 |
|
What's New for August!
Every year in August, we travel to Salt Lake City for the annual Outdoor Retailer Show – the largest annual assemblage of outdoor gear manufacturers in the country. This is where the manufacturers show off their wares and new products for 2008 to thousands of retail buyers from around the country. All the latest and greatest new gear will be unveiled here, in the hopes of making it onto the retailers’ shelves next spring. And we at Paha Que’ will be there showing off the great new designs we’ve developed for 2008! In next months newsletter I will provide further details on our 2008 new products.
At Paha Que’ Wilderness, we strive to provide our customers with the very best in quality and performance. We also strive to support our customers after the sale. We want you to know that we stand behind our products, and continually look for ways to improve our service.
Last month we unveiled our new and improved website. If you haven’t visited our website in awhile, drop in and see what’s new! Along with the tremendous new products that we are offering this year, such as our PetShelter and the Shadow Mountain Cabana, you will also find a wealth of new resources available to our customers.
We have added Live Chat, which allows you to contact one of our friendly customer service associates in real time, anytime Monday through Friday. We have also added improved navigation to help you find what you need quicker. We are adding a Customer Comment feature to every product, so you can see what other Paha Que’ campers are saying about our products, and so you can add your own comments. We are so confident in the quality of our products the new customer comments will not be edited (except for bad words!) so you can read all comments, good or bad.
You will also be able to upload your favorite pictures of your latest campout directly to our site. The picture must include one of our tents or shelters and you, of course, having a great time camping!
Ordering directly from our website will be easier than ever, as will finding the right accessories for your existing Paha Que’ tent or shelter. Our new website will also make it easier for you to register your purchase with us, see new and improved set-up videos, download printed set-up instructions, and view camping tips, recipes, and weather reports.
Also in August, we will continue our annual camping story contest. Simply send us your real life camping story for publication on our site. Voting will begin in September with the winner announced in November. Perhaps you will the winner of a brand new Promontory Tent! Everyone who has ever camped has a great story to tell – what is yours?
If you would like to join the growing family of satisfied Paha Que’ owners, please consider taking advantage of the great offer we are extending to our newsletter subscribers. If you already own Paha Que’ gear, than we thank you for your patronage. Please let us know if we can ever be of assistance to you in the future.
Happy Trails!
Jeff Basford
President
| Old World Meets New |
By Jeffrey Basford
Last month I took my son camping for a night, just to get out of town for a bit, take a hike and enjoy the stars that night. While sitting around the fire that evening, we began to discuss all the adventures and stories we’ve gained from camping over the years. As we were talking, I did the unthinkable – I opened my laptop to make a few notes for some future articles. Now my son didn’t give it a second thought, but I’m still not completely used to all this technology in camp.
As we sat and talked, and I typed, we began to hear footsteps down in the canyon behind our camp. Being that we were on our private property, completely surrounded by National Forest, I was a little concerned to hear sounds of another human. This is not an area that you generally run into people. And you never know who you may run across out in the remote backcountry.
Continued
|
| Share Your Story or Dutch Oven Recipe |
By Anita Easton
Tell us your favorite camping story! Send us your best recipe! We would love to hear from you. Send us your story or recipe and if we publish it in the Paha Que' Newsletter you will win a Paha Que' T-shirt or cap!
We get questions regarding the care and use of Cast Iron skillets and Dutch Ovens each month. Likewise, Paha Que' Newsletter readers send us their tips and tricks for care and use of their equipment. This months Dutch Oven article covers tips for the cleaning and care of your Cast Iron cooking gear not covered in our previous Care and Handling tips. See below for this month's recipe.
Dutch Oven Shepherd's Pie
|
|
|
 |
By Pete Quintanilla
One of the most anticipated events after a long day of hiking, biking, fishing or whatever you do when tent camping is looking up into the night sky and connecting the dots, identifying constellations or dreaming of far off worlds.
