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Outside magazine, December 1999	Page: 1 \| 2 \| 3 \| 4 \| 5 \| 6 \| 7 \| 8
Holiday Gift Guide 1999 Electronics \| Camping Gear \| City Wear \| Beach Toys \| Y2K Provisions \| Bike Stuff \| Stocking Stuffers \| Books

Live that free-and-easy surf lifestyle— or just co-opt it

Check the deck of this nine-foot tri-fin (model 297, $769; 831-479-4944) from Surftech and you'll expect it to maneuver like a whale: It looks like solid wood. But the core is polystyrene covered in a spiffy veneer of tropical rosewood and three Fijian exotics (uko, damanu, and kaudama), which means you'll be riding a 17-pound joy, not a pier.

Though it may not be apparent from their ads, which seem to be showcasing skimpy bikinis, Reef actually makes footwear. Consider the boldly bright Blossom Sandal ($20; 800-423-6855), thick-foamed and plush, and with a toe thong that's actually comfortable. Or the Lilly Sneaker ($45), which offers the same fun-loving pizzazz in a shoe.

To produce its new line of brine-worthy watches, Fossil enlisted the conceptual savvy of Ignition, a design house that blueprints everything from cell phones to fire trucks. The D-Teq ($65; 800-449-3056) tells time in two zones, sports two alarms, and has dual lap timers. The Brain ($75), meanwhile, has all that plus an on-screen help menu.

So what if The North Face has relocated to landlocked Colorado? The company hails from California, and its roots show in the Cabo surf trunks ($40; 800-719-6678). They're fast-drying, faster-looking, and shimmery enough to inspire envy among every last lustrous cetacean at Maverick's.

The Miami Vice tropical shirt ($46; 800-576-4004) from Quicksilver is much more Steve McGarrett than Sonny Crockett. Granted, it's 100 percent polyester— like Sonny's white pants— but the surf-photo print is pure Maui.

Smith's Southbound shades ($70; 800-635-4401) cover all the beachfront bases: Milky blue, nearly translucent frames wrap back ever so slightly for side protection; a squarish silhouette imparts a smidge of Jackie O class; and ray-zapping defenses live up to the company's reputation.

A high-tech update of a pre-skateboard scooter, the K2 Kickboard ($299; 800-972-4063) eschews the pine slat and T-handle for injection-molded aluminum and shock-absorbing fiberglass. A telescoping steering post turns the two front in-line skate wheels, and a heel brake on the back wheel prevents high-speed disasters. It has a certain geek chic, but there is a limit to how cool one can look on a scooter. Better to use it for transportation than social calls.