Category: Outdoor Gear

Categories
Camping Outdoor Gear

Easy Camping Meals with Legacy Premium Food Storage

We haven’t done a whole lot of car camping in the last few years. Understandable as we have the Airstream and just take our whole house with us wherever we go. “Camping” meant throwing on our packs and heading out into a back country site. Since we’ve been in the condo for the last two months, however, I’ve made a considerable effort to get the family out tent camping in some of the front country sites  in Grand Teton National Park where we wouldn’t take our trailer.

One of the biggest struggles for me is figuring out what to eat while camping, and then getting it all packed in the cooler. We love tin foil dinners, dutch oven meals, and roasting hot dogs over the fire, but those take quite a bit of prep and feel overwhelming when we just want to head out for the night.

Enter: Legacy Premium Food Storage.

They contacted us a few months ago about trying out their meals, and I immediately agreed. We are always looking for good alternatives to Mountain House or homemade camping meals and although these guys seem like they make only emergency food storage items, their meals are actually quite handy for outdoor adventure! Legacy Foods sent us quite a few meals and its been fun to try them all out and see which ones we like best over two different camping trips.

Jenny Lake Camping Menu

Sam surprised me just before Mother’s Day with the suggestion to head out camping overnight midweek. I jumped on it and within a few hours we were packed and ready to go! It was so easy to toss in the Legacy Pouches and not stress about food. For dinner we tried out the Enchilada Beans & Rice in tortillas. We kept it pretty simple, but it would be easy to add cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes to really round out the meal next time.  We chopped up some carrots & cucumber for veggies and called it a meal!

Breakfast the next morning was hot chocolate, and Strawberry Creamy Wheat with fresh strawberries, and brown sugar on top. It had been a long time since a cooked Cream of Wheat and I totally forgot I needed to stir it continuously. Oops. We ended up with slightly lumpy cereal, but it tasted good just the same. The strawberry flavor is subtle, but adds some nice flavor.

Both meals were delicious and we had leftovers with just one pouch! Sam and I were both seriously impressed. We’ve always found food storage, or even other freeze-dried meals to be completely inadequate as far as serving size goes. There never seems to be enough to go around. Just one Legacy pouch makes about 6 cups of prepared food which was plenty for our family of 5.  Each serving is roughly 400 calories, with all non-GMO ingredients; perfect for after a day of hiking and exploring.

Colter Bay Camping Menu

Our friends from over at Kidproject.org drove up to hang out last weekend. The problem with getting two, outdoor adventure families together is we want to do ALL the things. We finally settled on camping at Colter Bay in Grand Teton, taking the bikes to ride the paved trail from Taggart to Jenny Lake, hiking, and possibly getting the canoes out on Two Ocean Lake. See? We can’t ever decide.

Once again it was super easy to toss in Legacy Food pouches for meals, and it was fun as we shared meals so everyone got to try them! We decided on 2 pouches of Pasta Primavera as well as 1 pouch of  Macaroni and Cheese for dinner. Alyssa also threw in a veggie tray and hot dogs for the kids to roast over the fire. The kids gobbled up the Mac & Cheese, and we ate almost all of the Pasta Primavera. Quite a lot of food, but after an 8 mile hike everyone was hungry. We did sprinkle salt over the top of the pasta which helped bring out the flavor. Definitely make sure you have some on hand.

The following morning was cold. Everyone layered up once we convinced ourselves to climb out of our warm sleeping bags, and we sipped on hot chocolate while we waited for the Maple Oatmeal with Brown Sugar to cook. We cooked two pouches of oatmeal, and I probably should have split it into to pots because boiling that much water at high elevation takes awhile.

Having something warm to fill our tummies was fabulous. We ate ALL the oatmeal even though I think everyone was full before it was officially gone. It did need a little salt to bring out the flavor (should have added some to the water), and we topped with fresh blueberries. Loved that the brown sugar was already in the mix so we didn’t have to bring extra.  Pretty delicious.

