We are so excited about this Trail Tuesday and to introduce you to an all new Hydro Hiking shoe and sandal from Merrell, the Choprock! There are three styles in the lineup, so there is something for everyone, just in time for summer!

The Choprock is made for days spent around water and is a high tech quick drying shoe that is both a heavy duty hiker and hydro hiker. This Choprock model is perfect for those who want to avoid any debris and small pebbles from entering your footwear when hiking in water. 

The Choprock Strap is a capable hiking sandal that is packed with high tech materials that dry out fast, grip on slick terrain, and protect the soles of your feet from debris.

The Choprock Shandal is what I would consider a cross between the Choprock and the Choprock Strap with ports for water evacuation a...

It is spring and summer hiking season… the PERFECT time for us to partner with Deuter USA for a pack giveaway! A few years back, I was lucky enough to have been fitted for my first Deuter pack at my local co-op. It was the first time that I learned that Deuter made packs especially for women, aka the ‘SL Fit’. So, what is an SL fit and why is it important? Deuter is invested in both technology and comfort for women. They have an established team of professional athletes and designers who are responsible for the development of the SL packs. And ladies, this isn’t just about cool colors for the trail… the SL packs are about support, suspension and pairing to the female anatomy.

When compared to men, women have:

-a shorter torso

-a more conical hip shape

-a narrower shoulder width

-a more sensitive...

The holiday season is here… and we are giving away a few awesome items from our Women Who Hike collection that you can now shop on the Wylder Goods website.

I @Im_Nicolemarie have been shopping Wylder Goods, an online marketplace for outdoor women since it’s inception. They’re responsible for a few of my favorite things in my wardrobe and gear closet including my @bribol earrings, @patagonia jackets and of course the original @wyldergoods trucker hat (seen here) as well as other things like outdoor inspired home goods, stylish reusables and the @sarahvirginiauhl calendar, which we gifted to our entire ambassador team last year!

There is some great new stuff in the store this year, just in time for the holidays! One of the standouts is the National Parks Of The USA book which I have gifted to my nieces and ne...

As many of you know Deuter has been making SL fit packs that are especially for women. In their line there is also two different back systems, the Aircontact and the Aircomfort. 

The Futura features the Aircomfort system and for 2018 they have definitely made improvements. I @Im_NicoleMarie have long preferred the Aircontact system but have found myself using this 34L and have been very happy with the back system, support and ventilation system and the many features of this bag.

The Futura is now lighter and more comfortable than ever with Active Fit Shoulder Fins, Ergonomic Hip Fins, Lumbar Pads and the Aircomfort Mesh Back for maximum ventilation and a durable frame that is also flexible which allows for you to move comfortably and fluidly. You can see a diagram of these features in our post. 

The Futura is...

A few months ago I transitioned from a Garmin Vivoactive 3 to the Fenix 5S Plus and it honestly has SO many features that it has taken me this long to get used to all of them! A huge reason for my transition was the built in routable TOPO maps. Not only can I keep track of my mileage and fitness specs while hiking but I can also read maps right on my watch as I am hiking along. While I still have and use my Garmin In Reach, I find myself pulling it out a lot less on the trail because most all the features I need for the trail are now right on my wrist. Full-color TOPO mapping comes preloaded with map data optimized for at-a-glance navigation and location tracking, multinetwork satellite reception to track in more challenging environments, and built in altimeter, barometer and compass. 

The Fenix 5S Plus whi...

A cooler that you can take on the trail! Hey everyone! I am super stoked to tell you all about and give away one of the new waterproof, soft-sided coolers from Hydroflask 

This ‘Cooler Pack’ is a comfortable backpack that you can wear on short hikes where a cold drink along the way or a summit beer atop a mountain vista is a must. Smart insulation keeps contents cold for up to 48 hours and a watertight YKK AQUASEAL zipper ensures leakproof transport. Its also FDA food grade with a BPA-free liner which will keep anything you pack inside free from toxins and free from worry.

Theres also additional storage in the top lid and side pockets that give you a nice place to stash keys, phone, your Hydroflask bottles or other essentials. In addition to the 22L Cooler Pack, there’s also a 24L Cooler Tote and both of the...

I have been using the Sawyer Picaridin bug spray for many years now and when I heard about the new lotion packets I’ll admit, I was skeptical. I @Im_NicoleMarie have been using their spray since needing a DEET free product to travel to Puerto Rico with during the Zika outbreak. Since then I have become a fan of both the 3oz spray for travel and the .5oz pen spray for backpacking. We’re gonna give one lucky woman who hikes a prize pack of $100 worth of product from @sawyerproducts because while hiking and camping are our jam… bugs are not!

So why Picaridin and how does it work?

Derived from piperine in pepper plants, Sawyer Picaridin is a synthetic replica of a natural solution that has proved to be a very potent formula on mosquitoes, ticks, and flies while still being family friendly, gear safe, and very co...

Camping and backpacking season are here and today I want to talk about all of the great product that Big Agnes makes for ‘sleeping in the dirt.’ I’ve been a Big Agnes user for a couple of years now, and that started with my Copper Spur UL2. I had long heard from so many people who raved about the quality and durability of their tents. Since then, I have upgraded my camping collection which now includes the Tufly and also the Copper Spur HV UL1 MtnGlo since I am now doing more backpacking alone.

Pictured here is the Copper Spur HV UL1 MtnGlo. It was my go to tent during the Southwest Road Trip and I also recently took it up into the Sierra range. Based on the features of the award-winning Copper Spur ultralight tents, the Copper Spur HV UL design features a higher pole architecture which results in more over...

I’m still just like any girl when it comes to planning for and packing up for a trip. It’s all about the shoes, and I know that whatever adventure I headed out on, Merrell has me covered. Last fall, Elisabeth and I started trip planning for six weeks on the road all throughout the desert Southwest. Our road trip would span through most all of the Southwest states, including California, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona and we would be doing a little bit of everything which meant I needed a variety of footwear for what we would end up calling ‘The Southwest Road Trip.’

Out focus on this trip was public lands, which meant lots of different kinds of travel and exploring. We would be backpacking, car camping, hiking through water and up mountains, as well as hiking down into and alongside the tall canyon walls that...

I was fitted with my first Deuter pack years ago and am still using the same model for backpacking, the ACT Lite 45 +10 SL and this year, 2018, they improved and upgraded some features on this pack, and we’re gonna tell you all about it. 

The ACT 45 + 10 SL is a woman’s specific pack, and my go to for backpacking. I’ve taken this new pack on three backpacking trips here in the Southwest, and love all the new features as well as the old standby ones on my older version.

The SL fit is designed by women, for women. These packs feature a shorter back, slim-cut shoulder straps, and anatomically correct hip fins and belt to properly fit female hips.

The Aircontact Lite System is a contact back system with open cell foam for maximum ventilation. The result is 15% less perspiration than other competing body contour p...