Jay Cassell Picks The Coolest New Hunting and Outdoor Gadgets, from Survival Kits to Flashlights, from SHOT Show 2011
Pocket Survival Pack Plus Not too long ago, I used to pack my own, homemade survival kit whenever I was heading into the woods - for an afternoon of hunting or fishing, to perhaps a three- or four-day overnighter. My kit consisted of a piece of Duraflame log, some matches, aluminum foil, and a small compass. I guess I never figured that I'd ever really need it. Since then, I've read so many true survival stories to know that people get into serious trouble in the woods all the time, and not having a good survival kit is just plain stupid. The Pocket Survival Pack Plus, designed by survival expert Doug Ritter, is Adventure Medial Kit's newest entry into the survival kit market. According to company spokesman Simon Ashdown, Ritter invented this kit to enhance an outdoorsman's ability to survive if price weren't a factor. Coming in at $80 ($45 more than the company's popular Pocket Survival Pack), this kit includes an Led light, compass, knife, rope, wire, duct tape, plus food gathering and gear repairing implements. The fact that it only measures 5x5 inches makes it even more amazing. AdventureMedicalKits.com.
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The Little Sure Shot gun rest is the model of a easy, simple idea that really works; clamp it to a walking stick, tree branch, or sapling, and you have instant stability for your shot. Use it with rifle, shotgun or handgun. Available in orange, brown, black, green, pink and desert camouflage, the manufacturers suggested retail price is $19.95. Thunderboltcustoms.com
** Maker of such cool headlamps as the Fuel, Remix, Eos, and Byte, Princeton’s Tec’s latest entries into the field are MPLS tactical headlamps. Two of the seven new lights within the MPLS platform – the Point-MPLS and Switch-MPLS – are versatile task lights that offer faster, more effective tactical lighting solutions. Both the compact Point and Switch feature 45-degrees of rotation and a sturdy flexi-arm boom that allows for quick directional light movement without removing the light. Each light easily adapts to a variety of mounting options: helmet rail systems, helmet mount, MOLLE/PALS and Picatinny. And, LED options include: blue, green, red, white and infrared. Price is $53, from PrincetonTec.com
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Day 6 Outdoors has a new and improved Plotwatcher, the Plotwatcher Pro, which takes SD cards (no flash drives, thank you) and 8 AA batteries instead of four. The unit can be set to take photos from every second to every 5 minutes. It also has a wakeup feature, so you can set it to turn on and off at specific times. The 2 ½-inch LCD screen lets you see what’s been going on in your area right away. The stake for last year’s PlotWatcher was made out of plastic and was too flimsy to be of much use. A company rep revealed a neat trick, however, when he said you can use the stake to bungie it in a tree. Good idea; even better is the fact that the new PlotWatcher has eliminated the stake and replaced it with a screw-in step–another good idea, though the strength of this unit is that it lets you watch a field or trail 24/7. Day6outdoors.com
