Origami and your dinner

Mom always said “Don’t play with your food,” but nobody says you can’t play with your plate. Or your bowl, your mug or your cup. If you haven’t seen the plates, bowls and cups from Orikaso, you should check em out. They weigh next to nothing and you can have races with your friends to see you assembles the whole set faster. Take a peek by clicking here.

Camelbak ponies up to the bar

Try this out.  Camelbak’s introduced a drink mix tablet that has all the right ingredients without gumming up your bladder.  Only 10 calories per serving, and no messy clean up!  Did we mention your bladders won’t be gummed up?  Well they won’t.  Wanna see?  Click Here: http://www.buckscountyoutfitters.com/store/product/48476/Camelbak-Elixr-Supplement%2C-Lemon-Lime/

7 Tips for a perfect bootfitting experience

If you’ve never bought outdoor footwear before, follow these tips to ensure you get a correct fit: 

1.  Measure Both Feet:  Have your helpful salesperson measure both of your feet with a Brannock device.  Most people have feet that vary in size, and as we get older your feet often change shape.  Start with sizes that fit the larger foot.

2.  Get loose:  You often hear to try on footwear at the end of the day.  This is good advice, because your feet will usually be loosened up after a day of walking around.  Another option is to go for a 5-10 minute stroll before trying on footwear.  The reason for this is that your feet elongate as you put weight on them.  If you’re not ‘loosened up’ your feet won’t elongate as much, and thus the shoes will fit differently before a hike than after a hike.  You want to make sure there’s enough room in the boot or shoe for when your feet are at the maximum elongation point.

3.  Try on lots of styles:  For God’s sake, at least try the boots on!  Some customers buy strictly based on size and march out without trying on their new boots.   Even if you’ve bought the same style before, there can be variations between manufacturing runs and you should try everything on.  Trying on lots of styles allows you to feel different shoe lasts, or shapes, and determine what’s most comfortable for your foot type.

4.  Test for heel slippage.  While walking around, pay attention to heel slippage.  You don’t want your heel to be moving in the back of the shoe.  This can lead to some nasty heel blisters on trail.  Try tightening your laces very snu, especially at the top.  If the heel still slips, the store may be able to adjust the shape of the heel counter by heating it up and forming it to your heel.  We do this in a commercial rice cooker, and it works magic.  If it can’t be adjusted, the heel cup is probably too wide and you should try another style. 

5.  Toe crunch (Ow!): If there is a ramp in the store, stand face down on it and stomp up and down like a Soviet solder in Red Square.  This will simulate going down hill.  If your foot slides forward and you are hitting the end of the shoe or boot, this will probably cause problems outdoors.  Make sure your laces are very snug and try again.  If you’re hitting right away, the shoe may be too short.  If you’re sliding forward, the shoe may be too long or have too much volume for your foot.  Try another style.

6.  A primer on socks:  We see too many people buy nice hiking boots that intend to wear their normal cotton tube socks.  We beg you, get some new socks.  Your feet sweat as you walk and hike, and that moisture has to go somewhere.  Cotton socks retain moisture, and these wet spots become friction points that create blisters.  Wool or synthetic materials like Coolmax get the moisture away from your foot and into the air.  Merino wool like that used in Smartwool or Icebreaker products doesn’t itch and will keep you comfortable year round.  Please, please get out of those cotton socks.  Try on your footwear in the socks you’re going to use with them.  The volume of the sock affects the fit. 

7.  No pain, no gain is baloney:  Your footwear needs to be comfortable in the store.  If there are pressure points in a carpeted, air-conditioned store, we assure you they will be worse on a 10 mile hike.  If you have bunions, bone spurs, extra toes or other such shapes on your foot, the footwear can often be comformed to your feet to make them comfortable.  Proper cobbling gear is required for this and leather shoes are especially pliable for this purpose.  Ask your salesperson if they can custom fit your footwear for you. 

 Follow these tips and you’ll be much happier with your footwear purchase.  To see our footwear selection, visit us here.

Coffee Addicts Rejoice!

Now you can get good tasting coffee without lugging your coffee gear onto the trail.  Java Juice is coffee extract and only needs hot water to make good tasting coffee.  Leave your grinder at home and try these compact packets for your next overnight.  No more cowboy coffee!  Hurray!   Ready to try some?  Click here:  http://www.buckscountyoutfitters.com/store/category/2/192/Dried-Food/Coffee/

Pith Helmets and high fashion?

Where have you been?  You obviously didn’t realize you should be wearing a pith helmet this summer.  Fortunately, it’s not too late.  Light, tough and especially stylish, these are great lids.  And don’t forget, Halloween is just around the corner.  Dr. Livingston, I presume?  Get yours here. 

New blog from BCO

Who wants to have fun?  We started this blog to inform and entertain in the world of outdoor gear.  Check back for outdoor tips, new gear announcements and occasional nonsense.