New Wacky Shack Bungalow to Hit Camping Market

(8-20-09)

A new product to rival the pop-up camper is slated to hit market in October, yet it is already creating a buzz. Called the Wacky Shack Bungalow, it is a six-person sleeping unit that is mounted on a no fishtail, no jackknife Swivel wheel transporter unit, and is priced for budget-minded consumers.

The “Shack”, made by Fast Master Products of Katy, Texas, was introduced recently at a Bass Pro Shop’s event in Texas. It is made of heavy-duty, 14-ounce rip- and tear-resistant, waterproof canvas, and comes with a 14- by 8-foot patio cover, room darkening window covers, and an elevated Master's full-size sleeping area. Features include an AC, heater port, Flood Guard Flooring (a soft PVC floor that is rolled up about three inches on the sides of the unit to prevent any water from entering), Rain Shield 99 Technology and a heavy-duty steel support and frame system. The entire unit collapses into a 5-foot by 6-foot by 8-inch portable package, with a dirt, dust, and rainproof, soft PVC cover.

Once collapsed, the Wacky Shack’s compact size makes it easy to tow with any rear-wheel-drive vehicle outfitted with a Class III or higher receiver package. And because the Swivel-wheel transporter unit tracks with the vehicle, it isn’t necessary for the driver to know how to back or tow a trailer.

The base unit Wacky Shack Bungalow will retail for $2995, while the annex will retail for $399, and the mesh wall option for $199. Visit mywackyshack.com for more info.



Georgia Couple Wins Keystone Springdale In First Phase of New National Sweepstakes

(7-2-09)

A South Georgia couple, Mackie and Gail Daniels, have won a new $26,000 Keystone Springdale travel trailer in the first phase of a unique new retail promotion -- Keystone’s Live Your Dreams Sweepstakes -- through which Keystone RV Co. Inc. is giving away four towable RVs between June of 2009 and February of 2010.

As part of this aggressive new program, a joint effort between the Goshen, Ind.-based Thor division and the RV-related websites, e-newsletters, magazines and retail shows of Ventura, Calif.-based Affinity Group Inc., the Daniels’ name was chosen at random in April from more than 50,000 entries in the inaugural round of the Live Your Dreams sweepstakes.

Suffice to say that the Daniels, of Fitzgerald, Ga., appreciated their good fortune.

“When my wife received the phone call from Keystone informing us that we had won, we were skeptical,” said Mackie Daniels, a retired telecommunications worker. “’Must be a practical joke,’ I thought. ‘What are the odds?’ But when I returned the call to Keystone and spoke with the people there, I realized this is real. What a surprise! This is the first time I have ever won anything and this is really big!”

The Daniels, who ironically own a 2002 Springdale travel trailer, are avid campers who are planning future camping trips with their grandchildren. “We camp almost every other week,” adds Daniels. “This new model has more space and conveniences than our 2002 and we are sure going to enjoy the additional features.”

Signups are currently under way on Keystone’s website and at point-of-entry displays at Affinity Events shows for Phase #2 of the national giveaway through which the winner of an Outback travel trailer will be announced Aug. 15 at Affinity’s Colorado RV & Boat Liquidation Super Sale Show. Next up is a Cougar fifth-wheel in October at Affinity’s Atlantic City RV Show. Then comes the finale, a Montana fifth-wheel, the winning name of which will be released in February at Affinity’s St. Paul RV, Vacation and Camping Show.

“Literally tens of thousands of interested consumers have visited the Keystone web site due to the exposure this sweepstakes has generated,” says Ron Fenech, president and CEO of Keystone, the nation’s largest manufacturer of travel trailers and fifth-wheels, with manufacturing facilities in Goshen and Pendleton, Ore. “These visitors learn more about Keystone travel trailers and fifth-wheels and, many times, contact our dealers for further follow up. The Live Your Dreams promotion is a win for the consumer, a win for our dealers and a win for Keystone RV and our employees.”



