Category: Outdoor Gear

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Backpacking Georgia Outdoor Gear

Backpacking with Kids: The Gear List

Gear List For Backpacking with Kids from CurrentlyWanderingLast Thanksgiving we went backpacking in Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park in Georgia. Andrew is working on his Wolf rank in Cub Scouts, and needed to create and use a gear list for a hike or backpacking trip. He did an excellent job, and the trip was great, so I thought I’d share the gear list we made. This doesn’t include any food, so that’ll just have to be the subject of another post.

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Standard Disclaimer: This worked well for us given the weather and ages of our kids. Adjust accordingly, Your Mileage May Vary, etc. etc. We’ve also included some Amazon and REI affiliate links. Shopping through these helps support our blog in a small way and we appreciate it very much!

The core of our backpacking gear remains the same no matter where or when we are going. You need somewhere to sleep (tent), something to sleep in (sleeping bag), and something to put it all in (backpack). All other gear really depends on when and where you are going, how cold it will be, and your comfort level. Our gear list is ever evolving, but here are some ideas to get your started!

Our Tent

We have a  Kelty Yellowstone 6. It is definitely NOT a back country tent, but we already owned it and had it with us in the Airstream. At 14lbs its a beast, but we’ve concentrated on getting our other gear as light as possible. I think when the kids are comfortable sleeping by themselves, we’ll eventually have two light weight tents. It IS a great car camping tent, however, just in case you are looking for that. But since you are here looking for backpacking gear, its probably not relevant.

Back on topic…

In addition to the tent, we also have a large piece of plastic (cut from a larger piece at my father in law’s house when he was doing some home improvement repairs) we use as a groundcloth. Its not fancy, but it does the job.

Sleeping Bags

Sam and I sleep VERY differently. At one point in our marriage we tried sleeping bags that could zip together, but that didn’t last long. He is constantly too warm, and I am constantly freezing.

Sam’s Bag: Since he is a super warm sleeper, Sam didn’t want anything overly warm. Half the time his bag is unzipped while I’m snuggled in tight. He has something similar to this REI Helio Sack 55 Sleeping bag from REI.

Jess’ Bag: REI Flash Sleeping Bag. I absolutely love it. Its down, lightweight, incredibly warm and cozy. I love that I have a place to tuck my pillow in and it won’t move, much. Its a bit pricey, but I expect it’ll be my sleeping bag until we are done backpacking. And then it’ll probably be Rachel’s.

With kid bags its important to make sure they won’t be too cold. This obviously depends on the weather and where you will be, but if you start out with a cheaper bag just make sure they have warm pajamas if the temperature is going to drop at night.

Rachel & Andrew’s Bags: Marmot Mavericks 40 Semi – Rectangular Sleeping Bag. Looks like this one is no longer available, but we love that it has two zippers, and even a place to stuff a pillow.

Cara has cheap sleeping bag from Wal-Mart (the polka dot one in the photo below). Out of all the kids, she could probably use a better one since little kids tend to not stay in their bags at night. So far we’ve been fine and eventually we’ll upgrade Rachel to a small women’s bag and she’ll inherit hers.

Another great option for kid’s bags that’s been tested by friends of ours are the Backcountry Quilts. Check out a review by Alyssa at Kidproject.org here.

Backpacks

Sam has an AIRX bag from ULA leftover from his trip on the John Muir and carries the tent and most of the bulky gear since his bag is the largest. Jess carries the Mindshift 180 bag with her camera gear (blog post here), Rachel has a GoLite 35L Bag (no longer available), Andrew has the REI Flash 18, and Cara uses the ChicoBag Reusable Travel Pack.

We are changing these up in the future with the addition of a Deuter Fox30 for Andrew and new bags for Rachel and I so we’ll keep you posted on how those work out!

Backpacking Gear

Clothes (Per Person)

  • (2) underwear
  • (2) socks
  • thermal pajamas
  • long sleeved shirt (not cotton)
  • short sleeved shirt (not cotton)
  • hiking pants (REI Link child, women’s)
  • rain shell
  • hiking boots
  • beanies
  • puffy vest
  • rainshell

Hiking Gear

  • Backpacks
  • Hiking Poles (REI link)
  • Trail Map
  • First Aid Kit
  • Platypus Water bladder (2) (Amazon link)
  • Platypus Big Zip Reservoir with Hose (1) (Amazon Link)

Cooking

Sleeping Gear

Toiletries

  • Toothbrushes with steripods (4) (Amazon link)
  • Bathroom Bag
    • Hand shovel
    • Hand sanitizer
    • Toilet Paper
  • Toothpaste

Extras

  • Books (Kindles)
  • Swiss Army Knife & Dad’s Multi-tool
  • Bluetooth Speaker (for listening to audio books at bedtime)
  • External Battery and USB cable (Amazon link)
  • Phones (scriptures, camera, music, audio book)
  • Camera – Fuji X-T10 (Amazon Link)
  • Gorilla Pod with ballhead (Amazon Link)
  • Card games
  • Bug Spray
  • ENO Hammock (Amazon Link)
  • Sun Screen
  • Micro Fiber Pack Towels (Amazon Link)

There’s the short list! Make sure you tailor your gear list to your family’s needs and know that it will evolve over time. We are still switching out some of our heavier gear for lighter stuff.

