Maui Jim Surf Rider Sunglasses - Gear Review

Over the last couple of years, we have had the opportunity to review a number of sunglasses from Maui Jim. We have yet to find a pair that was truly a disappointment.  A couple of months ago they came out with a new style, the Surf Riders, and they have taken the position of my new every-day go-to shades.  Let me tell you why...

Style:  These Maui Jim's have more street style than any I have worn.  The black frames with blue interior are just a bit different from your everyday solid black, but not so crazy you need to be a teenager to pull them off.  The rectangular lens shape and thick bows fit my face incredibly well and just feel rock solid.

Performance:  The Neutral Grey lenses that come in these frames are ideal for bright light conditions.  I have extremely light sensitive eyes, and these are simply amazing lenses.  Cutting the vast majority of the glare without loss of clarity.  MJ's SuperThin glass is more than just marketing hype too, at 20% thinner than the standard you get all the performance of glass without the extra heft.  The contoured shape of the frames and the rubber nose pads keep these firmly planted in place even if you are wet.

Testing:  I ran these through two separate week long tests in some of the most demanding conditions possible.  Both cases put me on the water nearly all day, with bluebird skies and glare coming from everywhere.  5 days in a canoe, a week behind the wheel of a wakeboard boat, hours and hours on a JetSki.  Not once did I long for something more from my shades.  Normally, I wouldn't jump on a jet powered speed machine with a $220 pair of sunglasses on my face, that's just a recipe for heartbreak, not the case with these.  They felt like they were superglued to my face.

It is no secret that we are fans of Maui Jim shades, but they just keep raising the bar.  I know they are an investment, but once you try a pair you will understand why they are simply better.

MSRP: $219


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Summerset Music Festival - Preview

Looking to close out your summer in musical style?  Well, we are about 10 days away from one of the most eclectic music festivals ever.  The Summerset Music Festival is descending upon Summerset Amphitheater August 24, 25 & 26th.  With everything from Jam Bands to DJs spinning dance music, there is sure to be something for everyone.   Having incredibly impressive acts closing out the 3 night event makes me very excited.  I am a HUGE fan of Big Gigantic and Umphrey's McGee, and Pretty Lights will be sure to draw an enormous crowd.

Summerset Music Festival Headliners

The set times have already been announced, so if you can't seem to make the whole weekend, you can pick a day to go.  Individual general admission day passes are about $50 and 3-day weekend passes are about $140.  Camping is on-site and pretty cheap, $150 gets you and 4 of your friends a campsite for the entire weekend.  Not sure how you can narrow it down to just one day, but if you have no choice, something is better than nothing I suppose.  I plan to be there for every second, from Big G Friday to Pretty Lights Sunday, I don't wanna miss a bit.

Looking for tickets or camping passes?  HERE is where you need to be.  Clubtix has it all...  Expect more coverage as we get a little closer to the show, knowing me I'll have plenty more to say before it's here.

Here is a quick promotional video they put together...  Kinda sums up the whole deal if you ask me...

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Sawbill Canoe Outfitters - Review

Still haven't made a trip up to the Boundary Waters (BWCA) this year???  What's stopping you?  If you are looking for a way to "start off in the shallow end of the pool" I have a perfect solution for you.  Sawbill Canoe Outfitters has a set-up unlike anything I have seen in the BWCA.

My experiences in the BWCA up to this year have always been great, but they were always work.  Stop in town, pick up your gear, drive 30+ minutes to the Entry Point, unload and start hauling gear down to the water which could be as far as a half a mile from the car.  At Sawbill, it's a whole different story.

From Duluth we followed scenic Highway 61 along the coast of Lake Superior to the town of Tofte MN.  Here we hung a left and 30 seconds later we all felt as though we had just left civilization behind and our adventure was officially under way.  We pulled into Sawbill Outfitters about 30 minutes later to a sight I was not expecting.  There sat a beautifully landscaped log cabin structure.  Inside was a fully loaded store with everything from bait to beer, and this is where Sawbill sets itself apart.  You can literally pull into the parking lot here with NOTHING and be headed into one of the wildest places in America within an hour.  From filling in the holes in your gear list to complete outfitting, Sawbill can hook you up with whatever you may need.

