While i’m not a huge camper or backpacker ~ i’ve always had a fascination for the wonderfully efficient products that come out of their needs! They pack down to nothing ~ make use of every pound and every inch… multipurpose mixes that normall wouldn’t happen ~ somehow work! Tables ~ Cookware ~ Lighting ~ you name it ~ its some of the most functional and uniquely designed stuff out there! And i was just fascinated with the latest from Snow Peak! They’ve even made the jump that all the impressively modular camp kitchen ware and let it work at HOME in a gorgeous wooden outdoor table set! And their latest for this year ~ the Tulip lamp works in every which way ~ stand alone, hanging in your tent, bedside, you can get creative with it. I also adore the little round bamboo tables that work as well at camp as they do for kids or as a coffee table, and it folds up to make space into a nylon carrying bag. And as for unexpected mixes ~ how about a spatula that can turn into a fork or…. well check it all out on the next page! I love how these new products allow you to seamlessly transition your camping/adventuring gear into usable goods at home ~ or vice versa!

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Tags: cooking - furniture - gifts - home - lighting - outdoors - shopping

Denham introduce the the winter edition of their torpedo crew and diving suit inspired Nautilus jacket. The men’s winter coat comes in Loden wool with heavy white ripstop canvas re-cut from vintage winter tarpaulins sourced from Dutch military surplus.

The new Denham Garment Library RECUT version, the Nautilus D.G.L., features stitched tape reinforcements and a removable cowl (modeled after a simple Royal Navy dress tunic), a style originating in naval flash gear, for which the hoods and shoulder pieces helped protect the heads, faces and shoulders of torpedo crews and is reminiscent of frogman diving suits with (the sort GI Joe used to wear).

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Tags: coats - fashion - gifts - men - outdoor - outdoors - shopping

This post is part of a NOTCOT series on inspiring, independent design thinking, brought to you by Saab. At Saab, we believe in independent thinking. It’s in everything we do. Learn more here.

Doesn’t that picture just scream: HAPPY? I bet you’re smiling right now. (If not, what’s wrong with you?) As you may have noticed, we’ve got a soft spot for swings. So imagine our delight at discovering the crazy swing installations from Jeff Waldman and the Awesome Foundation’s LA chapter. For Waldman swings are a way of “finding pure joy were from our childhood” and he picked some pretty incredible locations for his swings. Waldman’s been tracking the awesome swingification across the globe in his facebook gallery. And for a peek into some of our favorites ~ as well as videos ~ take a peek on the next page!

p.s. Can’t wait to get back to LA to go hunt a few of his down, add more of our skateboard swings around, and swing to our heart’s delight!

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Tags: installation - kids - outdoors

There’s no denying that Kindle Living has some of the nicest heat lamps around. In fact, its surprising that there aren’t more designs that make better use of people’s natural tendencies to cluster under heat lamps… love that these are beautiful designs (though a bit alice in wonderland with the HUGE scaled traditional looking lamp look), more functional than purely heating - with the ability to provide lighting, cocktail tables, and even customized shades and more. But what’s most fascinating that i just discovered, is HOW they are actually assembled. When researching heat lamps for my friend’s patio, we started reading up on all the details, and discovered the assembly guide filled with pics! Surprisingly easy, i’m tempted now… even though it doesn’t get THAT chilly here! Take a peek on the next page!

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Tags: furniture - gifts - home - lighting - outdoors - shopping

Gorgeous! And so simple, minimal… just found this Schwenkgrill Rohstahl (Raw steel pivot grill) and Feuerschale Rohstahl (Crude steel fire bowl) over at the awesome German, Manufactum! While the fire bowl is beautifully tempting on its own already ~ when you add the grill pendulum/pulley set up above it ~ with controllable height, much like work out equipment… it becomes EVEN more interesting and functional! Take a peek at closeups on the next page!

