It’s still windy, wet, and chilly out there - a thermal jacket may be too much but it’s definitely still jacket weather. Sugoi’s new Helium Jacket is just about perfect for spring outings. Weighing in at a minuscule 3 ounces, you’ll hardly know you have it on.

The Helium totally blocks those cold breezes and keeps light rain out, thanks to water resistant fabric and doubled seams. There are small perforations under the arms to help keep you ventilated as you warm up and a longer hem on the back to protect you from spray if you’re cycling. The sleeves are a generous length, but have an elastic band to keep them from falling too low on shorter arms. Reflective strips on the zipper and across the back will make you visible if the run or ride has you out in low-light situations.

Best feature? A little zippered pocket on the right side for gels, MP3 players, keys, whatever you need to reach in a hurry. The Helium is a rose color called “Flamingo” - very fun!

Sugoi Women’s Helium Jacket: $85 msrp. Available at your local bike shop or through Team Estrogen online.

We know disposable plastic water bottles are clogging our landfills, costing lots of oil, and might be putting some pretty nasty chemicals into the water we’re drinking. That’s got us switching to refillable bottles and they’re great! But, if you’re not a fan of aluminum drinking bottles, and you worry about what leaches into your water from a conventional plastic bottle, check out this new offering from Camelbak. They’ve changed the plastic formula on their very popular “Better Bottle” to a material that’s totally free of BPA and Phthalates. It’s still the familiar hard clear plastic bottle in lots of cheery colors but without the nasty stuff.

Camelbak Better Bottle: with classic cap or bite valve (available May 2008). msrp $8, www.camelbak.com

The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga by Sage Rountree (VeloPress; $21.95) www.velopress.com

Over-tight muscles can cause injury and pain during your sports activities and that can keep you from playing. Not good! Yoga is the perfect counterbalance to your regular sport, whatever it may be. Whether you’re a yogini or you’ve never heard of a downward facing dog, you’ll come away with something useful from “The Athlete’s Guide to Yoga.” Yoga brings strength, flexibility, and balance to your body as well as your mind. Author Sage Roundtree makes yoga an essential tool for anyone who is active in sports with her clear explanations and large photos of each pose. The sections on mediation as mental training and sports-specific yoga for your training routines are particularly helpful. There’s a short DVD included with 15-minute warmup and cooldown routines and a longer DVD with three routines is available as well.

Karina and I are working on an article about winter mountain biking and we’ve had an opportunity to test out several winter tights over the past few weeks. Tights are one of those items that are hard to buy online - you can’t be sure how thick and airtight they are just looking at a photo of a solid black shape. They come in a wild variety of weights, some perfect for that early spring day when you’re going to build up heat fast, some made to withstand serious winter winds.

I’m lifting the lid on our test results early for the Terry Coldweather tights we tried because they are so perfect for lots of different winter activities. They come in padded (chamois for cycling) and unpadded versions and I got to try out the unpadded pair. These tights are heavyweight fleece-backed soft-shell type fabric (officially called “Polartec® Windpro® Hardface”), perfect for warmth with breathability.

The entire tight is made of the same weight fabric, not just the front panels like some tights. Finally, someone figured out that our backsides get cold, too! They aren’t like the neoprene style tights that keep absolutely everything out but they’re perfect for that zone just above and below the freezing mark. I can see running, x-skiing, cycling, building snowmen, taking dog walks, watching winter cardinals, or practically anything else with a pair of these either under a wind/waterproof shell or just by themselves. I cycled in them with a pair of thermal padded shorts underneath on a very chilly day and stayed really comfy. Most of you will find these tights long enough (mediums measured 29″ in the inseam for us).

We’ve still got weeks of cold before the ice starts to melt around here and I’m mighty glad to have one pair of serious tights for my early training rides instead of the usual five layers of regular tights I’ve got on! Heck, I usually can’t even bend my knees! So, I’ve got no excuses for not getting out there and building up some base miles for spring.

Terry Coldweather Tight: padded or unpadded, msrp $90-95, available through the Terry website or at our favorite girly cyclewear spot, Team Estrogen.

More lights! These are flashy safety lights that can be used by practically anyone outside at night to increase visibility. The little light, not much bigger than an inch square, snaps into a clip, letting you mount it to practically anything: bike helmets, backpacks, clothing, dog collars, or wrist/head bands.

The Supernovas are astonishingly bright (visible over a mile according to Road ID) and waterproof to 300 feet, if you decide to take an underwater walk. Flipping the battery around in the light switches it from a flashing mode to a steady mode and the rounded light housing allows it to be seen from both the front and the sides. I’ve got a couple attached to my helmet straps for side visibility during my commute.  ET, phone home!

It’s hard to get a daylight run or ride or even dog walk in at this time of the year when you work full time. It just makes good sense to have a few of these flashies on hand to increase your visibility, especially when they are so easy to clip on and move around depending on your activity. Be seen, be safe!

Road ID Firefly Supernova lights, msrp: $12.99, available through the RoadID website.