Wazoo Survival Gear Koozie

Wazoo Survival Gear Koozie Review

By Brittany Johnson

The Wazoo Survival Gear Koozie is bound together with 125 feet of paracord, comes with a fire cord drawstring, fire steel, a ceramic striker and a whistle. The Koozie can make a great drink holder or gear stash. You can easily fill the Koozie up with your own survival kit or first aid kit. This review covers the large Koozie but Wazoo Survival Gear also carries a smaller version of this Koozie. The Koozie's dimensions are 8" x 4.75" x 1" and the whole Koozie weighs 8.5 oz. The Koozie comes with a paracord loop that can be used to attach a carabiner for easy carrying. You will find the whistle on the end of the fire cord drawstring where you will also find the fire steel and you will see the ceramic striker stitched on the inside of the Koozie close to the top. The fire steel and the ceramic striker work perfectly. Doesn't take much to make these pieces spark which is a necessary feature for any kind of survival fire starters. The Koozie flattens easily for convenient packing or can just be hung from your gear bag. 

I personally love this Koozie. I have used it for everything from drinks, to snacks, to first aid kits, to miniature tackle boxes, keys/phone/wallet keeper for camping and everything else that comes to mind. The Koozie is evidently high quality which you will notice as soon as you hold the Koozie in hand and since it comes with some basic survival necessities, it is a lot more than just a great
drink holder, it's a great little survival kit too. I definitely recommend this product to all my fellow survival enthusiasts.

Winerest

Winerest Review
By Brittany Johnson

The Winerest is an outdoor chair adapter for wine glasses. Definitely a great item for wine lovers/glampers.  The Winerest easily attaches to either handle of an outdoor chair. This item is only 3 oz. and can easily be attached to a carabiner clip for easy carrying. The dimensions are 6.5" x 4.5"x 0.4" which is nice since it doesn't take up much room in a backpack or bag. It's light enough to take anywhere and even light enough to just permanently leave on your favorite outdoor chair.

I personally love the Winerest for days off by the pool and especially get togethers with friends during overly prepared car camping trips. It's an awesome item to have with you when you already have the luxuries of home, such as wine glasses and wine of course. I recommended this item for the wine lovers in your life.

New Bee Portable Speaker

New Bee Portable Speaker Review
By Brittany Johnson

The New Bee portable speaker is Bluetooth capable and water-resistant. The speaker has a IP65 waterproof coating which makes it great for the pool, shower, rivers, lakes, beach etc. I wouldn't recommend fully submerging the speaker but you can definitely keep it near the water and won't have to worry about splashing. The speaker can last up to 10 hours on a full charge. It takes about 3 hours to fully charge the 3.7 V 750 mAh lithium battery. The speaker has a transmission distance of roughly 10 M. The speaker is only 4.8 ounces and the dimensions are 0.86 inches x 4.1 inches x 2.3 inches. The speaker has a lightweight and small design which makes it great for hiking, camping and backpacking. There are three control buttons on the top of the speaker; a power button and two volume buttons. The power button can be held down and used to answer and end phone calls. The power button can also be short pressed several times to reject calls. The volume buttons can be held down to decrease or increase volume or they may be short pressed to change the song. Aside from the instructions, the speaker comes with a micro USB cable, 3.5 mm audio cable and a carabiner clip.

I take this speaker with me on hiking, camping and backpacking trips because it is small and light enough to clip to my day pack or canteen and loud enough to provide entertainment during my outdoor recreational activities. I also bring this speaker to work with me and enjoy that it is loud enough for me to hear throughout the shop but not so loud that the office upstairs is disturbed. If you are looking for something lightweight and inexpensive that you can use safely near water, then this speaker is definitely the one.

Ivation Solar Panel Backpack

Ivation Solar Panel Backpack Review
By Brittany Johnson

The Ivation Solar Panel Backpack comes with a removable 3.5 watt solar panel in addition to a waterproof 2200 mAh power bank. The solar panel is attached to the backpack by velcro and the power bank is tucked away in the front pocket on the backpack. The solar panel and the power bank are both removable for easy portability. The backpack itself is a sturdy, weather resistant daypack with a waist strap and light back padding. This multi-pocketed daypack has a small front zippered pocket with the power bank stored inside, a second zippered compartment which consists of 2 big pockets, 3 pen pockets, 3 small pockets, a mesh zippered pouch with 1 big pocket, 1 small mesh zippered pocket, plus 1 small mesh pocket, and a third compartment which has 1 laptop pocket and 1 large storage area. The backpack straps have 1 small mesh pocket on the left strap and 1 plastic loop on the right strap. There are also 2 mesh side pockets and 3 fabric loops sewn into the backpack for carabiner clips if needed. The backpack, the solar panel and the power bank combined weighs a total of 2.8 lbs.

I use this daypack for camping, hiking, day trips and the like. I recommend pre-charging the power bank from a wall outlet or electronic device before longer trips as you never know what the weather will be like and this product works best in direct sunlight. I also recommend bringing a second power bank or solar charger for your longer trips. The power bank can be fully charged in 2 hours from a wall outlet or electronic device but the time to fully charge the device using only sunlight can vary. A phone can be fully charged in 4-6 hours from the fully charged power bank. You will be able to tell when the power bank is charging by the blue light and you will be able to tell when it is dying by the red light located on the power bank (which you can see in a photo below). The power bank has a USB port to charge your electronic devices and a micro USB port for charging the power bank from the solar panel. If you plan on charging your phone or electronic device directly from the panel itself, I suggest getting an adapter for the male micro USB. Personally, I have found that it is best to charge electronics from the power bank itself rather than directly from the solar panel. I recommend this product for day hikes and car camping trips no longer than a few days but I would carry a higher watt solar panel and larger mAh power bank for trips any longer than that.

