The Great Outdoors Just Got Easier
Exploring the outdoors is a little easier, thanks to these new products. Items may be available in area stores. Price does not include shipping.
Split and sit: The Wearever Backpack Chair, from WelCom Products, helps you take a load off your feet on the trail. The steel-framed polyester chair is a combination folding beach chair and knapsack. It has a roomy pouch on the back that holds up to 1,800 cubic inches of gear and closes with quick-release plastic buckles. The high-back chair also has an adjustable headrest, wood armrests with attached cup holder and four reclining positions. When folded, the chair’s padded shoulder straps make it easy to tote. It weighs about 9 pounds, so it may not be the right choice for a long schlep.
WelCom Backpack Chair (1082272) is $29.99 from the Sports Authority, (888) 801-9164, www.thesportsauthority.com.
Brilliant cover-up: The hooded 02 Rainwear jacket provides protection in a downpour but weighs less than 6 ounces, so it is easy to stash in a knapsack or golf bag. Made of a soft micro-porous nylon fabric, the zippered, waterproof jacket is breathable as well as wind resistant. The sleeves have elastic at the wrists, and the hood has a drawstring. The bright yellow jacket also comes with a stuff sack, and as a set with matching rain pants.
O2 Rainwear Hooded Jacket is about $25; with pants, $40. Made by Rain Shield, (888) 543-1894, www.rainshield.com.
Let it rain: ShedRain, which manufactures sturdy umbrellas, has partnered with National Geographic to produce a full-featured travel umbrella in a tiny package. The 10-ounce telescoping umbrella has a generous 43-inch arc, a push-button open-and-close mechanism and the classy National Geographic yellow-box insignia and name on the handle. It collapses to a flat 9 inches and comes with a mesh case with a bungee cord-lock closure and a nylon web belt loop with a swivel hook.
National Geographic Flatwear Travel Umbrella (2620) is $28. Made by ShedRain, (800) 722-7246, www.shedrain.com.
Wild child: Evenflo’s new Trail Blazer backpack-style frame child carrier makes toting Junior more comfortable. The carrier is designed for children 6 months or older and up to 45 pounds. It has a removable and retractable canopy to protect baby from sun and rain, a padded cockpit-style seat, an adjustable inner seat, an overhead child restraint system, a padded harness to surround the baby, and a mesh back foam panel for ventilation. It also has a large, removable zippered storage pack on the back of the carrier for hauling extra gear. For Mom or Dad’s benefit, it has a foam back support and padded contoured shoulder straps and waist belt.
Trail Blazer Frame Child Carrier is $99. Made by Evenflo, (800) 233-5921, www.evenflo.com.
Medications manager: Adventure Medical Kits has introduced an innovative series of kits that organize first-aid items in separate, injury-specific, waterproof, zippered plastic packets within the main bag for quick access. The well-designed Easy Care Camper 200 model has six 8-by-6-inch plastic bags in these categories: Fractures/Sprains; Burns/Blisters/Abrasions; Stop Bleeding/Shock; Wound (Cut) Care; CPR/Drowning/Choking; and Medications/Stings. Each packet comes with basic emergency instructions for the injuries in its domain. The red-and-black nylon zippered main bag measures 9 by 6 by 3 inches thick and weighs about a pound. It has an external zippered pocket and nylon web handles.
Camper 200 Easy Care First Aid Kit is $28.50 from Adventure Medical Kits, (800) 324-3517, www.adventuremedicalkits.com.
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