My report on Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008 continues (click here for the previous installment):

Spotlight on the Spotlight

The “Spotlight,” distributed in the U.S. by Essential Gear, is a rechargeable LED flashlight with a unique charging mode. It is designed to recharge by slipping into the 12-volt power outlet/cigarette lighter receptacle in your vehicle. The trick is that internal regulation ensures that the nickel-metal hydride battery doesn’t overcharge from being left in the power source. That’s death for Ni-MH batteries and a potential Achilles heel for any such concept. Building the regulation circuitry into the flashlight was the key innovation.

Having a fully-charged flashlight always available and conveniently at hand in the vehicle addresses the flashlight-as-storage-for-dead-batteries syndrome that’s common for the typical flashlight in the glove box.

Inserted into the outlet, only the head is visible. It glows dimly red while charging. You can simply leave it there until needed. The anodized 6061 aluminum body, available in 10 colors, is 2 inches long by 0.875 inch diameter at the head, 0.81 inch body diameter. Weight is 1.6 oz.

The switch is a rotary head switch with a very noticeable detent for Off and On. The 0.5-watt 5mm LED produces a tightly focus beam claimed to shine 90 feet and is protected by a toughened glass lens and the light is submersible to IPX7 standards, 1 meter for 30 minutes. Run time is given as 120 minutes with charging time from a totally drained batter of 7 hours. MSRP is $19.95

Various accessories will be available including a neck lanyard, “Super Socket” adapter to allow continued access to the power outlet while charging the Spotlight, a “Fender Friend” with a flexible neck and magnetic base for roadside repairs and a 120V wall-outlet adapter

Leatherman’s Getting Serious About Lights

Leatherman had previously dipped it’s proverbial toe into the LED flashlight waters with combo packs of some of their tools and a pretty generic key-chain light and then a branded 3 x AAA-cell LED light exclusively for Costco (the Monarch 500), but at OR they debuted their new Serac line of pocket-sized LED flashlights, a far more serious and much better effort.

While these are again made overseas, they represent Leatherman originated design and engineering concepts and a higher build quality of the sort that we expect from a Leatherman product. Their stated aim was to provide a higher value for the consumer in each size and illumination power.

Common to all three lights are Type III hard anodized 6061 T6 aluminum bodies, tail-switches, gold-plated contacts, single battery regulated power and a 10-year limited warranty. The switches require a noticeable amount of pressure to get them to “click” and there is no momentary ON, reducing the potential for inadvertent activation and battery depletion. Flats are machined around the bodies for a better grip. All the lights are rated as waterproof to 3.28 ft (1 m), though the literature did not give a time period.

The Serac S1 and S2 are both single AAA-cell lights with a common body and non-recessed tail switch. The S1 has a Nichia 5mm GS-K1 LED recessed into a conical aluminum bezel “reflector” opening and providing 6 lumens output. Battery life is listed at 11 hours with the provided alkaline battery.

The S2 features a 3-watt Cree XR-E LED with two illumination levels, 4 and 35 lumens. It is seated into a stippled reflector inside a stainless bezel. A toughened and double anti-reflective coated lens protects the LED. Once switched ON, the S2 alternates between the low and high settings by tapping the tailcap switch lightly. When initially turned on, it will provide the alternative illumination level to what was last used. So, if you were using low, it turns on next at the high level, which I found disconcerting. I’d prefer to see it always turn on at the low level since it’s so quick and easy to switch to high. You often don’t need the high level of illumination and there are many times when it can be counterproductive, even if on just briefly. It’s not a terribly serious issue, but I did find it annoying.

Battery life is rated at 10.5 hours on low and 45 minutes on high. The latter isn’t too surprising given the minimal capacity of the alkaline AAA-cell. They don’t provide any specs for a lithium AAA-cell. That would provide more power density and better cold-weather performance, as well as saving 3.9 grams (0.14 oz).

