You never know what summer is going to throw at you, but this grab bag of gear is perfect for every summer trip.
GoPro Storm Dry Waterproof Backpack – $99.99 (gopro.com)
When adventure calls, it’s important to be ready. Enter the GoPro Storm Dry Waterproof Backpack. This pack is the perfect size for holding all your essentials with room to spare. Its rolltop design is more durable than zippers and allows you to find what you’re looking for quickly. Its welded seams make it watertight to ensure your gear and valuables stay protected no matter what the weather brings. A front waterproof pocket with key fob keeps your phone, wallet, and keys protected and in easy reach. For those who want to capture their adventure, the pack comes with a GoPro shoulder mount for hands-free filming.
CHAMA Pursuit Chair – $169.95 (chamachairs.com)
We’ve gone through our fair share of cheap folding chairs and spent untold hours shifting from side to side on five-gallon buckets. The CHAMA Pursuit Chair is an all-terrain swivel seat that puts an end to those problems. We ice fished, bowhunted turkeys, shot passing doves, glassed up mule deer, and kicked up our feet around a campfire sitting atop the Pursuit and found it to be extremely durable, lightweight, quiet, and versatile. The telescoping legs and all-terrain feet adapt to uneven ground, and the padded back is easily removed to convert the 360˚ swiveling chair into a stool. Everything about the Pursuit screams quality, including the travel bag it comes with. Exterior pockets with solid zippers have plenty of room for storing extra gear; additional straps and a padded pocket secure a gun or bow. The padded shoulder strap makes the chair a pleasure to carry in the field. We didn’t realize how much a quality chair can make a difference until we tried the Pursuit.
VR Trutta Perfetta Classic Titanium Fly Reel – $750-$835 (vr-reels.com)
This is the sexiest click-and-pawl trout reel we’ve ever seen. The Trutta Perfetta is a full-cage frame with integrated axle and a one-piece spool, all fully machined from aerospace-grade bar stock titanium. The whole thing weighs just six ounces. The Asymmetrical Pawl System provides lower resistance on the retrieve and a noticeably louder outgoing click. (The reel is easily changed from left- to right-hand retrieve with a flip of the pawl and spring.) A textured palming rim allows for increased sensitivity during a run. Including the hand-polished screws, the reel has just 22 parts, making it absurdly easy to disassemble. An optional spare parts kit ensures a lifetime of dependable use. With a spool width of just under an inch, the reel will accommodate a weight-forward 4- or 5-weight line and approximately 65 yards of 20-pound Dacron backing. At twice the strength of aluminum and completely impervious to corrosion, the titanium construction means that the Trutta Perfetta is an heirloom you’ll pass on to the next generation.
Benchmade Mini Bugout – $160 (benchmade.com)
When we first held the Mini Bugout we were shocked at how light it was. At an ounce and a half, we wondered if this smaller version of Benchmade’s Bugout series would hold up to everyday use. After carrying and using it for the better part of six months, it still looks new. You’ve achieved the perfect design when there is nothing else you can take away, and the Mini Bugout is there: perfectly proportioned and stripped to the bare essentials. The reverse pocket clip ensures the knife comes out of your pocket in the correct position every time. The blade shape is well suited to a variety of everyday tasks. The S30V steel exhibits a good balance between edge retention, corrosion resistance, and sharpenability. One feature we had never before come across in a knife is the pass-through design that allows dirt and debris (and blood) to pass through the handle instead of getting stuck and clogging the action. This is a great knife and one we expect will still be in our pockets 10 years from now.
Neutrogena Sunscreen – $7.50-$13.99 (neutrogena.com)
For years, we thought sunscreen was sunscreen. That was until a Montana guide told us the biggest danger he faced on a daily basis wasn’t mid-river boulders or class IV rapids, but the sun. Sunscreen can suck, making you feel sticky, stinging your eyes, and damaging your fly line. But skin cancer and holes in your face also suck. We’ve found Neutrogena sunscreen to be the best we’ve tried. Yes, it’s more money than the gloopy kind we used as kids, but we think it’s worth it. For one, it goes on easily and absorbs quickly. We prefer the stick variety for our face, neck, and hands; keeping lotion off your palms and fingers means it won’t transfer to your gear. Along with a proper hat, sun-protective clothing, and a buff, good sunscreen means fun in the sun without a trip to the dermatologist.
Nalgene Fitness ATB Water Bottle – $7.99 (nalgene.com)
If you’ve got dogs, pay attention: Go buy a pair of these water bottles right now. Carrying them on summer adventures means you always have water for your dog even when you’re in dry areas with little to no ground water. At 32 ounces, throwing two in your bird vest during hunting season means you have the perfect amount of water for an average outing. The plastic cap keeps dirt and feathers off the spout. The soft plastic build allows you to slowly squeeze the bottle to give Rover the perfect flow or crank up the volume to hydrate yourself when you need it. We’ve been using these for years. They are inexpensive and durable and they just plain work.
Hardy Zane Pro Rod – $850 (hardyfishing.com)
Pulling the Zane Pro from its rod tube for the first time, we were immediately impressed by the fit and finish. The stripper guides are constructed of a ceramic-lined titanium similar to the “recoil” guides on high-end conventional rods; when bent, they snap back into position rather than breaking off like traditional gathering guides. The bar stock aluminum reel seat felt sturdy, but just to be sure we chipped at it with a quarter. It didn’t leave a scratch. Something we had never seen before but have enjoyed since using the rod: Small metal caps fit inside the ferrules of the top three sections, protecting them from knicks that would otherwise jeopardize the strength of the rod. So the rod looks good, but how does it cast? Effortlessly. The Zane Pro proves it doesn’t take an extra-stiff broomstick of a rod to throw long casts. Even with our average casting ability, we were throwing the entire fly line plus several feet of backing. Yet the smooth action also lends itself to accurate short- to mid-range targets. The 9-weight model we tested on a trip to the Florida Keys performed flawlessly on everything from delicate permit presentations to jumping tarpon.
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