Nut Loaf Recipe
The PBD (Plant-Based Diet) Nut Loaf has been a staple for years. We LOVE this recipe! It has very simple ingredients, it’s easy to make, and is filled with a powerhouse of nutrients including protein, fiber, folate, vitamins E, K, A, and copper. We usually serve it with a side of redskin potatoes and steamed spinach. It’s the perfect dish for a chilly night and makes great leftovers.
Read MoreHow we stay warm in our van during the winter
We do not have a diesel heater in our van, but we are able to keep cozy during the winter months camping with the following tricks:
what to wear hiking and backpacking
Wearing comfortable, breathable, and durable clothing hiking and backpacking is critical for remaining comfortable throughout your adventure. We organized the clothing, shoes, and hats we wear by each person.
Tent camping with kids
We’ve camped everywhere from the beach and the desert, to the mountains and everything in-between with our kids. Sleeping in a tent with little ones was a big departure from our former days as backpackers sans kiddos. Now with kids, we’ve tried lots of different options and we are sharing our experience, good and bad. There’s so many different factors that go into camping in a tent with kids such as professional organization guidelines, family preferences, child needs, and style of camping to name a few. For this reason, what we are sharing in this blog is not recommendations for what you should do, but rather a description of what WE do. Plus, what we do continues to evolve as our children grow and new equipment is developed in the ever expanding realm of outdoor gear.
Read MoreSummer hiking Tips
There’s nothing like summer hiking. The beautiful flowers, refreshing lakes, and long days are what dreams are made of. But summer hiking can be a nightmare filled with sunburns, over heating, and bugs without the proper preparation. After years of hiking we learned that certain pieces of gear and a few tips make all the difference to squeeze the most out of those long summer days on the trail.
Read Morecamping gear list
We are self-proclaimed gear junkies. We love having the right “stuff” to make any adventure a little easier or more fun. Across countless camping outings we have discovered that quality gear is important in order to make the camping experience a blast.
Read MoreCamping essentials for babies
Heading out on a camping trip with little kids can be exciting but also a bit daunting. We have found a few helpful pieces of gear make time around camp a little bit easier.
Read MoreBackpacking Gear list
Below is a list of gear we take backpacking.
Packs & Sacks
- Front child carrier pack (designed to clip on backpacking pack, includes 10% coupon in link or type in SOWEWENT10 to save at check out)
- Child carrier packs
- 3 L hydration reservoir
- Men’s backpacking pack
- Women’s backpacking pack
- Stuff sacks
Sleep & Shelter
- 4 person backpacking tent (we used this 2-person tent as a family of 3)
- Down sleeping bags: Men’s and women’s
- Youth/toddler sleeping bag with sleeping pad that fits in pad sleeve
- Infant and toddler sleeping bag (code SOWEWENT10 for 10% off)
- Inflatable sleeping pads for adults
- Silk liner for sleeping bag
- Travel sound machine
Clothing & Boots
- Children’s down bunting
- Fleece footed PJs
- Our kids wear both of these brands of baselayers. The first option is slightly thicker, Children’s merino wool layers (code Sowewent10 at checkout) or these are great year round, merino wool layers (SOWEWENT20 at checkout)
- Kid’s sun hat
- Kid’s hiking shoes
- Baby hiking socks
- Women’s hiking boots (lightweight), boots for rugged terrain/long treks
- Men’s hiking boots
- Down jackets: Men’s and women’s
- Women’s thermal base layers
- Men’s thermal base layer
- Women’s hiking pants
- Trucker hat
- Knit beanie
Cooking & Water
- Water filter (for larger groups/families) which has a good flow rate but tends to more difficult to fix if it gets a clog but this gravity filter is a little slower but much more reliable to fix by backwashing. If you have a smaller groups we like this filter.
- Camp stove or very similar version of ours
- Titanium mugs
- Titanium bowls
- Titanium spork
- Backpacker’s meals (Pad Thai is our favorite!)
- Backpacking cookies
- Children’s water bottle
Miscellaneous
- Headlamps
- Children’s headlamp
- Solar lantern
- Solar string lights
- Battery bank with solar panel
- Backpacking chairs
- Toilet in a bag
- Bear canister
- First aid kit
Insect repellent
- Bug cream
- Bug spray
- Insect repellent for clothing and gear (we treat packs, tents, boots, clothing)
books for the outdoorsy toddler
We’ve found that reading books to our kids about the outdoors has helped inspire excitement for any family outdoor activity. We put together this list of our favorite books that have helped teach our kids about so many things: animals, plants, seasons, the sun and moon, camping, fire safety, bugs, colors, hiking…the list goes on and on!
Read MoreOur favorite packs to carry kids on the trail
Finding a comfortable way to carry your baby or toddler on hikes can be overwhelming. There are so many options, and the needs and size of little ones are always changing and growing. Our collection of packs and carriers came to be after combing through blogs, watching video reviews, testing, and even stopping random parents on the trail. We’ve got you covered from the first few days and weeks of infancy all the way up to toddler carriers. While no carrier is perfect, we found each of these options was a nice solution to meet our needs as an active family hiking everything from local parks to overnight adventures in the Sierras.
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