What equipment or brands have you found useful in your back country adventures?

Categories
Airstream Accessories Giveaways Outdoor Adventures Outdoor Gear

The Currently Wandering Holiday Gift Guide

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We seriously own 90% of this gear, and the other 10% we would own if we could fit it in our Airstream (ahem! Vacilando quilt!).  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!

Now that Thanksgiving is over we get to celebrate Christmas!! I love this time of year, and amid all the presents, the lights and everything else we try to concentrate on spending time together as a family. While we are big on experiences (not presents) for Christmas and birthdays we do have our favorite gear to help facilitate our adventures. We have very little space to store things, so we make sure they are our favorites. If you are looking for the perfect gift for a child, for family time, outdoor adventure, the adventure mom, or even a traveler, read on!

Gifts For Kids
1. REI Sahara Convertible Pants – My kids wear these EVERYWHERE. Hiking, mountain biking, or just playing. Great because if they get too hot they can stash the legs in their pockets.

2. Drawstring Backpack from Mamoo Kids – Super comfortable, great adventure bag! Stash their nature journal, a pen, a water bottle, and some sunglasses and head out to explore.

3. Nite Ize Bug Lite – We have three of these (one for each!) and they make fantastic backcountry night lights. They also wrap around hiking poles or wrists for exploring in caves. Just sayin’….

4. Woom Bike – I’m not sure I can express how much we LOVE our Woom. So much that the older two kids are begging for one. Full review here.

5. My USA Adventures Map – I can’t think of a more adorable way to keep track of your adventures. A 12×18 map of the USA comes with 16 stickers to highlight your trips. They also have a world map if you are a bit more adventurous.

Family Time Gifts6. Aerobie SuperDisc – people are surprised with how well my kids can throw a frisbee. This thing is soft, flexible and flies well. Perfect for an afternoon out in the campground (or the lawn, or the park!).

7. Forbidden Desert – Everyone we’ve taught to play this game loves it. Its a cooperative game – so your family against piling sand, thirst, and a huge storm. Just be prepared to lose your first few times playing.

8. Talkabout Radios – These are great for hiking, for sending your kids off exploring (together) or just to general keep track of each other at Disneyland. Blog post here.

9. Bora Single Line Parafoil Kite – We have a stunt kite, but this one is MUCH easier for the kids to fly. Whether on the Oregon coast, or in the deserts surrounding Las Vegas we’ve loved pulling it out.

10. YayLabs! Soft Ice Cream Ball – We don’t own one of these (yet) but friends have said they are a blast! Who doesn’t love ice cream?

11. Trekking the Parks Board Game – Visit the National Parks, earn points, and enjoy the beautiful photos and artwork on this family game. Full review here.

Gifts For Outdoor Adventure

12. Sea to Summit Aeros Pillow Premium -We recently bought me one of these for backpacking as I was struggling to sleep, and then we ended up buying another one. Love that one side is soft so my face doesn’t slip off while I’m sleeping.

13. REI Flash 22 Bag – We use this as a super light-weight everyday bag. It packs up small and doesn’t weigh much so that the kids can carry it pretty easy as well. Great for short hikes or exploring a city.

14. Samsung NX500 – This is the big brother of the Samsung NX300 that we own (full review here). On this one the screen actually swings all the way around for video and selfies.

15. Capture Pro Camera Clip – I use this ALL the time. Its super easy to carry a camera around and have it easily accessible. I’ll even strap it to our REI Flash Bag.

16. Hydro Flask – We bought this on a whim before our backpacking trip on the Apostle Islands and it was fabulous for keeping our hot chocolate warm in the morning. Actually, the Hydro Flask keeps things almost too warm!

17. REI Stratus Thermarest – We bought one for me awhile ago, and its so small and compact, we’ve now bought one for Rachel and Andrew.  Its not self-inflatable so you have to blow a little, but its worth it for the weight savings.

Gifts For Adventure Moms 18. REI Co-Op Down Vest – We dress is layers, and having a puffy vest has been absolutely spectacular. I looked at a bunch, and the REI Co-op vest has a great design and is reasonably priced.

 

19. Smart Wool Candy Cane Beanie – I am in LOVE with this beanie. Warm and stylish. And it goes with my vest.

 

20. Haiku Bag Bucket Bag – I heard about these bags from some outdoor friends and decided to give it a try. I needed something that could hold my wallet, my Kindle, and my Nexus 300 but not be overly large. Its perfect.

