They’ve tried venturing the outdoor industry a couple of times before but now it looks like Adidas is serious about doing it right. I’m going to guess that they’re going to start with outdoor apparel because they’re essentially an apparel company but it’d be cool if they get into making tents next since the three stripes logo already looks like a tent.

Slingfin specializes in making high-end dome tents (at least so far) specifically for professional guides and serious users. Founded by designer/gearhead, Martin Zemitis and co-founder of Mountain Hardwear, Timothy Baka, the company is passionate about making the best-designed, highest quality outdoor gear the world has ever seen, unwilling to compromise in the name of monetary gain. These guys don’t even have a marketing department.

If that’s the case, I’m willing to do their marketing for them for free and I’m sure their fans will do the same simply because the world needs more of them.

Although the company is new, the people behind it has a lot of experience in the outdoor industry:

• Martin Zemitis – Founder/VP/Designer/Gearhead. Widely known as one of the best tent designers in the business. 33-year industry veteran and gear guru developed award-winning products for other well-known industry leaders. Co-founder of Mountain Hardwear. Now, he’s got his very own sandbox. Two SlingFin patents and more to come.
• Timothy Baka – Founder/President. Co-founder and “numbers guy” behind Mountain Hardwear. Past lives include investment banker and number cruncher. Lost the suit to start China-based sourcing and production business specializing in organic cotton. Likes to stick his fingers in the marketing pie.
• Jonathan Buck – Creative Director/Designer. Makes us look good. A great eye for design and photography. And check this out – he actually uses AND designs gear. Co-author of our ExoPak ™ patent. In charge of SlingFin’s look out of the blocks.
• Devin Swisher – Graphic Artist/Design Consultant. Made Mountain Hardwear look good for a decade. Artist extraordinaire. Idea man. Master of design and things Internet.
• Phil Scott – Legendary Designer/Production Guru. Outdoor industry man since the 1960’s. Never met a computer CAD system he couldn’t beat. Never met a marketing person he liked – reason why SlingFin has no “marketing department.”
• Robert Link – Professional Mountaineer/Design Advisor – Robert hast been kicking ass and taking names on many of the world’s highest peaks. Putting our ideas to work is his nugget. The design feedback loop from him is one reason we make the best gear ever.
• Lhawang Dhondup – Professional Mountaineer/Design Advisor – 30+ Himalayan expeditions under his belt. Climbing partner of Robert Link. Also kicks the shit out of our gear to make sure it works.

The bear that killed one and injured two other in a story published yesterday was captured by wildlife officials after it was lured into a trap “fashioned from culvert pipe and pieces of the dead man’s tent.”

The trap first attracted the female bear’s cubs instead. 2 of the 3 cubs were left in the cage while the other kept making loud calls through much of the day. The mother bear was eventually captured when it returned back to the sow.

The bear’s behavior was said to be unusual because it specifically targeted the three victims and went after them. Experts believe it was not the actions of a bear trying to protect its young especially since the victims were in three separate tents in different locations. Tent or sleeping bag fibers were found in the bear’s droppings.

Many in Cooke City who heard the news of the bear attack started carrying bear sprays. A couple had a bear spray within reach in their BMW convertible as they were driving through the park.

If the bear is confirmed to be the killer, it will have to be be put to the death. Officials have yet to decide the fate of the cubs.

A bear (or multiple bears – officials are still not sure) attacked two separate campgrounds near Yellowstone National Park leaving one dead and two injured. One of the victims, a woman, was smart enough to play dead and was left alone. Unfortunately, the woman didn’t do it soon enough and suffered severe lacerations and crushed bones from bites on her arms. The other survivor, a man, was bitten on his calf.

The CSI of bears have taken some samples of bear hair to their lab to determine the sex and species of the aggressive bear. If Henry Ostrander was there no one would be hurt.

Read the full story.

