I have wanted a Dixxon flannel shirt for quite some time. For those who aren’t aware of the brand, their goal was to “create the world’s best flannel” so they developed a proprietary “D-Tech fabric that does not wrinkle, shrink or fade and never needs ironing or dry-cleaning.”
On top of the unique material, Dixxon does unique colourways, often inspired by pop culture, and releases them in limited drops.
When I saw the Krueger I knew that I MUST have one! Unfortunately, I only discovered it several months after the Nov 16th, 2021 drop that coincided with the 37th anniversary of the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie.
Given that they usually sell out quickly, I thought I had ZERO chance of finding one, especially in my size but thankfully, I managed to track one down!
The inspiration for the shirt
And here it is!
The labels
As is typical of Dixxon, the buttons feature the shirt’s name
Lots of great details like the pocket slot for holding a pen or your glasses
And Microfiber for wiping them
Dixxon notes on their website that their sizes run big but I am not sure about that. I got the 4XL because that is all I was able to find but it worked out well as I think it fits better than a 3XL would have.
I really LMAO by a comment on their Facebook page saying horizontal stripes aren’t the best idea “considering the girth of your average Dixxon customer” but given the context, I think it works lol.
I want to order one of their “Party shirts” next but haven’t decided yet between the High Caliber
or Dad Bod
Either way, I definitely see more Dixxon shirts in my future.
It was great to see the Yorkville Exotic Car Show back on Bloor Street after two years of Covid induced virtual shows. A key part of the experience is walking the red carpet on this premier shopping area to see exotic classic and modern cars in the steel. Reportedly over 100,000 people attend the show and the proceeds go to fighting Cancer.
Rather than covering all the cars in the show, I will share some of my personal highlights, beginning with my favourite car of the show, the Jaguar XJ220. I have seen XJ220s before, including this exact one but I never get tired of them.
I can say the same about the Porsche 918 and amazingly there were TWO on display
Perhaps two 918s made up for the lack of a McLaren P1 but in terms of the holy trifecta of hypercars, there was a LaFerrari on display
While the Laferrari is an incredible car, I would actually prefer this Brabus G-wagen
Parked next to the G-wagen was this Lucid Air…my first time ever seeing a Lucid in person (I was familiar with the brand) and I have to say it is gorgeous! Way better looking than the Tesla P series in my opinion.
In terms of electric cars, the Polestar wasn’t bad either
In case you think I am only interested in ultra-exotics, I can tell you that another one of my show favourites was this 1967 BMW Izetta! I remember it from Depeche Mode’s Never Let Me Down Again music video lol
I am not sure which Aston was in front of the Izetta but it was a beauty
Among the modern Astons, this was my favourite
And there were lots of Astons on display
So many cool cars…Factory Five track car
And check out this Scout III Rallye drop-top pick-up truck!
For Miami Vice fans, a white Testarossa (and a red one too for purists)
Sinister Ferrari 812 Superfast
And an even more sinister 911 GT2RS
Or if you prefer not to go incognito
Audi RS6
Quite a few lambos (I only captured a couple of them)
AMG GT-R next to a McLaren 765LT and McLaren 570S
Corvette C8-R, which even in bright yellow…
looked subtle compared to this Corvette C8 Pandem Widebody
1977 Pontiac Trans Am Bandit
1979 Pontiac Trans Am
2020 Ford Mustang Bullitt
2018 Ford Mustang Venom
Some of the incredible shops…Hermes
Cartier
And Royal De Versailles…I didn’t take pics inside but I can say that I saw quite a few that I liked from Breguet, Blancpain, and Franck Muller. I enjoy watches just as much as cars and it is great to be able to do both at the same event. I also have to say that service at Royal de Versailles is always great…no matter how you are dressed they are perfectly fine to let you try on $100,000 watches lol.
As per tradition, I finished the day with Carole’s Cheesecake (they used to claim to be the best in the Universe lol)…sadly no apple taffee but they did have my second choice, Pistachio (my nephew had the Banana Chocolate Chip).
