October's Newsletter

Welcome to the ½ year anniversary of this beast we call our web business… for those of you who keep returning…. thank you, thank you, and in case I am understating… THANK YOU!! More updates and additions have taken place since the last issue of our newsletter, and there are more to come. As we have been trolling the web to view our competition, we have been slowly changing the look and user-friendliness of the site. New products are continuing to be added… too many to list here, so please visit the site to see what’s been happening. As mentioned in last month’s note, this albatross is just beginning to be able to take flight!

We sincerely hope that in the weeks and months to come that those of you who have been loyal browsers of our site will be convinced to give us a try and become our valued Birdseye Outdoor customers. We have recently added a special Feedback page for our customers to let us know what has been working, what looks good, or what they would like to see on the site. Please feel free to send us as much feedback as you like. Any comments or criticism would be appreciated. We want to know how to improve and be a better service to our customers. Your input would be greatly appreciated… and the “free gift for a suggestion” still stands.

Here’s a few links to our new or updated pages and items:

Kid Stuff

Compasses & GPS


October’s Camping Tip – Homemade Fire-starters

Here is a list of assorted ways you can create
home-made Fire Starters.

Save all your paper egg cartons. Pile some charcoal into the cups of the carton and tie it shut with natural twine. Then when you need to use it, use it in the base of the fire build and just light the carton.

Collect the lint from your clothes dryer, put in a sealed plastic bag and store in your pack to use under your tinder pile.

Take 100% cotton balls and thoroughly rub Vaseline into them. Store them in a sealed container.

Newspaper cut into strips (3"-4" wide). Roll up and tie with string. Cover with melted wax.**

Bundle about a dozen "strike-anywhere" wooden kitchen matches together with waxed dental floss. Make sure the match heads are pointing in the same direction. Soak the bundle of matches (except heads) thoroughly in melted paraffin wax** to waterproof them, and to allow for a longer burning time. Dip the heads lightly only to waterproof them. Simply strike on flat rock to light it.

Cut cotton candle wick into 1" lengths and soak completely in melted wax.** Let dry and store in empty film container or sealed plastic bag.

Use 6" emergency candles and wrap them up in several layers of waxed paper. Tie/twist both ends of the waxed paper to seal in the candle (it will look like a salt water taffy candy). Light an end to start your fire.

Save and cut all your waxed milk cartons into strips to be used as kindling for your campfire. Again, saving space in landfills and helping to kick-start your blaze.

Save all your towel & toilet paper rolls; stuff them with paper.

Collect dried pine needles from around your campsite

Stack up small pieces of cardboard, tie and cover in wax**

Collect some pine cones, melt some candle wax and coat the cones.**

Place a single piece of charcoal into every section of a paper egg carton. Cover each egg section with melted wax.** Tear into 12 individual starters and use as needed. You can also save up and use sawdust, dryer lint or Pistachio shells instead of the charcoal. Not only does this help you light your fires, but saves landfill waste as well.

Presoak pieces of charcoal in lighter fluid, then coat with a few layers of wax.**

Cut cotton candle wick about 3-4" long, put in wax paper bathroom cup with about an inch hanging over the edge. Fill the cup almost to the top with sawdust and pour melted wax into the cup. The saw dust will compact and become waterproof. The string is a starting wick.

* PLEASE - Never use liquid igniters on your campfire. Example: lighter fluid, gasoline etc.

** When melting wax, do not melt directly over heat - only use a double boiler. Melted wax can easily ignite. Be sure to be safety conscious and have a fire extinguisher handy in case of emergency.

Our September Contest Winner

Congratulations to D. Blair of California for your winning entry in the September Free Drawing. Their prize of a Tarpon Bay Folding Knife was shipped a few weeks ago. Hope you enjoy it!! To those of you who have not entered October’s drawing, please feel free to do so now, the contest closes as midnight tonight! Tell your friends as well…. Spread the luck! October’s prize winner will be announced in the November mailing in a few weeks.

Our Current Sale Items

We will be adding our Weekly Sales item page over the next week or so to index the items we currently have AT A DEEPER DISCOUNT THAN NORMAL! Be sure to check it out in a few days!!

