WHAT IS CONTOUR?

Contour, previously known as VholdR, is pioneering hands-free recording like never before. With the camera, software, and community platform, location based video has never been more fun. Contour makes location video easy to shoot and share with the world. Such tools enable modern day explorers to tell stories of adventure, action, and travel in high quality video.

CONTOURGPS

In September 2010, Contour Added GPS and released the CoutourGPS. It’s the first hands-free video camera to capture real-time GPS data along with high-def, 1080p video. With an integrated GPS receiver, ContourGPS records location data 1x per second with near pinpoint accuracy. The GPS data, along with impressive HD footage, can then easily be edited with the new Contour Storyteller application. You can even post your GPS videos to Contour.com. Watch and share your thrilling run while tracking progress, speed, and elevation on a map.

CONTOURHD

ContourHD is Contour’s basic model, enabling modern day explorers to capture video hands-free in impressive HD. Its use couldn’t be simpler either, even with your gloves on it’s pretty easy. Just slide the record switch forward to start and back to stop. The TRail Mount System slides and locks the camera onto a series of mounts. You can wear the ContourHD on your helmet, goggles, windshield, or handlebars. The wide-angle lens can rotate and two lasers allow shooting from any mounting direction making video easy to capture from inside the action.

This stellar backpack has a ton of useful features for any fisherman or fisherwoman.  Lets start with the unique and handy changing mat that rolls out from the bottom pouch where you also store your waders.  Use it to stand on while slipping in and out of your waders and boots.  Secure your wet wading boots with the straps outside of the pack while stuffing your waders in the ventilated compartment on the bottom of the pack.  This unique feature gives your wet boots plenty of ventilation to help them dry and keeps the stuff inside your backpack dry.

When I took this pack along on a recent trip one of the first things I noticed was it’s ample storage space.  You can secure all of your fishing equipment including rods, reels, tackle, jackets and such in the backpack’s convenient compartments and outside holder straps.  Also included is a pouch for a hydration bladder making this a very helpful river pack  indeed.

Of course I also had room to store other items for the journey such as snacks, camping knifes, a small blanket, etc. The material of the pack seems to be upstanding and enduring, definitely quality.

If the trail is far and the river is a long way off you will be glad to note that the pack is also very comfortable.  The arm straps and backing on the pack is very well padded for your comfort.

With Christmas coming this could possibly be that ultimate gift for anyone who lives to be outdoors and loves to fish.  At $149.95, I found this is well worth the investment.  You can find more reviews and purchase the pack at Bass Pro Shops.

Quick Notes:

• It’s a great pack and can be used as a general multi-purpose pack or fishing pack.  The only thing that might have been better is if the attached changing mat was somehow detachable in case you were bringing it on a trip where you wouldn’t need it.  This would help free up some more space in the bottom pouch.  However, it does fold up pretty tight and you can secure it with the straps to keep it out of the way.  You may even find other uses for it so who knows.
• Very Comfortable
• Spacious

The Neoprene shell keeps your hands dry while the inner 2.5mm Fleece Lining keeps them warm making these Pro Angler gloves perfect for cool wet conditions.  Think fishing (especially ice fishing), hunting, kayaking and just about any other cold weather outdoor activity.

Features

Finger Slit Gloves:  A finger slit on the thumb and index finger allow simple finger manipulation.  To keep the glove fingers out of the way they are folded back and held in place by Velcro patches.  A few things here, sometimes the Velcro patches didn’t work well.  Also many times depending on the action I just wanted to take them off anyway and do it, maybe just habit.  The bottom line is you can perform simple actions, tie your shoe, bait a hook, push the button on a camera, etc but most of the time I still want to take my glove off.

Also of note, the gloves ran big for me.  I probably should have got a medium instead of a large, this is something to consider when ordering size.  This could easily be the trouble I was experiencing with performing glove on dexterous movements.  The remaining fingers of the glove were simply too big.

Velcro Wrist Strap Gloves:  These gloves provide a near water tight seal once fastened with the Velcro straps.  Your hands stay dry and warm at all times which is really the most important thing for me.  It does make them a little harder to take off however as these things are attached secure around your wrists.  This could be a problem if you plan to take them off and put them on a lot during outings.

Warm and Dry Gloves:  Like I said above, these things are going to keep your hands warm and dry.  For me this is what I look for in a glove and this Is why I find Glacier Gloves some of the best.  I recommend these gloves and also recommend taking a look at the whole line of Glacier Glove available products.

