Read on for a glimpse of gear we put through its paces this spring, from SUP pumps to duffel bags, firepits, and more, from Baja to paddling in Peru!
PackFire Portable Firepit
Outdoor firepit company PackFire has the “wisping flames” craze beat by adding portability. Still employing a similar cylindrical, hollow-walled, ashless air-flow design that Solo Stove brought to the forefront, PackFire’s new collapsible firepit breaks down into a flat, rectangular shape that, with the base, slips inside an included carry-pack for easy portability. Throw it inside your raft or canoe without taking up much space, and then pull it out at camp. When you leave the next day, simply pack it up and put it back in your car, without making a mess.
Designed for efficiency and warmth, the smokeless fire pit is made from stainless steel and aluminum, resisting corrosion and radiating heat through its Clearburn™ technology, a secondary combustion system that recirculates heat and reburns smoke particles before they escape. This means a 360-degree feel-the-heat zone for those sitting around telling stories about the day’s paddle and cooking s’mores. The pit sets up easily in seconds without any tools, with its QuickDraw legs swinging out and locking into place to keep it a few inches off the ground. Once assembled, it stands 22.5 inches high, with a 17-inch diameter accommodating full-size logs.
Come morning, break it down with the simple push of a button that flattens the cylindrical wall, making it fit perfectly into its pack and onto your raft. While it’s heavier than other firepans on the market (27.5 lbs./35 lbs. with pack), its ashless design means fewer ashes to carry out. We tried one on a river trip this spring, to rave reviews from our campmates when we pulled it out of its pack, set it up, and quickly had a blaze going, sans smoke, with its air channels creating wispy flames and radiant heat. Afterward, its flat collapsible form fit perfectly in the bottom of our raft.
The concept for it arose when Marine vet and retired police officer Mark Lefebvre pitched a flat-pack, wooden garden planter to his longtime friend, Jeff Polke, co-founder of GCI Outdoor. Polke saw the planter as the firepit he’d always wanted to build, and a few prototypes later, voila!, the company ignited like its logs. The company also offers such add-on products as Clearburn firewood (12-pack, $60), a bundle of compressed hardwood fuel bricks; and its smaller stainless steel/aluminum Ember Tabletop Fire Pit (10-inch diameter, 9.2 inches tall, 5.3 lbs. (7.4 lbs. with carrying case), a more compact system, perfect for canoe and other smaller craft overnight trips.
$399, www.packfire.com
AirBank Pulse Pro Rechargeable SUP Pump
Let’s face it: we’re all tired of pumping up SUPs by hand. Even Charles Atlas would tire of that workout. Enter the AirBank Pulse Pro Rechargeable SUP Pump, which saves your arms and shoulders for what matters most: paddling. Compact and ultra-lightweight at just 2 lbs., it’s one of the smallest and lightest pumps in its class, designed specifically for easy transport and easy pumping. When we showed up with it for a SUP run down the Pumphouse section of the Colorado River, more than one other paddleboader sauntered over to borrow it.
What you’ll notice most is its tast inflation. Its 80,000 RPM brushless motor inflates a 10-foot SUP to 12 PSI in just six minutes or so. It also serves up multiple inflations per charge; it lets you inflate up to five boards at 12 PSI on one charge. A three-mode system lets you toggle between Auto, Low and High modes for precise inflation, with the Auto mode stopping automatically. With seven different nozzles, you can also use it for other items, inflatable kayaks and rafts to mattresses, kite wings, and more. Bonus: a waterproof storage bag for easy travel. Info: AIRBANK PULSE Pro Rechargeable Pump.
Huffy Folding E-bike
Have a waterway with a short shuttle? Shuttle it yourself (in one vehcile) with the Huffy Centuric Class 2 Folding E-Bike. It folds in half in seconds to slide into a trunk for easy transport, and is built for the outdoors with 20-inch-diameter, oversized fat tires for stability and traction on gravel and dirt. With six gears and five different e-assist modes, its 350W rear hub motor offers enough range and responsive torque to explore up to 40 miles per battery charge at speeds up to 20 mph.