Weekly Specials

Be A Good Outdoor Steward

We here at Birdseye Outdoor Supply hope that you will join us in learning more about how to enjoy ourselves in the great outdoors safely and to disturb as little of the natural surroundings we trek through as possible. Please visit Leave No Trace to learn how!

Be sure to check out the great values on camping equipment we have in our partner store on eBay; click on the link below to visit and save:
Birdseye Outdoor Supply's eBay Store

Look for our November email for more tips, quick articles and sale items!

If you have any questions, please email us at: Birdseye Webmaster

Today's Rant - How Brown is My Valley

Well here we are... Halloween almost over, normal family camping season coming to a close and me sitting here waiting for SOMEONE to see my site and actually BUY something! I am amazed that there are so many outdoor sites out in the internet ether. How is anyone making any money with all the choices outdoor enthusiasts have? Even if you have a niche site, there's someone out there competing with you......sheesh.

I have come to realize that I really need to spend more money on PPC advertising and SEO optimization, but DAMN, that costs alot to get the "bang for the buck" you need! I am using free classifieds, blogging a little, in several webrings, I have published several articles with more on the way... anyone else got a suggestion for traffic generation? I've got reciprocal links galore.... DOES ANYONE KNOW IF LINKS ARE BETTER OFF SPRINKLED ACROSS THE SITE OR SET ON ONE PAGE LIKE I HAVE 'EM?

Anyway, I need help... in more ways than one :o) ... does anyone out there have a suggestion, a fellow rant... just want to scream at me what an idiot I am?? or maybe just to BUY SOMETHING???

Check Out My Website

Need Website Traffic For Affiliate Marketing Campaigns? Check Out These Great Traffic Exchanges

September's Birdseye Newsletter

CHANGE IS GOOD

Some of you have been dropping by the web site for a few months now - thank you, thank you, thank you!! We have been updating things almost daily: adding new products, changing layouts & templates, and generally trying to get this albatross off the ground! We hope to turn those of you who have been "browsers" into loyal customers of Birdseye Outdoor. To that end, please feel free to send us feedback at the email address listed below about anything site related: prices, the navigation, the look, etc. Your input would be greatly appreciated: and who knows, maybe a free gift will come to ya for it!

Here's a few links to our new or updated pages and items:

http://birdseyeoutdoorsupply.com/optics.html

http://birdseyeoutdoorsupply.com/pro885036.html

http://birdseyeoutdoorsupply.com/pro840011.html

A QUICK CAMPING QUIZ
Which of the following items is essential camping equipment in order to have an enjoyable, comfortable trip?
A. Cooking stove
B. Lantern
C. Tent
D. Sleeping Bags
E.Chuck box
F. All of the above
G. None of the above

ANSWER - G. none of the above - and here's why we say this. The cook stove is not needed since you can always cook off the fire or pack in items that don't require cooking. Lanterns are an overrated and perhaps overused gear item in most camps. Why, you ask? If the necessary work is done before dark and your campfire supplies adequate light, you don't need that much light. A small flashlight will furnish all the light you need away from the fire. You, know, it IS night... it's supposed to be dark! A tent is only required if you unfortunately pick a time to camp when inclement weather hits. It's perfectly workable to pack an air mattress and sleep right on the ground. Bringing a tarp is a good idea should a midnight shower surprise you. Sleeping bags are a convenient, yet sometimes bulky way of keeping warm at night, but in summer they can be too hot. A warm bed-roll will work as good or better. Pillows are optional but add bulk to your pack. You can use a foam pad as well. Chuck boxes are nice, but I they're not an essential piece of equipment.If you don't get fancy with grub then you don't need much to cook and prepare with either.

OUR AUGUST CONTEST WINNER
Congratulations to D. Stone of South Carolina for winning the August Free Drawing. His prize of a Maxam Survival Knife was shipped to him a few weeks ago. Enjoy it!! To those of you who have not entered October's drawing, please feel free to do so! Tell your friends as well. Spread the luck! September's prize winner will be announced in the October mailing in a few weeks.

OUR CURRENT SALE ITEMS
We will be trying to keep a few items on sale at all times.. we will be adding a Weekly Sales item page shortly to index them!

http://birdseyeoutdoorsupply.com/pro879634.html
http://birdseyeoutdoorsupply.com/pro879635.html

Look for our October email for more tips, quick articles and sale items!

Questions? Email Us Here

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Adventures Into The Unknown!