Helle of Norway is proud to announce the Kletten, the smallest knife ever made by the 87 year-old-brand. Debuting at the 2019 Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in Denver, Colorado this June, the Kletten will be available at retail stores this fall.

In development for several years, Helle’s smallest folding knife to date weighs less than 3 ounces. Measuring only 3.1-inches long folded, its compact size doesn’t compromise on capability. Tucked inside the 2.1-inch drop point blade, Helle’s renowned triple laminated stainless steel features a razor-sharp Scandinavian flat ground edge.

This heirloom-quality gentleman’s knife takes its name from a small but rugged hill near the Helle factory where locals go to enjoy nature. The knife’s striking curly birchwood scales are handcrafted to match the forests of Norway.

“The outdoors always provides our inspiration, from the natural materials we use to how we create our designs,” explains Jan Steffen Helle, production manager. “Our first everyday carry knife needed to be a small yet functional design, one that stays true to our Nordic heritage and craft.”

For over 80 years, Helle’s production focused on traditional fixed-blade knives. In 2010 Helle introduced the best selling Dokka, the brand’s first folding knife. In 2017, Helle released a second larger folding knife with the Bleja. To address the demand for a smaller Scandinavian style knife, the Kletten is designed as an everyday carry, pocket-sized knife for outdoor enthusiasts.

“Getting outside is often a spontaneous act, a short walk at lunch or a bike commute home, activities that don’t require a fixed blade knife,” says Svein-Erik Helle, Helle’s managing director. “We designed the Kletten as a small knife for small trips, a pocket-sized companion for simple, everyday tasks.”

Since 1932 Helle makes knives for international markets from the small village of Holmedal, situated on Norway’s rugged northern coast. Please contact Matt Huff (matthuff@sport-hansa.com) for retailer inquiries in the U.S., or James Graven for press inquiries (james@treehousepr.com). Visit helle.com for distributors outside the USA.

About Helle of Norway

Founded in 1932 by brothers Steinar and Sigmund, Helle is a family-owned, world-renowned brand known for producing aesthetically stunning, highly functional knives. Each Helle knife is handcrafted in Holmedal, Norway using natural materials and strict adherence to the art and tradition of Scandinavian knife making. Skilled hands play a major role in Helle’s knife production, and each knife takes up to 45 manual processes to complete. By finishing each knife individually, craftsmen bring out the best qualities of Helle’s past, place, people, and production. The result is a one-of-a-kind knife, worthy of passing down through generations. Please visit www.helle.com to learn more and follow @helleknives on Instagram and Facebook.

Campers planning their summer excursions should be aware of a new survey showing that 25 percent of self-described outdoor enthusiasts admit to regretting at least half of the outdoor gear purchases they’ve made within the last 12 months.

The Outdoor Industry Association estimates that every year, the outdoor recreation economy generates $887 billion in consumer spending; $184.5 billion of that spending is strictly on gear. Based on survey results, if a quarter of those product purchases ended in regret at least half the time, the result is an astonishing $23 billion spent annually on outdoor gear the consumer later regrets buying.

“Overall, the number one reason for regret is that the product did not work as advertised, followed by the product being cheaply constructed, or of limited use,” said Amit Bhatnagar, an Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, who performed an analysis of the survey results.

To combat this rampant buyer’s remorse, Panther Vision commissioned a nationwide survey to better understand the problem as the company designs and launches the revamped version of its “headlamp-in-a-hat,” the POWERCAP 2.0.

“In our shop, we refer to those regretful purchases as PUIs – Purchasing Under the Influence – which most people call impulse buying,” said Chas Waters, Panther Vision’s Director of Sales and Marketing. “We’re all guilty of it, and as outdoorsmen ourselves who’ve felt let down by products that fail to meet our expectations, our team wanted to know just how common this feeling is among others.”

From its creation, Panther Vision has sought to reimagine the use of LED products. After a lifetime of inventing with more than 25 patents to date, founder Mike Waters has focused his energy on lighting innovation. The POWERCAP is at the core of Waters’ creativity, providing reliable hands-free lighting by embedding LED lights in the front of caps and beanies. Building on the original model, the 2.0 puts out four times as much light, offers three different light settings, and runs on AAA batteries that slide neatly into the hat’s lining, offering a design that seamlessly combines comfort, style, and function.

“From these survey results, we’re able to launch a better product that not only draws on the practical innovations that have made our products successful, but are also at the core of Panther Vision’s design strategy,” said Mike Waters. “At the end of the day, we want to ensure our products never let anyone down, no matter what they’re doing or where they’re doing it.” Because Panther Vision believes it will benefit from an outdoor consumer base that is more
knowledgeable and thoughtful in its purchasing, the company also consulted with Dr. Lars Perner, an Assistant Professor of Clinical Marketing at the University of Southern California, to better understand ways consumers can save themselves from these regrettable purchases.

