2019 Fall Gear Review – Eagle Creek, Kuhl, Bike Fisherman
Hiking in coneflowers in the Rockies.
Increase your odds of catching the fish you want by
biking to those hard to find places where less people go.
After eight years my $40 community co-op bike derailleur cracked and fell to pieces while cycling back from my favorite trout stream. I purchased a new Specialized brand 7-speed from my local bike shop, Two Wheeler Dealer; I bought a woman’s style because at my age it was getting difficult to swing a leg over the cross bar. But now I had a dilemma – I had no cross bar to tie my fishing pole to. Then I discovered Bike Fisherman and I was soon back for the hot summer trout action to see if the rainbows would hit a phony plastic grasshopper.
With more and more states and national forests restricting motorized vehicles on trails, the only way to get to prime fishing spots is by foot or bicycle. That’s why we created the “Bike Fisherman” – The Fishing Rod Mounting System for Bikes.
The Bike Fisherman gives bicycle enthusiasts the opportunity to combine cycling and fishing into a day of exercise and sport. With the use of this unique rod holder for bicycles, you can safely enjoy biking to your favorite fishing spots which are inaccessible by vehicles or too far to walk to. Your fishing rods are seated deep in the holder and have a quick-to-fasten security strap so they stay secure even in rough terrain.
The Bike Fisherman has been designed to hold two spinning rods securely and reliably while, also being super simple to install. Just tighten two clamps on the back of the rod holder
Finally, You Can Fish Anywhere That You Can Pedal !! Increase your odds of catching the fish you want by biking to those hard to find places where less people go.
The Bike Fisherman gives bicycle enthusiasts the opportunity to combine cycling and fishing into a day of exercise and sport.
With the use of this unique rod holder for bicycles, you can safely enjoy biking to your favorite fishing spots which are inaccessible by vehicles or too far to walk to.
Your fishing rods are seated deep in the holder and have a quick-to-fasten security strap so they stay secure even in rough terrain.
This USA Made Product is molded from extremely durable ABS plastic and comes with a Lifetime Limited Warranty. It’s light, yet very strong and will provide you with years of reliable usage.
For more information and customer testimonials please visit our website at www.bikefisherman.com around the back frame of the bicycle and you’re ready to go.
www.bikefisherman.com
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Historically wool was the fabric of choice for soldiers, adventurers, explorers, and outdoorsmen because even when wet it kept the body warm. But when wet wool was heavy, bulky, itched, and smelled.
Now we have Kollusion, manufactured by a new gear company, named Kühl. Born in the mountains the Kollusion forest green jacket I received was light weight and warm and didn’t make me sweat when active.
Created by Kühl and made from something called Dynamax fabric the Kollusion jacket has a five panel sleeve design for greater freedom of arm movement and is well stitched.
The strong front zipper can be over lain with an outer draft flap with bar-button closures and gusseted cuffs with snap closures. The jacket has six generous outer pockets; I was disappointed that there were no interior pockets. The waterproof jacket has a roll-up stow-away hood that zips under the collar for quick action in windy conditions.
The Kollusion jacket certainly battens the body down in most weather, but I think it is best for Autumn and Spring, or order the fleece lined model for gusty winter weather. The company also makes a Kollusion cap.
The Kühl Silencer Guide pants are a synthetic but feel soft and flexible Silencer, a noun, means the pants have a complete absence of sound, great for sneaking up on wild game for that trophy photograph.
The rip-stop fabric is mechanically stretched for durability. The hidden back zippers protect your stash in the pockets and a thin cross-butt flap hides the zippers.. Stealth leg pockets are hidden cargo areas with side mesh vents. The high performance softshell fabric protects you from abrasions while hiking. I really liked the adjustable leg bottom hem with four snap cuff adjustments. The key snap stretches so the cuff doesn’t curl over the boot , keeps out the stinging nettles. Even though you venture into the wilderness to unplug from the modern world, there is a cell phone pocket that keeps you organized if there is an emergency.
The Reflex Softshell fabric is so soft and light weight and it rolls up tightly in my kit bag and dries quickly after hand laundering.
I am certainly a a new Kühl fan because their products are so Kool. www.Kuhl.com
Cargo Hauler Duffels
For many years we have reviewed gear designed and manufactured by Eagle Creek. I still carry-on my khaki roll-on by the company because it is light weight and compacts everything I need in one effective unit.
Eagle Creek’s latest travel brilliiance is their line of Cargo Hauler Duffels. The problem with most duffels is what to do with a bulky bag when it is empty. With the new Eagle Creek cargo haulers the duffel folds into itself ; it could be used as a seat cushion when the airport is packed with delayed flyers and there is no place to sit.
