Ripple Effect

* Thirty years ago, two young Vermont boatbuilders named Jim and Kay Henry founded Mad River Canoes on the basis of a single craft, the Malecite, whose revolutionary V–shaped hull achieved a unique blend of speed, stability, and grace. With a design inspired by Viking warships, the canoe carried Jim to victory during the National Open Canoe Downriver Whitewater Championships in 1971 and, 28 years later, performed the same service for his son, Dana. This winter, Mad River has added a few winning touches to the traditional boat. The Malecite Special Edition ($2,499) has all the signature features of its predecessor (cane seats and buttery lines), plus a few modern upgrades, such as walnut-wood inlays and a carbon-Kevlar hull. The craft's a gentrified classic, but still tough enough for backcountry pillaging.

* Used to be whenever you bought a folding sea kayak, you were forced to choose between a heavy (50- to 60-pound) full-size model with plenty of gear space or a lightweight boat with barely enough room for lunch. Not anymore. Feathercraft's new Kahuna ($2,280), made from a light-but-rugged welded urethane fabric, collapses into a single backpack, weighs only 35 pounds, and in 20 minutes morphs into a 14-foot, 9-inch expedition-ready craft. All aboard!

* The Astro rashguard from 2si ($42) is anatomically correct: ten panels of stretch Lycra sewn to hug each of the upper body's major muscle groups. Wear it alone, under a wetsuit, or anytime you feel color coding would accentuate your biceps (far left). * The only place the wildly patterned microfiber Party Pants from Immersion Research ($66) would provide effective camouflage is inside a giant fruit basket, but at least you can't see them when your legs are in the hull (near left). * Immersion Research's men's neoprene wetsuit top ($67) is half a millimeter thin, so it won't restrict your movement when you're reaching for that throwbag (near right). * Immersion Research's Women's Original Boatshorts($44) are colorful and tough (four-ply taslan), properly sized for the female form, and they have doubled rust- and blowout-proof snaps (far right).