As a company that sells shin guards and gel inserts for bike shoes, you'd think cases for Apple iPads would be a stretch. But new to the product line at G-Form LLC, a company based in Providence, R.I., are cases made for computers. The link from shin guards and knee pads to cases for laptops and Apple iPads is found in G-Form's special impact-resistant foam, a spongy material that's flexible when you push it with a finger. But strike the...

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Best Outdoor Ski Suite

If, by "cool-looking" you mean you want to look like a Bond girl, then Bogner's Ski Suit Marly ($2,699; bogner.com) is the one-piece for you. Fully waterproof and breathable, the Marly has all the bells and whistles to keep you warm, but enough bling to get the attention of everyone on the mountain. The suit's back, arms, and chest have flower motifs embroidered with silver thread and Swarovski crystals, and the removable fur-compatible hood...

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10 Women's Summer Swimming Essentials

Whether you're cooling off during a weekly swim in the local outdoor pool or training daily for a triathlon in a state-of-the-art aquatics center, you'll want to outfit yourself with gear made for the pool. Presenting the 10 best summer swimming products for 2011, from suits to shampoo. Right before you jump in, rub on some DermaSwim pre-swimming lotion ($14; dermaswimpro.com). The thick, white cream blocks the absorption of chlorine into...

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best lightweight camp stove for cold environments

The 13-ounce Primus Gravity II MF ($144; primuscamping.com) is a great option. Here's why: It burns white gas, kerosene, canister gas, and petrol, so if you run low somewhere along the 120-mile trail, you'll have a better chance of finding a refill from a local. Another handy feature: The stove has a low center of gravity and boils a liter of water in three minutes, which means your pot of pasta primavera won't A) tip over and B) take forever...

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Sierra Designs Lightning HT 2 Person Backpacking Tent - FREE Footprint

Any person looking for a large backpacking tent for two (or a luxurious solo tent) will want to take a look at the Sierra Designs Lightning HT 2 person ultralight tent as it is a great blend of space and weight. Coming in at just under 4 lbs. this tent can easily be split between two, and with its unique design that creates steep sidewalls you will be impressed by the amount of space you get. Don't get stuck in another claustrophobic tent when...

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SPOT Satellite Messenger

SPOT's Personal Tracker device is the world’s first satellite messenger. Utilizing both GPS satellite and SPOT's own network, the device is able to report its location to friends and family even in areas without cellular or wireless coverage.  SPOT's Satellite Messenger has a battery life that lasts up to a year (using 2 AA lithium batteries), global coverage, the ability to track your position using Google Maps, and 9-1-1 alerting for life-threatening...

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This best selling pack by Gregory Mountain Products, the Deva 60, uses the Response AFS Suspension System to maximize comfort on the trail.  With plenty of pockets to choose from and multiple points of access the Deva 60 makes it easy going for retrieving all your necessities. Features: * Response™ AFS Suspension * Women’s specific fit * Top, front, side, and bottom access* Front...

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Best Running shoes: Inov-8 RocLite 295 Trail Running Shoe

Trail running and walking shoe with high levels of comfort, breathability and performance. The patent pending Fascia-band aids propulsion efficiency of the running cycle. Good underfoot cushioning makes the 295 ideal for hard surface tracks and trails. Aggressive lugged rubber outsoles deliver superb mixed-terrain performance with durable and flexible traction on a variety of surfaces Dual-density Rocshoc™ midsoles provide...

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The Best Survival Knife

I like it! That's actually a great skillset. Most of us carry some sort of knife, but I know that I probably tap only a tiny fraction of its potential use. I get a kick out of watching Bear Grylls (Man vs. Wild) devise shelters and spears and various survival items with his knife—even using it as a sort of axe by pounding the back of the blade with a stone or heavy stick to give it more punch.Anyway, this isn't the place for a multi-tool knife....

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Best Minimalist Overnight Backpack

I should think that anything around 2,500 cubic inches will suffice. The wild card is whether you need to carry water, and how much. Otherwise, the load you describe will fit nicely into a typical day pack, with room for food and clothing and Wild Turkey.A great example would be the Osprey Kestrel 38 ($139). It has 2,300 cubic inches of capacity, plus adequate external stowage for poles, a jacket, that sort of thing. It's a simple top-loader...

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THE BEST SLEEPING PAD

Far and away, the self-inflating kind. Not so much due to comfort, but because the old-style "air mattress" you're thinking of are co-o-ld. Self-inflating pads have insulation. This is a key factor in almost all conditions, as ground is cold almost everywhere.The other big factor is weight. In my mind you want about the lightest pad you can find. I really like REI's Lite-Core 1.5 ($75). It's pretty comfy, and weighs only 27 ounces in the full-length...

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Best food for a 15-day trekking expedition

Breakfast. Pretty easy. These days I just tend to take some Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain bars, dried apricots, and a whole bunch of Starbucks Via instant coffee. Starbucks Via ranks alongside Vibram soles, closed-cell foam pads, Gore-Tex, and the internal-frame pack as one of the Greatest. Backpacking. Things. Ever. Lunch. Really hard. I mean, what can you pack for lunch on a long trip? On trips up to four or five days I take bagels, peanut butter,...

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The BestTravel Pants

Yes and no. There are several decent pants out there that do a pretty good job of taking you from a pilgrimage to the café to the gallery. They also all sort of scream "I am a tourist!!!" That's because they're what tourists wear. Sort of like Americans and baseball caps.A good example is the Arc'Teryx Palisade Pants ($129). Similar to Arc'Tery'x higher-end soft shell trekking/climbing pants, the Palisades have a nicely low-key look, coupled...

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best boots for a long hike

Is it possible to find a comfortable boot for a trip like this? The boots you have now clearly don’t fit, so pretty much anything will be an upgrade. Still, you're asking a lot for one pair of boots. The desert part is the most difficult. You'll want boots that are fairly light, breath well, and won’t cook your feet. In the desert, water protection isn’t an issue, but for the East Coast and other areas, getting a waterproof boot is key. One...

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Best lightweight two-person tents

Oh, there are a zillion tents out there. It’s largely a matter of what style you like, and maybe even what the tent looks like. The Big Agnes Jack Rabbit SL2 ($279) is typical of what should work for you. It’s a well-made, four-pound tent that accommodates two people. The upper section of the canopy is mesh for good ventilation, and it has a full-coverage fly for ample weather protection. It also has twin doors and twin vestibules, which means...

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Timex Global Trainer GPS Watch

It has an absolutely huge face, but Timex's Global Trainer GPS Watch makes checking your vitals (speed, distance, heart rate, elevation, and more) a snap, and it's lighter and less unwieldy than it looks. If you're a multi-sport athlete, it's nice to have a device that you can use for running, cycling, and swimming, and that describes the Timex Ironman Global Trainer. The Global Trainer's multi-pane display may be configured to show the performance...

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