Gear: The Mudder Boot

You may have read our prior post about the re purposed snow shoes being used to aid marl walking on the Espn series "Pirates of the Flats." Our research on the subject also led us to find the Mudder Boot.

"Mudders overcome the two difficulties of mud travel sinking and suction by copying nature. Many of natures creatures are able to walk quite easily on soft mud. The Great Blue Heron inspired the inventor of Mudders with its ability to widen its foot when it steps down and contract it as the foot is lifting. Mudders work in the same manner."

Be sure to check out the video on their site. No embed available.

Yuppie 911

The ever vigilant Editorial Trophy Wife found this MSNBC and the Associated Press article about a new symptom of the proliferation of cheap personal locators and other gps based alert electronics: Yuppie 911. Basically people who have no business in the outdoors, getting themselves in a tight spot that they never should have been in and then relying on the government to save their sorry hindquarters.

"Technology has made calling for help instantaneous even in the most remote places. Because would-be adventurers can send GPS coordinates to rescuers with the touch of a button, some are exploring terrain they do not have the experience, knowledge or endurance to tackle."

Some of the examples from the article really make you scratch your head in awe and wonderment:

They include hikers who pressed the button when they ran out of water on the trail. They refused rescue because they managed to find a creek but later pressed the button again because the water was salty. The third time they pressed the button during the same trip, the rescuers forced them into the helicopter and then cited the group leader for endangering the rescuers. Another example has a lady pressing the button when she got scared during a thunder storm.

"In the past, people who got in trouble self-rescued; they got on their hands and knees and crawled out," says John Amrhein, the county's emergency coordinator. "We saw the increase in non-emergencies with cell phones: people called saying 'I'm cold and damp. Come get me out.' These take it to another level."

What's next? Feeling tired and have a blister on your next back country hike? Press a button, pop a smoke grenade, and wait for your ride. People, the fine folks at search and rescue are not your personal taxi service. I do not want to think that you are calling them to bring you some Evian while I am in the woods somewhere sawing my leg off with a swiss army knife!

Editor's note: Even though it was cold and windy and there was very obviously an active volcano behind me, I did not press the button on my SPOT Messenger. I was however fully prepared should an emergency arise.



Because sometimes fly fishing is tactical

Gear: Lateral Line's Miles Technical Fishing Shirt

This gear comes to us via Twitter from Lateral Line. On the surface the Miles Technical Fishing Shirt might not look much different than any other tee shirt. However, it is more like a total redesign of the classic tee designed for anglers.

We were tired of wearing t-shirts that were designed with a square fit, were rough on the skin and held sweat while we were fishing so we built our Miles Technical T-Shirt. We designed it with two main things in mind: 1) Comfort, 2) Fit.

Comfort: To reach our comfort goal we set out to design a fabric that was soft against the skin, while also evaporating moisture from the body. With a blend of 20% soft cotton and 80% moisture-wicking polyester we managed to accomplish our goal with our Lateral Line technical T material. Once the material was woven we added an additional process to soften it to come up with the perfect technical t-shirt that can be worn as a regular t-shirt or under layers to help keep you dry.

Fit: To reach our goal we started from scratch and after weeks of alternations finally came up with a fit that is comfortable and roomy, yet has a little style to create a functional and stylish technical t-shirt that can be worn on and off the water.

Weekend Prep for "Cold Weather Week"

Next week has been dubbed "Cold Weather Week" here at FlyfishMagazine.com and that makes a big pot of our "non-award winning" Chili a necessity. The Saranac Pale is due to the fact that the coming week will also find us spending a few days North of the Mason Dixon in New York State, although we won't be going as far as Saranac. (we couldn't find a Middletown lager in our ice box).

Stay tuned next week as we focus on things to warm the innards (and outtards) of the angler who is not afraid to let a little cold and snow get in the way of their fishing. Feel free to leave your ice cold gear recommendations in the comments.

Gear: Shock Doctor Gear Drying Duffel Bags

Could the Shock Doctor Power Dry™ Ballistic Multisport Gear Bag be the solution for the moldy waders issue we face after every fishing trip that involves air travel?

The patented Power Dry System uses a custom designed free-standing blower to direct ionized, ozonated air, heated or unheated, into any Shock Doctor Power Dry gear bag, drying and deodorizing the equipment contained in the bag.

I can't help but think that the addition of some microbe killing UV LED lights on the inside might just make this the perfect product for keeping gear fresh and taking care of aquatic hitchhikers in your gravel guards. You industry types out there - I call dibs on the prototype and 10% of the profits to fund my fishing habit.

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