That was enough as just before the show we had breakfast poutines at Prohibition Social House
The Yorkville Exotic Car Show has been running since 2010 and if you have never attended, I strongly recommend you make it part of your Father’s Day plans next year. The red carpet feel, luxury shops, and exotic cars is a hard combination to beat.
With today being National Range Day, there are shooting events across the country intended to introduce our sport to new shooters.
I was fortunate to attend Big Bang Gun Show, a multi-format show with shooting, archery, axe/knife throwing, and vendors! As someone who attends A LOT of such events, I can definitely say that Big Bang is one of those “can’t miss” events…certainly one of the top Canadian events like TACCOM and Wolverine Days.
The day started off with a safety briefing to the army of volunteers
And a few words from host Code of Arms
Before getting to the activities, I have to say it was great running into familiar faces and meeting new ones.
Sig rep Tim and Mossberg rep Gilles
Gilles again, this time with Ian from O’Dell
I always appreciate when fellow gunnies say hi.
The Aimbot Target crew
Ok let’s start with shooting….
some of the handguns on the line
Sig P320 X5 Legion with its Tungsten infused grip (I was most anxious to shoot this one)
Sig P320 AXG Pro
The Desert Eagle needs to introduction
The mighty S&W 500
Skorpion
Canuck 1911 and Springfield XD
Springfield 1911
A selection of Glocks
Such as the G19X
Long-guns
Including Mossberg shotguns
Love the retrograde
GSG
More shotguns
And the Crusader Arms 9
a fitting start to Big Bang, babygoespewpew with the S&W500
I went for the X5 Legion right away…it did not disappoint
I love 1911s and have been on the list for a Springfield FBI gun for several years…now I may never get one if the new laws go through ☹
Also tried the Springfield XD with red-dot
Tom also tried (and liked) the X5 Legion
He has shot my John Wick 2 Taran G34…now he opted to try a stock G34
Our steel targets
vs. bowling pins at the range next to ours
where they also had a Legion on the line
by now a decent crowd was forming
so we moved to the trap/skeet range, accompanied by CCFR Gunnie Girl and Canuck Pro Staffer, Barb!
Great shooting Barb!
All done shooting, we moved to some of the other activites. I was super excited about the axe/knife/spear throwing as I have always wanted to try that. In fact, I even had custom throwing knives made by Bullseye Blades in the pattern of the Beck WSK Tracker I have on order (going on 4 years now lol)
Since this was my first time throwing, I started with a production knife first.
And it stuck on my first throw!!
Now for my custom…I was so scared of throwing it in the forest that I babied it on the first throw and it bounced off the board. The instructor told me to throw harder and it stuck the second time! Boy did it ever..took some effort to pull it out of the board lol
I didn’t dare try the spears but here is Sam showing how it is done
They also had some knives on display…I was happy to see the Condor Golok Machete as I am very interested in FMA and Silat
Another Indonesian design, the Parang
More knives on display from CRKT
Including my favourite, the Provoke “morphing” karambit designed by Joe Caswell
Meanwhile Barb, an experienced archer, shot some recurve bow
Last but certainly not least, the vendor showcase!
Some of my favourite brands at this booth….including Wiley X eyewear (I have the CQC, SG-1, and Saber)
The Spear goggles (compared to my Revision Exoshield that you can see in the mirror)
I am a bit obsessed with goggles lol
I also like the Klein, safety rated aviators
I LOVE Surefire!
Yes I need a UBR Dominator
Another great brand, Trijicon
AXIL hearing protection…coincidentally I just picked up a GS 2.0 Extreme last night in anticipation of this show…didn’t know they would have Axil available…I think I need to try it with the smaller foam plugs next time
Woox axes
my favourite of which was the Volante throwing axe
A chance to have a closer look at the Springfields I shot earlier
I need these for my mancave
This gentleman at Dark Knight Systems took a nap
Before showcasing this green plate carrier
while his colleague wore one in black
Crusader Arms has created quite the buzz in the industry with the introduction of the 9, Sentinel, and the new Templar
the Templar is much lighter than the initial designs and features a folding stock
new lower also introduced at the show
Great to see the Sig reps, I picked up a 320 tekmat for my M17 Commemorative
Wolverine folding pump action and other shotguns
Canadian Combatant and Operation Giving Goose, promoting mental health and suicide prevention
OAFC
and of course the CCFR fighting tirelessly for our gun rights
Great vibe with a DJ
And Greek food from the Runaway Greek
I had the Gyros plate
Once again, a phenomenal event and given the intention of bringing new shooters into the fold, I couldn’t think of anything better.