Meanwhile, celebrity wildlife educator Jack Hanna shared a story on CBS about his encounter with a female bear and her cubs on a narrow trail returning from Grinnel Glacier.

Hanna advocates the use of bear sprays over firearms in a public service announcement for the National Park Service.

The Boy Scouts of America celebrated their 100th anniversary on 26th July 2010. Here’s an interesting timeline from DallasNews.com

1910: Boy Scouts of America is incorporated in Washington, D.C.

1911: BSA publishes first edition of Boys’ Life magazine.

1918: Scout troops help public-health officials fight Spanish influenza epidemic.

1920: First World Scout Jamboree is held.

1930: BSA launches Cub Scout program for younger children.

1941-45: BSA aids the U.S. effort in World War II by distributing war bonds, salvaging and recycling critical materials such as rubber and assisting firefighting brigades.

1950: U.S. Post Office issues first stamp honoring Boy Scouts of America.

1960: BSA membership soars as more baby-boom children become Scout age.

1967: BSA changes Cub Scout “den mother” position to “den leader” to make room for men.

1979: BSA National Council, the organization’s corporate office, moves to Irving, Texas.

1980: Fashion designer Oscar de la Renta creates a new Boy Scout uniform.

1982: Number of Eagle Scouts hits 1 million.

2000: U.S. Supreme Court rules that BSA can bar gays from Scouting.

2010: BSA celebrates 100th anniversary.

http://scouting.org/100years/100years/Default.aspx

The things you do for your goat.

Henry Ostrander is not a professional boxer but when a bear attacked his goat in the middle of the night he did what most boxers would probably never dare do. The goat was screaming on the when the 66-year old historian at the Kit Carson Museum unleashed a left hook right on the nose.

Luckily, the goat survived the ordeal but the bear was not as fortunate. The bear died not because of Ostrander’s punch but because it was shot dead by the ranch manager of Philmont Scout Ranch.

He should’ve let the bear live so that it can warn other bears.

Full story here.

Good news for those who want to camp but have no idea where to start. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has a new program geared towards parents and kids who have little or no experience camping in the outdoors.

The “I Can Camp!” workshop teaches everything from setting up a tent to using a camp stove so that first time campers have the basic skills to spend the night at camp with some guidance.

The program had some success in 2009 and is offering 38 workshops in 35 locations this summer at a fairly reasonable price.

Learn more about the I Can Camp! program.

Nicholas Justin Nowers, 20, no address, was arrested on charges of criminal trespass of a non-dwelling and camping in the park.

Brenda Sue Martin, 48, no address, was arrested on charges of criminal trespass of a non-dwelling, camping in the park, failing to stop for an officer, two counts of interfering with an arrest and assaulting a police officer.

Both were booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility. According to Public Information Officer James Schafer their main concern was that these guys are a nuisance for families trying to enjoy the park. But the couple was found sleeping in separate restrooms shortly after midnight. The only family that might enjoy the park is the Adams family.

There must be a better solution than putting them in jail.

Debts to the Gainesville Regional Utilities (GRU) have forced the Alachua County Fair Association to close down their campsite in the past as the county government wouldn’t approve the application to use the fairgrounds for camping until a repayment plan is set up and agreed for the GRU debt.

Fortunately, the GRU have agreed on a debt payment in which the fair association will pay a percentage of its gross income to the GRU from campsite rentals. Fourty-five percent of the first $15,000 in gate receipts, fifty percent of any income above $15,000 and up to $30,000 and thirty-five percent of the gate receipts above $35,000 will go to the GRU.

Eventually, the non-profit organization will be able to pay more $44,000 in utility bills owed and also debts owed to individuals and businesses who showed cattle at the fair held the previous year.

http://www.alachuacountyfair.org/

The Backwoods Dash is a three-day non-profit indie music and camping festival set on Memorial Day weekend, May 28-30 on Keystone Lake at Walnut Creek State Park in Prue. This is the event that will kick-start the outdoor music festival season.