The S1 and S2 are 3.23 inches (8.2 cm) and 3.48 inches (8.84 cm) long, respectively, and 0.56 (1.42 cm) in diameter. They weigh in at 1 and 1.1 oz. (28.3 and 31.2 g), respectively. A stainless, reversible split arrow clip and a removable split ring (for keychain carry) provide lots of carry options. MSRP is $25 and $50, respectively.

The S3 is powered by a 123A 3-volt lithium cell. The 3-watt Cree XR-E LED provides three illumination levels, 7, 43 and 100 lumens, which are accessed the same as in the S2, by tapping the tailcap switch in sequence. Like the S2, the S3 turns ON at the next level of brightness in the sequence. If you were at low, you get medium, at medium you get high and at high you get low. The recessed tailcap switch, which I prefer, adds to the protection against inadvertent activation. Not quite as good as a lock-out tail cap, but a big improvement.

I liked the reversible wire clip which is held securely in a groove machined into the body, one at each end. As with the S2, the S3 has a stainless steel bezel, stippled reflector and toughened and double anti-reflective coated lens.

Length of the S3 is 3.2 inches (8.13 cm) with a diameter of 0.9 inch (2.29 cm). Weight is 2.6 oz. (73.7 g). Battery life is rated at 36 hours (low), 4 hours (medium) and 1 hour (high). MSRP is $70.

All in all, an impressive first effort by Leatherman as they make a serious push into the LED flashlight market.

Cord Lock Light

A new company, Black Crater, introduced their unique Cord Lock Light. That’s pretty much as accurate a description as you could come up with. They have integrated a white 3mm LED into a cord lock. Their tag line, “where you need it, when you need it,” succinctly makes their point. Cord locks are pretty much ubiquitous on all sorts of outdoor gear and outerwear. Power is provided by a pair of CR1220 lithium coin cells.

A rubberized switch is recessed into the side of the plastic body. Two levels of illumination are provided, plus a flashing mode. It is claimed to be “water-resistant.” All in all, a nice enough package. Though they necessarily have to add in some bulk compared to a simple cord lock, it’s still small enough and light enough that this doesn’t appear like it will be a problem in most cases.

With a $10 MSRP, the Cord Lock Light will likely be a big hit, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see it installed in a number of OEM applications on packs and sleeping bags and the like. However, the more I thought about it, I have to admit, the less generally useful I found the concept, even if it was a great concept.

Not that having a light always handy on your equipment is ever a bad thing; that’s why many of us have compact keychain-sized lights clipped all over our gear, on zipper pulls and the like. However, generally you need to be able to take the flashlight and move it to where you need light. That’s going to be hard to do when it’s tied to the cords of wherever you have installed it. You can’t so easily unclip it, as you can with typical a small flashlight.

It may be all well and good to have it installed on a sleeping bag hood, as an example they illustrate, and it may allow you to light up the shelter a bit to find and grab something or other inside, but it can’t easily and quickly go out with you to water the forest like a dedicated flashlight or headlamp can. One of their illustrations shows it being used to read a map, but tellingly, it’s not connected to any cords.

So, my conclusion is that it’s still a great idea and appears to be a good implementation for a start, but I don’t think in its current iteration that it’ll replace anyone’s flashlights.

See more gear in the next installment

Outdoor Retailer Summer Market was held in Salt Lake City this past weekend and it was a pretty good show in most respects. Unfortunately for some exhibitors, OR has outgrown Salt Lake City’s Salt Palace and a bunch of new exhibitors were exiled to the Energy Solutions Arena (the old Delta Center) where the majority of attendees never ventured. It’s bad enough when you have to search nooks and crannies of the Salt Palace to find stuff, but having to walk a block or two out of the back of the building and then down and back up a steep and long flight of stairs to get to the show floor is just asking too much for most. Having gotten that off my chest, so to speak, let’s start on the gear that attracted my attention.

I’ll start off with my favorite find. It was in one of those nooks and crannies, a second floor meeting room, where I found what in my opinion was the coolest new product in the show. There’s no high tech involved, no novel and unique technology, nor a sharp edge to be found. As is often the case, it’s an elegant and deceptively simple solution to an age old problem that captured my attention.

