Wine and Coffee Gadgets for Hikers

New gear to enable your drinking problem

Everyone you meet as you wander the aisles of OR has the same question: "What's cool? What have you seen?" It's only 3 hours into the show, and I've got lots of ground yet to cover, but two beverage oriented items have caught my eye. I must be thirsty.

Cascade Designs has a new Platypus collasible water bottle that is designed specifically for wine. "Aside from the graphics on the bottle, what makes this different from a clear Platy?" I asked the woman pouring Redwood Creek Pinot Noir in the booth (ugh, it was only 11:00 am). "It's UV resistant," she replied. I don't know about you, but my wine doesn't last long enough to get tainted by UV, but I'm sure there are hikers who do a better job of rationing their libations.

A few booths down, I spied some new coffee gizmos from GSI. I'm always a sucker for coffee gadgetry, ans GSI has a whole new line. From a large French press designed for parties of 4, to a solo French press, to an ultralight contraption consisting of a fabric cone with plastic clips that suspend it from your cup. 

All this bodes well for my next test trip.

--Kristin Hostetter, Gear editor