Sun Company AvaGage - Avalanche Danger Indicator
People love to hype skiing and snowboarding in the winter, rave about hiking and camping in the summer, and all the superlatives they use, and the glossy eyes they get when waxing poetic about how much joy and wholeness the outdoors bring them sometimes makes me feel sad and foolish that I don't feel the same.
And then I see a tool like Sun Company's AvaGage, an avalanche danger indicator, and I'm reminded that they're the fools. Why would I risk being buried and frozen alive in a dump of snow, or death by any other natural disaster, extreme weather, or wild animal, when I can stay at home safe on my couch, and just watch nature on my TV? Professionally taped and edited nature, so you only see the good stuff, no less. And it's often accompanied by the wise and soothing voice of David Attenborough, which is way better than that of my friend Victor grilling me on whether or not I properly buried my poo in the forest.
But anyway, since it's winter, and we're approaching the height of ski and snowboarding season, the AvaGage seems like an appropriate product to share with the snow fanatics out there, and especially the snow fanatics who level up their winter recreation to the backcountry, where the risk of running into an avalanche is higher. The AvaGage dial shows both your approximate avalanche danger and the slope of the terrain you're on. The gauge's background is also color-coded so you can easily see what level of danger you're dealing with - yellow is low, orange moderate, and red high.
The AvaGage clips to clothing or gear, adding just 0.6 ounces of weight, and 2.6" width. The back side is embossed with 1mm, 2mm, and 3mm snow crystal grids to further gauge avalanche danger.
DudeIWantThat.com is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more.
/2023-holiday-gift-guide-gifts-62064.jpg?mode=crop "2023 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for the Great Outdoors")
2023 Holiday Gift Guide: Gifts for the Great Outdoors
What's great about online shopping is that you no longer have to go outdoors yourself to buy gifts for others to go outdoors. And I don't have to go outdoors to find them for you...
Pocket-Sized Grappling Hook
One more Bat Toy for my Bat Toy Box! This pocket-sized tube that adeptly screws into a grappling hook was originally produced by EDO Robotics in response to a desert warfare operator's request for a lightweight, reusable...
Polaris Sportsman WV850 - Airless Tire ATV
We previously saw the RZR XP 1000, another feral vehicular pursuit by Polaris. It's more of a brutish, free-wheelin' dozer used for good times barreling along the off-roads and across jagged terrain--an ATV stallion...
Polaris RZR XP 1000
Even though the Polaris RZR XP 1000 is obviously a gnarly off-road beast, the first words that come to mind when I look at it are "dune buggy." What a sissy name for any legitimate form of motorized entertainment. A dune...
/casa-brutale-concept-house-18182.jpg?mode=crop "Casa Brutale Concept House")
Casa Brutale Concept House
"Casa Brutale redefines the harmonious coexistence of human and nature in a poetic homage to pure Brutalism*." I think that's just OPA's elaborate way of saying, "This badass house does not actually exist." And that's...
/montana-magica-lodge-19189.jpg?mode=crop "Montana Magica Lodge")
Montana Magica Lodge
Hobbiton meets Harry Potter meets sustainable tourism. Montana Magica is a fantastical mossy lodge situated in a rainforest on the Chilean side of Patagonia, just under the Andes Mountains. It is one of several rental...
/get-out-dude-et-outdoor-52140.jpg?mode=crop "Get Out, Dude: 21 Outdoor Gifts for 2021")
Get Out, Dude: 21 Outdoor Gifts for 2021
My 21 outdoor gifts for 2021 aren't all just for the outdoorsy types on your holiday shopping list. Many are gift-ready for dudes or ladies who simply, on occasion, step outside. For example, my wife, She-Ra: Princess...
Rungu Electric Juggernaut
Remember the Juggernaut Bullfrog Fat Trike? Now it's even fatter. And croaks way louder. To their extra-thick, triple-wheeled, all-terrain, no-BS monster, Rungu has added a 2,100-watt motor and Hi-Power Cycles controller...
/mousarris-summit-sofa-51581.jpg?mode=crop "Mousarris Summit Sofa")
Mousarris Summit Sofa
No, neither Mousarris nor I are confused when we call this a Summit Sofa rather than a Summit Wall Hanging. Though I suppose it could better be described as a Summit Wall Hanging Sofa. Or a Summit Wall-Mounted Sofa. A...
/julbo-vermont-classic-mountain-59163.jpg?mode=crop "Julbo Vermont Classic Mountain Sunglasses")
Julbo Vermont Classic Mountain Sunglasses
Be a retro Vermont mountain dude (or lady)...and up your steampunk cosplay game...with a pair of Julbo Vermont Classic Mountain Sunglasses. With their round lenses and leather side shields, Julbo calls the shades "timeless...
/pl1-portable-rope-tow-for-the-53799.jpg?mode=crop "PL1: Portable Rope Tow for the Backcountry")
PL1: Portable Rope Tow for the Backcountry
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. And then let PL1 tow, let it tow, let it tow. ZOA Engineering's PL1 is a portable rope tow system created for backcountry skiing and snowboarding. The device is small enough to fit...
The Oregon Pint Glass
I'm not much of an outdoorsman. I mean, aside from the occasional paintball fight and walking to the bus stop. So being at the top of a mountain doesn't really appeal to me. But having the top of a mountain in the bottom...