Unexciting Name, Coolest New Product

I imagine most of those reading this have had the inopportune experience of blowing out or damaging a zipper or the zipper slider, or having it get permanently stuck. Usually it happens when Murphy is already working overtime on your case. Sometimes it is just mildly inconvenient, most times it’s very inconvenient and there are times when it can be life threatening. The available field repair solutions are at best inadequate and often simply don’t work, especially with a damaged zipper. Duct tape is often the only solution and often not a very good one. Beyond that, it can also be expensive and time-consuming to get fixed properly.

Inventor Chris Felix, along with co-inventor Jim Williams, came up with the concept and has patented an ingenious fix for blown and broken zippers and sliders, the new “Flip-N-Zip.” Yes, I know, the name is less than exciting, but the product is unbelievably cool.

Felix showed up at OR thinking he might talk zipper manufacturers into using his more easily replaced zipper slider as an OEM component, saving them money on warranty and such. He quickly learned that the OEM zipper manufacturers simply don’t care about this aspect, it’s the manufacturer of the end product’s problem, not theirs. On the other hand, for every consumer who’s been there and done that, who surely number in the millions, a zipper field repair component that’s easy, reliable and affordable would be a godsend. Given the right marketing and distribution, the Flip-N-Zip is a sure winner, in my opinion.

Here’s how it works. The zipper slider is in two pieces with a spring loaded screw joining them. You spread the slider top and bottom apart and slip the zipper teeth into the slots, then tighten up the screw to clamp the two halves together, that’s it! (see the video here) The zipper works. Have some damaged teeth? Zip up one section, move past the damage, install the Flip-N-Zip and finish zipping it up. The two sizes of prototypes that Felix had cover zippers from size 5 through 10. That covers the vast majority of zippers used in outdoor gear and clothing, luggage and handbags. I watched Felix and his associate work their magic on every sort of zipper imaginable; metal, plastic, self healing, coil, you name it. They had a whole pile of equipment and clothing in the booth to demo the Flip-N-Zip.

They are now working to get the Flip-N-Zip manufactured. His selected manufacturer is refining the design to make it a bit less bulky and improve manufacturability. I sure hope they get it right, get it done soon, and are successful in getting the marketing and distribution they need to be successful. I pray this isn’t one of those great products that fails for lack of marketing and sales acumen (coming up with a better name might be a place to start). Regardless, without a doubt, the Flip-N-Zip is the coolest new product I saw at OR this summer. I really, really want to be able to carry a set of these in my bags when I travel or go into the field.

Visit the CTF Ent. web site (which includes their more detailed video) at www.flipanzip.com

Ultimate Survival Downsizes Firestarter

I like one-hand operable firestarters and for a long time there have been just two commercially available, the Spark-Lite and the BlastMatch. The Spark-Lite is compact and lightweight (and comes in a package with its own excellent tinder). The BlastMatch makes lots more and hotter sparks, but it’s big and heavy and many chose not to carry it for those reasons. It’s just too bulky and especially too heavy for comfortable pocket carry or to fit in a truly compact personal survival kit (read our One-Handed Fire Starter Face-off, one of the earliest comparative reviews to appear on ETS way back in the dark ages of the Internet). What a lot of folks wished for was a BlastMatch that was smaller and a whole lot lighter, but which still generated all those sparks.

Ultimate Survival Technologies finally gave life to those wishes with the introduction of their new “Sparkie.” They had a handful of prototypes at OR to demo, making sure we understood that these were the first working pre-production prototypes and they were looking for input as they moved towards production. So, what is described here may see some detail changes before you can actually buy one, but by and large they seem to have struck a workable compromise between performance, size and weight.

Closed, it is 2.3 inches (5.73 cm) long by 1.2 inches (2.95 cm) wide and 0.7 inch (1.74 cm) thick. Releasing the spring-loaded sparking bar by pressing the thumb button, it extends 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) out of the handle. Weight is only 0.85 oz (24 g). This compares to 4 inches (10.2 cm) and 2.7 oz (76.6g) for the BlastMatch. Retraction is as easy as sliding the bar back into the handle and allowing the thumb button to retain it in place.