NEW GARMIN DAKOTA GPS UNITS

(6-29-09)

On Friday Garmin announced its latest new GPS handheld units—the Dakota 10 and Dakota 20 navigators. They are based on the interface of Garmin’s award-winning Oregon series, and offer a high-sensitivity GPS receiver, a worldwide basemap and a color touchscreen display into a compact, waterproof device that provides up to 20 hours of battery life. Garmin says these new units will be available in July.

Weighing 6.75 ounces, the Dakota 10 ($300) and Dakota 20 ($350) are physically smaller than the iconic Garmin eTrex, but they have a bigger 2.6-inch touchscreen color display that’s also easy to use while wearing gloves. Their high-sensitivity GPS receivers feature HotFix, which automatically calculates and stores critical satellite information and can use that information to quickly calculate a position, even in heavy tree cover and deep canyons. Aside from the worldwide basemap, the units are compatible with (each sold separately) Garmin City Navigator NT street maps, Blue Chart g2 marine charts, and TOPO U.S. 24K and 100K. (The Dakota 10 will also be offered with a hike and bike bundle that includes a City Navigator DVD and a bike mount kit for $370).

Featuring an internal memory of 850 MB, both Dakota units can store up to 1000 waypoints, 50 routes, 2000 geocaches and an active tracklog of up to 10,000 points and 200 saved tracks. They both run on two AA batteries and can connect to a PC or Mac with a USB connection.

The Dakota 20 includes extra features, such as a 3-axis compass, barometric altimeter, and a microSD card slot, and it offers wireless unit-to-unit connectivity for sharing waypoints, tracks, routes and geocaches wirelessly with Garmin’s Oregon, Colorado and Foretrex devices.

For a better look at Garmin’s new Dakota 10 and 20 units, visit garmin.com.



CONCEPT TENT USES SOLAR POWER IN A NEW WAY

(6-24-09)

Could this be the ultimate tech tent of the future? For now, it’s a concept British telecommunications provider Orange developed with the help of Kaleidoscope, an American product design consultancy that has worked with companies such as Ford, Motorola and Black & Decker.

This Orange Solar Concept Tent was built on the learnings from the original Orange Solar Tent tested in 2003 at the popular Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts festival in England. The goal was to provide festivalgoers with communication and power supply needs. This new Concept Tent was designed to celebrate Orange’s 11th year as the event’s official communications partner. The four-day festival kicked off today.

The cutting-edge part about this Concept Tent is that it features a shell made of “photovoltaic fabric”—specially coated solar threads woven into conventional fabric. This introduces revolutionary new ways of capturing the sun’s energy. Rather than using solar fixed panels, designers were free to conceive how a tent of flexible solar fabrics might look.

The technology is utilized via three directional guides in the shell that can be moved throughout the day to maximize its solar efficiency. “The development of photovoltaic fabric will revolutionize festival tent design,” says Kaleidoscope Strategist Finn McKenty. “In working with Orange, we have created a vision for a solar tent that we believe is a great glimpse of what’s to come.”

A central wireless control hub is the heart of the Concept Tent. It displays energy generated and consumed, and provides a wireless Internet signal. All information is displayed on a flexible, touchscreen LCD display screen. The hub also includes an integrated wireless charging pouch to power mobile phones and other portable devices without wires and multiple chargers. Finally, the hub features an internal heating element embedded within the tent’s groundsheet, and is triggered automatically when the interior temperature falls below a set level.

At least for now, Glastonbury festival goers can experience these techy tent features at the event’s official Orange Chill ’n’ Charge tent, providing 600 mobile phone charging points and free Internet access while visitors listen to live music inside the tent.





JUNE IS GREAT OUTDOORS MONTH: FREE ADMISSION TO NATIONAL PARKS ON FATHER’S DAY, SELECTED WEEKENDS

(6-18-09)

With President Obama’s declaration of June as Great Outdoors Month, the National Park Service is making vacations and connecting with the outdoors more affordable for families by offering a fee-free day on Father’s Day, and three fee-free weekends this summer: June 20-21, July 18-19 and August 15-16. Out of the 391 national parks located across the country in 49 states, 147 sites charge entry fees. In addition to the waived entrance fee on the three fee-free weekends, many park partners and other vendors will offer discounts and special promotions. Businesses include tour operators, hotels, restaurants, gift shops, and more. The fee waive does not include, however, fees collected in advance or by contractors, such as fees for camping, reservations, tours and use of concessions.

