News

The other day I started changing over our logo on our website, upcoming ads, email signatures, and everything else I can think of. Even though I really liked the 20th Anniversary logo we've been using for the past year, we aren't 20 anymore, so time to move on.

Changing our logo also symbolizes the passing of a milestone and I find myself feeling proud that our business has continued to thrive for so long. Even with increasing competition from all sides; big box stores, American chains moving to Canada, and some of our own supplier's opening their own corporate stores, we've not only been able to stay afloat, but actually grow. This past summer we sold more kayaks and SUP's than ever before, and we're seeing a resurgence in general camping gear, showing us that people are still getting outside despite work and personal schedules that only seem to get busier.

I attribute our continued success to consistent strategies like trying to offer friendly, knowledgeable customer service and working tirelessly to keeping prices competitive, but also to new initiatives like our venture into e-commerce. When we opened outdoorsoriented.com "version 2", it was a massive undertaking, but the response has absolutely been worth it. Even though we're new to the e-commerce world, we've been fortunate to have been able to take off running with a combination of great staff, and outside help when things get a bit too technical for these outdoorsy folks! We're excited to be shipping orders all over Canada and bringing our dedication to great service to the online world. We're proud to say that our average time from order placed to shipped is less than 30 minutes during business hours.

Looking forward, you're going to see a continued focus on expanding our online presence, while not forgetting about the brick and mortar store. The fact that we can spread out our business across both platforms means an increased selection in general. We'll continue to keep a hand on the pulse of the outdoor industry and evolve as it does by bringing in new brands and catering to new activities.

Thanks to all our great customers for supporting us all these years!

Jamie

The Quest for Fire, from the dawn of times to modern times. Fire is a very versatile tool, from providing light, warmth and protection to simply allowing you to a have a cooked meal and a place to meet and gather around. A fire still holds an important place in our modern world.
With that being said, you still have to get it started. Conveniently there are many different options for starting your fire. You could go old school; grab two sticks and rub them together, but you’ll likely you end up with sore hands. So what is there out there on the market to make starting a fire easier? Well there is a multitude of flint strikers that are compact, light and quite easy to use. Many are a strike bar paired with the flint bar. Simply run the striker firmly down the flint and sparks fly. Other styles are designed so that the flint and striker are built together for simple one handed use. We also have a product that provides you with a great multi-purpose knife with a flint bar stowed in the handle. The choices are plentiful; it’s just a matter of deciding which one to toss in your kit.
Once you have a way of providing spark the next is choosing the tinder. There are just as many options if not more when it comes to different types of tinder starters. Many are made from natural products like wax infused saw dust and wood fibers in varying shapes from sticks to discs that can be snapped into smaller pieces or burned as one larger piece. Tinder sticks with a match head can be lit like a match and tossed in the fire. All natural Fatwood sticks come from Pine tree stumps using sustainable forest practices, these have a very high resin content and the stick can be shaved into piles of tinder or lit as one piece. Wax infused cotton balls and tinder bits come in a variety of styles and forms. Lastly there’s always the classic magnesium bar with built-in flint striker, make a small pile of magnesium shavings and light it with the attached flint.
Keep in mind with all these wonderful options the quest for fire isn’t complete once you’ve made a small burning pile of tinder, it’s highly unlikely that this will light a damp log on fire. A properly built fire ready for your tinder will light with ease.

     Between helping with rentals, purchases and our own personal paddling, we tie down a lot of kayaks, canoes and sup’s. Because of this, we like to think that we’ve developed a pretty good idea of what works to properly secure a boat on top of a vehicle. So what makes us cringe more than anything??? Ratchet straps!
Now before we get carried away we should state that ratchet straps do have a place with tying down certain loads in certain situations, but boats on top of a car is not one of them.

Why we don’t suggest them:

- Ratchet buckles are very bulky, heavy and rarely properly padded, this means potential damage to your boat and vehicle.

- Ratchet straps use a mechanical advantage to tighten, this means it’s easy to over-tighten the strap and damage the boat.

- The majority of ratchet straps have hooks on the ends, these hooks are rarely large enough to fully go around roof rack cross bars. This leaves two options; partially hooking onto the bar or going under the bar and hooking back onto the webbing. Now look closely at the following photo:

Would you feel comfortable driving behind someone who had their 70lb. projectile “secured” by this? A bit of vibration or a wind gust and that strap could easily come off.

What are the better options?

1) Rope
 If you have a good knowledge of knots and some quality rope then there’s nothing wrong with tying down your load with rope. A well-executed trucker’s hitch allows for enough tension to secure a boat without overtightening.

2) Camstraps
At under $10 each, “belly” camstraps could be your new best friend. These are 1” webbing straps with a cambuckle at one end. As with the rope option, your boat can be secured with a continuous loop of rope/webbing with no possible opportunity for it to come off. Camstraps also hold tight without overdoing it. 

Don’t forget the bow/stern lines.