It was great to see 5.11 Day back at Urban Tactical after a covid imposed hiatus last year. This annual event is usually held on or as close to possible May 11, or 5.11 and features sales on the entire 5.11 lineup as well as general store sales as well. Plus Urban Tactical is just a great store, run by a great group of guys.
The first 50 people had the choice of a t-shirt or hat
I opted for the hat
There was also a prize wheel available to those who made a purchase. Since I made some purchases throughout the day, I got two spins at the wheel.
The first time I won a patch
The second time a 5.11 dopp kit
big crowds all day
TONS of 5.11 around the store, including jackets and shirts
Hoodies
Footwear
including my favourite with built in pocket for an accompanying knife
it will fit a light as well
plate carriers
Backpacks
and hats…shown alongside hats from UF Pro
Unfortunately, my pic with the 5.11 boonie hat came out blurry
Speaking of UF Pro, I do like the brand but unfortunately most of their products are cut too small for me. Case in point, this beautiful ACE Winter Combat Shirt. I do have their winter jacket with the full zipper and like it a lot.
Apart from 5.11, Urban Tactical carries a huge array of tactical gear and firearms. In terms of eyepro, they carry my three favourite brands, SMITH, Revision, and Oakley. For example, this incredible Revision Snowhawk comes with a balaclava featuring strategically placed magnets that pair with the goggles to keep them firmly in place.
Vs. the very low profile Revision Exoshield (btw I got the 5.11 hat I am wearing personally from Doug Marcaida at his seminar during SHOT Show 2018).
Oakley Ballistic Detcord (love the design but a bit small for my face)
Knives from several manufacturers including Kershaw, Gerber, and Condor Tool & Knife, such as this K-TACT KUKRI
Tactical lights from Nextorch
And Quiqlite
HUGE selection of YETI coolers, including the new Bimini Pink, Offshore Blue, and Alpine Yellow
They recently started carrying Mustang Survival!
last but certainly not least, firearms
I looked at the new S&W M&P 12 shotgun…super compact..and extremely grippy textured grips that you usually see on the M&P handgun line
My very first handgun was a Glock 20 in 10mm…here is one next to the longer slide version, the 40
I didn’t take pics of the shooting component of the day but I understand they had about 200 people go through the range. In retrospect, I should have done some shooting!
I didn’t cover the complimentary barbeque either as I opted to visit Camp 31 for some competition level ribs.
I had the “Backside” combo. As the name suggests it is a half rack of baby back and a half rack of side ribs.
Had a super fun day with CCFR Gunnie Girl and Canuck Pro-Staffer, the legendary Morgy!
First we hit one of my favourite gun stores, Firearms Outlet Canada. Their selection is incredible and they had at least 15 guns I want to buy lol. My absolute favourites were the B&T GHM9 NON-RESTRICTED and MK II Optic Ready handgun
I also liked the Beretta 92 compact
And Beretta M9A4, with the main difference over the M9A3 being an optics ready slide with front serrations
It was great to check out The Fix by Q again…lightest precision rifle I have ever encountered.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was the new Canuck Operator Elite pump action! It looks just like a Benelli M4 except that it is pump action…I believe the slide release is located where the bolt release would be on the semi…pretty neat!
Another nice surprise, they had the Streamlight Wedge..i have been wanting to check these out in person.
Note: This event took place August 30, 2021. You may recognize some of the pics as they appeared in the CCFR TV ad during the Federal Election.
In all my travels to gun stores and gun shows one name keeps popping up; “Canuck.” Phil O’Dell and his team at O’Dell Engineering, distributors for Canuck, have clearly done a great job of meeting Canadian gun owners’ needs for quality products at an affordable price all backed by a company with great customer service.
