Latest And Greatest Kids Gear For 2012

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Shawna

Twice a year we make our way to Salt Lake City to search out the latest and greatest kids gear at the Outdoor Retailer. It’s where big names like Northface and the not so recognized little guys gather to reveal their new lines and inventions. So if you have a local outdoor shop you like, odds are they’re going to this event to see whats new and buy stock to fill their store. Here’s the list of gear that got our juices flowing during this years winter market.

Stainless Steal Baby Bottle – Klean Kanteen is famous for its line of stainless steal drinking containers and now they’re introducing baby bottles. The line includes a 5 and 9 oz. bottle and three different types of nipples. It can also double as a snack container.

Redesigned Kids Climbing Shoe - Mad Rock has had their fun mad monkey kids climbing shoe around for a while but they just released a new design which makes it more comfortable and user friendly. Priced at an affordable $39.

Kids Snowshoes - Redfeather has some kid specific snowshoes available that fit your toddler to your teenager. $35-$95

Infant and Baby merino wool base layer - stemming from more of a boutique scene are these beautiful infant and baby wool base layers from Nui Organic. The priceline is high but the look and functionality are there. Some of the line is a mix of merino and silk…mmmm yummy.

piggy backpack - This is a similar idea as the piggyback rider we introduced to you last summer but it has an integrated seat for whoever you give a ride to. The pack itself looks a little cumbersome and a bit too heavy but the creator assured us their working on another prototype.

Toddler Ski Helmet - Lucky Bums has a new ski helmet line for kids coming out next fall that features an appealing shape, easy adjustability and great graphics. The toddler helmet especially made my heart melt. This new line will cost a bit more than its original. [image coming soon]

Stylish Rain And Snow Suits - Ducksday is not available in the US as of now but their rain and snowsuits have spread across 100 countries already. And I can see why. The fabrics and designs used are parent and kid friendly. I loved the entire line which is spreading to snow gloves and summer wear! I’ll let you know when you can get your hands on them.

Gear Hauler That Can Be Pulled By A Car - No longer do you need the huge SUV or truck to get your family, gear and toys to your destination. The Road Warrior is a multi functional light weight sport trailer that can be pulled by any 4 cylinder vehicle. It comes with a sleek looking outer shell but can be used to haul firewood just as easily as your camping gear.

Osprey child carrier - Osprey packs are a favorite of many so when they announced they were coming out with a child carrier I had to see it in person.

video

Tough But Cute Girls Winter Boots - Baffin is known for its heavy duty winter boots. Their kids boots usually have a masculine look to them with non-gender colors. This fall they’re introducing a more feminine line of girls boots without sacrificing that well known toughness. They’ve added a more girl friendly sole, cute colors and snowflakes!

[image coming soon]

Funky New Styles From Sanuk - Sanuk’s new line for kids didn’t disappoint this year. They have a kicked back outdoor lifestyle look and all of the new styles are easy for kids to put on and off themselves. I’m sure you moms can appreciate that when you’re trying to make it out the door. Here are some of my favorites…

The Outdoor Retailer Show was the biggest ever this winter and it was so exciting to see kids gear making a nice presence at the show. I’m sure that trend will continue as more and more kids head out into nature. Over the coming months we’ll be reviewing some of these products and having giveaways for you as well. So stay tuned!

Outdoor Retail Show, outside, outdoor gear, outdoors, kids, kids gear, latest and greatest, Sanuk, Klean Kanteen, Baffin, Road Warrior Sports, Redfeather, Nui
Lucky Bums, Piggy Backpack, Mad Rock, Ducksday

There’s A Party Outside, No Invitation Needed

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Shawna

Last weekend we loaded some snow equipment in the car and took off for our local recreation area (Mantua, Ut). We really didn’t know what we were going to do, we didn’t even have enough gear for all of us to do any one activity together. But we knew we just needed to get out of the house, so we took off and decided to wing it.

When we got up there it looked like there was a party going on that we didn’t get an invitation to.

It was exciting to see the wide range of activities everyone was participating in. And I’m pleased to say there were kids in almost every group we came across. I ended up just taking pictures, Damon cross-country skied with the younger kids and the older ones snowboarded and snow skated down a nearby hill.

While looking through the lens of my camera and focusing on all these people having a great time outside I realized the best thing about the outdoors is that you never need an invitation to explore it. It’s just waiting for us to come and play.

What’s the latest thing you did outside for fun?

XC ski, nordic, snow sports, snow, adventure, outside, outdoors, nature for kids, party, invitation, Utah, Mantua

3 Tips For Teaching Kids To Cross-Country Ski

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Shawna

We have a pair of vintage 3-pin cross-country skis my sister-in-law gave us. (Wowzer that sentence got it’s fair share of hyphens.) Anyway, my older two boys used them in the past and this season Scout is thrilled that she finally fits into the boots!

And I was equally excited because this means we can go skiing during the day while the boys are in school, she can ski and I can carry her little brother in the child carrier.

Here are the 3 tips that helped Scout learn really quickly…

1. Start Without Poles

2. Ski On A Groomed Trail

Scout followed in his tracks

3. Pretend To Kick A Ball

Scout picked up the cross-country ski movement really quickly. Once we went over the basics I let her loose to explore. She went up and down hills, in circles and even enlisted Kaiser in the effort…

Skijoring at its finest…

Once she started doing well with the basic skiing motion I added in the ski poles.

