1 week Ago By RICK WINDHAM Outdoor columnist
OUTDOORS We are wrapping up the year and that means it is time for the 2024 Christmas Wish List! For the last 26 years, this annual column has become very popular with many readers. It's also unique because it is the only column of the year where I provide the same information for all the publications I work with. Everyone who reads my columns should know about these items! As I've explained in the past, this is a list of some of the best items that I have had the opportunity to field test over the last year.
Each item has survived the abuse of my hunting, fishing or camping trips. I admit, I'm tough on equipment! As my Dad, the Ol' Marine would say, "Boy, you could tear up a crowbar in a sand pile!" The very fact that a product can survive a few of trips with me says something. If a product can endure my use in the field, most people can get years of service out of it! Most importantly, before I recommend that you spend any of your hard-earned money on a product, particularly in today's economy, I want to make sure it works the way it is supposed to and that it can endure the rigors of the outdoors.
There is no particular order to the list. All these items are worth a look: Ozark Trail 7-IN-1 Knife — This knife has a single locking blade, flashlight, fire starter, glass breaker, small rope/seatbelt cutter, bottle opener, belt clip and lanyard so you don't lose it. It is a lot of tool for the money.
It is made by Ozark Trail. You can find this at Walmart for about $10. Ozark Trail Folding Knife — This is another Walmart find with a single 31⁄4-inch locking blade, pocket clip, and has a stag antler-looking handle that just looks cool! I couldn't resist this one and the cost is only $5.
Guidesman Sandstorm — This is a single 3.75-inch, locking blade folding knife with woodlook composite handles. It has a very clean and functional look.
It is just a touch over 8-inches long when open. I like the size and feel of this knife, and I've been using it for a few months now. You can find it at Menards for about $10.
Ozark Trail Collapsible Bowls — This is a 2-pack of food grade silicone bowls that collapse almost flat. Use them for soup, stews, hand washing basins, parts holders, dog bowls or a dozen other uses. They are handy to have around camp and easily fit in a small daypack.
The pair comes with a small carabineer so you can keep them clipped together when you're not using them. Walmart has these for about $6. Pampered Chef Kitchen Spritzer — OK, this is a weird one, but I look for stuff that works, regardless of its original intention.
In the kitchen you use this by putting cooking oil in it and misting/ spraying pots/pans before cooking. It atomizes the oil extremely well and atomized droplets are very small and will travel long distance on the wind, So, I got one of these to test whether it can disperse deer scent as well as cooking oil. It does! It is reusable and you can put your favorite deer scent in it at the beginning each season.
One hint: Don't take it home and use it in the kitchen ever again! It makes things taste funny. You can get this from anyone who sells Pampered Chef or order it online through several websites. Cost runs $16 to $20, depending on where you buy it.
NEBO IllumaTrace — Lighting in the outdoor is always important and NEBO offers a light for hunters. This is a multi-function flashlight with patent-pending technology that revolutionizes blood trail detection. You can easily track the path to any animal with alternating strobes that makes blood trails jump out at you! It works against most back-grounds and in all terrains.
Cohagen Battery Store, 320 S. Dewey in North Platte, carries this light. Cost is about $60.
NEBO Bando — NEBO came up with another winner with this one. It is a 3-in-1 work light that is 29 inches long and can be manipulated to focus the light on where you are working. It is 1,000 Lumens, but adjustable for lower setting.
It has the white work light but can be switch to two different modes of red and become a safety light if you breakdown on the side of the road. The handles are magnetic mounts so you can attach it under a hood/trunk lid or to the side of your vehicle to be able to change a tire in the dark. It can also act as a power supply and charge up your cell phone or other electronics.
Cohagen's carries this too, and the price is $70. Tenkara Satoki Rod — Tenkara is an ancient form of fishing from the mountains in Japan. It dates back hundreds of years.
If you like low-tech/minimalist angling, you'll love Tenkara. It is perfect for fishing small ponds, creeks and streams. This will need to be an internet order.
Go to tenkararodco.com . The Satoki rod is what I've been using, and it comes with an aluminum tube/case, rod sock, and other accessories you'll need.
There are other models of Tenkara rods. The company is doing an end-of-the-year sale, so prices for Tenkara fishing systems start around $135. Western Crafts 4U — Stephanie Lindsay is an artisan in leather.
If you can envision it, she can make it and she does all her work by hand! She has made a couple of holsters for me, and they are exactly what I wanted. Both holsters are styled after the old cavalry holster from the 1800s, the ones with the flap that covers and protects the pistol. I had her make my first one in a cross-draw design.
I think I paid $200 for that one. I liked it so much that I had her make another one in a traditional right hip draw design. I also have a checkbook holder from her that may never wear out! Cost depends on what you want.
You will just have to talk with her. Her phone number is 308-250-2840. Taurus G3c — If you are looking for a reliable home defense/ concealed carry gun, take a good look at the Taurus G3c 9mm compact.
I got one of these for some field testing back in March and it has past every test I've put it through. I've never had a feed or extraction failure with this pistol and I have cycled about 400 rounds through it in the last eight months. Its compact design means that it will fit well in most people's hands.
The pistol comes with three 12 round magazines. I have seen this pistol on sale at Dunham's for under $200 recently. At that price, they may not last long.
RockPot — This is the most ingenious product I have reviewed this year. It looks like a small crock pot, but it has no external means of power — no electricity, no propane, no LP gas. The heat to cook comes from a "rock" that you heat up and sat in the bottom of the unit.
The "rock" can be heated on a stove, in a fireplace or in a campfire. You put whatever you want to cook into a pot that fits inside the unit, cover it with the lid that is provided, close the latch on top and it cooks while you are traveling or doing what ever you need to do until it is time to eat. I'm a Dutch oven fan and several of my recipes have adapted well to the RockPot.
All components are dishwasher safe. This is an internet only order from Rock Pot at rockpotusa.com .
The RockPot Bundle, which has the 7.5-quart pot, main pot, two stackable pots a meat cooking grill, a rock lifter for when it's hot and a padded carrying case sells for $229. Have a very Merry Christmas! Get local news delivered to your inbox!.