The video below provides a good indication of how well it works; creating lots of hot sparks for fire starting. The rectangular-ish cross-section sparking bar is held in a carrier for support against the pressure of the internal striker tab in use. Otherwise the bar would break. Recall that these artificial ferrocerium flints create sparks when the striker peels off the material from the bar, friction thereby causing those peeled-off bits to get red hot, creating the “sparks.”

UST claims that it will be good for at least 100 sparkings. This is well below the number you might get from the full-sized BlastMatch, but certainly adequate in an emergency and a reasonable compromise for normal use given the size and weight savings.

It operates on the same principle as the BlastMatch; press down on the striker tab and either push the handle down the rod against a hard surface or use a finger to pull the rod into the handle. The compact size makes it easier than the BlastMatch to use it in the air with a finger. We offered a few critiques and suggestions, which I won’t share here as these were just prototypes, and I am looking forward to testing production versions.

The rubberized handle will come in tan and orange with an MSRP of $14.95 and should be available later this Fall.

Compared to the Spark-Lite, it’s still quite a bit bigger, but has the advantage of more and hotter sparks which will generally work better with natural tinder sources. Assuming they get it right as they move into production, this could be a good compromise in size and especially weight for those seeking an alternative to the larger BlastMatch.

(In an effort to speed up the process, I’m going to publish this review of new products from Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008 in stages over the next few days.)

Click here for More New Gear from Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2008

UPDATE AVAILABLE IN OUR SHOT SHOW 2007 GEAR REPORT

Finally, I can publicly announce one of the worst kept secrets in the business, the new ACR Electronics MicrOFix 406 Personal Locator Beacon. (Click photo for larger image) It was introduced at SHOT Show this morning.
ACR claims this is the world’s smallest PLB with built in GPS. The MicrOFix is 35% smaller and 25% lighter than its predecessor, the ACR TerraFix, wighing in at just 10 oz (285 g). Size is 1.4 x 5.85 x 2.21 inches (35.5 x 149 x 56 cm). This truly is approaching pocket size and weight.

Activation is by a single button, protected by the tab attached to the antenna, Deploying the flat stainless steel antenna, similar to that of the existing PLB 200 (TerraFix, et al) model, easy even with gloves on, uncovers the button. A single button make activation easy, especially compared to the two-button system on the existing PLB, one of it’s drawbacks that this new PLB addresses.

It is nice to see that ACR has taken to heart many of the suggestions and issues raised in our earlier beacon evaluations. The design addresses many of these issues and reportedly exceeds the proposed new standards we have been working on in the RTCM SC110 committee. For example, it is waterproof up to 16 ft (5 m) for one hour and 33 ft (10 m) for ten minutes. The GPS antenna location is clearly marked and the text is as I have recommended, “Do Not Cover GPS Reciever” and “Give Clear View of Sky.”

It includes a full functional self-test including battery voltage and power indication and test of 406 MHz transmission and GPS acquisition. There is no external GPS capability, which is just fine. The new GPS receiver is reportedly much improved and there’s little to be gained anymore with an external GPS hook-up. There will be no non-GPS-equipped model.

Typical operating life is given at 40 hrs at -4°F (-20°C) and 8 hrs at -40°F (-40°C). The pair of Class II lithium battery packs are non-hazmat making shipping a lot less painful. As before they have a five-year replacement cycle (11-year storage).

The MSRP is $750, but it is still awaiting final FCC approvals, expected in “early 2007,” so don’t run down to your retailer just yet. Until those approvals are obtained, it “is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased.”

UPDATE AVAILABLE IN OUR SHOT SHOW 2007 GEAR REPORT

Here’s a few of the new products that captured my attention at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Salt Lake City this past week.

While PLBs aren’t new, it was gratifying to see the ACR booth busy (McMurdo didn’t attend). Industry perception of PLBs is improving and there’s a lot more interest. ACR’s signing of Aron Ralston, he of the cut-off arm, as a spokesperson definitely improved their exposure in this market.