There is no question that O’Dell has capitalized successfully on the growing appetite for tactical shotguns in general, and for mag-fed variants in particular, with offerings such as the Operator, Recon, Renegade, Enforcer, and Engage.
While O’Dell may be best known for Canuck shotguns, they also offer 1911s, both through the Canuck brand as well as through distribution rights for Rock Island Armory. O’Dell is also the Canadian distributor for Bergara precision rifles. Prior to the OIC ban, they were also the distributors for Radical and F-1 Firearms AR-15s.
O’Dell’s Annual Range Day, now in its seventh year, is an industry event that allows retailers to test the latest offerings and provide/receive direct feedback. The intention is to increase retailers’ first-hand familiarity with the products so they can better answer questions and better match firearms with the customer’s shooting needs. The event, done in collaboration with AmChar, the Glock distributor, is by invitation only with a cap of two reps per retailer.
Opening remarks by Phil O’Dell and Ian Mahler to the group of about 60 guests representing 25+ retailers
After which we split up and I headed over to the handgun/rifle range.
In terms of the guns on the line, the FD-12 was the most popular of the day with several people not wanting to put it down!
Rep from Ronin Sports
Canuck Pro-Staffer and CCFR Gunnie Girl Barb
Rep from Williams Arms
I first saw the FD-12 at SHOT Show 2020 and again at CSAAA 2020 and was very intrigued by the compactness of the bull pup box magazine design. The FD-12s being imported by O’Dell are quality controlled by a boots-on-the-ground employee (named Fatih) in Turkey. Guns that meet O’Dell’s standards are marked with an “OD” serial number and are fully supported for warranty work. Currently the O’Dell guns are only available in black and they have a nice weight to them given the abundance of metal components.
The second most popular gun appeared to be the new Commander size Canuck 1911. After years of development, it is finally available in .45ACP and 9mm in stainless or with a black finish. It has a 4.25” barrel and a Series 70 style trigger. Everyone who shot it gave positive feedback and a few even preferred it to the full-size model.
The rep from Victory Ridge
The two Kelly’s!
Dave from NAS Guns and Ammo
And more reps
My personal favourite gun of the day was the Rock Island Armory XT, a 1911 in .22 MAGNUM. While I did not get a chance to shoot it, I did shoot the even hotter .22TCM at SHOT Show 2020 and it was quite surreal to see such a huge flame coming out of a gun with such low recoil. I imagine the .22 MAGNUM would be just as fun!
Speaking of .22s, there were some great new offerings from Bergara on the line. The B14R is designed as a true rimfire “trainer” that follows the dimensions/layout of a REM700 platform. In fact, it can be set up to match the configuration of your centerfire rifle with REM700 compatible stocks, bases, and triggers. Even the magazine is built to the same dimensions as a standard short action AICS mag.
The Bergara Micro Rimfire, or BMR, uses a new scaled down Bergara Action design. It is available with either steel or carbon fiber barrel with match chamber for high accuracy. The BMR accepts aftermarket REM700 triggers.
Canuck Pro-Staffers and CCFR Gunnie Girls…Morgy
Lynn
And Barb
All of the Bergara precision rifles on the line were fitted with US Optics glass as O’Dell is the Canadian distributor for these top-of-the-line scopes.
Next I headed over to the AmChar range
Where the Gen5 Glock 22 was the highlight. Upgrades to the revamped .40 Glock include front slide serrations, a grip without finger grooves, a Gen5 trigger, and four sight configurations including standard, Glock Night Sights, Ameriglo Bold, and Modular Optic System (MOS).
All done at the rifle/handgun ranges, I made my way to the Lancaster Smokehouse food truck. This local favourite was on site serving up some of its legendary brisket, pulled pork, macaroni, and curly fries, a fitting meal for a range day.
Break time was also a great opportunity to check out the incredible selection of machine guns that the Canadian Historical Arms Museum had on display. I love the MG34, MG42, Bren MK1 and big belt-fed autos as much as any gunnut…
but I have to say the Mac 10 with its highly visible welding lines always puts a big smile on my face.
