Getaways Gift Guide: Local notions for wish lists

We've always thought locally, ever since we were tiny and Seattle was just a hick port town with no tall buildings and no recognition beyond the little company that made flying craft. Now it's known for coffee, software, raging real estate, dead rockers -- and the great outdoors.

Ski and snowboard technology, for example, has turned "Cascade crud" into "pow baby!" Washington ski resorts that never got a glance from the national mags now regularly make the best-of lists. When was the last time you read a "20 Great" or "30 Top" story in Backpacker or Outside that didn't mention a hike in Rainier or Olympic national parks?

"You and I are natives and at one point we felt a little inferior to other parts of the country," says Allison Woods, gear guru for Washington Trails magazine. "I don't feel that way anymore. We have established ourselves. For one thing, the Cascades in Washington state are the heart of American alpinism. We don't need to have any inferiority complex because we have arrived."

It is no surprise then that the Northwest also boasts many companies that make great outdoors gear. Yes, some of their stuff is made offshore. But you can almost completely outfit yourself for any outside endeavor with stuff made by local companies.

Here then is our annual -- and this year all-Northwest -- Getaways gift guide

Lib-Tech Skate Banana

Mervin Manufacturing was started several years ago in Seattle by two local riders on a maniacal mission to make better snowboards, and guess what? They did. They're now based in Sequim and are owned by a corporation, but their Lib-Tech and Gnu boards are still worshipped by the single-plank masses, and the latest manifestation of their mania is the unconventional Skate Banana. This board does not have the usual camber shape, with the center higher than the tip and tail, but rather just the opposite, a rocker shape like a kayak. Mervin co-founder Pete Saari reasons that although the camber shape might work well for skis, a snowboard turns in a different way, one in which your feet need to make as much contact with the snow as possible. "It ended up being the most versatile, easiest board we've ever ridden," Saari says. This board is said to grind all terrain, floating on fresh and pirouetting hardpack like a ballerina with oversize flat arches. It also has Mervin's Magne-Traction edges, with seven contact points on each side. This Banana will rock your young rider's world, if you can peel $439 from your billfold. mervin.com.

nuun hydration tablets

You're sweating like a pig in a blanket while working your way in early August up the super-steep 2,200-foot gain to Aasgard Pass in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. How do you spell relief? H-Y-D-R-A-T-I-O-N, and you had better be drinking something that will replace the minerals, called electrolytes, you're sweating out: sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium. That'll help prevent cramps and keep your body functioning as it should, and the tablets made by this Seattle company are an easy way to do it. Pop one in a 16-ounce bottle of water, wait two minutes while it fizzes and then drink. It's much easier than pouring a packet of powder into a bottle, and nuun tablets do not include sugar -- this is not an energy drink. The company was started by Tim Moxey, a Seattleite by way of Devonshire, England, and a business professor he met at Dartmouth. Their product has become popular among endurance athletes, and it's a fine stocking stuffer for your favorite triathlete, hiker, climber, bicyclist -- anyone who works up a mega-sweat. By the way, it's pronounced "noon." There are four flavors; I like 'em all but the cola -- and one tube of tablets ($6.95) will make six liters of the drink -- also is said to be a fair remedy when you're hanging low the morning after. nuun.com.

Transition Bottle Rocket

The heart and soul of North American mountain biking is right here, the area roughly from Seattle to Whistler, and spoke rockets made by a little Ferndale company called Transition are the latest rage. It was started by two local hard-core riders, and the niche they seem to have hit is for a bike that's bombproof on the downhill but forgiving enough to rip the cross-country. "We design bikes for what we like to ride, so they're definitely tailored to this environment. They're definitely good Northwest bikes," says Kevin Menard, one of those two dudes. This ride will bomb the A-line at Whistler, but is agile enough to throw sick tricks on Galbraith Mountain. The Bottle Rocket is for aggressive riders; newbies and those who just want a good trail bike should consider the lighter and more nimble Covert. With a Transition, you buy the frame and then pick the forks and gearing specific to your style, or chose one of three kits. These bikes aren't cheap, running $2,800-$3,800. See them at Fluidride here in Seattle, GHY Bikes in Renton, too. transitionbikes.com