The entrance fees being waived at the 147 sites range from $3 to $25. The 244 other parks do not charge an entrance fee. For more information on the fees and discounts, visit nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm

“During these tough economic times, our national parks provide opportunities for affordable vacations for families,” said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar earlier this month at Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio, when he made the announcement about the fee-free weekends. Today, outdoor retailer co-op REI applauded the efforts made by the president and Salazar to get Americans outdoors. “At a time when many are challenged to manage their finances and deal with the stress of challenging circumstances, spending time camping with family or hiking with friends are healthy, economical ways to engage with loved ones,” said REI President and CEO Sally Jewell.



TIPS FOR HASSLE-FREE CAMPING WITH YOUR PET

(6-16-09)

A family camping trip wouldn’t be complete without the family pet, yet if you plan on taking Fido to camp you should make sure the experience is fun and stress-free. Camping Life received some good tips from Harrison Forbes, a nationally syndicated talk show host and animal behaviorist, on how to get the most out of your vacation when camping with a pet.

Find out your park’s pet policy. Call ahead of time to the campground you’ll be at, as most campgrounds and parks have pet restrictions. For example, they might allow only a certain number of pets per campsite, or have leash laws and designated dog-walking areas. Know the guidelines before you hit the road. That way, you can request a parking spot closer to that dog-walking path.

Make sure your pet has proper identification. Just in case he or she gets lost, make sure your pet’s ID tags are up-to-date and include your cell phone number. You may also want to have a photo of your pet on hand.

Find the nearest animal hospital to your destination. Hospitals and urgent care centers can be easy to locate in case you get hurt or sick, but what about a local vet? Taking a few minutes to find the nearest animal hospital before you hit the road can save you time in case of an emergency.

Or, if you’re taking a cross-country trip, the Pet E.R. Guide petemergency.com is a helpful resource to have on hand. The guide also lists the top 10 most poisonous plants you should make sure your pet avoids while outdoors.

Prepare a doggie bag. A pet travel pack is a great way to make sure you're prepared for anything, and is something that can remain stocked so it's ready to go when you are. It should contain cleanup supplies, a travel bed to serve as a comfortable resting place, portable feeding/watering bowls, food and water, a pet first-aid kit, and lots of toys to keep pets busy and well behaved.

Restrain your pets for safe travel. Unrestrained pets can be a distraction to drivers and can easily be seriously injured if the vehicle makes a sudden stop or is involved in an accident, even if it's just a fender bender. Secure your pet in a crate or with a harness to keep it safe.

Check with your insurance company to see if your pets are covered in case of an accident. For example, Progressive Insurance offers Pet Injury coverage for your dog or cat free of charge with Comprehensive and Collision coverage on your vehicle or RV, automatically covering up to $1000 in vet bills.



GARMIN ANNOUNCES 2 NEW GPS UNITS

(6-16-2009)

Garmin Announces Rugged, Waterproof Foretrex 401 and 301,Wearable Navigation that’s Easy to Use in Tough Conditions.

The Foretrex 401 and Foretrex 301 GPS navigators, integrating a high-sensitivity, WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and USB interface into a lightweight, waterproof device for light hikers, skiers, campers and military personnel to wear comfortably on their wrists.

“Whether you’re on a leisurely hike or in the toughest conditions imaginable, you need navigation that’s simple to use and easy to access,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “Our new Foretrex models help you keep your hands free and your focus on the path ahead, all while ensuring you make it to your destination as easily as possible.”

