I recently read an article in the Scouting magazine about GeoScouting and thought it was a great idea for scouting program. It is basically a combination of scouting and geocaching. Boy Scouts has been around for more than 100 years, but geocaching only got it’s start when the government turned off Selective Availability in 2000 which gave civilian GPS users 30 meters or less accuracy as opposed to 100 meters with SA on. This made it possible for geocachers to find the small treasures/caches that geocaching is all about. Geocaching now has a huge following and is the perfect activity for outdoor enthusiasts with a thing for gadgets. I am excited to see the scouting program keeping with the times and encouraging boys to use modern day gadgets like GPS units as well as the trusty ole’ compass. Now if I can just get our troop to pony up the money for some units for the boys. Don’t even think I’m letting my knuckleheaded tenderfoots touch my Garmin eTrex Vista Cx.

It’s that time again to plant a tree and feel good about your Mundo. Earth Day is a great way to keep everyone involved with the on-going movement of a cleaner, healthier environment. Kids can play a major role too. Seems that everything has gone “Green” lately. Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great. I only hope that it’s not a “hip” way of letting people know that you care about the environment in todays culture, but gone tomorrow. But even if it is, it seems to be catching on… maybe it will stick.

THINK GREEN.

I received this little beauty as an anniversary gift. I have always been impressed with the ingenuity of this lantern as I would pass it by on the shelves of REI. Fortunately for me, my wife purchased one as an anniversary gift. You can imagine my excitement when I got home. However, I was disappointed for three reasons:

1. I grabbed a returned product, so it has not worked correctly since the purchase (Will not affect the final gear review rating).
2. It takes 3 triple A batteries! Three of them, really ?(May or may not affect the final gear review rating depending on future battery life test)
3. To replace the battery you have to screw/unscrew the top using a very small Phillips head screwdriver! On top of it all, said screwdriver does not come with the purchase. Fortunately for me I am a tech nerd and had the right tool in my pack. I mean this is a little crazy if you are on the trails. (This will affect the overall gear review rating).

While this is a preliminary gear review and the final review and rating is yet to come, I am still a little bummed. Hopefully when I get a replacement my spirits will be lifted as I have read a few good reviews pertaining to this product.

Note To Self; always grab the item on the back of the shelf!

MORE TO COME…

Thanks everyone for your input on the Logo. We are going to mull over the results and have a logo out soon. We will keep you posted.

Thanks again.