Perner shared these five tips for outdoor enthusiasts to consider before purchasing a piece of new gear:

• Perception Is Not Reality – Product makers lure you in with catchy marketing or “sweet deals”, so you have to focus on buying items you know you have a use for as opposed to just taking advantage of a perceived “deal.”
• Deliberate Decision Making – Don’t get sucked into the hype or your impulse to buy!
  Sometimes “sleeping” on a decision, especially if it’s an expensive one; will help you avoid
  purchases that you will regret later.
• In It For The Long Run – If you determine you “have to have it,” buyers should take a second to consider not just the initial cost of the item, but also the cost of maintenance and operations over time. In the case of lighting, some types need much more maintenance and additional costs to keep them running such as batteries.
• Spouse Approved Spending – Listen, if you can’t easily explain to your spouse why you need the item and the costs associated with it, then maybe you should reconsider. A good rule of thumb before you throw it on your credit card and get hit with high interest rates is if you cannot pay cash, it may be better to wait until you can do so.
• Healing The Camping Blues – As the seasons begin to change it’s hard not to start daydreaming about getting outdoors. Going online to browse around and get your “outdoor gear fix” is exactly when outdoor enthusiasts are most vulnerable. Take a breath, take inventory of what you already own, and make sure you are buying items you actually need, when you need them. “If outdoor enthusiasts keep these simple tips in mind, we’re confident it will save them from unwanted purchase regrets as well as lead them to understanding Panther Vision’s commitment to quality, functional design, and our obsession with creating innovative lighting solutions,” said Chas Waters. “We
  want to ensure that anyone who buys the POWERCAP 2.0, or any of our other products, never feels even a hint of PUI symptoms.”

About Panther Vision

Panther Vision is an Illinois-based company that designs, manufactures and distributes advanced engineered LED lighting solutions. Our more than 25 patented designs offer consumers unparalleled performance and provide them with uncommon solutions to common everyday problems. Panther Vision products are sold all over the world, but can be found in the U.S. at Lowes, Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Gander Outdoors, Fred Meyer, AutoZone, LL Bean, Bass Pro, Cabelas, Academy Sports + Outdoors, Amazon and Big 5 Sporting Goods stores.

The North Conway based White Mountain Swift Water Rescue Team (WMSRT) and Mountain Rescue Service (MRS) received a 2019 Higgins and Langley Swiftwater Rescue Incident Award at the International Association of Water Rescue Professionals conference in South Bend Indiana.

On December 28th, 2018 the two volunteer teams responded to a request from NH Fish and Game Conservation Officers to assist a hypothermic backpacker on the Kinsman trail, who was cut-off by rapidly rising waters on Cascade Brook. Operating at night by headlamp, members of the WMSRT established river safety coverage and ferried ropes across the Class V river with whitewater kayaks.

Members of MRS set up a Tyrolean traverse rope system and transported the hiker and his gear over the raging stream. The WMSRT and MRS had trained together for this specific type of rescue in October of 2018.

The Higgins and Langley Memorial Awards in Swiftwater Rescue honor outstanding achievement in the technical discipline of swiftwater and flood rescue. These awards are not heroism awards, they recognize preparedness, teamwork, and a job performed under extreme conditions, where training is vital to the success of rescue missions, and the safety of rescue personnel. The Swiftwater Rescue Incident Award recognizes actions that clearly demonstrate outstanding skill and preparedness in swiftwater rescue.

The White Mountain Swiftwater Rescue Team offers the specialized technical skills, training, knowledge, and experience of the White Mountain whitewater paddling community to support the search, rescue, and recovery operations of federal, state, and local rescue agencies and organizations primarily on, but not limited to, the rivers of the White Mountain region; and to minimize the number of swiftwater and flood-related incidents in the White Mountain region through education, outreach, and advocacy.

The Mountain Rescue Service provides specialized technical teams comprised of world-class guides and climbers who volunteer their time and expertise in the service of hikers and climbers who need assistance, in and around the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  The team is ‘on call’ 24 hours per day, all seasons, with volunteers being mobilized for a full range of incidents: complicated multi-day and nighttime searches in the depth of winter throughout the White Mountain National Forest; technical rope rescues on the region’s many rock climbing cliffs; swift water rescue assistance; and lift evacuations at area ski resorts.

More than 300 volunteers provided nearly 5,000 hours of search and rescue services in New Hampshire in 2018. When added up, the actual SAR hours, training, personal gear, travel, and certification-compliance completed by these volunteer rescuers, these volunteers contribute over $250,000 annually in sweat equity to the NH outdoor community.