Holiday gifts abound for outdoor enthusiasts Gadgets, clothing convenient and comfortable

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From practical full-length foot-warmers to the seemingly frivolous soccer-ball-shaped ice cream maker, you can make your Christmas shopping spree for your favorite outdoors person fun and an adventure.

Once again I’ve imposed myself on Epic Sports owner Brad Ryder for my annual Christmas shopping idea list. And for once I’ve attempted to get it done in time for the annual trek to your favorite outdoor outfitter.

I must confess that this year I was under the gun to get my “research” done in a really short (for me) visit, so if I’ve overlooked your favorite, drop me a line. There’s still time to let others know about your favorite widget or gadget.

Without further adieu, here’s what I came up with thanks to some guidance from Ryder.

Let there be light

Thinking of packing light? Really light? There’s a headlamp by Black Diamond with two Light Emitting Diodes powered by a tiny six-volt camera battery that barely tips the scales (around an ounce) for $20.

Headlamps come in all shapes and sizes, by the way, and you have choices ranging from a couple of LEDs to eight (check out the PrincetonTec Corona), as well as more traditional incandescent bulbs. Generally speaking, LEDs have a tremendous bulb life and will run for hours on one set of batteries (some up to 400 hours in certain power modes). I’ve got a couple of PrincetonTec’s Auroras (three LED’s and three power outputs, and one of their Matrix 2 (a high-output, one-watt, side-emitting LED and I don’t go anywhere without at least one of these beauties.

If you’re out in the rain or around water, you might want to consider the new PrincetonTec Eos headlamp featuring a focused one-watt LED output, waterproof to a few feet underwater – no worries about rain drops messing up this little light!

Boiling points

SnowPeak has a three-ounce Gigapower stove that will add another $39.95 to your load. If you want the auto igniter, that’ll cost you another $10. If you’re brand loyal to MSR don’t overlook the Pocket Rocket (three ounces, $40). Both stoves will boil a liter of water in about four minutes on full power.

Snowpeak brings you a titanium 15-ounce (capacity) mug that will add 2.4 ounces to your pack weight ($31.95 in anodized pink and $19.95 for plain).

Throw in some beautiful SnowPeak chopsticks made with stainless, brass and birch ($19.95 – hey they’re good forever), and some titanium tent stakes ($4 each), and your pack still will be lighter than your wallet.

Ryder turned my attention to a couple of other stoves. One, the Jetboil, is the cat’s pajamas for the climbing and hiking crowd. The Jetboil ($79.95) is a cooking system consisting of a Neoprene-insulated aluminum cooking container with integral heat grabbing fins on the bottom. This snaps on a burner fired by a tiny 100-gram Isobutane canister. The cooking container has its own drink-through lid and the whole rig tips the scales at 14 ounces (less the fuel canister). And the whole assembly packs inside the cooking pot.

But the real eye-opener is its efficiency. Pour in 16 ounces of water, fire this wonder up and don’t go away because you’ll have boiling water in 90 seconds! Have a friend who’s looking for his or her hot toddy? Buy the optional companion cup ($29.95 – it’s another insulated cooking pot) and snap it onto the burner assembly. In another 90 seconds you’ll have 16 more ounces of boiling water.

The 100-gram fuel canister is supposed to boil 12 liters of water.

While you’re in the neighborhood check out the full line of MSR canister and liquid fuel stoves. I like the PocketRocket and the WindPro canister models for their ease of use and tiny size.

You can drink the water

Continuing on with the ultra light theme, around the counter from the stoves you’ll find MSR’s new water-treatment “pen” that is great for treating sketchy water in larger volumes. MIOX stands for mixed oxidants. Without getting too technical, the cigar-sized tool uses battery-powered electrical current to zap a tiny canister of salted water into a “lethal” cocktail capable of killing cryptosporidium, giardia and viruses, thus making your drinking water safe no matter what stream you dip your water from.

You’ll have to be patient, however, it will take up to four hours to zap crypto, so plan on using this guy to treat water before going to bed. In the morning you’ll have a ready supply. The beauty of the MIOX is that it’ll treat a gallon per mini-cocktail, so you can do a larger volume much more easily than other means of treatment.

For your eyes only

Binoculars are always a great gift. Depending on your budget you can spend from $55 to $359. If you’re going to be outdoors, consider waterproof models such as the Olympus Magellan EXWP 8×42. They weigh about 22 ounces, they’re a snap to focus and the clarity is darned good. I could easily count bricks on a building half a block away. And they have great eye relief (18 mm) so even with my glasses the viewing was great. Put a pair under my tree and I’ll follow you anywhere. Sure they’re $359, but I’m worth it!

