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If you follow our Facebook page, you already know that we spent last week at the Outdoor Retailer show scouting out interesting new products for RVers. Talk about sensory overload! The show has thousands of booths set up, and to see it all, you’ll walk for miles. I put up tons of pictures of useful AND weird products, so if you ever want to find things like protein bars made out of crickets, just hit the Outdoor Retailer show in Salt Lake City. Except you probably can’t, because it isn’t open to the public! It’s a trade show for people in the industry and media (which is how we got in). We’re also very proud of the Winnebagans, because they actually brought the Travato and their 4×4 Era to the show. In a sea of products set up for active outdoorsy adventurous types, there was our beloved Travato. It just fit right in.
As RVers, we perpetually look for ways to enhance and improve our RV experiences. Much of that is finding the right products and gadgets to make our RVing experience easier. Here’s one of our cool finds at the 2015 Outdoor Retailer Show, the “Shoo Away,” a little twirling table-top contraption to keep flying bugs away. With this product, gone are the days you have to eat inside the RV due to pesky flies. Plus, Shoo Away‘s are just fun and cute. We sure could have used this during our last RV trip! We’ve got two of these puppies now, so our next trip we’ll be totally prepared. Here’s a short little video about it:
And just so we’re clear, we don’t get paid a dime, no one has hired us to push certain products, and we make no money if you go buy one yourself! We are just fellow RVers like you, who got to attend a cool trade show and genuinely wanted to share with you some of the neat products we personally liked. This handy little fly thwarter is definitely one of them. Next time you spot our bright yellow Travato at a campground, you can bet there’ll be one of these nifty gadgets on the table.
What do you think, gang? Is this cool? Would it be useful to you? Do you want to see James put it through some kind of insane test? Would love some feedback…
The day you posted this I visited their website and shot a question about “other critters”. They promptly responded in about an hour that it also works on wasp, meat bees , bees and Gnats. We ordered right away! They shipped (priority mail / insured) the very next day and we have already received them (they are running a buy one – get one free promo). They were well packed and spin as advertised.
We will be RV camping for the month of September and we look forward to testing them in Meat Bee Hell (June Lake in the High Sierras), and then on to the critters of Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada. We’ll let you know how they worked.
Thanks for the tip Stefany!
Andy & Kim
That is so cool, Andy & Kim! We haven’t busted ours out yet…not necessary here, no flying bugs! Can’t wait to travel somewhere with bugs so we get to try them. Definitely keep us posted! I hope they’ll be a big hit.
Remember that time in Mt. Shasta? Those bugs wanted to kill us!
Well, we have finished our 5 state tour (which turned out to be 7 states).
We especially enjoyed your beautiful Utah. That drive from Panguitch to Cedar City was “Fall Color Fantastic”!
Bottom line for the Shoo Away …. they work, but with a caveat.
First use was at the fish cleaning sinks at the June Lake Marina. The meat bee’s were all over the place, so I put one next to my fish guts paper – Not one single bee or fly landed on them. Everyone around me was amazed.
Second time was in Oregon. We had breakfast at the camp site table and once again the critters were all over the place, but the food remained unmolested. I left some eggs on my plate and moved them away from the Shoo Away and they were instantly attacked, but then I put the Shoo away next to the plate and poof, they were gone in less than 30 seconds.
The caveat – The Shoo Away’s sphere of influence is limited to only 1-2 feet. So while the critters did not land on he food they were still buzzing all around the table (and us). I would suggest having one unit for each person at the table (we bought 2). It is a truly amazing product that will always be in our rig.
Happy trails
Andy & Kim
Awesome review of the Shoo Away! We’ve been carrying one in Lance, but after reading this, I’m going to start carrying the second one we have.
It was great to meet you guys at the show yesterday. Best of luck in your search for your next RV!
Of course I want to see James torture, err put it through its paces.
Okay, James, one vote for a crazy experiment…CHECK!
I like that a lot! I wonder if it would work on mosquitos. Hmmm.
I wondered that, too, Maggie, but I doubt it. After our Mosquito Seige 2014 debacle, I’m pretty sure mosquitoes are indestructable. Kill one, 20 more appear… ;/
I am so sorry you guys had such a terrible time with the Mosquito Seige 2014 debacle! It’s no wonder you guys didn’t stay and left for home. I would have also. 🙁
LOL, Maggie! So you read the post about James’ Naked Jump of Stupidity! I still have nightmares about that awful night. I was frantically using towels to kill mosquitoes all night as James drove west through the unending rainstorm like a crazy person, and could barely see through the foggy windshield since the fan also decided to quit that night. You should have seen how splattered those towels were with dead mosquitoes. They were everywhere and wouldn’t stop coming. Thousands of those evil little villians. SHUDDERING REMEMBERING!