High-Tech Recreation.(technology and clothing)(Brief Article)

The market for sporting and outdoor gear is driven by simple needs made complex by advances in materials science, ensuring an unlimited supply of novel fabrics and gimmicks.

Advances in modern technology have made recreation a highly complex pursuit. Today's consumer faces a bewildering array of sporting and outdoor goods that seem better suited for space-age fiction. Namely:

* a lightweight viscose rayon towel that feels like paper and, in theory anyway, can absorb up to 10 times its weight in water and dries in minutes;

* a fleece jacket made out of recycled plastic bottles; and

* a self-heating gourmet food bag.

"It's all technology," says an enthusiastic Joe Sakaduski, hard-goods buyer for Hudson Trail …

High-Tech Recreation.(technology and clothing)(Brief Article)

The market for sporting and outdoor gear is driven by simple needs made complex by advances in materials science, ensuring an unlimited supply of novel fabrics and gimmicks.

Advances in modern technology have made recreation a highly complex pursuit. Today's consumer faces a bewildering array of sporting and outdoor goods that seem better suited for space-age fiction. Namely:

* a lightweight viscose rayon towel that feels like paper and, in theory anyway, can absorb up to 10 times its weight in water and dries in minutes;

* a fleece jacket made out of recycled plastic bottles; and

* a self-heating gourmet food bag.

"It's all technology," says an enthusiastic Joe Sakaduski, hard-goods buyer for Hudson Trail …