Mountain Hardwear Onza Mitten
January 26, 2009
Get the Onzas for the great price of $59.95 at Altrec.com! Click here!
I can’t believe I haven’t written about these yet, what have I been thinking? These are straight up awesome mittens. Actually, they are called “mitts” because evidently it’s not cool to wear mittens. It’s true! Every time I wear them, I get some snide cutesy “awwww, nice mittens!” remark. In print it seems innocuous, but try saying it out loud with a bit of a mocking tone, and you get the idea. To which I say: why yes, they are nice mittens, thanks very much. And my hands are ever so warm in them, and I don’t have to wear big clumsy gloves that go halfway to my elbows. So there! Finally, a mitten really, truly, honestly made to fit a woman’s hand. They’re not baggy, not bulky, and won’t drown your hands in extra fabric. They are exactly Head Geargal-hand-shaped. It’s a little creepy to think that Mountain Hardwear keeps sending people to measure me in my sleep to make stuff to fit me exactly, but I really love the results so, MHW, just let me know if you need a copy of my house key to make this easier.
The Onzas have been my standard hand-wear this year, in any temperature cold enough for mittens. I’m a cold-hands person, so mittens are a must for me, and the Onzas are just perfect. They are streamlined, form-fitting, and low-profile, but incredibly warm even without yards of bulk. You might be surprised at how dextrous mittens can be if they’re not huge and bulky, or just plain too big. I will put my nice warm Onza-mittened hands up against anyone’s stiff, cold, gloved hands any day. I really like this trend towards more form-fitting gloves and mittens, and the Onza is so far the best of the lot. Once I cinch down the wrist zippers, no snow can get in, and there’s no way snow is getting these things wet. They are practically impervious. The only way they get wet is when my hands sweat, which is gross, but is a good indicator of how warm the mittens are. I’m sure a few of my ex-boyfriends out there are reading this in disbelief, because they know my hands are NEVER warm. Well boys, I have warm hands now, believe it or not. Just add that to the list of things you’re missing out on. And since my brother reads this site, I’m sure I’ll be getting a “hey, TMI!” email pretty soon. Sorry bro!
Julbo Miss Sunglasses
January 17, 2009
I have this thing for aviator sunglasses. I really don’t care whether they are suited to my face or not, I just think they are the coolest sunglasses ever. You can’t go wrong with a good pair of aviators. Naturally, I love the Julbo Miss sunglasses, a classic aviator with a bit of a modern twist. Or is it a retro twist, since the colors are kind of neon? Seriously, I love Julbo and think their glasses fit women’s faces really well and their lenses are among the best in the industry; but I really wish they’d stop with the neon. Neon was fun in its day, but its day is over and it’s not coming back, not if I can help it.
Other than that, though, the Miss sunglasses are great. They have a nice curved shape to fit close to the face and block out as much indirect light as possible. They are snug and shaped for a woman’s face, so they’re smaller than regular sunglasses. The lenses are nice and dark and protect even the most sensitive of eyes (which I know, ‘cuz I’ve got ‘em). The lenses are Cat 3, which aren’t the darkest possible, but they are still good enough for everything but extended exposure to snow and glacier travel. However, most Julbo glasses allow you to have your choice of lens when you buy them, so you’ll probably be able to customize them to be just exactly the way you like them. They’re more of a fashion-oriented item rather than sport, but hey, everyone needs sunglasses for doing stuff in-between sports, right? And even though they’re kind of neon, they do come in pink, so of course I like them. Though I must admit that what with the pink hat, pink sunglasses, pink bike, pink helmet, and pink shirt, I might be overdoing it just a wee bit.
SteriPEN Journey LCD Water Treatment System
January 14, 2009
Get the SteriPEN at REI.com for only $99.95. Click here!
It’s that time of year again – when I get to brag about my tropical vacations under the guise of “product testing”. Hey, it’s not all ice and snow all the time, folks. Last week a few of the Geargals packed up and flew off to Mexico for some sun and surf and stomach cramps. Just kidding. I’ve never actually had a problem with the water in Mexico but a few of the gals were concerned about it (sissies) so we brought along the Steri-PEN Journey LCD water purifier. Um, actually, I got that wrong. Dear IRS, we went on a business trip specifically and solely for product testing purposes. Here are all our receipts including the ones for our completely necessary first class upgrades. And please keep reading for the results of this ardous work trip.
We used the SteriPEN to treat all of our water, and reasoned that if no one got sick, we could consider the SteriPEN a success. No one got sick, so there you have it. Best of all, though, the SteriPEN is super easy to use, convenient, and light. It’s much more pleasant than iodine tablets, faster than boiling, safer than just taking your chances, and lighter than hauling all of your own water. What’s not to like? Basically you press the button once to treat one liter of water, and twice to treat a half liter. If you want to treat more water, just use more than one cycle of the SteriPEN. After pressing the button, put the bulb end of the SteriPEN into water, and wait until the LCD screen displays a little happy face to tell you the water is safe. There is also a countdown timer for impatient people who haven’t yet gotten the hang of zen. My SteriPEN sample kit even came with an official SteriPEN Nalgene bottle and a coarse filter for those truly appalling water sources. On this trip we didn’t need that, but it is pretty neat. You can fill your Nalgene directly from your water source just by filling it through the filter. Then the SteriPEN screws into the bottle for a watertight seal while you’re treating the water. Very gadgety. I can’t wait to take this on a camping trip and feel smug while my companions grimace their way through their iodine water or spend forty minutes bringing a liter of water to a boil. The SteriPEN made it through airport security with no problems and dutifully survived ten days of heavy use in Mexico, treating enough water for four people. Evidently the battery is good for 10,000 cycles so this trip probably didn’t even make a dent in the battery life.
Easily squicked-out types might want to skip this next part, but the way the SteriPEN works is by rendering bacteria sterile rather than killing it. So the bacteria are actually still in the water, but they can’t reproduce and therefore can’t harm you or make you sick. I will admit that usually I don’t ever treat my water, mostly because I’m lazy, and have thus far been extremely fortunate to have never been sick and therefore have never been properly motivated to treat my water. Now that I have the SteriPEN, though, I will definitely conform to outdoor safety standards and treat all of my water with this simple, lightweight device. Who knows what future gut-wrenching unpleasantness I’ve been saved from? Plus I get to look cool and techy while other people fumble around with stoves and filters, and you all know how much I like that.
