Ranger Review: Brunton Outdoor products at Fall Lake USFS campground in the Superior National Forest, Minnesota

Just got back from over a week in the Superior National Forest, and have reviews of both the USFS campground at Fall Lake, and also a Product Review of some gear used for nature study and navigation during the week!

Campground review:

The Fall Lake campground is one of the largest and nicest run by the US Forest Service in the Ely area. It is right at the edge of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) wilderness, as Fall Lake is actually an entry point to the roadless motor-less BWCA. A stay at Fall lake is a great stop for a night just before launching your canoe onto a BWCA wilderness adventure, or a great destination camping spot in and of itself if you want a less rustic or remote National Forest camping experience with day trips into the wilderness and surrounding area.

The campground has large woodsy campsites that are secluded and well maintained, many set away from the lake but some right on the lake featuring their own individual canoe landings and swimming spots. Picnic tables, fire grates and tent pads are located at each site, and some have electric hookups and room for trailers. The lake is large and good for angling, boating or paddle sports, but there are also bike trails and hiking trails in the area. There is also a day-use area on a side bay, with beach and playground in the picnic area. Unlike many smaller Forest Service campgrounds in the Superior NF, this one has a small visitors center with a little store. It is also an easy run to Ely for supplies or a variety of village or outdoor activities. This would be a really ideal camping spot for a family, and also for a solo camper who wants a nice private "edge of the wilderness" retreat without being completely alone in the wilderness. Highly recommended!

Product Review

While at Fall Lake, I had a chance to do a Ranger review of a number of items from Brunton Outdoors https://www.brunton.com/ that are good for navigation and/or nature study. First, I tried out two different hand held monocular pocket spotting scopes. One, the Brunton Echo 10-30 x 21 Monocular Scope, is great for long distance bird watching or nature observation, with a magnification of 21 and zoom of 10-30 . Having occasionally had opportunity in the past to use use a colleague’s very expensive high tech professional spotting scope , I would have to say that I was extremely impressed by the quality of this scope which has high quality visuals for a naturalist, while being a fraction of the cost and much more portable. It comes with a case, lenscap, and attachment for a tripod. You really do best to use a tripod with it to steady the image if zooming in to the fullest. I was able to zoom right in to view an eagle on its nest in a tree several hundred feet away. as well as a loon on its nest on an island about 1/4 mile away. I think this scope is a great tool for the outdoor naturalist to get a close up look at bird and animal species for the purpose of ID at a distance. While I was using the scope for nature study, you could also use it for canoe trekking and trying to find the location of a distant portage up ahead along the shore. The only slight drawback is that the lens cap and tripod screw both could be easily lost; they are small and could use some kind of tether to the scope.

By comparison, I also tried out the Brunton Echo Pocket Scope, a slightly smaller water resistant scope that features a 7 x magnification and a zoom of 18. While not as powerful a scope as the one above, it is still great at zooming in fairly well on critters or portages at a distance. A distinct advantage is that it has crisp close-up focus at one foot distance, thus being able to serve as a macro lens or almost like a dissecting scope for close-up examination of grains on rocks, veins on leaves, anatomy of insects, etc. It also has a handy wrist carrier, and has a brightly colored water resistant rubber coating that is great for use on the water.

Personally, as an outdoor naturalist, I would purchase both, for their unique special attributes. If you are only casually interested in nature study, and want to use something like this more for navigation while boating or canoeing, you might want to start with the less expensive Pocket Scope, and maybe work your way up later if you want something more powerful.

I also reviewed the Brunton Locker Compass, a trekkers pocket compass that also includes a hidden compartment designed to hold a few things like keys, spare matches, and some bandaids. Very handy indeed! I compared the compass to another orienteering compass I already had, this was easy to use and the results were accurate and true. The hidden compartment is small and sensible and a really nice added feature! If you dont already have a general outdoor compass for hikes and canoe trips, I would recommend this one because of its dual purpose.

Last but not least, I tried out Bruntons pocket sized "Lost Hiker" kit that actually fits right into your wallet. It comes in a little pouch the size of a credit card, and includes a card magnifying glass, mirror, survival instructions, and a tiny flat compass. The magnifying glass of course works as a magnifying glass, but more importantly can focus sunlight onto tinder to start a fire. Does it work? I was skeptical--but in seconds it actually started a small fire in my fire grate. I was impressed! Very handy, and very portable! The mirror, obviously, would serve well to flash sunlight at passing search and rescue teams if you needed to signal where you are, and while it is thin and portable, it is also strong and break-resistant. If you get lost in the woods and havent been rescued yet, you can also check it to see how bad you look :) As for the flat mini compass, the instructions said to float it on the surface of water in a cup, or in your cupped hands; it is a bit tricky at first to place it right on the surface without breaking the water's surface tension, which you need for the compass to read properly. A few tries got it to work, however, and amazingly this tiny little compass got a pretty accurate reading and would indeed help you strike off in the right direction is you didnt have an orienteering compass . Given that this little kit is so small and so handy and so darn helpful, there is no reason not to get one, and every reason to have one with you on any outdoor trip. A few bucks well spent if you ever get lost!

Overall, Brunton has quality products for both the casual or serious outdoor trekker or scientist. Highly recommended! https://www.brunton.com/