Active Rain Gear

Happy Labor Day guys! My weekend has been lovely so far, but I’m preparing for some wet days ahead because my advisor would like me to go out and sample some wells in the middle of Tropical Storm Hermine. So, in preparation, I've been going through some photos of my time in Maine with my Dad and S, and I realized that it tends to be really tricky to prepare for rain. It can dampen anyone's camping plans, and it can be especially difficult to stay dry if you’re being active outside.

For my trip to Maine, even though the weather forecast predicted almost zero percent chance of rain, I decided to pack a few things just in case, and I'm so glad I did! Because, of course, the Maine weather completely flipped and we ended up getting several full days of rain. So I was really glad I brought a few things with me. Here’s an outfit I wore one day:

That day turned out to be pretty chilly with on-and-off rain, so I’m glad I had my three-season North Face rain jacket. I originally got it at Nordstrom Rack for about $50; I couldn't find any comparative online pricing but NR's online store still has a steep discount. It has so many great features, like the fact that it is basically two jackets in one! Each layer connects to the other, but can be worn separately. The inner puffy shell creates warmth on those cold, rainy days, but I can always wear it without the outer waterproof jacket. Vice versa, if it’s a warmer day, I can wear the waterproof layer by itself, which is what I decided to do on that rainy day in Maine.

My pants from that day are also from North Face (I got them for something like $30 at Nordstrom Rack - this is the closest sale I could find online). I like them because they’re really loud, which means you’re very easy to spot in potentially dangerous situations, like bike riding on a busy road or out hiking near or during hunting season. I also like them because, though they’re not waterproof, they breath really well, which is nice on humid, rainy days.

That day, after a hike, we were just hanging around Bar Harbor, grabbing some lobster rolls and seeing a movie. But, most days I’m outside in the rain, I usually wear an outfit like this. And I’d offer a few tips for dealing with wet and wild days:

1.)    Invest in a waterproof jacket. For me, enjoying a rainy day outside really depends on keeping my core warm and dry.

2.)    Wear non-cotton bases. I often do not wear waterproof pants, though I hear a lot of people prefer them. Instead, I’m happy let my legs get a bit soggy in spandex or nylon-based materials because I prefer unrestricted movement and I feel like most rain pants feel bulky. No matter the preference, stick to non-cotton bases so that your body can regulate its temperature as best as possible. Plus, I kind that non-cotton materials are often water-repellant anyway!

3.)    Find a solid pair of waterproof hiking boots. Even though I’m fine with soggy legs, I must absolutely have dry feet, so it’s important for me to have waterproof boots. I’ve noticed that dry feet also prevent nasty blisters, so I’d highly recommend finding boots like these that are waterproof.

4.)    Prioritize the parts of the body that make you feel happiest when they’re dry. Rain gear tends to be bulky or difficult to move in, unfortunately. So I often find that I’m happy to go “waterproof-free” on a few things, like my pants, just so I have more physical flexibility.

5.)    Be ready to get a little soggy. For me, I’ve noted that it’s important not to get alarmed if a bit a water does somehow end up getting into my clothes. Especially on windy days, even with waterproof clothes, rain has a knack for getting up sleeves and down collars. So I prepare for that, and I a) try to have a towel and a change of dry clothes nearby, and b) don’t let a soggy bottom bum me out.

So good luck with all your puddle stomping adventures, and wish me luck too!

DEPENDABLE PACKS FOR DAY HIKES

Beginning the hike around Fort Worden State Park, WA.

Just made it back from the Pacific Northwest! I think I’m on caffeine withdrawal from all the amazing coffee I had (shout out to Stumptown!) which is not the easiest thing to deal with while I pack and move to graduate school. But I’m so excited for the move that I’m running off of the adrenaline. Anyway, I’m taking a mellow morning break to collect my thoughts, plan the day, and also write a quick post on what’s quickly become my favorite day pack for all those hiking trips.

I love this day pack, called the Flash 18, from REI. I already have a lovely Osprey backpack for the heavy duty hauling, but I’ve been searching for a light, dependable bag for those days when I’m doing day hikes while “car camping.” I’ve used this pack on four-day trips so far and have really appreciated its storage capacity. For easy reference, a lot of packs have their liter capacity included in their title, so this day pack stores 18 liters worth of stuff. In my world, for the day hike where there was an opportunity for a lake swim, that equates to a full lunch (i.e. sandwich, chips, trail mix, and apple), bug spray, sun lotion, a towel, and a bathing suit. But I’ve also taken this bag to the beach, and was able to pack two sandwiches and two beach towels. Not bad!

Looking out at the Strait of Juan de Fucca from Battery Kinsey in Fort Worden.

