From time to time I have Outdoor gear giveaways on the blog, and hopefully there will be more in the near future. That said, there are a lot more out there that you may want to take advantage of. To help with that I am working with The Outdoor Adventure on a site to keep track of them all and easily enter or submit your giveaway. http://www.OutdoorGearGiveaways.com
Check the site out and follow on Twitter and/or Facebook to receive updates in your feed.
It was an average Friday. I woke up made coffee and began to work on a few projects before lunch. The dogs started to bark which means that either the mail had been delivered or there was someone walking their dog. I opened the front door to get the mail and there it was. A non exciting unexpected brown box. I looked at the mailing labels and it was from Columbia Sportswear. I opened the outer box and inside was……. There it was a box with the #omniten logo.
Alone in my living room I did a little happy dance. The dogs looked at me funny but hey I am sure me doing a happy dance in my living room is the least weird thing a dog to witnesses in their lifetime. I stood there almost to excited to open the box and carefully and slowly opened it. Inside was my official letter welcoming me to the 2013 Spring #omniten crew. Also inside was a fantastic assortment of gear provided for me to test and try out.
So what is this #omniten thing? In the Spring 2012 Columbia Sportswear selected ten bloggers to represent Columbia as ambassadors of the Columbia brand to help promote their soon to be released gear. The project was such a success that they have continued the #omniten awesomeness. Here are a few posts and a video from a few #omniten alumni to help give you some more insight into the epic adventure that is #omniten.
I am so incredibly excited to be selected to be part of the #omniten 2013 Spring Crew. When one door closes another one is delivered to your front door. Keep an eye on the hastag #omniten on twitter and on Instagram with all the updates and photos of the adventure as it unfolds.
Welcome to another Sponsor highlight. Today I am highlighting PurifiCup®. The PurifiCup® filtration system allows you to purify water on the go in any situation. PurifiCup® utilizes nano-silver technology to eliminate chemical and biological contaminants, along with 99.99 percent of over 600 types of bacteria, including E-Coli. The cup’s technology also removes heavy metals such as mercury, lead, copper and cadmium, while preserving beneficial minerals.
Each replaceable filter provides up to 100 cups of pure water from the tap or from water obtained from free-flowing freshwater lakes, rivers and streams. The firm offers three types of 10-ounce PurifiCup®, one for tap water, natural water, providing 100 to 330 cups of pure water, depending on the selected series.
The earth friendly travel water system fits easily in a backpack, carry-on, handbag or briefcase, and requires no additional hoses or attachments – just fill and it filters. It’s available in attractive colors –green, purple for Natural Water version and Orange for the Tap Water version. It’s an ideal solution for outdoor enthusiasts, world travelers, along with those who live and work in tenuous conditions such as reporters, missionaries and rescue workers. It’s an essential element of any well-stocked emergency or survival preparedness kit.
Do you carry an emergency kit when you go out backpacking? I carry my kit with me even on small day trips, but before I talk about what is in my emergency kit let me explain first what an emergency kit is. My emergency kit has a mixture of survival tools, first aid items, as well as repair items that this kit would only ever be opened if necessary. I also carry a small first aid kit that I will be talking about in a later post.
Contents of my Emergency Kit.
Strike anywhere weather proof matches.
Seam Sealer
Water Purification Tablets
Small Compass
nylon string
metal wire
fire starters
cotton swabs
mixed size fishing hooks and weights
large safety pins (2)
tweezers
Iodine Prep pad (2)
Antiseptic Hand Wipe (2)
Small packet of sunblock
Ibuprofen tablets (2)
Aspirin tablets (2)
Antibiotic Ointment (2)
Deet Free Insect Protection Cream.
Alcohol Prep Pad (2)
Lip Ointment
Hydrocortisone Cream
Insect Sting Relief wipe
Burn Cream
Poison Ivy oak and sumac cleanser
Emergency Mirror
Medical Tape
LED micro light
Silica Gel packet
Small adhesive strip bandage (5)
Butterfly closure (3)
Large adhesive strip bandage (5)
Knuckle Bandage (2)
Mole skin adhesive square (2)
Gauze Pad (2)
bug netting
Small roll of duck tape
Sewing needle
bug net swatch / patch (2 different sizes of mesh)
Ripstop nylon repair patch (2)
Weight of Kit 5.5 0z
What is in your kit? Is there anything you have in your kit that I did not list?
Welcome to another Sponsor highlight. Today I am highlighting Mountainsmith. With equipment ranging from backpacks to trekking poles Motuntainsmith has it all. I have been very luck to get to work with these fine folks. The products are great and the folks who work there are even better. Here is a little bit about the company and its story.
Our commitment to innovation began in 1979 and continues to the present with a full line of active lifestyle products backed by four core tenets: value, durability, utility and sustainability. Our line offers high-quality products that are used both on and off the trail ranging from technical backpacks to travel storage systems to our iconic lumbar series. In 2007, we set out to decrease the waste of plastic bottles made from PET through the incorporation of recycled post-consumer materials into our products without sacrificing our high-quality standards, this fabric is known as ReForge™. In 2012, we are on a march to save 4 million water bottles from hitting the landfill and ReForge™ is used in over 35% of our product line. Forged in the Rockies, Forged for Life.
The fine folks at Mountainsmith were kind enough to hook me up with a fantastic an El Diente 5 Degree Sleeping Bag. I have used this bag several times in the past year. The El Diente is warm lighte weight and compacts down quite small.
To learn more about the Mountainsmith company and their products you can visit their website. You can also find them on Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube.
The fine folks at Mountainsmith were kind enough to hook me up with a fantastic an El Diente 5 Degree Sleeping Bag. I have used this bag several times in the past year. The El Diente is warm lighte weight and compacts down quite small.