Cascade Outfitters’s Blog – Top Quality Rafts, Inflatable Kayaks & River Equipment

With the holidays just around the corner, we teamed up with the one and only Santa to help us create a contest to say thanks to all of our loyal customers.  We asked Santa to hide a bunch of images around our website (www.cascadeoutfitters.com) that would represent various prizes.  We are pleased to say that Santa did a great job and we here at Cascade Outfitters have been struggling to find them ourselves!

So what cool items is Santa giving away?  He picked 13 prizes in all, including:

(1)   Maravia Silverback Pad

FOUND!!!!!!!!

*0 Left!*

(2)   Wireless EcoXBT Speakers

2 FOUND!!!!

*0 Left!*

(10) L’il Sucker Drink Holders

*9 FOUND

*1 Left!* keep on searching!!!

The 3 different images that he scattered around our website (www.cascadeoutfitters.com) are a turkey , a cornucopia, and a leaf.  Santa could have hidden these anywhere!  They could be in the text of an item, in an image, in our resources section..  We don’t even know!  If you find an image, we’ll check with Santa and see if he did indeed hide an image where you think you saw it.

To sum it up, here’s what you’re looking for:

Find the leaf and you’ll win a Maravia Silverback Pad!

Find a cornucopia and you’ll be jamming to your favorite tunes with your new Wireless ECO XBT Bluetooth Speaker!

Find a turkey and you’ll have the coolest drink holder on the river, a L’il Sucker!

When you find an item: post the link to the image where you found it to our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/cascadeoutfitters).  Or post it to our Blog (blog.cascadeoutfitters.com).  You can also email neil@cascadeoutfitters.com the link.  We will not accept phone calls regarding found images.

Once an image has been found, we will update the blog to show which images are no longer eligible.  So if you haven’t won yet, keep checking the blog to see the status of the prizes remaining.

THE CONTEST OFFICIALLY STARTS NOW, and will end as soon as all of the prizes have been found and posted.  Limit one prize per person!  Don’t give away the hiding spots if you find more…  Winners will be declared at the sole discretion of Cascade Outfitters.  Cascade Outfitters will cover ground shipping within the Continental United States.  May the best scavenger hunters win!

***Important*** If you are a winner, please email neil@cascadeoutfitters.com, and provide your name, address, and phone number.  We will send your prize out within 2 business days.

Ever wondered how to correctly apply ethafoam to a drybox?  Check out this video to learn how we do it here at Cascade Outfitters!  If you have any questions, feel free to call us at 800-223-7238 during our normal business hours (Monday through Friday 9am to 6pm MST) or email neil@cascadeoutfitters.com.  We also sell ethafoam if you’d like to give it a shot!  You can find it on our website in the drybox section, here.  We also can install it in-house if you’d rather just let us handle it.  Enjoy!

It’s that time of year when people start thinking of hunting, winter camping, and maybe even traveling abroad to escape the cooler temperatures that Fall and Winter so kindly give to us.  More often than not, these activities go smoothly, and we return home with wonderful memories, new perspectives, and stronger than we were before.

The truth of the matter is that sometimes things don’t always go quite as expected; our car breaks down, accidents happen, and what would normally be no problem in a civilized area can became a disaster in the blink of an eye.  If you’re within cell phone range, one phone call can solve everything.

As adventure seekers, however, a lot of the areas we frequent are remote; it can take days to get to the places we go, whether it be by foot, by raft, or some other non-motorized means.  Often, this puts us outside of cell range, beyond the reaches of the cities and towns we live in.  So what can we do in an emergency if we are beyond the borders of our phone carriers reception?  A sure fire way to make sure we can stay connected when it matters is with the use of a satellite phone.

Satellite phones operate with the use of, you guessed it, satellites.  At any given moment, a satellite is roaming above us, directing calls placed from a satellite phone somewhere on our planet.  As one satellite drops over the horizon, another appears on the opposite horizon.  What this means to the consumer, is that as long as they have a clear view of the sky (unobstructed by trees, canyons, etc) they have the ability to reach out for help if they need to.  Satellite phone technology really is a modern marvel that has changed the way we can travel safely!

