PORTA-BRACE

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FOR PRODUCTION
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CREWS
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IN THE FIELD
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SUMMER 2002
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Bobsledding to the Olympic Dream

You may have seen the movie,
Cool Runnings, which fictionalizes
the true story of how Jamaica's bob-
Kevin Manley (back left) watches as his team
prepares for its Olympic run
The most trying part of the experi-
ence, says Manley, was working and
living on a shoestring budget.
Although bobsledders John-Andrew
Kambanis and John Livaditis, both
American citizens living in Chicago,
are Greek Nationals and competed for
Greece, they received virtually no
financial support from Greece. They
sustained themselves out of their own
pockets and with help from friends and
family. After many years of bobsled-
ding as a hobby, "getting to the
Olympics is pinnacle," Manley said.
The Greek team, along with other
small-nation teams, such as Ireland,
Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Mexico,
went to the America's Cup at Lake
Placid in the fall to accumulate the
points they needed to qualify for
the Olympics (the big-nation teams
stay on the World Cup Tour in
Europe). While the team only needed
one successful run, it crashed on
the first two runs. Manley recalls
thinking, "If we don't make it now,
everything up until this point doesn't
matter, because we're not going."
Fortunately, the last two runs went
well, and the team took a Bronze
and qualified for the Olympics.
The Greeks had their best com-
petition finish ever at the
Olympics, with a time of 3:16:66. As
for Manley, he bobsledded down
continued on page 2

sledding team made the Olympics Sticking Together

after many a setback and near dis- tial. It took eight
d th at Po rta ognized a poten
aster. While there's less drama in We have be en tol lop, and it consists of
er of VEL - years to deve
the story of the 2002 Olympic two- Brace is th e large st us lon fabric. One strip
te of Ve rm ont. two strips of ny s.
man Greek Bobsled Team, it's nev- CRO in th e wh ole sta ousands of small hook
t th e ho ok an d loo p fastener contains th ns sm all loo ps .
ertheless an inspiring one. Withou er contai
olo gy , ou r ba gs wo uld be put The oth press ed togeth er,
Assistant Coach Kevin Manley, techn the two are
and zippers. When LCRO
worked with Porta Brace to design together with buttons th ey form a strong bond. VE
'd lik e to giv e th an ks to Swiss Me stral ga ve his
a special case to keep his Canon So we th is is the name de
Me str al for . De Mestral,
Optura MC-100 functioning in engineer George de mm er product. Without Mr
n. On a su have been a
what were supposed to be the frigid invaluable inventio nt for there might never
d his do g we
temperatures of Salt Lake City. day in 1948 he an -Brace.
home covered Porta
(Manley films the bobsledders on a hike and returned ly
ore wide
turns where they may have trouble. with cockleburs (m
). W he n de Mestral
They then analyze the tape to see known as burrs
examined one
how they can stay in the center of loosened them, he
. The principle
the track for maximum speed.) The under his microscope
bur is a maze
project resulted in a new addition was simple: the cockle
th burrs (or
to our product line; The Polar of thin strands wi
at cling to fab-
Mitten for Canon Optura MC-100. hooks) on the ends th
In Mother
rics or animal fur. al rec - 12x enlargement of ho
ok and loop
s cre ation , de Me str
Nature'

