Author: news

Once upon a time, the Mississippi River hosted one of the gnarliest canoe races anywhere. It was called the Paul Bunyan Canoe Derby, an annual 450-mile race on the Upper Mississippi in the 1940s and 1950s. This massive river competition changed the course of modern canoeing, and a new book reveals the lost history of its impact on water sports. In Pushing the River: An Epic Battle, a Lost History, a Near Death, and Other True Canoeing Stories, award-winning writer Frank Bures takes a deep dive into canoe adventure. Recounting the Paul Bunyan Canoe Derby remains the “heart of the book,”…

This spaceship-looking, truck bed-mounted contraption is actually a new truck bed camper called the Camp365 T- Model. It’s a derivative of Camp365’s towable campers, which debuted in 2018 — the key feature of which is the patented folding-up system that turns the compact unit into a large living space. All Camp365 products are made in its Iowa and Minnesota factories. They are designed specifically to create maximum interior space while remaining lightweight and aerodynamic, in order to maximize vehicle range. We showed you early renders of the Camp365 T-Model about a year and a half ago. Now, it’s finally come…

Darley Partners with National Fallen Firefighters Association for the 2025 Fire Service Thought Leadership Essay Competition Itasca, IL, April 9, 2025 – Darley, in partnership with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), is proud to announce the launch of the 2025 Fire Service Thought Leadership Essay Contest –Understanding the “Why” Behind Mental Health in the Fire Service. Now in its fourth year, this initiative challenges firefighters nationwide to explore the critical yet often overlooked mental health issues within their ranks. The competition seeks to uncover the deeper reasons behind firefighters’ persistent mental health challenges, beyond the daily high-stakes stress of…

Support us! GearJunkie may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More Are you an REI customer concerned about Trump’s cuts to national parks? Then the co-op has a message for you: We messed up. In an extraordinary announcement posted to REI’s social media accounts on Wednesday, April 9, REI’s new president spoke directly to the retailer’s millions of customers. Mary Beth Laughton, a longtime board member who officially took the reins of the company on March 31, said REI had “made a mistake” by signing a January letter in support of Doug Burgum, Trump’s pick…

Franklin Armory is resuming production and sales of its Reformation firearm. Based on the ruling issued last month in its prevailing lawsuit against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the company will begin shipping a variety of Reformation model configurations to dealers for sale to consumers. The Reformation features Franklin Armory’s patented straight-cut land-and-groove design and is classified as neither a rifle nor a shotgun. Rather, Reformation is simply a “firearm” that is regulated only by the Gun Control Act (GCA) of 1968. Since Reformation is not a National Firearms Act (NFA) firearm, no tax stamp is required.…

Gallatin Navigator Achieves “Awardable” Status on Department of Defense’s Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace WASHINGTON, April 8, 2025 — Gallatin AI, a venture-backed startup transforming defense logistics with cutting-edge artificial intelligence, announced today that its flagship solution, Gallatin Navigator, has achieved “Awardable” status through the Department of Defense’s Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace. The Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace is the premier offering of Tradewinds, the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) suite of tools and services designed to accelerate the procurement and adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML), data, and analytics capabilities. Gallatin Navigator was selected through a rigorous evaluation process that assessed the platform’s innovation,…

It was monsoon season, and I was at 13,000 feet and climbing higher. With a bit of a late start, I was concerned about thunder and lightning, but I didn’t want to sacrifice the boost I got from jamming some Hozier and Odesza while tackling a steep climb.  Thankfully, I had my Shokz OpenRun Pros with me, the perfect balance between listening to music and being able to hear my surroundings. Every time I heard what sounded like thunder, I would pause my music and listen. Fortunately, most of the booming sounds I heard that day ended up being airplanes, but I…

The Instinct has long been one of SCARPA’s best-performing, most popular aggressive climbing shoes. Since introducing the original Instinct, the company has released multiple variations, including laced and slipper options. The Instinct VSR is a boulderer’s must-have secret weapon, and the brand released a low-volume version this spring.  We tested the SCARPA Instinct VSR LV (low-volume version) for months inside gyms and outdoors on sandstone crags in the Southeast (including Stonefort and Rocktown) and on Iowa limestone. I made approximately 80 redpoint attempts in the shoe outside and over 500 attempts inside on the walls or Tension Board. In short:…

Meprolight is rolling out new three accessories designed to improve your shooting experience using red dot sights. The MPO PRO-F Direct RMR Mounting Plate allows the direct mounting of the MPO Pro F enclosed pistol optic onto Glock MOS standard and large frame pistols, as well as FN 509, HK VP9OR, and IWI Masada pistols. CNC-machined from 6061-T6 aluminum with a matte black Type 2 hard anodized finish, this mounting plate creates a solid slide-to-optic connection and also includes model-specific screws pre-applied with Loctite for a secure fit. The Meprolight Picatinny Riser—RMR Footprint is available in two configurations. Both of…

KOMENDA, SLOVENIA and LENGGRIES, GERMANY (08.04.2025) UF PRO and Lindnerhof, both part of Mehler Systems, will participate in SOF Week 2025, taking place from 5–8 May in Tampa, Florida. Hosted by USSOCOM, SOF Week serves as a central platform for the global special operations community to engage with leading-edge technologies and mission-critical solutions. At the East Mezzanine Lounge, UF PRO and Lindnerhof will jointly showcase advanced systems developed to support modern-day operators across all operational environments. UF PRO will present a selection of its latest performance garments designed for extreme conditions and mission-specific applications. These include the Delta OL 4.0…