First off, most of the downtown area and especially the “Arena District” is well organized, easy to navigate [...]]]>

Rivals...

Downtown Columbus, Ohio has a lot to offer for the guy who just loves to travel or the guy who is looking for a simple vacation with the big city feel but without the big city hassle.

First off, most of the downtown area and especially the “Arena District” is well organized, easy to navigate and densely populated with quality restaurants and bars. We ventured to Gordon Biersch Brewery, Frog Bear & Wild Boar Bar and Buca di Beppo’s. Of those three restaurants Buca di Beppo, a family Italian eatery, had the best food, Gordon Biersch Brewery had the best drinks and Frog Bear & Wild Boar Bar had the best atmosphere and was the perfect place to close out a night. All were quality establishments and are worth a visit.

The Arena District is so named for Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blue Jackets have been in Columbus since 2000 and by the looks of it, they’ll make the playoffs this year for the first time in franchise history. Personally, I’m a Detroit Red Wings fan but, it’s always fun to catch a game in another city; especially if you can get tickets like we had… one row off the glass. Sitting that close you’ll better understand the speed and the grit that is the NHL. See the previous Black Rucksack article on the NHL experience and get tickets from StubHub!

More rivals...

Another feature in Columbus a few miles outside of downtown is the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium; one of the best zoos in the country. It’s a good place to relax and enjoy a sunny Spring afternoon. A zoo typically isn’t the place for a hardcore adventure (unless something escapes) but, a lot of the kids, girlfriends and wives you guys have will enjoy it.

This is just a taste of what downtown Columbus, Ohio offers… find a hotel and book it now!

Gordon Biersch Brewery – $$$
3.5 out of 5 Rucksacks
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Frog Bear & Wild Boar Bar – $$
4 out of 5 Rucksacks
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Buca di Beppo – $$$
4 out of 5 Rucksacks

If an [...]]]>

Breathe right...

Snowboarding is one way I know I can relax. I snowboard mostly in Michigan but, many years ago I ventured to Durango, Colorado. I learned a lot from that experience including how the difference in the snowpack was drastic. One concern in Colorado, that we don’t see hardly ever in Michigan, was avalanches.

If an avalanche did occur and you managed to get yourself buried, Black Diamond, a company largely known for their snow gear, has a simple item that could save your life… the Black Diamond AvaLung II.

The AvaLung II is meant to extend your breathable air supply once trapped in an avalanche. When you inhale through the AvaLung’s tube, you’ll receive oxygenated air from one area of the snowpack. Upon exhaling, the AvaLung diverts the airflow to another part of the snowpack, not contaminating your breathable air supply and extending the time you can survive until a rescue team locates you. And, to help that rescue team find you sooner rather than later, consider carrying a locator beacon such as the SPOT Satellite Personal Messenger.

Get the Black Diamond AvaLung II:
-at MooseJaw
-at Amazon
-at EMS

Ducati is a prominent brand of high performance motorcycles and likewise, they hock quality apparel and gear. As an Italian manufacturer typically associated with racing bikes, they’ve also achieved notoriety for their sport/street bikes.

The Ducati Meccanica Hooded Sweatshirt is one of the many faultless ways to show [...]]]>

Ducati is a prominent brand of high performance motorcycles and likewise, they hock quality apparel and gear. As an Italian manufacturer typically associated with racing bikes, they’ve also achieved notoriety for their sport/street bikes.

The Ducati Meccanica Hooded Sweatshirt is one of the many faultless ways to show your affinity for the brand. It’s one of the nine items in the Meccanica apparel line and is embroidered with the Ducati logo and  Ducati Meccanica in writing.

The sweatshirt is stylish and the perfect weight for an outside layer in cool and warm weather or an insider layer in cold weather.

You can find this hooded sweatshirt and the rest of the Ducati offered gear at the Ducati website.  And if you have time, be sure to check out the bikes too… not just the apparel.

Ducati Meccanica Hooded Sweatshirt
$114

When my brother and I were kids, we lived on 20 acres of property on the western side of Michigan’s lower peninsula. We first moved to the heavily wooded property when I was six and my younger brother was four years old. For fun we often riled up the [...]]]>

Spotted...

Editor’s Note: Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

When my brother and I were kids, we lived on 20 acres of property on the western side of Michigan’s lower peninsula. We first moved to the heavily wooded property when I was six and my younger brother was four years old. For fun we often riled up the dogs, built tree forts and explored (or wandered) the property and adjacent property until we would inadvertently (and inevitably) get lost. Now that we’re adults, we still enjoy riling up the dogs, we build decks and garages instead of tree forts and we never get lost… at least not without a GPS and/or a SPOT Satellite Personal Messenger.

The purpose of the SPOT is simple… location, location, location. In a two step process it will locate you via GPS satellites and then use commercial satellites to send out your location. You can send out a request for an emergency response using the “Alert 911″ function or you can simply send a “Check in” location update. Using the location update, you can tie-in Google Maps plotting to chart the path you’ve taken.

The SPOT Satellite Personal Messenger requires a $99 annual subscription which seems inexpensive for what the unit offers; a return home. It weighs approximately 8 ounces and is very rugged, capable of surviving extreme temperatures and being submerged up to a meter deep.

SPOT Satellite Personal Messenger
$150

at Amazon
at Eastern Mountain Sports
at REI

My team is the Detroit Red Wings… they are electric skaters and an absolute blast to watch. And even [...]]]>

Up Close... On The Glass...

The rush of cool air… the sound of the boards rattling after a hard check… the blur of 10 players speeding down the ice… there aren’t many experiences like attending a National Hockey League (NHL) game.

My team is the Detroit Red Wings… they are electric skaters and an absolute blast to watch. And even though I’m a Wings fan, I still love the game of hockey more than I do any team. It is my Dad that instilled in me the importance of hockey; and how the sport has no room for the nervous.

One thing we at Black Rucksack suggest as an experience for every guy is an NHL game. While simply attending a game is a guaranteed good time, especially when the two teams are among the most exciting (like the Wings), there is more to this suggestion. To really get an understanding of the talent and speed in the game hockey, sit as near to the glass as you can. Catching a game three or four rows off the glass purifies the NHL experience.

To get good tickets, we suggest attending a game in pre-season or during the months of October or November; attendance is usually lower during those months.  Also, you may want to shoot for a weekday game as you’ll also have a better chance at getting good tickets.  StubHub.com is one of the most reputable sources to find tickets sold by other fans.

National Hockey League Game
$50 to $250 per ticket
StubHub.com

On this not particularly sunny day you decide that since it may [...]]]>

Photo by: thenorthface.com

Picture this… it’s the weekend… it’s calm and cool… you’re grilling… and suddenly your dog is at your side begging. At first, you thought the pup wanted something off of the grill; it turns out she wants to go for a long walk.

On this not particularly sunny day you decide that since it may storm later, it’s best to get the walk in now. It’s about 55 degrees F and the calm day may suddenly change to windy and brisk as a cold front moves in. Knowing this, you grab for the perfect jacket…
the Apex Bionic Jacket by The North Face.

This jacket is windproof and just about waterproof. With it’s breathability it’s ideal for hiking into a cold wind with your dog, while staying warm and dry. It’s made out of a stretchy material that provides the ultimate comfort. I’ll go so far as to say you could play some pond hockey in this jacket and still be well protected!

The North Face Men’s Apex Bionic Jacket (Spring 2009)
$129