I also did a brief podcast with Backpacker Executive Editor Peter Flax discussing some of the latest, greatest survival gear, including PLBs. Go to http://rodale.typepad.com/backpacker_podcasts/2006/08/index.html and scroll down to “Matters of Survival” (and my really bad photo). Click on the arrow button to hear the podcast.

Now, on to the new gear:

Adventure Medical Kits Essentials

Adventure Medical Kits has now upgraded their standard 1-person Emergency Blanket to the new “special low-density polyethylene” Heastsheets material previously introduced this spring only on the larger “1 or 2-person” Heatsheets Survival Blanket. This is a vastly superior material compared to the typical Mylar version most everyone is familiar with.

Anyone who has read up on this subject on ETS knows how much I dislike the traditional Mylar emergency blanket. “Hate” would not be too strong a description. They have all sorts of problems, the most serious being that they are extremely fragile. They puncture easily and once punctured rip to shreds. In addition they are a real pain in the you-know-what to unfold and noisy as all get out. How effective any of these reflective blankets are in the real world at reflecting heat back when wrapped around you is a subject of much debate, but they could serve well as windproof and waterproof personal shelter, as a vapor barrier and they could be improvised into various emergency shelters. Which would be great, except for the fact that the Mylar versions usually fail pretty quickly in wilderness survival situation, making them somewhat less than useless.

The new polyethylene material makes an emergency blanket which solves most of the drawbacks of the typical Mylar blanket. The poly is much tougher and more resistant to puncture and once punctures does not shred. It unfolds easily and can even be refolded with relatively minor agro. It is also pretty quiet. Not quite as quiet as cloth, but many times quieter than the Mylar. The only down side is that it is tenths of an ounce heavier than the conventional Mylar blanket of the same size, but that’s not much of a penalty. Once side is coated in bright orange which allows it to also function better as a survival signal when needed. Click here to view a photo of my finger stretching this new polyethylene material.

The Heatsheets Emergency Blanket ($3.99) is 56 x 84 inches and weighs in at 2.5 oz, compared to 60 x 96 inches and 2.8 oz. for the Heatsheets Survival Blanket ($6.00). It’s very difficult for me to justify carrying the smaller version considering how much more functional and versatile the larger one is. Unless your budget is severely cramped, it is well worth the 0.3 oz. and 50% upcharge in my opinion.

AMK also developed the Heatsheets Emergency Bivvy out of this same material. The seams are taped and laid flat it is 36 x 84 inches, the same size as the Thermo-Lite Bivvy, but weighing in at only 3.5 ounces. MSRP is $15. The Bivvy is packed into an orange sil-nylon stuff sack that is large enough to stuff the bag back into. As originally packed it is 2.5 inches in diameter and 3.5 inches long.

The AMK Thermo-Lite II Bivvy will replace the popular first generation Bivvy with some notable improvements. It features what AMK claims is 30% stronger material on the bottom half of the bag and the bottom is now tapered to save some weight. Weight is down to 6.5 ounces, 1.5 ounces lighter than the current version. The yellow sil-nylon stuff sack is now orange, reportedly because it better signifies “warmth.” MSRP is $33.

These should be appearing in stores around January, 2007. I’m looking forward to testing the two new Bivvys.

Petzl e+LITE

Petzl introduced their e+LITE “emergency headlamp,” the smallest headlamp in their line. There are a trio of 5mm white LEDs and a 3mm red LED. Weight is 0.9 oz (26 g) with its pair of 2032 3v lithium coin cells (10 year storage life). Packed in its storage case, it weighs 1.6 oz (45g). There’s a lever action switch to the side of the LEDs with 8 positions. In the lock position, the switch handle is almost flush with the case to help prevent inadvertent switching, Rotating counterclockwise (when looking at ti form the front) the switch positions are: Off, Economy (low brightness), High, Flashing White, Flashing Red, Steady Red and then another OFF position. The switch is easy to operate one handed and once moved off the Lock position, can be operated with heavy gloves on.

To give you an idea of scale, the circular switch portion of the e+LITE is almost exactly the size of a quarter.