Thanks again to the CHAM crew for your generosity in sharing your collection and knowledge.
Ok back to shooting, this time at the skeet and 5-stand ranges to check out the Canuck Over Under Trap Combo with its beautiful Grade 2 walnut stock and the new Canuck Hunter 3” Inertia semi-auto. The Trap Combo has a 32” vent rib barrel, adjustable recoil pad and comb, fiber optic front sight, and 5 extended chokes. The Hunter has a 28” chrome lined vent rib barrel with fibre optic front sight, two tone bronze Cerekoted aluminum receiver and barrel, and a Mossy Oak Bottomlands Camo pattern buttstock and forend. It will also be available in CAMO MAX 5.
Throughout the day it was great to see so many familiar faces and catch up on industry news.
Dean from Select and Corrie from Code of Arms
And Corrie with Scott from BullsEye North
The crew from AmChar and Target Sports
The crew from NAS Guns and Ammo
Conservative Candidates, Connie Colvey and Tyler Calver, both of whom are RPAL holders, in attendance.
Some nice lawn signs
Lots of nice shades
The range day closed off with a prize draw for attendees. There were multiple great prizes including firearms from Canuck, Bergera, and Glock!
Attendees also received a great swag bag with Canuck and Bergara hats, tshirt, and other gear.
And we were not done yet! The celebration continued at the Duke & Duchess, a local British pub.
O’Dell’s decision to move forward with this event is a very encouraging sign for our sport and a testament of their commitment to it. So many other great events have been cancelled or postponed indefinitely with all the lockdowns and havoc over the past two years, not to mention the current political climate.
Finally, some special thanks to all the volunteers including Canuck pro shooters and CCFR Gunnie Girls Morgy, Lynn, and Barb, to Dean and team from Select Shooting Supplies for supplying the coffee and PA system, to Steve Corlett from Vista and Federal ammo for sourcing the required munitions for the day, which is a growing challenge due to ammo shortages, to the Sportsmens Club Galt, and of course the O’Dell team for putting on such a great event. Oh, and Happy Birthday Phil!
The North American International Motorcycle Supershow, aka “the Big One” claims to cover 500,000 square feet, feature 500+ vendors and 1000+ bikes. While these numbers may have been true for their pre-covid shows, this one definitely felt smaller. In fact, it seemed to me that there was more gear than bikes. It definitely felt more like a dealer show than a manufacturer show.
Case in point, the “Harley-Davidson” booth was run by a local dealer, not the manufacturer. It had TONS of clothing and maybe 10-15 bikes, some of which were already sold so you could not sit on them. Such was the case with my favourite, the Fat Boy
The Terminator may have been here
I love this bike.
This CVO Road Glide was also sold
Vs. the standard Road Glide
Another beautiful CVO, this time a Street Glide
The Heritage Classic lives up to its name…it certainly felt nostalgic with that windshield and reminded me of the old CHIPS tv show…I liked it a lot better in real life than in pics, in fact it was one of the biggest surprises of the show.
The new Sportster S looks great
A couple of Pan America
Livewire electric bike
Fat Bob
There were lots of crazy customs competing for a $50,000 prize
I have seen this John Deer bike at a previous show
But he has added a matching Challenger lol
Crazy paint jobs
Another one of my show favourites, a great winter bike
There were also lots of vintage bikes on display
Switching gears to sportbikes, the BMW S1000RR
And M1000RR
Ducati Panigale
899
This modified Edition 1 was my favourite
Actually there were quite a few modified sportbikes on scene
And some modified adventure bikes
Minimalist helmets seemed to be a thing…they were all over the place
Lots of bike art
So all in all it was an ok show but there is still some work to do to get it back to pre-covid glory days. I did feel that there weren’t enough bikes or at least a shortage of the ones I wanted to see. Just to recap my favourites (almost all Harleys)
It’s great to be back covering a major show like the Toronto Sportsmen’s Show 2022! I have really missed such events over the past 2 years.
TSS is under new management and the show had a slightly different feel, in part due to the mix of exhibitors. I saw lots of familiar exhibitors but a lot of new ones as well…and very welcome ones at that as they turned out to be my favourites!
