Brunton Signs Pale Morning Media as Agency of Record

Here’s some news coming from the good folks at Pale Morning Media, looks like they are now the official PR and communications partner for Brunton. Here’s the press release:

Brunton signs Pale Morning Media as Agency of Record

Pale Morning Media to serve as Brunton’s public relations and strategic communications partner, effective January 1, 2010

RIVERTON, WYOMING (For Immediate Release) – Brunton has signed Pale Morning Media LLC as their public relations agency of record, effective January 1, 2010.

Headquartered in Riverton, WY at the foot of the Wind River Mountains, Brunton has been designing and manufacturing industry-leading camping, hunting, and navigational equipment for outdoor enthusiasts since 1894.

“Brunton enjoys a strong following across several different outdoor markets, including camping, backpacking, hunting, and boating,” said John Smithbaker, president of Brunton. “Pale Morning Media’s experience within these markets and beyond will be an asset to the brand.  We’re looking forward to working with them.”

Offering stoves, camp accessories, binoculars, scopes, compasses and portable power equipment, Brunton has the gear to compliment any outdoor lifestyle, from professional to recreational use and everything in between.

“We’ve been fans of Brunton for years, and we’re looking forward to working with them and their extensive lines of quality outdoor equipment,” said Drew Simmons, president of Pale Morning Media. “Their commitment to excellence across several outdoor categories is inspirational and we’re excited about the partnership.”

Brunton will join Pale Morning Media’s client roster, including Woolrich, Kelty, Sierra Designs, Ahnu Footwear, Simms Fishing Products, Primus camp stoves, Aquapac, GoMotion, the Northeast Regional Center of the National Wildlife Federation, Gibbon Slacklines, Origo Watches and Heidiskis.

Pale Morning Media will be representing Brunton at the upcoming Outdoor Retailer Trade Show in Salt Lake City from January 21-24. For media inquires, please contact Scott Kaier at scottk@madriver.com.

About Pale Morning Media:

Pale Morning Media is a public relations and creative communications agency specializing in the outdoor world.  Founded in 2001, Pale Morning Media blends custom strategies and spotlight tactics to achieve a single, simple goal:  telling their clients’ stories in the best possible light.

Blending an Eastern location with a Western perspective, Pale Morning Media is based in the Mad River Valley of Vermont, with a satellite office in Portland, Maine.

About Brunton:

With the creation of the company’s first compass in 1894, Brunton set the standard for quality and usability in outdoor equipment. Today, Brunton designs and manufactures a diverse line of stoves, camping equipment, headlamps, portable power, compasses, optics and navigational instruments.  Brunton is headquartered at the foot of the Wind River Mountains in Riverton, Wyoming and can be found online at www.brunton.com.

Kelty Now Offering Direct Sales

Big things are happening over at Kelty, where the 55-year old company will be offering direct sales to consumers in 2010. Here’s the press release:

Kelty readies for 2010 with direct to consumer sales

on the redesigned Kelty.com

Helping shoppers research, find, and purchase that perfect piece of gear, the new Kelty.com is highly interactive, easily navigated, and loaded with useful information

BOULDER, COLO. (For Immediate Release) – Kelty, outdoor innovator for over 55 years, has made shopping for Kelty gear easier than ever with the completely redesigned www.Kelty.com, featuring the added convenience and functionality of direct to consumer sales.

A variety of new features- including highly effective search tools to find gear, enhanced imagery and consumer reviews to research products, and heightened Facebook and Twitter interactivity- will be included on the new Kelty.com, more effectively connecting Kelty shoppers with the gear they need and the brand they love… just in time for the holidays.

The redesigned Kelty.com will have the added benefit of allowing Kelty fans to create wish lists, shop the entire Kelty line, and benefit from the most complete source yet of information about Kelty and Kelty products.

Intended to be continuously updated and refreshed, the new Kelty.com will feature several unique attributes, including a section for Kelty users post reviews, a featured products page, promotion updates, video product descriptions, and an interactive photo gallery to encourage Kelty consumers and business partners to revisit the site regularly.

“Here at Kelty, we design and build gear to help make it easier for busy, active, outdoor people to get the most out of their outdoor adventures,” said Sue Edmiston, Kelty marketing manager.  “With the new website’s upgraded research tools and direct to consumer sales, Kelty is now making it easier for these same people to find and purchase the gear they need.”

Further enhancing the Kelty shopping experience, Kelty.com will also give outdoor enthusiasts the ability to purchase equipment directly from a selection of five other online retail partners or locate a brick-and-mortar retailer near them.

When designing the site, Kelty worked with shoppers and benchmarked leading consumer websites to determine which features and functions were most important.  The resulting design and functionality of the new Kelty.com is a direct reflection of this input.