She had some tumbles and stumbles along the way but she didn’t seem to mind…

I hope you found this helpful! We’re headed out again tomorrow. I hear there’s more snow on the way! Yippee!

Do you have any favorite cross-country ski spots?

Gear Spotlight: On this outing Scout wore the Icebreaker pocket hat and over the calf snow socks. Icebreaker makes active apparel from New Zealand merino wool.

cross country ski, nature for kids, how to, ski, snow, teach kids, snow sports, skijoring, nordic, XC ski

Learn From My Dutch Oven Mistakes

Posted on January 12, 2012 by Shawna

I ran across a recipe the other day for Dutch Oven Cheesecake. Damon had a birthday coming up and he loves cheesecake so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try it out.

In my mind I had visions of this becoming a family favorite, with my children gathering around me with praises of my exquisite dutch oven abilities, my husband requesting it every year for his birthday and sharing the success of it all with you here.

WRONG!

The entire experience reminded me of a quote I put in my last post. “The word adventure has gotten overused, to me, adventure is when everything goes wrong. That’s when the adventure starts.” - Yvon Chouinard

So, uh, this was an adventure I guess because everything DID go wrong!

Wrong Turn #1 – The recipe is for a 10 inch dutch oven, mine is a 12. So I did some mathematical modifications on my own. Let’s just say some continuing education wouldn’t hurt.

Wrong Turn #2 – I was impatient and didn’t let my charcoal become totally white before putting it under and on top of my dutch oven. So instead of taking 1 hour to cook it took 4 hours, and that’s after I tried adding more charcoal and eventually just sticking it in the oven.

Wrong Turn #3 – When I took the lid off I tilted it to one side, allowing ash to pour onto the cheesecake.

The kids were in bed and by 9 o’clock Damon still hadn’t blown out any birthday candles. Finally after a movie and scraping off the top layer of ash we took our first bite. The crust had a faint taste of lighter fluid and the cheesecake itself was lacking…sugar.

Overall it was an adventure and next year Damon may be getting a hostess cupcake for his birthday. And although this post sounds pessimistic I really am a “the glass is half full” kind of gal. I will be trying more dutch oven recipes in the future and hopefully have some successful ones to share with you all. But until then hopefully you can learn from my dutch oven mistakes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY AWESOME HUBS! My best friend and companion in adventure! P.S. My dutch oven skills are nothing compared to my love for you.

dutch oven, nature for kids, recipe, cheesecake, birthday, adventure

An Epic Journey To Inspire You

Posted on January 10, 2012 by Shawna

Over the weekend we watched 180 South. It was available to watch instantly on Netflix and the synopsis sounded cool so we gave it a try. Little did I know that this adventure documentary would inspire me beyond words.

The story features a man who retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes to Patagonia. There’s a lot of surfing and climbing along the way and a simple reminder that journeys and difficult experiences can help us grow and learn. The film also has an underlying story of the environment and our consumption habits as a society, but it’s not overwhelming so you don’t have to be a tree-hugger to appreciate it.

trailer

If you’re going to watch it have a pencil and paper ready because this film is overflowing with quotes to live by. Here’s a couple of my favorite…

“I’m drawn to open country. It’s where everything becomes clear, where the world makes the most sense. When I put myself out there, I always return with something new. A friend once told me: The best journeys answer questions that in the beginning, you didn’t even think to ask.” - Jeff Johnson

“The word adventure has gotten overused, to me, adventure is when everything goes wrong. That’s when the adventure starts.” - Yvon Chouinard

“I think first and foremost, people only protect the things they love. And you can’t love something unless you inherently identify with it.” -Kris Tompkins

“And in response to people saying,’You can’t go back.’ and I say, ‘Well what happens when you get to the edge of the cliff. Do you take one step forward or do 180° turn and take one step forward? Which way you goin? Which is progress?’ The solution to many of the world’s problems is maybe to turn around and to take a forward step.” – Yvon Chouinard

“That men do not learn very much from the lessons of history is the most important of all the lessons that history has to teach.” -Alex Huxley Chouinard

One of my favorite parts of the movie is when Yvon talks about these rich people who pay a ton of money to have someone take them up Mt. Everest. They have someone set the ladders for them, cook their food and roll out their sleeping bags putting a chocolate on their pillow. He goes on to say that “The whole purpose of climbing something like Everest is to effect some sort of spiritual and physical gain. But if you compromise the process you’re an a#! when you start out and an a#! when you get back.”

I found this a metaphor for life. Even though it definitely gets hard at times YOU have to go through it without compromising the process or else you won’t change or progress. That’s what this life is all about…learning from our experiences and becoming better.

Although this movie makes me want to go on an epic journey of my own I realize that it doesn’t have to be to Patagonia on a boat to make it successful. I have to figure out what my own epic journey will be. And to tell you the truth I think our faimly is on a mini journey each time we go out exploring. Every hike or climb seems to teach us a life lesson along the way. And I’m grateful for those moments with my kids.

What would your epic journey be?

180 South, Yvon Chouinard, Doug Tompkins, Patagonia, epic journey, nature for kids

Nature For Kids

Encouragement and ideas concerning wholesome outdoor recreation