Save your self the hassle and find yourself a good plumber! Just a quick post this evening – I was watching some different tv shows this weekend about different disasters that had hit areas of the U.S. and how the people that we recovering from them were going about doing so. One of the major points you noticed was that everyone was pretty focused on the plumber that they used. Many of the families that were profiled were victims of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. Having seen the affects and damage caused by the Hurricane, I can totally understand why someone would not want to have to go through anything like that again.

After these people had basically gutted their whole house…or completely demolished it, they rebuilt. A key point of focus was on the plumber or plumbing company that they would be using to redo some of the pipe work. They searched for a company that had good customer service, high ratings from referrals, and lots of experience. They made it very clear that they even though it would not be on the same scale as Katrina, they didn’t want to experience any type of flooding within the house, any pipes bursting, or any other bad thing that could happen. If they were in Chicago, I’m sure people would have recommended them to Handrau Chicago Plumbing.

I know this was a bit of an ordinary post for us here at TheGearHouse, so to relate it to being outdoors and on the trail, you have to make sure you have the most trustworthy and “fit for the job” equipment that you can. Your life depends on it…seriously. So be sure you don’t skimp on things like a tent or sleeping bag. Get gear that works, will hold up to the elements, and that will last a while. There’s nothing wrong with spending a couple hundred dollars on a sleeping bag that will last you 5 years.

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As awarded by Evan Balkan, author of The Best in Tent Camping: Maryland, A Guide for Car Campers
Who Hate RVs, Concrete Slabs, and Loud Portable Stereos, which is published by Menasha Ridge Press.

Best for Beauty
1. Assateague Island National Seashore
2. Swallow Falls State Park
3. Catoctin Mountain Park
4. Pocomoke River State Parks
5. Garrett State Forest

Best for Privacy
1. Assateague Island National Seashore – Backcountry Sites
2. Patuxent River Park
3. Garrett State Forest
4. Potomac State Forest
5. Savage River State Forest

Best for Quiet
1. Potomac State Forest
2. Garrett State Forest
3. Assateague Island National Seashore – Backcountry Sites
4. Savage River State Forest
5. Hart-Miller State Park

Best for Spaciousness
1. Patuxent River Park
2. Garrett State Forest
3. Potomac State Forest
4. Green Ridge State Forest
5. Maple Tree Campground

Best for Handicapped Accessibility
1. Assateague State Park
2. Cunningham Falls State Parks
3. Deep Creek State Park
4. Greenbrier State Park
5. Pocomoke River State Parks

Best for Boating
1. Deep Creek Lake State Park
2. Big Run State Park
3. Youghiogheny River Lake
4. Hart-Miller Island
5. Assateague State Park

Best for Fishing
1. Assateague Island National Seashore
2. Youghiogheny River Lake
3. Rocky Gap State Park
4. Susquehanna State Park
5. Tuckahoe State Park

Best for Swimming
1. Assateague Island Parks
2. Deep Creek Lake State Park
3. Hart-Miller Island State Park
4. Rocky Gap State Park
5. Elk Neck State Park

Best for Horseback Riding
1. Garrett State Forest
2. Potomac State Forest
3. Green Ridge State Forest
4. Susquehanna State Park
5. Pocomoke River State Parks

Best for Mountain Biking
1. Potomac State Forest
2. Garrett State Forest
3. Savage River State Forest
4. Green Ridge State Forest
5. Patapsco Valley State Parks

Best for Snowmobiling
1. Garrett State Forest
2. Potomac State Forest
3. Savage River State Forest
4. Green Ridge State Forest
5. Deep Creek State Park

Best for Hiking
1. South Mountain State Park: Appalachian Trail Sites
2. Catoctin Mountain Park
3. Cunningham Falls State Park
4. C & O Canal Hiker/Biker Sites
5. Assateague Island National Seashore – Backcountry Sites

Best for Cross-Country Skiing
1. New Germany State Park
2. Swallow Falls State Park
3. Garrett State Forest
4. Rocky Gap State Park
5. Green Ridge State Forest

Best for Children
1. Deep Creek State Park
2. Cunningham Falls State Park: Manor Area
3. Fort Frederick State Park
4. Swallow Falls State Park
5. Little Bennett Regional Park

You can get your copy of The Best in Tent Camping: Maryland at TheGearHouse store!

I love firestarters. Not as much as the American Bushman does, but I do love them. So when I got the chance to get my hands on a small lot of the Adventure Medical Kit Spark-Lite Firestarter and Tinder Quik, I knew I had to jump on it. So I did, and now I have them in stock and they are on TheGearHouse store.

This is a great little firestarter that weighs less than an ounce and produces a nice set of sparks, while using only one hand. I’ve put together a video for the full review and to so show how it works but thought I’d mention it real quick too. Within the package, you get the firestarter as well as a little baggie of Tinder-Quik. These are sort of like a braided rope but I’m not sure what the actual material is. Anyway, you get a baggie of 4 of them. They are reusable and they will even light when wet which is extremely important when you are in a survival situation and need to get a fire going. Each little piece, which are about an inch long, will burn for 2-3 minutes.