Broadcasting from Amsterdam
One of Holland’s thousands of windmills
If you're attending this year's
International Broadcasting Convention
(IBC), in Amsterdam from Sept. 13-17,
you might consider how you'll spend
your time when not perusing thousands
of multimedia products. Désirée
Kester, Porta Brace's Eyes and Ears
in Europe, lives in Doesburg, Holland
and has a number of off-the-beaten
path tips and some popular recom-
mendations to offer (not to mention a
few museum tips, including
Amsterdam's Museum).
Désirée suggests you first enjoy one
of her favorite sites: the beautiful
floating flower market located on the
Happy Anniversary
Bob & Cora!
You would think for a company of sew-ers mak-
ing a quilt would be easy. However, creating an
8 1/4" square is not the same as making a
blue Porta Brace case. All the squares of this
memory quilt, which the employees made for
the surprise 50th wedding anniversary cele-
bration of Bob and Cora, were unique. Most
reflected the employees' personal interests.
Some were painted, some embroidered, and
others computer transfers. When all 77 squares
were finished, Bob and Cora's wedding picture
was placed in the center. At the party and
presentation, Bob and Cora enjoyed and hav-
ing their first wedding cake ever!
2
PORTA-BRACE NOTES
Singel. Désirée says that the sight of
her nation's finest flora will over-
whelm your senses. If you want to
take home a few souvenirs, she rec-
ommends a visit to the popular flea-
markets. Waterlooplein is the largest.
One of Désirée's favorite past-times
in Amsterdam is visiting the museums.
She likes the Van Gogh, which houses
about 200 of the master's paintings,
and the Rijksmuseum, which showcas-
es Rembrandt's "The Night Watch."
Lastly, don't miss the city’s major
attraction: its canals. They are most
enchanting at night, when the canal
houses and bridges are illuminated.
A fun way to explore them is by pedal
boats, which can be rented at the
Anne Frank House and the
Rijksmuseum.
Look out for an article about the
IBC Convention in the fall edition of
Porta Brace Notes. For more informa-
tion about the Convention and
Amsterdam go to: www.ibc.org and
www.visitamsterdam.nl.Porta Brace
will be at Stand # 11.411.
continued from page 1
Olympic ice about a dozen times as a
forerunner. "Nothing's more exhila-
rating than hurling down a twisting,
turning tube of ice and concrete at a
speed of 80 mph," says Manley. “We
do it for the love of the danger and
thrill.”
Without a doubt, Manley says,
he'll be coaching another small-
nation team in the 2006 Olympics in
Torino, Italy. To learn more about
the 2002 Greek Team, you can visit
the web site at www.olympic-
dream.net. For bobsledding in gener-
al go to www.USBSF.com.
We’re Back!
Many people have asked
where the Porta-Brace Notes have
gone for the last couple of years.
With your help we are bring-
ing it back. Send us your ideas, pic-
tures, stories, helpful hints or com-
ments. Keep in touch.
Don Roy
As a jack of all trades, Don Roy has
quickly become known as K&H's "Chief
Mechanic." Not only does he repair
sewing machines (and all sorts of other
mechanical appliances); he also repairs
relationships. Don is a quiet and private
person, yet he is also a supreme diplo-
mat. Prior to joining K&H, Don was a
professional automechanic, and every-
one at K&H loves his generous auto
repair advice.
Outside of work, Don enjoys hunting.
He also likes watching NASCAR racing,
which is why Tammy's Christmas gift to
him was a class at the Petty Driving
Don at the races
Don and Tammy
School, in New Hampshire. This sum-
mer, Don will get behind the wheel to try
his hand at car racing.
Don's other favorite form of racing
is running. Every other day, he runs five
to eight miles. His most recent race was
on Memorial Day weekend, when he ran
on a relay team in the Vermont City
Marathon. His team came in 4th.
Don is very close with his friends
and family. He is one of nine children
who grew up in Bennington, where his
parents still live. While his family is
large, it will become even larger in
October, when Don and Tammy, his wife
of eight years, have their first baby!
 To Carry On or to Carry Off?
that is still the question
The carry-on question has been
with Porta Brace ever since our compa-
ny's beginnings. With the majority of
professional videographers relying on
the uncertainty of
air travel to get to
their stories, they
cannot afford to
store their cam-
eras in the cargo
compartment, in
the belly of the
Quick-Draw plane. It never
ceases to surprise
us that
though cameras
even
have been steadily
decreasing in size
throughout the
nineties and into
the 21st Century,
Carry-On
so too are the air-
line restrictions for carrying them on to
planes. And, we all know planes and
their seating arrangements are not get-
ting bigger!
When we first started Porta Brace
in 1972, RCA's TK76 was the most popu-
lar camera. It was large and bulky, so our
case, the Quick Draw, was a padded and
rigid rectangular case. It made it onto
the plane, though. The carry-on limita-
tions in those times were much more lib-
eral. It's much different today.
In the late 80s came the development
of the large "camcorder," combining both
the camera and video recorder into one
unit, as well as including the battery pack
and wider lenses. To accommodate the
bulkier camera, Porta Brace designed the
Carry-On Camera Case, which was a pre-
cisely tailored, foam-padded protective
carrier slightly larger than the camera
itself. It made it easy and safe for videog-
raphers to store their cameras over-
head, and it was also sturdy and light
enough to serve as a practical
field case.
As airlines have been getting
fussier about their carry-on limita-
tions (maximum size carry-on for
most airlines is 45 linear inches),
we've addressed the challenge of how
to design a case that remains rugged
and protective as a field case, while
not being too big to function as a trav-
el case. Our first success came with
the Smuggler, which we introduced to
our product line in 1998. It meets the
45" restriction. The beauty of the
Smuggler is its ability to breakdown
and expand, enabling it to pass as
carry-on luggage and then transform
into an effective case for the field. The
The Smuggler
compressed case provides practical
protection for the body of the camera,
and the viewfinder and battery can be
removed for storage in the case's soft
pouches. (We wish we could "make a
case smaller than the camera," as many
of our customers request, but so far this
is the best we can do!) The Smuggler
then expands for use in the field, where
it offers the same lightweight durability,
and useful pockets, as the other
field cases.
Since September 11, some of our
customers have commented about the
name "Smuggler." While we agree it is
not appropriately suited for the cur-
rent times, when we came up with it,
the name was fitting for the
Smuggler's ability to stowaway in the
smallest of places. So, we will not be
continued on back page
After 28 years of working for K&H,
Grace Jareckie had to make a choice
between continuing to design cases or
playing with her three-year-old
grandson Jake. She chose Jake!
Turkey Talk
If you've seen previous Porta Brace
Notes, you'll recall we dealt with
pigs and outhouses. This time
we're talking turkey--the wild kind.
They are the second
largest bird in
North America,
and it was Ben Franklin
who wanted to designate
them as the symbol of the
United States. But, no, the
eagle was chosen instead. With all
due respect to eagles, turkeys are
bigger and better. The males (or
Toms, as they are known) are
about four feet tall and can weigh
up to 25 pounds. Despite their
large wingspans, they can fly fast,
reaching speeds of up to 55 miles
an hour. And, wild turkeys are
known for loyalty. Hens will fight
gallantly to protect their young
(called jennies and jakes).
Big, brave, and noble
birds, perhaps we
should have listened to
Ben. At least here in
Vermont we
learned to appre-
ciate them. Extensive habitat
loss in Vermont in the mid-1800s
caused the extinction of wild
turkeys. However, in 1969,
Vermont's Fish and Wildlife
Department started a successful
wild turkey re-introduction pro-
gram, and now the woods are alive
again with the sound of gobbles.
3
 PORTA-BRACE NOTES

