Posts Tagged ‘Reviewers’

Suunto Running Pack Heart Rate Monitor

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

Suunto Running Pack Heart Rate Monitor




By combining the Suunto T3c training watch with the Foot POD in one valuable package, the Suunto Running Pack provides committed runners with heart rate and physiological data, as well as training effect, accurate speed, and distance information. The Suunto Foot POD attaches to the laces of your shoes, and communicates with your Suunto training wrist top computer via a wireless connection to determine and record your running speed and distance traveled. This compact device is light as a feather and won’t even be noticeable while you go for your run. The Suunto Running Pack includes: T3c wrist top training computer, Foot POD, and Comfort Belt heart rate belt.

User Ratings and Reviews

2 Stars not as good as it seems
With the goal of training for the 2009 Walt Disney World Marathon, I sought a tool that would keep me informed during my workouts. This is not it. I read lots of reviews and also examined this item in person in a store. I purchased it hoping I would be able to navigate it’s controls more easily than other users since I consider myself technically adept. As other reviewers said (and I should have listened) this product is too difficult to operate and most importantly, the manual is unclear and incomplete.

To Amazon’s credit, the return process was remarkably easy! Full refund, postage paid, no questions asked. Thank you! Just be sure you keep ALL of your original packaging if you are as stubborn as me and decide to buy this. Otherwise, they will not likely take it back.

Subsequently, instead of choosing value as the deciding factor in picking my training tool, I chose quality. I wear a GPS enabled Garmin with a bezel/touch screen and love it. I wore it during training and as I ran and finished the WDW Marathon . I love it.

Good luck. And happy running.

5 Stars perfect training aide
The perfect information about your training status.I like the automatically adapted activity level most. It indicates very clearly whether you follow your training schedule or not.

Very reproducible foot pod numbers!! The measurement is +- 2% correct - incredible!

1 Star Will never by from Amazon again!
For the last probably 10 years I was a happy Amazon customer. That changed with my last Running Pack order. Amazon priced out the pack for $148.25. I found that a really great deal compared to other companies so I went ahead and bought it. The real seller of the product was `Watchsavings’ (or Jomashop) which sent me the product by UPS ground. But it turned out that they sent me the wrong product. So I called in and requested the running pack I ordered and what would be the best way to proceed. First of all, `Watchsavings’ told me that they don’t have the product al all and it was Amazon’s mistake they put it on their website for that “great deal”. They suggested that I send the wrong product back and order the pack instead from `Jomashop’ (was out of stock). Next thing was I called Amazon and they told me that it was Watchsavings’ product and I would have to deal with them! Great!! At that time I checked the Amazon website again for the T3 Running pack and now they offered it from another seller for $250, not really the amount I spent. What great situation: none of these two felt somehow responsible for the mistake or was able to deliver the product I ordered for the price I (of course) already paid. I sent the wrong delivery back to Watchsavings and got finally after one month my money back. I ordered the T3 running pack with another Internet seller, which was still cheaper that Amazon and provided an excellent service compared to Amazon or Watchsavings. I gave one star because I got my money back. Do not by from Amazon! Either they want to sell something they don’t have or they don’t feel responsible for the seller on their profile. I’m really, really disappointed with such a professional company!

5 Stars Simple and Easy
As a triathlete I’m always looking for the next magic electronic workout item. I currently love my Powertap for the bike and now I can add the T3C to that list of loves. It’s not that complex to operate compared to other systems out there. The instructions are clear for those that have used HRMs and Power meters before.

I did research on all running packs from Suunto, Polar and Garmin. The direct results from friends with the new small Garmin is that it is unreliable and the Polar too expensive and complicated. I would prefer the t6 but for the money the t3 is perfect. Plus I don’t lose reception when trail running.

I also got the bike pod and setting up the foot and bike pod is as easy as setting up a basic bike computer. The watch transitions from bike to run easily.

If you have never used an HRM before, you may find this difficult to set up as its not a simple Timex but compared to a Polar this thing was easy.

4 Stars Great training watch
I have used the system for 4 weeks by now and the watch is really great for training. The watch has a good strap that is solid and with a good grip. The watch is overall a good watch with clear reading of the display. The information presented is OK.

The revised heartrate monitor is a significant improvement over the old one. The old would would not reliably provide heart rate information, those problem are all gone with the new model.

The watch provides a lot of information and the interface to the PC is awesome. I am much happier with this system compared to the T3 I had before.

The alarm on the watch is not easily accessible and also not very loud, so the watch has some weaknesses as a general utility.

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Kelty Basecamp Kitchen Limited Time Offer

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

Kelty Basecamp Kitchen Limited Time Offer




Kelty’s folding Basecamp Kitchen is the deluxe culinary setup for your next outing. It offers plenty of surface area for food preparation and a wind-protected home for your stove. Kelty Binto storage bins (sold separately fit perfectly on the shelves of the zippered pantry. The versatile expansion rods can hold Binto storage bins, towels and tote bags.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Kelty Kamp Kitchen
This is a very sturdy camp kitchen. It had a good amount of storage & since it was metal you could sit hot things on the surface. Very satisfied.

5 Stars Excellent product
I purchased this camp set for my son and his family as he had seen it in use by other people he had camped with. And this is what he wanted from “Santa”. As other reviewers have noted, it is a sturdy unit with lots of useable space. Additionally, I purchased two of the “binty” bins and highly suggest you do the same for a complete outdoors kitchen.