There’s a lot of lift generated when driving with a boat on your roof. In addition to the “belly” straps, make sure you secure the front and back of your boat especially for highway and long distance travel.

There’s nothing to attach to underneath?

In the name of better fuel economy, many newer vehicles are coming with smooth plastic underneath the car that leaves no space to secure bow and stern lines. If your vehicle is like this, consider hood-loops; small pieces of webbing that bolt under the hood or trunk to which the bow and stern lines attach.

As most hikers and dog owners in Niagara know, ticks are an unfortunate reality in our area. Consider using the following tips and products to minimize your risk of contact.

How to avoid:

• Use bug spray with deet as this is the only proven effective bug spray against ticks (that’s approved in Canada)
• Wear long pants and long sleeve shirts
• Tuck pants into socks
• Wear shoes instead of sandals when hiking
• Avoid long grass
• Do “tick checks” after being outdoors. Check warm spots where they like to hide: behind knees, armpits and groin.
• Wearing light coloured clothing will make it easier to spot ticks that may be on you.

Types of Ticks:

• Dog tick: Light brown, large and non-infectious.
• Blacklegged Tick (aka Deer Tick): Small, dark brown-black, females have red bum, may carry Lyme Disease.

Tick Removal:

• Use of a specifically designed tick removal tool will help make tick removal safer & easier.
• When tick removers or tick keys are not available, use fine tipped tweezers and grab tick as close to skin as possible. Pull upwards with even pressure, avoid twisting or jerking as this may cause mouth to break off and remain in skin. If mouth breaks off, try to remove, otherwise leave it and allow a health care professional to look at it for you.
• After removal, clean the bite well using alcohol, iodine or soap and water.

*If you notice a rash or fever develop (even up to several weeks after bite), see your doctor and tell him about the tick.

Why Lyme Disease is scary:

Starts off as rash or bullseye ring and flu-like symptoms that eventually may turn into:

• joint paint
• neurological problems such as muscle weakness, numbness, paralysis and meningitis
• heart problems including arrhythmia’s
• eye inflammation
• liver inflammation and hepatitis
• severe fatigue

Facts:

• Less than 5 reported cases of Lyme’s Disease in 2013 in Niagara
• Removing ticks within 24-36 hours usually prevents infection
• If concerned about a tick bite, save the tick in a sealed container to be given to a health care professional....they will test the tick for you.

Source: Niagara Region Public Health Department

Rain-wear...it’s not as simple as donning your K-Way jacket anymore, technology has made some progress. With GORE-TEX®  developing the first Waterproof/Breathable fabric nearly 40 years ago the entire category took a turn in a drier, more comfortable direction. They introduced us all to the extraordinary idea of having a garment that will keep us completely dry while allowing the moisture we’re creating to escape, thus eliminating the clammy feeling on the inside and keeping us protected from the elements.
    Are they really completely waterproof? The answer is YES! All of our rain-wear has either a waterproof membrane or coating applied to the underside of the garment and a DWR (Durable Water Repellency) treatment applied to the exterior. Providing its user with the best possible protection from the worst possible conditions.
    Now, how can it be breathable? Similar to our skin there are micro pores built into the laminate (GORE-TEX® , MemBrain® ) or coated technology (PreCip® , Dry.Q™ and HyVent® ) that allow heat vapour to escape without letting outside water in. the DWR finish enhances the breathability by ensuring the pores do not get clogged with water.
    Now, really, what does all this fancy science bring to the average user? Well, a great looking, comfortable article of clothing that keeps you dry on all of your adventures whether it be to walk the dog or hike the rolling hills of Scotland. Available in a rainbow of colours, styles for everyone and a price to match. Time to be dry and comfortable.  

What the heck is RFID?

RFID stands for real food is delicious and is a campaign to end the obesity epidemic in North America by promoting more natural and healthy food choices across the continent……..Or Maybe it stands for radio frequency identification and is used in many applications to store small amounts of information and transmit the data via radio frequency. But so what?.....

Well what if you found out that RFID data can contain sensitive information about your financials & social security? What if that data could be stolen due to the fact that RFID technology is constantly in danger of being scanned by an infamous RFID thief? The important truth about RFID is that it’s quite easy to access the data in a chip simply by scanning it with the proper equipment.

Many new credit and even debit cards have RFID chips for use in the new 'tap' feature where the chip is not necessary and the card is simply waved by the payment machine and scanned. Passports are also now sporting RFID chips and can be scanned just as easily as your 'tap' credit and debit cards. RFID theft is therefore a relevant concern for many of us and is a popular new pastime at airports and other tourist locations around the globe. So should you therefore protect your assets when traveling by carrying all your funds in a lump sum of cash? Leave the credit cards at home to prevent having your funds electronically pick-pocketed and stick with the risk of traditional pick-pocketers? If these don’t sound like good ideas to you then consider one of the many RFID blocking products now available on the market from PacSafe or Eagle Creek. Options exist as simple as sleeves that accommodate one or two cards, to full wallets and packs.