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