Here are some tools to make life a little easier: from how much money to save for travel to finding nearby hikes and how much food to pack, we have the tools you need to figure it all out. Save the brainpower. We’ve got calculators.
It’s almost Father’s Day again! And your dad told us if he gets one more BBQ tool set or World’s Best Dad mug he’s gonna lose it. Don’t ruin his day by making him lose it. Get him one of these outdoorsy Father’s Day gifts for outdoorsy dads instead.
It’s that time of year again: summer! Which means it’s time to chuck your hot winter boots in the back of your closet and break out the hiking sandals! Yup, …
Any trip that involves squatting next to a body of water for an extended period of time is a good trip in my book. 😂 No, I wasn’t digging a cat hole next to a river (you know that’s not Leave no Trace)! I was scooping up water to press through a teeny tiny filter next to a creek in Mondim de Basto, Portugal. Why? Uh, for science, that’s why! Because I was on a trip with Exodus Travels that led a small group of journalists from Porto to the Douro Valley to Mondim de Basto to hike, stay in ancient estates transformed into hotels, eat at locally owned restaurants, explore picturesque wineries built into steep, terraced hillsides, and do science. Namely, collecting water in a bag, forcing it through a super fine filter, and shipping that filter off to a lab somewhere, all in the name of studying biodiversity. Yep, at the risk of sounding like a complete nerd, I was geeking out about participating in a different aspect of sustainable travel: using my exploratory endeavors for scientific and ecological good. And you could be, too! Here’s how (and why citizen science matters when it comes to sustainable travel).
We planned a pack and paddle and kayaked down a chunk of the Buffalo River and then backpacked back up. It wasn’t easy to plan, but it was a ridiculous amount of fun, especially given how few people complete such a trip every year. Fortunately, we’re gonna lay the whole thing out for you here and now so if you get the crazy itch to pack and paddle the Buffalo River Trail, you’re already one step ahead.
Ticks are the worst. Give me mosquitos any day over ticks. Sure, both can carry disease, but in the U.S. ticks are more likely to give you something gnarly (like Lyme disease or Alpha Gal) that mosquitos. And there’s just something about an insect that sticks its head into your skin to feed off of you and that’s difficult to remove that’s totally unsettling (we feel similarly about leeches). But as much as we hate ticks, we’ll admit that they’re a bit misunderstood. And they definitely shouldn’t keep you from going outside this summer. So we chatted with Dr. Thomas Mather, an expert on all things ticks, to dispel some myths about ticks, explain how to protect yourself, what insect repellents actually work, and what to do if you do get snacked on.
Mother’s Day is coming up! Have you scored your mom a rad gift to show her how much you love her? No? Struggling to find good Mother’s Day gift ideas? We’ve got you covered with this handy list of Mother’s Day gifts for outdoorsy moms of all sorts. So get shopping already! Then wander on with your mom to celebrate.
Trail running: It’s one of the fastest growing outdoor activities. Largely because it’s one of the most accessible. Mostly because you don’t need a bunch of expensive, specialized gear to do it. Just a pair of trail runners and the drive to leave the pavement behind. And all you need to get started is a half-way decent pair of shoes, trail-specific preferably. Fortunately, we tested out 7 pairs of more sustainable, vegan trail running shoes so you can order yourself a pair with confidence. Check ’em out.
No sustainable adventure–on the trail or around the world–would be complete without a reusable insulated water bottle. Packing one when I travel helps ensure I never have to use a disposable (and almost always non-recyclable) plastic, paper, or styrofoam cups. But not all travel-friendly insulated vessels are created equal. Some aren’t leakproof or are made of inferior and unsustainable materials. Others don’t fit in cupholders or aren’t built to last. Fortunately, there are plenty that deserve a spot in your water bottle cabinet (you have one of those, too, right?). Here are 6 of our faves.
Altra recently released the newest version of their immensely popular hiking shoe: The Altra Lone Peak 7. And they made some changes this time around. Changes a lot of people don’t seem to like. But are they really all that different? I put my feet in a pair of the Lone Peak 6 and 7 to try to figure that out.
I’ve recently become a big fan of hip packs. I prefer them to backpacks for short hikes and most mountain biking, they’re easy to travel with, they hold just the right amount of snacks, and they keep my back from getting all sweaty when I’m playing outside. So we went searching for the most sustainable hip packs for all manner of outdoor adventure and put them to the test to see where each excelled. The goal: to help you find the perfect waist pack for you that also happens to leave a lighter footprint. So here are 6 sustainable hip packs for hiking, biking, or whatever it is you like to do outdoors.