000 miles

Uniden GMR1235-2 2-Way 12 Mile 2 Pack GMRS/FRS Radios
$19.99
The battery life is terrible. If you read nothing else in this review, know that. But first:

Upon opening, the first thing you'll realize is that no matter how small you think they are, they are even smaller. They measure about 3 inches tall. Maybe 4.5 with the antenna. They are quite easy to grip though, and look and feel rugged enough to live through a few drops without an issue.

The sound quality in close proximity is great. Anything under 100 yards is very clear, even if you are going through brick walls and steel doors. I can hear my roommate just fine through 3 highrise apartment complexes. At distance, however, the quality breaks down quickly. No one expects 12 miles from a 2-way labeled as 12 mile capable, but 3 miles? 2 miles? Not likely unfortunately. If you get 1.5 residential area you should be thrilled.

The design seems rather straighforward, (volume up and down, channel up and down, power, scan, lock, squelch)The onlything I find odd is the placement of the belt clip. You need to remove it before you remove the battery cover. Makes replacing the battery a little more of a chore since the clip doesn't come off very easily.

Finally the battery life. This comes with 3 batteries for each radio. In the first use, our batteries lasted 4 hours. Now keep in mind, this was not constant communication. This was 90% standbye time. The manual says that after 2 minutes of non-use, the radios will switch to a power-save mode. That seems a little long to wait. They're fine for very casual use, but in any type of emergency situation I wouldn't be able to trust them. It's unfortunate, but I'm going to have to purchase my third set of walkie talkies simply because of the batteries.

Overall, it does fine for the cheap price. I didn't expect to much, but I'd look elswhere for a rechargeable unit if you need to rely on communication for anything critical.

1,000,000 Candlepower 12V Halogen Spotlight - Visible to 1 Mile!
$17.99
The plug for the light broke the first day while trying it out, and I replaced it. Very cheap made plug. The light is lite, and easy to use. Good overall. But one mile range is really pushing it. Light is not that big, and fits in small cars. I carry mine all the time, and I live in the Big City. Great for looking for address at night, and when your headlights go out as fuses burn out as this happen to me in the County. I would grade it a "C" because of that cheap overseas plug that made of solf plastic.

The Silk Route: 7,000 Miles of History
$6.99
This is a truly wonderful book that helps children understand an important part of the history of China. The book has a map of the road the caravan travels, describes the major stops along the way, and explains the difficulties and hardships these travellers encountered. I especially enjoyed the description of the topography the caravan crosses, as I believe it gives children a great mental picture for them to understand the great diversity of geography in China.

Midland GXT1000VP4 50-Channel 36-Mile Waterproof 2-Way GMRS Radio with NOAA All Hazard /Weather Alert, Rechargeable Batteries, Dual Desktop charger 12 Volt Vehicle Adapter and 2 Headsets (Pair, Black/Silver)
$89.99
The package arrived quickly and was packed very well. Typical for an Amazon purchase.

The radios work as advertised and I got a range of 11 miles so far on the first usage, according to Google earth and the ruler function. This was using a high power GMRS radio channel. Will they make 36 miles? Not in my area they probably will not. If your area in flat like Kansas, I imagine that the radio might come close to that claim.

For the price, there was a lot included. The rechargeable batteries were a nice addition as the radios burn through regular AA batteries.