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Snow Peak’s editor-approved camping gear rarely goes on sale, but you can save 20% right now on tents, fire pits, furniture, and more

✇Popular Science
By: Sarah Horaczek

Snow Peak rarely puts its core lineup of meticulously engineered outdoor gear on sale, which makes its current Camp All Summer Sale a real event. I just spent this past weekend at the sold out Snow Peak Way event at Snow Peak Campfield in Long Beach, WA and I already have an wish list of gear started. A variety of their popular camp gear is 20 percent off, with a handful of items dropped even further. The Takibi Fire & Grill is down to $279.96 (from $349.95), the Jikaro Firering Table is $271.96 (from $339.95), and the Entry Pack TT tent-and-tarp combo is marked all the way down to $362.85 (from $647.95). If you have been keeping a Snow Peak wish list, this is the moment to clear it out.

Snow Peak Takibi Fire & Grill $279.96 (was $349.95)

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The Takibi Fire & Grill was at the heart of every camp set up this past weekend [Disclosure: Snow Peak provided travel and accommodations for the event]. The Takibi Fire & Grill is Snow Peak’s signature fire pit and one of the most-recommended portable fire pits you can buy. It folds nearly flat for transport, throws off serious heat to those sitting around it, and accepts grill bridges and accessory grates that turn it into a full cooking station. I’m still dreaming of the Takibi fired short ribs we had on Saturday. Snow Peak almost never discounts the Takibi, so $70 off is the kind of cut that pulls it out of “someday” territory and into “this weekend.”

Snow Peak Jikaro Firering Table $271.96 (was $339.95)

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The Jikaro Firering Table turns the Takibi Fire & Grill into the ultimate gathering space. The Jikaro wraps a stainless steel tabletop in a ring around a Takibi Fire & Grill so the whole group can sit close to the flames with food and drinks within reach. It looks like an indulgence until you use it once and realize how much it changes the rhythm of a campsite, since nobody has to balance a plate on their knees or get up for another drink. Snow Peak holds the line on its core lineup, so $68 off the Jikaro is a rare cut.

Snow Peak Entry Pack TT $362.85 (was $647.95)

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I was able to see a variety of tent and tarp set ups at Snow Peak Way and each setup has its own set of die-hard fans. I was impressed by the luxurious head space inside every style Snow Peak tent and the tarp expands the campsite into a functional living room and kitchen style gathering space. The Entry Pack TT bundles a Snow Peak dome tent with a tarp shelter and pole set, so you walk away with a complete camp setup for less than the price of the tent alone at full retail. At 44 percent off, this is one of the deepest cuts in the sale and a strong starting point for anyone building out their first Snow Peak kit.

Snow Peak Tent and Shelter Deals

Snow Peak’s tents are some of the most coveted shelters in camping, and the big-ticket ones rarely move off retail. Both colorways of the Land Lock, Snow Peak’s flagship family shelter, are $319.80 off, and the Land Nest Shelter in Ivory drops to $799.96.

Snow Peak Tarp and Pole Deals

The Recta Tarp L Set is the standout here at $423.33, a 44 percent cut on a serious group-camping shelter. The Takibi Tarp Octa, designed to pitch over a campfire setup, is also down to $622.36.

Snow Peak Fireplace, Grill, and Lantern Deals

The Pack & Carry Fireplace XL is the biggest fire-pit deal in the sale at $139.97, a 44 percent cut on the largest version of the line. The Pack & Carry L Fireplace at $191.96 is the next size down and a long-running favorite for car campers.

Snow Peak Stove and Burner Deals

The Home & Camp Burner is the clever folding stove that collapses down to a tube about the size of a wine bottle, and it lands at $79.96. Backpackers should look at the LiteMax Titanium Stove, which weighs under two ounces and drops to $43.96.

Snow Peak Cookware and Cast Iron Deals

The Cast Iron Sandwich Skillet drops to $199.96 for the camp version of a stovetop classic, and the full Trek titanium cookset lineup is on sale starting at $35.96 for the smallest 700ml pot.

Snow Peak Tableware Deals

The full titanium tableware lineup is on sale, including the iconic Titanium Spork at $7.16 and the Ti-Double 450 Mug at $39.96. Trek titanium bowls and plates drop to $15.16 each, a 20 percent cut on pieces that Snow Peak almost never discounts.

Snow Peak Coffee Gear Deals

The Field Coffee Master at $147.96 is the full pour-over setup with its own travel case, but the Collapsible Coffee Drip at $23.96 is the piece of gear most people actually pack for a weekend trip.

