Welcome to my blog. I document my adventures and maybe some other random things.
Don't forget to smile today!
Throughout my years of exploring, camping, and hiking I have come across some items that are must haves and or make your life easier. I have always been someone who is prepared for anything. I just thought I would share some of my secrets to help your adventuring go a little smoother!
I got my first Yeti item about three years ago. Let me tell you, I will never go back to any other company. Their items are pricey, but you really are paying for a good quality product. In my experience Yeti products keep my tea/coffee hot for at least five hours. It keeps my water cold for about two days. Yeti is an awesome company with down to Earth, helpful customer service. Below are some of the products that I have and highly recommend.
Rambler 10 oz Tumbler
This was my first Yeti purchase and what sold me on this company. Before I had my Yeti tumbler, I would pour my boiling hot tea into my travel mug and bring it to work. I would go to drink it about an hour later and it would be cold. Now, with my Yeti Tumbler my tea stays hot for at least five hours. Absolute game changer! This tumbler fits in all cupholders.
Rambler 18 oz Bottle
I chose this bottle because it fits in a cupholder. It is great to have this water bottle for road trips and a larger one to refill it with (36oz or Gallon is my preference for a refill bottle). My mom has this size to make extra tea/coffee in to refill her 10z tumbler.
Rambler 36 oz Bottle
I love this water bottle because it holds a lot of water. I am someone who drinks nearly a gallon of water a day. This is a good size for my daily water intake, so I don’t have to refill it so much (especially at work when its inconvenient). This is also a size to keep as a refill bottle in the car with the Rambler 18oz bottle. The only down side is that it does not fit in any cupholder.
Rambler One Gallon Jug:
I specifically like this item because of how much water it holds. When it is full it is extremely heavy. With that being said this is not the item to bring hiking with you. I bought the one gallon size (apposed to the half gallon size) because it holds about how much water my boyfriend, David, and I drink in a day. We both have the Rambler 18 oz and 36 oz bottles that we refill with the gallon jug. We recently went on a road trip a cross the country and the system of having the Rambler 18 oz that fit in the cup holder and the gallon jug to refill worked like a dream, we never had to drink warm water or take up cooler space with water. Amazing!
Hard Cooler
My family and I are avid campers. We used to just use a generic cooler to keep our food cold and we would always have to be buying more ice for it. We’ve had a hard sided Yeti Cooler for awhile now and we rarely have to buy ice for it. If you are planning a secluded camping trip or just want a good cooler, get one of these!
Click here to visit their website.
I know that I just raved about how good Yeti is, but Nalgene makes really good quality water bottles. If you aren’t picky about your temperature of water Nalgene is the company for you. I do own a Nalgene bottle, for a specific use. When I am hiking I dont want to be lugging a heavy Yeti metal water bottle up a mountain. Don’t get me wrong I like my cold water, but it just isn’t worth it. Nalgene Bottles are light weight and well made. They have a wide variety of bottles, great for adults and kids! Click here to visit their website.
32 oz Wide Mouth Bottle
I personally own the 32 oz wide mouth bottle, but it is all a matter of preference. I find 32 oz is a good amount of water for a hike and I prefer the wide mouth over the narrow mouth. My water doesn’t stay cold and it does sweat, but it is good quality for what it is. I have never had a Nalgene bottle break and they have great customer service. Click here to view the product.
Splash Guard
I love Nalgene’s wide mouth bottle, but sometimes you get a little splash back. Luckily they made a splash guard to solve this issue. Click here to view the product.
Now I know I just went on about water bottles and storing water, but LifeStraw is such an amazing company. LifeStraw makes amazing water purification/ filtering products.
LifeStraw Go Water Filter Bottle
I love this bottle because it is lightweight and you can refill with any water on your hike. My favorite this is that I can bring it full when I start my hike and refill it with cold spring water when I need it.
LifeStraw Flex with Collapsible Squeeze Bottle
This product is great, but it is small and compact. It is a water straw that allows you to drink straight from the water source through the straw. I like this because it is very little to pack and or carry, but if you get thirsty again and aren’t near a water source you have to water.
