The Exstream XR gives you something all of us love: Instant gratification. Walk up to any water source, scoop up some water, screw on the lid and squeeze safe water right into your mouth. Effective agains Giardia as well as viruses and bacteria, this is the perfect bottle for hikers and paddlers. Travelers in foreign countries have loved this product as well for its convenience and small size. $49.95 ...

Pack and Paddle is now your source for Evolv Climbing Shoes. Evolv is a US based climbing company that produces some really amazing at a great price (these models run $79). We're now carrying the Defy for men and the Electra for women. Here's what Evolv has to say about the Defy and Elektra: The DEFY is one of our most popular shoes and became an instant hit as soon as we released it. It combines the benefit of a comfortable multi-purpose shoe and the convenience of a hook-and-loop fastener performance shoe. With the feel of a sensitive slipper, the ...

Tired of seeing all those black, boxy, IBM style laptop bags ladies? Sherpani changes everything with their new Viso Laptop Bag. This bag is a compact mobile office that has equal measures of form and function. The Viso is designed as a shoulder carry bag that can be slung over the shoulder or carried in your hand. One side zips open to form a nice workspace while sitting in an airport or at a coffee shop. The other side stores your laptop while you're on the move. Best of all - it looks femininely professional. Perfectly suited for anything from ...

Just wanted to give everyone an update on what's happening with our construction project in the new room. Here's what you can expect when we are finished: 40% more floor space will allow us to spread things out and show all our gear better. We will be able to show around 30 boats inside instead of our current 13. We will have a dedicated "Tent Center" that will allow us to expand our selection of tents and make shopping for tents at Pack and Paddle much easier. Gear such as packs, tents and boats will not take a back seat ...

I don't know why, but I have a soft spot for Timbuk2 messenger bags. To me - they are just so cool looking and reflect a relaxed lifestyle without sacrificing how well it works in real life. No bag carries as well as a Timbuk2 with its adjustable strap and padded back. The Commute offers a laptop compartment that's accessible without opening the main bag. If you prefer, you can place the laptop inside in a separate compartment. There's lots of pockets for coins, pens, pencils, IPOD's and even a spot for an ID ...

Lately I have been making lots of appointments with reps for the upcoming Outdoor Retailer trade show that we attend twice a year. Reps will call and invariably the conversation turns towards business. "How are things going?", "Are your sales up?", "Do you have any new directions that you are driving the business in?". Then I get treated to tales of other stores that are selling online or building new stores in other towns in their attempt to chase growth. By the time I hang up, I usually feel kind of small, unimportant and out of touch with the business ...

Speaking of lightweight stuff, you gotta check out the new light from Petzl. This featherlight headlamp weighs only 27 grams, runs on 2 lithium batteries (included), is waterproof to 1 meter and offers both normal and red light options. Why bring spare batteries when the E+Lite weighs less than a spare set of AA's? ...

I think that shopping for a good lightweight pad is one of the most aggravating things an outdoors person can do. There always seems to be too many trade offs: You can get them light, but they are either thin or short in length. You can get them nice and comfy, but they weigh a ton (not literally!). I have found one of the few places where you can "Beat the System" is with the Ether series Thermo pad from Pacific Outdoor. This pad is "semi self-inflating" meaining that you have to blow a few breaths of air into it ...

The new Sure Shot from North Face may be the perfect pack. If makes a large book pack that will handle even the most ominous load of school books. Its 2100 Cubic Inches of space make it a great small travel pack for those that go light or a great all-around day hiking pack. The heart of its design is the EVAP Air Frame Back Panel. This reduces the amount of sweat that builds up between your back and the pack. Thick shoulder straps with load lifters make any load more bearable. Mesh pockets on the side handle water bottles ...

As an update to my post on the Prana merchandising contest - I wanted to let you know that from hundreds of entries from across the US, our Wind Over Water display was chosen as the third place winner! I have to say that even though it seems cool to say it doesn't really matter, it was fun to be named in the winners circle. When I read the email to Amy, Loren, Becky and Jamie, everyone was running around yelling and high fiving. It was really fun.I guess what was the most fun was to see the team come ...

Last week, Becky and I attended a family reunion in New Mexico. While there, we had the opportunity to take an interpretive tour of the Pecos National Historic Park. Our tour guide painted a picture in our minds of what this area was like when the native americans lived there for literally thousands of years. The area was beautiful, the way their culture fit into the landscape was ingenious and how they lived was inspiring.What made me think was how fast all of this was lost. After thousands of years of successful living, this culture was dispersed and obliterated within ...

Last year we were 1,500 miles into our Appalachian Trail hike. Becky was having problems with her feet when we stopped in to a little town in Vermont. A shop there custom molded a pair of SOLE footbeds for her shoes and she still credits these wonders for saving her thru-hike. We made it to Maine, and now we want to pass along what we feel is the best upgrade to any pair of shoes or boots that we've found in a very long time. We are carrying 3 models of SOLE footbeds to fit your shoe volume and the ...