What I bought at the Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show
The Toronto Outdoor Adventure Show was one busy hectic place this past weekend and it all seems like a blurr to me now. I chatted with lots of paddlers, gave a few camping demos at the Ontario Tourism booth and presented a couple of times in the main theatre. But I also found a bit of time to go shopping.
The one booth that I seemed to linger around most with my Visa card was The Canadian Outdoor Equipment store from Mississauga Canadian Outdoor Equipment. I’ve shopped there before and their product line is very unique – items you wouldn’t neccessarily find anywhere else. Last year I purchased a Helle Knife and a Gransfors Forest Axe. And a Trekker Space Pen (it writes upside down, underwater and in frigid temperatures). I also bought enough Woolpower clothing to last a life time.
This year, however, I picked up a couple of very cool products I’ve never seen before:
First item on my Visa was the Minox Minocular. It’s new this year and when I saw it on display I emmediatly thought of all the times I strained looking across the lake to see if the campiste was taken by another group. Not anymore. It has 8×42 magnification, it’s waterproof, it come equiped with a compass and the darn thing can also translate the distance you need to paddle to get to the site. Price was $125 – and worth it.
The second item the Fenix LD10 R4 flashlight ($65). This thing is absolutely amazing! It’s digitally regulated and digitally controlled. It’s small, lightweight, and runs off a single AA cell. The flashlight also has two output modes which produce a total of six levels of output up to 132 lumens. These modes not only allow the user to select the best compromise between brightness and runtime for any given task, but they also help to aid in an emergency (the light turns into a strobe so rescuers can find you easier). I also treated myself to all the attachments this thing has, which in my opinion was the best part. Diffusers turn your LD or PD series flashlights into lanterns; and colour filters make for better retention of night vision, and piercing of fog, mist or smoke. Very cool.
I seriously can’t wait until Spring to try these things out.
If you went to the show, share what you bought to help make the time go faster.