Snow Peak Chair, Table, and IGT Deals

The IGT Camp Kitchen Low Set and IGT Slim are both $359.96 if you have been eyeing Snow Peak’s modular table system, which are honestly beautiful enough to have on your patio or deck year-round. The Luxury Low Beach Chair drops to $199.96 for the most overbuilt low chair Snow Peak makes.

Snow Peak Cooler and Kitchen Tool Deals

All three Soft Cooler sizes are 44 percent off as part of the discontinued markdown, with the Soft Cooler 38 at $72.77. The Kitchen Tool Set at $79.96 covers tongs, ladle, spatula, and a knife in a single roll, which is the kind of camp kitchen consolidation that pays for itself by the second trip.

The post Snow Peak’s editor-approved camping gear rarely goes on sale, but you can save 20% right now on tents, fire pits, furniture, and more appeared first on Popular Science.

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Grab rare deals on high-end outdoor gear from Huckberry: Filson, Flint and Tinder, Marine Layer, and more

✇Popular Science
By: Sarah Horaczek

Huckberry kicked off its Memorial Day Weekend Sale with up to 20 percent off a deep cross-section of its catalog, and the long weekend itself is the deadline. The clock runs out Monday, 5/25. The most useful cuts are the ones that aim straight at how you actually spend the weekend, like the Flint and Tinder 365 Chino Short at $62 (was $78), the Filson Dryden Duffel Pack Hybrid at $239 (was $299), and the Taylor Stitch Stevens Linen Herringbone Blazer at $219 (was $398). It’s the kind of catalog that rewards filling a cart with one good short, one good shoe, and one weekend bag rather than chasing a single big-ticket item.

Flint and Tinder 365 Chino Short – 7" $62.00 (was $78.00)

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The 365 Chino Short is Flint and Tinder’s everywhere short, with a 7-inch inseam that lands just above the knee and a four-way stretch chino fabric that doesn’t bag out after a day in a beach chair. Sizes go up in inseam (5-inch and 9-inch versions are on sale too) so you can pick your length depending on the pastiness of your thighs. At $62 it’s $16 off, which isn’t the largest dollar cut in the sale, but the 365 line is the most universal recommendation Huckberry sells, and $62 is a fair number to keep two pairs in rotation.

LUCA Terra Penny Loafer $168.00 (was $198.00)

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The Terra Penny is LUCA’s softest sell on the loafer-as-sneaker idea, with a leather upper that breaks in like a dress shoe and a cushioned sole that walks like a sneaker. You can slip them on with shorts on the way to a cookout, swap to chinos for the dinner reservation, and never look like you were trying to dress for two occasions at once. At $168 it’s the cheapest the Terra Penny has been on Huckberry in months, and the closest LUCA gets to a one-shoe summer answer.

Filson Dryden Duffel Pack Hybrid 46L $239.00 (was $299.00)

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The Dryden Duffel Pack Hybrid is a Huckberry-exclusive build of Filson’s ballistic-nylon travel line that splits the difference between a duffel and a backpack, with hideaway shoulder straps that pop out when you need to hike across an airport. At 46 liters it sneaks under the carry-on limit for most US airlines, and the U-shaped opening lays it flat for packing instead of forcing the dig-through-a-tube routine. At $239 it’s $60 off and the most discounted Filson piece in the sale, which is unusual on a brand that rarely shows up below MSRP.

Taylor Stitch The Stevens Linen Herringbone Blazer $219.00 (was $398.00)

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The Stevens Linen Herringbone Blazer is the biggest dollar cut in the sale, at $179 off, and it solves the same problem every May. You need a jacket that reads warm-weather without crossing into seersucker territory, and pure linen in a tight herringbone weave is the answer. It’s fully unstructured, which means no shoulder pads and no canvas, so it packs flat into the carry-on for a weekend wedding or rolls into a tote without holding the wrinkles. At $219 it’s the rare case where a linen blazer lands closer to chino-pant money than blazer money.

Huckberry Jacket and Outerwear Deals

Memorial Day is a strange time to shop jackets, but it’s also when the deepest cuts land on last fall’s holdovers. The Flint and Tinder York Quilted Waxed Jacket is the standout here at $104 (down from $298, a 65 percent cut), and the Wills Classic Patch Pocket Suit Jacket follows close behind at $134 (was $298). If you want one piece that earns its keep through fall, the Flint and Tinder Mason Canvas Barn Jacket at $168 is the most-recommended chore-style jacket Huckberry stocks.

