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Outside Magazine October 2002

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What's in Store
A look at the shimmering swag of tomorrow
By Bob Parks


	(Illustration by Alex Ostroy)

THINK WE'VE ALREADY BIKED, skied, climbed, and trekked past the golden age of gear? Hardly. New materials, technologies, and imaginative leaps will make the next ten years of equipment development even more thrilling than the last 25. During our reconnaissance tour of 21st-century swag labs, we glimpsed the future through the eyes of enterprising engineers, industrial designers, and chemists. Some of these ideas are about to hit the shelves, others are being tested, and some...well, let's just say they're out there. Here's a peek.

2002
FASHION THAT SAYS "BUG OFF"
MOSQUITOS, blackflies...bring 'em on. You'll be a human windshield in Ex Officio's new BugAway duds, a line of insect-repelling outdoor garb. In November, the Seattle company will start selling long-sleeved crewneck shirts ($59), pants ($69), and other items treated with Healthguard System3, a textile coating developed by Australian chemist Chris Harvey. In tests, BugAway garments lower the frequency of bites through cloth from ten per minute to almost none.

2004
MAKE MINE TELEPINE
OR SHOULD THAT be randomark? Alpinée?



	(Illustration by Alex Ostroy)

Whatever, the grand convergence of alpine, telemark, and randonnée ski gear is at hand. Black Diamond Equipment in Salt Lake City is beta testing prototypes of releasable bindings that will convert from free-heel telemark to locked-heel alpine mode. Boots will be similar to current high-end plastic telly models like Scarpa's T1. Skis will be light and wide for powder, but stiff enough to hold on hardpack. Cost for the forthcoming go-anywhere ski package? Around $1,000.

2006

(Illustration by Alex Ostroy)

GET SQUIRRELLY
"TREE TENTS TAKE the portaledge into the forest," says Kelty president Casey Sheahan, 47. Tree camping means more available sites and better ventilation. Burlington, VermontÐbased inventor Tim Steiner, 53, recently caught Sheahan's eye with a two-person, four-season prototype tree tent called the Woodland Comfort. To pitch it, you'll wrap nylon lines around three sturdy trunks 13 to 35 feet apart—using bark-friendly web collars—then ratchet the whole rig up tight, securing the platform at about waist height.

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