Freebie Alert: National Parks Week April 17th - 25th

The National Park Service is waiving entrance fees, so visitors can enjoy all 392 national parks for free April 17-25.  National Parks Week will also include a number of activities including April 24th, Junior Ranger Day.

FYI:  Parks will still be collecting fees for camping, reservations and concessions. Only entrance fees are being waived.

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Looking for "TOP SECRET" fishing spots

Me and my crew are heading into a new area of the BWCA for us this year.  In early June we are going in at EP23 Mudro and will be heading up toward Fourtown and Horse lakes.  Does anyone have any experience in that, um, neck of the woods???  We'll fish for anything that swims...  Also feel free to share stories from that area.  Anything we must see???

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Paddle Faster... I Hear Banjos

Funniest T-Shirt I've Seen in a While...

Available at http://www.noisebot.com/paddle_faster_i_hear_banjos_t-shirt.htm

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Heated Jackets Recalled

Apparently, it was too good to be true.  While shopping for Christmas presents this year, I found what I thought to be the best gift I had ever gotten my wife.  Knowing that she wears her fleece jacket well into July, and how she HATES being cold, this was a lock.

Mountain Hardwear and Ardica Technologies teamed up to make a freeze-baby's dream.  Think heating pad meets midlayer jacket.  To be worn either as a medium weight jacket or zipped into your winter outerwear, the Mountain Hardwear Radiance jacket has built in heating elements powered by an integrated battery pack.  The heat is focused on your core to maximize efficiency.  The Arcicia power system was a work of genius.  In addition to running the heating elements, the USB cord in the pocket of the jacket allows you to charge the jacket without removing the battery pack.  Add the technology converter and you can charge your iPod while dragging the sled back up the hill.

Unfortunately, Ardicia has recalled all of their enabled items as well as all of the Moshi battery packs.  Tests have shown that the elements could overheat and/or cause "hot-spots" which could potentially cause injury.  At this time NO injuries have been reported.  It is my guess that Ardicia will have these bugs ironed out quickly and we will see these back on the shelves in no time.

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REI Half Dome 2 HC

When shopping for a new tent, it is easy to get overwhelmed. There is a wide array of brands, sizes, shapes, structure systems and features that makes tent selection one of the most personal of all your gear choices.

I wanted a dual purpose tent, one I can use for just myself with a little room to spare, and I can also use it when I want to take my son. Being that we tend to paddle and portage our way to our favorite campsites, too big and too heavy were not an option.

I had narrowed my search to 2 man tents. I wanted a full rain fly and SIMPLE set-up. I mean team of monkeys easy. There is nothing worse than fighting with some crazy pole system in a 20 mph wind and pouring rain. After hours of looking at tents from names like; Kelty, Mountain Hardware and Big Agnes, the REI tents had all the features I wanted for about $50 less than the other guys.

I went with the Half Dome 2 HC.  With 34 Square feet of interior space and roughly 20 sqft of vestibule, it will be plenty big. At about 5 and a half pounds packed, it will be very managable. Set-Up: 2 equal length poles that make an X.  Even I can handle that.  2 large doors, one on each side, make getting in and out easy. Solidly built and covered by the REI satisfaction guarantee, this was an easy choice.

MSRP: $189

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