Welcome to the Father's Day Gift Ideas for Outdoor Dads. If you're stuck on gift ideas, take a quick look here at some of the wonderful things you can surprise your outdoors dad with this coming Father's Day.
Sometimes theres nothing like a comfortable pair of shoes, and there are plenty of manufacturers, from Wolverine to New Balance that make rugged shoes worthy of tramping through off-the-beaten path terrain.
Merrell
makes a model called Waterproof Ottawa that are perfect for summer fishing from the banks of rivers and creeks, or for kayaking and canoeing, and even trail biking if youre not using clipless pedals. The shoes feature a mesh upper that is very breathable and quick to dry, and they are treated with
La Sportivas Wildcat mountain running shoe is another great value and sturdy enough for summer time hikes if you dont like the feel of boots covering your ankles. What you lose in ankle support, you make up for with the quick response in reaction time with a quick-gripping lug sole that utilizes FriXion X-Axis rubber. Its rated as a stability and cushion shoe, and while it runs small , it is extremely comfortable and responsive with a surprisingly good arch for a non-orthotic shoe.
COMMUNICATIONS:
Once youre out on the trail, you often get separated from your party. Two-way radios are an ideal way to keep in touch, particularly if youre away from civilization or on the water and there are no cell towers for miles.
The Motorola Talkabout 2-Way Radios offer a strong signal pickup and a whole lot more. The Model MR350R has 22 channels and 121 privacy codes for a total of 2,662 combinations to keep your conversations between you and your party.
They can also run on three AA batteries and come with a rechargeable battery setup. The batteries can be charged from by household electricity, a USB computer port, or with an optional car charger.
The Midland GXT1050 comes in a Mossy Oak Break-Up pattern and issues a high-decibel SOS siren to alert other of your location should something go wrong. It features a waterproof JIS4 housing and a oe Christian Louboutin orange backlit screen.
TOTES
The YSLs Lumbar Pack from L.L. Bean comes in a Mossy Oak Break-Up pattern and may be the gift of choice for many outdoors dads. The yoke-style shoulder harness and padded hip belt transfers weight evenly to take the stress off your lower back. Even better, the upper body harness features built-in binocular attachments so nothing has to hang on your neck. The pack features a total of 16 pockets that can hold ammo, two-way radios, flashlights, turkey calls, water bottles, lunch and a whole lot more. It even has straps suitable to carry monopods and extra layers of clothing.
I like the ZipVac vacuum storage bag and pump system, which was named the best fishing accessory at the 2010 ICAST Louboutin shoes show.
ZipVacs ease of use and reasonable is what sold me. I had been using another vacuum sealer until it wore out its ability to create that air-tight seal. For YSLs and fishermen, using the smaller bags to seal ammo or the fish you just caught. The triple barrier bags feature a built-in valve that allows you to extract all the air from one spot instead of sealing a whole side of the bag.
More importantly, the ZipVac is a truly portable system that operates on a rechargeable battery. Each charge is supposed to be able to vacuum up to 150 bags. I never pushed it that far, but its portable so you can take it with you. If you have leftovers after breaking for lunch, you can quickly reseal them. The ZipVac is available at both Dicks and Cabelas.
Coleman is the brand name choice of many campers, YSLs and fishermen, and the outdoors product company has a new grill on the market called the RoadTrip Fold N Go Grill. It cranks out 6,000 BTU on a standard 14-ounce propane cylinder and can cook for up to six people at one time. It also has InstaStart electronic ignition, so wet matches are no longer a problem .
TURKEY CALLS
Turkey hunting is addictive, and calling is an art of shoes, not a science. So many calls are out there, but learning how and when to work them properly is the most difficult task of all. Two I enjoyed using this past spring were the Christian Louboutin Specialties Strut Ring Zone Slate and Starfire Crystal. Both were easy to work and easy to emulate sounds to a CD of various turkey purrs and clucks. There are also diaphragms, box calls and push-pull calls to choose from, and dont forget the always useful locater calls.
