Good QRma

The days of scrawling your name and phone number with a Sharpie on your gear are over. A Boise-based company has come up with a tech-age solution to the age-old problem of lost or yard-saled gear.

For $3.99, Karmik Outdoors will send you a QR code decal for all your most precious toys. The unique code will trace you gear back to you, all with a simple smart phone scan (provided, of course, that whomever finds your flotsam, jetsam and improperly secured roof items is a believer in gear karma in the first place.)

“We understand how it feels to lose expensive and sentimental outdoor gear,” the company writes on its website. “The inherent goodness of those in our outdoor recreation communities is noble. We believe that getting your lost outdoor recreation gear back and building a trusting community of outdoorsmen and women ought to be as easy as scanning a QR code.”

The folks at Karmik said they even went so far as to field test the company product on their own beloved gear. “To test our decals we ‘lost’ our own gear around our home waters and public lands. What’s cool is that we got it back!”

According to the company, the testing phase showed a 78 percent return rate.

In addition to the warm fuzzy karmic rewards, folks who find and return gear using the codes also get a reward from Karmik, anything from an entry for free gear to Karmik-branded swag. Alternately, “losers” can opt to give “finders” rewards as well.

The “extremely durable” decals come with an extra strong adhesive, are 100 percent waterproof/ weatherproof, and resistant to UV, heat, salt, corrosion and fading. They’re available in two styles: high-viz and nonreflective, for more stealth applications. To learn more, go to: karmikoutdoors.com.