Here’s my video review of the Adventure Medical Kits Spark-Lite Firestarter and Tinder-Quik.

It is available in TheGearHouse store for $8.25 and the normal retail is $10.00.

As the popularity of micro-blogging platform Twitter grows, we’re starting to see a lot of the major brands take advantage of the site. Brands such as Skittles, Comcast, Dell, and many others are utilizing the service to reach their customers, put out sales, and just get general feedback from the people using their products.

As the outdoor industry catches onto the trend, we are also seeing a lot more outdoor gear manufacturers using Twitter. Here is a list of the ones that I have come across, please ass any others in the comments so that they can be added to the list!

• Leki
• LL Bean
• Five Ten
• UpsideOverInc
• K2 Skis
• Guyot Designs
• Ibex Wool
• REI CoOp
• Mountain Hardwear
• The North Face
• Sun and Ski Sports
• Action Wipes
• BackpackingLight
• TrekLightGear
• Oakley

Again, if you know of ones that we missed, please leave comments below with links to their Twitter accounts so that we can update the list!

I was just flipping through the ALPS Mountaineering website and came across an extensive pack fitting guide that they put on the website for internal frames. If you are looking for information on how to fit a backpack or how to properly adjust/fit an internal frame pack, then you should check out these steps.

ALPS Mountaineering Internal Frame Pack Fitting

If you’ve got some spare time and looking to have some fun with a firesteel and your imagination, then I suggest checking out the Firesteel Contest being put on at American Bushman.

Here are the details from his site -

Between now and the end of April I’d like you to consider making up a custom firesteel and sending me a picture. I’m working on a couple including one with an antler handle and one with a cork handle that I’ll get finished and posted here in the next couple of days.

I’ll compile all the pictures into a gallery and then we’ll vote on the best firesteel at the end of next month. The winner will get, on my dime, a full custom sheath from JRE Industries. It could be for your favorite knife, axe, multi-tool, or something else.

Now, if you need a firesteel rod you can get them from Dan and Spen at JRE. Just mention the blog and they’ll hook you up with a special price.

Here’s the rub: I want at least ten people to participate to make this interesting. So, tell your friends, mention it on the forums, write about it on your blogs. You can enter more than one firesteel but I need at least ten PEOPLE to get this thing off the ground.

Looks like a fun little contest to enter if you’re interested! Here is the American Bushman’s collection.

Again, full details are here.

Do you use any of Adventure Medical Kits products? What about when your bandaging up your friend and you’ve got your trekker kit laid out in front of him and deciding which size band aid to use? Did you ever stop to take a picture during that time? If so, AMK wants to hear from you!

Or, if you just have some sweet outdoor pictures, they’d like to hear from you too!

They are looking for new content for their catalog and blog and would love to feature some photos from fans!  They know that you have some great shots and probably wouldn’t might getting a shout out on the website.

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Check out the full details at AMK’s website.

From Jetboil.com:

In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Jetboil has announced a voluntary recall of certain Jetboil Personal and Group Cooking Systems (click here for joint U.S. CPSC and Jetboil, Inc. press release)
Jetboil has utilized three different gas valves (the “A”, “B” and “C” style valves) in the production of its Personal Cooking System (PCS) and Group Cooking System (GCS). PCS and GCS units utilizing the B style valve were shipped to US retailers between July 10 and September 9, 2008, and sold through retail since July 10, 2008.

Jetboil is undertaking a consumer recall of all PCS and GCS systems utilizing this B style valve, working in cooperation with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (www.cpsc.gov).

We have determined independently to undertake this process after receiving reports and returned units from a very limited number of end users who have experienced leaking gas and subsequent ignition of the gas leak. No injuries or property damage have been reported by these users.

PCS and GCS systems utilizing the A and C style valves continue to be fully safe and functional. No Helios systems are affected by the recall.

To identify the valve type of your system, see below. If you have a question about identification, please call 888-611-9905.

If you did not take advantage of the Altre.com Winter Wrap Up Sale, you missed out. But, here is your chance to take advantage of the huge Semi-Annual sale from Backcountry.com. The Backcountry.com sale features more than 12,000 items up to 70% off. The sale includes all the major name brands that you love to scoop up from Backcountry.com including The North Face, Brunton, Burton, Thermarest, SmartWool, GSI Outdoors, Patagonia, Coleman, Osprey, and many many more.

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Over the weekend I tested out the Coghlan’s Emergency Tinder. While reviewing a fire starting material is pretty easy to do in writing, it is one of those things that is better off done on video. So, here is a review and run through of how to use the Coghlan’s Emergency Tinder that would make a great addition to any firestarting kit.

Show notes:

• Coghlan’s Emergency Tinder – $4.25 at TheGearHouse.
• Fire starting kit video

I have also started carrying many other Coghlan’s products if you’re looking for something, so feel free to leave a comment. And also look out for more video reviews coming soon.