Rugged and waterproof, Garmin’s new Foretrex 301 and 401 models boast a high-sensitivity GPS receiver with HotFixTM that quickly acquires and maintains satellite reception – even in heavy tree cover or deep canyons – and accurately monitors and stores your routes, tracks and waypoints. When the day’s activities are done, just turn on the TracBack® feature, and Foretrex will retrace your path right back to where you started. With Foretrex, you can always find your way back to any important place, like your campsite or vehicle, using the breadcrumb trail, data fields and compass screen on the easy-to-read LCD display. The new Foretrex models feature dual-position readout so that you can view your current location in multiple formats, including latitude/longitude and an alternate position format of your choice, simplifying navigation for professional, military, search-and-rescue and recreational uses. Foretrex 301 and 401 also incorporate a trip computer, sunrise/sunset and hunting and fishing information and can connect to your PC or Mac via USB connection.

Adding even more features to the mix, Foretrex 401 has an electronic compass and a barometric altimeter. Foretrex 401 allows you to wirelessly share routes, tracks and waypoints between certain Foretrex, Oregon and Colorado devices, and it is also compatible with Garmin heart-rate monitors and cadence sensors.

Weighing about 3 ounces and powered by 2 AAA batteries, Foretrex won’t weigh you down while enduring a day’s adventures with up to 18 hours of battery life in the 301 and up to 17 hours in the 401. And you can chronicle your activities by storing up to 500 waypoints, 20 routes or a tracklog of up to 10,000 points and 10 saved tracks.

Foretrex 401 and Foretrex 301 are the latest breakthroughs from Garmin, which has spent 20 years using technology and innovation to enhance users’ lives, making Garmin a household name in the automotive, aviation, marine, wireless, outdoor and fitness industries. For more about features, pricing and availability, as well as information about Garmin’s other products and services, go to www.garmin.com, www.garmin.blogs.com.



LOWRANCE INTRO'S 3 NEW GPS UNITS

(6-1-2009)

The Lowrance gang paid a visit to the Camping Life magazine office recently to bring us a first-look, hands-on encounter with the entire line of the company’s new Endura line of hand-held GPS devices.

Here’s a quick run-down of what we saw, and what you can expect to see in stores soon.

The most affordable of the bunch is the Out&Back. The Out&Back’s compact yellow housing with rubberized armoring provides a comfortable grip. Its user interface features both touch screen and keypad functionality. The device measures 5.1-inch high x 2.3-inch wide x 1.1-inch deep (130mm x 60mm x 31mm) and weighs 5.8 ounces (165 grams) without two AA batteries. It includes a high-resolution 2.7-inch color touch screen display, micro SD slot with up to an additional 32GB of storage for mapping cards, mini-USB port for power and data cables (USB-to-mini USB cable included), cigarette lighter adapter and a reinforced attachment loop. This is a good unit for those who are car campers and like to do a little hiking. Its MSRP is $229.99.

The Safari is in the middle of the new trio and combines advanced mapping capabilities with a trip computer, electronic compass and barometric altimeter into a powerful handheld GPS system. A touch-screen display and simple keypad make it easy to enter data and access information. The Safari is preloaded with a base map and supports both plug-and-play micro SD cards and downloadable maps. The Safari has all of the Out&Back’s features, plus a marine-grade speaker, headphone jack, microphone, mini-USB power port, USB-to-mini USB cable and a reinforced attachment loop. A micro SD card slot allows up to 32GB of user-specific storage for mapping, picture, video and MP3 audio files. Thus unit would be a good choice for someone who wants a more detailed map, slightly more sophisticated GPS, and download capabilities. Its MSRP is $384.99.

Featuring touch-screen operation, a 3D digital compass and barometric altimeter, the Sierra is the third and most expensive, as well as the most advanced, of the three new Endura GPS units from Lowrance. It has everything that its two siblings do, and it’s preloaded with high-detail topographic outdoor maps. The Sierra is fully waterproof to the IPx7 standard (submersible), and includes a mini-USB port for power and data cables (USB-to-mini USB cable included). The Sierra is the ultimate unit with detailed topographic style maps and all the bells and whistles, perfect for the long-distance hiker or mountain biker who needs to see trail details. Its MSRP is $549.99.

As soon as we get a unit for full testing, we’ll let you see how it performs. For more details about the new line of Lowrance Endura handheld GPS units, go to www.lowrance.com.