Camp for 1 Month, without Quitting your Job

What if I told you, that I camped, outside, for an entire month this year. And I did so without quitting my job. Crazy, right?! Admittedly, the title of the article is a little click-bait-ish, but it’s true. How did I manage to spend 30 nights, under the starts, since January 1, 2018, without skipping out on my job, or better yet, get fired? The answer is quite simple, and it’s not really a secret. All 30 of those nights, well they weren’t consecutive. I know, I know. I tweaked the truth, just a little bit, to get you here, …

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Real Cost of the “Free” Outdoors

“The outdoors is free and most importantly the outdoors is open to every single person.” The second part of that quote is 100% true, but the first part.. well that’s a blatant lie. I’ve only embraced everything the outdoors has to offer in the past couple of years, so I definitely know the outdoors is not free. So why do we pretend it is? Playing and recreating outside and especially in the mountains can start off free, but it quickly goes downhill from there. A fact I can attest to first hand, seeing as I’ve gone from not even having …

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Peak Designs Capture Clip | Review

The Peak Design Capture has single handedly change the way I’m able to capture photos and videos. This neat little device doesn’t directly affect the photos or videos themselves, but it allows me to have my camera always ready and secure at the same time. Those two things seemed impossible before when only using a camera strap or stowed away in a pack.  The Capture is a two part device: 1st part is a metal clip that clamps onto a backpack strap or belt and the 2nd part is  an Arca tripod-compatible plate that screws into the bottom of your …

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Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite | Review

The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir XLite is by far the most important item I now take on any backpacking/camping trip. Arguably more important than my camera, backpack, or even water. If you’re anything like me, the worst part of camping is waking up sore in the morning, and that soreness has nothing to do with the previous days’ activities. I’m a side sleeper, so I’d wake up with a sore neck, shoulders, and back whenever I’d sleep on a foam pad, hybrid inflatable/foam pad, or other inflatables. Without exaggeration, I get an equally good sleep on this NeoAir XLite inflatable sleeping pad …

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Essentials for Backpacking Europe | What You Need

You’ve got your plane tickets purchased and maybe you’ve even convinced some of your friends to come with you to Europe, but now you need to figure out what to bring. There are millions of options out there, but here is my take on the essentials you’ll need to be able to efficiently navigate and backpack through most European countries.  Gear: All the stuff you’ll need to be ready for everything to Backpack (no suitcases obviously) A backpack is probably a key essential to actually backpack through Europe. It gives you the opportunity to still walk around with all your …

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Stop Buying New Gear (Confessions From a Gear Junkie)

Yes, all of us, need to stop buying new gear for every time we want to try something new. We all can relate to that one friend who is always buying the latest, greatest, newest, lightest gear to add to their closet with the rest of it. In some cases, it might even be you. But that’s what we get for living in a society that throws advertising at us from every single angle from the moment you wake up, until you rest your eyes for bed after that last Instagram swipe. With that being said, I want you to ask …

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Mammut Smart Belay Device: Review

The Mammut Smart Belay Device stands high above all the rest of the competition. So when your browser has 14 tabs open, with 4 dedicated to belay reviews from all the top sources, 5 dedicated to customer reviews and forums, and the last 5 dedicated to finding the cheapest place that offers, close them all now. My Review The Smart Belay Device is one of the most versatile assisted-braking devices on the market. It’s made by Mammut, of Switzerland, so you know it’s been tested to perform at its best when you needed it the most. The best, and my …

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