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Tags: cooking - food - gifts - grill - home - outdoors - shopping

Thermochromatic goods seem to come and go and never quite disappear… remember when American Apparel brought it back and AZFN did their version too? Well latest to run into is Stone Island’s Heat Reactive Jacket “A hooded bomber jacket in cotton nylon canvas with thermosensitive liquid crystals, the garment changes colour according to the temperature. The fabric of the heat reactive jacket is treated with a thermo-sensitive coating that changes colour at high temperatures. Beginning at 27 degrees the molecules within the micro- capsules of the external strata undergo a rotation modifying the light course. The colour of the garment gradually begins to morph from the dark colour of the surface coating to a much lighter and brighter surface colour. When the garment returns to a normal temperature it recovers to its original dark coating colour.” It is available in black that turns Green or Blue. Check out the dramatic video and more pics of it in action on the next page…

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Tags: fashion - gifts - outdoors - shopping - technology

Remember the Stacks Skateboard decks? And the random idea i fixated on to make a fun swing out of a skateboard? Well when popping by ikea, ran into the $14 Ecorre Swing and couldn’t resist using some of the parts with the skateboard… so on silly little experiments ~ here’s a look at trying it out in the tree!

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Tags: gifts - kids - outdoors - shopping - skate

Swinging us back towards man made design (vs the little nature sidetrack of posts!) ~ here’s a sneak peek at something i wish i had on this trip!!! While at Oakley HQ ~ i got a quick lesson on military gear ~ and really amazing to hear some of the design/user experience stories. I also had no idea quite how much military gear Oakley made (they’ve been in partnership with the US Armed Forces since the 80s)… also this is where many of their most innovative patents arise! (If you’re curious, apparently Shot Show is the place to go keep up on it all in person ~ and to browse online check out - US Standard Issue - Oakley’s Military & Gov’t Sales site.) Incredibly ergonomic, thoughtful design ~ and some smart fun details/research that luckily creep over into their retail lines as well!

My favorite discovery was the MultiCam pattern LSA (Land Sea Air) Boot ~ ridiculously lightweight, dries nearly instantly (drainage mesh in the soles), super grip soles, and even fits into fins… drop in from the air into the sea, swim up to shore, and you’re already dry and good to go. Well, your feet anyhow. Now adapt that to civilian design, and it becomes a stunning black/grey super water shoe with a design that is oh so oakley, and far more fun than other water shoes on the market! Bring the height up a bit, and i’d give up my dive booties for it! I’m wishing i had these right now for running around in the low tide over all the coral shrapnel! The LSA Boot wont be available for military until later 2010… and this civilian super water shoe is merely a prototype… but let’s keep our fingers crossed that it makes it in to production! See more shots of it all on the next page!

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Tags: fashion - gifts - military - oakley - outdoors - shoes - shopping - water

Good morning 3am London ~ it’s been quite the evening with Nike Football/Soccer, running around and ending up on buses with ~400 international press folks ~ ending up at Battersea Power Station in the rain with its huge purple projections, only to delve deeper into what some felt was like a bat cave or villainous lair of lights and steps and shiny new products to tempt us with. But the main attraction announced tonight (with the help of Cristiano Ronaldo) ~ was what all this purple was about! And my favorite part of course is not only the new shoe, the Nike Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II… but the magical glowingly purple glass/cement box that looked like an apple store in a shipping container. The purple dots on the glass became smaller and smaller until you could see the wall of shoes hung upon them… On the next page see pictures of the installation, the new Nike Mercurial Vapor SuperFly II, the new Nike Football+ iphone app (with twitter/facebook integrations), design sketches… and the full press release!

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Tags: fashion - football - gifts - london - nike - outdoors - shoes - shopping - soccer - sport - travel

On exciting CES launches to poke at in person next week ~ Liquid Image (who started with the scuba goggles with integrated digital still/HD vid cameras) ~ is announcing the Freestyle Series Swim Camera Goggle and the Summit Series Snow Camera Goggle. So now you can use their handsfree wide angle still/video cameras in the pool or in the snow… and actually with the goggles, you can use them anywhere as a wearable handsfree camera since you won’t have to breathe through your mouth if using them out of the water! See more images and details on the next page!

