Orvis hunting product developer Brett Ference - An Interview

Gear is a big, big part of a wingshooter's world. It can make a good day in the field miserable and a miserable day tolerable, it can provide that extra bit of convenience for guys trying to make the most of a rare day off, and it can occasionally be the difference between bagging a limit and watching that last bird fly off into the distance. Most of us put a fair amount of effort into choosing the stuff.

As a long-time listener of the Double Barrel podcast I knew of Brett Ference and his role, or at least his title, at Orvis. I was less familiar with the inner workings so, curiosity being the better part of waiting for five o'clock, I gave him a call. Friday afternoons are generally a good time for these unannounced, less than important, otherwise intrusive interruptions, my theory being that if anyone is in his office on a Friday afternoon he'd welcome something a little offbeat. Brett called back within an hour.

I'm always interested in the person behind the job.  Tell us a little about the part of Brett Ference that's not the hunting product developer for Orvis.

I grew up in New England, my father had a dairy farm and like most farmers he had little time to hunt and fish. That said, he saw how much I loved hunting and fishing and he encouraged this by making it an alternative to work that needed to be done around the farm. Once I was finished with my mandatory chores I was pretty much free to hunt or fish, so long as I never watched TV during daylight hours. I went to college at the University of Montana and managed to get my degree at the same time I hunted and fished throughout the Northwest. New England beckoned me home after I graduated (I am a striped bass fanatic) and I settled in the mountains of Vermont where I was born. I am married to a remarkably patient woman who tolerates my absence every May, (turkey hunting, Hendrickson hatch, and Cinder Worm hatch) and October, (grouse, woodcock, trout, and false albacore). I have two English Setters, Doc and Wyatt, and no children.       

Most guys are like me – they get the hunting catalogs every year and flip through them, salivate over the stuff they can't afford, order the stuff they need to replace what wore out last year, all the while without giving much thought to how this gear gets a place on the page.  What are the major factors in determining what gets in and what doesn't?

There are all sorts of costs in making a catalog: postage, printing, photography and so on. Basically a product will repeat if its sales pay for the space it is given in the catalog. With the inter-web and retail being a part of our business we have to consider those sales as well. So repeat products are mostly determined if people buy them.

A new product starts as a concept on a list of products we elicit from industry people, guides, and upper management. At Orvis our owners, (upper management) do a lot of wingshooting so they tend to have good ideas for a product. I use a set of two questions before I bring any new product to market:

1. Is this something I would be proud to own or give as a gift? This is the first thing I ask myself before anything goes into the assortment and is great to weed out the “latest and greatest” gizmos. If it is not something I would use or give someone, it’s out. 
2. Does this product have a reason for being? Sometimes we come up with solutions for problems that did not exist in the first place. I get people telling me “Wouldn’t it be great if there was a (fill in the blank)?” Sometimes they are absolutely right and it makes the list, but sometimes you don’t need a hunting vest that can hold 42 pheasants in the game pouch.     

Is more of your job improving on existing products or looking for completely new products?

Both - I try never to be satisfied with what I did yesterday. I think what makes me good at my job is my first instinct when I get anything is to take it apart and make it work better. For upland hunting you don’t need all kinds of gizmos and gadgets. You need good boots, briar pants (especially in the North East), a vest or jacket, and gloves. If you use these things hard you will eventually need to replace them.  My hope is that when you do replace your gear the next generation lasts longer than its predecessors.   

I think most of us who hem and haw before parting with a hard-earned buck share that sentiment and it’s good to know that product developers understand it. Where are the new product ideas hatched?

All kinds of places, sometimes it is the “wouldn’t it be great if I had something to make something better?” Guides tend to give good ideas for products as they use their gear hard and see their clients with gear that either performs or does not preform.  I also look at different industries and try to get ideas from what they are doing like the mountaineering industry for light weight and durable materials or our military for carrying systems and boots. Whenever I hunt with someone I look at what they have on and ask, “I see you have (fill in the blank), how do you like those?”   

I'm sure you get your share of unsolicited gizmos that are sure to revolutionize hunting.  What's the worst product idea that ever crossed your desk? 

Without throwing anyone under the bus, to date the most amusing product submission I can remember was a foam hand with an elastic band that was a sun visor. The concept being when you are not wearing a hat you shade your eyes with a hand, hence the foam hand visor. They were willing to put Orvis on the large gold ring the hand had on it.