Overall we’ve been super impressed with Legacy Premium Foods. Their serving sizes are the largest we’ve seen and I love that one pouch can feed our entire family. On average, each meal takes between 12-20 minutes to cook and we found that at high elevation (7000+ feet) they took longer than the package stated. Pretty typical for cooking in general, but handy to know when all the kids are hungry!

We wouldn’t take these backpacking with us as we are more of the pour-hot-water-in-the-pouch type people (less dishes to wash!) in the back country. For car camping, however, Legacy meals were perfect. I loved not stressing about food and being able to just throw them in and head out was awesome. We have a few more flavors to try (pancakes, potato soup & stroganoff!) which makes me even more excited to head out camping again this summer.

Disclosure: We were sent product and compensated by Legacy Premium Foods for our blog post. All opinions are our own, and we are totally happy they contacted us to work with them! We’d never blog about anything we didn’t absolutely love. 

Categories
Backpacking Outdoor Gear

Gear Review: Deuter Fox 30 Backpack for Kids

We started backpacking with our kids in 2015 with a fun 2 night, 3 day trip to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore. We used the packs we had on hand, which included small, and slightly uncomfortable day packs for both Andrew and Cara. They weren’t designed to hold much weight (which was fine) but also were a bit bulky and pulled on their shoulders more than we wanted.

After completing two more backpack trips as we traveled around Lake Superior we decided it was time to upgrade. As we looked around at pack companies , the clear winner was Deuter – the same German company that we had bought our Kid Comfort III carrier from we were still hauling toddlers around on our backs.

I contacted Deuter hoping to get in on their family ambassador program, but alas. They currently had all the ambassadors they needed. Instead, their representative graciously sent us the Deuter Fox 30 Kid’s pack to review.

Santa Cruz Island – Channel Islands National Park

I had originally planned for the pack to fit Rachel (age 10) but after trying it on we felt the bag was slightly small for her as she’s pretty tall. Luckily, it fit Andrew (age 8) perfectly.

Testing Duration: 3 days, 2 nights on Cumberland Island National Seashore; 4 days, 3 nights on Channel Islands National Park

Best Uses: Short backpacking trips, or longer day hikes.

Quick Specs: 2.6 pounds, 30 liters, 60/23/22 (H x W X D) cm

MSRP: $99

Find it: Fox 30 on Amazon, Fox30 at REI

Vari Quick Adjustable Shoulders Straps:

One of my favorite features of many of the Deuter backpacks are the adjustable shoulder straps. There’s nothing worse than buying expensive gear only to have your child grow out of it within a few months. With their Vari Quick system, the shoulder straps are easily adjustable and can grow with your child.

To size the pack, we adjusted the hip belt so the pack sat firmly on his hips. Next we determined how far above his shoulders the straps were and adjusted them up or down as needed. The straps shouldn’t sit right on shoulders, but are more for balance. Most of the pack weight should be on the hips.

Padded Shoulders & Hip Belt

The Fox 30 also has plenty of padding on both the shoulder straps and the hip belts. One reason day packs are so light is either the lack of a waist belt, or a simple buckle to keep the bag from swinging around. Totally fine if you are doing a quick day hike, but for multi-days the straps start to wear on your shoulders. I’ve also had plenty of bruised and sore hips from carrying my pack on a multi day trip and didn’t want that for my kids.

I do wish the pack had pockets on the hip belt. We call this our “garbage” pockets and its easy for kids to stash small candy wrappers (hiking incentives) or even to stow away trash they find along the trail as we are hiking.

Hydration Compatible

This pack is hydration compatible – although you wouldn’t know from my picture! Ha! Not sure why we just stashed the bladder on top, but the pack does have a zippered pocket to slide water into. I love it when our kids carry their own water and can sip as we hike. It definitely keeps them more hydrated!

Compression Straps & Outside Pockets

I love the stretchy pockets on either side of the bag. Its super easy to shove a puffy vest, or stuffed animal in those and I don’t have to worry about anything falling out. Andrew loves hooking his pocket knife to the daisy chain, and there are bungee cords to strap on a hiking pole if needed.