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Tags: ces - fashion - outdoors - scuba diving - snow - sport - swim - technology - water

On upcoming things to look forward to at CES ~ Liquid Image ~ the ultimate underwater third eye cam? A new level of strap-on waterproof wearable tech? But this really would be pretty fun for everything from diving to playing in the pool, bathtub, hot tub, fish tank? And the images aren't bad with the camera coming in a 3 and 5 megapixel option for pictures and videos! See examples below!

Another option? How about they have strap on bluetooth camera/headset in my mask/regulator? and then my phone can just come with in a drysack? With voice activated "email image to..."? And while we're at it might as well add a heads up display in the mask? and google maps with gps and instead of traffic it could have current tracking? with a dot for where i am and where my boat is? Ok ok, so maybe getting a bit out of control here, since my favorite part of scuba diving was always that serene relatively tech/internet free peacefulness of the vast unknown under the surface.

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Tags: camera - gifts - outdoors - photography - shopping - technology

Gift Guide Day 7 is all about your SNOW DAYS! Being in socal, its currently *freezing* (for a socal girl anyhow) but no snow... i kind of feel like if its going to be this cold, we might as well have the pleasure of the excuse to use a snowball chuck... anyhow, for those lucky enough, here are some toys and gadgets to have some fun with that frosty weather.

p.s. and if you don't like it one page at a time ~ see my favorite view with all the guides so far on one page.

Tags: gift guide - gifts - outdoors - shopping - travel

"The 24th Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow will take place from 24 to 27 January 2008. Year after year, the organizers manage to tempt the world's very best polo players to St. Moritz. The Cartier Polo World Cup on Snow is part of the Polo World Tour, which includes the roughly thirty top tournaments that take place annually worldwide. This makes it the world's most prestigious polo tournament on snow." I just noticed this on Area Daily, and had to share it... and add it to the "things to see one day" list.

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Tags: hotels - outdoors - travel

Indigo Snow ~ snowboards, skis, helmets, goggles, glasses, and all accessories you need... The combinations of woods, leathers, and 3d snake skin designs are unlike any i've ever seen before... they speak for themselves, so see my many collages below for a feel for their collection. Isn't that green incredible? And the black snake print is beautiful as well! The helmets are just as impressive with a fusion of wood and leather, perfectly topped off with their goggles!

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Tags: accessories - gifts - outdoors - shopping

Can you ever be too old to learn to skateboard? Ok, wait. Don't answer that? I grew up with a lot of friends and family heavy into the skate scene, and i was/am that girl that obsessed about the graphics and design of all the parts... but the combination of wood and gorgeous graphics on the decks at Arbor Sports just grabbed my attention tonight (while doing some sourcing for an upcoming awesome gift guide!) and the Koa Bug one has me totally smitten... and dying to get one and roll around the boardwalk or something. Funny thing is these guys are just a few minutes away in Venice Beach, and i've driven by them a million times going to the airport, and have still yet to stop in and check out the store... must do that soon, and get you some pics! Also with my new love, the vinyl cutter, would LOVE to get a woody board to do some stickering design of my own on! More breathtaking images below...

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Tags: gifts - outdoors - shopping

I know i said i couldn't find anything i was desperately craving to put on wishlists this year... apparently as soon as i posted that i stumbled upon the Sagaform catalogs and have been pretty smitten with the whole Sagaform "lifestyle"... and their classically clean swedish lines and colors and approach to designing objects... so my huge collage of a wishlist is below... from watering pots, beautiful knife/cutting boards, carafes with wood to hold them closed, black mini-gym/yoga sets, a clear hotpack with a metal disc within, 30$ hiking set (was on the gift guide), genius "easy shopper" grocery bag that perfectly fits across a cart, a picnic trunk with built in TABLE, and more...

