Do you, or does someone you know, eat breathe, and sleep outdoor adventure? If so, then you may be able to earn yourself some sweet gear, just by nominating them (or even yourself!) as the Outside Magazine Reader of the Year. The iconic, and popular, publication is looking for a Chief Inspiration Officer for 2011, and your nominee just might fit the description, earning you all kinds of swag, while they go on to fame and fortune in the glossy pages of the magazine.

Nominating someone is very easy. You simply click here and fill out the online form, which includes an essay describing why they are worthy of consideration. If your nominee is selected, they'll earn the position as CIO for Outside and will be featured in an article. They'll also be given the opportunity to contribute to the magazine throughout next year, offering up tips, advice, and inspiration that the average Outside reader can relate to. And as the person who nominated them, you'll also receive a nice reward in the form of $1800 worth of free gear and a three year subscription to the magazine.

Nomination are being accepted through September 1st, with candidates being judged based on how much fun, and adventure, they've been able to work into their lives over the past few years. A healthy commitment to changing their life, or the lives of others, doesn't hurt either, as the Outside editors are looking for someone who exemplifies the philosophy of the magazine. While the selection will obviously be somewhat subjective, they are weighing their decision on the candidates thirst for adventure, their capacity to inspire, and the creativity of the essay that is written on their behalf.

So, there you have it! Head on over to the Reader of the Year page and fill out your nominations. You may make someone a star in the adventure world, and earn your self great gear in the process.

[Photo credit: Outside Magazine]

Review:
Tenba’s Photo/Laptop Daypack combines a basic padded laptop sleeve with an advanced camera bag. Your laptop (up to 17-inch) slides in to the pocket at the back of the bag, while your camera fits into a special pocket at the bottom of the bag. The camera pocket unzips separately from the rest of the bag, and then folds out, giving you access to your DSLR, 2-3 lenses, and possibly a flash. There are organizer pockets on either side of the pack, with red and green pockets for your memory cards. The top of the bag has a drawstring closure underneath a buckle/velcro secured flap. This top pocket is intended to store accessories like your mp3 player, cell phone, keys, etc.

The support straps on this bag are amazing. This bag has the best shoulder, chest, and waist strap system that I’ve ever seen in a day pack. I’d go so far as to say that the straps on this day pack rival what you would see on a camping backpack! Properly adjusted, these straps make this bag ideal for when you’re hauling around a large load of electronics and photography gear. The bag is made from your standard ripstop nylon fabric, and feels very well constructed. Tenba has made this bag available in multiple colors: black, olive, and burnt orange.

This bag also has a rubberized base, which helps the bag resist water and damage. Like the Photo/Laptop Messenger, the camera insert is removable, and this frees up a large amount of space for other items if needed. This bag is fairly specialized, however, so don’t expect to be able to convert it into a textbook carrying monster.

Conclusion: The Tenba Photo/Laptop Daypack is primarily a photo day pack. It is worth noting that it’s a really good photo day pack, and I’d recommend it even if it didn’t have a large padded laptop pocket. I do like this bag, I like the way the camera insert folds out, I like the drawstring opening at the top of the bag, I even like the “green” pockets for empty memory cards, and the “red” pockets for the full cards. But there’s an odd thing. When you start loading the bag, it starts to feel smaller then it looks. It looks like this massive photo backpack – but you might just find yourself having to leave some of your gear behind because there’s not enough room for it all. Regardless of this issue, I still recommend that you buy it if you need a photo backpack.
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