We have been renting Iridium satellite phones for several years now here at Cascade Outfitters, and have heard many stories from our customers about how having a satellite phone with them saved a life (whether it was their own or someone that was with them), or got them out of a dicey situation.  No matter how experienced everyone on your journey is, there is always the possibility of something going wrong.  A satellite phone is a great way to get a little added reassurance and peace of mind.

All of our rental phones are Iridium 9505As.  They come complete in a waterproof Pelican Case, with a wall charger and quick reference sheet.  Additional accessories are also available to rent depending on your needs.

If you would like more information about our rental program, or how satellite phones work, feel free to give us a call at 800-223-7238, send an email to our general mailbox, mail@cascadeoutfitters.com, or check them out on our website here. We would love to explain how the program works, and help provide you with a little more comfort on your next outing.  As always, you can also stop by our shop in Boise if you’re in the area and come say hi.

All of us here at Cascade Outfitters would like to wish you all a safe and fulfilling Fall!  Cheers ~

First and foremost, we here at Cascade Outfitters would like to thank everyone who participated in our contest by either voting or entering a photo.  There were some great entries and we always enjoy seeing what our customers are up to over the summer!

If you are listed as a winner, please contact us at 800-223-7238 or send us an email at neil@cascadeoutfitters.com to claim your prize…  Enough jibber jabber… lets get to the good stuff!

First place, with 218 votes, goes to Kathy Daly in Oregon.  She submitted this picture titled “Cabarton Perfect Day”.

Great river to float if only for a day. Relax, take a few strokes, then get ready for some whitewater. Every trip should have as much variety. Beautiful day, but what day isn’t when on any RIVER!!

Kathy is now the proud owner of an Eco Terra Boombox!  She’ll be enjoying some of her favorite tunes next time she sets her blades in the water!  Thanks for the pic Kathy!!!  If you’d like more info on the boombox, you can check out my blog post about it here or order one for yourself here.

The Honorable Mention award, with 150 votes, goes to Andy McFarland and his awesome picture of Wendi hitting the 5th wave in Hermit on the Grand Canyon, titled appropriately “Wendi in Hermit”.

Keep your fluff and pretense – I want the woman who can center punch the 5th wave in Hermit and come out the other side smiling, regardless of the outcome.

Thanks for the sweet picture Andy!  You’ll be receiving an 18oz Hydroflask with a Hydro Flip Coffee Lid!

And finally… the Cascade Outfitters Choice award…  The winner was unanimous, Dylan Holt, you are the proud owner of a new Woody Dutch Oven! Dylan’s picture was titled “Lochsa Falls Wheelie!”.

A photo taken from Lochsa Madness. A crew from Montana loaded up the back of their AIRE puma and the girl up front got the ride of a lifetime. She stayed on while everybody else got dumped.

Check out my recent post about the Woody Dutch Oven here.  This is a super cool product that has a cool history behind it!  You can order one here.

Thanks again to everyone who participated!  Keep an eye on our Facebook page as well; I’ll be creating a folder that includes all of the submissions.

And remember, if you are one of the winners, please contact us at 800-223-7238 or email neil@cascadeoutfitters.com.  Congratulations to Kathy Daly, Andy McFarland, and Dylan Holt!  Enjoy your new gear!!!

Introducing, the waterproof Eco Terra Boombox, made by Grace Digital!  When we first received these, I had to get one to try it out.  That was over a month ago, and my Eco Terra has logged many o’ river miles since then.  I can honestly say, this is one of my favorite raft purchases of the summer.

So are they truly waterproof?  Absolutely!  I tested the product with paper towels inside first, so as to not put by beloved Droid at risk.  The result?  Dryer than the Mojave Desert inside!  At this point I figured it was time to test it out in the place it would be spending most of its time…. on the river (with my phone inside of course)!  Attached to an inside d-ring on my boat, this little speaker produces a BIG sound that is more than enough for myself and my boat mates.  In fact, having it near full volume it is too loud, and we actually have to turn it down a bit so it’s not overwhelming.