Once we picked up the few supplies we were missing, we were headed into the woods.  This took literally 10 minutes.  A short walk from the lodge (less than 100 yards) and we were at the docks loading gear into our canoes on Sawbill lake.

As I said before, this area is perfect for rookies and families to experience the BWCA, you can still be "close to home" if you want to be.  There are a number of nice campsites right on Sawbill, meaning no portages...  You could camp here, and if you get a hankering for ice cream after dinner, hop in you canoe and be back at the Sawbill Store in 20 minutes.  This is not usually an option for a BWCA adventure.

If, like us, you want to get away from people and have a lake all to yourself, options abound.  Head North, East or West and you find numerous lakes ranging in size from huge to tiny, all within a day's trek from the Sawbill Entry Point.  We opted to head West, over to Alton lake.  The portage was a microscopic 30 Rods (450 feet) long, you could see the other side when you started.  It was more work getting our food pack on your back than carrying it the football field's distance.  Normally we would continue on deep into the back country, but this time around we decided to make a base camp on Alton and day-trip to the adjoining lakes. This ended up being a great plan.  We had great fishing just off shore from our camp site and several fun excursions at our disposal.

On our last day there we headed further west to Beth Lake.  It was HOT and the water was dead calm.  This made for difficult fishing, but we found a school of Smallies to keep us busy for a few hours.  To cool off there is a perfect cliff jumping spot just steps from the portage entry from Alton.  About 10 feet off the water is all, so we were able to get our entire group to jump a few times, even those that are a bit, um...  tentative...

Once our trip was over, heading back to Sawbill Outfitters was not an all-day event.  We made it out in under 2 hours.  Again, this is not typical of our BWCA trips.  We were back to reality, hitting the post trip showers before our gear was even dry.

I can't say enough good things about the staff and services Sawbill has to offer.  Great people with even better advice on the area.  No one knows the lakes, fishing and campsites around Sawbill like the Bill Hanson and the crew he has assembled.  Their suggestions and tips made for a much more enjoyable trip.  Helping us put fish in the boat every day we were up there.

So, if you are still "thinking" about making a trip up to the BWCA, stop thinking and just book it.  Give the good folks at Sawbill Outfitters a try and I promise you, you will not be disappointed.  Young and old, first timers and veterans, Sawbill Outfitters can help create a BWCA adventure for everyone...



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Columbia Titanium Omni-Heat - Gear Review

Team Paddle Junkie has a new member.  Our buddy is "Paddling in Scandinavia", quite literally.  Testing gear for us in and around Copenhagen Denmark, we have officially gone global!!!  His first mission was to test the new Columbia Triple Trail Shell.  Here are this thoughts.

At the beginning, this jacket was a bit stiff. And a bit flashy- it is shiny inside like a tinfoil-wrapped marathon finisher and catches the attention of others.  This is the Columbia Omni-Heat technology.  Tiny reflective dots cover the interior of the jacket, reflecting body heat back at you.  Like the Magpie who steals shiny objects, this jacket is perhaps a bit of a theft target. Let me explain: Some hardcore camping buddies of mine took interest and inspected it closely without my personal promotion- sensing that there is something special about this jacket. Perhaps they have an inkling on the excellent temperature regulation technology. I had a friend tell me that it looked like a space-pillow.  He was jealous.

I ride my bike to work in the Scandinavian winter, and it protects well against wind and allows me to wear my suit under the jacket without getting too hot or cold. Note: it does not get below freezing here, but with a couple of insulating layers underneath, this jacket does its duty of keeping the rain out on a bicycle.

A nice feature is that if you want to keep the hood up, zip the collar is up all the way to your chin and it sort of locks the hood in place.  I can wear this jacket anywhere; work, play or just out-and-about.  It is a perfect one jacket for anything set-up.

A couple of minor issues: The front zipper gives me problems occasionally and I worry I am going to rip the thing completely off. Reaching into the nice deep front pockets I often hear what sounds like a tear at the seams, but I can't locate a tear, it may be the omni-heat layer separating from the liner. Too bad- this has become my primary winter jacket and I want it to last forever.

MSRP: $300

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