Inside Alex Honnold’s Tricked-Out New Adventure Van
Back in 2014, pro climber Alex Honnold gave us a tour of the 2002 Ford Econoline E150 he used as his mobile base camp. That van served him...
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You might be thinking more about snow than water right now. But that means it’s a great time to invest in off-season gear. And a bunch of BO...
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No one wants to have to use first aid. But everyone wants the goods when bad stuff goes down in the backcountry. You don’t have to try to f...
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
Screaming Deals: Gear Savings of the Week https://ift.tt/2QayoYv
Our weekly column finds the best deals from across the web to save you money on outdoor gear. Many of these closeouts won’t be around for long, so get them now!
Char-Broil Gas2Coal Dual-Function Grill: $150 (40% Off)
Grill over charcoal one moment, and propane the next with the Char-Broil Gas2Coal Hybrid Grill. With three main burners that heat up to 40,000 BTUs, you should be able to get some nice grill marks. Plus, it has a side burner and side shelf for prep space.
Leatherman Raptor: $56 (20% Off)
Perform medical-specific emergency tasks with the Leatherman Raptor. Developed with the input of special operations medics, EMTs, and fire professionals, the Raptor is made for survival emergencies. The six facets of this multitool are stainless steel folding medical shears, a strap cutter, a ring cutter, a ruler, an oxygen tank wrench, and a carbide glass breaker.
Black Diamond Spot Headlamp: $30 (25% Off)
Burn up to 300 lumens of LED power from the Black Diamond Spot. This waterproof headlamp has dimming functions and a red LED for preserving your night vision. For power, it uses three AAA batteries.
REI Co-op Camp Bed 3.5 Self-Inflating Sleeping Pad: $90 (30% Off)
With welded seams and a wear-resistant design, the REI Co-op Camp Bed looks comfy and durable. It inflates to 3.5 inches thick with two high-flow valves. To inflate, unscrew the valves and wait for the pad to inflate itself. And when the temps drop, this pad should suffice for most camping excursions, with an R-value of 6.
Kelty Discovery Lowdown Chair: $38 (31% Off)
Recline in the puncture-resistant Kelty Discovery Lowdown Chair. It’s made with steel and 600-denier polyester, both burly materials. One armrest has an insulated beverage holder, and the storage bag doubles as a firewood tote.
Black Diamond Momentum: $33 (40% Off)
The Black Diamond Momentum is a comfortable, longlasting harness at a bargain price. Use it to hang-dog your projects in the gym, and send it outside. And at only $55 retail, this harness was already a bargain. But the sale makes this one all the more wallet-friendly.
Mountainsmith The Cooloir 12 Soft Cooler: $40 (67% Off)
Take your bevies to the park in the Cooloir 12 from Mountainsmith. Designed to hold up to 12 cans and ice, with 72 hours of cold storage, the Cooloir appears great for day trips and weekend camping adventures.
Patagonia Rubicon Insulated Jacket: $149 (50% Off)
Don’t fret cold ski days when wearing the Rubicon. It should keep your core warm with its compressible insulation and DWR finish to repel light rain, snow, and wind. And in the jacket are Recco reflectors that enhance radio signals from search-and-rescue Recco detectors.
Scarpa Techno X Climbing Shoes: $116 (25% Off)
Oh, how comfy the Scarpa Techno X Climbing Shoes feel! GearJunkie has used the Techno Xs and can attest to their edging ability and comfort on long routes. The supple leather uppers hug the foot nicely, and the Vibram XS Edge Rubber is designed for dime edges on steep routes.
MSR FreeLite 3 Tent: $299 (40% Off)
The MSR FreeLite is designed for three-friend adventures and weighs only 2 pounds 15 ounces. That’s under 1 pound per person! MSR claims the tent sets up quickly and controls moisture well with a canopy built for maximum ventilation.
