Category: fishing

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Summer Gear Up

We had some grand plans for summer gear options and then Covid wrenched the works. So now it seems like a good idea would be to share a list of “gear” we discovered during lockdown.

Hand sanitizer should be at the top of this list. This stuff has been as rare as hen’s teeth in most stores since March.

There are a number of online recipes to make your own, but even the basic ingredients for this DIY project are difficult to find, well except for vodka.

More recently the stuff is showing up in stores again, but in using this stuff we’ve found that spray is far better than that gelatinous goo we’re used to. The other aspect of the ‘sanitizing’ process is boxes, countertops and general grocery wipe down. for this we are using bleach based sprays.

Masks, perhaps the hottest fashion accessory of 2020, have gone through a  number of iterations over the past few months. What was nearly impossible to find in March, has become standard crowd-funded projects and Target checkout counter fare.

We’ve moved through a couple of versions, starting with no-sew cotton t-shirt squares, a Buff, and the classic bandana. These were soon upgraded to basic black sewn cotton, then evolved into our current shaped silicon with replaceable filter. It seems that the face mask is going to be with us for the foreseeable future, so I’m sure that this collection will be expanded yet again.

The quarantine has made us better food shoppers. Infrequent trips to a grocery store mean you need to devise methods to make what you find last longer.

The tool proving most useful in this process is the “food saver.” Breaking down quantities of any purchase into meal sized portions and then freezing them has made a big difference in getting the most out of our groceries.

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Story and picture

It wasn’t that long ago you needed to carry a camera if you wanted pictures. Of course, this was not always conducive to the spontaneous capture of life’s simple events … all possible with phone and app.

This blog has always been an excuse to post pictures the way we want them to be seen. To that end, we’ve pushed the limits of our iPhone cameras.

Simple lenses offer a fraction of the image detail,  but it does get a boost from some very clever software and offers some pretty good pictures.

 

We enjoy exploring remote landscapes, so naturally wildlife photography is one of our interests.  iPhones, unfortunately, are not great tools for this type of image taking.

We’re not advocating abandonment of smart phones, it’s just time to up our game a bit.

This week we spent nearly every day working with a Sony mirrorless system and super telephoto lens. There were some successes and plenty of learning opportunities.

Kudos to Jack for getting this beautiful shot of an American White Pelican!

We made good use of the rental. By the end of the week we had completed 9 separate shoots and taken nearly 10,000 images. It was a great experience … and we are hooked!

 

 

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Gear Up: Spring Edition

With the second installment of this quarterly feature we are going to talk about keeping it together. Working with digital tools means there are lots of bits and pieces that you need to have handy. That is not an easy task.

Peak Design out of San Francisco has become our go to supplier for camera bags and gear pouches. The center of this system is their Everyday Tote. The model we have has been updated and isn’t available anymore. However, these multi-pocket tote bags, regardless of the model, are extremely handy in keeping essential gear organized and at your finger tips.

The other piece of gear from Peak Design is their Anchor Link system. We started with a camera strap and clip from Peak Design. The anchor link system is a method of tethering a piece of gear to a strap or lanyard.

We’ve added links, a button like tether, to cameras, GPS, iPhones and knives. This makes it really simple to attach or detach a piece of gear to an anchor point. As an example we’ve put anchors on neck lanyards so our iPhones can be quickly clipped to the lanyard and you are hands free but the phone isn’t stuffed in a pocket.

The other item we wanted to include in this quarter’s Gear Up is a pocket knife.

This is an essential kit when you are camping. The problem JQ encountered with a folding knife is they were just too heavy to comfortably hang on the side of lightweight pants.

Benchmade Bugout solves that with a high quality folder that is extremely light. This knife can also comfortably hang on a neck lanyard which is very convenient.

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Gear Up … a new type of post

Something we are now adding to the blog is a quarterly list of favorite “gear.” We plan to include things we love using, some old standards, and new things we have discovered. We think you might find these items useful as well.

Now if there is something you’ve found hard to get along without, add a link in the comments. We’d love to know. As this is going to be a regular addition to the blog, you can also point us toward things that we might like to add to the list.

Thanks in advance.

Snow Treads
This is something we wish we’d discovered living on the east side of Multnomah County. East winds and ice storms were a major hazard in those parts … walking was nearly impossible on ice covered streets.

To the rescue are these “Trax.” Basically chains for your boots. Some use coiled wire as the grip, however the ones we use have metal studs in the rubber frame and are super easy to put on. They make walking on hard pack snow and ice much, much easier.

Simms Mittens
This is a well trusted name in fishing apparel and we have lots of their gear, from waders to sun shirts.

This winter we added a set of mittens for JQ. These convertible mittens / fingerless gloves have proven invaluable with her photo work.

Warm when you need them to be, but with a few quick snaps your fingers are able to manage the iPhone photo work.

Float Toy
Tip is a fanatical stick fetcher. I’m sure you’ve seen our many videos featuring the little guy endlessly chasing balls, sticks and now a floating toy. The trouble with sticks in the river is they can be hard to see.

The Lunker from RuffWear is a highly visible, very buoyant (even floats on snow) soft, stuffed fabric toy. The rope handle makes it easy to pick up and easy to throw. Most importantly Tip has no problem spotting it and retrieving it safely.

Yeti Mugs
We’ve been fans of Yeti products for years. They just make really well insulated coolers and beverage bottles.

This Christmas we splurged on some new insulated coffee mugs with monograms. If you watch their web site there is a free monogram offer a couple of times a year.Yeti products carry a premium price tag, but they hold temp better than anything else we’ve tried.

Cocoa Packets
A go to addition for the Yeti mug is a packet of Nestle hot cocoa mix … we like the *Rich Chocolate flavor*.

This is great as a winter warming beverage. We started using it to improve the flavor of instant coffee.

Basically you split a package between two mugs, add the regular measure of instant coffee, hot water and mix. On extra chilly days you can splash a bit of whiskey from the flask for an even better belly warmer.

Coat Rack
Winter in Central Oregon comes with lots of variety in weather. One week we bundle up against sub-freezing temps, the next week we’re in rain gear.

Our front entry becomes the staging area and this coat rack system has really made it easy to have coats, hats, scarves and dog leads at hand.

Wireless Temp Gauge
As I said, there is a wide range of weather. We love this about the area. It can be cloudy or sunny, windy or wet. But that’s not always an indicator of the outside temperature. To help us figure it out, we put in a wireless temperature gauge. You can see it’s windy, but how cold is it really?

There are two parts. One sits by the front door the other is tucked under the eaves on the front porch. We don’t go out without knowing what the weather has in store and this makes it easier to judge how many layers you are going to need.

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Snow Boots

Right after the holidays Central Oregon got a huge boost to the snow pack.  In the few years since moving here we’ve grown accustomed to these “foot in a day” dumps of snow. The scene outside our front door can change dramatically in a matter of hours.

Luckily the neighborhood gets a regular snow plowing and our Subaru has it’s winter boots on. We’re basically ready for winter’s inevitable challenges.

As pointed out numerous times in our blog, morning walks with Tip is how we start the day. The addition of a layer of snow means you need to add traction devices to boots and boots to paws.

The latter can be a bit of a challenge. Tip doesn’t mind wearing boots, however they do add to prep time. Then there is the occasional occurrence with boots coming off in deep snow.

Often the walk will start with boots on and end with them in pockets … we’ll get the hang of this eventually. For now we don’t let it interfere with the morning’s activities.