Ziphius: The (Friendly) Aquatic Drone

Tech By on Jul 23, 2013

The word ‘drone’ has taken on pretty some serious overtones in recent years, but Ziphius ($195+) is here to lighten the mood a bit—without resorting to the fake mustache and glasses bit. This is an aquatic drone that lets you see what lurks beneath the water’s surface, as well as play games and bring you a cold one in the pool. Control Ziphius via your smartphone or tablet (Wi-Fi range goes to 300 ft) and get it going up to 6 mph as you use the 160º tilting angle HD camera to snap pictures and record video. Nice droney, nice.

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HeimPlanet Wedge Tent: All The Other Kids With The Pumped Up Tents

Gear By on Apr 29, 2013

This is how you can tell we’re making progress as a society: In the late 80s we had pump up sneakers; today we have pump up tents. The Hemiplanet Wedge Tent makes a quick camp out easy and – dare we say it – fun. Yes, camping can now legitimately be called fun.  Just remember this is a BYOP (Bring Your Own Pump) kinda party and you’re set.

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boomBOTTLE: Cuz Water’s For Wussies

Gear By on Apr 12, 2013

You know what would go great in that wattle bottle cage on your bicycle? Not a plastic water bottle. Come on, that’s so 90s. I was thinking a wireless Bluetooth speaker. boomBOTTLE ($150) fits perfectly in that space, and when water finds out its been replaced and comes looking for revenge, don’t worry: boomBOTTLE is weatherproof. Dual 40mm drivers and a passive subwoofer push your tunes out through the Omni-directional speaker, sending music in all directions. The integrated music controls let you handle the basics, and the rechargeable lithium polymer battery does its thing for up to 10 hours.

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Kor Nava: The Next Best Use Of Coconut Shells

Gear By on Apr 9, 2013

The case against bottled water is Hulk-strong. From paying $3 for something that falls from the sky, to the fact that stuff like Dasani is nothing but tap water, there are more reasons to bail on bottled water than Saw sequels. The makers of the Kor Nava ($30) claim they’ve created the absolute best way to forge your own path to fresh H2o. The bottle’s built-in filter is made out of coconut shells that are converted into activated carbon to purify the water. The push-button cap keeps dirt, germs, and most varieties of electric eels away from the drinking spout. This may be the second best use of coconut shells ever. This is obviously the best.

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The North Face Dome Tent

Gear By on Dec 19, 2012

Camping out inside a dome is probably illegal and it’s definitely dangerous, depending on which day of the week it is and if that dome plays host to an NFL team. But this is a dome you can relax in. The North Face Dome Tent ($5,000) is called the“ultimate eight person expedition base camp tent,” so somehow we doubt this is what you pick up for little Jacob to use with his friends in the backyard. The two-meter tent has been tested in the brutal conditions of Himalayas and Antarctica. So yes, what we’re saying is you can send Jacob to Everest. That’s the takeaway from this.

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Luminair Tree Tent

Gear By on Dec 14, 2012

How can you find out if a falling tree makes a noise in the forest? Live there. No, really, go live there and do some research on it. And live in the forest you can with the Tree Tent from Luminair ($12,800). It’s a lightweight, hybrid aluminium and steam bent airframe. It’s waterproof and puts minimal stress on the trees themselves. Remember, squirrels will now be your new neighbors, so it’d be a nice gesture to offer up your nuts.

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Chaval Response XRT Heated Gloves

Gear By on Nov 2, 2012

Have you ever wanted to grab radioactive plutonium with a pair of your own personal gloves, feel its Mediterranean warmth, and fantasize about somehow saving the world? Well, get yourself a different pair of gloves because you won’t be able operate nuclear substances with these, at least to my knowledge (I am way out of my league). But what you can do is keep your hands extra toasty with these fleece-interlined Chaval Response XRT Heated Gloves ($390).

The heating they produce is self-acclimated and the gloves can last anywhere from 4 to 7 hours (three times longer than its closest competitor), depending on how much heat they have to generate—which is about the same length it takes to fully charge them. Also enjoyable are the Play and Pause buttons near the cuff area, which makes them seem like they come with built-in super-punch-vintage-Batman-sound-effects: BAP! BLAM! THWAAK! ZOWEE!

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