The iGearList Blog

Stickers in Action

Awesome! iGearLists’s good friend and logo designer extraordinare, Michelle, sent us this awesome photo of the iGearList sticker in action! Besides looking like a total bad-ass white water kayaker, she is sporting our sticker squarely on the back of her kayaking helmet.

You are probably thinking: “That is great, but I can’t see it very well!” Exactly! That is why you must write us for your free sticker - we’ll send one out to you and then you can find out for yourself what they look like.

Once you have your free sticker, take a picture of it in action and send it to us with your bio. We’ll feature you in our blog and basically make you a superstar for a day!

- P

July 28th, 2008

Left for Las Vegas

Every now and then someone comes along who quietly, ambitiously pushes the bar of human endurance and compassion to some incomprehensible level.

Now, I thought I had come to know one of humanity’s most spectacular feats when I read about Lisa Smith-Batchen’s Badwater Double finish. As it turns out, it doesn’t stop there for Lisa.

Yesterday, Lisa Smith-Batchen left for Las Vegas to start her 810 mile run-bike effort that goes like this: First she will run from Las Vegas to the Death Valley where she will then compete in the 135-mile Badwater Ultramarathon. She will finish the Badwater, and then continue on to top Mt. Whitney. After that, she will go on to ride the Furnace Creek 508 bike race.

It is hard to describe a feat that is a non-stop chain of 302 miles of running, and 508 miles of biking in the most punishing heat imaginable. Each one of these feats individually would be a lifelong goal for most accomplished endurance athletes. To string them all together into one event is unreal. I really can’t do it justice here in one amateur blog post.

What makes it more impressive is that since announcing this event, she has already raised close to a quarter million dollars for children orphaned by AIDS. Incredible!

Follow her progress starting July 9th, and learn more by visiting her 810 site. Go Lisa!!!!

- P

July 6th, 2008

Take A Hike!

For those of you in the Bay Area, in California, or maybe passing through or planning a trip - here is an event that promises to be fun, beautiful and help the local community. Read on!

Take a Hike! …to help stop domestic violence in our community.

Take A Hike! is a three day, two night hiking/camping and fundraising event for CORA (Community Overcoming Relationship Abuse). Currently CORA is the only domestic violence nonprofit in San Mateo County. Their services include a 24-hour hotline, crisis response, support groups, legal services, transitional housing, emergency shelter, and teen support services. By hiking, volunteering, or becoming a sponsor of Take A Hike!, you’ll join the community to help end relationship abuse. Together we’ll help thousands of families create a different future for themselves and help stop domestic violence in our community.

Take A Hike! will be held at Pinnacles National Monument on September 5-7, 2008. We will be entering the park from the west side and hiking to the East Campground where we will set up our basecamp for the weekend. The following two days will be filled with more hiking, naturalist talks on the geology and wildlife in the park (Pinnacles is known for its population of the California condor), as well as fun with friends, campfires, and sleeping under the stars.

As a hiker you will be asked to attend one of two Hiker Orientations on either 5/19 or 6/26 which will help give you all the details you would ever want to know about CORA, the location of the event, safety, and fundraising. You will also be asked to attend one of two Readiness Hikes on either 8/2 or 8/23 which will be a great event to get to know your fellow hikers as well as Team Leaders. There will also be one of two Safety Meetings you will need to choose from on either 8/28 or 9/2 before attending the final hike on September 5-7. The fundraising requirement for a hiker is $1500 and there is plenty of support available to help you reach and even surpass your goal!

Register now for our next Hiker Orientation meeting on June 26 at 6:30pm!

For any additional information or to attend our next Hiker Orientation meeting, please email Jenine Beecher atjenineb (at) corasupport (dot) org or call 1-888-321-CORA. To register or sponsor the event go to www.corasupport.org.

- P

Add comment May 14th, 2008

Welcome, Altrec!

This week, iGearList welcomes Altrec to our site! We are now proud partners of their affiliate program. Click on the logo and check out some of their offers! Or, you can visit the Altrec Outlet - for up to 70% off.

Go Nuts!

And remember, when you shop through iGearList, we donate our 100% of our commission to a featured Non-Profit. We’re looking for a new one to benefit - know anyone?

- P

Add comment April 10th, 2008

Hilleberg Akto solo tent - $285

Ever heard of one of these - the Hilleberg Akto solo tent? Neither had I! When one posted to iGearList the other day, I did a little homework. What I found out was astonishing - this is a highly coveted 4-season solo tent, made by an amazing company, at a deep discount - about $100 off the regular price.

