Hi there, I’m glad you stopped in. If you’re here because you’re thinking about buying the Luci Beam 2-in-1 Solar Headlamp and Flashlight from MPOWERD, stop reading. Seriously.
Continue reading “Product Review: Luci Beam 2-in-1 Solar Headlamp & Flashlight”Product Review
Product Review: RightOnTrek’s Excellent Chicken Coconut Curry
Lots of folks have tried to reinvent the wheel. A select few succeed in their own way, and I think I found one of them.
Continue reading “Product Review: RightOnTrek’s Excellent Chicken Coconut Curry”Product Review: ECW N-1B Mukluk Boots
A little over a year ago, I rolled the dice on a completely new kind of boot. On the recommendation of a wilderness survival/winter camping expert, I acquired the U.S. military issue Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) N-1B boot, styled after the time-tested mukluk. After a proper break-in period, I can say the gamble paid off handsomely.
Continue reading “Product Review: ECW N-1B Mukluk Boots”Camp saw test: SOG, Silky F180, and more
They don’t make ‘em like they used to. Or do they?
Continue reading “Camp saw test: SOG, Silky F180, and more”Best Turkey Hunting Gear 2021
Toward the end of May, the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers (AGLOW) assembled a writers camp at Blackhawk Lake Recreation Area in southwestern Wisconsin. We fished, we hunted turkeys, and we tested gear— lots of it. It was a good, full trip. I only wish more gobblers had accepted the invitation.
Continue reading “Best Turkey Hunting Gear 2021”Product Review: Galco Field Grade Breakdown Case
Good things are worth waiting for. When my 12 gauge side-by-side shotgun arrived in 2008, it obviously deserved a worthy case. A breakdown case- finely made and fleece lined- seemed just right. Problem was, I could never find one that fit my minimal criteria: a) it can’t be chintzy, and b) it can’t break the bank. Continue reading “Product Review: Galco Field Grade Breakdown Case”
Product Review: Irish Setter VaprTrek Boot
It all started in 2014. A great pair of leather boots had given up the ghost and I needed something new. Another pair of leather boots seemed a good idea, but with all the walking I do in the bird hunting season, I didn’t want anything too heavy. One boot caught my attention, marketed as light in weight and tough as nails. I’d never owned anything in kangaroo leather before, so who was I to doubt their claims?
Well, I should have. Astonishingly, I wore those boots out in just one October. The leather in the toes completely disintegrated, and the waterproof layer underneath could clearly be seen. I regret to this day I didn’t take pictures, but I was livid as I packed up the box. I wanted them out of my sight. Ever since then, I’ve been in search of a boot that could stand up to the way I hunt. Continue reading “Product Review: Irish Setter VaprTrek Boot”
Do Something New: Quarter and Pack Out a Deer
I’ve long dreamed of hunting in the mountains, spending days climbing, glassing, and stalking. This kind of trip has always seemed quite accessible to me, except for one aspect: getting the meat out of the woods. It would be impractical to expect to drag a deer back to the truck. Foolish, really, and out of the question with an elk. So that would mean quartering and packing the animal out. This is nothing to the hunter on horseback, or even one who is accustomed to doing it. Continue reading “Do Something New: Quarter and Pack Out a Deer”
Product Review: 2004 Ford F-150 Heritage
“It’s a work truck. You’re a smaht guy.” Those were the last words spoken to me by salesman Sean, through the truck window, as I drove my F-150 Heritage off the lot in April of 2004. After I rolled the window up, my wife and I looked at each other and wondered aloud what that was supposed to mean. It seemed nonsensical. We laughed and shrugged it off, but never forgot that moment. I’m not sure what made those words so immortal, whether it be their cryptic nature or because it was fun to say “smaht” in our best manufactured Massachusetts accents. Either way, they stuck with us. After fourteen and a half years, however, Sean’s absurd adieu now seems strangely prophetic. Continue reading “Product Review: 2004 Ford F-150 Heritage”
Product Review: Sea to Summit X-Pot
It all began a year ago when I received a funny-looking thing for my birthday from my brother and his wife. “It’s a pot for cooking; we thought it would be good for your hiking and camping trips,” she explained. I had to examine it a bit to understand what it was: a collapsible cooking pot, made of aluminum and silicone. With no backpacking or canoe trips in my immediate future, I put it away with similar equipment (and apparently almost forgot about it). Continue reading “Product Review: Sea to Summit X-Pot”
Book Review: Three Mushroom Guides
Every year on social media, there are people looking for suggestions for good mushroom guidebooks. While browsing the internet or (especially) the bookstore, it becomes clear that some books are not put together well, some are not good for Eastern U.S. foragers, and some are just plain junk. While I’m not saying these are the three “best” books on the market (a pointless judgment call, really), I will describe what I like about each and why I would recommend each. Continue reading “Book Review: Three Mushroom Guides”
Product Review: Sawyer Mini Water Filter
When I decided to take a short ice fishing trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, I had a problem where water filtration was concerned. I have historically used a pump-type filter, but I didn’t consider this an option for this outing; even though the temperature was forecast to be above freezing during the days, the night temperatures would certainly imperil anything that would be damaged by freezing. Likewise, I couldn’t expect to keep containers of water on hand, so whatever amount of water I treated would have to be used in a short time. I decided that I would be able to keep something- if small enough- warm in interior pockets by day, and in my sleeping bag with me by night. What I didn’t know was how many different options there are now for water filtration/purification. Continue reading “Product Review: Sawyer Mini Water Filter”