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10 Stocking Stuffers for Outdoor Lovers [Gift Guide]

Need small gifts that may or may not fit in an oversized sock hung by the chimney with care (or any other holiday vessel)? We got you this Christmahanukwankadan season! These items may come in small packages, but pack a big punch. They’re especially great for recipients who have everything, don’t want more stuff, live in small spaces, or are constantly on the road (looking at you van lifers and nomads). So if you’ll be gifting (or treating yourself) this season, let this gift guide full of outdoorsy stocking stuffers be your guide.

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Solo Backpacking: How to Safely Hike Alone (as a Woman or Otherwise)

Think you might want to go on a solo backpacking trip? We highly recommend it! It offers a fantastic opportunity to explore the outdoors at your own pace, listen to the sounds of nature, make new trail friends, and enjoy some quiet time with just you and your thoughts. I’m a big fan. But not everyone feels comfortable hiking or backpacking alone, especially women. But it’s not just women who are often afraid to embark upon a solo hiking adventure: people of color and LGBTQIA+ folks, even men from time to time, often feel uneasy on their own in the outdoors, too. Fortunately, there are ways to assuage that fear and go boldly into the backcountry with no company but your own. Here are a few tips on how to safely hike alone.

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2020 Holiday Gift Guide: 10 Best Gifts for Outdoor Lovers

Listen, when it comes to gifts around the holidays, we think less is more. We don’t want special holiday gift sets that come with an ornament declaring the year (it’s been a dumpster fire of a year, anyway, and we’d prefer not to commemorate it), bath products that smell like your third grader was experimenting with essential oils, or stuff we neither want nor need. We’re not about the materialism of the holiday, but just the same, we love receiving a quality, well-thought-out gift that fits seamlessly into our lifestyle as much as the next guy. And we figure plenty of our fellow outdoor lovers agree. So skip the random Amazon finds and the stuff you found at a craft fair that “made you think of them” (you know who you are, moms around the world), and get them something they’ll not only actually like, but can put to good use on their next hike, camping trip, backpacking adventure, or that they’ll want to make room for in their trusty van. These are those gifts. So what are you waiting for? Win the holidays this year with less waste and materialism (no matter what holiday you’re celebrating).

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ExtremeMist Review: Hydration and Misting from the Same Hydration Pack

Yeah, yeah, I know summer is basically over, but down here in the south and southwest where 5 out of 7 days are still above 85º, we’ve still got a lot of toasty hikes ahead of us. And while we are personally masochistic (or desperate?) enough to head out into dry, sweltering summer temps to hike shade-less trails with naught but a few Nalgenes full of water, we recently discovered a piece of gear that makes those outings exceeding less miserable: The ExtremeMist Personal Cooling System (PCS). And we’re gonna tell you all about the whole misting-and-hydration-in-one in this here review.

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Altra Tushar Review: Altra Tushar Hiking Boots

While I admit I generally reach for my adventure sandals first when heading out for a day hike and my super light Altra Lone Peak shoes for weekend backpacking trips, some excursions require a bit more boot to protect, support, and keep you truckin’ along after miles and days of rough trail, mountain summits, and creek crossings. Which is what the Altra Tushar hiking boots were made for. So here’s our Altra Tushar review: A full breakdown of performance, comfort, and design!

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