Maybe your intended is a runner or walker. Freestyle pedometers at around $25 are practically walking out the door, Ryder said. Then there are the Polar heart rate monitors for the person who wants to keep his or her heart rate in the ultimate zone while exercising. These rigs run from $99 to $179 and no, they won’t do the exercise for you.

Ski goggles will protect your eyes, but the prices may pop your eyes out. Talk to a salesperson and you’ll understand why some are relatively inexpensive ($23) and others are eye-popping ($130). Once you put on the more expensive models, you’ll get a feeling for the differences.

Strides for snowshoes

Snowshoes have made strides in the past few years. What used to be the top of the line in bindings have now made it to the middle-line models. There are now women-specific designs. Epic carries Tubbs and Atlas lines and you’ll find prices that run from a low of $89 to a high of $270 per pair. If you can walk, you can snowshoe, and what better way to explore winter than tromping along your favorite trail?

If you prefer to explore a little faster, try some back-country cross country skis. These are shorter than the seven-foot monsters you may be used to. The shorter length allows you to get around the woods and not get tangled up in the undergrowth. You might want to consider some sturdy boots and bindings for your intended explorations. Ask about package pricing to get a 20 percent discount.

For winter clothing the Ibex line out of Vermont might grab your attention. It’s pretty sharp looking, way practical (it’s Merino Clima wool, what more need I say), water- and wind-resistant and comfortable. The price for this practical durability? Around $185 for the “Guidelite” trousers and $195 for the jacket. While it may seem pricey, consider that it should last for years and years. By the way, if you have a December copy of Canoe and Kayak Magazine there’s a gear review beginning on page 138 that will fill you in on Merino wool.

Bundling up

Expecting a cold snap? Check out Mountain Hardwares’ Subzero Jacket, a 650-fill down jacket that comes with its own stuff sack ($160) or the Conduit, a hooded version that’s waterproof and breathable for $269 -stuff sack included. Or go for the vest at $94.

Marmot’s Sharp Point jacket is made of Gore Windstopper. It’s a soft-shell, water-resistant jacket that’s good looking. Or go a rack of two over and check out the North Face Apex jacket that’s equally functional and good looking at $198.

Want a base layer/exterior layer for the runner on your list? Walco Sports’ CW-X tights provide a modicum of weather protection and a pant-full of large-muscle support with their compression fit and rugged good looks. Men’s and women’s prices are $94.95.

The cross-country skier or biker might want a nice all-around pant like SportHill’s microfleece-lined trousers. They are hydrophobic, rugged and windproof up to 35 mph and are priced from $79 to $95.

A plethora of possibilities

Got someone with a tendency to get cold hands? Put a pair of Marmot expedition mitts under his Christmas tree. These leather-palmed beauties have a fleece interior and feel like heaven. They cost $99.95.

Everyone has a Nalgene water bottle. Drinking out of the wide-mouth on the go often involves getting more than a mouthful and a wet neck. Not so with a Splashguard ($3) that snaps into the bottle’s opening reducing it to a manageable size. No more shower.

If you get totally flummoxed by the plethora of possibilities, check out the table of gift baskets just inside the door. They feature a variety of themes from runners to hikers to paddlers, each with items for the particular sport. They are priced from $35 to $45.

And that ice cream maker I mentioned earlier. You really should check it out. I think it’s gotta be one of the best things to roll into town. Called the Camper’s Dream Ice Cream Maker, it’s designed so you put your ice cream ingredients into a pint-sized metal container inside the ball, load the remaining space with ice and rock salt and pass it around. I’m not sure it’s made for soccer team abuse, but it looks like you could gently push it around a field (it’s rigid plastic so don’t even think about giving it you toe) or passing it around the campfire. By and by (that’s about 20 minutes) you’ll be rewarded with a pint of your favorite icy treat. It sure beats cranking that bucket version of yesteryear.

And those foot warmers? They now come in full foot-length version ($4 for a pair) so you can line the whole bed of your boots and keep your feet toasty warm on the coldest of days outside. Rip open a package, line your boots and enjoy! Afterwards, settle down around the campfire in a pair of Sierra Designs down booties ($34) that’ll keep you warm and provide the ultimate relaxation for tired feet.

Finally, don’t forget the paddler on your list. Outfitters such as Castine Kayak Adventures (866-3506) offer gift certificates for safety, rolling and rescue clinics as well as classes on navigation and guide training.

Jeff Strout can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.