by Ben O'Brien - Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Last month TIME magazine ranked "The 50 Best Inventions of 2010." After reading their exhaustive list I was inspired to find a way to get these technological marvels into the woods. Yes, I'm a lazy, tech-dependent product of the smart phone generation, but read this list and try to tell me it wouldn't be more fun to go afield with these once unheard of contraptions. But I'm probably just dreaming…
The Looxcie
The Looxcie is a hands-free video camera that can capture everything you see for up to five hours. Combine the Looxcie with the power of your smart phone and the LooxcieMoments app, and you can share your video (30 second clips) on Facebook, YouTube or Twitter on the go with the press of a button. "It's real time social media at its best," claims the company website. Here's a great example: a clip of two deer darting in front of car in broad daylight. A freak occurance, and a moment that couldn't have been captured without the Looxcie's help.
Hunters can now bring their followers, fans, friends and family into the woods with them. Thanks to the power of the Looxcie, we won't be stuck watching last year's hunts or yesterday's news. No more grappling with video cameras in the treestand either. Oh yeah, and it's bluetooth headset. The Looxcie is now available for $199.
Orange Power Wellies
Next on the list is a pair of rubber boots that can charge your mobile phone using heat from your feet. Orange Power Wellies use thermoelectricity to convert heat into an electrical current produced by human motion. Right now this body powered device can produce one hour of power for your phone after 12 hours of walking. This might seem like a lot of work for a small benefit, but it's just the beginning of the search for sustainable energy. If these products catch on, hunters can charge their phones, GPS devices or radios while tacking mule deer across open territory out West or chasing turkeys in the eastern hardwoods. Talk about a survival tool. We are so winning.
The Martin Jetpack
The future may finally be here. If the rumors, photos, videos and internet fodder are true, than the practical jetpack has finally arrived. According to inventors, the Martin Jetpack consists of a purpose-built gasoline engine driving twin ducted fans which produce sufficient thrust to lift the aircraft and a pilot in vertical takeoff and landing, enabling sustained flight. Take that Jetsons family.
Think about it hunters, tracking a deer will be simple. You can forget about spot and stalk. The new-age outdoorsman will have no need for either. This impractical, unbelievably cool invention goes for about $100,000. Testing starts this year. As an aside, I'm pretty sure Charlie Sheen will have one before we do. After all, he's an F-18 bro.
The Candwich
Nope, you didn't misread the heading. It's a sandwich in a frickin' can! What more do I have to say? The folks at Mark One Foods, the geniuses behind the Candwich, say they've employed techniques similar to that of military MRE's to keep the ingredients of a sandwich fresh in an aluminum can for up to a year. Right now the company's website advertises these little bundles of joy as "the perfect product for people on the go." They are to be available in peanut butter and jelly, barbecue chicken and even pepperoni pizza pocket.
But, after being widely publicized this past summer, the concept hasn't exactly gotten off the ground. Money manager Travis L. Wright was sued by the Federal Securities and Exachange Commision (SEC) in July for promising returns of up to 24 percent from real estate investments, but instead investing the money into Candwich development. Last anyone heard Mark One—they halted their social media efforts in August—still maintained that the product will be available in the near future. If this little pearl of sweet culinary wisdom ever makes its way to the masses, I foresee a sandwich revolution. No longer would hunters be stuck eating smashed bottom-of-the-pack sandwiches that lost their freshness the minute you jammed them in with all your gear. Are you on board?
