REVIEW – Fire pits have become a must-have backyard item. I have many friends that have many different brands and styles of firepit. I had a total DIY solution that was effective, but not very attractive, and always smoky. The Breeo X24 Smokeless Firepit solves both of those issues – it looks fantastic, and once […]
Breeo X24 Smokeless Fire Pit review – the last fire pit you’ll ever need to buy Read More
REVIEW – I love camping and spending time in the woods. My favorite time camping is in the mornings, before most people are awake. Making coffee outside while camping is a bit of a ritual for me and a very special time. The VSSL Nest Pour Over Kit + Java G25 grinder bundle makes it a
VSSL Nest Pour Over with Java G25 Grinder bundle review – great coffee, anywhere! Read More
REVIEW – Television technology is changing rapidly, with features and quality that appeared on high-end TVs just a few years ago making their way down to the mid-range models now. That’s what the QM6K series from TCL represents – premium features, in a mid-priced package. Our first flat-screen TV was a chunker – it was
TCL QM6K Series TV review – Fantastic picture for a mid-level price! Read More
REVIEW – My family and I love to camp, but we don’t limit our camping to just the warm months. Having a nice blanket that you can use outside by the campfire is a necessity for “shoulder season” camping. While you can theoretically use any blanket for this, normal household blankets pose some challenges for
REVIEW – I have a lot of “smart” products in my house. In fact, I just checked and there are currently 38 things connected to the Wireless network in my house. And only a few of them are phones, tablets, or computers. Most of our smart devices are smart lights, smart plugs, and smart speakers.
REVIEW – I wear earbuds several times a day for different activities. I’ve typically gravitated toward the in-ear style that closes off your ear canal. Those sound great and can have noise-canceling technology, but they block out environmental sounds and can get uncomfortable afterward. I’ve been looking for an open-style earbud to overcome these issues
REVIEW – Our house has two living rooms, and we recently redid our “back” living room. Since that’s where the wood stove is, and a big new couch, we’ve been spending more time there. Our front living room has a TV with soundbar, but the back living room just has a TV with built-in TV
REVIEW – As we come into the holiday (and eating!) season, a lot of people will be paying attention to their weight, myself included. I’m a competitive athlete, but tend toward the “big boned” side of things. So I need to pay attention to my body composition and distribution of muscle and fat to ensure
RunStar Smart Scale review – a lot of information, at (and from!) your fingertips. Read More
REVIEW – If you spend any time with a vehicle in the outdoors, you’ll encounter a need for a shovel. It can be for digging out of a snowbank, cleaning out a fire pit, or for me most recently, seeing an awesome patch of wild roadside black eyed susan and bee balm (wild flowers) to
Gerber Dredge Folding Shovel review – A great folding shovel with a strange name Read More
REVIEW – We recently went on a family vacation to a state park and stayed in the park cabins. While we had a great time, the beds were awful. Plastic prison mattresses with broken springs that poked all night and made awful noises. This is a trip we take every year and we knew the
Cherimor air mattress review – a portable bed, but better! Read More
REVIEW – I have tended to keep wallets for a very long time in fact, in the slightly over half a century that I’ve been on this planet, I have only had 3. I’ve worn them all out, and they’ve all been the same – a nylon billfold with a velcro closure. But what I
Ekster Cardholder Pro wallet review – a new style wallet for all you really need to carry Read More
REVIEW – I exercise a lot outdoors, alone. That gives me an opportunity to listen to music, podcasts, and audio books, which I absolutely love. But running and riding bikes on streets with cars can be a bit dangerous, even more so when you can’t hear those cars coming. My “go-to” ear buds for my
Shokz Openfit Air earbuds review – All your audio, while still hearing your environment Read More
REVIEW –My family and I live to be outside as much as possible all year long. We love camping, road trips, and spending time with family and friends. A lot of these activities involve coolers, which are great for keeping things cold, but come with the hassle of ice, the water that results from the
REVIEW – I am a passionate and dedicated cyclist, and have been for the last 30 years. I ride on the roads with cars several times a week, but I’m always nervous about it, and getting more so. Just this year alone, several of my friends and riding buddies have been hit by cars, one
Trek CarBack Radar Rear Bike Light review – Ride on the roads with newfound confidence! Read More
REVIEW – I wear sport earbuds a lot. Several times a day, in fact. It starts when I walk my dog in the morning, continues when I run or cycle, and then usually once again on another dog walk. That’s the daily. Then throw in traveling, mowing the grass, and innumerable other random occasions, and
REVIEW – My wife loves hot tubs. Whenever we travel, a hot tub is the first filter on the Airbnb listing that she checks – it’s a “must-have.” I’ve always been opposed to getting one at home due to the initial cost both for the tub, and also to have a new 220V line run
REVIEW – I’m fortunate to live in an area with epic cycling right out my front door. However, not all my rides start at my house. Often I am driving to a different area or heading to a race, which means I ned a bag for my gear. I usually grabbed whatever was closest –
REVIEW – I find myself tinkering quite a bit. We have an off-grid solar system that powers my home office and all of our outdoor lighting, with a Redodo 12V 200Ah battery as the hub. We built a camper from a cargo trailer. I’m constantly building or rewiring something. All of this involves wiring, and
Tesmen TWS-322 self-adjusting wire strippers review Read More
REVIEW – Carrying small bits of gear on your bike like an inner tube, small jacket, or a snack traditionally meant a bag that hung off the back of your seat, or maybe a handlebar bag. These work to carry things, but it’s not easy to grab what you need while riding. Enter the Race
REVIEW – Our family room has been the main gathering place in our house since we moved in in 2005. We got a new sofa then, and it survived almost 20 years and two kids. It was still comfortable, but in rough shape. When the opportunity to review the FlexiSpot modular sofa, I jumped on