(Jeff and daughter Loren, survey a beaver dam in Ontario, CA – circa 1987) Sitting down with adventure Dad, and Packit Gourmet co-founder Jeff to glean insights from him on the value, risk and reward of providing his daughters with rich wilderness experiences at an early age. You’ve amassed decades…
How to Spring Clean Your Outdoor Gear
After getting home from spending time in the great outdoors, whether it’s a day hike or weeklong camping trip, the last thing anyone feels like doing is cleaning their gear. All too often, exhaustion and procrastination win out, and people tend to stuff their dirty, grimy gear in the far…
7 Meals for Winter Camping
There’s something magical about the Winter … the changing light, the brisk air … and most of all, sitting around the campfire with hot cider and a big bowl of belly warming soup or stew! And after a long day of hiking and exploration, it’s exactly what’s needed to restore,…
The Do’s and Don’ts of Winter Camping
The trails are devoid of human life, animals wander freely through the woods, and snow falls soundlessly on the treetops—it’s wintertime in the great outdoors. But despite the sparkling vistas, uncrowded trails, and the beauty nature offers to hikers in this time of the year, many never experience the wonder…
10 Amazing Fall Hikes Across the Country
There’s nothing quite like hiking during the autumn months. The bugs and crowds of summer have largely disappeared, and the wonderful mix of explosive colors, crisp, nostalgic breezes, and deep blue, cloudless skies have taken their place. Here are 10 amazing hiking destinations that will be perfect for witnessing the…
The 10 Best Canoe Trips in North America
Everyone should spend a week paddling in a canoe, if not every year, at least once in their life. There’s no better way to get to know someone than being stuck in the same boat for days on end, and it’s been the boat of choice for hunters and anglers…
New to Nature? Here’s how to leave the great outdoors exactly how you found it
Right now, we all want out. Out of the house, out of the city, or let’s be real, we may go out of our minds! But before heading outside, here’s 8 simple (and very important!) tips on how to respect our land, wildlife and fellow nature-seekers! Let’s start with the…
10 Things to Know Before Planning a Trip to Great Sand Dunes National Park
Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve is home to the tallest dunes in North America, topping out at around 755 feet. These ever-shifting hills and mounds sit west of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, creating a mind-boggling, desert-like landscape surrounded by 14,000-foot snow-capped peaks. Compared to most of Colorado’s…
The Wildest Seashores in America
From North Carolina, to Hawaii, to the Pacific Northwest, 7 unique coastal seashores for your next adventure! People like their seashores. They always have. The biophilia hypothesis even suggests we’ve got an intrinsic attraction to the coast, perhaps because of how fertile this threshold tends to be: Across human history,…
15 of the Most Iconic Hikes in the World
The planet is crisscrossed with epic trails, from the Alps to the Andes. There are snowy summit trips for fleet-footed peak-baggers, long and leisurely rambles for wildlife lovers, and everything in between. While the options are almost infinite, here are a few epic hikes to add to that ever-expanding life…