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    Gear Review: Stanley Vacuum Bottle
    Jon Osborn
    • May 9
    • 5 min

    Gear Review: Stanley Vacuum Bottle

    Overview: Durable gear has always appealed to sportsmen – especially if that equipment conveys some history. Take Grandpa’s battered old...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Riversmith 4-Banger River Quiver.
    Allen Crater
    • Apr 29
    • 4 min

    Gear Review: Riversmith 4-Banger River Quiver.

    Overview: I hate breaking down my fly rods when heading out on a fishing trip or even more so when I'm simply moving from spot to spot,...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Pyro Putty Fire Starter
    Allen Crater
    • Mar 3
    • 3 min

    Gear Review: Pyro Putty Fire Starter

    Overview: “The flames sawed in the wind and the embers paled and deepened and paled and deepened like the bloodbeat of some living thing...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Stone Glacier Sky Talus 6900 with X-curve Frame
    Allen Crater
    • Jan 10
    • 5 min

    Gear Review: Stone Glacier Sky Talus 6900 with X-curve Frame

    Overview: In my first year hunting "Out West" with Kyle, I used my familiar Osprey backpack to carry gear; the one that had seen trips in...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Duckworth Vapor Snorkel Hoody
    Allen Crater
    • Dec 24, 2021
    • 2 min

    Gear Review: Duckworth Vapor Snorkel Hoody

    Overview: Someone recently asked what my most versatile piece of clothing was. It didn't take me long to answer - my Vapor Snorkel Hoody...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Dark Energy Poseidon Pro Portable Charger
    Allen Crater
    • Dec 13, 2021
    • 3 min

    Gear Review: Dark Energy Poseidon Pro Portable Charger

    Overview: For me, having a reliable source of power in the backcountry is critical. Not only do I require it to charge my phone (which...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Heather's Choice Backcountry Meals
    Allen Crater
    • Dec 9, 2021
    • 4 min

    Gear Review: Heather's Choice Backcountry Meals

    Overview: Teddy Roosevelt once said: "No man who, for his good fortune, has at times in his life endured toil and hardship, ever fails to...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Poncho Men's Performance Shirt
    Jon Osborn
    • Sep 14, 2021
    • 3 min

    Gear Review: Poncho Men's Performance Shirt

    Overview: Even in this modern day and age, weather forecasts often amount to an educated guess, and anglers seldom have the luxury of...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Duckworth Snowcrest Shirt
    Allen Crater
    • Mar 25, 2021
    • 4 min

    Gear Review: Duckworth Snowcrest Shirt

    Overview: I'm a bit of a dichotomy when it comes to gear. On the one hand I embrace the latest technologies, tools and materials for...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Whiskey Leatherworks Blackfoot Duffle
    Allen Crater
    • Feb 15, 2021
    • 4 min

    Gear Review: Whiskey Leatherworks Blackfoot Duffle

    If ever a product were made for a person, the Blackfoot Duffle was made for my buddy, Jon Osborn. An avid upland hunter, fly angler, pipe...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Duckworth Comet Crew
    Allen Crater
    • Jan 28, 2021
    • 5 min

    Gear Review: Duckworth Comet Crew

    Overview: If you spend any amount of time outdoors, it's likely that I don't need to sell you on the benefits of Merino wool. Sure,...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Hultafors Aby Forest Axe
    Allen Crater
    • Dec 29, 2020
    • 3 min

    Gear Review: Hultafors Aby Forest Axe

    Overview: I've always wanted a camp axe. Something I could use around the cabin, on camping trips, and even keep in the truck "just in...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Snowbee Nivalis Hooded Down Jacket
    Allen Crater
    • Dec 23, 2020
    • 3 min

    Gear Review: Snowbee Nivalis Hooded Down Jacket

    Overview: I was introduced to the Snowbee brand by my friend, Brian "Koz"Kozminski. Snowbee is a UK Company that was founded in 1978 and...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Lowa Tibet Superwarm GTX Boots
    Allen Crater
    • Nov 22, 2020
    • 3 min

    Gear Review: Lowa Tibet Superwarm GTX Boots

    Overview: While I have backpacked all over the country and beyond and spent many years chasing Michigan whitetail deer, I have never...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Maven B1.2 Binocular in 8 x 42
    Allen Crater
    • Nov 20, 2020
    • 3 min

    Gear Review: Maven B1.2 Binocular in 8 x 42

    Overview: I was heading out for my first big game hunt in Montana; a trip with my son in the works for nearly two years. Simply put, I...
    0 comments
    Gear Review:  Whiskey Leather Works Bradford Fly Wallet
    Allen Crater
    • Sep 30, 2020
    • 3 min

    Gear Review: Whiskey Leather Works Bradford Fly Wallet

    As difficult as it would be to top Jon Osborn's last gear review, he's back again in typical Ozzy fashion (think beautiful prose, not...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3 Three-seasonTent
    Allen Crater
    • Aug 24, 2020
    • 3 min

    Gear Review: Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL3 Three-seasonTent

    Overview: From backpacking in the Rockies, Sawtooths, Sierras, Whites and Winds to chasing pike through Canada's backcountry and even a...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Waterworks-Lamson Standard Seat Freshwater Fly Rod
    Allen Crater
    • Aug 12, 2020
    • 3 min

    Gear Review: Waterworks-Lamson Standard Seat Freshwater Fly Rod

    Overview: If you fish often, you are likely familiar with the Waterworks-Lamson brand for their innovative fly reels - in fact you've...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Luminox 3741 Survival Master Series Watch
    Allen Crater
    • Jun 15, 2020
    • 3 min

    Gear Review: Luminox 3741 Survival Master Series Watch

    Overview: I spend as much time as possible in the outdoors - hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting and I am notoriously hard on gear. For...
    0 comments
    Gear Review: Filson Tin Cloth Packer Hat
    Allen Crater
    • Jun 12, 2020
    • 4 min

    Gear Review: Filson Tin Cloth Packer Hat

    Photo by Lance Nelson My buddy, Jon Osborn, knows a thing or two about needing to rely on his gear - personally and professionally -...
    0 comments
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    About Me

    Allen Pike.jpg

    I’m a husband and father of two adult sons that love the outdoors and one insane German Short-haired Pointer named Lucy that loves pointing, flushing and retrieving anything, all the time.

     

    I am the President and part owner of an advertising agency located in Michigan, and an active member of Trout Unlimited, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and the Michigan Outdoor Writers Association.

     

    I love books – about everything – but especially travel, adventure, war, history, and outdoor pursuits. I love great food, great beer and great wine, sometimes in moderation, sometimes not.  

     

    More than anything I love the outdoors. I love the smells, the sounds, the sights. Since I was a little boy fishing with my dad, pitching a tent in the backyard, and unwrapping pocketknives for Christmas I’ve been drawn to all things wild. 

    ​

    Drop me a note at allen@stevensinc.com

     

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