Fishing Camp, The Game
Everyone has heard a fish story or two before. There's the one about the big one that got away, or the lunker that someone caught and released but didn't have a camera to record it.
Let's put those storytellers to the test by seeing what kind of fishing knowledge they actually have and, at same time, educate everyone involved.
"Fishing Camp: The Game," a new, outdoor-themed board game is for both adults and kids, regardless of age. Their fishing knowledge can be none to "pro" to play the game.
Questions include everything from fish identification to equipment to fishing records.
My 12-year-old stepson, Evan, and his father recently played the game and this is what Evan wrote about it:
"Fishing Camp: The Game" is a fun game about fish that the whole family would love. You can have up to eight players in this game and it takes about one to two minutes to set up and lasts about 20 to 30 minutes.
There are different levels of questions so if a little child is playing, they won't have to answer a question only an adult would know.
The game comes with a decoder so the person can look at the card and not see the answer because they don't have the decoder to cheat.
The game also has cards with fun facts about fishing and things to do with fishing.
Here is an example: "The northern pike gets its name from its resemblance to the pole-weapon known as the pike."
My favorite part of this game is that you can have fun and learn at the same time, because when you get an answer wrong, you find out the correct answer.
Also, between you and me, the first time I played, I beat my dad. He thought the only reason I wanted to play again was so I could beat him again."
Game includes: one game board, 200 game cards (400 questions and 100 fun facts), one decoder, eight game characters, one die, 16 level cards and 1 GPS card.
The game sells for $24.99.
- Reviewed by Evan Welshans, 12, eighth-grader at Central Mountain Middle School
Griddl'n Grill
Grilling - it's like the American thing. Warm weather, cold weather ... it can be done. Personally, I think my food tastes better done on a gas or charcoal grill or even an open fire pit.
The more portable and space saving a grill is, the better, I say. It's even better when its power supply is readily available and common. That makes things much easier.
The Cuisinart Griddl'n Grill is quite portable and easy to handle. It has a few extras that other portable grills do not have.
A unique feature is a griddle pan that is integrated into the lid. On top, you can cook anything from eggs to veggies.
I used the grill to cook foil packets of potatoes, beer sausages and red, green and yellow peppers all at once.
The food all fit when I used the griddle on top and cooked faster than I expected.
The grill exceeded my expectations, and I look forward to using it again.
It is fashioned so handles fold up over the top, making it easy to carry. The handles also are easily removed for cleaning and storage.
I would feel pretty confident using some of my household cookware on this grill, too.
The gas grill takes the standard small gas bottles.
Cleaning was easy. The insides are coated and cooked-on food came off with a little scrubbing.
I did have a bit of an issue with the chains that attach to the skillet pan and lid. They seemed to be in my way and it took a lot of maneuvering to get things to sit where I wanted. But I found they can easily be removed, and the problem was solved.
Cuisinart Griddl'n Grill (Model No. CGG-080) sells for $79.99.
- Reviewed by Jessica Welshans
PetHub Link Tag
I know a considerable number of people who take their pets hiking, camping and hunting. Such fun activities can take a tragic turn if pets accidentally become lost.
Pet owners have some options when it comes to preventing their animals from being lost and not found. State laws require dogs to be licensed and up to date on rabies vaccinations. Rabies tags contain vet information, which sometimes can help identify a lost pet.
Many shelters require a pet to be microchipped before it goes to its new home. The microchip gives the animal a special ID number so when a scanner is used, the dog's information comes up and it can be safely returned to its owner.
But what about instant information? I mean, you can only get so much off a rabies tag or by calling the courthouse to see what license number matches up.
The vet might be closed when you call with rabies tag number, the tag may not be up-to-date or maybe it's a weekend and the courthouse is closed.
So a company called PetHub has come up with the wonderful idea for smartphones and pet identification to be perfectly married together.
PetHub Link Tag is unlike any other idea tag. It has a QR, or quick response, code that smartphones can read.
The coded tags allow finders to scan the pet tag and get an immediate link to a file containing all the pet's information such as its breed, age, personality traits, medical records, favorite things to do and, most importantly, the owner's contact information.
PetHub offers three levels of membership, from free to paid. All include profile information, but the higher the cost, the more information included. One level includes a GPS locator that can show the owner where the pet last was located and scanned. An email even is sent out to the owner's email address, alerting them that someone has scanned their pet's tag.
If someone who finds a pet doesn't have a smartphone, they can enter a Web address on the tag and see the pet's profile.
My tag's paint has started to rub off, but if you keep them away from other tags, you can save the paint. My dogs have multiple tags on their collar, including rabies, county licenses and their microchip tags.
I think this is a pretty amazing product. For people who love techy-type things, this is perfect. Although my pets use this, I still support microchipping and other forms of identification for pets.
A pet parent can never be too careful.
Tags may be purchased at www.pethub.com. They come in different designs and colors.
- Reviewed by Jessica Welshans
Perfect Bungees
A bungee cord can be like a person's duct tape. It can be used to tie down anything and sometimes fix almost any problem, well at least that is how my family has always precived it.
I have seen my dad, grandfather, uncles, husband and even mother use bungee straps to hold down, fix or "jimmy" just about everything.
For us they are something no one leaves home without if they are boating, camping, fishing or ATVing and running a large load of anything on any kind of vehicle.
The Perfect Bungees are cords are made of a super strong, and what seems pretty durable material, what the company calls a polyurethane construction. Some were even so strong just to pull each end yourself was tough.
They are described as a "non-load-bearing cords have nylon ends that won't stretch or gouge, while the galvanized straps are suitable for all load bearing applications."
Once you do get them hooked on something and expand them the do work and can get pretty long to their original sizes and come back to their original size.
I recently used them on a ATVing trip with my Uncle. We actually "jimmied" them to act as a seatbelt for me as a passenger on the back of the ATV. It worked and they were very versatile in their use.
My Uncle's thoughts were:
"They are very durable, extremely easy to use and the extension that comes with them are outstanding, they hold things in place (as you know) and can be used for many different applications (like a seatbelt) I dont know how they will be in extreme cold but I think they will be fine."
We used the cord with the loop-end cord to create the seat belt.
The most unique out of the bunch would be the Flex Web model. Its like spider like bungee, with several different cords coming from an O-Ring in the middle that can be used to make the straps move in different directions. I believe this thing can have endless jobs to tactical.
Company Just Ducky has a line of bungee's called Perfect Bungee, which come in various sizes, types:
* Strap - S hooks made of galvenized stainless steel, your standard bungee;
* Cord - Non-load bearing, tough nylon hooks, won't scratch;
* Loop-end Cord - nylon hook on one end and a molded loop on the other;
* Fixed-end Cord - heavy-duty nylon hook on one end and a secure nylon clip on other;
* Flex Web - Several fixed end cords strung together with a central O-ring to create a 4, 6 or 8 arm "web" in two different lengths;
* Boat Snubber - modled loops on each end, 1,000 pound capacity;
* Utility Suspender - molded loops on each end.
Although, I haven't tested the product for its resistance to what the company lists as saltwater, oil, ozone and a laundry- list of other common household chemicals, to see how it holds up.
The are guaranteed for life. Perfect Bungee's are available in a variety of lengths and colors.
They cab be found at Cabela's, Bass Pro and online www.theprefectbungee.com and sell for various prices per design.