Looking for more gear savings? Check out our story on hunting and fishing sales:
Hook & Bullet Bargains: 5 Deals This Week
Great hunting and fishing gear at an amazing price: We find it each Tuesday. Check out the deals from RIO Products, RedHead, Slumberjack, and more. Read more…
The post Screaming Deals: Gear Savings of the Week appeared first on GearJunkie.
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Larger Display, ‘BirdsEye’ View: Garmin Launches New Handheld GPS https://ift.tt/2CnBm96
Garmin today announced two new handheld GPS units — the GPSMAP 66s and the GPSMAP 66st — that the brand claims improve imagery, wireless connectivity, and more.
The Garmin GPSMAP 66s ($400) and GPSMAP 66st ($450) handhelds bring expanded wireless connectivity, weather forecasting, a larger 3-inch sunlight-readable color display, and direct-to-device access to satellite imagery.
The 66s and 66st models are nearly identical. The big difference? Unlike the 66s, the 66st offers preloaded topographic maps. So if you want to use topo data, plan to kick in an extra $50.
Direct-To-Device Downloads
With direct-to-device downloads, you can use the new handhelds to access BirdsEye Satellite Imagery — high-resolution, photorealistic views of routes — without a subscription.
Find parks, trailheads, clearings for campsites, stand locations for hunting, and more. Plus, the preloaded maps on the GPSMAP 66s and 66st enable users to see where they’re headed in more detail. This includes features like coastlines, rivers, summits, terrain contours, and geographical points.
Weather Forecasting
An interesting feature of the new Garmin handhelds is weather forecasting. Users can pair smartphones with these devices to get up-to-date weather forecasts. They even provide “predictive maps” for temperature, wind speed and direction, and live weather radar. However, these features only work with a smartphone via on-grid cell connections.
InReach Mini Compatibility
The devices all pair with the inReach Mini, allowing the user to send and receive messages directly on their 66s/st device via the Mini. Between the multi-GNSS satellite support and ABC (altimeter, barometer, and compass) sensor capabilities, the GPSMAP 66s/st will track the entire journey.
Battery Life, Durability
Both devices work on AA batteries, so it’s easy to bring spares. The brand claims 16 hours battery life in full GPS mode. It can track the user’s position for up to one week using Expedition mode on a single set of AA batteries. An LED flashlight is included.
In addition to the large 3-inch sunlight-readable color display, Garmin built the devices to adhere to military standards for thermal, shock, and water performance (MIL-STD-810G). To professionals and serious GPS enthusiasts: Note it includes RINEX data logging for sub-meter accuracy of GPS position after post-processing.
We haven’t seen these in person yet, but they look like solid updates to a popular line of GPS devices. If you’re in the market, learn more at Garmin’s website.
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State pheasant index up 19 percent from last year, but still well below long-term average https://ift.tt/2MS66E0
The 2018 roadside survey for pheasants showed a 19 percent increase in the overall pheasant index from 2017, the Minnesota DNR said in a news release Wednesday, Sept. 5, adding that while the index is similar to the 10-year average, it is still 52 percent below the long-term average.
“Given the April snowstorms and heavy rains across a good portion of the pheasant range this year, it was surprising to see increases in the pheasant indices across so many regions,” said Lindsey Messinger, the DNR wildlife biologist who coordinated this year’s survey. “It appears hens may have delayed nesting and chicks were able to tolerate the rain in most areas.”
Weather and habitat are the two main factors that drive Minnesota’s pheasant population trends. Weather causes annual fluctuations in pheasant numbers. In the south-central region of the pheasant range, late-season snowstorms and heavy rain this past spring and summer has been tough for pheasants.
Habitat can help mitigate the impacts of weather and the availability of quality nesting habitat is more important for long-term pheasant population trends. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres in particular play a large role in providing habitat for pheasants in Minnesota. The program, covered under the federal Farm Bill, pays farmers to remove environmentally-sensitive land from agricultural production and restore vegetation that will reduce soil erosion, improve water quality, and provide habitat for wildlife and pollinators.
