It appears that New England Ropes had some production problems and initiated a recall on two of their rope models: the Maxim Apogee 9.1mm and Maxim Pinnacle 9.5mm.

The full notice from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission can be found on their website.

Two types of climbing ropes have been included in this recall, the Maxim Apogee 9.1mm and Maxim Pinnacle 9.5mm. The Maxim Apogee 9.1mm is a 48 carrier climbing rope. The colors are yellow and black, and red and yellow. The model numbers are 3411-91 and 3415-91, with date codes 060801 thru 080601. The UPC codes are: 75396312299, 75396312298, 75396312301, and 75396312300. The Maxim Pinnacle 9.5mm is a blue 48 carrier climbing rope. The Model number is 3403-95, with date codes 070201 thru 080601. The UPC codes are 75396312292 and 75396312293. The date codes and the UPC codes are on the original packaging.

If you purchased one of these ropes, you can contact New England Ropes about getting a free replacement for it.

Heres the article from WoodsMokey:

Cooking food directly over the flames is a practice that goes back as far as man has had fire, and the basic practice still hasn’t changed all that much. Take a look around any campground that you happen to be near and you’ll find folks roasting hotdogs and marshmallows on pointed sticks right over the fire. It simple, it works, and it’s fun for the kids to both cook that way and to make their sticks ahead of time.  However, it isn’t always the most efficient way to do things.  It’s not uncommon to lose your food into the fire with the old single prong pointed stick. Multi prong sticks work a little better and you can find metal two tined fire forks at most camping stores. The problem with those is either that the big ones are too long and bulky to take on anything but a car camping trip, and the smaller are generally all metal including the handle portion. They also tend to be rather short and quickly heat up since you have to be closer to the fire–not to mention the fact that the metal transfers the heat to your hands much more than it will with a wooden stick.  Enter Light My Fire and their Grandpa’s FireForks.

Light My Fire is well known for their fire starting Ferro rods as well as their colorful Meal Kits, but the little FireFork is a stroke of genius in my opinion.  LMF took a piece of stainless steel wire and bent it in such a manner that it leaves you with a springy opening that will clamp over most sticks and which gives you two prongs to stick into your food. The Fork works well with hotdogs since you can spear them in at least two spots to balance out the load and you can roast marshmallows two at a time on it too. I’m sure folks could come up with a bunch of other stuff to cook that way too from sausages to freshly caught fish. The beauty of it is that since they just provide you with just the head, it makes for an ultra-light (0.6oz) and ultra-compact package to drop in daypack or rucksack. Once you get where you’re going you can either find a fallen stick or cut a branch of appropriate size and you’re in business. You don’t have to carry a long pole with you and you can make the shaft as short or as long as you need it to be, When you’re finished, feed your stick into the fire and toss the FireFork back into your ruck and you’re done. LMF even provides brightly colored tine covers with each one to keep the fork from poking into other gear or to make it easy to differentiate which one belongs to each person.

In some ways, I think that Grandpa’s FireFork may be the best of all worlds for kids. They still get a chance to go out and harvest their marshmallow stick, and may still have to cut it down to size so they get the fun of making the stick as well. Once they do that and then they pull out their brightly colored FireFork (perhaps matched in color to their LMF Meal Kit?), they’ll have a sturdy and efficient fork for some old time campfire cooking! You can find four-packs of FireForks at many outdoor stores and they should run you a very reasonable $15 for the set.

• Twin LightBeam™ aluminum stays are strong, lightweight, and shaped for comfort; HDPE (high-density polyurethane) frame sheet
• Spacermesh™ breathable two-layer padded waistbelt, backpanel, and padded shoulder straps
• Extra-large front-loading panel; top panel loading; internal load pocket; adjustable suspension
• Sternum strap for extra stabilization; load-lifter straps; belt stabilizers; daisy chain for external storage; ice axe loops
• Hydration compatible; shovel pocket; four mesh side pockets (two with draw-cord closure); security pocket
• Scherer™ cinch works similar to a pulley system for easy adjustment and tightening of waistbelt
• Spindrift collar for expandable loading; side compression straps; lash tabs

I have had the chance to use this pack about 6 times since I purchased it about 8 months ago. It started out as an item that I scooped up for an incredibly reasonable price (about 50% of retail) and was going to resell it, however, I was looking for a new pack and thought that this would be a good new pack.

I have taken it out on a couple short backpacking trips (3 days) and have had great success with it. All of the pockets and the different access points to them allow for you to get into the pack easily and without much fuss. If you are one to pack a lot of gear, sometimes I like to take extra gear to test it out, then there is plenty of room in the pack for it.

The pack also features a great system of adjustable straps to help you adjust and fit it to your body, including adjusting the height of the back pads and the shoulder straps, as well as load adjusters to bring the pack closer to your back and take some of the weight off of your shoulders.

Overall, I have had great experiences with the pack so far and will continue to use this internal frame backpack until a problem arises. Having this pack in my closet, brings my pack count up to 4 different packs for different uses.

Pick it up at Backcountry.com, or on eBay.

Need some help with packing your backpack? Check out this article.

Weight: 5.8 ounces
Dimensions: 6.5″ x 5.5″ x 0.63″

If you want to be able to toast some bread, toast your bagel, or make a grilled cheese while out on the trail, then you should definitely check out the GSI Outdoors Glacier Stainless Toaster. You can also pick it up on eBay from our store!

