Great Outdoor Blog

Adventure racing is the latest fad in competitive outdoor sports. It borrows a bit of its popularity from the recent surge in endurance events, but offers more opportunities for novice outdoor folks to get involved in competition. The great thing about adventure races is that you get the comradery of competition while still being able to choose your level of commitment: team or solo events, short or long races, and training only as intense as you make it. Plus multisport events are a bit more forgiving to those of us who are Jacks-of-all-trades, masters of none. You can afford to be weak in a few disciplines and make up for lost time with your strengths. And if you need any more motivation to get outside and enjoy the outdoors, an impending race is great incentive.

(more…)

I have been hiking since my family’s trips out west when I was still counting my age on two hands and I started backpacking about as soon as I was big enough to carry all the gear for a night out. Being a particularly observant outdoorsman (when it comes to gear), I quickly came to associate trekking poles with older hikers. Mind you, the word “older” here is used in the loosest sense of the term since pretty much everyone looks old to a particularly scrawny 12 year old. I took my share of tumbles, but continued to rock hop across streams, bomb downhills, and sprint uphills. All of this energetic frolicking, of course, had no aching repercussions the next day.

(more…)

As patrons of the great outdoors, we’re very fortunate to live in the beautiful state of North Carolina. Unfortunately, we’re not alone. No matter how secluded an overlook, how secret a fishing spot, or how off-the-trail a campsite, we’re constantly being watched. And buzzed. And bitten. Mosquitoes, the bane of any outdoor experience, can make even the most seasoned hiker, boater, or fisherman cringe. Luckily, Great Outdoor Provision Co. stocks a full range of Sawyer insect repellent products. With a solution for bug problems in any application, Sawyer’s offerings are as diverse as the habitats of our state.

Permethrin Insect Repellent – This clothing application is actually a contact insecticide, killing mosquitoes and ticks on contact. Best of all, there’s no need to reapply. Simply treat your clothing then let it dry for two hours. Your clothing is transformed into a mosquito fortress that lasts through up to 6 washings! Great for applying before travel. Want even more protection? Combine the Permethrin clothing application with a topical repellent for ultimate bite prevention. $11.95

Broad Spectrum Insect Repellent Spray – Unfortunately, mosquitoes and ticks aren’t the only flying pests one runs into in the outdoors. This convenient pump spray combines the proven effectiveness of DEET to protect against mosquitoes and ticks with Sawyer’s R-326 formula to keep biting flies and gnats at bay. They also kept their Broad Spectrum repellent alcohol free in order to prevent fast absorption into the skin. $7.95

Topical Control Release Insect Repellent – Sawyer’s Control Release repellent is perfect for those not interested in frequent re-applications. Sawyer pioneered a chemical process that traps DEET capsules on the skin. Since the evaporation of the DEET chemicals is the process that deters the insects, this encapsulation process extends the life of your application by slowing the rate of evaporation. $7.50

MAXI-DEET Insect Repellent Spray – Sawyer is still the only company to offer a full 2oz. bottle of 100% DEET. They also offer the only low-odor formula available because they use the highest quality, purest DEET available. Maxi-DEET is designed for areas with dense mosquito and tick populations. Its 100% concentration is perfect for extreme conditions. $7.50

Daniel Grillo, Marketing Intern

Disclaimer: I have deliberately avoided the use of certain nautical terminology and opted when appropriate to use laymen’s terms. The purpose of this article is to provide easy to follow information that may be of use to the novice in choosing between a rudder and skeg. The use of nautical terminology has its place in sea kayaking but would only hinder the novices for this particular discussion.

Most anyone in the market for a Touring Kayak (a.k.a. Sea Kayak) will inevitably be faced with an important choice: Rudder or Skeg? These days just about every touring kayak or sea kayak comes with either a rudder or a skeg. Why do some sea kayaks (touring kayaks) come with rudders and others come with skegs? What is the difference, in terms of distinguishing characteristics and overall functionality between a rudder and a skeg? What is the purpose of a rudder or a skeg in a touring kayak? If we compare and contrast rudders with skegs, does one choice have any advantages or disadvantages over the other with regard to sea kayaks or touring kayaks? In this article, I will attempt to address these questions so that the reader is better able to make an informed choice regarding the rudder vs. skeg option.