First let’s take a look at what the seller says about it:

“One of the world’s great four-season solo tents. Double wall construction that can withstand gale-force winds and yet weighs only 3lbs. 5oz. Green model. This tent retails for $385. Asking $285 plus UPS ground shipping… Includes complete spare pole and Tyvek groundsheet. Used on three trips this year. Like new condition….”

The folks at Hilleberg know what they are doing. If you read the list of expeditions their tents have been used on, you’ll see every climate from the Gobi to the Antarctic, the 7 summits, and some of the most famous expeditionists of our time.

Reading through some of the reviews, one person referred to it as “the gold standard tent” for solo walks, and another states: “calling the Akto unusual and unrivalled on the market would hardly be an exaggeration.”

Check it out!

-P

Add comment April 1st, 2008

Free, while it lasted

Eco Babe snapped this out on the preserve yesterday. Superb.

-P

Add comment March 27th, 2008

Trango 2 Tent - $200

sweet Trango 2 Tent!

This is one of the latest listings on iGearList - a Trango 2 Tent in good condition for just $200! That’s half, or less, of what you’d pay retail. So, you save $200 and the seller gets $200 so they can buy something else.

With all this talk about recession, what better way to recession-proof than 1) saving money and 2) making money. This is why buying and selling your used outdoor gear on iGearList just makes good sense! Clean out your garage and sell that gear! It’s spring, after all…

If you are interested in learning more about the Trango 2 Tent, visit Mountain Hardwear - but remember to come back and buy it here!

- P

2 comments March 25th, 2008

Send Climbing Harness, Get $25

Mountaingear.com wants your old harness, and they are willing to give you a $25 coupon towards your new one. Now, while I really need people to post things on iGearList, I’d actually prefer that you take those tattered old harnesses and just trade them in. Do it!

What’s really cool is that they are going to use your old climbing harness to do some research. This is from their website:

Why do we want your used harness?
•We want to test your old, worn-out harness
•You can be involved in one of the first large scale harness tests done by the outdoor industry
•Help us gain the knowledge to ensure the safety of all climbers
•You will receive a $25 gift certificate good towards $125 or more of Arc’teryx products at Mountain Gear

- P

Add comment March 18th, 2008

think RRRRRRR in Spanish

trillium

iGearList welcomes our new blog writer and co-conspirator, “Eco Babe”, a.k.a. WeedBabe (ah, don’t get the wrong idea…she’s an ecologist! She pulls weeds for a living!) Without further adieu, I bring you her first column!

———–

Springtime brings a whole host of loveliness to look at and enjoy. Migratory birds are arriving and beginning to nest. One of my favorites is the red-winged blackbird, whose distinctive up-toned trill (think RRRRRRR in Spanish) calls the ear with its happy sound. These birds live in polygynous colonies called leks, with one male protecting up to 15 females. However, the ladies know what’s going on, because up to 50% of the eggs laid in a particular male’s territory may not belong to him. Visit this great site from Cornell for more information about the Red Winged Blackbird and other feathery friends.

For those of you slogging trail, Spring’s first wildflowers have sprung! Look for the distinctive curved necks and tiny yellow flowers of Fiddlenecks, the glossy leaves and purple flowers of Houndstongue, and perhaps, if you are lucky, the bright orange, satiny sheen of the California poppy. Visit this California Academy of Science website for tons of great information on wildflowers you can enjoy.

While you recreate and train, notice the world around you and enjoy its beauty. If you’re thinking about something fun to do on a weekend, remember that restoring habitat and removing invasive plants isn’t just good for the earth, it’s great excercise, too!

- Eco Babe

Add comment March 11th, 2008

The “Cutty” ORV

“will a 1990 oldsmobile cutlass ciera make it across country”

So, occasionally I take a peek and see how people came to iGearList. What words did they search by when they found us? This search term has got to take the cake: “will a 1990 oldsmobile cutlass ciera make it across country”.

To the person who was searching for the answer, I have it for you: Y-E-S. Unless you have something against velour, cruise control, and boat-like handling characteristics, you can just let that baby fly.

I used to use my “cutty” as an ORV (Off Road Vehicle). Her clearance was not bad at all, and the heavy engine set upon those narrow tires combined with the front wheel drive created good traction in the snow.

Anyways, enough of this Oldsmobile shenanigan, and you won’t have to suffer it again - I sold the cutty, and I do have a new writer coming on board for the blog. Yes, to add to our ultra runner (Gear Queen), our cyclist (LuLu) and our paddler (that’s me), we’ll now have an ecologist (Eco Babe). Look for posts about plants, birds and outdoor gear for folks who work in natural places. Her first post is coming this week!

Stay tuned!

- P

2 comments March 4th, 2008

Posts filed under 'good stuff.'