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It took me a few (powder) days back here in Bend to get my pics together from the OR show. The kahuna long board with big kahuna stick is the coolest new way to get a paddle workout while skating. My favorite things collide! In the end, it was great to see friends and colleagues. Here are a few of my favorites that will end up in the gear room:

Zbest inc (http://www.zbestinc.com/) make some really cool products. This flexible and portable solar charger is going to come along with me on the G0 Green Tour on bike in July. The panel folds up into a small case about the size of the laptop. The coolest feature is the ipod sized lithium battery (upper right) that you charge with the solar panel. The battery stores the power which can then be used to charge your laptop at any time. The 55 watt is the model that I'll use.

WhiteWood came out with a telescoping aluminum trekking/skiing pole with a multi-LED light on top of each grip. That is so smart!

Comfy sleeping bag suit...

The wild wild world of the Outdoor Retail show!

New Year's Resolution 2008

Learn how to use the Force

I'd be happy with learning how to float a spoon through the air or maybe even bending it briefly. I wouldn't want my Force skills to go the route of Neo from the Matrix. In addition to the God complex he developed he also really changed his style from computer hacker metro dude to vampire-emo and I'm not really into those sunglasses he was always wearing. I'd be more into the skill of the young padawon learner jedi. Maybe a little jumping around a forest like the degaba system in Empire Strikes Back. Come to think of it, I also didn't mind the way Luke's style went in Jedi. I bet those black wool cloaks are hard to come by though.

Outdoor Retailer Show

It's that time of year that the Outdoor Industry gathers under the fluorescent lights of Salt Lake City's Convention Center to show off all the new toys for the coming year. Retailers come from all over the country to view these products with all the deep scrutiny and care they can fit into a 1/2 hour appointment before running off to the next booth. Outdoor companies from all over the world ship crates and crates of rustic cabin-like displays to create that earthy, outdoor feeling that they are trying to associate their line with. In the end, the free beer brings the most attention to a booth at the end of the day. One thing for sure...whoever puts on this event is making major dough. The rest of us are just paying the admission.

Why the collective Outdoor Industry can not abandon this waste of energy, time, resources and money is beyond me. I've heard that some of the big companies out there spend over $500,000 just on their booth every show. 1 Million $/year! Why not create a Co-Op of rationale companies, combine these resources and buy 5000 acres of land that can be used year round for education, outreach, kids camps, conservation, and then twice a year a...

OUTDOOR "OUTDOOR RETAILER SHOW"

...Where we can actually try the boots, use the tents, look through the glasses, sleep on the pads, paddle the boats, use the headlamps...and actually camp out at night instead of standing on cement under evil lights. Most of the booths here at the show are really large houses constructed on cement for 3 days. I'm not joking. The "Life is Good" Log Cabin Booth is two stories high and twice the size of my house. Why not a "Life is Good" real Cabin on this land that can house their team and some of their favorite dealers.

They say 15,000 people come for this show and that the convention center in SLC is one of the few large enough to fit everyone in the country. All the hotels book, All the pseudo-beer in Utah is consumed, all the flights book, all the dining books, and all of the companies expense accounts get their workout. This cost makes its way to the goods we sell and you buy. 6 months later it will happen again. And ZERO equity is created. Buy land, build green buildings and change the way we do this!

But alas...I'm here cause I do like my job and the companies I represent. I love the friends I've made over the years and the sports we are so passionate about.

Here are some shots of Costa Del Mar Sunglasses and the up and coming Dude Girl clothing company outta Truckee CA.

More to come on what caught my attention in the next day or so.

Eddyline Factory Tour

My dog Bamboo just had to get up to the Eddyline factory to check out how the 08 crew was doing. Despite storms and snow all over the west, the gang at Eddyline is staying busy. Today a load of boats was being loaded for England. I grabbed a couple of nice new boats that were headed to their new home at Popeye's Marine and Kayak Center (Everett WA).

The cleanliness of the Eddyline Factory really is something spectacular. Years ago when Eddyline made glass and kevlar boats I had to leave Bamboo in the truck because resin and composite scraps just always seemed to find their way to his mouth or coat. Since switching over to thermal forming, the factory is so much cleaner in the air and on the ground. All leftover scrap material is gathered and sent back to our material supplier for a refund.

Here are the molds that heated Carbonlite is formed over. Suction vacuum plumbing is run all through the underside of these molds that pull the heated Carbonlite sheet into all the especially tight areas (skeg handles, deckties, cockpit, etc).

For some reason these molds remind me of the Carbon Frozen Han Solo from Empire Strikes Back/Return of the Jedi.


Pictured below is the "Heart of Thermal Forming. Notice the cooling fans that quickly cool the sheet after it is formed on a mold. The Oven (not pictured but to the right) feeds the heated sheet to the holding tray where it is formed over the mold. Sorry about the lack of detail but this is as close as I can show you in case you are a kayak industry spy...



The extruded seam is installed on the hull as Bamboo inspects the easily stored parts behind that allow for Eddyline's Industry Applauded "Just in Time" manufacturing.


Another Eddyline being proudly built in the USA! Master Builder Rick always has kayaks on the mind.

Now to me, this is Willa Wonka's Candy Factory...Look at all those tasty treats!
The "just in time" box that allows Eddyline to ship one boat quickly and safely all over the world. We are not worried too much about showing the competition this system because they have repeatedly chosen to not invest in the packaging of their product. Eddyline has worked hard to guarantee safe arrival of their kayaks for their customers. Not everyone can win "Gear Trends Top 10 Outdoor Manufacturer/Supplier" award.

Bamboo is happy to be part of the crew!

Angry Water

I just drove along the S. Chehalis and Chehalis River up in Lewis County WA on my way to pick up a kayak that I'm delivering to the Bay Area. I drove the backroads from the Cowlitz River all the way up to the Chehalis and was awestruck by the level of damage to farms, homes and roads. A few weeks ago there was certainly national news coverage of these floods because they extended all the way east to the I5 freeway causing closures. Now that the freeway is moving again the media coverage has dropped but the damage is still very present and real.

Just west of Rainbow Falls State Park on Hwy 6, I saw several large bridges that had been completely crushed and lying in the river. The river was still very angry around these bridges. The Chehalis was deeply muddied and carried debris into log jams and leftover bridge pilings. Several of the farms just south of this area were completely washed over leaving tractors, trailers and even barns just covered with mud.

I was able to speak to one of the local Fire Dept Commissioners. He said that 11 houses in the area had been condemned. One man about my age lost his entire house and the local community was going to help him build another one as FEMA was only able to kick in just over $3000. Although smaller than other natural disasters around the country recently, even this flood has changed many people's lives for a long time.

We are so lucky to have the abundant natural resources out here in the NW but with the recent storms in the NW and now down in CA we are reminded that we are living in and with this natural world. These rivers must be respected at all times even when we are able to play on them.

I was planning on paddling some today but after the sights of today's drive I just may let the river calm some before going out...

OK...I had to get out on the water...it was moving swiftly but how can you sit inside when you have this guy looking at you!

Bamboo is sitting with me in a 10' Emotion Edge Kayak. This is the best littlest boat for bringing a dog with you that I think is out there. It has a large cockpit and plenty of depth for hauling pets.