Minnesota peaked in nesting habitat acres, particularly CRP acres, in 2007 but has declined since then. Minnesota added about 82,500 habitat acres in the past year, many of which were CRP acres; however, nearly 297,000 acres of CRP may be lost within the next two years due to contracts that are set to expire.
Roadside survey data
The DNR’s August roadside survey for pheasants showed a 19 percent increase in the overall pheasant index from 2017. This year’s statewide pheasant index was 45.5 birds per 100 miles of roads driven.
The pheasant index increased in all regions except the south-central region, which decreased by 36 percent from 2017. The highest pheasant counts were in the west-central, southwest and central regions where observers reported 48 to 65 birds per 100 miles driven. Hunters should find the best hunting opportunities in these regions.
Minnesota’s 2018 pheasant season is open Saturday, Oct. 13, through Monday, Jan. 1.
Annual weather impacts on pheasants
Winters that linger can impact the start of the breeding season and success of early nests. Heavy rain, particularly at or just after hatching, can impact chick survival.
One indication of delayed nesting activity were the ages of broods that observers recorded during the roadside surveys. From brood ages, approximate hatch dates are calculated. The range-wide hatch date in 2018 was nearly a week later than in 2017, and a few days later than the long-term average. Hatch dates in the southwest of June 26 and south-central of June 23 were 20 and eight days later, respectively, than in 2017, and they were one to two weeks later than the 10-year and long-term averages.
Another key indicator of annual reproduction is the number of broods observed during roadside surveys. The 2018 statewide brood index increased 28 percent from last year. Regional brood indices increased in every region except the east-central region, where it remained similar to last year, and the south-central region, where it declined by 28 percent compared to last year.
“Unfortunately, heavy rains came during the period of peak hatch in the south-central region,” Messinger said. “And as our survey results indicate, brood survival was affected in this region.”
Survey information
Monitoring pheasant population trends is part of the DNR’s annual August roadside wildlife survey, which began in 1955. DNR wildlife managers and conservation officers in the farmland region of Minnesota conduct the survey during the first half of August. This year’s survey consisted of 171 25-mile-long routes, with 151 routes located in the pheasant range.
Observers drive each route in early morning and record the number and species of wildlife they see. The data provide an index of relative abundance and are used to monitor annual changes and long-term population trends of pheasants, gray (Hungarian) partridge, eastern cottontail rabbits, white-tailed jackrabbits, mourning doves, and other wildlife.
The 2018 August Roadside Survey report and a map of pheasant hunting prospects are available at mndnr.gov/hunting/pheasant. Also recorded in this year’s survey:
- The gray partridge index remained similar to 2017 and was 50 percent below the 10-year average and 93 percent below the long-term average.
- The mourning dove index decreased 7 percent from 2017 and remained below the 10-year average and long-term averages.
- The cottontail rabbit index decreased 23 percent from 2017 but was 13 percent above the 10-year average and similar to the long-term average.
- The white-tailed jackrabbit index was similar to last year and remains historically low.
- The white-tailed deer index decreased 13 percent from 2017 but was still 19 percent above the 10-year average.
During the 2018 pheasant season, the daily bag limit is two roosters through November, and it increases to three roosters on Saturday, Dec. 1. The possession limit is six roosters (increasing to nine roosters on Dec. 1). Shooting hours are 9 a.m. to sunset. Additional details are available at mndnr.gov/hunting/pheasant.
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Minnesota Outdoor News Fishing Report – Sept. 7, 2018 https://ift.tt/2wMuXxU
Get Early Access to the Minnesota Outdoor News Fishing Report!
Be the first to know where they’re biting! The Minnesota Outdoor News Fishing Report is now available Wednesday mornings at 9 a.m.
To receive this early access, simply create a free account below, and you can read the latest fishing reports two days earlier than everyone else. Again, the cost is free, all you have to do is register.
If you would rather not register, don’t worry. You will still have access to the most comprehensive fishing reports in Minnesota every Friday morning.
* PLEASE NOTE: After you have registered, please return to this page and click the login link below. Once logged in, you will have early access to the Minnesota Outdoor News Fishing Report.
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