Wow, talk about revolutionary.  Make it out of carbon fiber and Kevlar and you’ve got the next gen for sure.  Ever hit a point where you think all the stuff anyone needs has been invented?

Not really, everything can be improved upon, unless you are a horseshoe crab, I don’t think they’ve changed in millions of years.

Do you have a core group of people you work with to develop and test new products?  Are they full-time professionals (guides) or are they serious hunters who have day jobs?

Yes, they are both. One of my best field testers is a customer who called to complain about a particular piece of gear that failed on him. His complaint was well written and very thorough so I called him to get some more information and have been using him to test gear for the past three seasons. He has a 9 to 5 job but does a lot of hunting and has been a very valuable tester. The one drawback with guides is they sometimes need things that are not practical for anyone but a guide. For example the vest with game pouches that hold 42 pheasants.

R&D session

Best part of working for Orvis? What's a typical day at the office like?

I get to directly affect and produce things for something I love and am passionate about, that is the best part. However the job is not as glamorous as it can sound. In the course of a typical day I will answer and write emails, analyze data on spreadsheets, negotiate pricing and fabric minimums, look at shipping logistics, and call vendors asking why they changed something or why their order did not ship.

Man, I was hoping to hear about taking off at 10am, bagging a couple of grouse and cooking them for lunch in the break room, maybe with a nice merlot.  Tell your recruiting department not to use your description. How much of the time you spend in the woods is R&D and how much is just no-strings-attached hunting?

A bit of a loaded question.  Every time I go in the woods I am thinking about the products I am using and how I could make them better, but this is like background music to me now. I am completely focused on what my dog is doing and hunting. When I get back I like to replay the day in my mind -  Wow Doc held that point great, I can’t believe I missed that crosser I should have used pull away rather than sustained lead, my boots leaked. So when I am in the field I am 100% focused on hunting but when I replay the day there are thoughts that apply to my job.

Ok, what do we have to do to get more Double Barrel podcast?   Rosenbauer's great and all, but I'm a wingshooter first and foremost.

I need to commit more time to this. With all the balls I keep in the air I am just not good at making the time for it. I love doing them I just need more hours in the day.

Story of my life these days.  In a bio I found online you were listed as the captain of the Orvis drinking team.  Without going into the qualifications for this distinctive post, may I ask if you have a preferred beverage? 

Not sure where you found this, interesting. I like beer and just got into brewing which is a lot of fun. I also like bourbon. The South does some things better than anyone; fried chicken and bourbon are some of their crowning achievements to me.

If you weren't doing what you do, what would you be doing?

Anything that would let me hunt and fish as often as possible. I worked my way through school building houses, I like carpentry and the satisfaction of seeing what you did at the end of the day.

***

Many thanks to Brett for taking the time to talk about the life behind the curtain in hunting retail. In the interest of staying on his good side I will not give out his # or email address, so you with the Swiss Army trigger guard prototype, don't even bother asking.

Browning Hell's Canyon jacket - Gear Review

Occasionally when I'm not in the market for something but find it on sale I'll find a way to justify the purchase. I say occasionally because the majority of the time I'll make do with what I have, and for the most part I have the gear I need. Until recently, when I needed a windproof jacket I'd grab one of my waterproof shells, which kinda sorta do the trick but usually require an extra layer underneath.  It's gotta be a hell of a breeze to be a problem on a warm day, right?

High back neck

A sale ad for a Browning Hell's Canyon windproof jacket caught my frugal eye about this time last year.  I get some of the worst cases of buyer's remorse know to the CDC and I went back and forth on this until I couldn't stand it any more.  They retail between $100-120, I got mine for about $65 and I've seen them as cheap as $50 since then.  You'll have to measure the value by your aversion to wind.

No breeze in here

It's built to be windproof and that is where it excels. Neoprene/velcro wrists do an exceptional job of sealing that area without cutting off circulation or restricting movement. The neck extends an extra inch or so in the back to keep the wind from swirling down your spine, a nice touch that you don't find on many jackets, and the storm flap at the zipper works as well as any I've used. Zero wind gets through here.  I should mention that the zipper is extremely smooth, smooth like it was engineered by Germans.  I'm not sure I've ever used one that moved so effortlessly and didn't catch on the material.

