1. Petzl Headlamp – changes the intensity of light automatically
Petzl Headlamp

2. Skhoop skirt – keeps your buttocks warm and the skirt is easily removable
Skhoop skirt

3. Exped Dreamwalker sleeping system – it’s a cozy sleeping bag that fits like a snuggie
Dreamwalker

4. Canada Goose clothing – amazing expedition style jackets and hats, made in Canada.
Canada Goose

5. Goal Zero Lighthouse Lantern – no need for batteries, this product charges from the sun or you can crank up the power on your own
Goal Zero Lantern

6. Helinox – this camp chair is awesome – light weight durable and one of the best selling chairs this Christmas
Camp Chair

7. Next…the Darkfin Gloves -these are just weird (but they’re a top seller)

Darkfin Gloves

8. What's a Biolite Stove? - It seems everyone is talking about this thing. The stove runs on small sticks, pine cones, etc. and burning the fuel creates power for your i-pod or i-phone. 
Biolite Stove 

9. InReach
- This is new this year and its similar to the SPOT satellite message system I've shown before - but the new thing is that someone at home can send you a message while you're in the woods as well. 
InReach

10. GlobalStar Satellite Phone - giving someone a gift certificate for a phone rental for their next trip would be awesome

Satellite Phone

11. This doesn't even sound like a camping accessory...Chota Hippies? - weird looking boots that I tried out this year - they work amazing (but look very nerdy - we can have fun with this one as well).

chota hippies

12. Let's finish with the Traditional Northern Made Anorak...
- a canvas pull-over for winter trekking where a northern company makes the product that includes coyote fur but uses fur from places like Valley Village - that's somewhat environmentally cool and a refreshing twist.
Lure of the North

13. Canada Pooch jacket - imagine my dog wearing this thing during winter camping 
Canada Pooch 

If you think to be in a remote wilderness area means that the water you find out there is safe to drink . . . then think again! There are so many pollutants and pathogens floating around in our lakes and stream that the days of dipping your cup directly into the water for a drink are long gone.

One of the worst bugs to pick up is Giardia Lamblia. The tiny cyst gets into the water cycle by being deposited with the feces of an infected animal. The usual host is the beaver, which is how this water born pathogen got its nickname “beaver fever.” But it can be deposited by any mammal, including humans.

It only takes ten Giardia cysts to infect your body. The microscopic protozoan, measuring 21 microns in length (the tip of a sewing needle measures 700 microns), hatches inside the small intestine with an incubation period from five days to several months, reproduces like wildfire, establishes a colony, and then has a little party in your gut -making you feel as if Montezuma has moved north to seek his revenge.

Symptoms can be severe or completely unnoticeable. They include: diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fatigue, weight loss, flatulence, and nausea – not a pleasant experience while being away from flush toilets and a local pharmacy. Usually, however, you get it when at home and then just assume it’s the flue. However, if the cyst does not get treated, it can cause severe problems. I’ve been affected three times and each case took over a month to treat with antibiotics.

The best purification system for drinking water is a filter. You just pump and drink. And by making water collection so quick and easy there’s less chance of becoming dehydrated.

There are a few disadvantages, starting with the high cost. The main body of the system itself is not that bad. But the price of the replacement filter is outrageous. If you only go on a one week trip per year then the filter should last you a couple of years. But if you’re out all season you’re going to use up at least one or two filters, each which cost close to $40 each. The only way to save money is to always wash the filter out after each trip. It’s also a great idea to wrap a coffee filter around it to help extend the use.

Filters strain out microscopic contaminants like Giardia but they don’t necessarily eliminate bacteria or viruses. The purity of the water greatly relies on the size of the filter’s pores. Any pore-size of two microns or smaller will get rid of nasty pathogens like Giardia and surface pollutants. However, it takes a pore size of less than 0.4 microns to remove bacteria, and viruses

All blood feeding insects find their prey by body temperature, activated by lactic acid produced by muscle movement and the carbon dioxide emitted when you exhale. They absolutely love warm sweaty skin on a cool day. Warm days, however, seem to confuse them. All species also dislike pouring rain, cold days when temperatures reach below 30 F (10 C), and blowing winds; the blackfly in particular is not a strong flyer and can only reach a top speed of half-a-mile (one kilometer) per hour.

Dark colors attract much more than shiny bright colors. Wearing blue jeans is just asking for it; lime green neither attracts them nor keeps them at bay; and hot pink works great. Bug hats, or better yet, bug jackets are an essential part of your equipment list from the first week in May until around the second week in July. Bug repellent is also a must. There are lots of formulas out there but the best is anything that contains lots of DEET (Diethyl Toluamide). The chemical is mostly effective in keeping blackflies, mosquitoes, no-see-ums, and ticks away from your exposed skin. I wouldn’t squirt too much on, however. The stuff also works well as striping paint and melting plastic. I remember back during my tree planting days for the Ministry of Natural Resources in Northern Ontario, we were told never to put DEET on our hard hats. One worker ignored our supervisor’s rule one day and soaked his helmet. He got caught when the foreman saw thousands of dead blackflies stuck to his bright yellow hard hat. To show the reasoning behind the rule the boss smacked the hard hat against a rock. The plastic headgear cracked right down the middle. After witnessing that, I’ve kept to only putting small amounts of DEET directly on my skin. Usually I just spray the chemical on my bandana wrapped around my neck. I also make sure to keep my shirt sleeves and pant legs tight with elastic bands.

Repellents containing citron like Avon’s Skin-So-Soft hand lotion are more gentle to the skin and are almost as effective as DEET. They usually don’t last as long though. Taking vitamin B tablets three months prior to your trip has also been proven effective. Eating lots of citrus fruit and garlic, and avoiding bananas, are other suggestions to think about. Even applying a combination of spices – cinnamon, rosemary, basil, thyme and allspice – to your skin may work.

