We may not be kids anymore, but our latent child-like fascination with toys never truly leaves our psyche. Even as adults, we'll slobber like two-year-olds over catalogs of outdoor schwagskis and other winter toys, paddling gear we can launch in the spring, hiking and biking goodies for summer, and pretty much damn near every other piece of gear manna to get you through those 365 days.
Needing some intangible justification to spring for expensive outdoor gear that, sadly, never found its way under YOUR Christmas treea $4,000 mountain bike, a $3,300 kayak, perhaps? Look at it this way: Life is short, you're not getting any younger, and maybe best of all, gear makers have stepped up to the plate to exceed all our expectations, offering the best, most intelligent outdoor gear ever seen. Expensive? You bet. Essential? Maybe not. Fun and physically rewarding? Absolutely! Now we'll leave the hand-wringing to you.
Nomads Have More Fun
Get out, get wild, with these 53 awe-inspiring, soul-soaring journeys.
The Man Who Knocked the Bastard Off
Edmund Hillary, a self-described "average bloke," made one of the 20th-century's landmark feats seem properly human and straightforward.