(more…)

Joe Miller will be in the Shop on Wednesday, Mar 28 to give a talk on the Reedy Creek Greenway Connectivity & Features. You can also register for the Walk/Run/Bike for Umstead to be held Sat, April 21

» Click Here to Download a PDF of this Map provided by News & Observer

Wed, Mar 28 - Cameron Village Shop - Raleigh, NC
Walk/Run/Bike for Umstead - Registration: 4-7pm
Talk: 7-8pm

By Suzanne M. Wood

As my husband, Scott, scurried around the staging area, yellow legal pad in hand, grouping provisions and inspecting gear, it occurred to me that some hikers spent less time preparing to travel the 2,100 miles of the Appalachian Trail than we were devoting to taking our kids on a 2.5 day camping trip.
(more…)

PVC or Polyvinyl Chloride is a thermoplastic polymer that is second only to Polyethylene in terms of industrial and commercial use. While PVC has some good industrial applications (for example, as a building material), the production, use and disposal of PVC has been linked to some significant health and environmental concerns by credible sources. While nearly every known substance can be considered toxic in the right dose, PVC does seem to be getting a lot of press lately and perhaps rightly so.

For example, PVC production utilizes plasticizers and other additives to make PVC easier to work with. Many of these additives have known health risks and they leach out of the PVC over time in a process called outgassing. Also, PVC is based on a vinyl chloride monomer that has been known to be carcinogenic since the 1960s. PVC disposal can also release Dioxins into the environment in sufficient concentrations to be a health concern.

For some good information on PVC that isn’t anti-industry, look here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyvinyl_chloride

While there will always be debate over heath risks and environmental concerns related to PVC, we at Great Outdoor Provision Co feel it is prudent to be conservative with our own health and backyards. In the paddlesports industry, PVC is most frequently used as a buoyancy aid in PFDs (lifevests) and as a material used in the production of drybags. If a viable alternative to PVC is available for a comparable price, why not use it? If the alternative actually performs better than PVC for its intended use, everyone wins.

Here are some manufacturers who offer not only viable alternatives to PVC but in many cases better alternatives to PVC:

• astralbuoyancy.com
• drybags.com
• patagonia.com

» Featured PFDs in the Shop

By Tim Glover, Wilmington Shop Manager

Winter is the perfect time to reflect on past fishing adventures, and to daydream about the nice weather arriving with spring. Reels and other equipment are cleaned and repaired. Fly boxes are filled again as the tying table looks more inviting than the cold. Well, maybe if you live somewhere else, but fortunately North Carolina offers excellent winter fly fishing opportunities for red drum and other species along the coast. If you enjoy sight-casting to fish in shallow water, than red drum are the right target, and a window of nice weather is the perfect opportunity.
(more…)

Burt Kornegay returns to several Shops in February:

“The Perfection of Traveling: a History of the Canoe from Birchbark to ABS”

Setting out in a birchbark canoe to paddle through the wilds of Maine in 1857, Henry David Thoreau immediately sensed that the canoe presented him “with the freedom of the lakes and the woods.” And during the 10-day trip he discovered that no matter how small the passage, “wherever there is a channel for water, there is a road for the canoe.”When Thoreau and his companions paddled across lakes, he found it “inspiriting to hear the regular dip of the paddles.” And he decribed running rapids as being “somewhat like navigating a thunderspout.” Toward the end of the trip Thoreau reached the fast-flowing Webster Stream, which to him looked like an “inclined mirror” sloping for miles “between two evergreen forests,” and he found his swift descent down it to be “very exhilarating, and the perfection of traveling.”

One-hundred and fifty years later, I hope that you will join me for an “exhilarating” hour at one of the locations below, where, taking my inspiration from Thoreau, I’ll trace the history of wilderness travel by canoe from its beginning with the American Indians down to the present day. Along the way, we’ll see drawings and photographs of every kind of canoe you can imagine, and you’ll hear stories of incredible paddling exploits, from whitewater to warfare. Using slides and maps, I’ll also show you some of the most beautiful rivers in North America to paddle. Slickrock “vets” will be honored guests!

Quick Facts about Burt:

• First ran wilderness trips: age 20, Adirondack Mountains, New York
• Started Slickrock Expeditions: age 33
• Number of nights spent annually in the woods: 100+
• Number of Slickrock Expeditions run to date: more than 400

Presentations start at 7:00 PM. For further information, go to www.slickrockexpeditions.com

Tues, Feb. 13: Greensboro Shop, Friendly Shopping Center
Wed, Feb. 14: Raleigh Shop, Cameron Village
Thurs, Feb. 15: Charlotte Shop, Park Road Shopping Center

» Recommended Boats @ GOPC:

• Nova Craft Prospector SP3
• Nova Craft Bob Special
• Wenonah Prospector 16

» More GOPC Events

We are excited to have Matthew Copeland from NOLS in our shops for Presentation/INFO sessions on NOLS courses

Chapel Hill Shop
Wed. Jan. 24 - 7:00 pm

Charlotte Shop
Thurs. Jan 25 - 7:00 pm

» NOLS INFO