SHOT Show 2007 in Orlando was nothing short of a sportsman’s dream. All the big names were there including  manufactures of firearms, outdoor electronics, knives and camping gear. But you guys don’t want to hear about how much fun I had, you want to hear about the new gear, so here goes.
Garmin, manufacturer of what I consider to be the best GPS units on the market was there with their new Astro 220. Those of you who remember the name of George Jettson’s dog will appreciate the fact that the name of Garmin’s new product is not a coincidence. The Astro is a GPS for your hunting dog. It consists of an integrated GPS receiver/UHF transmitter that you dog carries on his back with an included neoprene harness and a receiver unit that you carry. Similar in function to Garmin’s Rino FRS radio, the Astro tracks your dog on a color graphic display in relation to your current location. The Astro 220 is tested to provide a transmitter range of five miles and has some hunter-friendly features such as a special notification when your dog has been stationary for more that a user-specified period of time. I can see this feature being particularly useful to quail and coon hunters. The Astro 200 comes with one handheld unit and one dog GPS receiver/transmitter, but is capable of tracking up to 10 individual dogs at once with the purchase of additional dog GPS receiver/transmitters. The Astro 220 also has a micro SD card slot and is capable of loading Garmin’s TOPO and City Navigator cartography products, so this GPS can not only be used as a dog tracker, but can guide you to your favorite hunting spots. The Astro 220 is due out in March 2007 and should retail for $599 for the starter set and $199 for each additional dog GPS receiver/transmitter. The guys at www.gpsnow.com should have these when they become available. GPS Now marries the best prices I have found with superior customer service.
Russ and I remain excited about the new offering from ACR Electronics out of Fort  Lauderdale. Many of you may be familiar with ACR’s AeroFix/TerraFix/AquaFix 406 line of PLBs (personal locator beacons). A PLB is a small handheld electronic device that can communicate with orbiting satellites to convey your location to search and rescue teams in the event of an emergency. ACR’s AeroFix/TerraFix/AquaFix 406 has been the world standard for a couple of years, but now they have outdone themselves with the announcement of their new Microfix. The Microfix’s big claim to fame is that it is 35% smaller (1.4 x 5.85 x 2.21) and 25% lighter (10 oz.) than its predecessor. The Microfix will be much easier to carry and is what I will call the first “pocketable” PLB. The Microfix will have a build-in GPS receiver for determining your exact location and uses lithium batteries with a 5-year replacement cycle. The unit is waterproof to 16 feet for 5 minutes and 33 feet for 10 minutes, so feel free to take it anywhere including those white water kayaking trips. The unit will ship with a lanyard and clip to insure it stays with you. ACR is awaiting final FCC approval of the Microfix, and is expecting to ship in June, 2007. Expected MSRP on the Microfix will be $750.
 If you like to keep an eye on changing weather conditions on your trips to the great Utah outdoors, then Nielson Kellerman may have just come out with exactly what you are looking for with their new Kestrel 4500 (MSRP $399) scheduled to hit the shelves in February, 2007. Amateur meteorologists have known about the Kestrel line of pocket weather instruments for years. The Kestrel 4500 (5.0 x 1.8 x 1.1 in., 3.6 oz.) provides measurements such as temperature, barometric pressure (including trends), wind chill, relative humidity, altitude, snow temperature, water temperature, and current and average wind speed. What sets it apart from Kestrel’s other 4000 series instruments is the addition of a digital compass with adjustable declination and a self-calibration routine. It’s no longer necessary to hold a compass in one hand and the Kestrel weather instrument in the other to obtain accurate wind speed and direction information. The uses for the extreme outdoorsman are obvious. Keeping an eye on changing weather conditions could literally mean the difference between life and death as the unfortunate recent events on Mt. Hood sadly demonstrated. And having a back up compass in your pack isn’t a bad idea either. Even the big game hunter looking to make that 300-yard shot or the serious bow hunter can make use of accurate crosswind information to calculate that perfect shot. Fishermen know that slight changes in water temperature, barometric pressure, and surface disturbance caused by wind can influence when and where fish are feeding. The Kestrel 4500 essentially allows you to carry an entire weather station capable of logging weather trends and changes in the palm of your hand. Neilson Kellerman offers some cool accessories with the 4500 which include a USB interface to allow you to upload data to your PC (MSRP $109), a MOLLE-compatible carry case (MSRP $29), and a weather vane mount (MSRP $59) due out in March, 2007 that will mount to any tripod which allows the 4500 to spin freely in the wind and makes the 4500 an unattended weather data logger. The whole weather vane mount kit fits in a 2 x 6 pouch and weighs less than 8 ounces. Now you can put that camera tripod or monopod to use at the campsite to monitor weather changes (including wind direction) and maybe teach the kids about the fun involved in weather monitoring at the same time. Of course, the Kestrel 4500 is waterproof and floats if dropped in water. It has a backlit display and runs on 2 AAA batteries.
