Bear Grylls knife

Saw this on the Gear Junkie. Can't wait for his review.

Bear Grylls, he of the broadcast television hit "Man vs. Wild," has designed a knife with Gerber. The first product in a line, Gerber’s Bear Grylls Survival Series Ultimate Knife, has a full-tang, partially-serrated, stainless-steel blade. The sheath stores Bear-inspired tools, including a sharpening stone, magnesium fire starter and a weatherproof survival guide. Available in October for $60.

Cocona Tester

I'm excited today because I found out that I was chosen from thousands of entries i was chosen to be a tester for Cocona Fabrics. I'm pretty excited about this opportunity. So look for updates about my reviews of the coat I received to test. I'll be taking it on the Northern Rangers adventure and review it in vidoes, photos and text.

The Ultimate Knife

Looking for that gift for the outdoors person who has everything?

Well, look no more. Because I guarantee that they do not have this.

Introducing the Wenger Swiss Army Knife Giant Multi-Tool. That's right ladies and gentlemen, for only $833.69 this beast of a knife (pictured right) can be yours.

Now the knife may weigh in at just about 2 pounds, but what would you expect from a knife that has 85 different features?

It's basically the Tim "the Toolman" Taylor of knifes.

My favorites of the features include:

• Removable tool for adjusting bike spokes, 10-mm hexagonal key for nuts
• Laser pointer with 300 ft range
• Mineral crystal magnifier with precision screwdriver
• Flashlight
• Golf club face cleaner
• Golf divot repair tool
• Keyring
• And of course a second keyring (why you need two is beyond me)
  

(Please note, the site where this knife is featured, outdoorgb, states that the knife is not meant for practical use but rather for knife collectors)

Still, it's pretty awesome.

Product Review: Yakima King Joe 2 Bike Carrier

I recently purchased a new mountain bike (I'll review that later this week once I get to take it out on the trail) and since I drive a Dodge Neon I needed a way to carry it.

My dad has a trailer hitch mount bicycle rack on his car. The main complaint that he had about this form of bike rack was that it was pretty unstable. Because of the 1 1/4 inch mount to the 2 inch rack he has to use an adapter. The adapter adds length and some wiggle.

For what I will be using my rack for we decided the best rack would be a trunk mounted one. This way I could take it off and since I didn't drive a Subaru I wasn't going for a roof rack.

I only needed a rack that would haul two bikes and I looked at the various models out there. After reading some reviews on the models (some people who used them obviously didn't know how to follow directions but I'll get to that more in a minute) I opted for the Yakima King Joe 2 Bike Carrier.

I purchased the carrier at REI last week and got to try it out on Friday for the first time. I was carrying two bikes. My old school, weighs almost as much as my car mountain bike, and my street bike.

I found that the bike rack was very easy to install and the pads that rested on my trunk didn't scratch my car. There are six straps that connect to various points on the trunk. Two up, two down and two to the side. After tightening the straps there was no wiggle in the rack.

The rubber holders on the bar for the bikes to be strapped on are great too. They open up to add extra support on the bike frame with three separate straps to hold the bike snugly to the rack.

I drove just over 50 miles on Friday over a very windy and curvy road. I kept my eyes on the rack for any movement in the bikes. When I got home I found that the straps were just as tight as when I left and the bikes hadn't moved at all.

This is a great trunk mounted bike rack especially for the price. It runs $135.00 at REI. But I got it at the anniversary sale so saved a good chunk of change.

I've only used it for that trip and some smaller ones of about 15 miles each, but have yet to have any problems.

The negative reviews that I have read about it seem to be more user error than product error. Most of them talk about the straps being loose and lots of movement before they even started driving. I believe that is due to the user not tightening the straps. Another review said they didn't like that it could be removed from the trunk. To this I say, "You bought a REMOVABLE bike rack!" That's not the products fault, that is the users fault.

It is also great because this model not only fits my car, but also my fiance's 2008 Dodge Avenger. She has a spoiler on her car and the Yakima King Joe 2 allows for clearance over the spoiler. You can also open the the trunk with the rack still in place.

I give it a review of five stars for trunk mounted bike racks.

REI Quarterdome T3

In case you're new here at JustSON, then I'll let you know what the rest of the readers already know. I like the outdoors. Wait, correct that. I love the outdoors.