ZIpper genius

Enough of my zipper fetish. The hand pockets on each side are heavy mesh and aid in ventilation if you get too warm.  The mesh might cause a problem carrying certain items, certainly anything with sharp edges (shouldn't carry these in your pockets anyway) or small pieces like loose BBs.  There are vertical- and horizontal-zippered chest pockets on either side that I've never used but also aid in ventilation and would be good for carrying a license, a map, a compass or any other small, flat item.  Bulkiness could interfere with gun mount.

I thought about shooting some video of these features until I found this one on YouTube-

As a single layer, this jacket works fine between 35-55 degrees, wind or no wind.  Below 35, you'll want to start layering depending on your exertion level.  I wore it in 20 degree weather with the wind blowing 25-35 mph with a capilene layer next to my skin, an LL Bean polyester blaze orange shirt on top of that and a Filson tin cloth vest outside the jacket and never got a chill.  The jacket did an extraordinary job of keeping the wind out and never felt restrictive.

Things it's not so good at? Hiding dried blood. Be careful wringing a bird's neck or reaching behind to put a dead one in your vest.

It's a good looking jacket in its own right.  You won't scream hunting dork! wearing it around town although there is a camo pattern available if that's your thing.  I suppose dried blood can have the same effect.

Your money's worth:  It's as windproof a layer as I've ever worn.  Ventilates well if you get too warm, adequate number of pockets, and plenty of room to move around or layer underneath.

Where it comes up short:  It's not completely waterproof and won't double as a rain jacket and the material wouldn't do well in briars.

Get one if:  You need a good windproof layer that doubles as a cool weather shell.

Look around before shelling out the bucks:  You need something that's waterproof (not just water repellent) or you spend a lot of time in thorny areas.

SportEar XP3 Plugz - Gear Review

For quite a while I've been researching, shopping, and otherwise pining after just the right kind of hearing protection.  And I'm damn picky in this regard.  Maybe too picky, given how long I've been looking and how little I've managed to find.  The must-have list is:

• Protects from the noise of a gun blast but otherwise lets (most) normal sounds through.  Virtually any foam earplug will do an acceptable job of protecting your hearing.  Problem is that you can't hear other guys in the field, you can't hear a covey flush, you can't hear your dog in thick cover, you generally can't hear what you need to hear to do what you came to do.
• Fits inside the ear.  I've used or tried "ear muff" protection in many forms and while all were effective at reducing noise and some were effective at allowing me to hear normal sounds, I just don't like the bulk.  And they're hot as hell in a September dove field.
• Doesn't break the bank.  There are models on the market that fit every criteria but this one, and if you have the coin you'd be better off with one of them.  I just don't have upwards of $700 to spend on this accessory.

Shortly before the season opened I saw something on the Orvis website that caught my attention.  The Sportear XP3 Plugz were billed as virtually impossible to lose while boasting hearing that "..remains protected without interfering with your ability to hear what's going on around you in the field". The magic behind the curtain is a patented sound valve that allows low-level noises through while filtering anything above 85 dB.

A while back I tried a set based on this valve principal that were made by a different manufacturer and they felt like sticks in my ears, and as far as I could tell the sticks didn't shut out much noise. They were cheap, less than $5 a pair, and connected with a string that made them annoying to wear. We parted ways pretty quickly.

The SportEar website had a few more details and I figured for $14.99 (w/o shipping) I'd give them a try. And I'm glad I did.

The XP3s fit very comfortably in the ear and the design prevents them from falling out or accidentally getting bumped out, something I've had happen with normal foam plugs, and often by the time you realize one is missing there's not much hope of finding it.  Here's the manufacturer's video (posted on YouTube - great move, guys) showing how they fit and how to wear them.

They got a thorough workout on my trip to South Dakota.  I clearly heard birds flush, dogs working close by, and others in the field.  In the 20-30 mph winds on our last day I could still hear fairly well.

In the dove field I was able to hear the guys around me calling birds, although if someone on the far end of the field was yelling it was difficult to make out exactly what they were saying.  The one time I went deer hunting this fall I wore them and had no trouble hearing two deer (one of which is now in my freezer) walking through the woods as they approached the food plot.

Hunting quail I had similar results and found these a tad more practical than stopping to insert foam plugs when the dog goes on point. Note: If hunting with multiple children under the age of ten, your ability to hear a dog working out in front is greatly compromised.

