Category: Gear

National Park Roundup and Outdoor Retailers

Some fun things have been happening here at Mountain Mom and Tots.

First, I wanted to direct you to the most extensive National Parks Link List I have ever seen. A blogger friend at wildtalesof.com connected me to the site Roadtrips for Families. Last month they began a comprehensive list of more than forty National Park destinations gathered from seasoned outdoor families all over the country.

Mountain Mom and Tots contributed links for Denali, Kenai Fjords, Zion, Great Basin, Arches, Bryce Canyon and Independence Hall National Parks, and you’d better believe I’ll be going there before planning other National Park trips. Check it out here.
Second, this week thousands of outdoors suppliers from all over the world will gather to demonstrate their gear and expertise. The largest trade show for the outdoor industry takes place this week in Salt Lake City and Mountain Mom and Tots will be there. Outdoor Retailers is the place to find cool new gear for every adventure and we’ll be checking out some of the hottest new items for all of you.
Watch my instagram and twitter feeds for live updates from the show!

Great Giftable Gear from 2014

This year we’ve tried out some great new gear. If you’re looking for an outdoor gift for someone on your list here’re some of my favorites from 2014.

At Outdoor Retailers this summer I was given some water bottles to review. The Cambelback Kids aluminum bottle is cute and portable but it has one major design flaw. The handle is positioned to get in the way when drinking, especially for little faces. Another water bottle that has now become my favorite is the Avex Sport. I’m a big fan of the pourable spout especially as a mom. Then I can refill my kids’ bottles without sharing our germs. AGS Carabiner Travel mug is a good design, but cheaply made and although I thought I would use its convenient carabiner handle I haven’t as much as I expected.

This year we purchased a Goal Zero Lighthouse Lantern with electronic charging capabilities. You can plug-in charge it, connect it to a solar panel or even use the hand crank top if needed. It’s so much more compact because you don’t need a propane bottle, plus it functions as a cell phone or tablet charger when you’re out at camp. My kids like the “party lights” feature where the red lights circle on top and the lights put out good light and function in cold conditions. Note: Goal Zero has come out with a newer model since this review – the Lighthouse 250 Lantern retailing at 79.99.

 

Pakems Trail boots. Another Outdoor Retailers review item, the Pakems boots are meant as after adventure footwear. Waterproof, lightweight, easy to squish into small spaces, these second shoes are good for relaxing after a paddle, hike, ski or swim. They came in handy for my son too, who soaked his only sneakers on our last frigid camping adventure and although the shoes were adult size, they were the perfect option to keep him from complaining about cold feet. Prices range from $45 – $80.

 

After waking up in 2 inches of water our 15 year old dome tent was retired and Mountain Dad chose the Marmot Halo 4 person tent for our replacement. We’ve taken it to the beach, to Alaska and the high altitude mountains of Utah and have enjoyed the spacious set up, click in poles and double entrances. I have not liked the added steps of staking out the rain fly separate from the tent. I know it keeps things dry (although frost still got on the inside of the fly on our last trip, which then melted onto our bedding) but my kids end up stepping on the door with their limited zipping abilities. The Marmot Halo 4 is also the most expensive gear purchase we made this year retailing at $429.00. With that said, it’s been surprisingly easy and spacious and the tots LOVE to play in the tent while we’re camping.

Want more great suggestions? Check out these other Outdoor Family Bloggers for their annual Gift Guide lists:
More great Outdoor Gift Guides!

Outdoor Retailers 2014 Summer Show, Salt Lake City, Utah

 

Twice a year outdoor gear companies the world over converge on Salt Lake City for the Outdoor Retailers conference. This year’s four day summer show (plus a demo day on Tuesday) was just last week at the Salt Palace Convention Center downtown. It included booths from the largest companies in the gear industry – Arc’teryx, Big Agnes, Black Diamond Equipment, North Face, Columbia, Goal Zero, Camelback.

Every kind of outdoor product was represented at the show – climbing equipment, tents, stoves, camping supplies, trailers, kayaks, stand up paddle boards, clothing, shoes, food. This was my first time to Outdoor Retailers and the sheer volume of things to see was overwhelming. I spent my time in one small section of the Salt Palace Ballroom and only scratched the surface of what possibilities there were.

While checking out the new items coming to market in the spring I was able to meet some great people at Lodge, Pakems, Avex, AGS Brands and Klean Kanteen who generously donated gear for future product reviews. With the tots in tow I was only able to spend a short time at the show, but I look forward to more opportunities in the future.

The best part of the show was an outdoor family bloggers meetup that was coordinated by Kathy from GoAdventureMom.com. It was great to meet the bloggers behind talesofamountainmama.com, kidproject.org, garagegrowngear.com, BackcountryParenting.com and some of their cute kiddos. I’m a big fan of supporting families to get outdoors and bring the kids along. All in all there’s a lot to look forward to in the outdoor industry coming up.

Fins ‘N Things Off Road Trail, Moab, Utah

Thanks to Mountain Dad’s Christmas gift of a Polaris RZR, our Mountain family is now an off road family. On our recent trip to Moab, Utah we got to explore the great outdoors in a faster, cooler way than ever before.
Our first trail was Fins ‘N Things, a sandstone trail with some tough steeps sections and fun sandy ones too. The trail is well marked with white dashes and tire tracks, and although some places can get tricky, overall it was a great time had by all.
Detailed descriptions of this trail and many others in the area can be found in the book Guide to Moab, UT Backroads & 4-Wheel Drive Trails by Charles A Wells. It’s a must have for off roading here, with detailed maps, color photos and trail descriptions.
On this adventure Mountain Dad was driving, and my brother-in-law Jonathan, AKA off-roading expert, was leading the way in his own UTV. The tots were buckled and helmeted in back, and I was gripping my “oh no!”  handle most of the time.

One benefit of off roading is access to remote areas. There’s no way my tots could hike or bike into this wilderness area, and the views were breathtaking. Although next time I may suggest Big E NOT slide down the hill since his pants and underwear came back with half dollar sized holes in them.

Fins ‘N Things was a great trail and well worth seeing.

Trail Info:
Level: Difficult
Distance: 9.4 miles, 2-3 hours in a UTV, longer in a jeep or other 4-Wheel Drive vehicle
Tips: Always go UTVing with others. Remote locations can make for dangerous situations.