New SIGGs are in

Based on customer feedback we ordered some new SIGG designs and they are finally in the store! Pictured are a few of the ones we expect to be popular.

Order yours now - SIGGs are selling out all over the web, including in our store.

Five Things to do with your SIGG

Other than take a drink, that is.

1) Call in the hounds with a thermos.

2) Use as an icepack: a SIGG filled with cold water will take the edge of a bruise or cool you down on a hot day.
3) Roll out some dough. Empty or full, SIGG 1 L bottles make a great substitute rolling pin.
4) Defend yourself. I take some comfort thinking my nighttime water bottle could be thrown at an intruder. Well...maybe not the best defense, but at least the bottle wouldn't get broken if thrown and it's better than sleeping with a frying pan on your bedside table!
5) Play a song.

Two Days only Gift Sale!

For two days only, Monday November 26 and Tuesday November 27, we will offer 15% off everything in the store! Simply use the coupon code 'hohoho' at checkout.

Buy your gifts now and save!

Audits away....

So we buy helmets as surplus from the Department of Defense. As part of the purchasing process, we must complete an End Use Certificate (EUC) stating what the final disposition of the purchased items will be. The rationale for this is that kevlar helmets are items that both the State Department and Commerce Department place restrictions on. As such, we may only export them to certain countries and in certain quantities.

If you are reading this from your local cyber-cafe in Pyongyang, I am sorry to inform you that I cannot sell you ten kevlar helmets.

Since we have made several purchases from the Department of Defense along these lines, our names came up as being ripe for an audit to determine our proper handling of these items. So we had a visit from a representative of the DoD this morning. She was very pleasant and courteous, and was pleased to see that we are controlling our products very well. She gave us a thumbs up on our understanding of the trade regulations and left after a short while. It ended up being a fairly uneventful encounter all-in-all.

It was interesting as for most of my professional career, I have been in the shoes of the auditor in one form or another. I am used to asking the questions, not answering them, and this experience gave me at least a slightly better understanding of how the relationship feels from the other end.

Hound + Kid + Food = Funny

We ran out of dog food today. This afternoon we shopped at PetPeople, the most upstanding local pet store, to replenish our supply. (Of course, we also had to go next door to Clintonville Outfitters, hands down the best Columbus outdoor store.)

Walking up the stairs to our house, our daughter was babbling about "Devie barking. Running round." She and the hound both know the drill: dog food day is the best day ever.

Watch what happened next:

Holiday Retail Season

This is the first holiday retail season that we are actively trying to grab hold of the holiday buying spirit. How?

We just sent our first newsletter to all past customers. We placed our second order with SIGG and expect new designs listed in the store around December 1. We are listing auctions on Ebay four days a week for the next two weeks to coincide with the biggest shopping days of the year. Will it work?

Follow along for the ride!

Dash to your assistance!

In a moment of weakness a little while ago, I confided in Alex that I would like one of those fancy smart phone thingys. Today a new T-Mobile Dash arrived on our doorstep.

Alex spent some of the afternoon programming the phone. I updated and added contacts this evening. I have used it to make one trial phone call and send one text message. (My old phone didn't even let me send text messages.) I haven't tried email yet, but soon I should be able to post to the blog with the Dash. Wow...technology has come so far!

Monsoon Gearslinger Review

Specifications:

Dimensions (main compartment) : 18" (High) Tapers from 16" wide at base to 6" wide at top.

Total Capacity : Over 1600 cu. in.

Hydration (two) : Up to a 100oz/3L reservoir (rear hydration pocket), 1L water bottle (side pouch)

Shoulder Support : Wide shoulder strap (tapers from 4.5" to 3")

Waist Support : Concealable 1.5" waist strap

Empty Weight: 2.8 lbs

Maxpedition is a small American company based in Gardena, CA that specializes in innovative hard-use nylon gear. Their product line ranges from wallets and small pouches to medium sized backpacks. They are best known as companies for their single-shoulder carry versipacks, but have other unique products in their lineup as well. This review will focus on one of their larger items: The Monsoon Gearslinger.

Traditional backpacks have been a carrying method of choice for many centuries. In recent years, single-strap packs in the design of messenger bags have gained increasing popularity with a large section of the public. Maxpedition has further expanded this market with the introduction of versipacks and now gearslingers. The gearlslinger is a cross between a backpack, messenger bag and versipack all in one. The gearslingers are designed to be carried slung across the body and laying at an angle across the back. They have all of the functionality and capacity of a traditional backpack while enjoying the versatility and easy on-off motion of a messenger bag or versipack.

The Monsoon gearslinger is Maxpedition’s largest gearslinger, and the pack is available in black, OD Green and Khaki. The listed capacity is over 1600 cu. In. and it has a plethora of pockets and compartments in which to hold all of your gear. I recently had the opportunity to take a Monsoon pack on a business trip in Europe. I utilized the gearslinger for both business purposes and for leisure activities during my time off. I found it to be a very good item to have along as it was able to transport all of my business items as well as serving double duty as a pack for sight-seeing and souvenir hauling. Like all Maxpedition products, the pack is incredibly well crafted and intended for rugged use.

For my business purposes, I loaded it up with a laptop computer, business files for two weeks of work and assorted electronics (cell phone, chargers, camera, etc…). The pack shouldered well and was professional enough in appearance that it did not stand out solely as a backpack. Files were easy to get in and out, and my laptop sleeve functioned quite well in the main compartment of the pack. I carry a small laptop and thus had no trouble carrying it in the Monsoon. It should be noted that laptops over 15” may be very difficult to fit if not impossible due to the tapered contour of the pack.

