Week In Review ~ 26 October

Are you an adrenaline junkie, happiest when you’re doing extreme outdoor activities? Always on the go and need your phone to keep up with you? Perhaps you’re seeking a simpler approach to hauling your cash and cards around? Well, this Week In Review is for you…

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Nomad takes charge of portable smartphone accessories

Ever had to wait for an important call or tried to get in touch with someone while on the go, doing your best to ignore your phone’s desperate gasps for a power source? If your phone does a goodbye-cruel-world and leaves you with the black screen of death this can be a major inconvenience – and not being able to feed your addiction to mobile games doesn’t count; rather think along the lines of missing the phone call that your wife’s gone into labor or trying to coordinate a brief business meeting during your business travels with multiple parties who have minimal time to spare and planes to catch. Nomad’s CHARGEKEY aims to avoid such inconveniences by serving as a portable USB charging cable for the iPhone 5/5S/5C and Android. It’s small enough to fit on a keyring and can be used with any USB port so you don’t need to worry about carrying around your charging cable anymore.

Mission Workshop’s backcountry sibling

The folks behind Mission Workshop love cycling and making bags built to last. They love it so much that they’ve added a new division called Acre. Mission Workshop’s bags have a city-sleek style to them and accommodate all your EDC needs but Acre focuses on cycling apparel and hydration packs for the kind of trips where protection from torrential downpours is a tree – if you’re lucky. The Hauser hydration pack is available with a 10-liter or 14-liter volume and enough attitude to eat dirt for breakfast and relish it. The pack has four exterior pockets and includes a removable tool-roll which is handy for keeping your bike tools organized inside the pack. You can also attach the likes of a bike helmet to the exterior of the pack. The Hauser is compatible with most hydration reservoirs up to a volume of 3 liters.

Streamlined cash and card carry

It’s the simple things in life that sometimes go unnoticed but which can make such a difference to your daily activities. General Manufacturing Concern’s Pinnacles Cardfold merges a billfold and a card wallet in a design that makes access quick and efficient. The open end of the Cardfold makes it easy to put in or take out bills and if you’re a pro at only carrying the essential cards you need, the card slot will suit you just fine. Even if you’re not a pro yet it’s likely to encourage you to leave that store card that you haven’t used for seven months at home, which may seem tough now but it’s only a good thing. The hand-sewn Cardfold comes in brown and tan English Bridle leather with a choice of blue or black stitching.

A watersports pack that will float your boat

You haul your white water raft out of the raging torrent of water, having survived the equivalent of being a twig in a flash flood. You feel exhausted but epic. It’s time for some well-deserved lunch to let your adrenaline-fueled body calm down and to recharge for the journey home. You open your pack and are greeted by drenched sandwiches and a jacket that looks like it’s just come out the washing machine. Now you’re more deflated than your friend’s raft that struck a particularly vicious rock. The Sea to Summit Carve 24L DryPack counters such unfortunate occurrences with a waterproof TPU laminated 420D nylon fabric construction. The interior is white to increase visibility of the contents and an interior pocket keeps smaller items within easy reach. The pack is designed with watersports in mind but suits other outdoor activities too where snow or rain is likely.

Chrome is back in black

Black makes everything look tougher and cooler (think ninjas, SAS, SWAT, you get the idea…). However, having style but no substance just won’t cut it. Chrome’s new BLCKCHRM collection has sleek stealth looks with rugged construction, incorporating rubber-coated hardware, leather detailing and Hypalon (a material that was used in U.S. Coast Guard rescue rafts) into their Sotnik duffle, Bravo backpack and Citizen messenger. Essentially Chrome’s cavalry collection, these pieces are designed to charge forth and conquer regardless of what the elements can throw at them.