We tested it out on the bike path on our hometown Yampa River, where it proved an indispensable addition to our gear quiver — especially with an ingenious milk crate attached to the rear for gear. It made single-car shuttles a regular part of our adventures. Simply pull it out of the back of the car, leave it at the take-out, and then zip back upstream on the bike path to retrieve your car after your float. And maybe even hit the grocery store on the way. It also comes with a headlight included for when you stay out past sunset.
It took a while to figure out where we liked the front handlebar height — which makes you feel Mary Poppins-esque when riding — but it’s easily adjustable. My wife likes it lower, and I like it higher. And the undersized, scooter-ish tires, while fat and beefy for traction on dirt roads, compromise your studliness a hair when riding. But these are small knocks compared to what we liked most: its foldability. Simply unhitch the clamp at the base, and the whole thing folds compactly for easy storage in the back of your car or truck, opening up a whole new realm of shuttle uses. $899, huffy.com
NESTOUT Foldable Solar Charger V2/V4
Whether you’re on a river trip, sea kayak adventure, or canoe outing, you don’t want your camera or communications batteries to run dry. The Nestout Foldable Solar Charger will keep those juices flowing.
Designed for all sorts of off-grid travel, the Nestout is foldable, lightweight, and durable, available in two- (1.2lb.) and four-panel (2 lb.) options, with both USB Type A and C ports for multi-compatibility. We tested the four-panel on a seven-day river trip, laying it out on shore, atop rafts, and the kitchen table to absorb photons from the sun. While it directly charges everything from phones to headlamps, add its portable powerbank to create a modular off-grid power system. Simply charge the palm-sized powerbank and charge your items later in your tent or on the rare flats on the raft.
High-efficiency MAXEON™ monocrystalline solar cells convert sunlight into usable energy — with a conversion efficiency rate of up to 24 percent — for nearly all portable electronics, with a maximum power output of 14W (5V/up to 2.1A total) and LEDS on a digital ammeter displaying real-time charging output. Durability comes from a water-repellent, ripstop nylon outer shell, while a side pocket holds cables, batteries, and devices. Can’t find a flat surface? Multiple hanging loops let you attach the panel to tents, branches, and more. With four panels and a wide-angle adjustable stand, you can also easily adjust their angle throughout the day to maximize charge.
When you’re finished, simply fold it up into a tight, magazine-size package (6.1”x11”x2.4”) and stow it away.
$89.99 (2-panel); $129.99 (4-panel), 4-Panel Solar Charger V2
Astral LoYak Shoe
Astral‘s newest shoe, the Loyak EZ HT, elevates is best-selling Loyak silhouette with natural HempTech fibers for “natural movement. Built with Astral’s attention to detail that has made them a go-to in the paddling world, the Loyak EZ HT is a barefoot shoe meant to adapt to your day. A step-down heel offers instant entry (no more stooping) and a zero-drop, wide-toe-box platform promotes natural foot positioning, for everything from boat decks to beaches. For traction, G Rubber provides grippage on slippery rocks while its breathable, odor-resistant HempTech keeps river running smells at bay. We tested it sailing and sea kayaking Baja’s Espirito Santo Island (and also at the BajaGrassmusic festival), only to see our boat captain like them so much he commandeered them as his own. $100, www.astraldesigns.com
Deuter Pro Roller 90 Travel Bag
Traveling to go boating? You’ll fit all your gear inside the Deuter Pro Roller 90 Travel Bag, from clothes to skirt, helmet, and PFD. It comes with a front opening with U-shaped zipper for easy access, as well as stowable shoulder straps and adjustable carrying straps and a stowable extendable luggage handle (that you can also slide your carry-on over). A mesh inner compartment with zipper closure keeps your gross poly-pro and other dirty clothes separate from the clean stuff, while TPU-coated body fabric repels water for when you’re caught outside (as happened to us on our way to a river in Peru). Trying to keep all your gear under the 50-lb. airline bag limit? It weighs just 4.6 lbs., meaning you have 45 lbs. left. (Just beware your gear might be wetter and heavier when you return). Bonus: When you arrive an unpack, it folds down for easy storage — great for when you’re poaching someone’s floor space. $200, http://www.deuter.com/
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