OK, so the fact is that my third day in Vegas didn’t really reveal anything too mind blowing. I did see a lot of cool stuff, but there’s a saturation point at this show, where you’ve seen so much that anything else just kind of rolls off. I mean, how many new camo patterns does it take to hide on this earth? Seems to me that there are more new deer scents and “scent elimination” products than there are deer in the woods. And how many different ways are there to cause a firing pin to impact a primer and send a projectile flying through the air?
OK, if I sound a little jaded it’s probably just because I’m tired. There’s an awful lot of walking around involved here, and I have entire sections of the show I have yet to even visit. I even broke down yesterday at the Kick-Eze/Sorbothane booth and bought a pair of new insoles for my boots to ease my poor feet. And I have to say, they really do help!
There are some pretty nice new offerings from companies like Nikon who has released a new line of rangefinders that include the angle compensation. The Archer’s Choice and the Rifle Hunter rangefinders calculate range over a full 180 degrees, and come in at a pretty reasonable price as well. The Archer’s Choice will retail in the neighborhood of $249, while the Rifle Hunter will come in around $279.
Nikon’s new EDG binocular is another new item that puts Nikon into the market with the likes of Zeiss and Leica. Available in 7×42, 8×42, and 10×42, these new glasses offer extremely clear glass (as best I could tell inside the convention center), and a nice feel in the hands. The price reflects the quality, as these binos will retail in the range of $1800 for the 7×42, to $2000 for the 10 power version.
And just in case anyone is tired of looking at conventional stuff, I even got some wonderful ideas for modifications on Petunia (my Samurai). What do you think? Is this a worthy pig hunting buggy or what?
SHOT Show can get very overwhelming, and I certainly can remember the sore feet. I also remember walking miles to get a drink or go to the bathroom.
Part of me is sad that I’m not there, because I would have liked to meet a lot of you who were there. Part of me is quite content that I’m not there, all that noise and the long days can be wearing.
Guess I’ll just have to wait to meet everyone until the Summit in 2009.