A visit to Camp Perry

It was a hot, drizzly weekend at the lake so we didn't get to sail but we made the most of it anyway. Along with our friends John & Cindy, we drove out to Camp Perry to watch the NRA's National Rifle & Pistol Championships. Unfortunately there wasn't a lot of shooting going on, just the prone rifle practices, so we checked out the various booths. The guys each bought gun cleaning supplies and t-shirts while Cindy and I giggled over the bumper stickers.


I mean, really!

The last booth we hit was for EarPlugs USA. John decided he wanted a custom made pair for shooting so he sat down and had them done. Then Dave decided he wanted some. Then Cindy started picking out colors because she wanted a pair. I wasn't sure if I would ever use them because I can't stand the thought of shoving something into my ears like that, plus I already own a set of the good earmuff-type hearing protection that I wear for shooting. But there was much peer pressure and cajoling (and even a few "bwock-bwock" chicken noises) so I finally caved in.

The whole process is a strange one. You sit in a chair and the woman* puts a teeny plug of cotton in your ears with a Q-tip. The cotton has two threads attached that hang out of your ears and tickle you on the side of your face. Then she mixes up putty in the color of your choice and puts it in a syringe and squirts it into your ears. She molds and shapes it with her hands to get a good seal, then inserts small plastic things into it which will hold the cord later on. You have to sit patiently and not talk or move your jaw for 20 minutes while the putty sets up. You can feel it expand a bit, then it starts to crackle as it hardens. When it's set she removes the plugs and cotton, then files and smooths the inner ends. Then she reinserts them into your ears, stands behind you and talks to you to see if they're comfortable and how well you can hear her. If they're good, she keeps them overnight to let them set completely and to buff and coat them and add a cord. Cindy had to have hers made twice because her first pair wasn't keeping out the sound. My left one hurt, especially when it expanded, and I wouldn't have wanted to do it a second time.

Hot pink custom made ear plugs. Ya-hoo!
So now we all have custom ear plugs for the next time we go to the range. Our eardrums will thank us.

* Check out the Earplugs USA Clients page. The woman hugging Steven Tyler and Slash is the same person who made ours. She was highly recommended. (Unfortunately, I can't remember her name.)