Huckberry Shirt, Polo, and Sweater Deals

This is the warm-weather core of the sale, and the deals stack heaviest on Taylor Stitch, Wills, and Relwen polos. The Wills YakWool Crewneck Sweater is the standout at $98 (was $218, a 55 percent cut), and the Flint and Tinder Architect Shirt at $68 (was $98) is the sleeper pick for the kind of shirt you wear weekly without thinking about it.

Huckberry Pants, Shorts, and Denim Deals

The 365 line is the core of the bottoms sale, and Flint and Tinder is running a Buy 2, Save 15 percent stack on top of the existing markdown on select 365 styles. If you wear chinos as often as denim, this is the section to load up on. Proof’s 72-Hour Merino Chino lands deepest at $95 (was $158, a 40 percent cut) and is the closest thing to a one-pant travel answer Huckberry sells.

Huckberry Footwear Deals

Rhodes Footwear is the deepest-cut brand in the footwear section, with three Vibram-soled boot styles down 40 percent. The Astorflex Samaflex Woven Venetian Loafer at $191 (was $298) is the warm-weather standout for anyone who wears loafers without socks, and the Kane x Huckberry Revive AC at $100 (was $125) is the recovery shoe to slip on after a day on your feet.

Huckberry Bag and Travel Deals

Filson rarely goes on sale, so the three Filson pieces in this section are the rarest birds in the catalog. The Dryden Travel Pack at $55 (was $69) is the budget-friendly entry point, and the Flint and Tinder x Rancourt Leather Tote at $185 (was $284) is the leaning-leather alternative for anyone who’s worn through a canvas tote.

Huckberry Watch, Sunglass, Belt, and Hat Deals

This is the small-accessory section where the percentage discounts get aggressive. The Oscar Deen Fraser Sunglasses are half off at $117 (was $235), the Unmarked El Charro Lucky Belt drops to $158 (was $300), and the Huckberry x One of These Days 5 Panel Hat is $25 (was $45). The Huckberry x TIMEX IRONMAN Flix at $103 brings the digital sport watch back as a styling piece without crossing $150.

Huckberry Home, Camp, and Kitchen Deals

This is the section to scroll if you’re stocking a long weekend at a rental house or a backyard cookout. The Sultan Turkish Towel at $18 (was $44) is the largest percentage cut anywhere in the sale at 59 percent off, and the Señor Lechuga x Huckberry BBQ Essentials kit at $30 is half off. Barebones lanterns get the camp section covered, with the Railroad Lantern at $96 being the steel-and-glass piece that lives on a porch year-round.

The post Grab rare deals on high-end outdoor gear from Huckberry: Filson, Flint and Tinder, Marine Layer, and more appeared first on Popular Science.

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Hypershell X Ultra S hiking exoskeleton review: Adaptive assistance for every body

✇Popular Science
By: Sarah Horaczek

I love hiking, but most of my body does not. I have POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), which sends my heart rate into the 150s during moderate exertion, and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which means my joints sit looser than the average hiker’s. My muscles also fatigue earlier, which means the trek back to the car typically feels particularly taxing. These conditions make the Hypershell X Ultra S exoskeleton appealing to me. It weighs less than 5 pounds and adds AI-driven assistance to every step during hiking or even everyday ambulation. Hypershell hosted a group of journalists at the Grand Canyon to experience the assistive device and determine just how much it can help all bodies, including one like mine. [Disclosure: Hypershell provided travel accommodations during the creation of this story.]

What it does

Hypershell X Ultra S

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The Hypershell X Ultra S is a $1,999 hip-mounted exoskeleton with motors at both hips, designed to assist your stride during walking and hiking. It weighs 4.7 pounds, thanks in large part to its construction from titanium alloy and carbon fiber [there are also less expensive, less powerful carbon fiber + aluminum versions for $1,499 and $999]. The hardware is paired with what Hypershell calls a HyperIntuition AI motion-control system that can handle a wide variety of terrain, rather than just pulling on your legs to move things along. The company lists 12 terrain modes the system adapts to in real time, including stairs up, stairs down, uphill, downhill, gravel, snow, and dunes. The M-One Ultra motor is rated for 1,000 watts, and a single charge is rated for 30 kilometers, which Hypershell says is enough to cover the famous Bright Angel Trail without a swap. Mine held a full day of testing on one charge with juice left over for normal movement.

