Gift Guide: Under $50
Need some gift ideas for your dad this holiday? Check out some of my favorite gear. 1 ENO DoubleNest Hammock A hammock will give dad a get opportunity to kick back and relax in the backyard, a campground, a park, and more. 2 [...]
Have you ever been sitting in one of those outdoor chairs when a breeze comes through? Your back is so cold, and it's the price you pay to have a lightweight collapsable chair. Helinox has your solution. They have quilted covers for their chairs. It hooks onto the chair and then wraps you in warmth. Since my trip, they [...]
What's the point of a footprint? Keeps all the cold and moisture from the ground outside of your tent. It's amazing how damp the floor of a tent can be, even if it doesn't rain. REI's footprint is created to be the right size for this tent. You want it slightly smaller so that when it does rain, and [...]
Sleep is the most important part of my day. I could write an entire post on my sleep routine and how it is non-negotiable for me. So when it came time for this trip, and hearing horror stories about sleep while camping (or lack thereof), this mattress is top of my list when it comes to your investment. The [...]
I didn't start my trip with a side table. I thought it was silly, completely unnecessary. Why do you need a small table when you have a big picnic table at nearly all campgrounds? It didn't take long for me to change my tune. I wanted something to sit beside me while I was around the campfire. Most of [...]
You can find sets of plates, bowls, utensils from many companies. I liked the GSI Cascadian collection (also available in a 4 person set). I finally decided on this set because they were durable, I liked the size, and I loved all of the colors. When it comes to size I was looking for a few [...]
When people struggle to wrap their heads around camping for a year, I remind them that I'm camping...not roughing it. The rocking feet to my chair is one example of how enjoyable I've made my adventure. I love my Helinox chair. It's cozy and comfortable for evenings by the campfire or those days I decide to read at [...]
If a mosquito is anywhere in a 100-mile radius, it will find me. And after it feasts, the bite will be joined by a welt. They are painful and really annoying. I have spent most of my life trying bands and oils and sprays and not going outside. Nothing worked. When I was in Bend, OR, after [...]
A lot of lighting options are available for camping, hiking, and other outdoor fun. I'm quite fond of the collapsibility and solar components of the Goal Zero Crush Light Lanterns. They come in white and chroma. The white allows for three levels of brightness. The chroma allows you to cycle through 8 color modes. You can [...]
Finding the perfect camp chair is challenging. It requires a lot of sitting and testing. I started out with a more traditional chair, but after a few stops, I realized the seat was too low and it was challenging to get out of the chair. I needed to find a chair that would cradle me when I sat [...]
A camp stove makes mealtime much easier. I went with the Eureka Ignite 2-Burner stove. I like that it's easy to light, very lightweight, and has the 2-burner option. I didn't use both very often, but it was nice to know I could. The camp stove industry seems to change constantly. I highly recommend talking to someone at [...]
I bought an Ice Mule while visiting the REI Flagship store in Seattle. I had purchased several smaller coolers throughout the trip thinking it would be nice to have an easy cooler to have on the front seat for lunch, store drinks for travel days, and store vegetables that didn't need refrigerated but I didn't want them cooking in [...]
Determining food storage was really challenging for me. I watched a million videos. Some people went with coolers, others with plug-in refrigeration coolers. The price tag of the plug-in coolers was too shocking for me. I knew I needed to invest in something that would keep the cooler cold for multiple days. After reading countless reviews and talking to [...]
I started the trip with a classic dome tent. It was only a few weeks before I decided I wanted a tent with more space. Most importantly, one I could stand up in. I opted for REI's Kingdom 4. My thoughts: Size - The footprint has fit into every campsite. The height allows me to stand [...]