But my all-time favorite weaponry against bugs is my Eureka Bug Tarp. The bug shelter (titled “VCS Parawing shelter system” in the Eureka catalogue) is a regular rain tarp with a fine mesh netting attached to the four walls. The whole outfit weights about five pounds. It also uses no-see-um netting, which makes the price is a little high but far more effective against “punkies.” The netting is attached to the four walls by plastic clips, making it possible to detach that section and just pack the tarp along during less buggy conditions.

My regular canoe mates teased me to no end the first time I brought the tarp along on our annual Spring fishing trip. They said I was a sissy. However, when the bugs got really bad and I went inside my bug proof shelter to cook up dinner in peace, they pleaded with me to be allowed in. Payment was a shot of brandy each and an immediate apology for calling me names.

So, what’s bugging you?

The very worst out there, in my opinion, is the tick. The very thought of having one of these parasites feeding on you is enough to make your skin crawl. It’s not so much that they are known vectors of Lyme disease and that they feed by plunging their beaklike mouthpart deep inside you and then secrete a cement-like saliva which literally glues them in place. It’s the fact that they prefer dark and moist places on your body to attach themselves to; places like armpits, bellybutton holes, and, you guessed it, your crotch. These are all places I’d rather not have something nibbling at.

Performing regular tick checks are crucial in heavily tick infested areas. It’s best to use the buddy system for this. Of course, this can get embarrassing at times. I’ll never forget when my wife and I, while traveling through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, began our nightly routine of stripping down and checking each other’s private parts for embedded ticks, when a group of Boy Scouts paddled by. I tried to explain to them what we were doing, which, according to my wife, made the scenario even worse.

If you do find a tick lodged into your skin, make sure not to panic and start yanking away at it. You’re just liable to pull the thing in half, leaving its head inside you and increase the chances of infection. The best way is to first spray it with a good amount of bug repellent. This will definitely force it to relax its grip, since the tick actually breaths out of its butt while its head is lodged into your skin. Don’t burn it with a cigarette or match like some older guide books recommend. This will just make the tick hold on tighter and become more difficult to get out. After allowing some time for the repellent to take effect, place a pair of tweezers (tick pliers can also be purchased at most outdoor stores), and, without squeezing the tick, reach inside, beneath the body, and gently pull it out. Then disinfect the area with antiseptic or soap and water.

Symptoms of Lyme disease:

• A circular red rash forming around the bitten area
• Flu-like symptoms
• Painful joints
• Insomnia
• Local paralysis
• Skin sensations
• Hearing loss

All blood feeding insects find their prey by body temperature, activated by lactic acid produced by muscle movement and the carbon dioxide emitted when you exhale. They absolutely love warm sweaty skin on a cool day.

Warm days, however, seem to confuse them. All species also dislike pouring rain, cold days when temperatures reach below 30 F (10 C), and blowing winds; the blackfly in particular is not a strong flyer and can only reach a top speed of half-a-mile (one kilometer) per hour.

Dark colors attract much more than shiny bright colors. Wearing blue jeans is just asking for it; lime green neither attracts them nor keeps them at bay; and hot pink works great.

Bug hats, or better yet, bug jackets are an essential part of your equipment list from the first week in May until around the second week in July. Bug repellent is also a must. There are lots of formulas out there but the best is anything that contains lots of DEET (Diethyl Toluamide). The chemical is mostly effective in keeping blackflies, mosquitoes, no-see-ums, and ticks away from your exposed skin. I wouldn’t squirt too much on, however. The stuff also works well at stripping paint and melting plastic. I remember back during my tree planting days for the Ministry of Natural Resources in Northern Ontario, we were told never to put DEET on our hard hats. One worker ignored our supervisor’s rule one day and soaked his helmet. He got caught when the foreman saw thousands of dead blackflies stuck to his bright yellow hard hat. To show the reasoning behind the rule the boss smacked the hard hat against a rock. The plastic headgear cracked right down the middle. After witnessing that, I’ve kept to only putting small amounts of DEET directly on my skin. Usually I just spray the chemical on my bandana wrapped around my neck. I also make sure to keep my shirt sleeves and pant legs tight with elastic bands.

Repellents containing citron like Avon’s Skin-So-Soft hand lotion are more gentle to the skin and are almost as effective as DEET. They usually don’t last as long though. Taking vitamin B tablets three months prior to your trip has also been proven effective. Eating lots of citrus fruit and garlic, and avoiding bananas, are other suggestions to think about. Even applying a combination of spices – cinnamon, rosemary, basil, thyme and allspice – to your skin may work.

If you stay put the bear may eventually move on and the encounter becomes a more enjoyable experience.  But what if it charges you instead?  Well, in most circumstances the bear is faking it.  But you wouldn’t know the difference between a real charge and a pretend one.  So the next move is to sex it before you make your move.  If it’s a male bear than a mild aggression technique may work (making lots of noise and standing erect, waving your arms in the air).  It’s rare, but male bears have been known to stalk and hunt humans for food and the only way to protect yourself against a predacious black bear, or a bear protecting food, is to fight back.  Really right back.  However, if you try to be aggressive with a female, especially one with clubs, then she is most likely to attack in defense.  You’re best to walk away very slowly and calmly and remove the stress from the bear.

Bear Proofing Your Campsite

Food odors while cooking in camp is an important issue.   Always make sure to cook well away from your tent.  Never keep ANYTHING in your tent that will attract a bear.  They have been known to come into tents to steal a bottle of water or munch on a stick of deodorant.  You should also consider not cooking with strong smelling foods (the main ingredient places in bear traps is cooked bacon, sardines, and vanilla extract).