For Iphone and Droid users, it features outside controls (please note the outside controls are not compatible with all Android phones), so you don’t have to open the case to get to your player and skip songs or adjust the volume.  Not having to expose my phone to the elements at all (especially on the river) is a huge plus to me!  If for some reason, however, your Eco Terra falls in to the river, it floats too  so you won’t have to worry about it swimming with the fishes (although they probably would enjoy it!).

The next point I’d like to mention is the battery life.  For a 2 speaker boom box that produces sound as loud as it does, it still boasts battery life of over 25 hours.  I personally have logged at least 10 hours on the river and a little less than that off river, and it still working perfectly.  No distortion, no loss of volume… perfection!

All in all, this speaker has been a huge hit amongst me and my river friends.  It’s provided plenty of good tunes while drifting along the river, and has been great at camp to create a fun atmosphere for the evening activities.

Some more features worth mentioning:

IPX7 Approved (International Weatherproofing Standard)

Floats and submersible (it even rights itself so the speakers are facing up!)

(2) 3″ full range forward firing speakers

Can run off batteries or with the supplied AC adaptor

Will float up to 2lbs of your gear (in case your run out of space in your dry box)

Exterior pressure release valve the ensures a tight seal and makes the case easy to open at both high and low elevation

Detachable caribiner clips for attaching to various things

Auxiliary audio in

And probably the best feature of this great gadget?  You get to make your friends jealous of your sweet tunes on the river!

If you’d like to order one or find more information, you can find them on our website here.  You might also enjoy the Eco Terra’s little brother, the Eco Extreme.
You can always call our shop during our normal business hours as well (9am-6pm Monday through Friday MST) if you have any questions or would like to order one over the phone.

If you haven’t entered yet, there’s still time if you can rally enough of your friends to vote for you!  There are some great prizes up for grabs, including a waterproof boombox, a dutch oven, and a Hydroflask!  For more details, click the following link: https://www.facebook.com/CascadeOutfitters/app_197602066931325

There’s a new competitor in the world of dutch oven cooking…. well… sort of.  Woody Dutch Ovens, built entirely in Caledonia, Michagan, are a throw back to somewhat of a legend in dutch oven cooking, Woody Woodruff.  Woody made his original aluminum dutch ovens as a lighter and easier to handle alternative to traditional cast iron dutch ovens, not to mention they required no special seasonings to use because of their pebble grain finish.

Mr. and Mrs. Woodruff at a cooking demo in Pennsylvania. Photo taken in 1977.

So how did the Woody Dutch Oven get its second life?  Rocky, the founder of Woody Dutch Ovens, was at a event where there was a session about back country cooking.  The man running the session (Michael Gray) was using a 2 piece aluminum pot.  Rocky inquired about the device, and the man said it was a Woody Dutch Oven (one of the originals from the 70′s!).  A partnership was formed.  The 2 worked closely together to revive the unique dutch oven, making small improvements along the way to make it more versatile and user friendly.

We at Cascade Outfitters are very happy to have created a new friendship with Rocky, and are pleased to be a dealer for his dutch oven.  It has been very well accepted by our clients, and we look forward to seeing it in use on many river trips ahead.

For those of you that haven’t picked up a Woody Dutch Oven yet, here are some of the key features:

- Attachable legs on bottom allow easy stacking of the Woody Dutch Oven

- Cover has a location to install a thermometer if desired

- Cover can be used as another pot or pan

- Use an aluminum foil cake pan for quick and easy meal changes

- Designed to prevent warping

- Both halves can hold up to 2 quarts

- No seasoning required

If you’d like to get more details about the Woody Dutch Oven or order one, you can see find it here on our website.  If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 800-223-7238 during our normal business hours (9am-6pm M-F MST).  And as always, if you’re local in Boise, come down and say hi!

*** This is also one of the prizes in our 2012 Facebook Photo Contest!  You can check the contest out and enter it here.