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A Review of the Buckshot Pro Ultra

Review by Harold Whitford from Bikes Haven.

I’m quite meticulous when it comes to picking cycling accessories. So, when I heard about the Buckshot Pro Ultra wireless speaker, I was thrilled and skeptical about it at the same time. But after taking it for a test ride, the only thing I regret is not buying it sooner. 

For me, being able to bring a charger, flashlight, and a portable speaker all embedded in one small and lightweight gadget is fascinating and impressive. And in a way, the Buckshot Pro has saved me a lot of money that I would have otherwise spent if I bought each accessory separately. 

What is the Buckshot Pro Ultra? 

The Buckshot Pro is a combination of a Bluetooth speaker, a flashlight, and a portable charger. The speaker delivers hi-fi sound and an excellent amount of bass. Its flashlight includes a number of lighting modes for different levels of visibility, and the integrated charging system lets you juice up small electronics as you ride your bike.  

How to Use the Buckshot Pro Ultra When Cycling 

I’ve tested dozens of bike accessories in the last 6 months, and I can tell you that none of them come close to what the Buckshot Pro is. In my twenty-something hours of testing, I noticed how easy the device was to set up and how well it performed.

Setup  

The outer design features mounting straps to fix the device on a bike’s handlebar. To get started, place the Buckshot Pro on either side and adjust the strap to fit. 

mountain biking speaker

Putting the Buckshot Pro Ultra to Work 

1. The Bluetooth Speaker 

This one has been good company for me, especially on the loneliest trails that I’ve found myself on. The built-in Bluetooth speaker allows me to play music as I bike and dance to my favorite jams to get the most out of my rides. 

This gadget’s Bluetooth technology even lets you stream music from a wireless device like a smartphone or a Bluetooth enabled MP3 player. There’s even an integrated microphone that lets you make and receive calls on the spot. 

From my firsthand experience, the sound quality is undeniably up to standards. The highs are clean, the lows are deep, and the bass is spot on. With a 10-hour playtime on a single charge, you can go on long distance bike rides while listening to your favorite music. 

2. Power Bank 

The Buckshot Pro’s built-in power bank has been quite handy in juicing up two of my USB-rechargeable GPS-enabled cycling computers. For what it’s worth, the energy allows me the grace period to keep tracking my biking performance when it would have been impossible otherwise. 

Frankly, I don’t often bring a smartphone with me to a bike ride. But when I do, I like to use Buckshot Pro to charge it up. Quite a good power bank if you ask me. 

3. Bike Light 

The Buckshot Pro Ultra lets me cruise through dark trails without worrying about hitting anyone or hurting myself. The brightness level stands at 100 lumens, which is allows other road users to spot you. The strobe, torch, bright, and dim lantern light modes all work together to make you easily visible. At 100 lumens, you won’t be visible at a long distance, but other people will still notice you even in the deep dark.

What I Think About the Buckshot Pro Ultra 

I love the Buckshot Pro because it’s lightweight. At only 0.42 pounds, this device is so super light that it doesn’t add weight to my bike. 

It’s even IPX5 rated, so it can stand up to elements like dust and resist water in drizzles. I wish it were waterproof, though. 

My Final Thoughts on the Buckshot Pro Ultra

I don’t know about you, but I think Buckshot Pro is an innovative gadget that’s changing the way we perceive bike tech. Not to mention, it takes the bike riding experience to the next level. It’s the ideal combination of a bike light, a bike stereo, and a charger for a small electronic all-in-one. 

Rad Dad’s Under $40 Gift Guide

Every time i’m shredding the gnar during the holidays, people come up to me, ask for an autograph and then also ask, “What does rad dad recommend that I buy for Christmas?”. I gather the crowd of people together so I don’t have to repeat myself which also gives me more time to shred that gnar because gnar doesn’t shred itself. Here is what I tell them.

For earbuds, you have to go with the Tags 2.0. The wireless earbuds sound really good and look cool too. I mean, just look how cool they look next to the chips. I just pull up my special playlist (Dad’s Trap Hood Skate Mix) and away I go. No wires going to my phone, so epicly stoked. If you get these for someone they will be stoked. If you ask for them for Christmas and someone gets them for you, you will be stoked. There will be so much stoke during the holidays, you’ll have to say Merry Stokemas!

 

Now you know my lady is taking mad selfies right? That’s one fine momma! The only problem is that her sick phone is draining that juice like I drain those pools to skate. So that’s why I’m going with some radical stocking stuffers. The Kodiak Mini 2.0 portable charger, the Calamari 2.0 3-in-1 USB cable, and the USB wall charger with Qualcomm quick charge. So epic, right? Yeah, I know bruh.

