Doubletough Outdoors

I’m a self-professed bag nut. Computer bags, luggage, briefcases, hunting packs, day packs, camera bags….I can’t get enough.  That came to an abrupt end with the Badlands Ultra Day pack which I finally got my hands on in 2008. I say “finally” because I had hard time justifying paying the big bucks for another hunting pack that would likely be at the bottom of the closet when it would surely disappoint.  I can happily say that is not the case and the Ultra Day has become my go-to piece of gear when I load up the truck for a weekend in the deer stand.

Read more…

Gear Review backpack, Hunting

You don’t have to venture out of the big city to find industrious good ‘ol boys.  Not far from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, Doubletough contributor Ceth Land found these new-fangled deer stands converted from port-a-johns.

Note the fine craftsmanship: custom deer, deer head, duck and palm tree stencils, hinged shooter winders (aka windows) and toilet paper holder.  Skip the $175 reinforced steel, 20′ ladder stand and grab one of these handmade-in-the-South, weather resistant deer closets for $250.  They’ll even throw in a free Go Cocks! bumper sticker for the ride home.

Gear Review deer stand, South Carolina

Dayne Shuda of Hunting Business Marketing recently reviewed Trophy Score, an iPhone application for scoring big game developed by Doubletough Ventures, the company behind DoubletoughOutdoors.com.

Trophy Score was extremely simple to use. There are easy help directions for each section of the scoring procedure. It was easy to enter in my measurements. The 1/8 button made it even simpler and faster.

We all know about the Booner bucks, SCI monsters and Pope and Young heroes – you see them in the outdoor magazines every month.  Trophy Score is for the rest of us, who take a trophy animal that may not qualify for the world record books but are the biggest we’ll ever shoot ourselves.  Dayne nails this aspect of the app and the companion website, Anchorpoint.

I went to the living room by my trophy whitetail buck (it’s a trophy in my eyes) and began working with Trophy Score to score my buck.

It’s a trophy in my eyes.

Carrying around a photo of your big game animal on your phone is nice, but when synced to Anchorpoint is where the beauty of the system is revealed; now you can compare your trophy to others, research areas to hunt for trophy potential, and learn what to look for when sizing up a buck in the field.

Trophy Score does more than deer. Score elk, turkey, bear, caribou, kudu and a lot more, plus many subspecies.

Check out Hunting Business Marketing’s full review here, then get yourself a copy of Trophy Score. [iTunes link]

After the Hunt, Asides, Gear Review Anchorpoint, Trophy Score

With all the “decade in review” commentaries floating around, particularly with looks back on technological advancements, my thoughts floated all the way back to 1999 when my Dad escorted me to Itasca State Park in northern Minnesota.  I had it stuck in my mind that I would canoe the length of the Mississippi River and he rode along with me so he could see that part of the country and return my truck to North Carolina.  While my misguided adventure was short-lived (one night, to be exact), the road trip ranks among my most memorable.

By 1999 I had driven solo cross-country more times than I had toes, and always with a copy of “Roadside America” on hand.  I just moved back from Colorado and thought I’d take the spring and summer to go on this grand adventure inspired by thoughts of Huckleberry Finn and encouraged by Eddy Harris’ book, “Mississippi Solo“.  I bought a 16′ Old Town canoe, christened it “Due South”, loaded up my brittany spaniel, Durango, and we were set.  Dad, Durango and I lit for the north country in April. Read more…

Gear Review Minnesota, travel

We’re back!  Took a brief hiatus to do some hunting, eat some turkey, and launch two brand new offerings that will help you make the most of your outdoor experience:

Introducing Anchorpoint

If you’ve ever been a part of a hunting club, thought about starting one, or are a retailer interested in creating an online community to help generate sales, Anchorpoint is your answer.  Offering a full suite of features for clubs plus a global marketplace and forums, it has everything you need to bring your members, friends and customers together even when the season is long over.

Coming Soon:  Trophy Score

We’ve all watched the shows and read the magazines touting the latest Boone and Crockett whitetail record, Pope and Young trophy bear, and Safari Club International-qualifying kudu, but not many folks know how to actually score their game.  Plus, if your animal doesn’t meet the minimum qualifications, it won’t get any recognition outside your own county.  And that’s ok.

Not everyone will get a world record, but your personal best is still a trophy.  Trophy Score for the iPhone will walk you through the scoring process, according to the method of your choice, and sync it to Anchorpoint, where it can be admired and compared by hunters around the country (and the world).  Trophy Score has been submitted to the iTunes App Store and we’ll let you know when you an get it.

So yes, we’ve been busy but we are back to featuring the latest Doubletough stories so stay tuned!  And look for more news about Anchorpoint and Trophy Score!  Follow @trophyscore on Twitter and the Anchorpoint blog for all the latest happenings.

Doubletough Outdoors, Anchorpoint and Trophy Score are products of Doubletough Ventures, Inc. Let’s go hunting!

After the Hunt, Asides, Featured, Gear Review Anchorpoint, iphone, software, Trophy Score, website

*Doubletough note: the following is reprinted from Sunbrella.com and the author is my older brother, pictured above on the right.

Hal’s Sunbrella Supreme T-Top

Editor’s note: Hal is a Sunbrella believer and also heads up our marketing efforts at Glen Raven. Here’s his experience with Sunbrella on his father’s boat.

My love of the water came from my father.  In the spring of 1995, he purchased a Grady White Spirit 17 center console for fishing down at the North Carolina coast.  Dad stood 6? 4? , so he had a custom aluminum t-top made to keep him shaded.  The t-top ended up making the boat too tall to store, so it lived out in the weather 365 days per year.  Not a problem, because the canvas on the top was Sunbrella, and dad knew it would last.  Coincidentally, I landed a job with Glen Raven – the fine folks who make Sunbrella fabric – that fall.

I still have the Grady, and still keep it outdoors year round.  My kids love spending a summer day on her.  The navy Sunbrella marine canvas top lasted longer than the original outboard motor.  Read more…

Gear Review

I first heard about Thermacell from a buddy who asked me if I had ever heard of a repellant that did not involve a spray can.  At the time I had not and didn’t think much about it because I figured if I couldn’t feel it on my skin then it had to be a fluke.  After going on a guided hunt in a South Carolina swamp and being offered a Thermacell appliance to help fight the skeeters in my stand, I can tell you this thing is a godsend and has earned a permanent spot in my pack.

The Thermacell appliance is a butane-powered heater and goes into action when you slide a mat saturated in an insecticide onto its metal grill.  The grill heats up and the mat releases the insecticide (the company says it is Allethrin, an engineered version of a naturally occurring insecticide found in chrysanthemum flowers).  You can smell the insecticide when you’re next to the unit but it quickly disperses and is undetectable by game.  The effective area of the unit is 15′ x 15′ and in my experience, the mosquitos, no see’ums and black flies are gone within just a few minutes of turning it on. Read more…

Gear Review accessories