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Outside Magazine October 2001

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Gadgets

Compass Spotting Scope Sports Watch Secret Agent Watch Small Tools Machete Laptop

COMPASS
Brunton Eclipse 8099
GPS-wielding gearheads might scoff at the choice of a compass in the 21st century, but when you drop your $500 digital navigator on a routine stream crossing or lose battery power on McKinley's West Buttress, the Eclipse 8099's precision bearings and secretly stashed emergency instructions will get you back home safely before the search-and-rescue helicopters take flight.
$80; 800-443-4871; www.brunton.com
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Hey, Mr. Giraffe, Lookie Here!
If you're spending time in big-critter country, you need some real optics to catch the action. The PENTAX PF-80ED spotting scope is the new standard for wildlife watching. An objective lens cut from special Extra Low Dispersion glass ensures that there's no distortion at high magnification, and at a wide 80 millimeters it puts out



	Pentax PF-80ED

images that are crisp and bright. But it's the PF-80ED's interchangeable eyepieces, made with Pentax's premium ground glass and sold in magnifications from 18- to 72-power (most binoculars magnify at a paltry seven- to ten-power), that will have you counting the fleas on Tantor's tushie. Bonus: Should you dump it in a warthog hole, the scope is waterproof down to one meter.
$1,320; 800-877-0155; www.pentax.com
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SPORTS WATCH
Casio G-Shock
Worn by record-setting diver Bret Gilliam, beloved by 90 percent of Hawaii's North Shore lifeguards, and issued as standard equipment to U.S. Navy SEALs, Casio's venerable G-Shock watch combines otherworldly reliability with worldwide tide graphs, multiple alarms, and stopwatches, all in a case that can withstand subzero temps and 200-meter depths. Best yet, it comes at a price that won't break the piggy bank.
Starting at $79; 800-962-2746; www.gshock.com
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Best Secret-Agent Watch
The TAG HEUER KIRIUM Ti5 watch should be the fastest watch in the world, what with its no-rust, super-strong, titanium case, lightweight carbon-fiber face, and indestructible band made from the Vulcanized rubber of F1 racecar tires. Yet, the Kirium Ti5 still only goes 60 minutes an hour. But oh what glorious minutes they are.
$2,500; 800-321-4832; www.tagheuer.com
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Tools That Rule
Can't fit your toolbox in your backpack? The SOG POWERLOCK has every implement you could need, including a lanyard, a three-sided file, one-handed flip opening, and a compound gear system that enhances the pliers' gripping strength for removing deep-set hooks from brookies or clamping off the nostrils of your snoring tent partner.
$80; 888-764-2378; www.sogknives.com

Backpacking gourmets, take note: the LEATHERMAN FLAIR has a fork for olive appetizers, a blunt knife for spreading caviar, and a four-star, waiter-style corkscrew for your '95 Opus One, along with Leatherman's standard knife, scissors, and pliers.
$70; 800-762-3611; www.leatherman.com

For bigger jobs, you can't beat the SCHRADE CLIPHANGER. The knife is sharper than Einstein, opens with a deft flick, locks tight, and sports a snap-fit leash that keeps it secure on your belt.
$30; 800-272-4723; www.schradeknives.com
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Ain't No Jungle Thick Enough
The BEAVER TAIL MACHETE cuts coming and going and won't hang up on the back stroke when you're fighting your way through a thick curtain of vines. The wide blade adds heft, good for a relatively short cutter, and the military-style handle (with lanyard) has a flange that improves grip and whacking power. The Beaver Tail can reduce deadwood to kindling, dig a quick latrine or fire pit, or chop the heads off your fish. Carry it in a sheath or stow it aboard your canoe, and forge deep into the wild. --John Sellers
$23 at Ontario Knife Company; 800-222-5233
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Worship Me



	APPLE POWERBOOK G4 TITANIUM EDITION

Open up the APPLE POWERBOOK G4 TITANIUM EDITION on the boardroom table for your sponsorship pitch, and you'll make a statement of power and influence. The G4 is a mere inch thick, weighs 5.3 pounds, and is sheathed in the same strong, light, and fetish-friendly metal used to build ice axes and turbine blades. With Apple's supercomputer-inspired Velocity Engine processor on board and a huge 15.2-inch screen, you can watch your favorite DVDs on the redeye to Charles de Gaulle.
Starting at $2,599; 800-692-7753; www.apple.com
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