The single elastic headband has a plastic cord-lock style slide for quick adjustment. The plunger on this also does double duty as a tool to open the battery compartment. The light can be removed from the headband easily via slotted attach points and then can be clipped to a cap or clothing using a broad spring clip that’s integrated into the backplate. This spring clip will only accommodate relatively thin surfaces; a cap visor would be about the maximum. Using the clip, the easy way is to slip it onto a stiff mounting point, such as a visor, because it was a bit difficult to manipulate manually (think: paper clip). It does not squeeze open like a conventional clip.

For storage the backplate is folded up against the face of the light. For use, it rotates behind the case using a ball and socket attachment on the bottom of the light, presenting a smooth surface to your head. This ball and socket allows a wide range of adjustment both up and down and side to side.

It comes in a translucent red hard plastic storage case with its slip-on cap held in place with an o-ring that wraps around the perimeter of the case. The light itself has a black body with red switch and backplate. It’s rated waterproof to 1 meter.

At $30 MSRP, the e+LITE costs twice that of my current favorite micro-headlamp, Essential Gear’s eQ Hands-Free Multi-Light (which is also available as a Doug Ritter Special Edition with a yellow case). With three LEDs, on high setting battery life is rated at 35 hours, but would inevitably be at least half to one-third compared to the eQ with a single LED and the same batteries. Petzel claims 45 hours on the “economic” setting.” Petzel claims 16 lumens on high in a flood pattern, no focusing lens, but it’s difficult to compare output since there is no industry standard. Subjectively, it is certainly brighter than the single LED eQ at short ranges, with wider illumination, but the difference is much narrower at longer range when the lens comes into its own. On economy the e+LITE is quite a bit dimmer than the single LED eQ, but plenty adequate for reading and finding your way down a trail or around camp in the dark. Options are nice.

Bottom line is that it performs quite a few more tricks, at the expense of the KISS principle and a much higher price. Still, the price is quite reasonable for all that’s there. Any way you look at it, it appears to be a very nice package and very well thought out. Availability is listed as January 2007, though the Petzl representative indicated there may be limited availability for the 2006 Holiday season.

Brunton Storm Lighter

Brunton introduced their aluminum bodied “Storm” waterproof and wind-resistant (80 mph claimed) lighter, a cylindrical piezo-electronic ignition, refillable butane lighter with a screw-on waterproof cap. On the down side, the cap and body can be separated and one or the other lost. There’s a lanyard hole in the cap, but it’s the body you definitely wouldn’t want to lose. On the up side, by having the cap completely out of the way it should be lots easier to get the lighter down where you need it to light a fire. On most waterproof lighters, the hinged cap is in the way.

On balance, I think I like it; we’ll see how it works when we get a sample. There’s a removable pocket clip on the body. Both the body and cap are black type 3 hard anodized. MSRP is $50 with availability of Fall 2006.

By the way, in case you hadn’t heard, Gerber (Fiskars) is in the process of buying Brunton, with the sale expected to be finalized shortly. A Gerber spokesperson said there are no plans to move the company from its longtime location in Riverton, Wyoming.

McNett Aquamira Water Purifier Tablets

McNett joined Katadyn and Potable Aqua with their own chlorine dioxide water purification tabs, “Aquamira Water Purifier Tablets,” joining their Aquamira two-part liquid chlorine dioxide treatment they have offered for some time. Unlike the two-part liquid, these are EPA certified. These chlorine-dioxide tabs are all exactly the same product, just a different name on the packaging.

One seemingly minor difference that actually helps a lot is that the packaging is printed with a blue background that makes the instructions easy to read, as compared to the others with aluminum backgrounds which makes it difficult to read. Unfortunately, the instructions still say wait four hours, which is only the case with cold water water with high organic content, the most difficult test. So, many shy away from these excellent products because the EPA is being stupid.

In many instances you can use the shorter contact times in the table below from the official EPA registration test results.

McNett is offering theirs in packs of 12 and 24, vs. 10, 20 and 30 for their competition. MSRP is $7.95 and $13.50, respectively.