To Wisp Or Not To Wisp - A Great Compact Toothbrush

My wife found this product and we picked up a package for summer camp. I'm not a fan of their marketing campaign, but I'm not a fan of most product commercials nowadays. The Colgate Wisp is a mini tooth brush with a small amount of paste in it and a pick on the end. No water is needed. You brush then toss it out.

I picked up a box of 16 for about 8 bucks at my local supermarket. It's not a bad price for the convenience. Brushes are packaged by the pair and individually sealed. You can cut the package in half so that you can take only what you need.

There is no need to make a run to the bath house or use water in camp. Brush and throw or pack away. Real simple. I like simple. Only downside is you feel like your are brushing with a tooth brush a 1/4 of normal size with half the bristles and getting your back teeth can be a challenge.

The Colgate Wisp is now a standard part of my camping equipment. It may not leave your mouth 100% fresh, but it certainly does a good enough job to satisfy me. Just remember to put it and all your smelly things in your bear bag during the night and pack it out if you are in the back country.

Scout Pants

I was fortunate enough to participate in the buy one get one free sale that scoutstuff.org posted up during the month of May. I purchased a set of the old color Switchback pants and they are worth every penny. Here is a quick overview for those of you who just think uniform pants are just pants.

The Switchback Uniform Pants – These are constructed from quick-drying light weight Dupont Supplex nylon. Big fan of these because it these bad boys dry a lot quicker than your standard cotton pants. They are also a lot lighter. They have a built in belt so you don’t have to worry about keeping up with an additional belt during camp.

The Canvas Convertible Pants – Made of 67% cotton - 33% polyester. These are extremely durable, but pretty hot. They are pretty standard for pants. I own a pair and normally wear them to meetings. The Switchbacks however, are my choice for summer camping now.

During my week of summer camp, I found myself wearing the light weight Switchbacks more often than my canvas. Even with the legs zipped off, the canvas seemed three times warmer than the other. The Switchbacks doubled as swim trunks for the unexpected need to take a swim.

I think it’s great that both now have to be hemmed. This is an awesome feature because it allows your scout to grow into them if they haven’t hit that growth spurt. Using Badge Magic works great for this. On the Convertibles, I took it upon myself to sew the hems. It took three tries to get them right. The few small rips I put into the pants have not grown or frayed much in the 8 months I have had them.

My biggest problem is that the belt looks are just a tad too small on the Convertibles. The new scout belt doesn’t fit through them very well.

I know times are tough and money is tight, but both of these cargo pants are far superior to any other pair of olive pants I’ve come across in just about every way. If you only plan on getting one pair, I recommend the Convirtible because of the durability. If you have the money, get both. They are worth every penny.