Our Manager of Operations, Pete Quintanilla, follows the stars more closely than the Hubble Space Telescope! He provides you with all the celestial happenings for the month to help you better navigate the stars at night.
Click here for August's Celestial Highlights
Got an Astronomy-related question? Ask the Navigator! Answers will be posted right here in the following issue.
|
 |
By Mike Greaves
The Comforts of Home
I have heard more than a few times that you have to “rough it” to be a real camper. I believe that even Daniel Boone would have used some of the modern conveniences that we have now if they were available in his time. Comfort has a lot to do with enjoying your trip if you want my opinion.
I never sleep as well as I do when I'm out camping. I believe that is the combination of a comfortable bed and being out in the cool air under the stars.
The first thing is not to sleep on the ground. A cot or an inflatable bed or mat will make the experience all the better. I prefer a cot because I can sit up and put my shoes on in the morning or just to get up in the middle of the night when nature calls, and she almost always does, especially if it’s cold outside. A cot also provides you with storage space for most of your gear.
A night stand of some kind is also helpful for keeping items close by, such as your flashlight or a bottle of water.
The next order of business is taking a shower. After a long day of exploring or just lazing around camp, it is quite a treat to be able to wash the trail dust off before dinner or getting ready for bed. There is something about being clean that really helps with a good night sleep. There are many shower units on the market, including our PowerShower, which will do the job nicely. If you prefer, you can use a wet napkin and do it that way - up to you.
Your menu is a pretty important item. You can do much better than hot dogs and beans. With all of the dehydrated food and instant meals that are available, you can have a very good menu. There are also many kitchen devices that are on the market now that make preparing a decent meal much easier. Use your imagination and see what you come up with. I would be willing to bet that you can prepare it in camp. Check out the wonderful Dutch Oven recipe in this newsletter!
These are just a few ideas to make the campout a time to remember. If you need to “rough it” then maybe you should bring a bag of rocks to put under your sleeping bag so you will be in pain when you get up in the morning.
Think of some items that make you comfortable around the house and then look for them in your favorite outdoor store. You might be surprised what is available. Now get out.
Always be adventurous, but always be safe!
|
| The Gear Doctor |
By Anita Easton
Today’s Gear Doctor is more of a lesson than a repair - there are easy ways to make your camping trip a better experience, and here are a few hints.
- Bring a bucket. It can be used for SO MANY things. You can, of course, fetch water with it, much like Jack and Jill did - use it for washing your camp dishes after dinner. Take it to the beach, river or lake to collect shells and rocks. Haul charcoal to your BBQ. Add a plastic trash bag to have a makeshift porta potty for late night necessities.
- Take along a hammer. Use it for pounding stakes into hard ground. You can use the claw part to lift the lid on a hot Dutch oven after it’s done cooking!
- Have plenty of tape on hand. Duct tape repairs hoses on your car; blue masking tape will patch a hole in your tent; electrical tape can wrap around just about anything, even electrical wires! It is recommended that you DO NOT use duct tape on your tent for ANYTHING. It is sticky and the residue will gum up the needles on a sewing machine.
- Carry an extra pair of shoes - even flip-flops will be a welcome change to a wet pair of shoes. They also work well as a fly swatter.
- Don’t forget insect repellent. Mosquitoes or their relatives have ruined many camping trips. Anything with DEET is best. To rid the picnic table of flying pests, try a citronella candle.
Some of these SMALL hints can make a HUGE difference between a MISERABLE camping trip and a WONDERFUL experience. Try to think of multiple uses for your gear; it will add usage and remove extra clutter when you’re packing.
The Gear Doctor
Camping Checklist
|
| Free Downloads |
During our Paha Que' Wilderness treks we have seen and photographed the most incredible views, vistas and scenery. Each month we will make these images available to you as wallpaper for your computer. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
Choose the size of wallpaper you want and click to download it in a new browser window. Then, right click on the image and choose either "Set as Wallpaper" or "Set as Background"
|
|
