Nemo delays: In the wake of disaster

Almost six months ago I took some photos of 2012 Nemo Tents for our blog; that was a few days before Irene. One of the great insights I've gotten from living through a natural disaster is that the recovery far outlasts the media coverage. Best guesses around Waterbury now seem to suggest that it will be 2013 --if ever--before most of the 1500 + Vermont State Employees return to the Waterbury Office Complex. While our store sits a good bit higher than the Winooski River on the other side of the railroad tracks and wasn't flooded, 2012's natural disasters continue to impact our work.

For example, we're still waiting to fill orders of the Nemo Gogo Elite tent. It turns out the fabric used by Nemo comes from a Toyota factory in Japan where they're still behind on orders in the wake of last spring's tsunami. These fabric delays lead to a whole slew of 2012 Nemo tent delays where we're not expecting to see exciting new product until the middle of May. Let's all hope we come out stronger from undergoing 2012's adversity.

Sleeping in the Cloud

Huh?!? Did I hear that correctly? 1 lb 12 oz?  Yep, but I had to get in it to believe it!  The new Sierra Designs Cloud 15 Sleeping Bag is the lightest, comfy-est sleeping bag in the 15 degree temperature range and it weighs only 1 lb. 12 oz.  With 900 fill down the Cloud really does feel dreamy...you barely feel that you have a layer wrapped around you at all.  Super soft, you'll get a great night sleep especially because you carried fewer ounces in your pack all day.  The regular length bag (rated for up to 6 ft) is perfect if you're 5' 11" or less, unless you're like me and need to trim a few inches of girth from around the mid-section.   A few of the ounces saved come in the taper of the bag which leaves you with only a 40 inch footbox.  Remember you're paying to stay warm, save space and shed weight, not to enjoy the opportunity to stretch out in luxury.

Your spouse might question your thinking--if you bother to bring her (or him) in the loop on this $499 decision--but just point out that this is an investment that will last.  If you don't believe it check out this Portland Hikers forumpost on an old Sierra Designs Cloud Series sleeping bag for a 30 year old SD bag selling for $50!  

Our first Sierra Designs Cloud bags arrive in the store next week.  But if $499 is a bit much then maybe another bag from our selection of Sierra Designs sleeping bags is just right.

Darn Tough Winter

It's been a tough winter across the country for those in the outdoor industry.  This has meant tough times for those of us depending on snow.  Locally I'd hoped to take the Camel's Hump Challenge this weekend but yet again it has been postponed due to lack of snow.  Down the road a few miles, Bolton Valley Resort opened their Timberline quad for the first time this season yesterday.  But fortunately conditions high up in the backcountry are decent, even if there is a lack of powder out there.   So tomorrow's day off promises a great traverse of the Bolton-Trapps section of the Catamount Trail. 

If you're on-line reading this you probably could care less that I'm inside today working @CCOutdoorStore.com.  But you might care that all week we've been loading up our Clearance Page with great deals.  Given how firm--i.e. icy--many trails have been this year, now may be the best time to get a grip with the 360 degrees of traction offered by MSR snowshoes.  MSR's Lightning Ascent snowshoes are now at the LOWEST PRICE we've ever offered them for.  From my personal experience I can't speak highly enough of how well these perform going through the woods and up and down steep mountainsides.  Despite our darn tough winter, I still wish I was outside now! 

Congratulations Kahtoola!

It's been a tough year to be selling snowshoes, but we've had to repeatedly reorder Kahtoola Microspikes to help folks deal with all the ice.  We've been touting the excellent performance and benefits of Microspikes for the last year (see our Microspikes blog from last winter.)   Now others have taken notice!  The editors of Backpacker Magazine just honored Kahtoola with an Editor's Choice Award at last week's Outdoor Retailer Trade Show in Salt Lake City.  READ MORE.

Zamberlan--the Italian boot-maker--donated $1500 of Zamberlan hiking boots to help Vermont victims of Tropical Storm Irene.  The boots raced out of the store in no time as our store sits on the state highway running along the Winooski river which jumped its banks on August 28th and inundated the village of Waterbury, Vermont.  While no damage was done to the store, many of our loyal customers lost just about everything on and below their first floors in a matter of hours.  Four months later many--but far from all-- have been able to occupy their homes again, most still have long punch lists of projects to pull their homes back together.  Thank you Zamberlan for your help in getting our community back on its feet.  For updated info on flood recovery efforts in Waterbury, check out the ReBuild Waterbury website. 

Z What? Z3.

The Zeal Z3 ski goggle  further blurs the line between life and the video game.  By far Zeal's Z3 is the coolest toy in our store.  The Z3 ski goggle combines state-of-the-art military Recon GPS technology with Zeal's high quality photochromatic optics.   You read correctly...GPS.  Speed.  Altitude. Distance. There in your goggle's view finder with the touch of a button.

You've probably read the great reviews of Zeal's goggle optics over the years...but if you've actually tried on a pair of Z3 you are one of the few.  These came to market late in 2011 without the same hype and fanfare as their big brothers the Zeal Transcend goggles.  If you want a taste of Zeal's cutting edge, innovative style check out their Mission Impossible like Z3 Goggle YouTube release.  If you just want the plain vanilla overview of features check out the Z3 page on our site. 

Green Mountain Club Snowshoe Festival 2012

It's always fun to head out on the trail with a group of folks and discover someplace new.  The Green Mountain Club Snowshoe Festival on February 4, 2012 gives you the chance to do just that.  This year the 16th Annual Snowshoe Festival promises to be bigger than ever with live music after the day's adventures to go with the always fun bonfire & hot cocoa.  New seminars during the day include a dog sled workshop and live V.I.N.S. owl &/or hawk presentation. 

Plus the Snowshoe Festival is a great way to try on snowshoes from different brands.  We'll be there along with other local shops helping folks demo different snowshoes.  For the event we'll be bringing along our MSR snowshoes and Crescent Moon snowshoes so you can find out how each excels in different ways.  We also like to bring along our Jetboil Flash Stove to show off how cool this can be for a hot drink at trailside.  So come join the fun on February 4th at the Green Mountain Club Visitor Center on Rt. 100 in Waterbury.