 

21. Broken Compass Trading Handmade Notebook– I ran into Sarah on Instagram as they live out of their Airstream and just bought some land in Colorado to call home. She makes beautiful, hand made notebooks and jewelry! I can think of a million ways to use these notebooks, but a nature journal would be epic.

 

22. Title Nine Dress – Can you tell I’m in the mood to recommend clothes? When a girl has a tiny closet, I have to love everything in it, right? I just bought this dress from their store in Utah, and dressed up with leggings and a scarf its trendy, warm, and super-duper comfortable!

 

23. REI Venturi Hoodie – My favorite shirt. Its functional, cute and works great for hanging around or going on a short hike.

 

24. Tarma Designs Charms – I’ve had the Cairn & bicycle charms for years and wear them religiously on a chain around my neck. I love that they represent activities in my life that I love and are a huge part of my identity!

 

Gfits for RV Travellers 25. Eno Double Nest Hammock & Atlas Straps: I think everyone needs a hammock, and this is the best. Super comfy and Sam and I can both fit in it. The Atlas straps are great for wrapping around trees, rocks, or whatever else is handy.

26. Wander T-Shirt: We picked this up at the Airstream factory, but you can always buy it online. Subtle and simple, its one of Sam’s favorites.

27. Frostfire Solar Ice Rocks: We use these outside our trailer for a little more light at night. They charge via sunlight, so as long as you leave them out during the day you’ll be good to go!

28. Airstream USB Keychain: GREAT for the Airstream lover. How awesome is this?

29. Quilt or Subway Tote from Vacilando Quilting: Laura & her boyfriend traveled in an Airstream for awhile under the Democratic Travelers. They’ve since “settled” in the Bay area and Laura is using her seamstress talents to make amazingly beautiful quilts & tote bags!

30. Camper Leveler Blocks: These are on our wishlist. Lego blocks are great until they aren’t. These allow to precisely level at any increment between 1/2 inch and 4 inches.

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

Categories
Daily Life Outdoor Adventures Outdoor Gear

Gear Review: Trekking the National Parks Board Game

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We recently stumbled across a new board game at the Sleeping Bear Dunes Visitor Center in Michigan. I always make it a point to browse the gift shop as we’ve found some great books, games, and other educational items, so this time I was just doing the rounds.

I spotted Trekking the National Parks board game and had never seen it before (and with how many visitor center’s we’ve been in that says a lot)! So, of course, I immediately Googled it to see if there were any reviews.

The game started as a Kickstarter project, and after watching the videos decided it was worth a try.

So glad we did! Even though the box says its for ages 13+ we found that we could play it just fine with our 10, 8, and 5 year olds. Their strategy tends to be a bit simpler but it still works. Cara played on my team for the first few times, but she got the hang of it and just wanted to play by herself after that.

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Trekking the Parks has some great tutorials and videos on their website of how the game works so I won’t bore you with that, but the basic premise is that you “travel” the U.S. trying to collect National Parks and earn points. It feels a little like Ticket to Ride in that you only do one thing per turn, but that’s probably where the similarities end.

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I struggled a bit coming up with a consistent strategy. You need to decide whether you want to go for parks and collect Trekking cards to earn them, or go after the tokens (the person with the most of a color gets 5 points) which you get just by landing on the park. Sometimes a mix worked, sometimes just going after one or the other was better, but it was hard to tell.

I guess that what makes it more fun, though right?! Plenty of hours of fun, and the photos and graphics are great so playing is a pleasure. Being a photographer, it always bugs me when the photos in a game are less than stellar, but these guys did a great job.

From their website, “We’ve worked diligently to create a game that’s strategic, competitive and educational. Trekking the National Parks allows you to explore these wonderful recreational playgrounds in a spirited manner…all in the comfort of your home.”

The only con I found is the price tag – we paid about $60 for the game, but I also understood its a family run business and they put a great deal of time and effort into creating it. More than anything on our journeys, we’ve come to understand that time is worth something, and having a great game to play as a family is worth it!

Keep turned over the next couple of weeks, as we’ve partnered with them for an awesome giveaway coming just before Thanksgiving!

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Categories
Backpacking Hiking Outdoor Gear Photo Gear

Gear Review: MindShift 180 Bag Rigged as a Backcountry Backpack

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While we would have loved to receive this item for free to review, we actually spent money to purchase it. This post contains Amazon affiliate links which help to fund the blog in a small, small way. Thanks for helping us out!

I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect bag. When you don’t have a lot of space to store equipment, each piece of gear needs to have multiple functions. I have a great over the shoulder camera bag (see that post here) but for longer hikes it just wasn’t cutting it. Plus, I wanted to be able to tote multiple lenses in a safe and easy to access manner.

