Have you ever been in a situation where your life depended on having a good, strong length of rope, but none was available? Well, obviously, if so, then you’re probably not reading this. But if you were wearing a Survival Strap on your wrist, then you’re probably nodding your head and smiling in a knowing way.

A good strong rope is usuable only if you can get at it right away, and that’s the beauty of a Survival Strap: you wear it around your wrist, so it’s with you all the time. Unravel your wristband and you’ve got a good 16 feet (depending on the size of your wrist) of 550-test, military spec, non-stretchy paracord.

Survival Straps are made in the USA, and are designed for lots of uses, and in lots of sizes, weights and colors. And if you use yours to save your life, send your story and a picture, and the survival Strap people will replace it for free.

It’s bling that just might save your bacon.

[Survival Straps]

To “be tanka” means to live your best life, in harmony with your spirit and the earth, in the language of the Oglala Lakotas who own and run Native American Natural Foods. Based in South Dakota, they produce minimally-processed and sustainably grown food products.

The main ingredients of a Tanka Bar? Bison meat and cranberries cured with sugar. Some salt. Garlic, red pepper. No nitrates, no nitrites, no MSG, no hydrogenated oils, no gluten, no hormones, no trans fats. It’s just good food that’s easy to take along in your pocket.

The recipe for the jerky-like Tanka Bar is based on wasna, a centuries-old mainstay food of the Lakota culture. Loosely translated, the word means “all mixed up.” Like pemmican, wasna is a mixture of buffalo meat, berries, and spices, and travels well. Unlike the modern commercial “pemmican” you buy in convenience stores, Tanka Bars are actually good for you. Warriors and hunters would pack wasna inside a buffalo horn to take with them and sustain them on their treks. Thankfully, you can purchase Tanka Bars in pocketable plastic wrappers.

Native American Natural Foods applies their ethic of sustainability and nutrition to packaged hot dogs, sausages, and convenience foods.

There’s no idea so good that somebody can’t make it better. Take backpacks, for example. Bet you have one. The idea’s been around a while. Ignoble makes them better.

The zipper on this nylon bag is arranged so that you don’t have to dig down from the top to reach what’s on the bottom. Just unzip it vertically as far as you need to, to get at anything inside.

Inside, there’s a hanging pocket and a book sleeve, for organization. Outside, there’s a padded airmesh back that goes between you and the bag, padded straps, and a zippered hood stash pocket on top. Side compression straps keep it the right volume for whatever’s inside; loosen the straps to fill it to the full 32 liter capacity.

Ignoble bags are made in the U.S.A., hand assembled in small runs by a military-grade softgoods production facility.

Ignoble Mona Cocoon Backpack

mona in action

Fingerless gloves have been around for a long time. Their biggest drawback is that, well… they’re fingerless. And the part of your hand you most want to keep warm is the finger part.

Special purpose gloves have also been around a while, like hunters’ gloves for shooters that allow freedom for the trigger finger. But in the age of Multi-Touch displays, a really thoughtfully-designed glove needs to give you back both your index finger and your thumb, so you can not only point and tap, but pinch-open and pinch-closed.

That’s what Freehands are: really thoughtfully-designed gloves for touchscreen users.

The index fingers and thumbs of these gloves flip open like little hatches so your digits can go all digital. The thoughtful part of the design: tiny embedded magnets in the fingertips hold the tips open and prevent their flapping around during finger-active times. So, now, when you’re on the slopes, you won’t have to doff your ski gloves to update Twitter: just grab your iPhone, pop open the little hatches, tap and swipe, and keep on schussing.

A variety of glove designs for men and women are available. Pictured below is the Freehands Ski Glove; and above are the Soft Shells for men, a good, warm general-purpose glove with a silicone-reinforced palm, soft fleece lining, and an elastic cinched wrist to keep out drafts. There’s a plastic hook built in to hold the pair together… but, honestly? …the little magnets do a pretty good job of that, too.

The Freehands Collections

for the slopes

Electric Motion Systems, LLC (EMS), designer of the E+ Electric Bike, has teamed with Matra Manufacturing & Services, the French LEV company, to update a legend – the TidalForce™ M-750. In a Limited Edition of just 240 units, each with the E+ 1000 watt advanced electric propulsion system and upgraded components throughout, EMS and MATRA have created the most powerful, rugged, and best all-around e-bike yet: the TidalForce™ M-750 x2.0 Limited Edition.

[TidalForce M-750 x2.0]

Skateistan is Afghanistan’s first dedicated co-educational skateboarding school. The school will engage with the growing numbers of urbanised youth in Afghanistan through skateboarding and provide new opportunities in cross-cultural interaction and education. Students will be selected from a range of different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Student capacity will be developed in skateboarding, skateboarding instruction, project management, life skills and English. Our aim is to develop a program that empowers youth to take leadership on issues important to them and build networks that will counter current ethnic barriers.

[VIA] | [Skateistan]

[THE KTRAK Snow Bike]

Design your own skateboard. Ride it, grind it, break it… it’s yours… all yours…  Build your own @ BoardPusher

Get that perfect fire roaring away in your yard! Nothing centers and inspires me more than a crisp night with hot flames. This is designed by WMF of Germany.

[Lounge Outdoor Fire Pit by WMF]

This is the ultimate grill for your next tailgating experience or camping adventure! The Freedom Grill is perfect for SUVs, Pickups, and RVs – mounts onto any 2″ hitch receiver and the patented arm locks securely in place while driving, then swings away conveniently when at your destination for outdoor cooking.

[Freedom Grill The Official Grill of Tailgating]