GEAR: GSI INFINITY 4 PERSON TABLEWARE KIT

Picked up the GSI INFINITY 4 PERSON TABLEWARE SET intending to use it on a camping trip with the GF and the 2 kids.

Basically the kit contains everything needed for 4 people to eat and drink off of and out of. No cutlery though. Everything is made of BPA free plastic (GSI calls it INFINITY), an alternative to poly-carbonate plastic. There is a plate, bowl with cover, a insulated hot drink cup and a water cup for each person. All in different colors so you do not mix up your tableware with your camp mates.


PHOTOS HERE: GSI INFINITY 4 PERSON TABLEWARE SET

POSITIVES: cheap (less than $60 CDN), bang for the buck, the entire kit stacks and nestles neatly in the included drawstring bag, hard to crack, color coded, hot drink cup keeps your drink hot during the meal.

NEGATIVES: my only beef with the kit is the bowl lid....it is supposed to snap tightly onto the bowls to keep food and liquids in.....sadly it does not even stay on the bowl, despite many repeated attempts to get it on the bowl. I even exchanged the set for a new one but it too had the same lid fitting problem.

I give the GSI INFINITY 4 PERSON TABLEWARE KIT a BUSH LAB rating of 7/10

SHELTER: MEC SCOUT TARP

The SCOUT TARP is designed and sold by Mountain Equipment Co-op here in Canada. It is made overseas, in Vietnam. The Scout Tarp is a 75 denier polyester ripstop, polyurethane coated, 9.5' x 6.9' dimension, tarp, with some grommets and webbing loops. Weighs 692 grams. Comes with a storage stuff sack. Available in grey or orange. Costs $45 CDN bucks. I paid for this with a gift card i got from family.

PHOTOS HERE: MEC SCOUT TARP

POSITIVES: cheap, bang for the buck, waterproof, large coverage area, MEC's iron clad warranty (something happens, return it and get a new one). A good tarp for the masses, easy to rig multiple ways, be it paracord or tent poles/stakes. Easy to stow away in a pack for emergencies or solo camping.

NEGATIVES: The number ONE negative is MEC itself............they CENSOR any reviews that mention the bad stuff on their website. They are so afraid of offending anyone. My review on the tarp was censored and removed from their gear reviews section. Here at THE BUSH LAB, i say it like it is, no censorship! More on this is the post review below. Too few rigging loops for bombproof tarp set up in windy conditions. MEC could easily double the rigging loops and this tarp would be not bad at all. Polyurethane coating.....yea.....while waterproof for a few years, eventually the polyurethane coating sloughs off the fabric like a case of leprosy. There is also a weird smell over time with polyurethane coated products, the coating exudes a fishy shit like smell, much like a girl I once went home with after a good bender and was horrified to discover she didn't bathe herself very well. The webbing tape loops are thin, easy to wear thru (if you use paracord like so many do) and there simply is not enough of them. The center pole support is ok, but could be beefier.

Not a bad tarp, like i said bang for the buck for OCCASIONAL USE or EMERGENCY USE, but I would NOT recommend this tarp to hardcore hikers or military service people. There are plenty of tarp makers right here in North America, why does MEC farm out its gear to third world sweatshops? Furthermore, thanks to the censorship of many reviews on the MEC website, I give this tarp a low rating.

I give the MEC SCOUT TARP a BUSH LAB rating of 5/10