Enter the Mind Shift Gear Rotation 180.

We ran into this bag at a camera shop downtown in Petaluma, CA. It piqued my interest as a solid, hiking/camera bag and even better when I found out they are made by Think Tank Photo who are leaders in the camera bag space.

The Mind Shift 180’s star feature is the accessible waist belt pack that swings around from inside the main bag. Hard to visualize? Here’s some photos to help out. The whole waist belt slides around and its super easy to get in and out which gives me access to extra lenses or even my camera if I’m not carrying it with the Capture Pro on a strap.
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The clip is easy to slip in and out without looking at it, but is also secure. There’s also a tether just in case the waist belt somehow comes undone so my gear won’t hit the dirt.

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Unfortunately, when we were planning our first backpacking trip in the Apostle Islands we just didn’t have enough room for all the gear. Sam has a huge regular backpack, but even with that we were having to give the kids too much weight. The Mind Shift 180 has a fairly large top storage compartment which is great for jackets, or food (which is heavier and better for an adult to carry), but it still wasn’t enough space.

Our solution? A dry bag roped to the outside. Fancy, right? We picked up this dry bag at Walmart for like $6. Its pretty heavy, but also durable which made it great for being on the outside. We stuffed a sleeping bag, everyone’s pajamas, and all the electronics in it and then tied it on to the Mind Shift 180 with these Sea to Summit Accessory Cords.

It worked surprisingly well. Because the Mind Shift is rather small, the pack overall wasn’t too heavy (my total pack weight for the Apostle Islands was 31 lbs) and I had no problems with unbalanced weight.

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It may not be the prettiest solution, but it totally worked! I would love for Mind Shift to come up with a legit attachment to the outside of this bag. They make a larger camera bag, but on shorter day hikes it would just be overkill and we don’t have the space anyway! This guy fits perfectly under the dinette seat for easy access and safe storage.

When I have easy access to lenses and even my camera, I am more likely to take photos along the way. Its also important for me to have my (fairly expensive) gear safe and I feel like the padding in this is definitely adequate. If you are looking for a bag to take out hiking, I definitely recommend this one!

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Photo Credit: Amazon

 

Categories
Backpacking Outdoor Gear

Gear Review: Sawyer Mini – Cheap and Easy Water Filter for Backpacking or Emergencies

While we would have loved to receive this item for free to review, we actually spent money to purchase it. This post contains Amazon affiliate links which help to fund the blog in a small, small way. Thanks for helping us out!

Most backpacking requires a way to filter water. Despite looking clean and clear, most water contains bacteria that will make you pretty sick. The problem is easily remedied by a few methods. Water treatment drops will kill bacteria, but they don’t remove them and can leave a bad taste in the water. My favorite method is the use of a water filter.

Most of the water filters I’ve used in the past have been great, but fairly bulky and expensive. On our recent trip backpacking in the Apostle Islands, we tried a new water filter that is both cheaper and lighter than any I’ve tried before.

We used the Sawyer Mini water filter, which can be bought for $20 to $25 either online or in many outdoor stores. The filter is small and lightweight. It does sacrifice some ease of use, but for the weight and cost savings, the tradeoffs are worth it for most purposes.

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The filter unit itself is easy to understand. Dirty water goes in one end, and clean water comes out the other. With the filter comes a small, lightweight bag to use as a ‘dirty’ bag. The connector is a standard bottle thread though, so you can replace the included bag with anything from a cheap water bottle to a full sized two liter bottle.

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You filter water by filling the included bag (or replacement bottle) from a lake or a river and screwing it on to the filter. you then squeeze water through the filter and into your clean water bottle. The process is quick and easy. You do need to make sure you don’t get dirty water on the clean end of the filter, but that really is the only thing to pay attention to.

In addition to using a different bottle, there are other upgrades you can make as well, including quick attachment connectors to common water bladder systems. In a genius way, this filter system is perfect. It provides just the bare necessities, and allows expansion and customization as desired.

This filter performed wonderfully during our backpacking trip. It will also make an excellent addition to our emergency supplies, allowing us to filter water in circumstances where we cannot find clean water.

There are instructions right on the dirty bag for how to backwash the filter (when it starts slowing down or gets clogged) as well as how to clean for long term storage. Spoiler- you just use a little bit of bleach water and squeeze through the filter, drain it, and let it air dry.

Pros: lightweight, small, easy to use, screws onto any top of regular bottle.

Cons: Included bag is a little small for a family of 5. It just takes a little longer to filter enough water.

We are definitely glad we have this, and plan to upgrade to a larger dirty water bag in the future. We’ll buy one of Sawyer’s, or most likely just get another Platypus Platy Bottle and write “Dirty” on it with a sharpie.