Human-Powered Transportation & Footwear Buyer's Guide - Buyers Guide

Sierra, March, 2001

Great gear for hiking, biking, and padding.

Footwear

VASQUE

Fusion GTX $13S

The Fusion GTX is the flagship of Vasque's lightweight "Cross Trail" tine, designed for speed-hiking and overnight, hiking with a light pack, Although it has the brown-leather looks and burly outsole of a hiker, the 2-lb, 1-oz. Pair weigh a half-pound less. There are two key features: a Gore-Tex membrane for waterproof/breathability, and the company's proprietary Bimodal Flex Plate, for flexibility in the front and stability in the back, The rear 2/3 of the Plate is made of fiberglas and the front 1/3 is polyurethane, providing natural, comfortable bend at the ball of the foot. 800-842-1301; vasque.com

WYOMING WEAR

Trail Sport Fleece Sock $15

Socks made of light, airy fleece? Get used to it. Wyoming Wear claims that its line of fleece athletic and outdoor socks, which uses a patented one-piece flat-lock stitch with a dart cut, have a number of advantages over wool. They are one-third the weight of wool, dry 90% faster, and are softer, more comfortable, and cooler in the summer. Models include Trail Sport for light hiking, Ergo Mountain ($17.50) for backpacking, and long and short lengths for activities ranging from flyfishing to tennis, 800-WYO-WEAR; wyomingwear.com

LA SPORTIVA

TRK $215

The Italian-made TRK can handle everything from a dayhike to a week on the Appalachian Trail, A classic-looking boot with locking-eyelet, antique-style, lacing hardware, this boot doesn't come cheap, but is built to last. Its upper of 2.8mm Idro-Perwanger silicon-impregnated roughcut leather comes from the corium, the section of cow skin just under the less-strong top grain. Highly water-resistant (not waterproof), the 1-lb., 12-oz. boot is built with a half-steel shank, and an anti-shock polyurethane heel insert. 303-443-8710: sportiva.com

HI-TEC

Woodland $65

Simply put, this is a lot of shoe for the money. If you love long day treks on rough terrain, you'll like the Woodland's carbon-rubber Vibram sole, full-grain Nubuck leather upper, and steel shank -- a group of features you don't expect at this price. Lightweight (15 oz. in size 9) and good-looking, it pampers your foot with a cushy, Contoured Comfort Innersole that lives up to its name. 800-521-1698; hi-tech.com

MERRELL

Chameleon Velocity $100

If the name doesn't tell the story, one look does. The Velocity may have an outdoorsy, Nubuck leather upper, but its silhouette is obviously that of an athletic shoe built for speed -- speed-hiking, and speedy trail-running. It's got the comfort and durability to handle all kinds of terrain, including features like mold-to-your-feet superfoam padding, high-ride compression-molded EVA sidewalls, a Vibram Octogrip outsole, a wraparound wishbone backstay, and an air-cushion midsole. 888-637-7001; merrellboot.com

COLUMBIA

Watusi Trainer $54.95

This deluxe, fully-enclosed multipurpose aqua shoe provides great wet-conditions traction, but dries quickly for land-based activities, The Watusi's key feature is a sticky-rubber, slip-resistant cupsole, which is dense enough to handle tong portages and short hikes comfortably. The 12.5-ouncer also has mesh drainage ports on each side to evacuate water fast, an adjustable elastic cord to keep the shoe on in the rough stuff, and a quick-drying synthetic/mesh upper and neoprene stretch collar for exceptional comfort. 800-547.8066; columbia.com

ASICS TIGER

Gel Odyssey $75

Designed for what Asics calls "adventure walking," the Odyssey combines the company's running-shoe-bred Gel cushioning technology under the heel with a premium, oiled-leather upper for durability and traditional outdoor looks. Although its solid-rubber rocker outsole is made specifically for hiking, the shoe's pronation-slowing DouMax medial post, beveled heel and toe, and Gel heel cushion make it a decent trail-runner, too. 800-333-8406; asicstiger.com

No excuses.

These two words sum up the new outdoor products for 2001. That's because this year's human-powered innovations are designed to be so useful to so many different types of people that you'll simply have no reason not to hike, bike, or paddle.

If you'd like to try kayaking but hate the hassle of lugging a boat -- no problem. Meet the inflatable kayak that fits in its own backpack.

If you're an outdoor-uberathlete looking to mix in a little speed-hiking and trail-running with your backpacking and birdwatching, you're in luck. This year, there's an explosion of footwear specifically designed for high-adrenalin cross-training activities.

Would you hike more if you could find a decent pair of dayhiking shoes under three figures? Do you want the comfort of a dual-suspension mountain bike but cringe at spending a grand? Do you dream of pro-quality binoculars that cost under $1,000 but are tough enough that you don't have to baby them?

They're all here -- along with a remarkable, waterproof-jacket treatment that keeps you 25% drier than ever before, hiking poles that literally become part of your hand, a tiny bicycle tool that has more functions than Sybil has personalities, and fleece socks that are so comfortable and dry that you'll swear you're wearing slippers.