Arkansas Sportsman

Cooler, fishing kayak shine in Colorado field tests

After winning the 2014 Ice Chest Smackdown, the Igloo Sportsman 55 got its first major field test last week in Colorado, and it's worthy of its title.

We gave it three bags of ice Saturday at about noon in Alamosa, Colo., and then filled it with food. Ice remained for six days.

Nights in Colorado dipped into the 30s, and daytime temperatures were in the high 70s to low 80s, so it wasn't a rigorous test. Nevertheless, a cooler that keeps ice for a week is as good as a refrigerator.

If your food is secure, you can concentrate on having fun.

FISHING KAYAK

After researching fishing kayaks, I chose an Ascend FS12T sit-on-top model. Its maiden voyage was on Big Meadow Reservoir in Colorado, and it performed admirably.

At 12 feet long, it fits in the bed of my pickup truck. It's exceptionally fast and easy to paddle. I can also stand in it while fishing.

It has a dry storage compartment that can hold a cellphone, wallet and car keys. An in-hull compartment holds plenty of tackle. It also has two in-hull rod holders aft of the cockpit, and it comes with a turret-style rod holder that sits in locking hub forward the cockpit.

Online reviews complain that this removable rod holder interferes with paddling. It didn't get in my way, and it's great for trolling.

You can seal the six scupper holes with rubber plugs that come with the boat. I have two older sit-on-top kayaks that ride wet because water comes into the cockpits through the scuppers. Water does not come up through the hull on this Ascend. It only drains out, which is how scuppers are supposed to work.

My other kayaks punch through waves and swells. This boat glides over them. Bill Eldridge, my companion on this trip, raved about how graceful it is in the water.

The FS12T's greatest asset is its metal-framed mesh set. It gives full back support, and you can sit in it for hours without back strain or fatigue. It has three slots that enable you to move the seat forward or back. However, the slots are shallow, and the seat can slip its moorings if you really muscle the paddle.

I was tempted to pay a little extra to get the top of the line FS128T. It's 8 inches longer and about 20 pounds heavier, but its swivel seat is very appealing. I opted for the smaller version because of its lighter weight, and because I love its open deck. It can hold all your camping gear in dry bags. It can also hold a bag full of decoys and a shotgun if you want to take it into the flooded timber at Dagmar or Bayou Meto wildlife management areas. I will add an aftermarket anchor trolley and a pull-up strap.

Another angler at Big Meadow had a Hobie Mirage, the Cadillac of fishing kayaks. Except for its patented Mirage Drive pedal propulsion system, I like everything else about Ascend better, and for a fraction of the price.

TENT

For less than $100, the Coleman Hooligan 3 is the best car camping tent I've found. Though advertised as a three-man tent, it will only sleep two comfortably. If you're solo, it's a palace.

The Hooligan has a great rainfly that goes all the way to the ground and essentially forms a second tent. It also forms a cavernous vestibule that increases its dry storage capability.

It has a lot of lines to stake down, but they greatly increase ventilation and anchor it strong in strong winds. It also has gable in the roof to further increase ventilation.

When the morning sun hits that bright orange fabric, it's as good as having a rooster in the tent. A lime color would be gentler.

BOOTS

Of all the hiking boots I've worn over the years, the Vasque Talus is the best.

Light and waterproof, they fit my feet like gloves. The non-slip soles gripped wet, mossy rocks in stream gorges like dog paws, and I walked many miles in them without experiencing any fatigue. The Vasque Talus is marketed as a hiking boot, but it will make an outstanding hunting boot.

GPS

I used the Magellan Explorist 350H in the Rockies, and it impressed me such that it will be my go-to hunting unit this fall.

With its excellent basemap and species-specific game icons, the Explorist 350H is oriented toward hunting, but it is multi-purpose. It tracked my routes and summarized distances, elevation gains and other useful information.

Of all the GPS brands I've used, I like Magellan for terrestrial navigation and Lowrance for water, but any brand will get you there and back.

Sports on 07/20/2014

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