 Ok, let’s get our head out of the clouds and take a look at some cool stuff that we can actually afford!! Dan Morton of Rack’Em showed me some of his company’s very useful racks. Ever returned from a day’s skiing with wet boots and gloves and no way to effectively dry them? Enter Rack’Em’s Boot and Glove Dryer (Model No. 1133). The Boot and Glove Dryer is designed to sit on top of a floor-mounted heat register found in your home or it fits on top of the heater/air conditioning units commonly found in hotel rooms by flipping it upside down. Its tubing system allows for the free flow of heated air deep into your boots or gloves. The lightweight unit fits easily into a suitcase (19 x 10.5 x 7.75) and has no moving parts to break or and no heating elements to burn out. It holds one pair of gloves and one pair of boots. MSRP is $26.95 and they are available at Rack’Em’s web site. Rack’Em is also making a nicely designed one-pistol rack (Model No. 6161) designed to stick to the inside of your gun safe door with double sided foam tape. Covered with soft plastic to protect the surface of your pistol, this rack can be mounted to just about any vertical, flat surface. I can imagine various vehicle and under counter applications. And did I say inexpensive? At a MSRP of $9.95, this pistol rack is within anyone’s budget. Don’t forget to add your favorite trigger lock if you have kiddies in the vicinity.
 Tired of slipping around on the ice and snow? How about some snow chains for your boots? Yaktrax has your answer. Yaktrax Pro is a heavy duty traction device designed to easily slip over your boots or running shoes. Yaktrax’s unique spikeless, patented coil design provides 360 degrees of traction on packed snow and ice. The natural rubber material easily conforms to the shape of your boot or shoe and it is designed to install and remove with little effort. Yaktrax Pro is available at retailers such as Amazon, REI, and Sportsman’s Warehouse for around $26.00.
 Are you one of those guys who is continually misplacing your flashlight? Have you ever dropped your flashlight just as you get settled into that tall tree stand or wish you had another hand to carry your flashlight while taking your gear to your favorite duck blind? Panther Vision has mated two items the sportsman always needs (a flashlight and a hat) into a perfectly functional unit that is both lightweight and easy to use. Panther Vision’s Standard Cap has two LED lights mounted stealthily in the brim and runs on two 2032 lithium coin sells mounted in the back along with an integrated slide switch with a runtime of 30 hours. The Pro Cap uses four LEDs and uses 3 AAA batteries also mounted in the back generating a run time of up to 150 hours. The Elite Sportsman’s Cap uses 7 ultra high output LEDs and one rear-facing red LED with 3 AAAS batteries for 150 hours of run time. The Elite version incorporates a microprocessor that gives you the option of 12 different lighting programs (two, four, or six forward lights, and flashing rear light) which includes an SOS signal. Ok, so this might have a slight geek factor, but I’ve been wearing this thing around for the last couple of days and I haven’t noticed a single strange look from the neighbors. Available in RealTree Camo, the Standard Cap is priced at $19.99, the Pro at $29.95 and the Elite at $39.99. You can pick one up at Lowe’s Hardware, Sportsman’s Warehouse, or directly from Panther Vision at their website. The uses for this little jewel are endless: finding that flipped circuit breaker, grilling after dark, searching through the tackle box, making yourself visible during a roadside emergency, or my personal favorite, the late night dog walk. Think of any activity where you need extra light, but need both hands to complete the project.
Well, that’s all the time I have for now. Stay tuned to Utah Outdoors for more updates coming soon.
Craig.
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