Below is the lineup for the three-day event:

Friday (May 28)
12:30 a.m.: Digital Graffiti (Tulsa) late-night set with light show
11:10 p.m.: Paul Benjaman Band (Tulsa)
10 p.m.: Rock Bottom Ramblers (OKC)
9 p.m.: Dante and the Hawks (Broken Arrow)
8 p.m.: HipHopotamus (Tulsa)
7 p.m.: Roger Jaeger (Tulsa)
6 p.m.: Duende (Tulsa)

Saturday (May 29)
12:30 a.m.: The Moai Broadcast (Tulsa) late-night set with light show
10 p.m.: Red Dirt Rangers (Glencoe)
8:20 p.m.: Eleven Fingered Charlie (Austin, Texas)
7 p.m.: Sam and the Stylees (Tulsa)
6 p.m.: The Jeremy Miller Band (Austin, Texas)
5 p.m.: Steve Liddell (Tulsa)
4 p.m.: Whirligig (Tulsa)
3 p.m.: Parallel Play (Dallas)
2 p.m.: Joel Wade (Tulsa)
1 p.m.: Pillo Talk (Broken Arrow)
12 p.m.: Kayla Fitzgerald Jacobs (Wichita, Kansas)

Sunday (May 30)
12:30 a.m.: Ghosts (Tulsa) late-night set with light show
11 p.m.: Flatland Travelers (Stillwater)
9:30 p.m.: Cody Clinton & The Bishops (Tulsa)
8 p.m.: Project Huckleberry (Tulsa)
7 p.m.: Go Action Team (Austin, Texas)
6 p.m.: Ray Bridgemay (Cabot, Ark.)
5 p.m.: The Move Trio (Tulsa)
4 p.m.: The Televised (Tulsa)
3 p.m.: Joe Mack (Tahlequah)
2 p.m.: Michael Gibson (Austin, Texas)
1 p.m.: Will Porter (Marietta)
11 a.m.: Veterans Memorial Service

Read more about this story at Tulsa World. Some tips on getting the best spot for camping for this type of event. For more information about Backwoods Dash, go here.

Getting a permit to backpack overnight at the Grand Canyon is not easy. Half of the applications are denied. Lining up in person on the day when the permits become available does guarantee acceptance even if you’ve come a long way. In fact, if you’re not a local, your chances of getting a permit are quite low.

At least, that’s how it will stay until February 2010 when locals will no longer have priority. This is not good news for some of the locals.

Dunno Munson has been feeding bears from her porch for  10 years and this is what she gets.

As it is written, the state law allows persons with valid handgun carry permits to possess handguns in all parks, natural areas, campgrounds and similar public places. Local governments wishing to keep guns out of their parks have until Sept. 1 to opt out.

Read more..

The award gives us the opportunity to recognize these individuals annually and to draw attention to one our community’s important economic engines — the camp industry.

More..

President Obama and family will be going to Yellowstone on Friday August, 14 then the Grand Canyon on August 16.  The Obamas will also be rolling through Grand Junction and Phoenix.

Like everyone else, they won’t be charged the admission fee.

Read more about it at Backpacker.

The entry fees being waived range from $3 to $25 but it doesn’t apply to fees charged for camping, reservations, tours or concessions.

August 15-16 will be the last weekend this summer that the National Park Service is offering this free admission. The other weekends were June 20-21 and July 18-19.

All 391 national parks across the country will be free. For more info, visit NPS.gov.

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - 95 percent of our province is in high or extreme forest fire danger and could ignite at any moment. That’s from Jeanne Rucker with the Kamloops Fire Centre.

It’s very volatile out there that even a small spark from a camp stove could ignite a huge blaze.

Read more..

Camp Fannin, where about 200,000 United States Army infantrymen trained from 1943 to 1946, could soon be honored with a Half Mile of History marker in downtown Tyler.

