Campground Review: I enjoy Bandy Creek Campground and wish I could visit more often. You could easily spend your entire summer in this area and explore somewhere new every day.

When we arrived at the campground it started snowing and the temperature dropped to 29 overnight. There were several people occupying the D loop. We were alone in the B loop.

The shower house was heated ;) and well maintained. The campground was clean and well taken care of. We visited the Visitors Center first thing in the morning and then hit the trails.

Gear Review: As a Dyrt Ranger I get the opportunity to review outdoor gear. On this trip I took along my recently received Midland X-TALKER T75VP3 hand held radio’s. As soon as I took the radio’s out of their display box I could tell these weren’t anything like my childhood Walkie talkies. Camouflaged, compact and very sturdy feeling. They fit nicely in your hand.

These radio’s come with rechargeable batteries. You can also use regular batteries if need be. The base that comes with the radio has the options of using alternate charging platforms in addition to plugging it into the wall.

There are A LOT of instructions;) including information on how to activate the weather channel. Read thoroughly to find out all the cool stuff this little radio will do.

Then we took our radio’s out to play. There was the obligatory “can you hear me now” as we stood five feet apart.

Next on the East Overlook we split up and I was extremely surprised at the sound quality . Once again I was expecting the childhood Walkie talkie experience. However these radio’s sound awesome.

On another trail, with trees , small hills and distance in between the sound and reception was just as good. I would suggest using something in addition to the belt clip included. It is sturdy but not extremely secure and I worried about loosing the radio when I hooked it to my belt.

Overall I am loving this little radio, I will review it again when I have had a chance to use it in more adverse and different situations.

Apr 26 2018

Spent and extended weekend camping and took the Midland X-TALKER T75VP3 Handheld Radio out on the trails. Performed very good. While at least 2 miles apart over dense forest and rocky areas, down (and up) a mountainside we spoke to each other on the Midlands with perfect clarity. I was impressed when we reached the top of a very difficult trail , had crossed about1/2 mile on the top and could still talk clearly to another in our group that was at the base (about a mile) of the climb.