with its fair share of trials–including protecting your gadgets, from your cordless phone to your iPod. Thankfully, there is a host of waterproof technology that can stand up to the worst rains, and even float if your drop it overboard. Here are the Top 10 waterproof gizmos around.

Our favourites are, OtterBox iPod Case (mainly as they sent us one to review before!) and the Aquapac 100% Waterproof Headphones for swimming. The jellyfish pool lights may not prove to be quite as useful!

Continue to: 10 Unsinkable Gadgets.

-Robin-

This model plane has been modified to become a drone aircraft running on autopilot with a Lego brain!

LONDON, UK (Team Geared Up) - Chris Anderson of The Long Tail fame has built a DIY Drone model plane controlled by Lego with his young son. It has Lego Technics cogs inside controlling the rudder, elevator and ailerons using the Lego MindStorms processor for navigation.

Let me repeat - this thing is autopilot - they’ve programmed it to stabilize itself by detecting tilt, and it navigates by using a compass sensor to know direction. They give the clever MindStorm Lego brick waypoints to follow and off it goes. Their next step is to integrate a Bluetooth GPS unit for greater accuracy and programming ease.

They’ve hung a camera from the bottom of it that supplies a live wireless video feed back to the ground, and Chris has taken the video and YouTubed it (see above). There’s more on GeekDad.com.

-Robin-

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) - Via Mobiles to Go I came across ‘Bones In Motion‘. It’s an application for on your mobile phone that hooks up with its internal GPS (or a bluetooth one, I suspect).

While you’re out running, it will download maps on to your device and plot your route on it. It’ll record your run, and do all sorts of stats at the end.

Fast-forward the video above to ~1 minute in to get past the scripted infomercial (why do they bother?) talk and get into the product demo. It does look good.

-Robin-