Read more…

They say bears are smart but I didn’t think they could be smart enough to figure out that to open a bear vault they you have to depress one tab, rotate the lid, depress another tab, and pop the top off.

A bear named Yellow-Yellow did just that. Even though no other bears are known to be able to pull off this trick, one bear would soon teach another.

“She’s quite talented,” said Jamie Hogan, owner of BearVault, based in San Diego. “I’m an engineer, and if one genius bear can do it, sooner or later there might be two genius bears. We’re trying to work on a new design that we can hopefully test on her.”

Luckily, Yellow-Yellow runs from people and only steals food on the sly, so officials don’t see any reason to put her down. But the situation could escalate if enough bears learn her skill. Undefeated, Hogan’s working on a prototype that could stop Yellow-Yellow.

Judging by the way she avoids human confrontation, this sure is one smart bear.

Seven members of the Rainbow Family of Living Light, also known as simply the Raninbow Family have been arrested for camping on the roof of a Public Library in Boulder. They were charged with illegal camping and trespassing.

They were identified as Christine Hodge, 22, Joshua Cole, 21, Aaron Waldeck, 19, Kirstin Humason, 21, Eli Dworkin, 19, Thaddeus O’Hail, 18, and Salvatore Gelosos, 22. The two dogs they have with them were sent to the Humane Society of Boulder Valley.

This group is a loose-knit -knit group that promotes love and world peace.

It’s called the Rocket Tent and it weighs only 1 lb. 6oz. That’s lighter than some bivy sacks and this has so much more space and can probably 2 people.

Revealed at the Outdoor Retailer, the minimalist winter shelter from Brooks Range Mountaineering is made of tough and ultralight sail cloth and uses trekking poles and an avalanche probe to provide the frame. There are also a few guy-out points.

The canopy is designed to minimize heat loss while blocking the sun. Watch out for reviews soon.

The European Union bans iodine for use in water treatment. I was always doubtful about using iodine for water treatment anyway – honest.

The federal government is hoping that promoting visitations to the national park will boost business in that area so there will be no entry charge for all 147 National Parks in the US. The dates are:

• June 20 and 21
• July 18 and 19
• August 15 and 16

I bet it will their busiest summer weekends ever. Enjoy your weekend!

Kids love camping in the backyard at least as much as parents do. You can camp in your backyard anytime you want to but the official date for the Great American Backyard Campout is June 27, 2009.

Anyone who wants to go camping in their backyard can register at www.nwf.org  (National Wildlife Federation) even though it’s not exactly at that date.

The reason for the existence of the Great American Backyard Campout is to connect with nature in the hopes that as kids and adults spend more time outside, they’ll want to protect nature and wildlife. Now that’s a noble cause.

While I like to go hiking, not having to carry a backpack and just focus on enjoying the night of camping can sometimes feel like a blessing.

There are no restrictions on how you camp, whether you want to sleep unders the stars in your sleeping bag or with a bivvy or dome tent or whatever. It doesn’t really matter. The important thing is for you and your kids to get outside.

Getting government backup is always good. For those who love the great outdoors, now they do.

Check out what President Obama has to say:

“The United States is blessed with unparalleled natural beauty.  From remote forests to urban parks, these spaces have inspired visitors for generations. Exploring the great outdoors can also help improve one’s health. These spaces provide countless venues for walking, hiking, running, swimming, and boating, among other activities.  Americans can combine the enjoyment of being outside with the exercise we all need to stay healthy.”

“[The Administration is] working to connect America’s youth with our treasured landscapes, which should be viewed as classrooms for environmental education and gateways to careers in natural resources.  These efforts will include outreach to those who typically lack representation in, and exposure to, these fields. The Department of the Interior is launching a summer mentoring initiative as part of this effort. This program invites families and friends to teach children about the joys and wonders of the outdoors. My Administration is also increasing the number of youth involved in national service on public lands.”

Now get out and do something!