An added feature is is a fold-over cap that will increase the NRR to 25 dB (valve-open NRR is 19 dB).  I've used this while cutting the grass and blowing leaves and they're so comfortable that leaving them in for hours is not a problem. Is this effective on screaming kids?  Women who snore?  That rambling idiot next to you on the plane?  Haven't tried them on these.  Yet.

As for possible improvements, I wish they came with a carrying case of some sort.  I had to poke around my closets to find something small that I could store them in.  They'll slide unnoticeably into a pocket but most of my pockets also host dust, grass, crumbled leaves and such, none of which play well with ear canals.

Your money's worth: At roughly $18 shipped to your door these are a bargain.  They stay in your ear better than foam, are comfortable, let most normal sounds pass through while shutting out the loud stuff and are inexpensive enough that you won't feel like a schmuck if you lose one.

Where it comes up short:  If they could figure out a way to let a little bit more low-level sound through this would be the ticket, but it would likely put an end to sales of their higher end products.

Get one if: You want inexpensive, comfortable hearing protection that lets a reasonable amount of normal sound level through.

Look around before shelling out the bucks:  If your hearing is already half-gone, you might have trouble hearing low-level sound through these.  Something with electronic amplification would probably be a better, albeit much more expensive, choice.

Update - November 2013: After about a year of use I noticed that the plugs didn't seem to be keeping out the sound like they used to. Not just gunfire, but any noise in general. I emailed Sportear and Ray Bori, VP of Sales, graciously sent me a new pair. When they arrived I didn't break out the micrometer, but the baffles that go into the ear canal on the new pair looked slightly wider than the old pair.  The new pair filtered all sound, normal and gunfire, better than the older pair and I'm not entirely sure that a year of use hadn't compressed the older pair just enough to lose their effectiveness. They're made of a material that's not supposed to lose its shape over time, but I can't find any other explanation.

I still love these plugs, both fit and function, and at this price I can afford to replace them every year if they lose their fit.

Garmin Alpha 100

When Garmin announced its acquisition of Tri-Tronics last summer, I figured it was only a matter of time before the technologies were combined into a single unit.  No, I haven't been secretly testing one.  Yes, I wish I had.  So consider this an unofficial preview and not a review.

I've owned Tri-Tronics products for years and never had a bad experience.  I still have the original Sportsman model I bought 18 years ago, screw-in stimulation plugs and all, and it works just fine although it does draw the occasional snicker.  Kinda like pulling out a bag phone to make a call.  Currently I run a Sport Combo (really enjoy being able to adjust the stim level from the transmitter without changing plugs) and it's been just what a tool like this is supposed to be - reliable, easy to use, and unobtrusive.  I'm not a pro trainer or other power user, just a guy who needs to reinforce certain behavior in his dog and steer him away from occasional trouble.

I've never owned a Garmin product but their reputation is solid and extends far beyond the basic GPS.  My brother-in-law is the head of sales and marketing for an aircraft manufacturer that offers Garmin's avionics package as an option and says it's very popular among their customers and a thing of beauty to use.  Appealing to me is that every Garmin unit I've ever seen is more advanced than its predecessor.  Not just a slimmer shape or sleeker buttons, but more capability. A commitment to innovation and progress, while a bumpy road at times, generally leads to better products in the long run.

Put these two names together and there's every reason to expect a high-end piece of equipment. No surprise, there a quite a few slick features beyond combining two units into one, an advance that shouldn't be overlooked.  A dog's neck is only so long and stacking collars is never the height of practicality.

Geofence is a user-definable range that alerts when the dog gets near an area where you don't want him to go.  I can think of about 200 situations right off the bat where this would come in handy.









Bird's Eye imagery is something I find more useful than topos at times.  Landmarks are easier to identify (as long as the landscape hasn't changed since the sat photo was taken) and when in unfamiliar territory it's a lot easier to spot potential man-made hazards.





The claim is that the screen is glove-friendly which, if true in a practical sense, is a great feature.  There's a lot more to the package such as the ability to track 20 dogs, all your friends, their dogs and other stuff I'd never use but that someone probably will. Simply put, the thing is loaded.

For you guys north of the border, I couldn't find anything regarding usability in Canada. I'm sure an email to Garmin would answer the question but I'm lacking the energy to do such a thing in this heat.