Normally I start my reviews of TSS by covering all things firearms related but not this year! Knives and gear stole this show.
In the world of hunting and outdoors, PUMA knives out of Germany are legendary!
Not surprisingly, their booth was swarmed all day (I snuck in an early shot)
PUMA’s product line is incredibly expansive and is divided into three categories: First, Hand Made in Germany, which is pretty obvious. Next, PUMA IP, which stands for International Production. The majority of IP knives are hand-made in Spain but the design, finished production and quality control is performed by PUMA in Solingen, Germany. Finally, PUMA TEC, which are more modern in design and are also produced in carefully selected Asian partner manufacturing facilities.
As a serious collector I was most interested in the Hand Made line so I will start with those, specifically one of the coolest knives I have seen in a long time, the Fishing knife!
This classic design features a fish scale pattern integral frame culminating in a big “ball” at the end.
While the ball can be used to deliver a final blow to your catch, that is not its primary purpose
Rather it serves as a counter weight and, working in conjunction with the notches and markings on the blade, allows you to weigh your fish!!!! Here is a demo of how it works.
The Fishing knife next to the General, my second favourite of the Hand Made lineup. This is about as close to “tactical” as you can expect from PUMA lol.
There is also a shorter version of this knife known as the Sergeant (not shown here) as well as green handle versions such as the Master and Packer
Of course, you cannot talk about Hand Made PUMAs without mentioning the White Hunter. The origin of this knife dates back to 1956 when it was designed as an all-purpose knife for the East African Hunting Association. The knife was designed for both heavy and fine chopping and slicing as well as hammering tent pegs. Since that time, there have been several variations including the functioning mini (with real stag scales!) and a much larger “Waidblatt” version.
Speaking of minis, check out this working folder and flipper!
Ok on to the IP line. My favourite there was definitely the Lanza Saufeder, which can be combined with an oak shaft to form a boar spear!
Beautiful leather sheath
It was great to meet the reps from pumaknives.ca Super friendly people!
Next up, Svord, all the way from New Zealand.
Fortunately they brought two of the Von Tempsky knives to the show, the Forest Ranger Bowie and the Ranger. As their namesakes suggest, both knives were designed by Major Von Tempsky in the mid 1800s and issued to New Zealand Forest Rangers under his command.
The Bowie has an 11” blade
While the Ranger’s is 6.5”
I also really liked the Hunter 7…it felt so great in the hand!
Having international knives at the show is great but keep in mind Canada has some great knifemakers too, such as Skip’s Customs who has been making custom knives for 30 years. I really liked the deer jawbone knife.
There was a blade for everyone at the show
Including visiting Klingons!
Good to start them on blades early
Ok NOW we get to the guns lol.
First stop, my good friends at Stoeger.
Nice setup on this Tikka T3x tactical
Beautiful over-unders we have come to expect from Beretta
As usual, a highlight of the Stoeger booth is the Steiner display, this time featuring a new camo coating.
Sorry I didn’t get the details on that Burris
Next up, Hunt Group with a staggering array of shotguns, mostly box mag fed
Although my favourite was the semi-auto with Shockwave style grip
Lots of guns for sale at Shooter’s Choice booth
Moving on to gear, it was great to meet the crew at Army Issue Surplus, newcomers and a very welcome addition to TSS (I have always said the show needs more “tactical”).
Lots of great surplus gear
Check out these awesome GI mittens
Or if you prefer the arctic version
British police surplus PR24
Classic freedom munitions
vs “Canadian freedom” water jugs
Another newcomer I was very excited about, True North Tradecraft, experts in disaster preparedness and personal security
a quick demo of some of their escape tools
I picked up a GTFO bracelet
And I really want to take one of their courses
Speaking of courses, great to see my friends from CHIMERA, who just moved to a new location. I took one of their mini-courses on low-light shooting and it was FANTASTIC! (in fact I had a Surefire G2Z Maxvision that I came to love on that course in my bag)
Education seemed to be a theme here, with a few more options. I wish that I could have stayed to watch WSC’s presentation on the stage.