 

So there you go. Some quick tips on what to get someone for Christmas. Maybe you can add those items to your own Christmas list and let the stoke come onto you. Now I gotta go shred, the gnar is getting heavy right now.

namaste – Rad Dad

The Best Earbuds For Each Sport

Choosing a pair of earbuds isn’t as simple as finding the ones that’ll match your hoodie. You’ve got to take into account the size, shape and how they’ll fare in every environment. We’ve done the homework for you.

Orcas: For Water Sports (or if you sweat a lot)
The Orcas, much like their namesake, can handle getting drenched. They’re the perfect earbuds for people who like being on the boat or let loose the Hoover Dam from behind their skin after a good run. They’re water resistant, is what we’re saying. They also pack some memory foam ear tips so they adjust to ears of any size, even if you’re the unfortunate fellow with Dumbo ears. We don’t recommend taking a dip with these things though—they’re water resistant, not invincible.

Plus, each pair you buy helps to save the orcas, so that’s pretty awesome.

Tags: For Moving and Bouncing
Tags are great all-around wireless earbuds, but they truly shine when put to the test in a sport where you’re bouncing around for hours on end. Think football, running, soccer, or anything outdoors really. The fit snugly inside your ear and include clips to wrap around ‘em, no matter how oddly shaped your audio organs might be. Even when you’re not listening to them they can hang tightly around your neck like a pair of dog tags.

Chips: For Helmet Sports
Whether you’re pounding some snow, hopping on your Harley or training for the Special Olympics there’s no better pair of earbuds than the chips for any sport that requires a helmet. They fit perfectly ensconced inside your noggin protector and provide premium sound no matter where you’re at. Make sure to check that your brand of helmet is compatible with the Chips before buying them, though.

Actually, they’re mostly only compatible with ski and snowboard helmets, but you can probably find a way to make it work anywhere else. Don’t quote us on that, though.

DJ Slims: For Solo, Calmer Sports
The DJ Slims aren’t really appropriate for a game of rugby, but they’re perfect for any solo sport where you aren’t likely to get roughed up on the field. Climbing? Check. Parkour? Check? Running? Double Check. The Slims are rugged enough to handle a little bounce and stay firmly on top of your head even if you tend to jump around a bit. Keep them away from water, but otherwise let your imagination run wild.

Privates: For Walking Around
Okay, you probably don’t want to take these guys with you down a rampaging river, but they’re good for a light workout or jog around the woods. The Privates were built for functionality and allow you to use Bluetooth to connect with your phone, laptop or tablet to listen to music or make phone calls. We’ll call these guys “light use” headphones for now, but feel free to test their limits.

Tuis: For Anything Not Involving Sweat
The Tuis are for the classy gentleman or woman who still enjoys a nice stroll through the woods or along the pavement or…something like that. Whatever, just don’t try and get too sport with these beauties. They’re awesome, with some pretty great features, but they were designed to do so while looking great, not while you’re working up a sweat.

Trade Shows…ODT Style

urinalscreens

I have been doing trade shows for the better part of my professional career. When I was in the freight and customs brokerage business I would walk shows to look for prospective customers, I wore a jacket, sometimes even a tie, it sucked. I walked everything from SEMA to the CA Gift Show, I learned how the companies would market themselves, usually in an uncool but appropriate for the industry way. At SEMA and AAPEX for example this was common place.

DSC_0284_2

The car industry has made “booth babes” the norm, the expected, commonplace, and well, kinda cheezy and played out.

The next phase of my career I was in the promotional products industry, I owned a company that supplied Distributors who then in turn sold the product to large corporate clients like State Farm, HP and the like, its called the ASI or PPAI industry. I worked our booth for the better part of a decade reating relationships with the heavy hitters in the industry, it was a very corporate audience, dress was business casual or professional , this might help paint the picture.

All Biz Gear

All Biz Gear

While it wasn’t all bad by any means and we certainly found ways to have fun, get attention and stand out from the crowd, we were still confined by the standards and norms of the industry.

Well, then I started Outdoor Tech and our first trade show was SIA, it was, well, not super corporate. Production value of the booth were taken to the next level, the party WAS the show, on the floor, kids were hammered, athletes were doing dumb shit all  over the place, everyone was puffing, ON the show floor. It took a few years for me to make the full time transition out of the corporate show world, but I realized then, if you have to do 7 or 8 shows a year, you might as well make it as fun as possible and be a part of putting on a show, at the show.

Making your booth, products and marketing standout and having fun isn’t easy, trade shows are a grind, physically taxing, and you have to be “on” at all times, day and night. All the more reason you need to let go a little, make sure it’s organized in advance, and when it comes times for the show, let the games begin. Don’t give away a tote bag, give a vibrator like Trojan did at CES at got this response.

