2016 FISH, HUNT & RIDE -- SUMMER | Page 38

COOLGEAR FOR THE SUMMER SEASON Gearing up for a summer outdoors READ BEFORE YOU BUY By Jeff Morrison This spring I had the good fortune to field-test some of the top gear and gadgets on the market, to help make your adventures afield more enjoyable. We’ll start with wheels. 2016 FORD EXPLORER PLATINUM The 2016 Ford Explorer Platinum I road-tested during my annual fishing trip proved that this automaker remains a solid contender in the off-road SUV segment. The Explorer of today, unlike those of 30 years ago, has evolved into luxury. The Platinum edition I tested came complete with every bell and whistle a sportsman would ever want, and a standard 365-hp, 3.5-litre, V6 engine, providing more than ample kick under the hood. The ride was smooth and silky with smaller bumps soaked up like a sponge, and trust me, the dirt roads to our camp in Quebec’s Laurentians offer more than a few bumps and curves. The Platinum is equipped with an intelligent four-wheel-drive feature and sophisticated terrain management system which responds and reacts to road conditions in the blink of an eye. The system monitors parameters such as throttle position, wheel speed and steering wheel angle making your off-road experience a thing of perfection. The result is optimal distribution of front and rear torque calculated on the fly, keeping the vehicle stable on virtually any terrain. Don’t kid yourself; the Explorer Platinum is a true luxury beast competing with the likes of the Land Rover LR4 and Porsche Cayenne. With a MSRP of just under $60K, this SUV falls into a limited customer market, yet for those who can afford it there’s a good bang for the buck! For more information check out http://www.ford.com/suvs/ explorer/trim/platinum/ 38 | FISH, HUNT RIDE JEFF MORRISON CARHARTT CLOTHING REVIEW I tried out three Carhartt clothing items recently: the Sandstone Jackson Coat, relaxed fit dungarees and the weather canvas shirt. Field-testing these clothes means wearing something while enjoying the harshest activity you can think of in the harshest conditions, to see how it stands up. My first test of ruggedness came during a deep woods portage to an off-the-beatenpath Laurentian trout lake during an unseasonable cold snap with flurries. I’m pleased to report the Jackson coat, jeans and shirt all performed swimmingly and I was neither cold nor wet. Each item proved resilient to abrasion while I scampered across rough bedrock or busted through cedar swales with a canoe on my head, and remained comfortable all the while. Carhartt is known as the working man’s apparel though, as I discovered, it’s equally at home in the great outdoors. For more info on Carhartt: http://www. carhartt.com/ DANNER SUPER RAIN FOREST BOOTS I tested these earlier this spring though they’re not the usual footwear for me; they are not even hunting boots, though they can be used as such. So, thanks to my friend Erin Braun of Danner boots for setting me www.fishhuntandride.ca