Overall I feel like there are possibly too many straps. Sometimes we don’t hook them all together and they dangle, or we get them mixed up. It is nice to have a tightly cinched pack, but I’m not sure this one needs two on each side.

Bottom Access

Many packs have both top down and bottom access. This makes packing the bag, and getting things out a bit easier as you can separate your gear more nicely. Its easy to stuff his sleeping bag and pad down in the bottom and then pile everything else in through the top. This doesn’t have a divider though which I actually prefer to keep weight higher up, but it works just fine.

Cumberland Island National Seashore – Georgia

This pack is the perfect size for Andrew to carry just his stuff without being overly heavy. We’ve tried to accumulate light weight gear so he can take his sleeping bag, pad, clothes, animals, water, and kindle while still being able to hike 4 or 5 miles.

The Fox 30 is basically an adult back shrunk down to fit a child roughly ages 7 – 10 years old. It has many of the features I like in my own bag and helps Andrew to feel capable while carrying his own gear on a hike. If you are looking for a starting backpack for your child, we definitely recommend getting one of these!

Categories
Biking Homeschool Outdoor Gear

Teach Your Child to Shift with a Woom4

Its no secret we are fans of Woombikes. We were introduced to them in 2014 as Cara was ready to leave training wheels behind. We had a fantastic experience as she basically just climbed on the bike and pedaled away (6 Reasons to Buy Your Child a Woombike).

We’ve now reached another milestone with Cara’s bike – that of upgrading to one with shifters. We reached the point where she was spinning her wheels as fast as humanly possible and still couldn’t keep up with the big kids. She had the muscle, the awareness and desire to be faster, better, and more in control – she just needed the tools.
We visited Woom headquarters in Austin, TX last spring and Mathias upgraded her Woom3 to a Woom4 with a rear derailleur and an 8- Speed SRAM X4 twister shifter. Since then, we’ve been working with her on when and how to shift her gears based on the terrain she’s riding. Its honestly been a bit of a fight. For awhile she wanted to leave her gear in the middle and pedal like she always has. Slowly, she’s come to the realization that she can go farther more quickly and with less effort if she utilizes the entire range of her gears.

Its slow progress, but progress nonetheless. We happened in to a tradition to have each of our kids complete a 25 mile bike ride by the time they turn 8 years old. Rachel did hers with Sam back in Lehi pre-travel, and Andrew completed his with the Watermelon 4th of July ride in Minneapolis. Cara is 6 so we have just two years to get her ride in. Time to get training and gears will be an essential part of completing that ride.
As our experience is one shared by many parents, I thought we could give some advice on how to ease the transition between bikes.  I talked with Mathias, the owner of Woombikes USA, and he helped me outline 6 suggestions to help your child transition more smoothly to a bike with shifting capabilities:

1. Prepare and Anticipate

Kids transition easier when they know what is coming so talk about shifting even while your child is on a single speed bike.  Most of us just get on our bikes and go, but talking with your child about the bike components and why they are useful can help anticipate the change.  Show your child how your bike shifts (simple as picking the back wheel off the ground while remaining stationary) so they have a visual concept as well.

Ever ahead of the game, Woom has introduced a SRAM Automatix 2 Hub on their Woom3 bikes which has an internal mechanism that automatically shifts into a higher gear once 6 or 7 mph is reached. Total genius! Mathias said, “The design is hands-free, keeping your child’s focus on the road. On top of that, the hub functions as a learning tool. The mechanism also teaches [kids] timing. When they feel the bike change gears, children are passively learning how to time their shifts. Without ever touching a shifter, they can go faster, ride smoother, and move up to their next bike with total confidence. By the time the controls are in their hands, they’ll be ready for any adventure!”

2. Have a Visual Classroom

Once you have a new bike with shifters, take the time to visual explain how the bike works.  Mathias suggests that, “It’s much easier to show them, rather than tell them.  If you tell them while they are on the bike, then they are too busy and can’t really focus on your words.  Visually explain the concept while one parent is holding the saddle, and the other is rotating the pedals and shifting.” Seeing an adult bike in action is one thing, but when its their bike the concept just might have a bit more traction.