Instead our group found ourselves on the frozen river, the moon leaving a trail of diamonds on the snow for us to follow.  There was nothing typical about the group.  Where we should have had snow shoes, we had big boots. Where others dragging sleds might go sledding, we found a deeper involvement; the transport of expired beer bottles from the woods to safety.  Oh, and our backpack, the soul source of happy spirits for such an adventure had everything to keep the trip going, beer.

OK, maybe our group wasn’t so unusual for such a short excursion.  Nope, just a group of friends looking to share some good times during the winter.  After about a hour we came upon a massive tree fallen across the river.  It was a great place to just relax.  We made a fire on the ice and gathered around it for some warmth.

One of the backpacks had become mysteriously lighter on the way out and that’s when I realized there was still something else in it.  It was light and only took up a little room at the bottom but it was definitely something. Wondering what it could be I rummaged to the bottom of the pack and pulled it out.  Oh yeah, “Hammock Bliss Triple” the tag read on the small pouch.  I had put it in the bag on a previous camping experience but never got around to trying it out.  It was definitely the time.

When I first started to pull the hammock out of the attached travel bag my immediate thought was “Wow, it’s a magic trick.  That’s a lot of hammock for such a small bag.”  It was constructed of hi-strength Nylon Parachute Material, definitely quality.  I skimmed the description card quick, 6mm climbing rope, super tough, comfortable, compact, travels great, and so on.  That was good enough for me, lets hang it.

We found a nice spot on the massive tree that had fallen across the river and put the hammock up.  It took less than a minute and we had some really comfortable sitting/sleeping arrangements.  The thing about this hammock was that it really made people want to give it a try and everyone who tried it had the same thing to say.  ”This is great, really comfortable.  Where did you get it and how much did it cost?”

So here is a quick link to the product and some details I pulled from the site where I got it.  Check out the Hammock Bliss Triple at Makai’s.  I’m certain this hammock will comfort the weariest of campers.

• Enormous Comfort Zone Great For Couples Who Want The Ultimate In Friendly Snuggle Space Great For Kids, Ideal For The Big & Tall

• Hammock Constructed Of High Strength Nylon
  Parachute Material – Soft & Breathable
  Quick Drying – Resists Rot & Mildew

• Super Tough – 770 lb Test – 100%Nylon
  6mm Climbing Rope – 100 Inches Per Side
  Included For Easy Set Up On The Go

• Hammock Is Compact, Lightweight & Ready
  For Adventure – Travel Bag Is Permanently
  Attached & Doubles As A Handy Gear Pouch

• Machine Washable & Dryable
  Strength Tested – 350 pounds

The Prize:  One Free Pair of Native Eyewear Sahara Snow Polarized Brown / Sportflex Sunglasses.  Native Sunglasses are some of the best sunglasses I’ve ever wore in terms of everything.  Comfort, fogging, style, durability, vision…Native Eyewear does it right.  The lenses are even interchangeable and come with a sportflex lens.  I can’t take up a bunch of space here telling you how cool these things are, we have a contest to get to.  If you don’t really know what polarized sunglasses are or what more information check out this post – GET POLARIZED.

The Contest: Here’s how to win these awesome sunglasses.  Note:  There are four ways to enter, you can enter once using each way.  It’s only necessary to choose and do one method to enter!

1.)  Follow us on Twitter:  @gearupandplay and then Tweet the following:  WIN Native Polarized #sunglasses Follow @gearupandplay & retweet this message to enter. Details http://bit.ly/9qU7dr #Giveaway #Contest

Feel free to retweet on a daily basis but don’t overdo it and annoy all your followers.  Retweeting will increase your chance to win.

2.)  Like us on Facebook: fb-gearupandplay and then update your status by doing the following.  First type at @gear up and play in your status box and when you see our name pop up select it.  Gear Up and Play should now be a link to our facebook page.  Simply type a message after telling us why you want to win the sunglasses or why you love our blog.  Share it and that’s it – your in the contest.

Important.  Make sure you type @gear up and play and you select our facebook page in your status update.  This ensures your status update shows up on our facebook page so we can count you in the contest.  Also make sure the little lock under your status window is set to share with everyone or your message will not appear on our page.  Thanks.

3.)  Mention the contest in your own blog post:  If you own a blog this is a really simple way to enter.  Simply mention the contest on your blog.  You can either create a new post completely about the contest or mention it quick in any post.  The only requirements are you include a link to the prize on the native eyewear website:  Native Eyewear Sahara Snow Polarized Sunglasses and a link to the contest:  Win Free Sunglasses.  Note:  Feel free to change the link text to fit your blog post as long as it’s relevant.