This past Sunday I got a chance to head down to Great Falls, MD to do some hiking around, take some pictures, and capture some video. This was my first time entering the Maryland area of the park - there is also a Virginia side to Great Falls as the Potomac River runs right through the middle of the area and is the border line for MD and VA.

Anyway, it was an extremely hot day out and I underestimated what I was getting into. Since I had not been hiking in the Maryland side of the park before, I just assumed that it was pretty similar to the Virginia side - fairly easy hiking trails and old canal tow paths. Although this assumption was true, there are also some different more strenuous sections of trail, such as the Billy Goat Trail which I hiked on Sunday. Speaking of which, I actually decided to get off the trail early because I literally ran out of water (in about an hour I drank a full 70 oz Camelbak). Luckily, I came across an “emergency exit” from the Billy Goat Trail that ran right to the main tow path trail. Although it was marked as for emergency exits only, there were a fair amount of people using it as a connector (it was about the half way point of the Billy Goat trail).

The trail is extremely nice, but also features a lot of boulder fields and rock scrambels that you will need to ascend. The trail takes you right along the edge of the Potomac in most places and you can enjoy the amazing views of the river as well as the rock formations and rock face on the Virginia side. Another neat thing about this park is that since Great Falls is on both sides of the river, while hiking, if you look out across the river, you will most likley see other people hiking as well. On top of the hiking the other side, Great Falls, VA offers some great climbing routes for beginners to experts. Another big attraction to the park is the kayaking in the area - kayakers were everywhere I looked along the river having an awesome time in the water and hitting some big holes and waterfalls. There was even some sort of kayaking competition going on, which I tried to show you a bit within the video.

Above is a video I put together as well as some pictures from the day. Hope you enjoy! It was a great place for a day hike and I strongly recommend you checking it out!

Also, Wordpress released a new version of their blogging software this morning, version 2.6, so I will be upgrading this website as well as my others throughout the next week. This should not make any changes to what you all see, but it will affect the backend of the site and the tools I use to manage it!

You will notice that we also a lot more advertising slots on the right sidebars; if you would be interested in advertising your website or business there, please leave a comment and I will contact you!

I think it is a pretty safe assumption to say that your eyes are one of your most valuable assets that you have with your body and you need to protect them. I mean, hell, if your eyes arn’t working properly, then you most likely are not kayaking a major river, climbing Denali, or even just throwing the ball in the backyard. Yet if you protect your eyes while playing sports with good quality sports sunglasses, then you should not have any issues.

Sunglasses these days come in so many styles and colors that you should be able to find something. Whether it is polarized sunglasses for fishing, tight fitting pair for water activities, or tinted goggles for snowboarding. Heck, if you wanted you could even get multiple pairs in different colors and styles so that no matter what the occasion is, you have the right pair and are prepared. The key to keeping your eyes working for you is to be prepared, take preventative measures, and enjoy yourself.

A great website for sports sunglasses as well as many other styles would be the Sunglasses Warehouse and you can find plenty more by doing a search for them and even on eBay. Of course, you could always head to your local Wal-Mart or Oakley store if you wanted to either be cheap or really expensive.

The choice is yours - just get a pair!

For a closer look, here is a review of the cook system that was posted on YouTube.

Features of the Ultralight Dualist Cook System

• Crushproof lid made of Lexan® resin prevents deformation of your pot/lid and includes an integrated strainer.
• Convenient folding handle locks into place for cooking and secures entire set for transport, eliminating the need for a stuff sack.
• Unique bowl + mug solution with low center of gravity and Sip-It virtually eliminates spills while the integrated insulating sleeve keeps your drinks hot.
• Ingenious, welded stuff sack holds set while traveling and doubles as a sink or wash basin in camp.
• Weight: 1.169 pounds
• Includes: 1.8 L Pot, Strainer Lid, 2 20 fl. oz. insulated cups, 2 20 fl. oz. bowls, 2 Sip-It tops, Stove Bag

To purchase the GSI Outdoors Ultralight Dualist Cook System, purchase it from our store and save off the retail price!

Outdoor Research gave their Men’s Specter Pullover Fleece a nylon face fabric to stand up to the abuse of hard days in the mountains. You won’t have to worry about a two-mile North Cascades bushwack because of the durable, tightly-knit face fabric. The Specter Pullover’s micro-polyester interior is incredibly soft and wicks away moisture, so you don’t feel clammy. Use this Outdoor Research fleece pullover as a layering piece or wear it alone—it’s happy as long as it’s in the outdoors.
 

Material: Motion fleece (nylon face with micro-polyester backing)
Weight: 14.9oz
Fleece Weight: Midweight
Windproof: No
Pockets: 1 Chest
Recommended Use: Hiking, climbing, backpacking, skiing

Sizing Information for XXL outerwear:
Chest - 49 inchs; Waist - 41 inch; Hip - 48 inchs; Inseam - 35 inch

Bid on it today, wear it next week!

Last weekend (not July 4th weekend), I spent with my fiance and that Saturday we were at Lake Anna, VA all day riding jet skis and having a good time. Then this past weekend she came up here for the weekend and we enjoyed the long July 4th weekend together. I managed to get some work done on my other blog and on my ebay business; but didn’t make it to TheGearHouse. I’ll be doing some updating on Friday so look out!