Kelty will continue to utilize shopper input to further enhance the new website.  This information will also be made available for Kelty retailers to more effectively address the needs of their customers.

KELTY is based in Boulder, Colorado, and uses the natural backdrop of the Rocky Mountains to test, create and continually innovate within their diverse outdoor product families of Apex, Backcountry, Trail, Basecamp and KIDS. Kelty combines the best in new technology with a healthy dose of common sense to create exceptionally made, affordably priced outdoor products. For more information on Kelty, please go to www.kelty.com, or call 800.423.2320.

Dry Docs by Seattle Sports

No one likes wet maps, personal identification, or credit cards. Well, I guess I can’t speak for everyone, but I know that I’m not a happy guy when my wallet accidentally gets submerged while out on the water. I can’t imagine anyone being thrilled about a soggy wet wallet.

If you’ve ever been in this situation, or really would like to not be in this situation, give the Dry Docs by Seattle Sports a try. These PVC-free, heavy duty sleeves will keep your stuff nice and dry. They have a Ziploc-style closure that seals up nice and tight, and come in a few different sizes. On a recent paddling trip I used the wallet-sized Dry Docs to keep moisture off of some spare SD camera cards. When taking pictures of the Dry Docs that day, I dropped the camera in the water. Shoulda had it in a Dry Doc, I suppose.

I loaded up one of the Dry Docs with a map, my wallet, and some cash. With a quick zip of the top closure I proceeded to sink the whole shebang in the water for a few minutes, holding it down with my paddle. Guess what, no leaks – and the contents were totally dry. Sweet.

The Dry Docs are priced starting at about 2 bucks, and going up to about 9 dollars for the large map case. Pretty cheap protection, eh? Use them for any occasion – paddling, hiking, biking, whatever.

The Dry Docs will be available in January ‘10, so go ahead and get your debit cards ready. Just keep ‘em in a Dry Docs afterwards, alright? Visit the Seattle Sports website for details.

Injinji Toe Socks

I’ve seen the Injinji Toe Socks at trail running events and all sorts of other places for some time now, but have never gotten the opportunity to give them a whirl. And give them a whirl is exactly what I did.

I’ve ran, hiked, and biked with the Injinji Toe Socks (or Tsocks, if you prefer), and love ‘em.  No complaints.  Think of them like a glove for your foot, a really comfy glove that wicks moisture. They are made with CoolMax, so you know your tootsies will breathe well. The Toe Socks are seamless; don’t worry about developing a hotspot because of stitching.  In fact, these babies eliminated a blister problem that I’ve had between a couple of my toes while on long hikes.

The Injinji Toe Socks are thin, and fit well in lightweight trail runners.  If you have shoes that don’t have much interior volume to spare, then these are the socks for you. Injinji offers toe socks for a wide array of outdoor activies, yoga, and travel – they even have a CoolMax EcoMade performance version as well.

These are some serious technical socks – leaps and bounds above the nasty ‘ol cotton tube that you might still be sliding your foot into now. Put them on like you would a glove, pulling it on and fitting it around each toe.

How much does it cost to wrap your feet in some Injinji toesocks? Twelve bucks will get you the performance series sock in micro, mini-crew, or crew – a small price to pay for a whole lotta comfort and additional blister protection, if you ask me.

Get yourself a dozen or so pairs (and send me some too) from Injinji.com.

Flojos Primo Sandals

Here in Florida, it’s acceptable to wear sandals and flips pretty much anywhere. Business casual means Dockers and flip-flops in a lot of places. You can sport the same footwear to the beach and then hit up a nice semi-fancy meal in the evening – all in a comfy pair of sandals. Ain’t life great?

That’s where the Flojos Primo sandals step into the picture. With a textured footbed and arch support, these definitely are Primo! You know that annoying flip-flop slap on the bottom of your foot? Forget about it. It just doesn’t happen.  The Flojos Primo sandals also feature a really good feelin’ fabric on the underside of the strap, and I’ve hoofed it around enough places in them to know that you probably won’t develop a hotspot or blister on your foot.  They are built right.

Let’s talk about the sole of the Flojos Primo for a sec.  It’s kind of like an all-terrain tire for your foot.  It provides good traction, but isn’t so gnarly that it doesn’t work on the street.  Great grip where you need it.

All in all, I’m diggin’ the Flojos Primo sandals, and they look great with boardshorts and jeans.

The Good Scoop

• Great sandals that won’t break the bank
• Look great with a wide range of clothing
• Ultra Comfy footbed and arch support

Oh, and listen up, gringos. Don’t say Flow-Joes. It’s Flo-hose. Woah, that looks weird as I’m writing this, but let’s just let that one go. Say it with me. Flo-hose. Yea, you’ve got it. Now go visit www.flojos.com and get yourself a pair!

See you on the flipside!