Outdoor Gear Definitions, Information, Reviews - Gear Glossary

Marmot

GG_Staff — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 05:31:18 +0000

Marmot, headquartered in Santa Rosa, California, is a high quality performance outdoor apparel and equipment manufacturer. The company was officially founded in Colorado in 1974. Its founders were two University of California Santa Cruz students Eric Reynolds and Dave Huntley and their friend Tom Boyce of Grand Junction, Colorado.

Marmot has developed products with Gore-Tex fabrics from nearly the beginning. They designed the first Gore-Tex bivy sack and their single Gore-Tex fabric layer mountaineering tent was the Taku. They are the oldest customer of Gore in the world outdoor industry.

Currently, Marmot has 650 authorized dealers in the U.S. and offices in California, Colorado, Hong Kong, Canada, United Kingdom, Sweden and Germany. Its products are distributed in 27 countries.————-

Related URLs

Official Marmot About Us Page

Related Products

Men’s Marmot Precip Jacket (REI.com)

Marmot Halo 4P Tent (Altrec.com)

Marmot Eco Pro 40 Sleeping Bag (Backcountry.com)

Polartec Power Stretch

GG_Staff — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 06:53:06 +0000

Polartec Power Stretch is a breathable, moisture-wicking, 4-way stretch fabric that aims to offer excellent range of motion and warmth-to-weight ratio.

The fabric offers a 2 layer proprietary construction where the outer layer is made of durable nylon for wind and water resistance while the soft inner layer works at pulling sweat away from your skin.

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Related URLs

Official Polartec Power Stretch Page

Related Products

Men’s REI Power Stretch Half-Zip Top (REI.com)

Men’s Arc’teryx Rho AR Top (Altrec.com)

Mountain Hardwear

GG_Staff — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:23:30 +0000

Mountain Hardwear, located in Richmond, California, is a high performance, technical outdoor apparel and equipment manufacturer. Originally founded in 1993, Mountain Hardwear was created by Jack Gilbert, Paul Kramer, Mike Wallenfels, and Paige Boucher - all Outdoor industry veterans and enthusiasts. They preach “Radical Thinking” and their goal is to provide the most functional and innovate gear for the Outdoor industry.

Mountain Hardwear is also part of Columbia Sportswear. In 2003, Mountain Hardwear sold assets of the company to Columbia however continues to operate and design independently from the parent company.

The company currently employs 90+ people in its California office and 35+ sales reps and associates globally. There are two retail stores - one in Portland, Oregon and one in Seattle, Washington (opening 12/5/08).

Mountain Hardwear currently sponsors over 20 athletes including Andrew Lock, Micah Dash, Jamling Norgay, Robert Jasper, etc.

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Related Products

Men’s Mountain Hardwear Sub Zero Jacket (REI.com)

Men’s Mountain Hardwear Synchro Jacket (Altrec.com)

Mountain Hardwear Phantom Sleeping Bag (Backcountry.com)

The North Face

GG_Staff — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 00:31:36 +0000

The North Face, named after “the coldest, most unforgiving side of a mountain”, is a high performance outdoor apparel, equipment, and footwear manufacturer/retailer. Originally founded in 1966 in San Francisco, California, The North Face is now a global brand supplying athletes and expeditions with a comprehensive collection of gear and apparel for outdoor activities such as climbing, backpacking, skiing, trail running, and more.

“Never Stop Exploring” is The North Face’s tagline and can be seen throughout their marketing materials. Their half-dome logo can be widely seen on The North Face sponsored expeditions and running races. Some of their well-known sponsored athletes include Dean Karnazes, Conrad Anker, Jimmy Chin, Ingrid Backstrom, and many others.

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Related URLs

Official The North Face About Us Page

Official The North Face Company News Page

Related Products

Men’s The North Face Apex Bionic Jacket (REI.com)

Women’s The North Face Denali Jacket (Altrec.com)

The North Face Base Camp Duffel Bag (Moosejaw.com)

ClimaCool

GG_Staff — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:46:22 +0000

ClimaCool is adidas’ branded system that combines technical moisture-wicking fabrics and ventilation in key areas, whose purpose is to regulate body temperature.