There are two features about this pack that I particularly love. The first is a plastic carabineer that connects to the inside of the pack through a nylon line. As a very forgetful person, I attach my car keys to this line as a way to give myself the peace of mind that I won’t drop the keys somewhere along the trail. The second feature is the two cross-body straps. One cross body strap goes over the upper chest while the second runs around the waist. Though I’m used to cross-body straps for the larger cross country packs, I’m realizing why even the smaller bags have them now. Because, hiking a whole day, even the smallest bags will start chafing underarms and stressing the back. 

Hiking up the trail in "Paradise," in the Mount Rainier National Park, WA.

It seems like this bag has a pretty strong base of fans, too. One REI employee told me that all of her coworkers own at least one, and two different people have stopped me on the trail to tell me how much they love the bag too!

I think it usually costs around $40 ($35 for REI members), which seems like a decent price considering its durability. Osprey and EMS also have other day packs with similar dimensions and slightly higher prices. Plus I’m sure there are a lot more similar products out there, so feel free to take your time to find which day pack is right for you. Hope this review helped!

HYGIENE ON THE TRAIL

When a Shower is Three Days Away: Hygiene Tips for the Trail

I’m excited to wind down this Thursday by taking my bro-in-law Jamal out for dinner at our favorite sushi joint in Boston, Avana Sushi. If you’ve never been, I highly recommend! I managed to get to the restaurant a little early, which is great, because now I have a bit of time to chat with you guys about something I’ve wanted to talk about for a long time: keeping up with hygiene while backpacking or on long camping trips.

And it’s really tough! Especially when you’re outdoors in a place where running water is limited. I’ve been through many, many camping trips where showers were scarce and really beautiful outdoor experiences were slightly dampened by the uncomfortable feeling that layers of dirt and grime were caking onto your skin. I will add, hygiene needs depend on the climate. I personally prefer desert climates like California’s Death Valley because the arid environment immediately evaporates any sweat, which prevents bacteria from growing and spreading. No matter the climate, though, there are a few simple hygiene steps that will help you to enjoy the great outdoors even more!

So here are some tips:

1.)  Baby wipes are key! I can’t stress this enough; they’re one of my necessity items for any camping trip. Wiping down the body with just a few baby wipes after a long hike makes a huge difference. Plus, even if there’s access to showers, baby wipes still come in handy in all sorts of versatile ways, including messy s’mores snacks, soothing an injury, or having an embarrassing diarrhea emergency on the trail (hey, it happens!). I even bring these bad boys on backpacking trips, though admittedly in much smaller numbers; I usually will count out 5 per day per person for the trip, and then separate them from the main pack and compress them in a zip lock baggie.

2.)  Do not wear cotton bases. I’m not backing this up with any science, though I’m sure it’s out there, but in general I find that cotton bases (i.e. underwear and undershirts) hold in sweat a lot more than non-cotton materials like spandex. Not only does non-cotton stuff smell better after, say, five days without a wash, but they also insulate and help you regulate your body temperature better. Below are a few items that I use and wear regularly for camping trips.

3.)   Follow your nose; clean your tent when it smells. Bacteria is really helpful in telling us where it’s growing by smelling really bad, so always sniff around when you’re setting up or breaking down the tent. If you have room, and I recommend you make room, try to bring small packages of disinfectant wipes with you as well and wipe down the tent every time before breaking it down. It’s easy for a tent to get stinky in no time, especially if that’s where you’re storing all your stuff, so if mid-trip you begin to smell something, a few quick wipe-downs of the tent, and anything else that smells, really helps against your tent getting that stale body odor smell. As a last resort, you could use odor maskers, but I usually avoid them since they don’t really tackle the stink’s source and are also often carcinogenic. J

4.)  Keep things dry. Everyone loves a dip in the lake, but if you pack a damp towel or bathing suit, your things will smell musty in no time. It’s important to dry out everything that gets wet or damp, even sweaty clothing, before packing them away. If I don’t have a clothes line with me, and I usually don’t unless it’s a very luxurious kind of car camping with family, I like to leave wet things draped over my tent on sunny days. The sun’s UV rays also act as a disinfectant, so you’re technically drying and disinfecting at the same time!

5.)  Separate icky from non-icky. Those plastic bags that inevitably accumulate somewhere in your pantry have a lot of versatile uses, including keeping dirty laundry away from clean and unused clothes. It’s easy for dirt and smells to travel in tightly packed bags like backpacks. Keeping dirty laundry bagged and separated from everything else will help to make sure that your clean clothes stay clean! I’ve also noticed that most back-packing backpacks have two main compartments, which you can also use as a barrier between dirty and clean.

Those are my main five tips! Just remember: it’s easy to get hung up on the little things, but try to remember that the outdoors is meant to get you a little dirty. You’re supposed to get dirt between your toes and twigs in your hair. It’s a part of the experience! So focus more on finding a comfort level that’s right for you rather than being as pristine as possible.

Anyway, let me know what you think! Do you have any hygiene tips of your own? Follow my "Creative Camping" Pinterest Board to get more ideas.