After trail running, bushwhacking, navigating, and -- finally, hours later -- stumbling up a stretch of road to the finish line, Team GearJunkie.com won the annual MNOC Rogaine Orienteering race! The event, held this year on August 14th in the Chequamegon National Forest of Wisconsin, included 25 flags hidden in a remote plot of forest land. About a dozen teams ra... Read Moren the race, which had a six-hour time cutoff and would entail up to 20 miles of on- and off-trail running. Despite its name, the sport of Rogaine has no connection to the anti-baldness drug made by Pfizer Inc. The name comes from a combination of "Rod, Gail and Neil," the first names of three Australian athletes credited with popularizing the sport in the 1970s. The sport, an offshoot of orienteering, puts teams of two to four people on a choose-your-own-adventure course in a wilderness dotted with flags. Race organizers hand out topographical maps at the start pre-marked with control flag locations. From there, teams scan the shotgun pattern of flag placements and pick a route through the woods. In a rogaine race, a compass serve

After reading Mark Anders' recent recount of his kayaking and surfing mission along the coasts of Costa Rica and Panama, we wanted to profile the workhorse of his exploration: the speedy, fun and multipurpose Hobie Mirage Adventure Island. Starting with the foundation, it's a really fun touring kayak with an upgraded twist/stowe rudder and Hobie's exclusive MirageDr... Read Moreive that utilizes two linked foot pedals which drive a pair of underwater fins that act much like a penguin's flippers. A clutch attribute when the wind is spotty, if you're looking for a quick burst of speed, or if you have an expanse of water ahead. To create a stable vessel worthy of hauling gear, simply engage the new Aka II die-cast folding crossbars and Ama side floats. Step the sailing rig, and you have a stable sailing craft that's directly related to the ancient transportation and exploratory vehicles of the South Pacific. A roller-furling, vertically battened mainsail makes engaging or reducing sail a snap. Much like the company's innovative Hobie Cat from the late-60's, created as a lightweight, fast and easy-to-sail playboat

It's little secret that most people enjoy music when they're drinking, but what about making music with their drinks? Tuned Pale Ale ($TBA) is an ingenious microbrew that features a vertical note scale on the edge of the label - just drink down to your desired note, and blow on the top. In addition to having up to six "blow" notes, the backs of the bottles sport ridge... Read Mores for Latin-style percussion, and the box flips upside-down to reveal a tongue drum that produces six different tones, one for each of the bottle slots. It's like Rock Band, only a lot cheaper, and with a much higher alcohol content. Read more at uncrate.com.

Unlike a lot of luggage today, the Nau Fleunt Traveler Duffle is made for travelers who prefer to keep their carryall tastes a few feet under the radar. Made from 100% organic cotton canvas with cotton poplin lining, the duffle is shaped to recall the look of a classic doctors bag while providing enough room to hold a weekends worth of gear. Six pockets (three externa... Read Morel, three internal) are part of the construction to ensure maximum gear organization. For more on this and other bags, check out GearPatrol.com or Nau.com.

It wasn't so very long ago that camcorders were the size of a small shoebox and weighed as much as a pair of hiking boots. Sure, it's great to capture video on trips to share with friends back home, but you never would've caught me dead hauling around one of those big ol' video cameras. Thankfully, things have changed and camcorders have gotten more and more com... Read Morepact and more user friendly [See: the Flip]. And, as far as I'm concerned, Kodak just upped the ante again with their new HD camcorder called the PlaySport (store.kodak.com). About the size and shape of an iPhone, the PlaySport is a full-on High-Definition camcorder capable of capturing 1080p @ 30 frames per second. That's geek code for: frickin' really high-quality video footage. It also shoots 5 megapixel still photos--but they aren't anywhere near the quality of the video (expect something about the quality of your cellphone camera). That said, one of the coolest features of the PlaySport is the fact that it's truly waterproof. You can capture vids with this thing while submerged up to 10 feet, making it a great choice for shooting all

Celebrate your passion for adventure, music and conservation at the Nor'easter - a weekend-long festival sponsored by Eastern Mountain Sports in the beautiful White Mountains, N.H. Come climb hard your hardest, run your fastest, cycle your best, then dance your heart out under the autumn stars during the peak of New England s fall foliage. "One part sport, one part ... Read Moreculture, one part conservation, and one giant party", the Nor'easter is open to everyone passionate about the outdoors, whether you re completely new to a sport, a total pro or just need a high-energy, active weekend. Over 1,500 people attended last year's event. Friday evening, the festival kicks off with live music, followed by the Unified Bouldering Championships Pro Tour. Saturday starts off right with a sunrise yoga session, the SmartWool trail running race, Nor'easter Cyclocross, then bouldering finals. Live music starts at noon. Sunday, fill up on a yummy pancake breakfast a la the American Alpine Club, before heading to Rumney, one of New England s premier climbing destinations, for pro clinics and conservation at the Access Fund