ClimaCool is used in much of adidas’ apparel, footwear, and accessories design and marketing.

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Related Products

Men’s adidas ClimaCool Top Vuelo Shoes (ShopAdidas.com)

Women’s adidas Supernova Top (REI.com)

ClimaLite

GG_Staff — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 20:38:51 +0000

ClimaLite is adidas’ branded line of technical fabric that provides moisture management and breathability. It aims to pull sweat away from the skin and allow for quicker evaporation thus leaving the body drier and more comfortable.

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Related Products

Men’s adidas Response Long Sleeve Hoodie (ShopAdidas.com)

Men’s adidas Climalite Stretch Jersey Polo (SportsAuthority.com)

Carabiner

GG_Staff — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 07:05:45 +0000

Carabiner or karabiner is a metal ring with a spring-loaded or screwed gate that is used in climbing and mountaineering to attach to a rope, piton, or similar device.

There are several shapes of carabiners:

Oval - The least expensive of the carabiners, Oval carabiners share the load along the gate side equally with the spine side.
D - In the shape of a D, these carabiners move most of the load to the stronger spine side.
Offset-D - Similar to the D-shaped carabiner except these offer a larger gate opening than the hinge side.
HMS/Pear - A larger version of the Offset-D carabiner, a HMS carabiner is often used during a munter hitch belay.

Carabiners also come in both locking and non-locking versions. Non-locking carabiners have a spring-loaded gate that stays closed due to the spring’s pressure. Types of gates on non-locking carabiners include the straight gate, bent gate, and wire gate. Locking carabiners are similar to non-locking ones except they include a sleeve that either slides or screws over the gate which locks it closed. Types of locking gates include the auto-locking gate and the screw/twist lock gate.

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Related URLs

Wikipedia Carabiner Page

IndoorClimbing.com’s Carabiner Page

Related Products

Petzl Attache HMS Screwgate Locking Carabiner (REI.com)

Black Diamond Quicksilver2 Bent-Gate Carabiner (REI.com)

Gryptonite

GG_Staff — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:35:54 +0000

Gryptonite is a sticky rubber compound used on Montrail shoes and boots. It is aims to provide optimal performance on wet and dry surfaces in regards to traction and durability.

There are four types of Gryptonite - Gryptonite Trail, Gryptonite Smearing, Gryptonite High Test, and Gryptonite Climbing.

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Related URLs

Montrail Gryptonite Page

Related Products

Montrail Wildwood TR Trail Running Shoes (Altrec.com)

Montrail Streak Trail Running Shoes (REI.com)

Gaiters

GG_Staff — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 07:09:47 +0000

Gaiters are protection for your lower leg and ankles. Typically, gaiters are used for hiking, trail running, and trekking. They are attached onto your hiking boot or shoe usually via clips or straps and wrap around the lower part of a person’s leg. Gaiters offer protection against branches, thorns and rocks while preventing mud, snow, rain, etc. from entering into the top of a person’s boot/shoe.

Mountaineering Gaiters are typically reach near knee level whereas trail gaiters rise just above the sock line.

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Related URLs

Wikipedia Gaiters page

Related Products

Altrec.com’s Gaiters Page

Outdoor Research Expedition Gatiers (REI.com)

Thinsulate

GG_Staff — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:59:50 +0000

Thinsulate is a synthetic insulation developed by 3M Corporation. Launched in the 1970s, this microfiber insulation was marketed as “warmth without bulk.”

Advertising suggests that Thinsulate is more effective due to its fiber density, meaning that it provides more fibers per square inch thus trapping more air in less space.

Today it is used in footwear, hats, gloves, outerwear, bedding and more.

It is also the Official Supplier to the US & Canadian Ski Teams.

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Related URLs

Official 3M Thinsulate Homepage

Related Products

Women’s Spyder Zermatt Jacket (BackcountryOutlet.com)

Men’s Sorel Conquest Boots (REI.com)