A companion app provides access to the controls. There are four modes to choose from before selecting a terrain: eco (assistance with an adjustable strength slider), hyper (more assistance, same slider), transparent (motors disengaged), and fitness (resistance instead of assist). There are physical buttons on the unit, too, but the press sequences for switching modes never became muscle memory for me. The app was always faster, but it’s nice to have a tactile control in case your device is buried in your bag, or you’re wearing gloves.

How it fit

The three-zone lumbar pad sits in a soft pack against my lower back, and over a full day on the trail, I never had a chafe complaint. The hip piece is designed to ride above the belly button, and EDS comes with gut issues that change my shape throughout the day, so the belt slipped down past my navel as the day went on. My middle is not the same shape at 9 a.m. as it is at 4 p.m. Hypershell sells optional shoulder straps for narrower waists and hips, and on my build, I would consider them required. The system adjusts at the hip and the knee, so the fit range itself is wide, but the geometry of where the belt sits is fixed.

On the trail

Hypershell X Ultra S exoskeleton on a person jumping over rocks
Parkour! Hypershell

The closest sensation I can compare the assistance to is high knees during a warm-up at the gym. The motors don’t push your legs forward; they take some of the lifting work off the front of your stride. You feel it most when you start moving, less as you settle in, and within a few minutes, I stopped registering it as a sensation and started registering it as energy I still had at the end of the hike.

You feel the AI adjusting to your pace and gait as the terrain changes under you, and the adjustments are small enough that they never rush my stride or lag behind it. The system also tries to keep your gait in alignment. If I turned a hip out or in, the motors pulled me back toward center in a way I could feel. As someone whose joints dislocate easily, I watched for any sense of the device causing or preventing a dislocation and felt neither. It doesn’t assist with balance, and it’s not meant to.

Downhill is where I’m slowest to trust new gear. I’m hesitant on descents in regular hiking shoes, and adding an assist mechanism to a hesitant hiker felt like a steeper learning curve. I worked through it. The Hypershell didn’t pull me down the trail or accelerate my stride in a way I couldn’t override, and I came to trust it on descents in eco mode. It’s a unique sensation, and you get more accustomed to it over time.

Fitness mode was the surprise. It requires increased effort, similar to walking with a resistance band around your legs. The resistance shows up on lunges and on flat walking; it doesn’t engage on squats. For me, the practical effect was proprioception. Hypermobility means I don’t always know where my limbs are in space, and the resistance gave me a constant low-level feedback signal about what my legs were doing. I’m planning to try fitness mode in the gym for the same reason, to see if it can help my body get the feedback it usually lacks during training.

Same hill, three modes

I climbed the same hill in the Grand Canyon three times, switching modes between climbs. In transparent (no assistance), my heart rate ran from 102 beats per minute at the bottom to 158 at the top. In eco, the same hill peaked at 126. In hyper, the highest assist setting, my peak was 118.

The flat-terrain numbers told the same story. Walking at roughly a 2-mile-per-hour pace, my heart rate in transparent mode averaged 128 beats per minute, which is normal POTS territory for me. In eco or hyper, my average dropped to 96 at the same pace. I’m essentially never in double digits in motion. The Hypershell put me there. My conditions made those differences easy to measure. They didn’t create them.

The other measurements I can speak to are softer. My lower extremity functional scale rates me at mild to moderate limitations, and I usually take frequent rest breaks because my muscles tire quickly. I didn’t develop knee pain during testing. I stepped up using either leg with confidence rather than defaulting to the leg I usually favor. My posterior chain felt more engaged. My legs were less fatigued during and after the hike.

The verdict

The Hypershell X Ultra S changes the cardiac and metabolic cost of walking and climbing in ways I could measure on myself, and, while my specific conditions play a role in determining its efficacy, it has the potential to help pretty much anyone who wants some ambulatory assistance. As an adaptive athlete who packs in to a campsite and then loses the next day to soreness, this changes the math on what I can take on. Hike in with assistance, save the legs for the way out. If your hiking problem is more conventional, that you stop on long climbs because your legs are done before you are, the same assist principle should help.

I didn’t test the Hypershell running or making quick directional pivots; my dislocation risk kept me deliberately out of those movements, and the company’s claims about transition response don’t tell me what would happen to my joints if I planted hard and turned. But during normal conditions, it helps and lets people get out and go hiking more easily. That’s a win for everyone.

The post Hypershell X Ultra S hiking exoskeleton review: Adaptive assistance for every body appeared first on Popular Science.

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