Carry-On Question
continued from page 3
Animal Predictio ns
, follow these ation
changing the name. However, we have If you're planning a vac
s of we ather:
been rethinking our carry-on design long-term predictor nests high, the
? If wasps bu ild the ir
and preparing for the already-occur- harsh
winter will be long and
ring and inevitable increase of more
? Wh en the lea ves of trees turn over, it
stringent travel and carry-on regula- ns and possible
tions. fortells windy conditio
severe weather.
We've heard some recent stories denotes a windy
? A severe summer
about videographers having to pack autumn fore a storm
their cameras in hard cases and ship- ? Wolves howl more be
what the humidity
ping them. This seems antithetical to If you need tips for seeing lowing work well:
fol
the videographer principle of keeping and temperature are, the crickets are in
one's camera close at all times. ? In the evening, when
number of chirps
To ensure videographers can keep the cool grass, count the
ds. That will be the
their cameras with them and continue they make in 14 secon
ation.
to do their jobs with as few hassles as temperature in their loc a woolly bear is
? If the brown stripe of
possible, we have created a very com- ipes, the winter will
pact design called the Travel Boot, an wider than the black str
be long and harsh.
accessory to the Porta Brace Shoulder ort range weather
To determine the sh
vic e:
Case. This case will over- forcast, just use this ad h, fair weather. Horses run fast
before an electric sto
rm
come many of the chal- ? If the goose ho nk s hig
en rain is nigh. .
lenges of trans- ? Trout jump high wh rise with a watery head
the roo ste r cro ws on going to bed, you may ve ry dry .
porting ? If ll soon be
in air do fly, the spell wi
cameras ? When spider webs
ting: works well too).
as carry- A few final tips for forcas pla ce it in your yard (a horse
? First, ge t a roc k an d it's wet, it's raining. If
on in our
the roc k. If it's dry , the weather's clear. If
Next, wa tch s swept by.
p o s t - If it's gone, a tornado ha
The Travel Boot
September 11 world. We have provided it's white, it's snowing.
the capability for videographers to have Size-Wize Luggage Tips
quick access to their camera parts in ??Carry-on rules vary Brace DC-1 Directors mike in your pockets
order to fire up their cameras to prove from airline to airline. Case or SL-1 Sling Pack
??If you are challenged,
they are legitimate. Rather than dis- The standard is 45 over- should fall into the
it is best not to argue
guising the camera, the forthcoming all inches "purse" classification.
with the steward. Explain
Travel Boot will simply protect it, and it ??Most airlines allow a ??If you wear the right that you are carrying
is not much bigger than the camera purse, which is not clothes (like a vest), you sensitive and expensive
itself. If you have any ideas, please counted in your carry-on can resort to putting the equipment. Ask to speak
allowance. The Porta- camera battery and to a supervisor.
contact us.
Happy traveling! K & H Products, Ltd. x
Box 249 Phone: 802-442-8171
BULK RATE
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
North Bennington Fax: 802-442-9118 PERMIT NO. 11
Vermont 05257, USA www.portabrace.com No. Bennington, Vt.
We Enjoy Hearing ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED
from You
Please share your comments,
stories, and photographs. Tell us
how you carry your equipment.
We’ll pass on your ideas and tips
to our readers. You can e-mail us
at info@portabrace.com