On my weekend off, I unloaded everything except a camera, water bottle, cell phone and rain jacket and headed into Paris. The pack was at home everywhere I went. For crowded areas I especially liked the secured waist-belt compartments for my wallet and passport. I had no concerns about pickpockets with a zipper and snap closure in their way. A jacket folds up and stows very well beneath the compression panel, and is easily retrievable. Souvenirs were easy to fit into the bag, and It didn’t feel overloaded even with a couple of bottles of wine, bread, cheese and fruit. While loaded, I appreciated the wear panel on the bottom outside of the pack. It really served to cushion and protect items inside the pack.

One of the nicer features on this pack is the quick-release buckle on the front of the shoulder strap. This buckle was very easy to undo and allowed for the bag to be quickly doffed upon entering a plane, car or train. While it took a few times, It became very intuitive as to how to sling the bag over my shoulder and then secure the shoulder strap clasp. Beyond this, I appreciated the plethora of external and internal pockets available on the pack. My camera, cell phone, mouse and other peripherals all had a dedicated spot in the bag. There were also several unused pockets for further items if necessary. A final plus I have not touched upon is that, like all of their other bags, if you want to expand its capacity with add-on pouches you can. The pack has numerous attachment points for any clips that are interchangeable the ALICE/MALICE configuration.

There are only a few downsides to this pack in my opinion. The shoulder strap could do with slightly more padding. This is simply a personal preference, but I feel a touch more padding could add to the comfort of the bag. Secondly, I found the back panel fairly flat despite Maxpedition’s efforts to add contour and breathability to the bag. I perspired under the bag somewhat, but generally only after long periods of walking or other exertion. Finally some people may find the look too military for their purposes. In this instance, the pack is available in black which will prove to be the most neutral of the available colors.

This is an excellent and ruggedly designed bag. The workmanship is top notch, and the usability is excellent. I used it for two weeks and found it to stand up to the rigors of travel while fulfilling all of my business and tourist needs. I think this pack would serve very well for a range of purposes from travel, to commuting or just around-town use. For your next pack or bag, consider the Monsoon’s versatility, unique design and exceptional function.

Overall Rating: 4 howls (out of 5)

SIGG Personalization Option

One special feature of Baying Hound's SIGG bottles is that we offer a personalization option. For 99 cents we will create a unique label for your SIGG. We can print labels with up to 12 characters of text, numbers, and symbols. We chose this kind of label to be durable enough to stick to the soft touch bottles, but can be removed with a razor blade or other sharp edge.

You'll never forget which SIGG is yours!

SIGG Kidz Bottle Review

Item: SIGG Kidz Animal Farm 0.4L Water Bottle



Specifications:
Material: Aluminum
Volume: 0.4L/13.5 oz
Height: 8 inches
Diameter: 2.5 inches
Top: Kidz mouthpiece with orange dust cap

Review Summary: Cute, great size for toddler, could use improvement in dust cap

Our test subject for this review was 2 year old Lillian. She immediately liked the look of this bottle and named the pig, horse, and cow. She also liked the look of the orange dust cap, but cannot remove it herself. (From a parent's perspective this is a good thing because it prevents spillage.)

I opened the dust cap and unscrewed the top one quarter turn to unlock it. Lillian started drinking with no problem. I tried a sip. The flow rate is slightly more than a standard baby sippy cup but less than an adult cycling water bottle.

We used water for our taste trials because that is what Lillian drinks most of the time. I noticed a cleaner fresher taste for water coming from the SIGG versus water from a plastic sippy cup. (Yes, just for you readers I tasted water from a plastic sippy cup.) The SIGG company describes the inner coating as an epoxy based enamel that is elastic and unbreakable. It is FDA approved for food use with even acidic fruit drinks and carbonated beverages.

When in the unlocked drinkable position, this water bottle does leak if turned upside down. When locked, Lillian could not get the bottle to leak even when I prompted her to try.

The size of this bottle is great for a toddler. It is light enough when filled that Lillian can pick it up and drink easily, yet big enough that I do not have to refill often. The bottle is big enough that I feel comfortable drinking out of it without someone thinking, "Is that woman drinking from a sippy cup?"

Lillian has only had the bottle a few days, but it has survived drops on tile, wooden, and carpeted flooring with no dents or scratches. The surface paint appears very durable. Washing is a snap because the top is big enough to allow a regular bottle brush inside for thorough cleaning.

Lillian did not like the dust cap hitting her face while she was drinking. She could not figure out how to hold the bottle and keep the cap away from her face at the same time. The adult SIGG Active Bottles have a flip top dust cap that stays away from the face when drinking. It would be a great improvement to the Kidz series work in the flip top manner.

I recommend this bottle to anyone who has a young child. It is hard to keep children hydrated and having a nifty looking attractive water bottle helps keep them drinking. I like that the SIGG company keeps manufacturing in Switzerland so they can ensure positive labor relations and high environmental standards. Although I expect this bottle to last for many years, I also like that I will be able to recycle it entirely when it is no longer useful as a bottle.

Overall Rating: 4 howls (out of 5)

SIGG Bottles are here!

The SIGG bottles arrived yesterday. We are so excited and already doing product tests. So far I love the cycling bottle and metro thermos! I am working on posting them to the store and will update here when they are available for ordering.