Once you have done this comment on this blog post with a link leading back to your blog post that mentions the contest to be counted.

4.)  Register for Gear Up and Play and create a guest post:  Note posts must be 300 words to be considered, relevant to the subject matter on GUAP (mainly travel and outdoor recreation) and original (not existing elsewhere on web).  In addition you must upload a photo during or after registration for your profile pic (any pic will do).  After you do this send me a message using the GUAP messenging system and tell me that you submitted a post and want entry into the contest.  Note:  existing GUAP members simply create a new post, submit it and message me that you want entry.

This is a bit more involved then the other ways to enter but if only a few people follow this method of entry it greatly increases your chances to win as described below.  In addition, you can enter your Adsense id to take 100% of the Adsense ads serving your post.  You will find being a member of GUAP offers many ways to help promote your external travel blog, blog, or website.

How is a winner picked:  To often I see a contest run but I don’t know how the winner was really picked.  Was it some magic voodoo?  Was it even fair?  Well I’m not gonna leave you hanging.  This is how the winner will be chosen.

First I will evaluate how many responses I got for each method of entry and give them a number.  Then I will go to random.org and randomly generate a number for each entry.

Example:

1. Entry Method 1)  24 follows/tweets and retweets total  (number generated is 13 picking from 1-24)
2. Entry Method 2) 20 facebook likes/status updates  (number generated is 7 picking from 1-20)
3. Entry Method 3) 14 people linked from their blog  (number generated is 2 picking from 1-14)
4. Entry Method 4) 4 people created a guest post on guap  (number generated is 4 picking from 1-4)

Then I will take these 4 participants and randomly generate a number 1-4 for the winner.  It’s easy to see how participating in each method increases your chances to win.  Of course I will video the random.org number generation and put the video up for everyone’s viewing.

That’s it.  Winner will be picked in 3 weeks on November 13th.

Thanks for Participating and I wish you all the Best Luck!

Contest Closed, Watch us Pick the Winner Below

Before I answer this let me give you some background.  I come from a long family history of cheap sunglasses picked up at drugstore on a need only basis.  The need seems often as I usually lose them after only a few weeks.  When I do find them they are all scratched up after being tossed around in my jeep during a careless camping outing.

Now that you know me lets get back to the question, “what are polarized sunglasses“?

First we have to think about light and how it reflects off  of other surfaces.  Normally when light hits a surface it scatters or disperses in all directions.  When light hits some surfaces such as water, snow, ice, glass and asphalt the light waves polarize.  This means they orient along an axis which is usually horizontal and creates an intense amount of light we know as “glare”.

Glare can be both annoying and dangerous.  While traditional sunglasses help to reduce glare they end up dimming the complete field of vision.  This ends up reducing contrast and the subtle details in your surroundings are lost.

Polarized Sunglasses employ a vertical polarizing lens that selectively filters out glare.  This actually improves contrast and leaves attention to detail sharp and clear.

The obvious enthusiast for polarized sunglasses are boaters and fishermen wanting to reduce the unwanted glare from the water.  One can navigate more safely and be better aware of his or her surroundings.  They also make it easier to spot fish once your not trying to look past the glare coming off the water.

But what about other outdoor activities?  Yup, polarized sunglasses are becoming increasingly popular for all kinds of outdoor adventurers including skiers and snowboarders, climbers, bikers, joggers, as well as the general public.  Many people use them while driving to reduce the glare that comes off a long flat road as well as the cars ahead.

Do they cost more? Yes, but they are worth the extra cost.  Not only will you be impressed with how clear it can be outside you will also be more likely to safe guard.  Just like with anything, when it cost a lot, you are more aware of how you treat it.  Grab a pair of these glasses and I guarantee you protect them with your life.

WIN a FREE Pair of Native Eyewear Polarized Sunglasses. The future is bright and to help you deal with it we will be giving away one Free Pair of Polarized Sunglasses courtesy Native Eyewear.  Look for a contest announcement coming soon (like a week or two) on our facebook fan page.

Details – This is the default tab.  It’s a summary of information about the product, which may include name, price, imagery, descriptions, etc.
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Reviews – Product reviews that have been collected by various users are made available for display. Additionally, the ability for users to enter their own product reviews is included as well.
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Comparison – Where possible we show the same or similar product entries from other merchants, so that the users can do some price comparison between vendors.
Related – Using historical sales information from the merchant in question, we perform a lookup of products that customers frequently purchase in tandem with the requested product.