I can't speak for every dog owner or handler but from what I see, this looks like it meets every expectation implied by the merger.  My only regret is that given the price ($799 retail), it may be a while before I get to drive one.

Ed:  Over at the Man's Best Friend Blog, Chad Love has a preview that dives a little deeper into some of the features.

Ritual

Everyone has a mental milestone for clicking off the years.  Some keep track of birthdays, some check off holidays, kids mostly count the summers.  They're really just checkmarks in your brain, 15 seconds worth of  "Yep, I made it through another one."    As the old saying goes, every birthday is a good one.

Mine seem to roll over when I sit down at the end of the season to clean my guns.  They get a good scrubbin' and oilin' sometime in March, the 870 might get a bonus round if I pull the trigger during turkey season.  I guess some folks consider it a chore, at least from the looks of their guns.  I can't imagine it.  A gun will last several lifetimes if you just take a little care of it.  It will talk to the next generation.

There's the argument that a gun is not meant to sit on a rack and look pretty, it's meant to dispatch prey, and yeah, I guess it is.  As long as you can get new shells in and old shells out with relative ease the rest is irrelevant.  I suppose.  But it sorta becomes disposable under that train of thought.  Scratches and dings from hard use are fine, the untold stories that guns carry from generation to generation.  Rust from neglect isn't.

Okay, back on track....

Swimming in the vapors of Hoppe's No. 9 I noted that I'd put another one in the books.  It wasn't exactly one for the ages but in any number of ways it could've been worse.  If anything it served to jolt me into the reality of my priorities, slave that I am to some of them.  The year I owned my first bird dog I hunted every single weekend of the season, several holidays, and threw in a few weekdays for gravy.  Of course at that point in time I had no mortgage, no girlfriend, definitely no kids, a job that I just assumed would always be there, and retirement was a word for old people.  We found a lot of birds that year.

That bird dog is gone.  The shotgun is still with me and I've added one to the roster.  I've owned two houses, held three jobs, found a good wife, spawned two kids, discovered the first gray hair, learned a few hard things about retirement, started thinking about college again (not for me, although I did enjoy Old School), and had aches and pains too numerous to list.  But in the end I'm still here, cleaning these guns one more time.

Filson Mesh Game Bag (Gear Review)

I don't know why they call this a "bag".  It's a strap vest.  A bag is something you carry groceries in or put over your fugly date's head, and doing either with this vest would leave it highly underutilized.

I've owned a Filson Tin cloth vest for about twelve years and while I love it, anything warmer than 42 degrees makes it unbearable. You won't find "breathable" anywhere in the product literature.  And living in the South we tend to have more days above 42 than below it, especially toward the end of the season.  Up until now I've been forced to choose between the convenience of a vest and comfort of a game belt, thermally speaking.  I've also been straying farther from the truck in some of the newer places I'm hunting and wanted something that would do a better job of carrying water, food, and gear than my old game belt.  Sometimes bigger is better.

There are plenty of options for a bird hunter in the market for a strap vest: Quilomene, San Carlos, Pella, Boyt, Orvis, Browning and Beretta all have entrants in the field.  Wingworks offers a very popular model but it seems like overkill for the kind of hunting I do.  I was looking for something lightweight with minimal areas of contact with my upper body and that would be durable in bramble-infested coverts.  The Filson seemed a good combination of the two.

The vest is a lightweight mesh through the back and rear sides while the pockets are Shelter cloth, a lighter-weight version of Filson's famous body armor Tin cloth. When I pulled it out of the box I cringed at the mesh water bottle pockets on the sides.  I just knew these would be shredded in a matter of weeks but much to my surprise, they looked as good at the end of the season as they did right out of the box.  The pockets sit just a bit behind my sides and apparently stay protected when walking through briars, unless you choose to walk sideways or backwards.

Brand new (left) and end of the season

They comfortably hold an 18 oz bottle but if you go much larger the diameter becomes a problem.  Around three inches is the practical maximum from an easy in, easy out standpoint.  This size limitation might be an issue for anyone who treks big distances from the truck.

The front pockets are heavy duty and very spacious but could be improved by placing a divider in each of them, effectively turning one pocket into two.  My Tin cloth vest has this feature and I love it.  Shells, whistles, compass, phone, snacks all stay separate, no fumbling through a mass of stuff to find what I want.  It would be a very cheap enhancement and I think Filson missed the boat by leaving it out of this vest.