And yesterday I bought a new tent.

A few weeks back I'd teased with the idea of buying a new backpacking tent. Since mine was going on 10 years old.

The thing that kept me from just rushing out and buying a new tent was the fact that mine was still in great condition. But tent technology has come so far in 1o years. This tent has more room then my current backpacking tent yet weighs over two pounds less.

Now two pounds might not sound like a lot, but in backpacking two pounds is a "ton." I had a friend who taught me at an earlier age, when you're backpacking you don't measure the weight of your pack in pounds, you measure it in ounces.

This new tent is awesome! I ended up opting for the REI Quarterdome T3. Here's the specs on the tent:

Season	3-season
Sleeping capacity	3
Average minimum weight	4 lbs. 7 oz.
Average packaged weight	5 lbs.
Floor dimensions	84 x 68 inch

As for hardware, the REI Quarter Dome T3 won Backpacker Magazine's Ultralight Tent of the Year Award for 2008.

After running all the numbers I figured out this was the best tent for my needs while backpacking. I only needed a 3-season, as I have an awesome high-winds, 4-season, dome tent.

The best part about shopping at REI is the fact that they let you set up the tent right there in the store before you buy it. I set up the Quarter Dome T2 (which is the two person version of the same tent) but found that it was much too cramped for two people to fit in there comfortably. The employee helped me throw in two groudpads and two sleeping bags. They were half ontop of each other, and that was without bodies in them.

We set up the T3 and there was enough room for two people, with the packs still outside under the rainfly. Plus, on the campouts that I go on by myself I'll have more than enough room to let my pack come inside the tent. And probably out of the rain since this IS Washington.

The difference between the T2 and the T3 was less than one pound. For the added space and higher comfort level, I figured I could cut some weight somewhere else in my pack. And the T3 was still over two pounds lighter than my current tent.

So now I have three tents. I think I'm set for years to come. And good thing I got the extra room in the T3. Since I am a freelance journalist, that tent would be way cheaper than rent.

I'll be taking it out in a few weeks for a weekend backpacking trip. At that time I'll write a review of the tent.

My new home

I decided this weekend that it was time for me to buy a lodge. I figured with the housing market exceedingly low that I could afford something.

It had been over 10 years since I purchased my last dwelling. The times have certainly changed since the last time I was shopping.

You may be saying to yourself, "but Casey, 10 years ago you were only 14. How could you afford a house?"

Well, I might have exaggerated "house" a bit. But it is the only dwelling I own, and that is my tent.

I currently own two tents. Both of them from REI. I have a three season one that I backpack with and a four season one for snow and car camping.

My four season tent is the REI Geo Mountain 3. This means that it is for three people (or two people and gear). I love this tent and I actually got it at a huge discount (70% off) when REI closed the Federal Way store. They put the whole store on sale rather than move the gear. It is really a nice tent. But weighs in at just over 10 pounds. In other words it's not for backpacking.

For my backpacking adventures I have the original REI Half Dome. It is around 10 years old and still in great shape. I take good care of the gear I buy. It hold two people. But I have noticed one major drawback with it. The tent works great with just one person in it. But with two people it really condensates.

In the 10 years since I bought that tent, the tent technology has made leaps and bounds. My old Half Dome weighs in at about six pounds.

Now, just like shopping for a new house, choosing the right tent is a huge commitment. I loved my other two REI tents, so that narrowed the market right away. (The main reason for this is the guarantee REI has on its products. The zipper on my rainfly broke. I took it into the REI store, they fixed it up like new and it cost me nothing. Nothing!)

Since I have my larger tent for car camps I decided I would go with a lighter tent than my old Half Dome this time around. That way when I backpack it will shave off a few pounds.

I thought about buying the new REI Half Dome 2 (it's the new version of my old tent) but after looking at it and reading reviews it only lost 3 ounces and still condenstated pretty bad with two in it.

Well, after hours of research and reading review upon review I have found my new home. It is the REI Quarter Dome T2 Tent. This tent is great. It weighs 4 pounds and the sides are fully mesh to allow better ventilation. And the reviews on it are all great. So it's settled, this is the tent for me.

Oh, and it gets better. I just got my REI dividend in the mail. It includes a 20% off coupon. I love saving money.