TOY BOX ‹
EMS Ascent Dryskin Once marketed as must-haves for ambitious mountaineers, soft shells have revealed themselves to be perfect jackets for casual campground wear. The stretchy Cordura material is breathable and sheds water to keep you dry as you run between the camper and the cook tent. Five zippered pockets provide ample space to stash your sunscreen, lighter, flashlight, walkie-talkie and sunglasses. Large zip- pered armpit vents keep things cool if you inadvertently exert your- self. Think of it as a durable, stylish, water-repellant, vented, pocketed and washable sweater that won’t snag on branches or get stretched out of shape.
$159 US
www.ems.com ‹
MEC Happytrails Child Carrier The question the MEC Happytrails Child Carrier brings to mind is whether it is more comfortable for the parent or the child. A five- point, fleece-covered child-restraint system keeps any self-support- ing child up to 23 kilograms firmly in place. Crash pads for the head ensure there is no noggin knockin’ and a removable awning provides shelter from sun, rain and wind. MEC knows you have to treat the parents well also. A fully adjustable backpack harness and padded hipbelt lighten the burden of today’s heavier kids and the integrated diaper bag detaches and converts to a small backpack so you can share the load. The secure child-restraint system makes you think twice about setting it all up for short trips, but over the long haul there is no substitute for a well-designed carrier.
$109 Cdn
www.mec.ca ‹
Motorola Talkabout FV700 Mom: Mom to Billy. Come in Billy. Over. Billy: Go ahead. Mom: Time to come back to the camper. Billy: Sorry mom, you’re breaking up. I must be out of range. Mom: Nice try Billy. The range on these two-way radios is 19 kilome- tres.
Billy: Come again? Maybe we should try one of the 21 other FRS or GMRS channels.
Mom: Come back to camp and help with dinner. Billy: Hmm. More static. Maybe the batteries are dying. Mom: They were charging all night. You should have 13 hours of talk time.
Billy: I can’t make you out. Maybe the weather is interfering. Mom: I just checked the pre-programmed weather channels on my unit. Nothing but clear skies. It’s too bad you can’t hear me because the family in the next camper with the girl your age is coming for dinner.
Billy: I’ll be right there. Over and out. $67 Cdn, $50 US
www.motorola.com ‹
Yakima Sky Box Pro 21 Add an extra trunk’s worth of capacity to any vehicle with this 21-cu- bic-foot roof rack box. The Sky Box 21 is the largest of Yakima’s boxes and can hold enough gear to fill about eight full-sized backpacks in its cavernous belly. The four locking latches double as hinges when closed so you can load from either side of your vehicle. Adjustable clamps slide easily to fit on round or square roof rack bars. With an aerodynamic design the 2.3-metre-long box won’t add much to your fuel bill and will be an efficient way to haul your family’s abundant gear in the smaller cars of the future.
$1,000 Cdn, $619 US
www.yakima.com
—I.M. FAMILY CAMPING 7
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