Review: The Other Stuff

Casting for brown trout in a tiny stream with a standard five-weight rod and line can be like trying to toss a golf ball into a shot glass. To keep you from playing the klutz, Sage (800-533-3004) has developed the 080-3 SPL Center Axis, the first zero-weight fly rod-and-reel combination. Nearly as slim as a car's radio antenna, the eight-foot, three-piece graphite rod has a medium action that's reassuringly stiff yet pliant enough to make a 10-inch catch feel like a trophy. It's an angling anomaly right down to the reel, which is built directly into the butt of the rod to distribute its trifling three ounces unobtrusively. The oversize spool picks up line quicker than most and reduces the chance of bird-nesting the coil. Assuming there's no wind, conducting a light-handed cast couldn't be simpler: The thin-core line settles onto the surface of a gin-clear, spring-fed creek without disturbing your prey. Of course, the price of such a specialized instrument may give you pause — or palpitations: rod, reel, and line sell for $845. Yet when those neurotically skittish browns close in on your gossamer offerings, even the most adroit of fisherfolk will angle for a way to justify the outlay.

— Patrick Joseph

Canon 10x30 IS Binoculars

The problem with choosing binoculars has always been this: You need awfully powerful lenses to scout distant crags or zero in on an elusive herd of bighorn sheep, but too much power can make it next to impossible to steady your view. Well, with their 10x30 IS ($960), the folks at Canon (800-828-4040) seem to be saying "problem solved."

IS stands for "image stabilizer," and though Canon has used the pioneering technology before, this is the first time it's showed up in a package managable for schlepping into the woods. The trick is in the prisms; instead of being fixed, they're flexible and can be manipulated by electric pulses to compensate for any jostling of the housing. With the press of a button, you activate tiny circuits that correct the prisms 50 times per second, providing all the counterbalance you need to identify rock striations from a jouncing jeep or an oncoming vessel from a heaving foredeck (a task also simplified by the easy-to-grip, water-resistant rubber casing). And though the focus is a bit slower than you might like, the fine optics make up for the delay with a sharp, bright, true-to-color image. In fact, the only notable downside is that the stabilizing hardware, including two AA batteries, adds a good deal of weight and bulk; the decision to tote the IS represents nearly a pound and a half of commitment. But at least you'll save an ounce or two by leaving the Dramamine behind.

— Roseann Hanson

Petzl Meteor Climbing Helmet

While most dicey outdoor pursuits come with a helmet to match, rock climbing's lids have never been, shall we say, overly popular with its practitioners. But to the delight of craggers of all abilities, the new Meteor from Petzl ($76; 800-282-7673) sets a precedent in both construction and, believe it or not, style. Much like a modern bicycle helmet, the Meteor consists of a foam core with a polycarbonate shell, which yields a refreshingly light helmet — eight ounces, half the weight of any other. As a bonus, it's surprisingly presentable, even at a hot spot like Wild Iris. Yet you don't sacrifice safety: The Meteor will withstand greater side impacts than older models, something you'll appreciate should you wind up in a pendulum fall (you know, the one where you sweep the wall like an inverted wiper blade). Firming up the fit is simple: Turn the three ingenious adjustment dials to press squishy foam posts against your skull. The Meteor handles ventilation with eight side holes, while its solid roof provides protection from such flotsam as plummeting icicles or hurtling stones — though it probably won't protect you from its namesake projectile.

— Gregory Crouch

Kevlar Hiking Laces

Kevlar, once exclusively the stuff of bulletproof vests, is quickly surpassing titanium as the most coveted material in outdoor gear, working its way into products as diverse as bike gloves and snowboards. And now it seems to have filtered all the way to the bottom — literally — in St. Louis Braid's new Trail Creek hiking laces ($5; 800-231-0540). The company boasts that its product is twice as strong as any other — a claim that's hard to quantify but, in light of a recent tug-of-war in our offices, is also hard to refute. Granted, this latest application isn't nearly as sexy as, say, keeping a .38 hollow-point from piercing your left ventricle. But at least it can lend you peace of mind when you're hauling a 60-pound load — something we dare say you'd rather not do with jury-rigged laces.

— Claire Martin

Photograph by Eric O'Connell,
Kayak courtesy of Wild River Sports, Santa Fe