This was a very brief example of what “Gear Scout” is aimed to do.  The full version as found here > Gear Scout Innovative Price Comparison Engine < and consists of both, a break down of handpicked products by category as well as a search feature located in the sidebar.

More on Using Gear Scout Search

Gear Scout Search uses advanced search syntax, causing special treatment in the following circumstances: preceding a word with “+” will restrict the search to ONLY products that mention that word, preceding a word with “-” will restrict the search to exclude any products that mention that word, and the keyword ” OR ” can be used to perform multiple simultaneous searches (in place of OR you can use the pipe character “|” to separate multiple search terms).

So how much?  These things are just hitting the market and at this point the going price seems to be $250.00.  Ofcourse, on eBay you have some schmuck trying to sell them for $500 dollars so be careful.

So how does the Columbia Bugathermo Boots keep my feet warm?

According to the brochure this innovative heating system will keep your feet warm for up to eight hours.  With 3 separate heat settings and a temperature rating of -25˚F/-32˚C you can be sure your feet will stay cozy.  They will also stay dry because they are constructed of waterproof, breathable Omni-Tech.  When your done for the day simply plug them in with the included adapter to charge the Internal lithium polymer battery.  Now your ready to go tomorrow.

The Go was designed with one obvious thought in mind, versatility.  Referred to as the Swiss Army Knife of Campers I find it really intriguing and a definite topic of conversation at any campsite harboring one.  Trust me, your neighbors will be coming over and inquiring about it so its a great way to meet your camping neighbor.  So lets break it down quick and see why we like the Go and why the Go is just plain fun.

Starting on the road you will find the go can accommodate all your toys including bicycles, kayaks, watercrafts,  and even ATVs when converted to ATV mode.  The best part is that with a weight of less than 800 lbs (unloaded) you can pull it with just about any small car, even a hybrid.

The Go will stow four bikes on top using a rack system but can even haul more if you convert it to ATV mode.  Underneath you can stow two smaller kayaks but with a third party rack system you could store up to six but we did not try this.

Also of note:  In ATV mode its basically a small trailer so you could use it to haul just about any small load around.  Its just really convenient and you will find yourself going, oh yeah, I have a small trailer.  Just thought I should mention that.

Once you arrive at camp you might be thinking, OK, how long am I going to be playing with this transformer.  Well, they say it takes only minutes and once you get the hang of it I would agree with this estimate.  The first time it will take a little longer due to reading and such but its really simple.  Its no worse then setting up a large unfamiliar tent.  That did not sound really fun did it, well trust me its not that bad.  Check out this video (Setting up The Sylvan Sport Go) to watch a guy set it up in minutes but he obviously is not reading the instructions.

So what about inside?  Inside the go takes on the feel of a cross between a small camper and a tent that sleeps four comfortably.  Its sort of a tent on wheels but with all the neat space saving tricks of a camper.   You know, the comfort of beds and a nifty fold down tables that just suddenly appear and then disappear at sleep time.    Of course there is no toilet and the unit is not powered.  So  though you won’t be sleeping on the ground you will be hiking it to the toilet and doing most of your cooking outside on the fire or a camp stove.  Its sort of like a step up from roughing it but you haven’t completely gone full camper with a TV god forbid.

What about Construction?  I wanted to add a quick note about the go and its construction.  When you look at the pictures you really don’t get a sense of just how well this thing is put together.  The design is just truly smart but also made from the best in gear.   Sylvan Sport teamed up with big names like Kelty (tent) and Thule (compatible rack system) to ensure superior design.  No problems there, its solid.

You have a Go?

Whats your take on it.  Do you love it.  Share you Go experiences here.

How do I get one?

Buy direct from SylvanSport

Additional Photos
2008_GO-slideshow

OK, good, we now have a relationship established.  We dig up the deals and you provide us with your knowledge.  Look, lets be honest, it takes us days to sort through data and mash together what we think might be of interest to our visitors.  We don’t have time to give our opinion on every tent or backpack or whatever it is your going to buy next.  Even if we did we cant possibly have a opinion on stuff we never touched.

That’s Why YOU are the Gear Scout.  We rely on you, our valued visitor to provide us with your take.  Its simple, we give you the tools to find the best deals and you give us your take.  Here’s how Gear Scout works.

How to use Gear Scout

Note: Gear Scout is a Service provided to all our valued site visitors including you. Get involved, give us your take and tell us what would make things better for you.  We want you to feel like our site is as much yours as it is ours.  Help us make it so.  Tell us what would make it better.

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Gear Up and Play