A word about the seller: they are outstanding, top notch and dedicated to customer service. Won’t bore you with the details, but you can feel certain you’re dealing with a company who care about its customers, quality of merchandise and customer satisfaction. Ships quick too! Shop with confidence here.

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MSR Ground Hog Stake Kit

Friday, August 28th, 2009

MSR Ground Hog Stake Kit




215238 Features: Contains 8 Ground Hog stakes Specifications:

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars a less expensive alternative
The product is as good as any of the reviewers suggest but there is an alternative, the COLEMAN ALUNMINUM TENT STAKES 4 in a pack for 7 bucks at THE SPORTS AUTHORITY (a chain sporting goods store), in appearance and material they are identical to the MSR BRAND. I bought 12 for 21 bucks and I’m super happy with the purchase. Rather you go with the MSR or save a few bucks with the coleman model #2000001318 I believe you’ll be happy with either.

5 Stars Worth every penny
I’ve had many tents, canopies, pagodas, etc…. I have tried many aftermarket stakes. These are by far the best. Simple to put in in most conditions, tough to break, only broken one when hitting it with a metal claw hammer and hit a rock. Easy to remove, even when the cord broke I was able to use the tip of another one to get the other out.

You don’t know what good stakes are until you try these, also, you dont know what a difference good stakes can make.

5 Stars Perfect for cleansing the world of evil….and for camping
As one of the world’s most famous Hunters, much of my time is spent mercilessly vanquishing Dracula’s undead blood-sucking ilk. I also enjoy camping at a nice serene lake or wooded meadow. Which is why these tent stakes are so wonderful for me. They serve two vital functions:

1. Holding my tents securely to the ground, providing maximum protection from both the elements and wildlife.

2. Staking vampiric threats in an effective and stylish manner, should they happen to ambush me at my campsite.

Now if I were slaying vampires on the job, I would normally use my silver garlic-tipped serrated ultimo-stakes (with mechanized ultramantium cores, of course). But when lounging by my favorite fishing hole, my usual equipment isn’t always readily available. That is when these little aluminum babies come in handy. They easily penetrate not only the toughest of soil, but also the sturdiest of vampire chests (after a little extra sharpening).

Their lightweight design may lead inexperienced Hunters to believe that they are useless in the art of staking. Quite the contrary. If the correct wrist flicking technique is utilized, the results can be devastating. For instance, I was once cooking dinner at my campsite when my supernatural senses alerted me to an approaching vampire. I immediately launched into a series of backflips, yanked one of the tent stakes from the ground, and hurled it at the stealthy intruder (it all happened in about 3 seconds). The force of the impact took the vampire off its feet.

I would like to offer a couple tips to novices. Since the price tag of quality ultimo-stakes is outrageously high (a minimum of $50,000 per unit for the less advanced models), these affordable tent stakes make great starting projectiles for fledgling Hunters. After mastering the basic stake hurl and stake stab, you can move on to more advanced methods. My personal favorite is tossing the stake into the air and then propelling it through an undead heart with an awesome jumping roundhouse kick.

Err…and don’t forget about camping. They’re great for that too.

Good luck and be safe out there. Keep an eye to the shadows.

- V. S. Helmont, Slayer Extraordinaire

5 Stars MSR Groundhog
Great stakes. Very strong, hold up well in rocky situations. You don’t always need special stakes like these but when you do they are invaluable. They hold better in sand than the typical stake, but not as well as special sand stakes (but sand stakes do not work well in rocky soil).

5 Stars Works great in rocky soil
If you’re camping where there is rocky or packed soil and have CRAPPY “wire stakes” in your tent bag, replace them!!!!

This is a good choice.

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Pocket Rocket

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

Pocket Rocket




When it comes to canister-mounted stoves, MSR proves less is more. Clean burning, ultimate performance from start to finish of canister life.

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Light Weight and Compact
I bought this a little over a year ago in preparation for a 50 mile hike on the AT. It performed wonderfully. Boils 2 cups of water in a little less than 2 minutes and is very fuel efficient. Because of its light weight, you’ll want to set it up on flat ground. This stove is made to be compact and efficient. Don’t expect to be boiling more than 2-3 cups of water at a time. It’ll heat up to red hot in 30 seconds and be cool to the touch within 3-4 minutes.

I would buy this again in a heartbeat. Have found all of the MSR products I have to be high quality.

5 Stars Solid Gold
This is a great bit of kit, I have used it for the last 3 years and it just keeps on going. One word sums it up, simplicity. It has very few moving parts which means not much can go wrong. I have drowned this stove in near freezing water and had a hot brew on before my fingers were dry.

I advise people to think long and hard about the electric start models, just something else to go wrong when it’s -4 and raining…

The compactness comes at a cost, as was mentioned by one of the other reviewers, the three supports can make it a bit difficult to balance stuff on but a small price for the benefit of its size.

As a side note, I’ve found that the MSR brand cylinders tend to last lightly longer than other brands.

5 Stars Compact and works
I’ve had one of these for about seven years and it gets used a couple times a year. It’s so compact it fits well inside the pan I heat with it, it cools off after use in a couple minutes. I drape aluminum foil (folder over) off the pan I backpack with to act as a wind shield, and that works well. Having only three supports for the pan, you have to be mindful of balancing things on the stove.

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