Mifine LED Headlamp

Mifine LED Headlamp Review
By Brittany Johnson

The Mifine LED Headlamp is a durable, waterproof, 1000-1200 lumen light with a red taillight. This product is rechargable and comes with a cigarette lighter adapter with two USB ports, a wall charger, USB cable, two 18650 x 3.7V rechargable lithium batteries (but may also use regular AA batteries) and an extra set of straps. The product weighs 1.2 pounds and the dimensions are 1.4' x 1.4' x 1.7'. The headlamp is aluminum casted with an elastic headband and has a single power button with three modes for a bright light, low light and strobe light. It's lifespan is up to 100,000 hours.

I love this head lamp and have been using it for quite some time now. It's bright enough to set up camp at night with ease. I appreciate that it is light enough to take hiking, camping and especially backpacking and its durable enough to survive through these trips. It fits perfectly over a hat or beanie if necessary but fits comfortable on just your head as well. On longer trips, I use the USB cable to recharge the headlamp with my solar panel. The full charge lasts quite awhile, I have used it for up to 6 hours and have yet to have it die on me. I still recharge after usage just incase. When fully charged, the light on the USB cable turns green, so you don't have to worry about wondering whether it's charged or not and overcharging the batteries.

IBeek Solar Charger/Power Bank

iBeek Solar Charger/Power Bank Review
By Brittany Johnson

The iBeek solar charger/power bank is a small, portable solution for on-the-go charging during outdoor adventures. The power bank has a 12,000 mAh lithium battery with a dual USB solar panel and a built-in emergency flashlight and strobe light. Phones and tablets can be charged at the same time. The power bank holds up to 5 full iPhone charges and the power bank can be fully charged ahead of time with a micro USB cable. A carabiner clip makes carrying easy during backpacking, camping and hiking. The whole panel weighs only 9.3 ounces and its dimensions are 6" x 3" x 3/4". The built-in solar panel is great for recharginng the power bank, and although solar power is 30% as effective, I have never had any issues with lack of power. Charges in direct and indirect sunlight.

I take this panel with me everywhere. The carabiner clips allows me to clip it to my daypack for hikes and also allows for easy hanging on my hammock and on my tent when I need power for my electronic accessories. I hang the panel on my rain fly outside of my tent and run the cords through my power port to allow for charging accessories inside of my tent. Definitely recommend this panel to my fellow outdoor enthusiasts.

Rallt Hammock Tree Straps

Rallt Hammock Tree Strap Review
By Brittany Johnson

Rallt brand tree straps are an excellent tree-safe and quick hanging solution. These straps save time by removing the utlization of knots which can be harder to untie after hanging body weight on the connection ropes. The set comes with two ten foot, 3/4 " non-stretch polyester tubular webbed straps, includes 18 carabiner loops on each strap and is woven with reflective tracers along the straps for convenient night-time setup. The straps are tested for a 1200 pound tensile strength but are recommended to hold up to 500 pounds and are Rallt, ENO, Kammok, Hennessy, Yukon and Grand Trunk compatible (amongst others). The straps come in a small carrying satchel that is sized at 4" x 4" x 1.5" which makes it small enough for backpacking and for day hiking trips. The straps and satchel weigh less than one pound. Combined with the Rallt brand camping hammock, the straps and the hammock will weigh less than two pounds and take up minimal space in your backpack or daypack.

I have been using my Rallt tree straps to hang my Rallt hammock from trees, pillars, bushes, rocks and posts. I have taken these straps hiking, camping, and to work and I have never had an issue with stretching or hanging lower than intended. These straps are reliable, sturdy and lightweight which makes carrying very convenient. I definitely recommend Rallt brand tree straps to my fellow campers, hikers, and outdoor lovers in general.

Rallt Hammock

Rallt Camping Hammock Review
By Brittany Johnson

Rallt hammocks are lightweight, camping hammocks made from a triple-stitched parachute nylon bound together with nautical-grade rope and aluminum wire gate carabiners. The hammock comes with a set of two pieces of 6mm polypropylene rope for hanging the hammock but I recommend purchasing the Rallt brand tree straps for easy set-up and take-down (which I will also post a review about). The hammock holds up to 400 pounds and weighs only 13.47 ounces. The hammock folds into its attached pouch which is sized at 6" x 6" x 4", making it compact enough for backpacking and lightweight enough for day hiking trips as well. There is a small compression strap on the hammock pouch which allows for quickly compressing your hammock into your daypack and also allows for easy carabiner-clipping to gear packs.

I carry a Rallt hammock with me everywhere I go. It is light enough the store in my daypack without even realizing that it is there. I have camped with it, hiked with it and even set it up at work. So far, I have had friends ranging from 100 pounds to 300 pounds testing the hammock's strength and it hasn't failed me yet. I definitely recommend this hammock to my fellow outdoor lovers.