By Slaton L. White

How do you redesign an icon?

Carefully. Very carefully.

Just ask the guy responsible for the Wrangler YJ, which replaced the beloved (but slow-selling) CJ in the late 1980s. All in all, not a bad vehicle, but it was vilified for having square, instead of round, headlights.

Small beer? Not to the hard-core Jeep fan. Jeep engineers learned the lesson, and though the current model desperately needed an upgrade--especially a more powerful but fuel-efficient engine--designers knew they couldn’t change the shape or alter its iconic look in any substantial way. In other words, it had to have round headlamps, as well as the seven-slot grille, to carry on the hallowed Willys tradition.

By Chad Love

--Chad Love

Ever have one of those "we're gonna need a bigger boat" moments? Well then, here's the lure to go with it...

From this story in the Destin (FL) Log:
It’s official: The world’s largest fishing lure is hanging up at the Village of Baytowne Wharf marina. Mark and Mary Ellen Davis, owners of the S.S. Spitfire Mercantile bait and tackle shop at the Baytowne marina, and a team of family and friends designed and built the massive lure over a 10-month period. Dubbed the Flatliner, it measures in at 10 feet, 10 inches tall and a whopping 355.2 pounds. Sandestin hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the lure Wednesday morning.

“(People) have flocked in for pictures,” said Mary Ellen Davis. “It’s been incredible. I really thought it was going to be kids, and it’s been grown men hanging on it, literally hugging it, taking pictures. “It’s just very exciting,” she added. “It’s something we can look up to, something to show our kids.” Amanda Mochan, an adjudicator for Guinness World Records, came in from New York to certify the lure as the world’s largest, which is a new category for Guinness.

By Chad Love

Spring is here, which means bloodsuckers and biters aren't far behind. But a new study conducted by the University of North Carolina suggests that pre-treated insect-repelling clothing is more effective at keeping bugs at bay than traditional bug sprays.

From this story (hat tip to T. Edward Nickens for the find) on Fibre2Fashion.com: 
A pilot study conducted by researchers at The University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health shows that a group of state water quality employees who wore clothing treated with a long-lasting insect repellent were bitten by ticks substantially less often than were their colleagues who used insect spray repellents and other preventive measures. The study, released March 11, in the peer-reviewed journal, Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases, reported that the incidence of tick attachments was reduced by 93 percent among workers wearing Insect Shield Repellent Apparel, compared to workers in similar environments who used spray repellents or other tick bite prevention methods.

By Editors

SOG Specialty Knives and Tools is asking if F&S readers have the grit, guts and gall to show their best impersonation of the one and only Gunnery Sergeant R. Lee Ermey, a.k.a. The Gunny, to the world.

You know him from his Academy Award-nominated performance in Full Metal Jacket along with his many other film roles, including the Toy Story trilogy and the History Channel series "Lock N' Load With R. Lee Ermey."

If you think you can hack it, SOG has kicked off the "Are You The Gunny?" video contest on its Facebook page. Participants are asked to videotape and upload their best Gunny impression to the page and the winner with the best submission will be flown to Las Vegas as a guest of SOG for the 2011 Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show and Conference in January. The winner will also get to hang out with The Gunny himself at a special cocktail party on the first night of the show.