This Year’s Most Innovative Gear

Smith Lowdown Focus Sunglasses

These sunglasses read minds. Smith brings high tech to its popular Lowdown frames in the form of EEG sensors that pair with your smartphone to measure your brain’s electrical activity. The app helps you learn to concentrate and avoid distractions, allowing you to focus all your mental energy on the next big send. $350, smithoptics.com

Marmot Eclipse Jacket

The Eclipse shatters performance norms for PFC-free rainwear. Its DWR treatment is bonded to the fabric at the molecular level so it’ll never wash out or need reapplication. Each EVODry jacket saves 1.5 gallons of water thanks to a process that reduces the use of dyes by 85 percent. $250

Outdoor Research Bitterblaze Gloves

Outdoor Research takes the insulation from NASA space suits, aka the “warmest insulation on Earth,” and places it into the palms and fingers of its Fall 2018 Bitterblaze gloves. Gore-Tex membranes keep water out, while goat leather adds extra durability at common points of impact.

Mystery Ranch Ridge Ruck 17

Pack adjustments are a major time suck. Mystery Ranch’s new single-point adjustment design makes it easier to get the perfect fit. Now you can make micro adjustments to the shoulder straps—straight from your hip belt. $119

Arc’teryx Norvan LD

Gore-Tex boots used to mean that your foot was encased in a waterproof bootie hidden under the lining. Arc’teryx’s Norvan LD trail runners are the first to use Gore-Tex Invisible Fit Technology, which applies the membrane directly to the upper for lightweight waterproofing without uncomfortable wrinkles and folds. $200

Osprey Levity

At 1.9 lbs., the 60-liter Levity is half the weight of most overnight packs. It’s made with Osprey’s NanoFly fabric, which combines polyethylene ripstop with Cordura nylon for high-abrasion resistance that can handle squeezing through even the tightest slot canyons. $340

GoPro Fusion

GoPro’s waterproof 360-de-gree camera lets you shoot first and figure out the composition later. It takes spherical footage of everything in sight, then allows you to pull out traditional flat videos and photography later on to create your dream shot. Bonus: the camera connects to your smartphone so you can set it up to spy on wildlife—and then hide downwind. $700

Danner Mountain 600 EnduroWeave

Danner‘s newest boots might look like they’re made for the city with their woven uppers, but they’re hiding Vibram Fuga outsoles with Megagrip technology. The multi-directional lugs flex to grab slick surfaces and scree so you stay upright no matter the conditions. $160

Jetboil Flash

Jetboil revolutionizes its fan-favorite personal camp cook system with a larger, 9,000 BTU burner and wider air intake openings to create a more powerful flame. The result: 100 seconds between you and a hot cup of coffee. $100