Binoculars - 3 Value Models at the Top of Their Class

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There is a lot to see when you go camping, particularly in the early morning and evening when much of the wildlife is out-and-about (but the people aren’t!). A good set of binoculars can enhance your wildlife viewing experience and these three models from Weaver®, Minox® and Vortex® are all great binoculars, even though they are considered low to mid-range by their respective manufacturers. You can expect to pay somewhere around $250 to $300 for these binoculars but, like cameras, the sky is the limit if you want to step-up in quality. Rest assured, though, that these models are superior to anything you will find at the local superstore.

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3 Super Cool Ice Chests

Mobile phones are now more ubiquitous than wrist watches, we average 118.6 TV channels per household and the computer in your kid’s video game is more powerful than those onboard the space shuttle, so why are you still using that old ice chest that goes through ice faster than a hot knife through butter?  These three ice chests are referred to as “five day” or “six day” models, meaning that they are rated by the manufacturer to maintain ice over that timeframe, and while your results may vary, all three of these coolers are a vast improvement over older designs.

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A Better Bottle

You cannot fault its simplistic name as gimmickry; the CamelBak® Better Bottle really looks like it is a better bottle. Made from a new plastic called Eastman Tritan™, these bottles are safe for cold or hot liquids, they hold up just fine in the dishwasher and they are very impact resistant. The Better Bottles are BPA-free, so whichever side of that argument you fall on, you will not have to worry about it with these.

The advantages of the Better Bottle don’t end with its construction. They are available in 17, 25 and 34 ounce sizes, with four different types of lids. The 90-degree twist top lid free-flows when open, just like a traditional sports bottle (i.e. you can squeeze the bottle for a refreshing shower!). The “money lids” in my opinion, though, are the two bite valve lids. I have been using bite valves on hydration packs for years and they are very convenient, because you can take a drink with one hand and they do not leak when you are not drinking from them. As you can see in the picture below, the soft rubber valve opens when it is squeezed – which you can easily do with your fingers or your teeth.

Tough construction, a cool loop for clipping onto a carabiner and a bite valve for spill-proof drinking; The Better Bottle really is a better bottle.

Happy camping!

The Bear Facts on Electric Fences

You have a better chance of being struck by lightning than ever having a close encounter with a hungry bear, but recent events; including an aggressive black bear having to be put down in Yellowstone National Park on July 11, a grizzly attack on a camper just outside the park on July 18, and an attack on a solo hiker yesterday in the Walker basin area east of Bakersfield, CA have elevated awareness of the risks associated with camping in bear country. With that in mind, we look at a pair of gadgets this week designed to protect your campsite sleeping area through the night. Read more

The Kamp Kaddie

On our last camping trip, over the 4th of July weekend, we picked-up a new Coleman 8D Family Size LED Lantern for those nighttime marshmallow roasts. The lantern worked great, but we quickly figured out that the picnic table was not the most efficient place for a light source. Luckily we were deep in the woods of Oregon’s Coast Range, so a tree branch was readily available, but we will need to come up with a better solution and I think I have found it in the Kamp Kaddie, from VacationGadgets.com.

The Kamp Kaddie can be clamped to a table top, or staked into the ground by switching-out the bottom section of the pole. This flexibility is important to me, because football season is right around the corner and our tailgate barbeques take place in a paved parking lot. I have been in many campsites, though, where the picnic table is some distance from the fire ring, so the ability to stake the Kamp Kaddie into the ground will come in handy. The condiment basket is adjustable up-and-down, and could easily double as a soap dish, making the Kamp Kaddie a useful addition to any wash station.

Happy camping!

O-Grill by Pro-Iroda Industries

In response to my last post on the Notebook Portable Grill, Aaron was looking for suggestions on a compact gas grill. The Weber® Q™ 100 is probably the gold-standard in compact gas grills (see Sean Michael’s review), but I ran across a similar grill that looks interesting; the O-Grill.

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Notebook Portable Grill

Here is an interesting twist on the portable barbecue grill, out of the U.K., called the Notebook Portable Grill. Weighing a tad less than nine pounds (4.0KG for the metric-minded), the grill folds flat just like a notebook computer. Ready to use, the grill measures twelve inches high, twelve inches wide and eighteen inches long. I could not find very much information on the size of the grilling surface. One U.S. distributor, A+R Global Design, claims 192 square inches, and that seems about right based on the exterior dimensions. For comparison, a Weber® Q™ 100 has 189 square inches of cooking area.

The Notebook Portable Grill looks like an attractive solution for those who are storage space challenged in their RV’s. At just a few inches thick, when folded, it is the perfect size for pass-through storage areas and even tent trailers.

Happy camping!

Lights and Lanterns

Let There Be Light!

When it comes to lighting-up the campsite this summer, or unhitching the trailer Friday night on one of those quick weekend getaways, there are LED-based products available today that are smaller, lighter and operate longer than many of the incandescent bulb products of old.

Tikka XP Headlamp by Petzl
The Petzl name might not be a common one for many RV’rs, but for the adventure travel set; backpackers, climbers, kayakers and mountain bikers, Petzl is the de-facto standard in hands-free lighting solutions. Sure, you might initially miss holding that mini-mag in your mouth while you fumble with the WD bars on Friday night, but you will quickly get over it! The Tikka XP weighs just a tad over three ounces and the light is adjustable, both up and down and for intensity and pattern, making it suitable for both close-in work and walking the dog.

Brunton Polaris Lantern
The Polaris might not be the brightest lantern on the market, but it provides plenty of light for cooking or eating and, unless you back over it with your RV, it will be mighty hard to ever break its rubberized housing or plastic globe. If you have been unimpressed with the bluish or harsh-White light produced by LED products, as I have, don’t automatically discount the Polaris. Brunton uses transparent, slightly gold-colored, lenses over the bulb and the upper reflector that help produce a more natural light.

Happy camping!

Batteries – Lifeblood of Gadgets

There has never been a better time to own an RV. Hybrids, travel trailers, fifth wheels and motor homes are featuring more electronics than ever before, along with increased sleeping capacities to accommodate larger families, or just friends. One thing the industry has yet to catch-on to, however, is catering to dry-campers. The typical trailer comes with a single Group 24 battery, while a fifth wheel or motor home might come with a pair. Either solution is barely adequate for anything more than a weekend of summer camping, however.  When we first started camping, our biggest concern was water. We used too much fresh water which, in turn, created too much gray water. As we gained experience, our water lasted longer and we realized that our (then) trailer’s 40-gallon fresh water tank was adequate for most trips. Our Group 24 battery, however, was more like a 10-gallon tank!

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Tank Sprayers – the Unglamorous Gadgets

Flat screen TV’s might be sexy, but when you are at the dumping station on Sunday morning with a string of like-minded RV’ers cooling their heels behind you, there is nothing quicker and more efficient than an integrated tank sprayer for getting that waste tank squeaky clean. There are a number of products on the market, but the major players are both from Camco®; the Quickie Flush™ and the Tornado Rotary Tank Rinser™. These products allow you to connect a water hose directly to the black (waste) tank, spraying the inside surfaces of the tank and greatly aiding in the evacuation of waste, without having to wait until the tank is empty, then refill the tank and re-dump (and probably repeat!).

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