Tag: health

TWO TOO-COOL TUMBLERS

Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD   

I’m not sure which manufacturer invented the 20-ounce insulated tumbler, but they are standard on my boat. I load one up with hot coffee knowing that by the time I get to where I plan to fish, get the lines set and maybe have the first fish or two of the day in the cooler, my coffee will still be hot. One of my best friends has a similar cup filled with iced tea that usually still has ice left in the bottom at the end of the trip.

These stainless steel, vacuum-sealed tumblers are now made by several companies and other than different colors and minor variations of lid design, one brand seems nearly identical to the next. Recently, however, I came across a couple that set them apart from most of the rest.

The “coolest” of these has a feature is one available from TOADFISH. It’s the one I always bring along when I’m hopping on someone else’s boat. Many boats are short on cup holders and when I show up with my 20 ounces of hot coffee, the Toadfish Non-Tipping Tumbler solves that problem. Just set the tumbler down on any “slick” surface, like a fiberglass gunwale or a painted aluminum dashboard and its suction cup bottom will stick it there like a lamprey on a laker. It won’t tip over. Want to take a slurp, just lift it straight up and it easily releases. It seems magical more than logical. Available in several colors; I chose the “Toadfish Teal.”  Check it out and other unique Toadfish products at www.ToadFish.com. You can purchase it there, at Amazon.com and other sources.

If you have plenty of drink holders on your boat and the tip-less tumbler isn’t appealing, how about bottle openers? Sure, it’s possible to pop the top on a chilled Corona or Heineken with the same pliers you use to rip hooks out of the fish you catch, but how easy is that? My Wyld Gear 20-ounce tumbler solves that problem.

Look at it from the side or from the top and it looks like most any other steel vacuum drink container but take a look at the bottom, and you’ll see a built-in bottle cap tool. Brilliant! Well, at least it’s novel place to mount a bottle opener. Once you’ve popped the top, slide the bottle inside the tumbler and it becomes a koozie. Check out this multi-tasking tumbler and dozens of other Wyld Gear products at www.wyldgear.com.

MACKENZIE’S AFTER SUN PRODUCTS

Reviewed by: CAPT. MIKE SCHOONVELD

One of the most impressive products I reviewed from ICAST 2023 was Mackensie’s Fisherman’s Hand Scrub. I reviewed it in the June/July ’24 issue of GLA. So I stopped by the Mackensie’s booth at ICAST 2024 to see if they had other products with equal effectiveness. They did!

                I picked out a pair of their “after sun” products – one, a bar soap and the other a lotion. Unlike their Fisherman’s Soap which is a product you’ll hope you’ll need, these after sun products are items you hope you won’t need, but like insurance, you’ll be glad you have it when it’s needed.

                I’m pretty careful about getting over-exposed to the sun these days, wearing performance fabric shirts, pants, hats and neck gaiters, as well as prudent use of SPF 30 sunscreen. Luckily, my wife isn’t, so I had a perfect test subject a few times after she developed a but of sunburn.

                These product aren’t sunscreens, nor do they have much “curative” ingredients, like aloe vera and agave or chemical pain-relief potions like lidocaine. Few products can actually speed up the healing sunburn. It just takes time.

                After an over-exposure, the problem is mainly curbing the burning pain until it fades over time. For me, the worst sunburn pain comes an hour or two after the over-exposure occurs. Here’s where these after-sun products come in handy.

                Applying regular sunscreen doesn’t help with the pain at all after the exposure occurs. Mackenzie’s After-Sun Cooling Lotion does. When my wife would look at her forearm, forehead or other area that is turning red from sunburn, she immediately applies the After Sun Cooling Lotion which contains a refreshing blend of peppermint, menthol and essential oils that cools, lubricates and hydrates the affected areas. She reports the burning sensation is instantly reduced or eliminated.

                When she hits the shower, she uses the After-Sun Cooling Shower Bar. This is shea butter based bar soap infused with peppermint and menthol. Shea butter soaps are widely used to make soaps and cosmetics for its moisturizing properties and as with the lotion, the peppermint and menthol imparts a cooling affect to the skin, instantly. I did try the soap, myself on unsunburned skin and the cooling properties was still noticeable.

                For “sunburn-insurance” pick up a tube of Mackenzie’s After Sun Lotion in some retail outlets or from many online suppliers including fishermanshandscrub.com. The After Sun Cooling Lotion is also widely available. All of Mackenzie’s products are made in the USA.