Photo Cred to tech.co

Photo Cred to tech.co

That leads me to Summer 14′, ODT Summer Show schedule:

Outdoor in Friedrichshafen,Germany

Agenda Long Beach and Agenda NYC

Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City

Surf Expo in Orlando

Interbike in Vegas

THAT ISN’T AN EASY SCHEDULE FOR ONE SUMMER!

Now back to the first photo , I have wanted to use this particular method of trade show marketing since a friend of mine drove traffic to his booth at a show I was at in Atlantic City in the midst of the Anthony Weiner scandal. I finally decided to get off the pot and get’er done and I called my buddy, Robbie, first he laughed at me, then he asked if I was serious, and then he asked if I knew HE PRODUCED the urinal screens in his facility in Texas. It was too perfect, so Purple G got our order, and we became the official sponsor of the Surf Expo urinals, the unofficial sponsor at Outdoor Retailer, and a new tradition was born at ODT. People loved it, it was fun, and certainly was a conversation starter.

Here is the short list of ODT Trade Show lore promos or events:

Bloody Mary Breakfast in the Airstream (a long standing and highly popular one)

Beer Bong Races and Marathons (with Charlie in his Unitard)

Shoelaces (seems innocuous, but we usually throw them at people and litter the isle with them, people love it)

Condoms for #SummerofHelmet (and my 13 & 15 year old nieces giving them out saying “have a safe summer”

Urinal Screens

So next week we go to a new show, one we have never done before, Surf Expo in Orlando, come see us at Booth 1475, see what trade shows are all about, ODT Style.

sia2014_rh-74

What’s Next??

New Colors for Our Privates Wireless Headphones

New Colors for our Wireless Headphones

You know about our touch-control wireless headphones the Privates, right? They use Bluetooth to connect to your device, have a built in microphone, and have a cool swipey swipey feature. Anyway, we just added some cool colors. You probably want to check those out.

Privates Bluetooth Headphones

I could write some more about how rad our wireless headphones are but you already clicked over to go check them out. You probably aren’t even reading this part so I could write whatever I want. But I’ll write about some more features because in this case, more is more.

Foldable Wireless HeadphonesWe made these headphones super portable. You can fold them up. Yea, throw them in your backpack, your purse, your man-purse/murse, or in your fanny pack.

What I am trying to say, is that you have options.

 

 

Bluetooth HeadphonesDid I mention that they are wireless?

So the Privates use Bluetooth 3.0 to stream audio from your Bluetooth-enabled device. You know what they say, once you go wireless, you don’t go… back to wires. I think you are picking up what I am putting down.

 

 

Bluetooth Headphones

The Privates are comfortable.

These headphones feel good on your dome-piece. They have super comfy ear pads and the battery lasts for 10 hours so you are good to go to listen to the 50 Shades of Grey audiobook. Don’t listen to it before a doctor visit though, trust me.

 

 

So now with these new colors and all these features you have no excuse. Remember when you were Snapchatting with your friend that you met while working on your script at the coffee shop? You said you wanted some Bluetooth headphones that matched your outfit. Boom, it just happened. Just think of the epic selfie opportunities.

Turtle Shell 2.0 and Big Turtle Shell Wireless Speakers on the Today show.

Everyone at Outdoor Tech is stoked on the appearance of the Turtle Shell 2.0 and the Big Turtle Shell on the Today show this morning. Amy Panos of Better Homes and Gardens showed everybody just how rad these two wireless speakers are.

Don’t forget that both the Turtle Shell 2.0 and the Big Turtle Shell are wireless speakers that are water resistant, dust proof, and shock proof. So you can take them just about anywhere you can go. Both speakers use Bluetooth to connect to your phone, tablet, computer, or pretty much any other Bluetooth-enabled device.

As Amy mentioned, the Big Turtle Shell is on Kickstarter right now. You can be one of the first people to have one. You better hurry though, only a few days left to get it. Check it out – http://bit.ly/BigTurtleShell.

Outdoor Tech Makes Debut with Madison at iceBike* in UK

Outdoor Tech - Stuff You Probably Want

LOS ANGELES, CA (February 20, 2014) – What better way to form a deal than over a drinking game at ISPO, which is exactly what went down between Outdoor Tech and Madison Distribution last month. Not only did ODT take the game; they ultimately won in a much bigger way in that Madison is now the official Outdoor Tech distributor for the UK and Ireland. With a firm grasp in outdoor products and established connections within the UK technology market, Madison is sure to boost Outdoor Tech’s international presence in a big way.