The divided pocket on the right is a much better design

The pockets do open and close easily with one hand, as advertised, and do an excellent job of keeping leaves and twigs out.

The main reason I got this vest was comfort in warmer weather, and it met all expectations. In 50 and 60 degree weather, the typical late-season temps that always rendered the Tin cloth model unusable, I never felt overheated.  Air circulates well , it doesn't ride too close to the body, and the straps, although not padded, are plenty wide enough to be comfortable.

It's very easy to access pants pockets by reaching between the vest and my waist.  I carry everything from car keys to lip balm to ear plugs in my pants pockets and having to hike up the vest or unbuckle it to get at them would be a big inconvenience.  All in all I've been very pleased.

So here's the rundown-

Your money's worth:  It's Filson and the stuff is built to last.  After a season of use it's hardly showing any signs of wear.  Looking forward to having it around a while.  And it's very comfortable in warm weather.

Where it comes up short:  As I mentioned, I really wish this had divided pockets.  And some people might want larger side pockets for water bottles.

Get one if: You want a great value in a strap vest.  For less than $100 it's a steal.

Look around before shelling out the bucks:  If you spend more than half a day away from your truck you'll probably want the ability to carry more that this vest will hold.  Sure, with enough duct tape and big safety pins you could find a way to hang what you need on it, but if you're going to all that trouble take a look at some of the others.

This model is available through most Filson outlets.  I got mine from JT and Rob at Uplanders.com and if you call instead of ordering online you'll get a break on the pricing.

Free Boone & Crockett membership

The folks at the Boone & Crockett Club in partnership with Hornady ammunition are working hard to spread the word about current attempts to ban all lead in hunting and fishing.  While there are readily available alternatives in both sports the
uncomfortable fact is that they are more expensive, in some cases ridiculously so.  If such a ban were implemented I'd have to take out a loan to go dove hunting.

The animal rights activists masquerading as environmentalists have their work cut out for them given that there is no scientific evidence to support a blanket ban on lead in any activities where it is not currently prohibited (waterfowling).  That hasn't stopped them from lobbing lawsuits at every government agency in arm's reach, however, the latest target being the EPA.  Imagine that.  What goes around comes around, I guess. 




What you as a wingshooter can do is contact your representatives in Washington and voice your support for S.838, the Hunting, Fishing, and Recreational Shooting Protection Act. You can read a summary or the full text of the legislation here.  The short version is that the Act clarifies the EPA's jurisdiction over certain sporting goods, conveniently excluding lead ammunition and fishing tackle from their authority.

In appreciation for your support and for taking the time to learn more about the issues at stake, B & C and Hornady are offering one lucky reader a free Boone & Crockett Club Associate Membership.  Leave a comment below and you're automatically entered.  Wit and wisdom are always appreciated but given that this will be a random drawing these won't earn you any favors with the selection panel, which incidentally is composed of my four year old and my six year old, neither of whom has any idea how to rig a drawing anyway.  Drawing will be held just prior to bedtime on Monday, October 24th.

Good gear

In a closet full of gear, certain pieces get reached for more than others.  Year after year this core group that almost always makes the traveling squad gets a little older, doesn't necessarily hide the aging well, yet is ready to go when called. 

Good gear isn't necessarily expensive, a well-known name or overly specialized.  General purpose fits the bill.  You don't feel the need to baby it.  Mostly it's tough as a nickel steak.

A Wal-Mart special still going strong

Good gear is sometimes only qualified after you've owned it for 10+ years.  More times than not it's hard to find a replacement for (they usually don't make it any more), and it's good regardless of what it cost (although getting a deal on it makes it really good).  Browsing catalogs or a rack in the stores, a seasoned eye can take one look and know whether it'll make the grade in your world.

Broken in, not worn out

Is technical gear better?  Sometimes.  There's a lot to be said for waterproof, breathable, lightweight, and moisture-wicking.   Durability can be an issue with some of these combinations, though.  Certain types of brush can greatly extend the breathability of fabric while simultaneously taking the waterproof right out of it. 

Many miles to go

The acid test?  When it looks worn plum out but you can't bring yourself to stop using it.  Hence duct tape, seam sealer and Dr. Scholls have cemented their place in the good gear hall of fame.