SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., 12/03/08 - Lost when it comes to gift ideas this holiday season for the outdoors enthusiast? Never fear! We'll show you the way to success with these must-have gift ideas for your favorite angler, camper, outdoor chef and trekker. You'll get added value with these items as they can be used at home or in the outdoors.
The Light Fantastic - The new Coleman 3AAA LED Multi-Color Flashlight will be a very welcome gift for the outdoors person on your Christmas list. Lightweight yet quite bright, the rugged anodized aluminum light is multi-functional. It not only provides a strong white beam of all-purpose light rated at 65 lumens, it also is easily switched to a red beam for enhanced night vision and a blue beam for reading maps or blood trailing. Run time ranges from six to 50 hours. It operates on three AAA batteries and weighs just 4.8 ounces. Featuring the latest LED technology, the Multi-Color Flashlight is available at mass merchants and sporting goods retailers nationwide or via coleman.com. MSRP is $29.99.
Taste the Flavor of the Wild Year Round - Hunters and anglers like to enjoy their wild game and fish all year long, but let's face it, freezing and vacuum packaging the meat can be a pretty expensive deal, until now. Instead of spending a hundred bucks or more for bulky countertop appliances, the ZipVac Portable Food Storage System kit is affordable and perfect for both indoors and outdoors.
Named "Best New Fishing Accessory" from among dozens of new products at this year's international tackle show, the ZipVac Portable Food Storage System is a new portable vacuum-packaging appliance consisting of durable, freezable, microwavable, boilable, patented ZipVac bags, a portable hand-held rechargeable electric vacuum pump and small manual air removal pump - both of which fit the bags' patented valve system.
Food will lose its fresh taste quickly, even in the freezer, because of air and moisture. Traditional packaging methods -butcher paper, freezer bags and aluminum foil - might delay freezer burn, but cannot prevent it. The only way to really protect the food is with vacuum packaging. Unlike most other food storage bags, the barrier protection of ZipVac prevents oxidation, which is critical in maintaining the integrity of fresh fish and game. When food is vacuum packaged, odors and stale taste are locked out. Vacuum-packed food takes up less freezer space as well.
ZipVac bags come in a variety of sizes - quart, gallon, filet and jumbo. Of great interest to hunters is that ground meat, which comprises a high percentage of game meat, has a freezer life of about one year when vacuum packed with ZipVac, compared with four months of normal freezer life using other methods. Visit zipvac.net for more information and to locate the nearest retailer. MSRP for the kit with both pumps and starter supply of bags is $39.95.
No more battery blues - Don't let the outdoor enthusiast on your list start the season stranded in the driveway or at the dock with a dead boat or off-road vehicle battery. Argus Analyzers recently introduced an affordable new device called the Battery Bug - Starting Battery Monitor (SBM). It attaches directly to your starting battery, tests your battery every start, tracks the battery's decline in health and sounds an alarm when the battery approaches end of life. A simple "fuel gauge" display shows where your battery is in its lifespan. In other words, it tells you precisely when your battery needs to be replaced - not too early or too late - just in time for springtime activities. Don't let a dying battery put a damper on your recreational activities. For more information, visit batterybug.com. MSRP is $39.95.
Get reel - The new U.S. Reel SuperCaster 1000 and SuperCaster 1000 Pro let anglers cast farther with faster lure speed and less effort than other baitcasters since there's no friction-causing levelwind eyelet in this revolutionary design with its reverse-rotation spool. The rolling motion of a rotating bar levels the line instead. This is the performance edge anglers have dreamt about. In addition, there are few backlashes with the reel. The See-Saw Levelwind levels the line on the spool by a rotating angled bar that creates a see-saw effect to guide the line. It is adjustable and its height actually regulates casting control. The SC1000 features an exclusive "reverse rotation" spool to complement the See-Saw Levelwind System. When the line comes out from below the spool, spool control is improved with the spool turning into the thumb. Visit usreel.com for more information. MSRP starts at $199.99 and $249.99.
Santa's New Sleigh - The 2009 Toyota Venza is a versatile five-passenger vehicle that couples the styling and comfort of a passenger car with the flexibility of an SUV, to give customers a stylish alternative to the traditional sedan. With excellent fuel economy, innovative design, outstanding front and rear headroom and excellent value, Venza raises the bar for ride comfort and utility. The Venza also offers SUV-like features such as available all-wheel drive (AWD), foldable rear seats, large cargo area, higher driver sightline, and up to 3,500 lbs. towing. Power comes from an all-new four-cylinder engine or a powerful V6. Visit toyota.com for more information. Suggested Retail Price: starting at $25,975.