Many airlines are waiving the sports gear fees because of consumer backlash. Fees were ridiculously high, over and above a checked bag fee. There are still many annoying fees charged by the carriers: seat position, food and drink, earphone fees, and blanket fees,. With the Cargo Haulers you can use it as a carry-on with your stuff, or as an empty personal item for a shopping trip to the outlet malls in Las Vegas.
Eagle Creek’s new F19 Cargo Hauler Duffels can haul almost anything you need. Built to last, the new Cargo Hauler Duffels use new TPU fabrics and leverage VF’s incredible supply chain, using bluesign® approved fabrics and sustainable manufacturing processes throughout.
New features like zip away backpack straps, a removable mesh divider inside to keep gear from shifting, separate end pockets for keeping dirty/wet stuff separate, and more. The bag even packs into one end pocket when not in use. Eagle Creek stands by its gear ith its No Matter What™ Warranty for full product support after the sale.
Here are some Cargo Hauler Duffel highlights:
Extra durable TPU fabric provides maximum abrasion and water resistance
Zip-away backpack straps stow in front zip pocket, providing protection during baggage check in
#10 lockable zippers and Central Lock Point to secure bag closed with a lock
Storm flap on main and end compartment shield zippers from rain
Detachable interior mesh divider separates contents and provides organization
Interior zip pocket in end compartment with weather resistant zipper
Bottom is foam padded to help protect contents against impact
Zippered end compartments for gear organization
U-shaped top lid with reflective finger loop zipper pulls for easy access into main compartment while wearing gloves
Heavy-duty daisy-chain lash points for attaching bag to roof rack
Compression straps condense contents and provide gear attachment
Haul handles and backpack straps for versatile carry
bluesign® approved 1000D Helix™ Poly Twill bottom fabric and 150 Poly Internal lining
PVC-Free
3 solid colors, 2 seasonal limited edition prints
The suggested retail prices are very modest for all the elements engineered into the duffels:
Cargo Hauler 60 Liter $109
Cargo Hauler 90 Liter $119
Cargo Hauler Wheeled Duffel 110 Liter $179
Cargo Hauler Wheeled Duffel 130 Liter $189
www.eaglecreek.com
The rare coneflower.
As a former wilderness ranger for the U.S. Forest Service in the Wind River Range of Wyoming, and also a horse wrangler in the Big Horn mountains in the central region of the Cowboy state, I am a committed gear head, always looking for something new and unique for my outdoor accoutrements.
We now travel lighter and warmer into the backcountry, but this was not always so. I once had a trailside breakfast with Finis Mitchell and his wife in the Winds. During the Great Depression Finis stocked the high altitude lakes in the region with golden trout packed in by horses carrying the fish in cream canisters. The Winds are still a non-motorized wilderness, so the trout are now dropped from helicopters.
Finis signed my copy of his book about the Winds that I carried with me,l I was reminded of him when glossing through the hard-bound book, Expeditions Unpacked: What the Great Explorers Took Into the Unknown, by explorer and survivalist Ed Stafford.
The book not only reads with scintillating copy wrapped around rare black and white photos, but also details 25 great expeditions, highlighting the equipment the explorers took with them. It is a time capsule gear review.
The recently published 2019, book displays an intimate view of some of the world’s greatest expeditions and explorers, including Amelia Earhart and Roald Amundsen. With 200 photographs and illustrations we see the scale, style and complexity of the items taken into the unknown, and the impact each item had on their journey.
Author Ed Stafford is the Guinness World Record-holder to walk the Amazon River, the author of the best-selling book, Walking the Amazon. His survival skills are tested to their limits on the Discovery Channel series, Ed Stafford: First Man Out.
We may gasp at the equipment these early adventures packed, trekked, and sailed with but even then many items meant life or death in uncharted territories. I was enthralled how modern outdoor gear has evolved from many of these simple items. Even in the past equipment and preparation was the difference between successful provisioning and failure. On Tim Slessor’s overland trek from London to Singapore he ported machetes, crowbar, typewriter, Remington dry shaver, and tea. Nellie Bly went around the world in 72 days with Magnum champagne, accordion, silk waterproof wrap, and dark gloves. On Amelia Earhart’s Atlantic flight she didn’t exactly rough it: Bendix radio direction finder, parachute, emergency life raft, and rouge.
At 240 pages the hefty hardcover is best left at home when you adventure out into the wilds, but peek into the past for a portal of curetted nostalgia. ISBN -13 9781781318782
Feature and opening photos by Kriss Hammond, Editor, Jetsetters Magazine.