10 Amazon Finds For Your Next Bite-Sized Adventure Outing
Ah, gear… I love gear. One of my first jobs in college was at a local mall working for Eastern Mountain Sports. I continued on working in a few more different gear shops over my lifetime, from backpacking shops to climbing to a short stint in the kayak section of a Dicks Sporting Goods. I love everything about gear, seeing someone else have something cool, researching it to make sure it was what I think I wanted, finding the right deal on it, busting it out in the perfect situation on the trail or at the crag, then a few years later selling it because something newer had come out. I feel like I just described a person with a shopping addiction.
Amazon has risen as the fastest way to find a lot of cheap gear for our outdoor adventures, but how do we know what is quality and what is garbage? Well, let Bald Dude take you a little adventure into the Amazon gear closet.
Obviously, these items really depend on the type of adventure you are having so we reviewed these items and are trying to make them as multi usable as possible.
- Water Bottle - Your water bottle is super important. It needs to be able to keep your water cold and fit in your backpack correctly and be something you will actually drink out of. The Yeti Rambler fits all these guidelines. It comes in varying sizes, has a large mouth section to add ice to keep your drink cold, but also a smaller section to drink out of. I like it because the mouth section is covered and won’t get lake water on it when I go paddling.
- Hammock - Sometimes on your adventures, big or small you want to just take a load off at a relax. Maybe you are hiking to the top of a peak and need to chill before hiking out, or you just paddled to a remote island, and chilling in the hammock is a perfect spot for a small nap. No matter your adventure, having a small packable hammock around is a great idea. The Wise Owl Portable Hammock is a great buy with many colors to choose from and an easy setup. Quick, portable, and inexpensive, this might be the perfect gift for the outdoorsy person in your life or one for yourself. Live, Life, Lounge.
- Headlamps - Headlamps are one of the best things to toss in your bag if you are headed out and hopefully, you will not need it but in the event that you can’t get back to the car in time, you are covered with a flashlight. I highly recommend that you have one of these. These come in all shapes and styles but Petzl is one of the best and longest-running brands in headlamps. Petzl is trusted by canyoners and emergency personal all over the world, so it should be good enough for your adventures. Check out the Petzl Tikkina. Small enough to leave in your bag but powerful enough to illuminate your way back to your car.
- Coolers - Some of us like adventures where our car is close to us, so what happens to your lunch and drinks or maybe you like fishing and need a place to store your catch. Coolers technology has come such a long way in the last 20 years. Yeti has taken the cooler market up to another level. Many of these coolers keep ice cold for a few days and many are bear-proof (in case you need that). Here are 2 amazing options for you in the world of coolers. The Yeti 35 Cooler is your upper tier, top-of-the-line, best-in-class cooler. Holds ice for days and keeps 21 drink cans cold for that long too. But not everyone has $400 to spend on a cooler, so check out the RTIC 20 qt Cooler is half the cost but just as good. If you are interested there are a ton of youtube videos of people conducting experiments comparing different coolers.
- Camp Towels - Having a small towel available in case you get wet from an unexpected rain shower or you fell in the lake while mountain biking can be a game-changer. Toss one of these small microfiber towels in your car or gearbox and always be ready to dry off. The BEARZ Quick Dry Towel is an amazing buy, packable, and easy to use. Five Star reviews.
- Camp Chairs - Quick, convenient, and comfy. Little camp chairs can make sitting around a campfire way better than sitting on a log. The Helinox lineup of portable Chairs makes taking a chair with you so simple. The Helinox Original One Chair is just over 2 pounds, collapses into a bag 14 inches long, and comes in a variety of colors. Drop this into your gearbox and be ready to sit down because the best part of any bite-sized adventure is when you are done.
- Car Awning - I have this dream of traveling around in my car, stopping at beaches, campsites, and chill spots...pulling out a car awning, and chilling with a beer after the mini-adventure is over. If you are unfamiliar with a car awning, it is just what it sounds like, a retractable sunshade connected to the side of your vehicle. They connect to most larger car roof racks. The Rhino Rack SunSeeker is top of the line and one of the best retractable awnings on the market. But if your budget is not that high, check out the All-Top Awning which comes in at about half the price.
- Rain Jacket - This is one of those things where if you bring a rain jacket it will not rain but if you leave it at home, it will definitely be a monsoon-style rain. So here is the best rain jacket on the market. The OR Helium Jacket is made by Outdoor Research, a company based in Pacific Northwest and they know a thing or two about rainy days. This jacket is super small and packable, you will forget it is even in your bag but still sheds water like a boss.
- First Aid Kit - Many of my old mentors as a climbing instructor said “Safety First.” They were always right. Having a small personal first aid kit in your bag or at least one within your party of adventurers is imperative. The Adventure Medical Mountain Series Day Tripper Lite Kit is all you will need for most trips.
- Day Pack - We just listed a bunch of stuff, that some of it we just told you to take with you on your next micro-adventure. So here is where the day pack comes in. There are 1000’s of backpack options on Amazon but one company and style rises to the top. Osprey is a backpack company that is one of the best in the business. The Osprey Hikelite 26 is perfect for you to take all the things you need on your next hike, bike, or just a stroll to the park with the kids.
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