Year in Review: The most innovative in Gear

With rapidly evolving technology and the ever-pertinent demands of consumers — aggressive and everyday alike — gear is taking on all new shapes and sizes to not only incorporate this forward-thinking tech, but to make it accessible, from either a price point or a usage one, or both. After all, if it's staying in showrooms, who the f*ck cares?

Nymi - $79
As fitness trackers were both last and this year's big wearable — aside from the obvious Google Glass that seemingly only celebrities were cool enough to wear — it's increasingly evident that we as a public are more than happy to slap on a bracelet if the higher powers-that-be tell us to. And with Anonymous, the government, and petty digital thieves hacking us left and right, it's about time you took to that advice about changing up your passwords on this, that, and everything that requires one. This wristband is forgiving for when you forget your first teacher by translating your heartbeat into an open-all. [More...]

NewtonEnergy - $119
Barefoot running? Not only gross (sewage overflow and dog pee) and dangerous (glass and everything else that doesn't find its way to landfills) but also on its way out. Enter Newton, a brand that not only offers you some coverage, but trains you to kick that old heel-strike habit and run properly on the balls of your feet. And it does so without looking like those oversized, clunky trainers of yore.

HeadYouTek Graphene Instinct Rev - $169.95
Who woulda thunk the Brits would be the ones creating the Nobel Prize-winning graphene that would transform tennis — and a number of other fields — with that drought of home-field championships and all? So with Andy Murray finally bringing the Wimbledon home, it might be appropriate that their super lightweight material (hundreds of times stronger than steel) was finally incorporated into a racket, the first of many mainstream ventures. Next? Everything from more outdoor gear to all sorts of tech-focused gadgetry.

SOOT Electropack - $239+
Stuffing a sack with all you got, and having one that'll pack it down right, isn't always enough anymore with all the iDevices you're also throwing in there; therefore, when you're traveling or even moving about the city on a day trip, it's always nice to have a charge on you. This modular system not only breaks down or builds up into the specific carrier you need for optimal usage, but makes sure your phone doesn't tucker out before you do. [More...]

Black DiamondAnthem AvaLung Pack - $269.95
With the climate changes affecting mountains the world-over, snow banks are more unpredictable than ever. And of all the avalanche gear and tech flooding the market, the AvaLung is as everyman as simply avoiding pow-heavy back bowls: it doesn't come with bells and whistles that would lend to a detrimental panic, but it does offer a new system that offers you potentially life-saving air in the case of an emergency, packaged in freeride carry-along. Then you let professionals do what they're trained to do: rescue you. [More...]

Helly HansenThrym Jacket - $900
Sure, the price tag is as steep as the slopes you'll be cruising along, but this goes a long way in avoiding the money you'll be shucking out of your pockets in medical care for colds and frostbite. This element defender has all the tech that most high-end jackets come with, and more. What sets this apart (and something we hope to see in more of its kind) is the turbocharged mechanical venting H2FLOW that maintains air pockets to keep you dry then warm or cool depending on the conditions.

Shark Attack Mitigation SystemsWetsuits - Surf ($380), Dive ($440)
As with the mountain, climate change is crapping all over some of our favorite warmer-weather activities. Formerly friendly shores are now home to hungry sharks forced from their previous waters by transformed tidal patterns, etc. These new-fangled wetsuits offer an alternative to being fish food with patterns that blend you into the ocean, to those that basically scream "I'm not a seal!" Expect more in the way of this design being a part of suits from here on out, maybe even impenetrable ones someday. [More...]

RaleighTripper - $900
It's the in-between to the fixies and cruisers our health- and environment-crazed public are jamming up traffic with. Stripped of all the cycling condiments that might confuse the lesser peddlers, this has sturdy frame and tires, life-saving all-conditions brakes, and gears to make sure you're not sweating too much when you make it to the top of that hill.

Coin - $100 ($50 if Pre-Order)
One card for your "credit, debit, loyalty, gift, and I-don't-even-remember-what-this-one-is-for card." One. Talk about consolidation. With this and the Nymi, you'll be a one-stop shop soon enough. And in a time with there's umpteen ways to skin a cat, it's nice to have some choices that cover all the base, though this is beginning to feel rather Orwellian... [More...]

KnowRoaming - $35
Sure, phone plans are becoming international, and Skype has new competition with the likes of Viber among others, but generally speaking there isn't a good patch-all for the traveling type that wants to keep their own phone in hand and not be limited by who they're able to call. This might be the closest to that patch-all, though. The sticker sticks to your SIM card and re-routes data usage through local providers, making said data usage significantly cheaper. It'll be cool to see if sticker updates go alongside software ones in avoiding full device overhauls. [More...]

PlusUsLifeLink - $19
There's a whole lot of pocket chargers littering the space right now, but this flexible and non-bulky addition to your keyring is as discrete as they come, and in a world where wearables are taking to the forefront (see: Nymi), the idea of wearing one's charger doesn't really offer much of a spark. And it comes in Lightning, Micro USB, and 30 pin for whatever it is you're actually charging. [More...]

BioLiteCampStove - $129.95
While pocket chargers are really something else these days (in a good way), and battery packs are still a mainstay in the space, there can't be enough said about harnessing natural energy (this one through heat) in holding and rebooting power. For the camper that might need to be less off the grid than he would otherwise want to be, this is the perfect way to cook up an meal while also checking in — and the perfect medium between living off the land and keeping up with tech.

BruntonHydrogen Reactor - $150
More chemically-inclined than heat, this mini power plant harnesses then energy produced by battery-sized hydrogen cores where the reactor’s fuel cell starts separating positively-charged ions from negatively-charged electrons, then spits the electrons into a circuit and the ions into an electrolyte membrane, where the ions mingle with oxygen from the air emit a little water vapor. Confused? So are we. But we're excited to see a long line of products that put have those science projects form middle school making a little more sense. [More...]