Quileute wool cap

While staying at Oceanside Resort on the Quileute Reservation in La Push last winter, I spied these wool caps in the gift shop. They reminded me of the popular raw wool garments made by a tribe on Vancouver Island. "Are these Cowichan wool caps?" I asked. The native woman behind the counter looked me straight on, visually shot me dead, and said: "No, they're Quileute wool caps." If for nothing else than as an act of contrition, I bought one. And, man, I love that thing. It's so toasty while fishing and hiking in the cold, even if it does get a bit itchy when I sweat. They're made by ancestors of this region's first people, and you have visit them to get one. The resort gift shop has them in a variety of traditional designs, ranging from $25 to $46. But I've heard you can find lower prices on the reservation if you buy directly from the knitter. http://quileuteoceanside.com/ or quileutetribe.org.

MSR Pocket Rocket

When my aging Peak One backpacking stove finally gave out, I looked for the lightest possible replacement that would be just as functional. I settled on this tiny scorcher and saved a pound and a bunch of space. That's significant when you're hauling yourself and gear up and down mountains. The Pocket Rocket weighs a little more than 3 ounces, not counting fuel, and boils a liter of water in less than 3.5 minutes. I've used it everywhere but the very cold alpine, and it's amazing. It also sells for a pittance, $39.95, and I've seen it on sale at $29.99. It's fired by a canister of compressed butane/propane, at about $5 for the 8-ounce size, which has a gross weight of 12 ounces. We launched the Rocket at home last winter to cook dinner during the storm blackout, too. Mountain Safety Research was started by a local climber in 1969 and acquired by Cascade Designs, another local company, a few years back. msrcorp.com.

Filson Mackinaw Cruiser

Back in the day, this 100-percent virgin wool jacket in buffalo plaid composed the top half of the Northwest hunter's uniform. And it's still pretty stylin' if your turf is anywhere near Forks, Omak, Pomeroy or Seattle, where it is still sewed in a Sodo factory. Somewhere in the attic I have an old black-and-white photo of my dad and uncle wearing these jackets -- I'm not sure if they were authentic or knockoffs -- while standing over a dead critter. "It's just a classic Filson piece, and it's still just as functional today for outdoorsmen," says Amy Terai, Filson marketing boss. It was originally made with a back map pocket for timber cruisers, the guys who prowl forests doing stuff like sizing trees and estimating potential board feet. It remains a strong seller almost 100 years later, but its not cheap, selling for $275. Filson has a store next to its factory. www.filson.com.

Nunatak Raku down bag

Is this a sleeping bag or a parka? It's both, says Tom Halpin, owner of the Twisp company Nunatak, which hand-sews all of its high-quality down products in our state. "It's kind of one and the same -- you can hike it up around your waist when you get out of the tent," he says. "It has an elastic draw cord. Instead of a down parka and a sleeping bag, you can take one item and save weight." I'm thinking that if you're a climber weathering a long storm in your tent, this is going to be one sweet piece of gear. Backpacker magazine gave this an Editor's Choice award in 2002. "We sell them to everyone from through-hikers to hunters, climbers and mountaineers," Halpin says. They're custom-made to order, about a six-week process. So for these holidays, you'll have to give your giftee a card for now and let them do the ordering. The sleeves pull in for added warmth. You pick the size, type of shell and amount of fill, and by the way, Nunatak uses high-quality, 800-plus goose down fill. But it ain't cheap, $537 to $621. The company also makes beautiful down parkas, jackets and pullovers. nunatakusa.com.

Brooks Motion pullover

Anything that melds function with fashion is A-OK in my book, and you're favorite runner will look as sweet in this pullover, whether she's wearing jeans at the store or tights on the track. It's made of polyester fleece with brushed, Vapor-Dry side splices for stretch and moisture transfer. This is a great top for hiking and biking as well, or any aerobic activity. It features a left arm pocket for an MP3 player. Brooks is a Bothell-based company best known for its running shoes, but it also makes terrific running apparel. $80. brooksrunning.com.