“Outdoor Tech is beyond stoked to have Madison be its exclusive distributor in the UK,” says VP of International Sales, Bobby Ali. “Madison is a top distributor and has helped build great brands in the UK like GoPro, Thor, Shimano and Garmin to name a few. Outdoor Tech has a very wide range of wireless audio products that sell into a wide array of distribution channels, and it is rare to find one distributor that excels in all these channels like Madison.”

Outdoor Tech and Madison “I don’t remember much about a drinking game, but Madison is über stoked about being the exclusive Outdoor Tech distributor in the UK and we believe the brand has massive potential,” says Dominic Langan, CEO of Madison.

Madison UK Distributor

Outdoor Tech will be making its debut into the UK market at Madison’s iceBike* 2014 trade show, February 25th – 27th.  For more on this event, go to www.icebike.co.uk. To see the entire line of rugged, Bluetooth wireless audio products by Outdoor Tech, check out www.OutdoorTech.com.

Shields Up!: Protecting Your iPhone

It has been said that the easiest way to ensure your phone stays in good condition is to avoid breaking it. Unfortunately, there are instances when you may accidentally toss or drop your stuff. This is why you should have measures for protecting your precious smartphone from the dangers of everyday living.

Films

Anti-glare film is a preferred protective add-on to your iPhone. Not only do you protect your screen from scratches and the innate oil in your hands, but you also shield your eyes from the screen glare. Some go the extra mile and use full-body wraps instead to avoid scratching the sleek casing of the iPhone.

Wireless gadgets

Wireless devices actually help protect the iPhone in a very practical sense. If you have a pair of earphones connected to the iPhone, you would have to take it from your pocket just to change tracks. For the clumsy owner, this poses the risk of dropping the gadget while trying to get it.

The great thing about wireless devices is that you get rid of this trouble, thus keeping your gadget safe inside your pocket or bag. Our wireless earphones, headphones, and adapters make sure that you won’t have to touch your device just to switch music tracks or take calls. Not only do you free yourself from the extra chore, but you also protect your beloved iPhone.

In the context of outdoor activities such as biking or skiing, wireless technology is definitely invaluable.

Waterproof cases

Water is the bane of all electronics, but you don’t have to avoid it if you love gadgets. Thanks to waterproof cases, it’s now easier to jump in the swimming pool without worrying that you’ll fry the wiring of your device.

We offer the Safe 5, our take on a waterproof case for the iPhone 5. We ensure that this product can protect your phone from being submerged in water for up to three feet for 30 minutes, as it has the IPX-7 rating. All buttons are completely functional and accessible – we even have a waterproof gasket to allow charging without removing the case.

At Outdoor Technology, we specialize in gadgets that help you stay connected without being tethered, and we protect phones too. Feel free to check out our products and services on our website or contact us for any inquiries.

Wireless Headphones: More than Just Listening to Music

Wireless headphones give you the freedom to do what you need to do while listening to your favorite tunes. With hundreds of products available on the market, it can be challenging to choose one that meets your requirements. At Outdoor Tech, we understand that you have unique needs. This is why we go beyond offering just headphones that produce awesome sounds. Get more than just music from your headphones. Here are some great features that will make your life easier:

Durability and Versatility

A set of headphones doesn’t have to look rugged to be durable. Whether you’re going to school, the office, or off hiking in the mountains, a pair of Privates will make the perfect companion. These lightweight and slim headphones will move with you. They also won’t look out of place around your neck while you work in the office or study in class.

Built-in Call Functionality

We’ve all had that pair of headphones that fell short on functionality. At Outdoor Tech, we understand that you also need to connect with friends and family as often as possible – even while you’re biking, hiking, or skateboarding.

Our headphones come with built-in call functionality. You won’t have to stop what you’re doing to answer or make calls. You also don’t need to worry about keeping your device in your pocket to make sure your headphones stay connected. Our Bluetooth headphones, work at a maximum distance of 30- 32 feet.

User Interface

With a simple user interface, you can easily connect any Bluetooth enabled device with our headphones. Forget about looking for the right buttons to control the volume or change tracks. With the swipe of a finger, you can skip tracks and adjust the volume on the Privates Wireless Headphones. These products also have a fuel gauge, alerting you of when it’s time to charge them.

Sound Quality

You’ll never have to sacrifice design and functionality for great sound again. Our products come with 30-40 mm drivers that deliver clear and crisp sounds. Whether you’re listening to a playlist or talking with a friend, you can be confident that every sound you’ll hear will be music to your ears.

Going wireless? Don’t settle with just a generic pair of headphones. Check out our products to find one that fits your lifestyle.