Interview With “Lightning Layne:” Adventure Gear Tester

by Willy Volk on

For more than a decade, Layne Oliver has tested adventure gear ranging from headlamps to tents to climbing gear. Known in the industry as “Lightning Layne,” Oliver is a professional field tester whose job is to help gear designers make only the changes that significantly improve a product’s performance. Layne ain’t no bells-and-whistles kinda guy.

An avid outdoorsman, a National Guard reservist, and an electrician by trade, Layne seems like he’s living a sweet life. In this 9-minute interview, SNEWS quizzed Layne about how to break into the industry and how he got his nickname. The answers to both questions are fascinating.

[Via Adventure Travel]

Squishy Bowls for Backpacking

by Neil Woodburn on

One of the more bulky items to stuff into a backpack is a cup or bowl. Sure, they usually aren’t too heavy, but they don’t squish down into a compactable shape–a very important consideration when backpacking.

Solving this problem was the inspiration behind Squishy Bowls. As you can tell by the name, these bowls can squish down into any shape for packing, yet spring back to their original form when you get to camp. They are so flexible, in fact, they can be turned inside out to help with cleaning (i.e. licking them clean).

Made of “food grade silicon,” Squishy Bowls come in a variety of colors and are temperature resistant to 400 degrees. The bowl and cup combination featured above costs $14.95.

The Wavebox

by Willy Volk on

Well, it looks like glamping may be inching to the mainstream. Just check out the the WaveBox, a rugged, portable lunchbox that’s also a microwave. Running on 3 power options — AC, DC direct clip to a car battery, or DC connection to a cigarette lighter — the Wavebox allows glampers to heat up their popcorn, French toast, Hot Pockets, or whatever, without the hassle of that old messy, annoying thing, the campfire.

Featuring 3 quick-cook preset buttons for one-touch heating and electronic controls with LED display, the $199 Wavebox even boasts an integrated CoolWave soft-side cooler, which fits inside the WaveBox to keep food and beverages cool during transport. If all of this is just blowing your mind, check out WaveBOXMan’s geeky but thorough product vide-overview.

Love it? So does everyone else. The Wavebox is on backorder until May 1. Contact the makers to get on the waiting list.

[Via Get Outdoors]

Turn your Water Bottle into a Lantern

by Neil Woodburn on

It always seems that camping equipment never stops being innovative and cool.

Take, for example, the Firefly. This nifty little device acts first as the lid to a bottle of water. Press a button, however, and the lid emits an “integrated LED light” which turns the water bottle into an instant lantern.

Hang it from a tree and you’ve got enough light to play that game of cards around the campfire.

Things can get really funky if the bottle is full of green Gatorade or pink lemonade. Just don’t fill it full of chunky soup.

Price: $21.95

Glamping with the N!ergy Tent

by Justin Glow on

Maybe it’s just me… but isn’t camping supposed to be an escape from the modern conveniences available in your home? Isn’t that why we go “outdoors,” to get away from it all, to unplug and relax a bit? Eureka, makers of the N!ergy Tent, think differently. Maybe they’re a bit smarter than the average bear — they know that people want their s’more and eat it too, they want electricity on the campground and in the tent in the form of three 12-volt outlets. Glamping is going mainstream.