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Tags: gifts - kitchen - outdoors - shopping

Gift Guide Day 15 is for all those design loving Weekend Warriors who know their gear looking good on the shelf is JUST as important as how well it performs when needed to save your life, take on the great outdoors, etc... and that pic is of a magical swedish fire starter, but you already knew that.

Tags: gift guide - gifts - outdoors - shopping

As much as i'm not a snow person, when i saw this incredible fold up sled with shock absorbers on Born Rich, i suddenly wanted to be bouncing and sliding down a snow covered hillside... Some great quotes from their site "Only 6 1/3" flat when folded. Take it from the boot to the piste in a jiffy." - "Corrosion-resistant aluminium andbreak-proof polycarbonate." - "No longer miss out on high-speed sledging fun, just because there is no space for bulky sledges in your car."

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Tags: gifts - outdoors - shopping

Rogue Status have teamed up to create a special release of 333 specially designed and numbered snowboards, and they are sweet enough to tempt me to buy one so i can make a gorgeous bench out of it in combination with Vitamin Living's Powder Seat (picture below as well)... anyhow Rogue Status is most memorable to me for their guns as art patterned shirts, bicycle seats, hoodies, etc... and these boards are the perfect combination of both ~ gorgeous wood with subtle patterns, that upon closer inspection you realize are patterns of guns and and ammunition belts - and this whole collaboration is very local, both brands being based right here in Venice - it's also nice to hear what mutual admiration they have for each other brands: “I’ve been a fan of Rogue’s approach to in your face, stop and think art since their tees started showing up around Venice,” said Arbor’s President, Bob Carlson. “For Arbor, guns as art, not instruments of urban destruction, is a message we embrace. So working with RS on a collaborative design has been a great way tell a larger story with our boards.” “Arbor is our local snowboard brand, they’re our friends, and they were the best choice when it came time to design a snowboard,” says, Yo Esbensen, Rogue’s President. “I’m into their use of real wood and bamboo, and their long-term dedication to using environmentally friendly materials.”

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Tags: gifts - outdoors - shopping

*Drool* The last thing i expected this sunday night was to find myself desperately wanting to see one of these new North Face 485 Collection coats in person... but i'm pretty blown away by the images and concept so far. The Tagline for the collection is "Artistic design meets extraordinary performance." This mix of sophistication and multipurpose usage (look good AND survive that freak blizzard) has quite possibly completely raised the bar for coats in my closet.

From their site: "The North Face presents 485, a premier outerwear collection that breathes and urban, artistic spirit into trusted quality and technical construction. Let these sophisticated silhouettes accompany you from extreme outdoor environments to sidewalk settings." These are a mix of Primaloft, Goretex, and down ~ delivering warmth and comfort while waterproof and breathable... not to mention how sleek they look! More images below. Love the whole jet black with red details for the tag, etc inside... mmm. (oh wait, just noticed on the paragon sports site that they have other colors... their choice in the other colors is making me question things slightly...) via Uncrate

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Tags: fashion - gifts - outdoors - shopping

Oakley's line of wearable tech has evolved once again... and its certainly improving! If you recall, i reviewed their O ROKR and Thump 2 almost exactly a year ago, and i was pleasantly surprised when a white boxed beta of the Split Thump showed up today. They've really cleaned up the design quite a bit, and it is now possible to be far more 007 like with these... removable t-rex arm ear buds (with an adorable little classic oakley pouch for them, even with a divider in the middle to keep them from destroying each other) and the external buttons have been incorporated into the logo (which has been enlarged and aesthetically looks far better on the glasses)... and they are sounding better as well. Bottom line? These glasses can actually look like normal sporty sunglasses when you aren't listening to music, giving you the flexibility the others lacked. Anyhow, take a look below for the unboxing, close ups, and a some photo comparisons between the Thump 2 and the and the Split Thump.