3. Ride Alongside Them

Kids love spending time with their parents, and we find many teaching moments as we hike, bike, or paddle alongside our kids. As we ride with Cara, we can coach her along the trail. “There’s a big hill coming up – shift now down to a 2,” we’ll tell her. Or, “Cara you are spinning your pedals, try shifting up to a 6.” We can judge the terrain we are riding and coach her as we go. She loves spending time with us, an we’ve been able to make more progress than if we just sent her off on her own.

4. Have Older Children Help Teach

Whether its a sibling or a friend, other children can definitely have an impact on your child. Mathias noticed that, “Parents sometimes have trouble using the right words  to communicate the concepts.  Other children who already know how to shift could use their skills and way of explaining so that the other child learns it more easily.  I saw this at a biking event, where one 5 year old explained another 5 yo how to use [their bike] in a fun an easy way.” We’ve definitely noticed this as Rachel and Andrew encourage and instruct Cara as she learns.

5. Bike in Familiar Territory

Mathias recommends to “Choose a place where your child feels most comfortable, i.e. playgrounds, parks, running tracks, safe neighborhood streets.” Cara feels most comfortable on paved pathways so that’s where we try to have most of our teaching moments. Mountain biking is great, but trails can be unpredictable and rocky. Riding the same section of trail or path over and over can also be beneficial. Kids will get used to the trail and can anticipate shifting patterns, which will also build their confidence.

6. Be Patient

Just as teaching a child to ride a bike can take time, the complicated act of shifting will take time for your child to master. I get impatient and frustrated more easily than I’d like, and have to consciously tell myself to chill out.  There are hills I know Cara can climb, but she choose not to. There are times where she is whining and frustrated and wants to give up.  The long term benefits and learning will be worth it. We believe that as our kids learn skills through outdoor activities they will be more confident and capable in all areas of their lives. Perseverance, determination, and not quitting are qualities  we would love our children to develop!


Categories
Outdoor Gear The Airstream

Gear Review: Taking the Airstream Basecamp to the Wedge Overlook

Thinking about buying an Airstream camper? Check out the interior and size of the Basecamp model! Ideal for weekend adventure trips with room for all your gear. #sp
Its no secret we love our Airstream Travel trailer (see our reasons for choosing Airstream in this post).  3 years in and we still are happy with our purchase, and fully support the brand.

Recently, Airstream launched a new style of trailer: The Basecamp. Its different from their regular travel trailers in a few fundamental ways:

  1. Towable with a variety of mid-size SUVs.
  2. Totally compact & small making it incredibly easy and aerodynamic to tow.
  3. Departure angle helps with high clearance (aka adventurous) roads.
  4. Rear hatch for loading & unloading larger gear.
  5. Attachable screen tents to expand living area.

I was able to see the Basecamp first hand while at Outessa (on launch day no less!) and casually mentioned it’d be fun to take it out for a spin. Airstream jumped at the idea for us to test it out in exchange for a blog post & some social media bragging rights. We managed to talk grandma into watching the kids so we could have an adventure date in southern Utah.

Travel Dates: October 6-8, 2016

“Built for adventure, it’s tough enough to go anywhere your wanderlust takes you, and comfortable enough to help you really enjoy the time you spend there.” -Airstream

Sam and I set off on a Thursday afternoon to drive the three hours down to the Wedge Overlook near Castle Dale, Utah. This spot has been on our list for at least a year, but we were unsure of cell signal so it needed to be off grid time. The Wedge is also known as “Utah’s Little Grand Canyon” for good reason.

As we left civilization and entered the southern Utah desert, I was reminded why I love it there so much. Wide, open, rugged spaces with large sandstone cliffs. It might not be for everyone, but I definitely appreciate the landscape!

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Campground at the Wedge

All sites at the Wedge are first-come, first-served, so we snagged an area in group site #9  near the bathroom and the overlook. My parents were bringing the kids down for a night the following day (that’s really how I sold it to my mom so she’d watch the kids for us!) in the pop-up trailer so we needed some extra space & a toilet nearby.

