Things That Other People Say Don't Suck: Little Giant Food Bowls

I haven't done a "Things That Don't Suck" for a while, so I'm going to cheat and do a "Things That Other People Say Don't Suck," which is a category of items I've discovered through other bloggers' reviews, tried and found to be eminently non-sucky.

I have used stainless steel food bowls for years. They're indestructable, but if you've never had the pleasure of hearing the earth-shattering sound of steel pan on kennel concrete, courtesy of your dog jumping on and subsequently launching said food pan into the air, lucky you. It's in my top 10 all-time annoying sounds.

Enter the Little Giant Duraflex food bowl. I found out about this rubberized little gem through reading Scampwalker's excellent post on the best hunting gear or gadgets you never heard about.

So I went right out and bought four of the two-quart feed bowls. Two for the kennel and two for the truck. Total cost, ten bucks. I have to admit I was skeptical. My dogs can chew through Kryptonite. Last year for Christmas my in-laws bought me some "chew-proof" dog toys. The next day I scooped their pooped-out remains into the crap can, along with what was left of a granite headstone, an engine block from a '78 Chevy and a big pile of re-bar I had thrown into the kennels to keep the dogs occupied. So much for chew-proof.

But it's been a week of blessed silence, and the bowls are as new. Not a mark on them. And surviving a week with my dogs is about as strong an endorsement as I can give. Next up, just in time for winter, is the purchase of two of the Little Giant water buckets. I'm done with shattering regular plastic five-gallon buckets every time I go to break the dogs' ice.

And incidentally, if you have a good tip on a piece of gear, you might want to head over to Scampwalker's Eight More Miles blog. He's running a contest for the best gear tip, and giving away (giving away!) a schweeeet Boyt bird vest to the best entry.