Oh, and if any of you are thinking ~ but wait some of the big tech blogs hated it... i just reread all those posts, and they have been following their predecessors who all hated the concept to start with - and its so sad that some of those sounded like whiny poor techy ipod lovers who probably aren't huge fans of outdoor sports. But anyhow, i might be in a ranty mood... these are definitely making my potential gift list... although it says "coming soon", i've heard that these will definitely be shipping in time for xmas.

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Tags: accessories - fashion - gifts - mp3 - oakley - outdoors - reviews - shopping - technology

NOTCOT Note: Here's another article from Anna Corpron of Sub-Studio!

Living in New York, I don't get to fish much, but Sean and I both grew up fishing with our dads and have a healthy appreciation for an idyllic day on a river or lake. I would love to have Christina Angliker's Fishing Knuckles - basically a bum's fishing kit that you can keep with you at all times. Not only a fishing rod, Fishing Knuckles is a protective device and a fashion statement. Though, it might be a bit more fashion than function - I'm not sure how you could reel in a fish without cutting your hand on the line. Christina recently graduated from Pratt and her website is definitely worth checking out - I appreciate that she includes so much of her process on the site. Also, her Peace Buttons shown below are a beautiful physical interpretation of a "wound"...

p.s. if these feel familiar, these were also seen as NOTCOT.org #1599 back in the day.

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Tags: gifts - jewelry - outdoors - shopping - sub-studio

Nalgene - its not just a container... now they are using it as packaging! Brilliant and noteworthy move by nalgene which has already spread into so many markets - for being basically a container manufacturer... so its for scientific purposes, then outdoors, then travel/airport security checks, then kids, then various caps and kits and flasks... and now you can get Auto, First Aid, Preparedness, Heat Stress, Dog, and Kid kits! All in your usual 32oz classic nalgenes... each with a signature color for branding naturally. All of the contents of each kit are listed after the jump as well as more pics... and if you don't find something like the First Aid or Preparedness kit as tempting as i do to leave in the car, etc... well it's just an interesting idea... make your own! I'm sure you have a bunch of nalgenes unused around the house too.

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Tags: gifts - health - outdoors - shopping

While on my Puma kick... (yes, i tend to get excited and research about things in bursts)... we had the Marcel Wanders collection for Puma Beach Ball linked as .org #4644, which took you to see the pics from the launch party at Tokyo design week... and somehow i never got around to finding the actual products over at Puma. So yes, i'm late, BUT their black and white goodness warranted a post of their own. I want this canopy/tent! And the pool floaters. And the beach towels. Absolutely gorgeous. Some pictures of my favorites below - and view the full collection here - it is "a collection for those who hate camping: The collection introduces portable, sophisticated products for the city dweller looking to enjoy the outdoors without compromising looks or convenience."

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Tags: fashion - gifts - outdoors - shopping

i|m active: There are hair things and there are hair things... and there are hair things in great packaging... foil ziplocs! AND great labeling as well as an ActiveHold Technology TOUCH window! And seriously, how can you resist that. Well beyond the great packaging... this line of active hair accessories actually has a whole new kind of grip on the outside! It weaves two types of rubber strands on the surface of the bands for extra grip, as well as having no metal clasp (the connector actually looks a lot like heatshrink). I picked up the elastics, as well as the head wraps which look like giant elastics (instead of their other wide flat headbands) - in addition to their extra tension claw clip/elastic hybrid (more images below!). And i'm impressed, my buns and ponytails aren't going anywhere as much as i shake my head... nor are my bangs that tend to escape! What else is in the line? Barrettes and award winning shoelaces! all with the same grippy technology.

Now for the unexpected part - i|m active is by the makers of Industrie which produces high end salon tools... which are a business unit of Newell Rubbermaid. Yes, THAT rubbermaid... of tupperware, etc.

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Tags: accessories - fashion - gifts - outdoors - shopping