The campground is basically a lot of scrub oak, red sand, and beautiful blue skies! Many of the sites would have worked for us, and there were some closer to the rim but nothing we could have fit two trailers in.

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Basecamp Functionality

The Basecamp has a pretty simple layout: Kitchen in the front with panoramic windows, wet bath across from the door, and then the couch/sleeping area in the back with a hatch at the rear end. At 16’3″ long, the Basecamp is pretty small (similar to the Airstream Sport 16′ model), but they’ve done incredibly different things with the space. I loved the panoramic windows in the kitchen. They help the whole trailer feel so much more open! We often also opened up the hatch (there is a screen you can attach) to let some light and air back there as well.

Cooking was a breeze. I’m pretty sure the Basecamp has more cupboard space in the kitchen than our 27 International model! I felt the fridge was totally adequate in size for a weekend trip, and loved that there is even a small freezer section. Two burner stove, and plenty of counter space also made food prep smooth sailing.

The only con of the kitchen for me was the sink, and I talk about that in our video review below.

We didn’t get super organized (as you can see in the bottom left photo below) but we did feel there was enough storage space for everything. We took our laptops  and they floated around a bit, and there’s no hanging storage for any clothes. More often than not though, I imagine weekend warriors will leave laptops and church clothes at home so its probably not generally an issue.

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The Big Dipper even cooperated with our night time photography shoot!

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The Basecamp is marketed as an adventure mobile, and we definitely agree! We brought our mountain bikes to tackle the 21 mile mountain bike trail around the rim. Coming back to smoothies & a shower instead of a tent was definitely a perk of having a small trailer along with us! Kayaks, bikes, SUP boards or other large gear could easily fit through the rear hatch and be tied down.

Can I just take a minute and reminisce how fun it was to do a long, mountain bike ride together without kids? I was seriously giddy the entire time. Especially because the views were amazing around almost every corner.

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View looking into the trailer through the back hatch.

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Taking the Road Less Traveled

On our way to drop the trailer off, we decided to take the long way to Green River, Utah through Buckhorn Wash. We had heard the roads can get pretty dicey down through there, but felt we were equipped to handle it. Luckily for us, the road had been recently graded and the Basecamp towed like a champ over the dirt roads!dscf7750

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Overall we were fairly impressed with the Airstream Basecamp model. Nimble, easy to tow, and great for outdoor adventures this definitely fills a need for many weekend warriors!

Video Review

Categories
Airstream Accessories Holidays & Bdays Outdoor Gear

25 Gift Ideas for Adventurers, RVers, and Families

Looking for gift ideas? Check out our top gifts for the Outdoor Adventure enthusiast, the RVer, or even your own family!

Its time for the holidays! While we are avid “no Christmas tree before Thanksgiving” kind of people, I also like to get my shopping done early. Notably, I do most of my shopping at Amazon which is why you’ll find many of these items. No joke. Even as a traveler. We tend to be near friends or family for the holidays and its super easy to ship all our stuff a few days before.

While we have most of this gear already, there are a few I wouldn’t mind seeing under the tree this year. If you are looking for holiday gift ideas for an Outdoor Adventure Enthusiast, an RV traveler, or even your family we are here to help!

This post contains Amazon & REI affiliate links which help to fund the blog in a small, small way. Thanks for helping us out by clicking through to shop!

gifts-for-the-adventurer
Gifts For the Adventurer

1. Oru Kayak: I got to play with one of these at Outessa. They fold up into the size of a suitecase but are sturdy enough for any paddler.

2. SHREDLY adventure clothing or Zoic Bike Clothing: I just wrote about SHREDLY a few days ago, and Zoic is another company I’ve purchased bike clothing from. Both are great brands!

3. KEEN Hiking Shoes: Our whole family is decked out in KEEN now and we love promoting their fabulous shoes and great family values.

4. Nite Ize Radiant 250 Rechargeable Headlamp: We were just sent some headlamps to review this last week and are already blown away by them. These suckers are BRIGHT. Love that they are rechargeable so we don’t need more batteries floating around.

