Search results for: winter

It’s the holiday season! And no doubt you’re ready to hang the stockings by the chimney with care. But if you’re not sure what to put in said stockings for your favorite outdoor lover, fret not! We’ve got you covered with 5 budget-friendly gifts (under $40) outdoor lovers would love to see in their oversized sock this year. How do we know? Because we would love to see these things in OUR oversized socks. So ditch the gum and candy and get them one of these outdoorsy stocking stuffers that they’ll actually get excited about! Happy Christmahanukwanzanalia!

It’s the holiday season! Which means most of us will be participating in some kind of gift-giving ritual. But if there’s an outdoorsy person (or several) in your life, I’m told we can be tricky to shop for (especially if they’re obsessed with sustainability like we are). So we went ahead and rounded up 10 sustainable gifts for outdoor lovers that definitely won’t result in disappointed fake smiles when it comes time to unwrap. As per usual, these are all gifts that we’ve tested and loved or totally wouldn’t mind receiving ourselves. So get shopping! And gift with confidence with our outdoorsy holiday gift guide. Happy Christmahanukwanzanalia!

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, split between Tennesee and North Carolina, is the country’s most visited national park. Like, by a lot. A lot, a lot. This park, which is free to visit, btw, saw over 12 million visitors last year. Twelve! Million! The next most-visited park only saw a little over three! So yeah, it’s safe to say that the Smokies are overrun with tourists and visitors, especially if you’re on the south side of the park around the Blue Ridge Parkway. Fortunately, there’s a trick to avoiding the massive amounts of people (and traffic) rambling through the area: head to the quiet side of the Smokies, the northern edge where there are still picturesque hiking trails and adventures galore, just a lot fewer people. Wanna know what things to do on the peaceful side of the Smokies? Here’s what we recommend.

It’s fall, y’all! Now please excuse the obnoxious colloquialism (I do NOT say “y’all”…unless it happens to rhyme…) and let’s focus on the coolest gear for the season. We’ve rounded up 10 of our new favorite items that are perfect for fall outdoor adventures. And we’re pretty sure you’re gonna dig ’em, too. So check out our favorite sustainable outdoor gear for fall and feel good about gearing up.

Heading to Acadia National Park for the first time? Not sure where to start or what to expect? We feel you. We were wondering many of the same things not long ago. But since we were road tripping around the northeast, we figured we owed it to ourselves to visit the “Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic Coast.” So we did! And here’s what we learned.

Not gonna lie, a little over a year ago when my dad said, “I really wanna go backpacking in Isle Royale National Park next summer; wanna come?” I was 100% not sure where the heck Isle Royale even was. So after a quick map search (it’s an island in Lake Superior) and a brief discussion of whether it’s pronounced roy-al as in Royale with cheese or roil as in the royal family (park rangers use the latter pronunciation), followed by a hearty bout of laughter brought on by my parents thinking I plan more than a month in advance…Isle Royal National Park was suddenly very much on my radar.

Need portable power on your next road trip or camping trip? We’ve got you covered with this here review of the Goal Zero Yeti 500X and packable Nomad 50 solar panels so you can power up off grid or on.

If there’s one thing that savvy climbers never buy used, it’s climbing rope. After all, a rope’s job is literally to save your life; you don’t want some weathered length of cord that might not be able to handle the shock of a fall or two. But most climbing rope, like harnesses, isn’t sustainable, so eco-conscious climbers may feel just a pang of guilt every time they have to buy another 60 meters of brand new rope (and what to do with the old one?!). Not anymore. Because these sustainable climbing ropes prove form, function and sustainability (uh, also safety) can go hand-in hand.

Ready to start backpacking? Here’s our intro to backpacking guide to get you started out on the right foot. Or the left foot. Whichever foot you want to start on is fine. We don’t discriminate between feet.

It’s that time of year again: Valentine’s Day. The time of year we’re all obliged to tell someone we love them. And while we think the history of Valentine’s Day is pretty dang weird, we never mind an excuse to dote upon ourselves or loved ones, especially if it involves sustainable outdoor gear. So if you or your special someone care as much about getting outside to play as protecting the giant natural playground we call home, then here are 10 outdoorsy, sustainable Valentine’s Day gift ideas for her.