Click here to visit their website.
Bear bells are essential when hiking in bear country. It allows you to effortlessly make noise while hiking to make sure you aren’t going to come around a corner and spook a bear (click here to learn more about bear safety). What’s great about this bear bell is that it has a magnetic silencer in it. This means that if you have it hooked on your pack, but aren’t hiking in a bear area, you can silence the bell by stop sit in the attached back with a magnet in it. Click here to view the product.
* Coghlan makes tons of great camping gadgets. Be sure to check out the rest of their website!
I seem to be a magnet to ticks, as I have tested positive for Lyme Disease multiple times. The tick key is a tick remover that you can clip on your pack. It slides the tick right off your skin and most likely removers its head from your body as well (click here to learn more about tick safety). Click here to view their website.
Having a whistle when adventuring, camping, hiking, and doing water sport activities is very important. In case of an emergency you always want to have a loud whistle on you. This whistle is “115 Decibels of high pitch shrill rises above ambient noise-can be heard up to a mile away and is 100% impervious to moisture.” Click here to view the product.
Road iD makes an array of products, like bracelets and bands, that have your information engraved on them. This is great for adventuring, hiking, biking, water activities, etc. If something happens to you and someone finds you in a bad state, they know who to call and possibly why you are in the condition you are in. For example, I have severe asthma. I personally own the one that goes on my apple watch band. If I was alone and started having an asthma attacked and someone came to help me they would know my name, emergency contact, and that I have severe asthma. This information can greatly help them take care of me and give them the proper information to call for assistance. They are a great company with great customer service. Click here to view their website.
Hammocks are a great thing to pack away in a backpack and take on a trail. It is a wonderful way to relax once you’ve reached your destination. Hammocks are also a great way to sleep on an overnight trip out in the country, as they allow you to be off the damp ground and possibly provide precipitation coverage if you pack a tarp and extra rope. There are tons of Hammock brands out there, but here is a highly rated one form amazon. Click here to view the product.
I recently bought this item as a gift for my father. I had my reservations about it as it is only a tiny stove. The first time my dad used the stove it proved its worth. Cooking on this little thing was amazing. It was like cooking on a huge fire. The design is genius. It is the best way to cook outdoors. Click here to link the product.
When you are backpacking or just sampling going camping it is always a concerned of starting a fire. Black Beard fire starter is waterproof, windproof, and a convenient size and weight. As long as you can get a spark this baby with catch immediately. Click here to view the product.
Pie irons can come in handy when camping. There are hundreds of recipes for pie irons. Pie irons can be used for breakfast sandwiches, lunch meals, dinner options, and even dessert pies. (Click here for some recipe ideas) Click here to view their website, as there are many configuration for this product.
Nothing is worse then finally arriving at your camping destination and the bread is smushed and the eggs broke all over the cooler. I have found it extremely helpful to have bread and egg boxes to keep the contents safe. No more smushed bread and loose eggs. Click here to view the bread box. Click here to view the egg box.
True coffee addicts will go as far as bringing a Keurig camping if they have to. If you are a coffee addict, this item is a must have. This is a all in one great way to brew your coffee. It is compact and portable. Personally, I am not a coffee drinker, but my boyfriend is and he LOVES this thing. Click here to view their website.
Now, this item is for glamping. If you have access to electricity this item is a must have. Forget the propane or gas stove tops, plug this is thing in and it boils water within minutes. When glamping this made my life a lot easy for making tea every morning. Click here to view the product.
Now, this is also a glamping item. If you have an RV or mobile home with a freezer in it, you can relate to the struggle of having ice cube trays leak all over. When glamping I use ice cubes to make my protein shakes and to pack into the gallon size Yeti for the day. I was sick of the ice cube trays leaking so I did my research and found these. Let me tell you, these are LIFE CHANGING. you and literally put them in the freezer upside down or sideways and they we NOT leak. This is probably the best glamping item I have discovered yet. Click here to view the product.