5. Darn Tough Socks for Women, Boys or Girls. My all time favorite socks. Period.

6. GoPro HERO5 Session. This is one of those things we could use under the tree from Santa. We have the Hero 3+ right now and the Session would be an awesome upgrade. Anyone?

7. To Live World Map: LOVE this map. We have their My Adventures map in our Airstream, but love this one for the non space constrained.

8. Rumpl Down Puffy Trekking Blanket. These look SO comfortable. I’ve heard great things about them and taken a look at REI. An all around, tough, outdoor blanket. Maybe I’ll get my hands on one to do a very thorough review.


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Gifts For the RVer

9. Audible Membership: We RV or Airstream travelers drive. A lot. Audible books are a great way to pass the time or even to listen to as a family. We’ve been gifted several books (doesn’t even have to be a membership). One of our favorite stories is Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry. Great series.

10. Gift Cards for National Food Chains (like this one for Coldstone): We LOVE getting gift cards. It seems silly, but cards for places like Coldstone, Panera Bread, or Texas Roadhouse go down really well around here.

11. Magma Stainless Steel Cookware Set: If you *really* love your RVer you could get them this pot set. I’ve had mine going on 3 years and couldn’t be happier with it.

12. Cute Adventure Pillow from Etsy: Lots to choose from if you look around! While we are picky about what comes into our Airstream I don’t know anyone that would say “no” to a good adventure pillow.

13. Airstream “Rivet Trailer” Pint 4-Pack: Sturdy, dependable, functional, and who doesn’t love Airstreams?

14. Leatherman Signal Multi-Tool with Nylon Sheath: I met some Leatherman people at Outessa and then again at an Outdoor Blogger Summit. Solid company and really great multi-tools. The Signal is my favorite.

15. Airstream Jewelry: Love this set from Airstream brands!

16. Collapsible Salad Spinner: Collapsible anything really. We love saving space. We also have a collapsible colander, a bowl, and I’ve had my eye on this collapsible tea kettle for quite some time.

17. Kindle Paperwhite & Fintie SmartShell Case Cover: Books are hard to store, and while a lot of our space is taken up by kids books we love having a kindle. Pair it with an Overdrive account at your local library and there’s plenty of easy reading to be had!


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Gifts For the Family

18. Dominion Card Game: We’ve just gotten back into Dominion with all our kids. I love that there are a hundred + different card combinations to play, plus a gazillion expansion sets. Definitely for older kids. Cara (ages 6) does decently well but she’s been trained into it.

19. Woom Bike (any size!): Probably will be on every gift list I ever create. I absolutely love these bikes the company that makes them! Lightweight & good quality. Worth every penny.

20. OgoSport Mini OgoDisk: Remember KOOSH ball? Similar and super fun. We get a kick out of playing around with this as a family.

21. Perky Jerky: Gotta keep your family fueled! This is the best jerky we’ve ever tasted. Snacking, in the car, out on an adventure, you name it. We eat it ALL the time.

22. Complete Book of Chalk Art Lettering: We got into Chalk Art because it was an easy way to be craft without getting too deep. Super fun!

23 So Much S’more to Do with Fireside Forks: We put together gift baskets one year with this S’more book and the ingredients to make a few of them. Add in some Fireside Forks (see our review) and you’e got a pretty great gift!

24. GUBS Card Game: One of our favorite kid friendly games. Easy to play, and it only last 15-20 minutes tops.

25. Scientific Explorer Wizards Only Kit: We had one of these pre-traveling and the kids LOVED it. So easy to learn when they think they are just playing.

BONUS: Jamstik+ guitar: Rachel and I have been learning the guitar this year with jamstik+ and their jamTutor app. Its been super fun and I’ve been really impressed with the portability of this instrument!  **If you are interested in a colored jamstik+ (they only sell black & white on Amazon) use code “CurrentlyWandering” on their website and get 15% off! **


Also check out: Currently Wandering’s 2015 Holiday Gift Guide

If this isn’t quite what you are looking for, check out these other amazing Gift Guides from some of the best adventuring family experts I know!

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