One last look at a year full of a LOT of first for us as a family. First snowshoe trips. First time on cross-country skis. First half and full marathons. First triathlons. First all-family backpacking trips. Even the first time trying Kipper Snacks (basically sardines….) And a ton of beautiful moments in-between. Here is a…

This year, Canada Goose came out with a line of outer-wear for kids, taking all the aspects of warmth and protection for adults but miniaturizing it for the smallest of adventurers. The Bobcat Hoodie is their quilted 625-fill down jacket. It is great as a stand alone or layered under a shell for rugged exploration. Tested…

Last month I received a copy of “Tell It On The Mountain”, a walking documentary of life on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). The PCT is 2,663 miles long and extends from the U.S. border with Mexico to the U.S. border with Canada near British Columbia. This movie documents the lives of a dozen or…

As we walked through preparing for our first family backpacking trip I noticed something: there are a ton of articles on backpacking with kids in their teens. Even a few with middle schoolers. But I found only a couple posts on backpacking with young kids… seeing as our kids are ages six, five, and three, I just…

I do some “risky” things. Climbing. Backpacking. Some might even say skiing. But not that risky. I am that person who sits down after a fun multi-pitch 5.7/5.8 trad climb (for you non-climbers, 5.7 is easy) to read Climbing Magazine or Backpacker Magazine. I like absorbing other people treacherous tales and the lessons they’ve learned…

Recently I had the opportunity to try out the Deuter ACT Zero 50 + 15. (Wow, that name is a mouthful). It is a somewhat minimalist 50-65 liter pack from Deuter. I was really intrigued to try it out since it weighs in at a scant 3lb 4oz and has the same spec’d volume as…

As a family, we’ve tried out a ton of different sleeping bags over the years. And for the vast amount of families, you cannot go wrong. Well…too wrong. Most sleeping bags on the market will keep your kids warm in moderate to warm temperatures. But there are significant differences that can affect a good night’s…

Duration: A total of 5 nights and 7 days on the trail so far. Location: Testing in the Wasatch and Uinta Ranges Best Uses: Backpacking, Multi-day trips for those looking to go “light weight” or even climbing day trips where a larger pack would be needed. Yays! Size is great. I could easily fit a…

After an inspiring all-women’s backpacking trip in Colorado last year, I was motivated to plan my first trip out here in Utah. After much debating on location, I settled on The Notch Trail, High Uintas because it was super scenic and pretty tame in terms of trail difficulty. We had a few “first -timers” and…

Gosh, when looking for a tent, where do you start?! Honestly, when we first had kids I wished we had started here. I never really considered Kelty as my brand of choice when tent shopping but I have been more than pleasantly surprised! We sort of figured we only use it backpacking when the kids…

Every once and awhile I have some romantic, glorious idea…albeit ambitious. And last winter, when the snow swirled deep, I was dreaming of sunshine and wild flowers and high mountain lakes. I got it in my head to try taking my kid’s backpacking…not a long distance, but far enough to feel like we were getting…

I really don’t have any idea how to approach this post. Every person requires a different amount of food. Quantity also depends greatly on age of kids and gender! So what I am going to do is add in a bunch of qualifiers. First, we went with another family of four and there was much…

This last week we embarked on our first backpacking trip as a family, and our first trip into Willow Heights Lake in the Wasatch. Really it could not have been more perfect and our trip report is coming soon. But for now I wanted to share a glimpse into our time on the trails through…

Weather, snow pack, and location permitting, we are headed on the first of our family backpacking trips this weekend! And so, my posts have been less frequent because I am spending most my brain energy on packing lists. I figured I’d share my list and a few a guidelines in choosing our gear/clothing for the…

The #1 gear item on our list for this summer’s Backpacking Project 2013 was kid’s backpacks. Now I don’t expect them to carry much…but I NEED them to carry something!  But in my opinion kid’s packs are tricky. Most are designed for school, for obvious reasons. But we needed and wanted something with a little…

Hey friends! It has been a great week for giveaways! How could it not be? Today I get to introduce you to Ducksday Kid’s Outdoor Gear and their wind/snow/rain suit. What is a Ducksday rain suit? In short, it is a lightweight, one piece suit that is water and wind proof…and folds up into a…

Welcome back to day two of our multi-tasking must-have giveaway week! If you haven’t already joined us on Facebook, please do. We are discussing other must-have outdoor items all week! What is a Hydroflask? Hydroflask makes a line of double wall, vacuum insulated, stainless steel water bottles and food storage containers. We’ve had a chance…

Happy Monday everyone!! It is going to be an awesome week because we are giving away some awesome outdoor gear EVERYDAY this week. This gear has been tried and tested for the last few months and we are excited to share it with you! Join us on Facebook for more conversation on must-have camping and…

Since the moment our kids could hike on their own two feet, we’ve been searching for the right kid pack. And we’ve had mixed success. But at least I can say we’ve tried a ton of backpacks…and I now know exactly what we want in one. As part of our Backpacking Project 2013, we are…

For years we’ve been trudging along in stiff, hard, HEAVY hiking boots. And then trail running emerged on the scene. Along with it, the shoes began to change. People needed/wanted the lightweight comfort of a running shoe but with more stability and traction. Personally, I think this might be one of the best advancements in…