Update #2 From Lion King on the AT

Last year, we were introduced to a man who goes by the trail name Lion King. Lion King has hiked many long distances, including completing the Appalachian Trail multiple times, the John Muir Trail, and the American Discovery Trail. NEMO was interested in getting some of its 2010 prototypes into the field for some intense tent testing (say that three times fast) and thought Lion King would be the perfect man for the job. So, we looked him up and made him an offer. We'd send him a couple of tents to preview and if he thought they'd be a good fit for his current AT journey, he'd take them along (in shifts) and give us feedback that we could incorporate into our designs. Below is an excerpt from his latest report.

So, with a change of seasons comes a change of tents. This time I am using the Losi Storm 2P™ (new for 2010), 2 person large design that came at just the right time.

As I hiked the Vermont section of the AT that also runs along the Long Trail, I met a beautiful woman named Dana who was hiking the long trail. Seems we both got along fabulously and after a fashion...well, we took to each other. Maybe it was the beauty of the tent, maybe it was my adventurous odor, who really knows? But I'm glad I had a two man tent...err...two person tent. It seems we both fit in fine and there are pockets at the head that held her small knife, her mace, her safety whistle and her Leki lay beside her. Trust? Yes. Safety? For sure.

I told her that those items were perfect to have in the tent. That way, if I acted up, she could mace me, stab me with her pin knife, blow her whistle for help as she shoved me out my side door with her Leki and then escape out of her side door all at the same time. A perfect tent design for two people who just met each other, like each other, but also feel the need to maybe escape in the dead of night with minimal discomfort to the other tent occupant. Nicely done NEMO.

Now, she and I hiked together from Bennington, VT to Rutland, VT and we shared a lot of laughs, some stories, and some history of each of us and we grew close. So close in fact, that after the ALDHA (American Long Distance Hikers Association) gathering in Gettysburg, I will be going to see her for a bit.

Was it the tent? Maybe. Whatever it was, I'm thankful for a roomy two man tent that also serves as a cuddle nest. Mace and all.

As the trip winds to a close, we approach Katahdin, she is home in PA and I am excited more about seeing her again then I am about finishing the trip. Which is good since bad weather forced us to not summit Katahdin, so we turned back and now are on the way to ALDHA. I will be showing a new film I made on the American Discovery Trail on Saturday so come on out ya'll, I'll be the guy in the nice large two man NEMO...hoping for Dana to show up and join me. At least for one night.

~Lion King

NEMO Classroom Lessons #591: How to Pack Fillo

The Fillo has been the hands down office favorite here in terms of shared-gear-that-gets-snatched-first-when-packing-for-fun-trips (otherwise known as SGTGSFWPFFT). We get occasional calls from customers who don't realize that the pillow has an integrated stuff sack hidden underneath the shock-corded side. Steve just put together this short video showing how to pack it up.



-Connie

Agony of Defeet

There are a lot of mysteries out there. Some become the foundation for the plots of blockbuster movies, others seem to fade into old wives tales. Last night I read about a tale that has the potential for either — assuming someone can conjure the right ending with that important mix of a little horror and a lot of twist.

Christopher Solomon wrote the article Foot. Loose. for Outside Magazine detailing his account traveling aboot the coast of British Columbia in order to learn more about the disturbing recent history of people finding human feet, still in their running shoes, washed up on shore.

"Something strange is happening in the coastal waters near Vancouver, B.C. Detached human feet—seven of 'em, neatly wrapped in running shoes—have been found washed up on beaches or floating next to piers. The Mounties aren't talking, but locals have plenty of theories. Let's just hope they're wrong about the flesh-eating lobsters and the rural loner with all the knives."

(Map by Chris Philpot on Outside.away.com)

“At first the feet are all men's feet, all right feet. Then a woman's foot appears. Then a left foot. Four of the feet match: one pair of women's feet, one pair of men's. That's seven feet, bow-tied in seaweed, that were once attached to a total of five bodies—bodies that don't turn up...”

Despite the gruesome subject matter, his writing is rather humorous. And even though he didn’t beat the Royal Mounties to a sure conclusion, his theories and investigations leave you relatively convinced that you don’t need to hole-up in your house with chain mail around your ankles. Personally, I’m still going to be a little wary on our next beach clean-up.

Kathryn’s quote of the day in reference to the article and our last clean-up: “I’m just glad there wasn’t a head attached to the blonde wig.”

-Suzanne

NEMO at Outdoor Demo East

Come visit the NEMO booth this weekend at Interbike's Outdoor Demo East in Providence, RI. No doubt you'll be visiting to check out new 2010 designs and take a spin on the off-road trails for mountain/cyclocross bike testing.


We'll be at Booth #404, and have plenty of new gear and schwag on display. Take a look at the other exhibitors and let's hope for some sunny weather outside.

Roger Williams Park Providence, RI
OUTDOOR DEMO EAST 2009 SHOW DATES AND TIMES
Trade Show Days: October 8-9, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Consumer Show Days: October 10-11, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

-Nicole

New T-Shirt Design

Recently we have received a lot of good feedback on our new t-shirt design and many people have asked where the inspiration came from. This design was based off one of my favorite artists, M.C. Escher and his well-known tessellations. Here at NEMO it’s easy to look around and think of iconic images that represent the essence of who we are and what we stand for. I created a few icons and put them on a page to see how they might fit together to create a tessellation. The 2 black and white images were my first go at it.



Although I like the feel of the designs, they were not totally working as a tessellation. We put our heads together and came up with the colored image that incorporated a front view of Morpho. We went with the 3 colors seen on our website: a red, green, and aqua shirt.

Bill

2009 Banff Mountain Festivals

You've probably seen previous years' films at your local theater, but have you ever contemplated actually going to Banff to catch the premiere of the Mountain Film Festival?



From Oct. 31 - Nov. 9 there will be film screenings, book trades, mountain art & craft fair, photography contest, sessions with Ueli Stick, Dean Karnazes, Steve House, etc. Here's the complete schedule of events . If making a visit to the Alberta/Canadia region isn't in the cards for you this year, check out the highly anticipated world tour schedule.

-Connie

Grain Surfboards Fall Party

One of our favorite shapers, Grain Surfboards, is having an open house/potluck/movie premiere/fall party this Saturday, October 3rd in York, ME.


If you haven't seen these amazing internal framed wood boards before, I highly recommend checking out their website or watching this video. It's easy to lose your entire Friday afternoon perusing their picture gallery on the website.

-Connie