I should say education and advocacy, particularly for our gun rights, such as the CSSA
And CCFR…
…who were raffling off this beautiful custom made table
made by this gentleman
They were also raffling off this Canuck shotgun
Nice to catch up with some CCFR Gunnie Girls
Amanda Lynn Mayhew and the Just Hunt Crew promoting the sport to women
As were Canadian Sportswomen Society
The Canadian Wild Turkey Federation promotes Wild Turkey’s in Canada. The have Chapters Canada wide and are doing a Membership drive at the show with a raffle to win one of five shotguns and a rifle.
There have always been offroad vehicles at TSS but I didn’t really pay much attention to them until this year. The new offerings from Argo and Segway look very interesting.
6 and 8 wheelers from Argo
but their tracked model was the most popular
Meanwhile the Segway Villain has 185 HP in its highest trim!
But the biggest surprise vehicle-wise was the SHERP..i was NOT expecting to see that at the show!
I have also ignored fishing boats at previous TSS shows but I couldn’t ignore these boats!
It wouldn’t be a TSS without some taxidermy and animal skins
Finally, outdoor clothing.
Including high end hunting gear from Harkila
Polar Piece
Military themed tshirts
Widowmaker supply
Stix and Stones
Yeti coolers showcasing their new Offshore Blue and Bimini Pink
Oh no, bouncy castles! Please don’t invoke the Emergencies Act!
So what was my overall assessment? Well, as someone who goes to A LOT of tradeshows, I often walk away happy and satisfied if I find ONE cool thing…and from that perspective, this show delivered as I found SEVERAL cool things! Just a quick recap of some of them:
PUMA Fishing knife (and the rest of the lineup really)
Svord Tempsky knives
Skip’s custom deer jawbone knife
True North Tradecraft gear
Army Issue surplus gear
Steiner camo binoculars
Yeti Bimini Pink lineup
and the SHERP!
A fantastic show!
RL
A few pics from the CCFR after party (sorry the lighting was terrible)
In anticipation of my 50th birthday extravaganza, i just bought my first cigar, a Cuaba Distinguidos!
Of course, i never stop there so got some accessories as well….including a Cigar Caddy travel humidor in camo (shown with a bonus cigar they gave me)
and a Colibri Quasar tabletop cutter, which i absolutely love!
I am not sure how much i will like the cigar but i like the Colibri so much that i might get the rest of the set (lighter, ashtray etc).
Just what i need, another expensive hobby!
As i posted in my John Wick 2 pistol cake blog, my birthday celebration went well 🙂
I have since purchased a few more cigars (not to mention the gift box of Cohibas from my Lady 🙂 )
This Cohiba Medio Siglo also arrived on my birthday but I didn’t open the package till later
I am currently in Montreal and had the chance to visit Vasco, the claimed largest cigar accessory store in Canada. Their claim does seem plausible…while their actual selection of cigars is about on par with other stores I have visited, their selection of humidors, lighters, ashtrays, pens, barware, and men’s accessories like cufflinks is truly impressive. It’s the kind of store you can spend hours browsing and keep finding treasures.
I bought a Partagas Culebras
No luck on the Quasar lighter in red…
…until today! The obsession continues lol.
Also picked up this beautiful Cohiba Classic Logo ashtray
Being a huge John Wick fan, what better way to celebrate my 50th birthday than with this incredible TTI John Wick 2 cake! This is one of the coolest things I have gotten in a while and I must say Velvet Lane Cakes did an amazing job and were great to work with (more on this later).
The level of realism and detail is astonishing…it looks just like the real thing!
In more detail…
close-up of the business end…note the “fiber optic” front sight!
Taran Tactical logo and Taran’s signature
A fitting birthday message
Ready for action
A 50 gun salute
Unlike the TTI, this one is chambered in chocolate chip
Once again,, amazing job by Velvet Lane! I was worried that they would not want to do a “gun themed” cake or have a birthday message that, ahem, follows the movie quote but they were totally cool with everything. Very responsive and great attitude! I think I might commission a John Wick 3 cake for Christmas!
rlauferblog 