RACINE - Ah, summer - time to play in the great outdoors.

And for those who hear the call of the wild at this time of year, Johnson Outdoors has plenty of new, cool toys to take into the wilderness or campground.

Among the Racine-based company's newer recreational product lines are tents that have electricity, a super-smart sportman's watch and kayaks made with the latest space-age materials.

Here is a look at some of Johnson Outdoors' newer, noteworthy product lines.

Nergy tents

The Eureka tent took a leap into comfort territory with the Nergy tent line introduced last summer. These tents are wired to power devices such as a gooseneck reading lamp or wet/dry vacuum. They can recharge a cell phone, iPod or camera battery.

Linda Snupik-Grebe, Johnson Outdoors market director for outdoor equipment, said the tents emerged from market research. "Power was one of the things that came up," she said. "But they never tell you exactly how to execute it."

The company found a way by threading wiring through the tent poles and inventing a power pack that can be charged at home off a 110-volt outlet. The portable, 10-pound power pack supplies 12 volts to the three or four outlets inside the tent.

The useful life on one charge can range from about nine hours for the reading lamp to 18-plus hours for other devices, Snupik-Grebe said. When the charge is spent, the power pack can be recharged off a car's cigarette lighter in a couple of hours.

The tent outlets glow in the dark so they can be easily found at night. And company officials say the wiring system adds no setup time.

"There's nothing (else) like this system," Snupik-Grebe said.

It did better than expected last year for a first-year product, she said, and sales have grown this year over last.

The Eureka tent brand started with three Nergy tents last year. This year the company added a screen house model.

Next year, Snupik-Grebe said, the company will put out a power pack that will accept any 110-volt plug, and accessories including a coffee pot and hair dryer.

Nergy tents, which won an innovation award from ReserveAmerica, range in price from $159 for a 9-by-9-foot tent to $289 for a 10-by-13-foot model.

Be aware, however, that the power pack and all accessories are sold separately. The power pack is priced at $55, and accessories cost $9 for the reading lamp or $23 for the vacuum, as examples.

A Web site showing Nergy tents and their capabilities is at: http://www.epowertent.com

The tents can also be seen at the company's Racine store.

Carbon-fiber kayaks

If you want the lightest, strongest kayak made, you probably want a carbon fiber, or carbon composite, boat.

Last year Johnson Outdoors introduced carbon-fiber watercraft with the Necky Chatham line of touring kayaks.

"These are designed to be sheer, unadulterated performance," Steve Van Dis, manager of the Johnson Outdoors retail store at 555 Main St., said about the Chatham carbon fiber kayaks. "They're the Ferraris of the boat lines."

The aerospace industry builds jets with carbon composites because of their light weight and strength, said Nando Zucchi, general manager of the paddle sports group at Johnson Outdoors. He said those qualities also make the material a popular replacement for aluminum or steel in high-end bicycles and some parts for motorcycles and high-end autos.

In fact, last year there was a shortage of carbon fiber because so many industries were using it, Zucchi said.

For canoes and kayaks, he said carbon fiber is the ultimate upgrade from plastic or Fiberglas boats.

Unlike Kevlar, which Johnson Outdoors does not use for making watercraft, carbon fiber will not delaminate over time in water, Zucchi said.

"You can feel the difference going through the water because it's stiff," he said.

And the hot sun can deform a plastic boat over time. Not so with carbon fiber.

A carbon fiber kayak will weigh about five pounds fewer than an identical one made from Fiberglas, Zucchi said. That may not sound like much, but he said it's a noticeable difference when hoisting a kayak onto a car rooftop.

He said carbon fiber also has an environmental benefit over Fiberglas. Fiberglas construction emits styrene, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency calls a suspected human carcinogen and suspected toxin.

But carbon fiber is made by infusion, a closed system, and has virtually no emissions, Zucchi said.

Finally, carbon fiber gives a clear, highly glossy surface that looks dramatically different than Fiberglas.

"It looks really attractive; it's really a status symbol," Zucchi said. "People will pay a lot of money for something that looks cool." In this case, $3,500 for a Necky Chatham.

Despite the hefty price, the kayaks are selling well, Van Dis said. "The biggest problem is keeping up with the demand."

For more about the Necky Chatham carbon-fiber kayak, visit: http://www.neckykayaks.com

Performance watches

The star of Johnson Outdoors' Tech 4O line of sports, or performance, watches is the TraiLeader. Tech 4O (shorthand for "Technology For Outdoors") is the company's technology instrument brand.

"It's meant to be like a backpacker or sportsman's watch," Snupik-Grebe said about the $140 TraiLeader. It's both a navigational aid and used for those who want to know how much exercise they're getting from their outdoor pursuits.

The TraiLeader is part compass, part watch and part instrument package. It can tell your direction, altitude, speed and distance, and the temperature and barometric pressure.

"The thing that sets (the various TraiLeader models) apart is the accuracy of speed and distance information," Snupik-Grebe said. The device uses an accelerometer that is 95-97 percent accurate in measuring speed and distance.

Sales were strong enough that the company brought out a professional model this year with a heart-rate monitor that can be downloaded to a

computer.

"It's for really serious athletes," Snupik-Grebe said.

For more information visit: http://www.tech4o.com